A/N: Just wanted to address a couple of things. House's age for one. This back story is pre-infarction and pre-PPTH, which puts House is in his early-mid 30s. I didn't really stick to much of a time line.

As for the harshness of the school bullies, they say 'write what you know' so I did just that. Some of the things that Angela has been through in this story have actually happened. Suffice to say, this has been very cathartic to write, even if I embellished some of the details a little. So what's real and what's not? Well, only I know for sure. I will go so far as to say that high school for me was like prison. The worst 5 years of my life, as it were. I thought maybe addressing school bullying would make some people realize how bad it can really be, and that it does still exist today. In fact it's probably a lot worse now. Am I still bitter? Fuck yes! But that's a story for another time...

Chapter 2

Both Jennifer and David were shocked when Wilson arrived with their daughter and a stranger in tow.

"James! You finally made it. And who's this?" Jennifer inquired of House, looking at him like he was a specimen under a microscope.

"Jennifer, David, this is Dr. Gregory House. I met him at a conference last month."

"Well it's nice to meet you…Gregory."

"Just call me House. Everyone else does."

"Lovely." Then Jennifer turned to her daughter. "I thought you were in your room."

"I was hungry so I went to Carl's Jr. And Uncle Wilson and his friend were there. And so were they," Angela said, her voice fading.

"They?"

"Kids from school."

She removed Wilson's jacket to reveal her torn shirt and Jennifer gasped. "What happened to your shirt, sweetie?"

"Tim grabbed me when I tried to leave and it ripped." Angela felt the tears come again and buried her face against her dad's chest. "It's my favorite shirt. Now it's all wrecked."

"We'll get you another one."

But Angela just shook her head. "You can't! It's a collector's item. Dad got me this from one of those rare collector's places. They're impossible to find anymore. And you can't fix it. It's totally messed up!"

"Who did this? You said Tim, Tim who?" David inquired.

"Tucker. He said his dad is a cop."

David rolled his eyes. "Oh Jesus."

"What?" Wilson, House and Jennifer all asked.

"Oh nothing. It's just that Sergeant John Tucker is the biggest redneck ever. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Angela went up to her room while Wilson, House and her parents retired to the games room downstairs for a drink.

"Those kids are a lot more vicious now than when I went to school," House sighed as he took the drink David offered.

"Where did you go to school?" Jennifer asked House.

"I went to a lot of schools. I was an army brat."

Sensing that was all they were going to get out of House, Wilson changed the subject. "So, David. Are you going to do anything about Tim Tucker?" Wilson inquired of his brother-in-law.

David shrugged. "There's not a whole lot I can do. Other than the ripped shirt, she wasn't hurt, there's not a scratch on her so there's no case. All we can do is wait and see if he bothers her again."

"If he's smart, he won't," House grumbled.

"Well, thank you for coming to her rescue," Jennifer smiled sweetly at him.

He nodded, a little uncomfortable with the way Wilson's sister was checking him out. He was used to women looking at him, of course. But the fact that this woman was Wilson's sister, made it seem creepy.

X X X

Angela did her last bicep curl and then stretched out on the bench to do chest presses. She always found that lifting weights was the best way to relieve her stress and get rid of her frustrations. However, she was having trouble concentrating. Uncle James' friend continued to haunt her thoughts.

The way he stepped in and took charge of the situation the night before made him seem like her own personal hero. Which, she thought, was ridiculous. He was easily twice her age and a man of the world. Her mother told her that he was well traveled and very well-read. She was definitely no match for him.

Still, Angela was entranced by the man. Maybe it was only hero worship. But it didn't stop her from wanting to know more about the tall, handsome friend of her uncle.

The hands that gripped the barbell took her by surprise and she glanced up at Greg House. He stood over her, holding the barbell with both hands like a spotter, and then set it down on the hooks.

"A little heavy for you, isn't it?" he smirked.

"No. I just…have a lot on my mind. I lost my focus."

"Oh. Thinking about last night, no doubt."

She nodded.

"Are those kids usually that mean to you?"

"Yes. Yesterday was a bad day. Last night just clinched it. And now my shirt is wrecked."

"Little punk," House grumbled as he handed her the water bottle. "So this is how you get your frustrations out?"

"Yeah."

"Ever try running?"

"That's boring."

"Not if you have someone to run with. I'm going to be in town for awhile. I'm finishing my residency with Wilson. If you want to join me, that would be cool. That is, if it's okay with your parents."

"I'd have to ask them. My mom might have an issue with it."

House grinned. "If she does, I'll talk to her. Women can't say no to me."

Angela made a face. "Gross."

"You say that now. But in a few years you'll be singing a different tune. So, what else are you into?"

"I do Tae Kwon Do. Those guys are going to be sorry they fucked with me. One of these days I'm going to snap and they'll be stepping over the bodies to run from me."

House did a victory fist pump. "Good for you."

Angela sighed. "I just wish…never mind."

"You wish what?"

"I just wish…there wasn't any bullying. There's so much hate. It's not fair. I never had any problems at my old high school."

"Where was that?"

"Vancouver."

"Every school has bullies. Even Canadians can be mean," he smirked.

"I know. But it seems like the whole school is out to get me. If I'm not getting pushed into the wall, someone is jumping out at me from every corner. Hell, if I so much as look at a guy, they're calling me a slut. And if I talk to a girl, I'm a dyke."

"Have you told your parents about it?"

"Oh yeah. I think my dad wants me out of that school but my mom just tells me to either suck it up and ignore them, or start dressing like a girl."

House nodded. "Just dressing like them isn't going to make it stop. They'll just find something else to pick on you about."

"I know."

"Do you like school?"

"Yeah. I do well in my classes. I want to study criminology and join the police academy when I graduate."

House nodded. "I don't know you. But you seem like you've got your shit together. Don't let them get to you. Do what you want, stay in school and get good grades. It'll pay off in the end."

"If I live that long," Angela mumbled and got up to leave. She was gone before House could ask her what she meant.

X X X

"Wilson, wait up!" House shouted to his friend across the hall. They were both on a lunch break and usually ate together.

"My turn to buy?" Wilson sighed.

"It's always your turn."

"Until the bail money is paid off?"

"That's a start. I need to ask you something. About Angela."

Wilson's eyes narrowed. "What about her?"

"Something's going on. I was talking to her the other night and…"

"What were you two talking about?"

"If you'll shut up and let me finish, I'll tell you. I gave her some advice, told her not to let those kids get the better of her, and to stay in school. You know what she said?"

"No, but I'm sure you'll tell me."

"She said and I quote, 'if I live that long'."

Wilson's eyes widened for a second. "You probably just misheard..."

"No, she said it. Is she…do you think she could be thinking of…"

"I don't think so."

"Well someone needs to keep an eye on her."

"I'll tell David next time I see him. My question for you is why do you care? You hardly know her."

"She seems like a good kid. She has a lot more on the ball than you all give her credit for. She deserves better."

"She's young, House."

House scoffed. "Please don't tell me you're thinking that I…that she and I…"

"The thought crossed my mind."

"Wilson! She's just a kid!"

"Exactly, House. Stay away from her. I know your reputation with women around this place and it's not exactly favorable."

"I'm a lot of things, Wilson, but I'm not a pedophile. I was a victim of bullying too. If not at school then by my old man. You don't know what it's like unless you've actually been there. Tell me, have you ever been pushed against a locker, been book slapped, shoved aside by kids in school?"

"No."

"That's what I thought. I think David knows how bad it is, but your sister is in total denial. Her solution to everything is to just slap on a dress and bake a cake."

"I agree Jennifer isn't what you'd call people smart, but she's a good person."

"She needs to wise up. If Angela doesn't want to go school anymore, they need to ask themselves why."

X X X

"Hey, Angela, wait!" a familiar voice called to her.

Angela closed her eyes and silently cursed. Could it be? No way…She slowly turned around and saw Geoff Harris standing in front of her. "Hi," she said quietly, as she stared at the floor.

"I just wanted to say sorry…I feel bad about the other night. Tim and the guys can be total assholes."

"Yeah well, you are who you hang with."

He laughed until he realized what she just said. "Wait...did you just call me an asshole? You did…"

"I'm sorry…but my defenses are up. Everyone's been really nasty to me since I moved here."

"I know. And that's why I wanted to make it up to you by asking you to the semi-formal next week."

Angela was stunned beyond words. "You…want to go with…me?"

"Yeah. I mean…if you want to."

"But what about…"

"Don't worry about them. They won't bug you. They know who your dad is. I think Tim almost peed his pants the other night," Geoff laughed. "Who was that guy, anyway?"

Angela shrugged. "A friend of my Uncle's."

"He seems badass."

"He is."

The bell rang, signifying that lunch was over, and Geoff smiled at her. He was even better looking up close. "So whaddya say?"

She nodded, although hesitantly. "Okay. I'll go."

"Great! I'll talk to ya later. I gotta get to class."

Angela turned and headed to her class, happy for once that things were looking up.

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