AN: Alright, net chapter. Enter Nick Stokes. Yes I will be putting Grissom in, proably the next chapter, and Hodges too. And Mia (who's last name I still don't know) This chapter has a warning lable for language.

Warrick had a hard time concentrating in his next class. It was advanced guitar. This class was easily his favorite, the fact that he couldn't concentrate was a huge indicator of how much was on his mind. He knew people were still whispering about him, about Catherine. That was easy to ignore, he was used to that. Well not having Catherine's name whispered right next to his, but still. He was used to the teasing.

But his own mind was making him lose focus. He had the odd habit of over analyzing the actions and words of other people. Especially when it came to girls. Not that he had had an occasion to do this before, but it defiantly seemed like it to Warrick.

"Cath," Cassy said. They were on their way to lunch. "What the hell did you do."

"What are you talking about," Catherine asked, smiling. She had a lot of a patience for Cassy.

"Inviting Cat-Eyes to lunch with us," Cassy groaned. Catherine glared at her friend, making Cassy groan again.

"I mean . . . Warrick. Okay, happy," Cassy snapped.

"Yes. Very," Catherine stated, still grinning. Cassy laughed.

"You're unbelievable sometimes you know," Cassy said.

They got their lunches and walked to the lunch table. It was fairly big and right in the center of the lunch room. It had been claimed by Catherine back in her freshman year. Since that, no one except Catherine and her group, dared sit there. Catherine sat down and Cassy right next to her. Cassy started eating, but Cath kept her eyes peeled for Warrick.

"You planing to take this anywhere," Cassy asked after she had taken a bite of some rice type thing the school was serving.

"What do you mean," Catherine said, not taking her eyes away from the kids just entering the lunch room.

"You know full well what I mean Cath!"

Catherine glanced at Cassy and rolled her eyes. "Can't I make a friend without having other motives?"

"No," Cassy said simply. "Not unless you're starting something new."

"Catherine shrugged. "Maybe I'm starting something new."

Warrick was standing outside the lunch room, debating weather to go in or not. Though his text books were all in his locker, it being lunch, Warrick still had a thick paperback in his hands. His mind was over analyzing stuff again.

"You look like you got a lot weighing on your mind," came a voice Warrick looked up. It belonged to a dark haired boy. Warrick recognized him as Nick Stokes. Nick was a nice kid, nicer then a lot of the kids in this school. He had a wide variety of friends from jocks to geeks. He wasn't exactly popular, well he wasn't at all, but he was kind and friendly. He wasn't exactly Warrick's friend, but he didn't make fun of him, and they had a class together. They talked sometimes.

"Yeah. Guess you could say that," Warrick said. Nick also had a reputation as being honest and having a zipped mouth. He didn't shoot off stuff people tell him. Nick studied him for a moment. "This have anything to do with Catherine," Nick asked. Though they knew each other, Catherine and Nick weren't very tight. He would smile when he saw her and she would do the same, but that was the bounds of their friendship as of yet.

Warrick seriously considered not telling Nick. But Nick probably would be some help. So Warrick nodded. Nick smiled.

"You should go get lunch. Make you feel better, having food in your stomach," Nick said. Warrick hesitated. "Or maybe lunch is the problem," Nick said and Warrick nodded again.

"Hey man, don't worry about it okay. What's the worst that could happen," Nick said. Warrick sighed, knowing Nick was right and nodded.

"Thanks," he said. Nick shrugged and walked back into the lunch room as Warrick went to buy his lunch.

Warrick knew where Catherine's table was. The whole school knew. The school also knew that he was going to be there. Catherine smiled and waved him over. Warrick heard a couple angry hisses and tried to shake of that feeling of being under a microscope. He sat down and greeted Catherine and Cassy. Then he started to eat. The lunch room, which had been oddly quite, started chatting again as though nothing had happened, and Warrick was grateful.

Lunch was almost over and probably would've gone perfect if it wasn't for a little bump in the road. The bump was named Steven and he wasn't at all little.

Yet another hush came over all the students as Steven came over to Catherine's table. He was know for being Catherine's date to the senior prom at the end of the year.

"Hey," he said. He was obviously talking to Catherine. He was a tall kid, over six feet, and thickly built. He was a football player and looked like one. Plenty of younger kids were scared of him.

"Hi Steven," Catherine said pleasantly, smiling happily. She obviously didn't take notice of the obvious tension surrounding them.

"Can I talk to you," he asked. He had harsh voice and tried to speak quietly but in the otherwise silent room, his voice was heard by everyone.

"Go ahead," Catherine said. After it was clear that she wasn't going to move, and Steven didn't speak again, Catherine continued. "Anything in particular you want to talk about?"

"Yeah," Steven said, much more aggressively now. "Tell me what the hell is up with him," he said pointing fiercely at Warrick, who was, up until then, absorbed in his book and trying desperately to ignore what was going on. Catherine's face hardened.

"I'm afraid you'll have to elaborate," she said. There was a warning tone in her voice that Steven didn't heed.

Steven sighed heavily, and glared at Catherine. "What has gotten into your head!"

"You can't dictate who I hang out with," Catherine snapped. Cassy was also glaring at Steven now, Warrick had stopped reading but the book was still open. He really wished that he had just skipped lunch today, or better yet, had never tripped in class earlier.

"Of all the kids in school, why him," Steven said hitting the back of Warrick's head. "What you trying to prove you can seduce anyone into to bed Catherine? Stop trying we already know the answer to that one." Venom dripped from every word. Catherine shot out of her seat. Her eyes were blazing fiercely.

"Stop right there Steven. You say one more word-"

"Or what," Steven sneered. Warrick could feel his face burning and a strange ringing in his ears. "You'll set you mommy on me," he spat. "She's no better then you. Whore! Filthy Slut!"

It happened in an instant, a blink of the eye. Catherine didn't have time to react and neither did Steven. Warrick leaped out of his chair, knocking it back with a thud and leaped at Steven. Caught completely off guard, Steven was thrown back into a table. Several kids screamed. Before Steven even knew what was happening, Warrick was on top of him punching every inch of his face that he could. warrick was going on pure anger and hate and nothing was going to make him slow down. He felt hands tighten around his throat, but didn't know if they belonged to Steven or not. He was still swinging wildly as his vison darkened and only stopped punching when he blacked out.

He woke up to a worried looking Catherine. He realized he was lying on a bed in the nurse's office. He glanced at the clock and realized that school had ended.

"Are you okay," Warrick asked, once he was sure he was alive. Catherine let out a short laugh.

"You're amazing you know that," she said. Warrick gave her an odd look.

"You try to beat a guy's face in, despite the fact he is about twice your height and three times your weight, nearly get strangled, black out., end up in the nurse's office for the rest of the day, are on the brink of getting arrested for assault and you ask me 'how are you'? Simply unbelievable. But sweet, I'll give you that." She seemed extremely amused with him. She smiled at him for a moment before he spoke again.

"How's your friend...Cassy?"

"Fine," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "She held me back from yanking the guy's hair off." He expression suddenly got more serious. "You sure everything is alright, no broken bones, no internal bleeding?"

Warrick laughed. "Nope. I've got beaten up worse before," he stated. Catherine grimaced. "Don't worry about it."

"The office called your grandmother. She couldn't come to pick you up, so I volunteered," she was smiling again now.

"Oh, and you're suspended for five days," she spoke quickly. Warrick shrugged.

"I figured as much. Wasn't thinking about that when I attacked the guy. How is he," Warrick said with a semi-evil gleam in his eye. Catherine grinned.

"Much worse off then you. He's all bruised up, his face looks like a giant plum. And he got suspended for like two weeks," Catherine said sounding very happy. Warrick nodded.

"Good."