Nikki left for school quickly and quietly again this morning. She didn't get much sleep last night, and her stomach was in knots anticipating the day ahead of her. The only thing she grabbed for breakfast was a granola bar. It was the only thing Nikki could stand to eat this morning, and it got her out of the house quickly. Nikki drove toward Thereasa's house in a haze. She blocked her mind of all thoughts, and the only thing she was aware of was the sound of her own chewing. The whole drive, Nikki was fighting the urge to cry. She'd been wrestling with the decision of whether or not to talk to someone about her problems at school, and it frustrated her to feel so lost. Soon the urge to cry won as Nikki sat at a stop light with her hand covering her face while her tears flowed freely. It was a release that needed to happen since Nikki had been holding so much in, and she just let herself cry. She was brought back to reality when the light changed, and Nikki heard a honk behind her. She took a deep breath and wiped her tears, trying to pull herself together as she was close to Thereasa's place. She stopped in front of the house, and Thereasa hopped in noticing immediately her friend was distressed, even though she tried to hide it.

" Hey Nikki, you okay?" Nikki sniffled and took a deep breath to cover up that she'd been crying.

" Yeah, I'm okay." It didn't work. It was obvious Nikki was upset, and Thereasa knew it. She laid a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.

" Hey, have you been crying?"

"No." She was choked up and tearful even as she said it, and knew she could no longer hide it. Thereasa immediately pulled her into a hug. Nikki buried her face in her friend's shoulder, and cried while Thereasa rubbed her back.

" Nikki, you need to tell somebody, hon. you can't go on like this."

"I'm scared." Nikki sobbed. Thereasa lifted Nikki's head so she could look at her.

" Listen, I understand why you don't want to tell your parents, and I get that, but I do think you should go to the principal or a teacher or something."

" I'm really afraid it'll make things worse." Nikki said wiping away tears.

" Well things certainly aren't getting any better the way they are now. You need to figure something out for your own sanity. Just think about what I said, okay."

" Okay." Nikki sniffled and nodded, while Thereasa gave her a hug.

" You know I love you, right? You're my best friend, and I hate to see you cry."

" I know, thank you." Nikki didn't know what she'd do without Thereasa. It was times like these when you need your best friend for a hug and some words of encouragement. Nikki knew Thereasa was right, she couldn't go on like this. She just wasn't quite sure who she was going to talk to. The two of them arrived at school, and Nikki was mostly calmed down. She wasn't about to let those kids see her cry, and allow them to tease her more. She hoped to at least get to class without running into them. Besides lunch, Nikki had one class with Maria, but none with Camren which she was thankful for. If she could minimalize her contact in the hallways, maybe she could get through her day. Thereasa walked Nikki all the way to her first period class before bidding her goodbye. Thereasa placed her had on Nikki's shoulder, reassuring her.

" Hey, it's gonna be okay." Thereasa told her. Nikki nodded and quietly sat in her seat. She still had no idea who she was going to talk to about her problems at school, and she didn't know how they'd plan on helping her. She was worried the principal would merely reprimand them, and teachers typically instructed kids to just work it out. Nikki just sighed, and needed more time to think about this. Whoever she talked to needed to be someone who would understand, and know what to do, and more importantly she wanted to avoid as long as possible, involving her parents.

The team at BPD sat around the squad room researching this group they'd came to know as RAW. So far they knew members of this group gathered in New York and parts of Massachusetts. They were careful to keep hidden, and many gangs were known to occupy small businesses in town, and congregate underground. Korsak did some digging, and found case files of two prior arsons committed by this group. They were confirmed RAW hits, but the members responsible were never apprehended. As they went over the case files, the team wanted to make comparisons, and talk to the victims of the prior arsons. Maura listened along with Jane, while standing behind the detective, stroking a strand of her hair. The two were often affectionate at work, and everyone was used to it. Jane and Maura have always been close even before they were officially together, so it was no big deal to see this behavior. It was a common occurrence for these two to exchange a pat on the back or the knee in passing, fuss with the other's hair, or give a kiss on the cheek before returning to work. After awhile it wasn't something anybody thought about, and it made for a comfortable work environment for them.

Nikki was in her English class trying to focus on the lesson, and copy down the notes the teacher was writing on the board. However focusing was hard as she shared this class with Maria and Camren's friend, Mikey Dualt. Nikki had been convinced that if she could be the strong one, ignore those kids, and focus on the teacher, that they would get bored, and not bother her anymore. It was no use as Nikki could feel them staring at her the whole time. Nikki sat in the second seat in the second row from the door, Maria sat two seats behind her, and Mikey sat in the third seat of the first row. Both of them were far enough away to remain inconspicuous, but close enough to torment Nikki at will. Mikey and Maria would periodically whisper comments back and forth, and snicker. When that got boring, Mikey resorted to crumpling small bits of paper and flicking them at Nikki while she tried to ignore them, but Mikey wasn't having it. When a piece hit her elbow, Nikki looked back at Mikey, which earned a mischievous smirk from him. When the bell rang, Nikki was first out of the room trying to avoid any confrontation, but Mikey and Maria caught up with her, and she was without any friends around to protect her. Nikki didn't look at them, and hoped they'd just go away, but it didn't happen that way, and Mikey was first to start in on her.

" So what, you can look at me in class, but you have nothing to say, huh? Come on, you know you want this." Mikey told Nikki while reaching out, and grabbing her ass. Nikki quickly turned away from him.

" Please just leave me alone." Nikki pleaded.

" What's the matter, you don't like when guys touch you? Are you a homo too?" Maria asked. Nikki bit her lip, trying not to cry in front of them. She looked away not saying anything. She knew anything she could say wouldn't deter them, so she tried to just walk away, but Mikey blocked her.

" She asked you a question, gay baby. Are you a filthy rug muncher like your mother?" Nikki was upset and trembling, but tried her hardest to stand her ground. She looked right at him gritting her teeth.

" Get away from me." Nikki snarled. Out of nowhere Mikey was pelted in the back of the head with a tennis ball, and quickly turned around to see a small ponytailed girl wearing green cargo pants and an oversized gray hoodie standing behind him.

" Leave her alone, dickhead." Mikey turned and chuckled at the young girl who was already prepared with another tennis ball in hand.

" Oh yeah, what are you gonna do about it, tiny?" Mikey was a foot taller than her, but she certainly didn't seem worried.

" Please, you bitches don't want to mess with me. I'll cut your fucking balls off." Maria decided she'd try to be intimidating, and stepped up to her.

" Why don't you mind your own business." Maria told her while the girl laughed in her face.

" That's cute. Do you really think you can scare me?" Maria was about to retort when a teacher heard the commotion in the hallway.

" Is there a problem out here?"

" Not yet."

" Alright everyone, let's head off to class now." The teacher told them. Mikey and Maria relented, feeling it better to avoid trouble with a teacher, and everyone headed to class.

" Thanks." Nikki told her savior.

" Don't mention it." Nikki's savior was Jessie Rodgers, Ty's younger sister. They met freshmen year when Ty was dating Olivia. Jessie was spunky and comical much like her brother, and she got along well with Nikki and her friends.

" You doin okay?" Jessie asked.

" Not lately." Nikki told her shrugging her shoulders.

"Those assholes have nothing better to do with their day. Good thing for them that teacher came out before I was forced to kick both their asses." Jessie stated confidently.

" Yeah, but then you would get in trouble."

" I don't care. It'd be worth it to get in a few shots on those dicks."

Jessie was not one to be underestimated. She stood a mere 5ft 2in and was 90lbs, but she was a scrappy fighter. She'd been in fights before, a couple with guys, and managed to leave one with a broken nose. The kid whose nose she broke even tried to punch her in the head, but she had no reaction to it. There was no doubt there would be hell to pay had that teacher not intervened.

Jane and Maura are having lunch at the Dirty Robber. They discussed the case some, although Maura did most of the talking. All Jane could focus on was Nikki, and how worried she was for her. Growing up she told her mother everything. It's the kind of relationship Jane wanted to have with her daughter, and to have her feel she could share anything. It puzzled Jane that Nikki suddenly seemed secretive lately, and she just wanted to help her. Jane sat there eating french fries, and Maura could tell her mind was somewhere else.

" Sweetie, you okay?"

" Hm...uh...yeah, I'm fine." There was truly no lying to Dr. Isles, and she knew Jane was lying.

" No, you're not."

" You're right, I'm not. I'm really worried about Nikki. I can't get her to talk to me. We used to talk about everything."

" She will, Jane. She knows you're here for her." Maura told Jane taking her hand. The detective smiled, and gave her hand a squeeze back.

" You're sure about this, huh?"

" I know so."

" I thought you never made definitive conclusions without the proper research."

" Trust me, I know the two of you. She'll come to you in her own time."

" I'm glad you're sure." Jane was still worried, but was willing to trust Maura, and give Nikki the time she needed.

Nikki arrived home, and just wanted to forget about her day at school. She'd been thinking about her situation, and was considering talking to her parents. Nikki Had gone through every other alternative in her head, and it seemed going to her mom was her only choice. As she walked in the house, she saw her mom and Maura snuggled together on the couch watching TV. The two of them looked so calm and content together, and at that moment Nikki lost her nerve.

" Hey honey, how was school today?" Jane asked looking over her shoulder.

" It was good." Nikki answered while grabbing a snack, and making her way to her bedroom. Jane tried to ask her more questions about her day, but Nikki just gave short answers so that she could make a quick exit. Nikki was frustrated with herself. She was all ready to go talk about what's been happening at school, and after seeing her parents calm and comfortable for once, she didn't want to spoil it. Work was certainly hectic enough for them without having to deal with problems at home too. Nikki loved her family very much no matter what other people said, and it meant alot to her in that moment to just let her parents enjoy each other. Thank goodness the weekend was here, and Nikki could finally get a break.

TBC