Okay, so now that I finally took the time and figured out how to work this site, I'll be updating here too. Enjoy!

Title: You Found Me
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Skate AU
Summary: "James, don't fall for the cute, wide-eyed sophomore with problems at home"
"Too Late."
Status of fic: WIP
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, nor do I own any rights to the television show "Lost". They were created by JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof and they belong to them, Touchstone, and ABC.
Author's Notes: I didn't see many fics about what Kate and Sawyer could have been like in high school, so that's the way I took it. Please read and review. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Song: You Found Me by Kelly Clarkson

I'm sick of this, she thought as she stomped out the door.

"I never want to hear that again, Kate!" her stepfather yelled after her.

Tears streamed down her face as she rushed down the street, hoping that she hadn't, once again, missed the bus. She could see the flashing lights as the long yellow bus rounded the corner and sped on down her street, not even stopping for the lone boy already standing at the corner. Great, Kate thought as she slowed and sullenly continued what promised to be a long, miserable walk toward Oceanic High School. She and the lone boy reached the corner at the same time and walked side by side for a few minutes, the silence growing longer with each step.

Suddenly the boy grinned and asked, "So the old hag hates you too, huh?"

Kate smiled in spite of herself. "Yeah, ever since I told her who my parents were, she refuses to stop unless my friend is already on the bus and makes her. But she's out of town and I'm stuck here alone until she gets back."

"Well ain't that harsh? She hates me because I once called her…well you can probably guess."

"Probably no more than she deserved," Kate stated simply.

"You got that right. I'm James, by the way.

"Kate," she said firmly as they continued to walk.

"You look really familiar. You a senior?" James tried to keep the small talk going, even though Kate looked like she wanted to retreat inside herself again.

"No, I'm only a sophomore. Are you a senior?" Kate already knew the answer but asked anyway because she thought it would seem weird if she told him she already knew about him.

"Yeah. That means it's my last year in this junk town. As soon as I'm done with school, I'm off to New York. I have a friend…Wait. Why am I telling you this? You probably don't care." James glanced at her with a puzzled look as she struggled to hide the wistful look on her face.

"No, it's fine. It's nice to listen to something other than yelling." Kate said this with such nonchalance that it took James a minute to absorb what she had said. He looked at her and saw the pain that was etched in all the corners of her face.

"Well, thanks," he said, trying to ignore the sense of horror that someone like Kate could have a history as horrible and wrenching as his. "It's nice to have someone to listen to me. Anyway, I have a friend who lives up there and has offered me a place to live. I turn nineteen in February and my friend refuses to let me come 'till I finish school." James did not add that their original plan had backfired when James failed his junior year and Jack had passed with flying colors. He scowled at the thought of Jack getting to live on his own in New York while James was stuck here in Boring-ton, Tennessee.

"Why did you decide to ride the bus today?" Kate asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"Oh, well, my truck broke down. It wouldn't start this morning and I didn't have time to fix it, so I decided the bus was my only option. I didn't figure the driver would be the same old nut from when I was a sophomore." James looked over at Kate as she sighed wistfully.

"I wish I could drive. I don't turn sixteen till May." She though about the BMW K 100 RS 1984 series motorcycle she had been saving up for. Sure it was a little beat up but all it needed was a new transmission and it would be as good as new. She only needed to save up $500 more and she would have enough to buy the motorcycle and have it fixed. She had a steady job at the local doughnut shop but she hated it. The people who made her life a misery came in everyday to haggle her and by the end of the shift on the previous day, she had come home almost in tears. By the time she could get her license, she would have enough. That is if she could learn to not smart-off to the jerk who called himself her boss.

"You got that look in your eye," James announced, taking his turn at interrupting her thoughts. "Whatcha thinkin' about?"

She blushed and showed him the picture of her dream.

"Ah, I see. And you have to wait till May to get it?"

"Yeah but I can't afford it until May so I guess it works out."

"At least you can get one. I have a friend who has had to ride the bus all four years of high school because he can't afford his own car and is too proud to ask for a ride or borrow money. And he ain't gonna get the money from his folks." James scowled at the memory of his most recent encounter with Michael's dad. They usually avoided him altogether, but Michael had forgotten his wallet and Rick had caught them before they got out of the house. Michael still had the boot on his ankle, and James could still feel the spot where he had been punched when he had tried to distract Rick so Michael could make it to the truck.

"Yeah, I know what that's like. My stepdad…well, let's just say we don't get along very well." A small tear trickled down her cheek as she remembered his latest batch for insults, both verbal and physical, but she quickly brushed it away so James wouldn't see.

Not sure how to respond, James walked silently beside Kate for a few minutes. He suddenly remembered his last conversation with his most recent ex-girlfriend. She had said he was an okay guy, but he was completely incompetent when it came to feelings. He glanced over at Kate and saw that the tears welled up in her eyes had begun to leak noiselessly down her cheeks. They had come to a bench and, gently, James steered Kate to sit down.

"I'm sorry I said anything. I should have known, it's really hard to talk about," James tried to comfort her to no avail. On an impulse, he put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him, still sobbing silently. As they sat there, they heard the warning bell ring, but neither of them cared.

Trying again to cheer her up a bit, James joked, "Fine person I am, I've known you less than an hour and I've already made you cry. That's usually a third or fourth date kind of thing with the girls I know."

Though the end of her tears, Kate choked out a laugh. "I'm not usually like this, I promise. It's just…I've had a really hard week, with my best friend being gone and my stepdad being meaner than usual. He treats me like dirt and my mom doesn't stop him." Kate dried her eyes with the sleeve of her sweatshirt, still leaning on James' shoulder.

"Well, at least you can talk about it." James gave her a quick, but strengthening hug as they both stood up.

"We better hurry," Kate sighed, wishing she could just go somewhere than this small little town and the high school she hated.

"Yeah, I guess."

They both laughed at the equal sound of resignation in both their voices and raced to the door as the bell rang.