This chapter was written in the context that the previous episode where Sian slaps Barry, Sian is saved by the kids, Sian resigns etc. still happens.

I like to keep as close to the original storyline as possible so it feels more realistic (even though no school is like Waterloo Road :P).

Any-who, let's keep the Barry/Sian bandwagon rolling shall we…

He dropped his blazer onto his bed and began to loosen his tie as he mulled over another incredibly eventful day. Mrs. Diamond had been sacked. He had gotten her sacked. Well, technically, she had resigned, but he was still the root cause. All because she'd slapped him, right across the mouth. He rubbed his lips together; he could feel the patch of dry skin from which he had been bleeding only a few hours prior. He felt a grim sense of satisfaction that she'd left a mark on him. He left his room and made his way to the bathroom to check out his battle scar.

At first, he had been shocked. The normally calm, collected and well-put-together Mrs. Diamond from his previous recollections would never have done such a thing, which is probably why he had felt secure in how far he pushed her. He had wanted to antagonise her to the point where she would give up on antagonising him with her interfering and let them deal with their issues in peace. The idea that he had elicited such a reaction from her both surprised and fascinated him. He had uncovered a whole other side to her, a side he wanted to explore. Unfortunately now he wouldn't be able to. Unless…

His train of thought was broken as Dynasty came out of her room, stopping him on his way. He recognised the look on her face. She didn't agree with him at all and she said just as much. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"She got what was coming to her." He responded gruffly.

"More like you did," she looked pointedly at his lip, "Seriously, though, sexual harassment?"

"Who told you?"

She looked smug. "The whole school knows what a prat you were being and now they're not scared of you no more."

"Yeah? Well, they should be. I got her sacked."

She saw through him. "Whatever. No-one backed you up. She only left because she's got more decency in her little finger than you've got in your whole body."

"You listen-" he came up close, but she carried on nonetheless.

"-No, you listen to me. Your baby sister's in there," she gestured towards the box room at the end of the hall, "And she hates you. She thought that you would help her, protect her, but you just did the opposite. Don't say you did it for her, or for us. You were just lookin' out for number one."

He scowled at her as she pushed past him to the bathroom. She had always had more courage than Kasey. But now even his little sis stood up to him. He suddenly felt very alone. If things went wrong in the past he knew that he could rely on his family for support. Now he wasn't so sure. He had felt attacked when everyone had started shouting, all saying that they had hit him. It felt sharpest when Kasey said it. He saw them all again in his mind's eye, Kasey, Zoe, their friends, Jack, Libby, everyone. He relived the humiliation, being dragged away as everyone cheered, as if he was the villain. He had just been trying to keep them all away from his family, do what was best for them, like Dad had taught him. Why couldn't they see that? He wasn't a villain... was he? No. It was all them, her, sticking their noses where they didn't belong.

He was brimming with resentment, a hurt that was about to overflow. At that point, Kasey left her room. As she turned to make her way down the stairs she caught his eye. Instead of ducking away like he had expected, she looked him straight in the eyes, hardness there that he didn't recognise. He hated what was happening; everything was spinning out of control.

He didn't know his best friend anymore. His hold at that school was slipping away. He didn't have anyone on his side.

All because of her. She had been the catalyst. She had judged his character after barely a few weeks with him. She didn't know him and she didn't know Kasey. She wrote him off as stupid schoolboy. He had tried hard to prove his worth but she'd spoilt everything and gotten too close to his family.

Without quite knowing what he was doing, he was charging straight back into his room. He grabbed his jacket and left the house, pulling it on as his body went onto auto-pilot, taking him somewhere he really shouldn't be going.

The sea air was uncharacteristically still. He had been standing there for a good five minutes, trying to work out what in the hell he was doing. It wasn't quite dark yet, but it wasn't quite light either. He had been there that morning, prying open the French doors...

This time he was at the front door, like the evening before. He clenched and unclenched his fists. His head was pulsing. All he had to do was knock, wait for her to open and let out everything. Tell her that it was all her fault, not his. He carried out the first two steps flawlessly.

The third, however, he did not.

She was wearing a sky blue top with a grey cardigan and dark jeans. She had opened the door normally, but gripped it fiercely when she realised who it was. Stupid, stupid...

For once, he was speechless. The strongest emotion he sensed was fear. It was all there in the wide, wet look in her eyes. And he didn't know what to say. Hell, he didn't even know why he was there. The powerful surge of anger evaporated as quickly as it had come. Funny, it hadn't earlier on.

"W-What do you want from me? I've left, you got what you wanted."

He spoke without registering what he was saying. "What if that wasn't what I wanted?"

Confusion replaced some of the fear. "What?"

"You heard me."

She abruptly opened the door wider. "If that wasn't what you wanted, then why did you lose me my job?"

He rose to the accusation. "If I remember correctly, you were the one who hit me."

"Because you had been harassing me all day!"

"Don't act like you didn't feel anything!" He blurted out.

She was about to come back with a prickly retort when she noticed the meaning behind his statement. It wasn't entirely... sexual. No, she had to be misunderstood, tired and emotionally drained after a long day. He couldn't possibly mean what she thought.

He swallowed thickly, wanting to unleash all of the bitterness that had welled up inside of him, but reined himself in. "Why couldn't you just leave us alone?" He bit out.

She firmed up, no longer caring for her safety. "That's rich, coming from you. Following me home, breaking into my house, stealing my personal belongings…," she slowed down as it dawned on her.

His gaze was concentrated and his jaw set tight. "I thought you were different. I thought you liked me, for me. But no. We were just some project for you to haul up in front of your boyfriend."

"That's not true!"

"Isn't it?!"

They both stood staring at each other in a seemingly never ending stalemate.

Until he kissed her.

Not quite sure if that chapter was any good. But at least the moment you were all waiting for finally came!

Please, please leave a comment! :D