I wrote this under the guise that I had complete freedom to do whatever I wanted to do without the outrage that sometimes follows posting chapters to fanfiction. I wrote it because even though I hate the drama, I still love the ship and I can't NOT write. It's just what I do. But after a while, the closer I got to wrapping it all up, I decided that there are a lot of silent readers out there that have nothing to do with all of the negative stuff. So why shouldn't they get to read? Not only that but some of you have been with me since my very very rocky beginning! So if I'm going to write, I'm going to share.

Halohunter89 pushed for this. She did a lot to help me get this thing written and refused to let me post until it was complete. She's totally the backbone of this story. So thank you! Vickih is another one that is wonderful and totally encouraging! And thanks a ton to the rest of you for giving it a shot!

Chapter One

The day was one of those perfect days that made most people instantly thankful to be alive. The sunlight spilled down from between the canopy of leaves overhead onto the picnic table. There was a cool late Spring breeze blowing and the scent of flowers hung heavy in the air. Despite this obviously beautiful day Sophia Peletier sat alone, picking at the crust of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich miserably.

Finding out she would have to move away from the only home she had ever known had been hard news for her to take but she hadn't thrown a fit when her mother had told her about the move. She had smiled and nodded because her mother's life was hard enough and Sophia would never dare purposely add to her mother's misery. So she had pretended to be excited about moving from Atlanta to this tiny town. A town where all the kids had known each other since they were old enough to walk. A town where newcomers were instantly looked at as outsiders. Maybe it wouldn't have been as hard on her to start her Junior year at a new school that was so much smaller than her old one. But she hadn't started the year out here and coming in this late in the game only made her stick out more.

Most of the kids ignored her. The ones that didn't ignore her either stared at her like she was a freak of nature or they whispered amongst themselves, making her feel even more like an outcast. It wasn't like she had been Miss Popular at her old school. But she had managed to carve out her own little niche there. She'd had friends. Well, maybe not friends but a group of acquaintances. She knew everyone and she had never been an oddity. Here she was a total freak show. It didn't help that she wasn't making any effort to meet anyone. She didn't smile at them or try to introduce herself. She had simply gone through the motions and now, five days after her first day, she wished she could just get over her shyness and just speak to someone. Anyone.

At least she was pretty sure that she had everyone figured out. She knew who was in what clique. That meant that she knew who to avoid if she ever did decide to talk to anyone. Right now, the group at the table next to hers, were definitely a group to avoid. The girls were perfect. The boys were perfect. All of them had perfect hair and perfect clothes perfect looks and they made it a point to rub it in the face of anyone that wasn't as perfect as them. Sophia didn't like being so judgmental but it was true. It was this group that liked to look over at her, whisper to one another and then giggle loudly as they glanced in her direction, letting her know that she was the subject of their banter. She hated it because she knew they were doing it on purpose. People like that had to let people like her know that they were better than she was.

She glanced their way when she heard someone speak much louder than necessary. "She's obviously too lame to even fit in with the lame crowd. How awful would it be to be such a loser that losers won't even sit with you at lunch?"

Delighted laughter followed and Sophia felt her face flush with humiliation. The girl that had spoken so loudly was a pretty brunette that was nearly sitting in the lap of a boy that was shaking his head and smiling. The girl met Sophia's eyes before Sophia looked back down at the sandwich she had pretty much shredded.

"Oh, come on now Sara. You wouldn't be half as popular if you had kept your legs closed at all last year."

Sophia's head shot up and for the first time noticed the group sitting at the table behind the mean kids. The person that had spoken was the only girl at the table. The boys she was sitting with were basically the bad boy types. Ripped jeans, leather jackets, perpetual scowls. The girl was sitting on the picnic table with her feet crossed at the ankles on the bench as she leaned back on her arms. She had wild dark red hair and green eyes that were now flashing angrily. She was eying the girl that had pretty much called Sophia a loser. She was small with delicate elven features that Sophia instantly envied but despite her stature she seemed to take up a lot of space.

"Mind your own business, freak," the dark haired girl, Sara, mumbled.

To Sophia's surprise the group of perfect kids didn't say anything else. Sophia started cleaning up her wasted lunch, not wanting to get sucked into any drama that may unfold on her behalf. She was grateful, if not a little surprised, that the red head had came to her defense so readily, but she didn't need any more attention than she already got.

"What's your rush new kid?"

Sophia looked up, feeling her face flush again. This was the first time in five days that anyone had spoken to her at this school and it was stupid of her to feel the need to run off, but this girl had to be trouble. She looked like trouble. She sounded like trouble. And the last thing Sophia could afford to do was get herself mixed up in any sort of trouble. "I don't wanna be late to class," she said hurriedly.

"Bullshit. We've still got twenty minutes."

Sophia tried to smile but she wasn't sure if she was successful. The girl sat down across from her, her face expressionless as her narrowed gaze studied Sophia's eyes. Sophia cleared her throat. "I thought it was later than that," she said quickly.

"You know," the girl said, plucking Sophia's sack lunch up and peeking inside. "I've heard about you." She pulled out a Twinkie, unwrapped it and then took a bite.

"Heard about me? There isn't anything to hear," Sophia said.

The girl shrugged. "I've been MIA all week but words gotten around that you're a freaky mute or something."

Sophia opened her mouth to say something but then shut it, not knowing exactly how to respond to that. When she finally spoke she had to clear her throat again. "Well, I'm not a mute."

"Well no shit, Miss Obvious." The girl grinned. "Look, you have to ignore that group." She motioned towards Sara and her friends at the next table. Her voice was far from quiet and the group was watching her with angry looks on their faces. "Sara and that whole crew are just your average assholes. The girls screw any jock that shakes his thing at them and that's how they stay so high on the board around here. The jocks are mostly roid fiends with big heads and shriveled sacks if you get my drift. They're a bunch of ineffectual self serving dicks."

Sophia's face was flaming. It wasn't like she didn't fully understand what the girl was saying but she wasn't used to people being so blunt about things. She was also worried about everyone else assuming that she shared the red head's opinion. She was okay being invisible and occasionally ridiculed but she didn't want to walk around the school with a bulls eye on her back because of this girl. Before she could say anything the girl was talking again.

"Besides," she shrugged and flashed Sara a grin before her eyes came back to meet Sophia's. "You're kind of hot. They're scared of that. A mysterious good looking new girl shows up and that could spell trouble for them. They want all the attention and you're a threat. You ain't a freak."

Sophia was stunned into silence again for a few long moments before she was able to gather her thoughts. Who in the world was this person? "I doubt that," she managed.

"Look, I'm Piper. You can chill with us at lunch and those dudes I was sitting with may look like barbarians but they're actually pretty cool. And for the love of God, stop taking so much shit, new kid. They'll never let up on you if you don't stick up for yourself."

"I... thanks. I think," Sophia said, ignoring the urge to look at her watch.

"You got a name?" Piper asked as she rose from her seat.

"Sophia," she said quickly, grabbing her backpack and standing up to join Piper. Something occurred to her then and she couldn't help but ask. "What did you mean when you said that you've been MIA?"

Piper grinned. "I just got done with a three month stint in Juvie."

Sophia nearly tripped. Surely she hadn't heard that right. "What?"

Piper shrugged and pulled the door open, letting Sophia go in ahead of her. "I got in a little trouble for breaking a few things and ended up arrested. I thought my old man was gonna blow a gasket."

"What could you have broken that would get you into trouble like that?" Sophia asked, unable to mask the awe in her voice. Piper was definitely different from anyone else she had ever met before.

Piper sighed and stopped at a locker that was just a few away from Sophia's. "I broke the bathroom mirror."

Sophia frowned. "Well, that doesn't seem so terrible."

Piper's quiet laughter had her glancing over. "Well, I don't guess it would have been but I broke it with Sara's face." She slammed her locker and flashed Sophia a grin. "I'll see ya around, Sophia."

Sophia would have responded had her mouth not been hanging open. She had experienced a lot in her sixteen years but she was pretty sure that she had never met anyone like Piper in her life. Against her better judgment she was actually looking forward to the next time she was able to talk to the girl.

I just wanted to remind some of you that this is an AU. The characters in this story have lived vastly different lives from the characters in the show and are written as so. And there are OC's. If you don't like them then that's completely okay! I still have mad love for you. But please, for the love of Christ, don't message me about how much they suck. If you don't like them, just go read something that is a better fit for you. Because this story is complete. Finished. Already written. Lol I won't change it to suit one person. Not when I know that there are people out there that love it already.