Padme Naberrie had never been so miserable and hurt in her entire life.

She trembled as she ran along the lakeside of her home, tears rolling freely down her cheeks like boulders.

She had been bullied.

Why did such cruelty exist? How could girls stand harming each other this way? What had she done wrong for them to want to ridicule and backstab her?

She fumbled for the clubhouse steps, heaving herself up with desperation. Her fingers shook, just having the strength to climb up. She kept her focus on the tree house above, as she lifted herself inside.

The moment she entered, her silent tears burst out into sobs, as she climbed onto the couch that she and Palo had placed inside. She buried her face into a pillow, sadness and weakness overtaking her.

Footsteps clunked up, as she hastily rubbed her eyes. It would be impossible for her to hide her sorrow despite how hard she tried. She gazed across the room, spotting a certain curly head.

"P-Palo? What are you doing here?" she choked out, as the boy stepped inside. His eyebrows were knitted in a frown, as he strode across the room to her.

"I saw you running. Besides, we always do homework here," he replied calmly, as his hand touched her shoulder. "Padme, what's wrong?"

She looked up at him, her puffy eyes watering once more. "They did it. The clique did it again," she mumbled, as he sat down beside her.

"I know. It's all right, now. They're wrong about you, and you know it," he said soothingly, as he searched her face for her to look at him.

She closed her eyes for a moment, shaking her head. "They insult me all of the time. It's not something I can escape. It IS the truth," she retorted. Palo lifted her chin, as he forced her to gaze into his eyes.

"Look at me, Padme." The girl obliged. " Marshan and the girls don't know you. They don't see how kind, sensitive, and beautiful you are. Don't believe them, because they're just jealous of you," he explained, as Padme curled up against him.

"How? What do I have that they don't? They have EVERYTHING. Good looks and smarts. What else could they need?" she murmered, as she fought back the river that was threatening to break the dam that held back more tears.

"They aren't kind or gentle. They're cruel and vicious. I know for sure that such…terrible ways of treating people will get you nowhere. And they do not appreciate how you treat everyone," he replied sharply. "And you have the highest grade point average." He added with a cheesy grin.

Padme giggled, as she hugged him tightly. She looked up at the boy, as she felt a smile creep across her lips. "Did I ever tell you that you were the best?"

Palo forced a serious expression, as he played it off coolly. "At least a thousand times daily," he replied, trying not to laugh.

Padme slapped his arm playfully, nuzzling her head against him. "Haha, very funny, you show-off!"

He grinned, as he reached for his backpack. "I know, I know. Now that I have the ray of sunshine's light bulb fixed, I think it's time for me to do my homework before Miss Peetrei kills me," he stated, as the two sat up to complete their work.

Padme and Palo stood in the hallway, waiting for news on who would be making the miniature committee designed for future diplomats. Padme had dragged Palo into this one.

Palo constantly checked his watch, groaning in frustration. "Why did you make me do this again?" he grumbled, rubbing his curly head.

"Because I don't want to face The Clique without back-up," she insisted eagerly, as he let himself slide down the wall.

"Ugh…you owe me BIG for this," he mumbled, as she drew a datapad out of her pocket.

"Fair. But-"

"Well look who's here! It's the launch Pad!" a disgustingly sweet voice came nearby. It was no other than Marshan Twix, the Clique leader. Long, curly blond hair fell down her back, and a face of beauty would have been well renowned if not for that disgusting look of hate plastered across it.

Padme blushed crimson; as she nervously tucked a strand of her own dark curls behind her ear. "Please don't call me that, Marshan," she said, as she glared at the other girl.

Marshan furrowed her eyebrows. "Don't worry, Launch. We'll just have to knock you over and park my daddy's new star fighter on you. THAT will teach you some respect!" she replied, as she stepped towards her.

Palo had timed it right, as he stood up in front of Padme. "Excuse me, but do you have a problem, Marshan?" he asked, anger seething through his piercing gaze.

The Clique leader glared at him, but knew better than to mess with him. Palo DID have the connections to all of the guys in the program, and if she messed up in front of him, the record would show.

"We were just going to…take CARE of Launch here, Palo," Marshan replied, as she stepped past him.

"Padme isn't going to be 'taken care of'. Just leave her alone, lake marsh," Palo snapped, the girls around Marshan laughing.

"Lake marsh? Wow, that's LOWER than any launch pad! He's got you there!" one of her cronies roared. Marshan blushed furiously, stomping her foot. She strode of to Padme, as she wagged her finger in the other girl's face.

"Listen here, Launch Pad. When your-" Marshan pointed at Palo, "boy friend isn't here, I'm going to stomp you down like the little bug you are." She let out a loud humph, as she marched off. The Clique girls lingered for a moment, giggling as they reluctantly followed their leader.

Padme sighed in relief, as Palo turned around. "Thanks. I should have used my politician face," she admitted. He shrugged, as he swung his arm around her shoulders.

"I suppose. I guess you were just scared and didn't react fast enough. It's okay, that's why we're here. Besides that, I'm happy that I got to Marshan. Clever enough?" he asked, as she laughed.

"Definitely. She HATED it when you called her lake marsh. Maybe you ought to make that her permanent name…" Padme pondered, as they heard the door creak open from the meeting room.

"You all can come in now."

Do me a favor: tell me what you think should happen next

PadmexPalo starts to heat up more?

One more tree house tale

Fight between Padme and Palo

I need to know so that I get this right! Besides, I don't want to rush things since the real plot hasn't quite risen up yet. It's supposed to be slow, if you want to understand the rest of my story later on.

Another favor, por favor?

Reviews, please?

-Fall Out Guirl