"BEEP BEEP BEEP…"

Paige awoke with a headache. She sat up in bed and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes. It wasn't much help. She reached across her nightstand, turning off her alarm. She didn't want to get up. She was exhausted and just wanted to go back to sleep… But she couldn't.

No, she had to get up, get dressed and get ready for school. She had no choice. She had to keep her schedule. Otherwise, things would get even more complicated than they already were… She shook her head, trying to clear it. No, nothing was wrong. Everything was fine.

She gave her face a couple of light slaps, trying to wake herself. It didn't help… She let out a sigh as she turned her body to get up from her bed, setting her feet on the cool floor of her room. Maybe a shower would help…

She gave herself a nod. Yeah, a shower would wake her up and then she could just go about her day like normal. She would get dressed, eat breakfast, go to school, then come home and maybe play a video game or something… Yeah, just another normal day.

She stood, stretching out each limb before moving to her dresser, opening it. She looked over her many outfits, trying to decide on what to wear… She selected a pair of jeans and a yellow tank top. Her favorite outfit… Yes sir, it's just another normal day.

Paige grabbed her underclothes and her favorite black bracelets before heading to her bedroom door, moving for the bathroom. She stepped into the hall, giving it a quick look around before walking into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. After setting her clothes on the counter next to the sink, she stepped over to turn on the shower, letting it heat up.

Moving back to the sink, she gave herself a look in the mirror, frowning. She looked just as tired as she felt. She really hoped the shower would help wake her up… Maybe she should take a cold shower… She shook her head at her reflection. She didn't care how tired she was, there was no way she was going to freeze herself to death this early in the morning…

She looked down from the mirror, looking for her tooth brush. Might as well get that part of her morning out of the way… She grabbed her tooth brush, which somehow made its way into the medicine cabinet, and the toothpaste, which she struggled to open due to it being a new tube…

After squeezing too much toothpaste onto her brush, she started to brush her teeth, grimacing at the over powering taste. She liked mint, but not that much… After about half of her teeth were brushed, she noticed a piece of paper taped to the mirror, making her raise a brow. How didn't she notice that before?

She stopped brushing, keeping the brush in her mouth while she brought her hand to grab the note. Bringing it down to read, she had to blink a couple of times to focus her eyes. Apparently she was a bit more tired than she thought…

"Hey Paige, so while I was cleaning the bathroom this morning, I accidentally knocked your toothbrush into the toilet. I stuck it in the medicine cabinet so you wouldn't use it. I'll bring you a new one when I get home.

Sorry, Dad."

"Ps. We need to talk about what happened last night as well."

Paige's mouth dropped open, the brush falling out, into the sink. Immediately, she turned on the sink, bringing her mouth to the tap, letting it overfill with water. She was going to kill her father. Who the hell drops a tooth brush in the toilet and not throw it away?

She moved her head from the sink and quickly stepped to the shower, reaching in to grab a bottle of body wash. She opened it, tipped it upside down and squirted it into her mouth. Not only did it taste foul, but she got some in her eye, making her cry out in pain while she swished it around. Maybe soap wasn't the best idea, but even if her father had just finished cleaning the bathroom, she still preferred the soap.

She brought her head back to the sink and spat out the soap before thoroughly rinsing her mouth, letting the water again over flow her mouth. Pulling back away, she reached for the mouth rinse and opened it, pouring it into her mouth. She rapidly swished it around, trying to not only clean her mouth, but also trying to get rid of the taste of soap.

After nearly choking, she spat it out and went in for a third time to rinse out, not only her mouth, but her burning eye. When she pulled back out, she turned off the water and slid down to her knees, gasping for breath. She was going to kill her father with the toilet brush…

"Yep, just another normal day…"

Paige rubbed her eye as she walked down stairs, moving for the kitchen. Her mouth was dry, her eye was burning and she was cold. By the time she had finished washing out her mouth, all of the hot water had gone down the drain and she was forced to take a freezing shower…

But at least she wasn't tired anymore… She shook her head, walking into the kitchen. She wasn't going to let her day get any worse. She was going to eat her favorite cereal, she was going to watch her favorite show, and then she was going to go out to wait for the bus. Once she was on the bus, she would read her favorite story on her phone.

She walked to the cupboard next to the fridge and grabbed her box of cinnamon toast. After setting it on the counter next to the stove, she grabbed a bowl and a spoon. She poured herself a bowl, put the spoon in and walked to the fridge, opening it to grab the milk.

She walked back to her bowl and popped the cap off the milk. An odd smell hit her nose, but she paid it little mind as she started to pour the milk… Only for the smell to grow stronger as chunks of curdled milk plopped into her bowl, making her nose scrunch in disgust and she cringed as spoiled milk splashed her face.

She took a long, slow breath as she popped the cap back onto the jug and gently set it on the counter, then took a couple of steps back. She was getting angry, but wasn't going to let this ruin her day either. She was going to make this a normal day even if it killed her…

Paige had a headache. It wasn't an explosive headache, but it was still bad enough that it made reading difficult and it seemed that the harder that she tried to focus, the less she could. It really hadn't been a good day for her. It started out pretty crappy, but took a turn for the better after she gave up on breakfast that morning and sat down to watch her favorite show. After it ended she headed out to wait for the bus, which showed up a little early, which made her a bit happy. She liked riding the bus, as she could just sit there and read her stories without getting interrupted…

But not this time. No, her slight uphill of the day took a sharp nose dive after only a few stops. She had just been sitting there, minding her own business, reading a lovely little story, when she felt her seat shift, signaling to her that someone sat next to her. She expected it to be one of her friends or perhaps either Rusty or Boy Jordan, god forbid… But no, it was one hundred times worse.

When she first saw them, she was a bit confused, as she didn't really recognize her. She swore she had seen her somewhere before, but she couldn't quite place it. She looked older, maybe by a year or two, but wasn't much taller than herself. She gave her a quick look over, wondering if maybe she had sat with her by mistake or if it was just for convenience since the bus would be about half full by now, but Paige noticed that there was a couple of empty seats next to her's, confusing her more.

"Um… Can I help you?"

The girl didn't answer right away. Instead she chose to pull the hood of her dark grey hoodie down and then gave Paige a serious look, making her a little nervous. Why did she look so familiar? She had brown hair in a pony tail, her skin was a bit tan and was covered in freckles and her eyes… Oh… Paige swore to god those eyes could have ignited her with the shear heat and anger in them… Had she somehow pissed off this girl?

"You don't know who I am, do you?"

Paige shivered as the girl talked. Her voice was steady and calm, yet it was laced in venom, making her skin crawl. "Umm… Y..you look familiar, but I'm not sure from where… Is something wrong?"

The girl's hands clenched into fists, making Paige regret opening her mouth. Whatever she had done to anger this girl, it must have been pretty bad… Oh… It hit Paige like she knew this girl wanted to hit her. She realized in a flash why this girl looked so familiar. Her eyes and her freckles should have been a dead giveaway…

"Oh… Oh no…"

Paige felt light headed as the girl gave her what could have been a grin, but looked more like the look a shark would have given its prey.

"Oh, so you do know who I am?"

Paige slowly nodded, feeling her stomach churn. This wasn't supposed to happen. All she wanted to for this day to be normal, but it seemed that no matter what, it was determined to ruin her… She hadn't been serious about the whole, no matter what she was going to have a normal day and she definitely didn't want to die…

"Come on Lynn, you know what Lincoln said, he doesn't want her to get hurt. We need her to trust us."

Paige jumped as she heard a much more, familiar voice and an equally familiar looking girl took the seat across from them. As she sat, she turned to face Paige, giving her a look with just as much anger, making her even more nervous.

The girl next to Paige, Lynn, turned to address the girl, Cookie, letting out an irritated sigh. "I know what Lincoln said and I promised I wouldn't harm a single hair on her head…" Lynn turned back to Paige and raised a hand to her head, making her flinch away and press her back as far into the side of the bus as she could. Her heart started to pound in her chest, threatening to burst from it as Lynn ran her hand over Paige's hair.

"And as Lincoln's big sister, it's my job to make sure nobody tries to hurt him or his friends again…"

Paige shuddered as Lynn gently continued to brush her hair with her hand. She didn't know what was worse, the fact that this was Lincoln's older sister, the fact that it was Lynn Loud, the one person everyone knew not to anger or the fact that she wasn't hurting her, but she was being gentle. That was it. Paige couldn't take it. She felt tears well in her eyes and as they started to drip down her cheeks, her confusion only grew as the anger in Lynn's eyes shrank.

"Wow now, don't cry. I'm not going to hurt you. I promised Lincoln I wasn't and I like to keep my promises. Not to mention that it would just make Lincoln upset with me and I don't like to see him upset. You understand that right? Do you have any siblings?"

Paige rapidly shook her head, trying to stop her crying. "N..No…"

Lynn sighed, dropping her hand to Paige's shoulder, still not hurting her. "Well, one day you might and you'll know just how I, along with Lincoln's other sisters and his friends, all feel. Look, I'm really not going to hurt you. We just need to talk, okay?"

Paige nodded, not wanting to anger Lynn. She didn't know what was going on, but she was smart enough to know when she was cornered. "O..okay… H..how did you find out?"

Lynn sighed once more, dropping her hand to her own lap, letting Paige relax just a touch, though not too much…

"Cristina."

Paige's head snapped to Lynn, giving her a shocked look. It was like all of her own fear was ripped out and replaced with a strong wave of worry that she didn't quite understand. "Cristina? Is she okay? Where is she? I tried to find her last night, but I didn't know where she lived. Please, you have to know that I had nothing to do with…"

"Wow, take a breath kid. I know you had nothing to do with hurting her. She's fine, well, about as fine as she can be, what with a broken foot, a broken nose, a very badly sprained wrist, a wicked concussion and all of the bruising that she has… She's lucky. You're lucky… I know that you helped her. Believe me, if you hadn't helped her when you did or joined in with that beating… Well, let's just say you and I would be having a very different conversation right now… But you didn't and you stopped it. You saved Cristina's life and in doing so, you saved your own skin. If you want to make sure this whole mess doesn't ruin your life, I highly recommend that you do exactly what I say, got it? Again, I'm not going to lay a finger on you. Every consequence you receive with be caused by you and you alone, got it?"

Paige blinked a couple of times, trying to take in all that Lynn had just told her before she rapidly nodded. She had no idea what was going on, but she wasn't going to anger this girl… "Got it… What do you want from me?"

Lynn looked towards Cookie, giving her a small nod. In response, Cookie pulled out a small note book, in which she wrote something before tearing out a small piece of paper, handing it to Lynn. After taking the note from Cookie, Lynn held it towards Paige, who quickly took it. She held it up, looking at it in confusion before turning back to Lynn, wiping her eyes.

"What is this?"

Lynn sighed, taping her fingers on her own lap. "It's an address. Meet us there after school or face the consequences. We will only wait until five. Don't tell anyone where you are going, espeacally not Rusty or what's his face or I promise you, you will regret it. I promise as long as you do this, you will not be harmed… Oh, and bring your phone… Also, have a good day."

With that, Lynn stood from the seat and moved across to sit with Cookie. Both of their faces grew blank and Paige shifted back into place, trying to calm her breathing. She gave Lynn a quick, dumbfounded look, before turning her head to look out the window. She didn't want to irritate her or Cookie. She wasn't really sure what had just happened. What she did know however, was that she wasn't going to make Lynn wait. This was one appointment that Paige was going to show up on time for…

Cristina awoke in pain. Before she could even opened her eyes, she shot up on the couch and started to hold her hand. She tried to massage the pain away, but she couldn't get a good enough angle to get under the stupid cast.

She took a quick look around the living room, hoping that Cookie was still there, but after seeing both the room empty and the bright light shining through the windows, she realized that she had slept in pretty late and that Cookie had gone to school… Why couldn't her mother have let her stay with Cristina? She was feeling lonely and scared. Why did her hand hurt so bad?

"Nagh…"

Cristina's teeth clenched and tears started to stream down her face as her fingers painfully spread apart. Her muscles were tensing so hard she thought they were going to rip…

She looked around, hoping for a sign of Lincoln. He promised he wouldn't leave her unless he told her where he was going first, but there was no… Cristina's thoughts trailed off as she saw a piece of paper, a glass of water and two pills sitting on the coffee table next to the couch.

Immediately, she reached for the pills and the water, taking them as quickly as she could without choking herself. As soon as they were down, she set the half full glass onto the table and reached for the paper, doing her best to fight through the pain.

Once it was in her hand and in her lap, she had to pause for a moment to collect herself. The pain was starting to spread up her arm and she could feel her heart beat in it, making her fingers twitch. She hoped the pain medicine would kick in soon…

She took a couple of deep breaths before she wiped her streaming eyes and looked at the paper. It was a note from Lincoln…

"Hey Cristina, if you wake up and I'm not in here with you, know I'm either upstairs taking a shower or I'm in the kitchen making breakfast. If you are in pain, take both pills on the table with plenty of water. If the pain is really bad, call out to me and I'll be there as fast as I can to massage the pain away.

Lincoln."

Cristina let out a shaky sigh. She was still feeling worried about being alone, but she did feel a small amount of relief knowing that Lincoln was still in the house with her and that he had been nice enough to leave her a note…

"Ahh…!"

She grit her teeth again as her hand started to shake. The pain stopped getting worse, but the shaking was making it constant and sharp. She didn't really want to call out to Lincoln in case he was still in the shower, not to mention she felt weird about it in general. Just waking up in his house was weird.

That was one thing she never thought would happen in a billion lifetimes and yet, here she was. Not that she really minded. She had to admit, despite the pain and the trouble and the awkwardness of it all, she was feeling the safest and most comfortable she had in days… She really owed Lincoln and his family… But how could she repay them?

"NIngh…!"

Cristina bit her lip as her hand spasmed and she had to wrap her other hand around it to keep the shaking under control. Damn thing was going to drive her crazy… Okay, maybe calling out wouldn't be the worst idea, but what if he's busy? Surely he wouldn't want to tend to her all day…

"Cristina…?"

Cristina turned her head, looking behind the couch in slight surprise. Standing in what she could only assume to be the kitchen doorway, was Lincoln. While she tried to wipe away her tears, Lincoln started for her, making her sigh. When he stepped up to her, he gave her a worried look, making her sigh once more.

"I'm fine, my hand muscles are just spazing…"

Lincoln just sat next to her and took her hand, starting to gently massage it. "Did you just wake up? How long ago do you think it was since you took the pills? I would have been here when you woke, but I had to shower and I just took out the trash. I was just going to start on breakfast when I heard you cry out in pain. Why didn't you call out for me?"

Cristina looked down at her casted foot, frowning. Why didn't she call out? He told her to. Even wrote it out in his note, so why couldn't she just ask for his help when she needed it? "I… Uh… It's fine. It only hurts a little… AHH!"

Cristina grit her teeth as her hand tensed and Lincoln immediately focused on massaging out the pain, working his fingers around the cast. "Cristina, please don't lie to me. I know it hurts. I can feel it. Your skin is hot and your eyes are filled with pain. I'm here to help and I'm not just talking about with the pain. You can talk to me as well. Please, tell me what's going on. How do you feel and how can I help you?"

Cristina nibbled the side of her cheek and she kept her eyes glued on her casted foot as Lincoln worked. "Really, I'm fine… It's just… No… Forget it… I'm fine…"

"Cristina, I know you're not fine… But I can't force you to talk. Just know, I'm here to listen when you're ready… You know, it's funny. For around a year I thought this day would never come."

Cristina lifted her head and wiped her eyes again before giving Lincoln a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Lincoln let out a sigh before turning his head to meet her gaze. "I mean this. You. Me. Us. Cookie. I honestly never thought that we would or even could be friends… I know this whole thing has been crazy and very emotional for all of us… But I can't help but be a little happy about what happened. I mean, obviously not with what happened to you. I would never have wanted you to get hurt, I don't care what you did to me. What I'm trying to say is, I'm glad we are working through all of our problems together and I'm happy that You, Cookie and I are trying to be friends."

Cristina blinked at him a few times, mulling over his words before replying. She had to admit, despite everything thing that had happened… "Me too… I am happy that we are… Whatever you want to call this… But… Are you sure you want to be my friend? I mean… I really hurt you and… And despite all of that, you have done nothing but show me kindness and forgiveness… And… And… Sniffle… And I don't deserve any of it…"

Cristina felt something inside of her give. It was like all of the stress and pressure from the last few days had finally gotten to her… She started to cry. Not to say she hadn't been crying from the pain in her hand, no, this was different. She could feel it in her heart and Lincoln's gentle hand massage and his patient kindness just made it worse...

She tried to pull her hand from Lincoln, but he wouldn't let go and all she could do was pull her legs to her chest and rest her face in her knees as she sobbed. She didn't understand what was going on and she was feeling things she hadn't felt in a really long time.

Lincoln didn't say anything right away. He just slid closer to her, wrapping an arm around her and continued the hand massage. Cristina grew even more confused when she started to feel a little better, making her even more confused when she started to cry harder.

"It's all going to be okay Cristina. I can't promise it will be easy and I don't know how long it's going to take, but I can promise it will get better. When you are ready to talk, know I'm here. I will always be here when you need me. I told you that I forgive you and I was serious. We are friends now and I care for you. We can just start over. From this point on, we are friends and I'm not going to let anything change that. Not our past, not Rusty, not his jerks friends, nothing. As long as you need me, I'm here."

Cristina couldn't take it anymore. She turned her body, ignoring the pain in her hand as she pulled it from Lincoln and ignoring the pain in her foot as she pressed it into the couch. She just turned, wrapped her arms around Lincoln and gave him the biggest hug she could. "I'm so confused, I'm terrified and I don't know what to do anymore."

Cristina paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I'm terrified that Rusty will try to hurt me or Cookie or that he'll go after you. I'm terrified to be alone. I'm happy that you are here, but I wish Cookie was here too. I don't want anything to happen to her because of me… And I'm terrified because my parents hate me for something I didn't do… And I'm terrified about what they will do when they find out about how I treated you… I know you forgave me… But I don't deserve it… You should hate me. Cookie should hate me. My parents should hate me. Your family and friends should hate me… Please… Tell me why you forgave me. I don't understand…"

Lincoln wrapped his arms around Cristina, pulling her into his lap. He took a breath and let out a long sigh before answering. "I forgave you because I realized that our issues were over. We both made mistakes and we paid for them. I posted that video to make up for a different mistake and while I don't regret posting it because of how the students treated me, I do however regret what happened between us. I never intended to embarrass you and you were made fun of because of me. I am truly sorry. I honestly don't blame you for hating me for that, though you did go a bit far at a few points, but I should have considered how it would affect you. Anyway, the past is in the past and we need to move on. We need to focus on more important things like catching Rusty and Boy Jordan. We need to knock some sense into your parents and most importantly, we need to make sure you get healed up. Once we get this pain out of your hand, I'll get you an ice pack… By the way, how's the foot and your head? Do they hurt too?"

Cristina let out a sigh as she pressed her cheek against Lincoln's. She had to admit, she did feel a little better having had gotten a few things off of her chest and though she still wasn't fully satisfied with Lincoln's answer, she had to admit, he had a fair point. Their issues were pretty much over. She really didn't have any hatred left for him… And she really did want to be his friend… And even though she really didn't deserve it, he wanted to be her's… She wasn't going to make the mistake of pushing him away again… He was one of the only people she felt truly safe and comfortable with… not that she was going to admit that to him…

"Sniffle… My foot does hurt a little, but my head is fine. My hand is the only thing that hurts a lot… I thought that the nurse… Err… Nurse Hope, said that it wouldn't hurt this bad today, but it hurts way worse that yesterday… Err… Well, it did. It still hurts, but you helped it a lot and I think the medicine is finally working…"

Lincoln nodded, bringing his hands to rub her back. "I see. Well, how about I finish that massage, get you a couple of ice packs for your hand and foot, maybe give your foot a quick massage, them make some breakfast, okay?"

Cristina gave him a small nod, feeling her face heat up a little. She really wasn't used to his forwardness or kindness. It was odd to her that he would just offer to massage her hands or feet, not that she was going to refuse, but it was still a little odd to her… Maybe she was just over thinking it…

She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying his company. She still felt that he was too nice to her, but she really did appreciate his company and his friendly warmth. She was going to make it up to him. She didn't know how and she didn't know when it would be, but she was going to make sure she earned his friendship. If he was going to be there for her, she was going to make damn sure that she was there for him…

"CLICK…"

"Hey Linc, we need to… Oh my gosh, that is literally the most adorable thing I have ever seen…"

Cristina's eyes burst open and her face heated up as her head snapped to look at the front door. She nearly fell off of Lincoln when she saw his oldest sister, Lori, watching them with a massive grin. Didn't she work or go to school or something?

"Whatever you think is happening, it's wrong. Lincoln was just…"

"Helping you feel better?"

Cristina gave her a mildly surprised look. Lori just continued to smile at her as she closed the door and started towards them. "I think I have a feeling I know what's going on. You were feeling upset or something and Lincoln was helping you feel better. Am I right? … Unless you were trying to…"

"Ehem. Lori, please stop teasing her. It's not exactly the best time."

Cristina felt her face heat up again as she looked to Lincoln. She did like him now, but not in the way Lori was trying to imply. "Err… It's fine Lincoln… I don't think she meant anything by it… I'll just… Get up…"

Lincoln sighed as Cristina slid off of him. She felt a bit awkward and didn't want to make things any more so. She really didn't blame Lori, as she was most likely trying to lighten the mood, but it was just poor timing.

As she sat back against the couch, she looked up at Lori, who was just standing there, looking at her, making Cristina raise a brow. She didn't really understand that one. She seemed nice and she never really had any issues with her, but she had heard Cookie mention that she was a bit… Difficult at times. She wasn't really sure what had happened between them, but last night while they were settling down for bed, Cookie had explained a few things that had happened yesterday and from the sounds of it, Lori wasn't the biggest fan of Cristina and was a bit over protective towards Lincoln… Other than that, Cookie didn't really explain much…

Hmm… Cookie. Cristina couldn't help wondering how she was doing. She seemed so tired and stressed last night and she wasn't really sure if she should have gone to school. Cristina turned to look at Lincoln, a sudden and very unpleasant thought filling her mind. "Lincoln… You don't think that Rusty or Boy Jordan or any other people will try to hurt Cookie do you? I mean… She's my best friend and one of the few people that support me."

Lincoln turned his head, giving her a serious look. "Don't worry about that. Lynn wouldn't let anything happen to her. I think she's got a bit of a soft spot for her and despite the fact that Lynn has… Well, she can be a bit scary, but she can't stand bullies. I had to practically beg Lynn not to hunt down Rusty and Boy Jordan this morning while she was at school and not to harm Paige if she finds her."

Cristina blinked at him in mild surprise. "Why? Would it really be so bad if she beat the crap out of them? I mean, I guess Paige isn't as bad as I first thought, but still, Rusty and Boy Jordan are horrid monsters."

Lincoln gave her a small nod, letting out a sigh. "I understand where you are coming from, but if we want them to get charged with what they did to me so they can't hurt you or anyone else again, then we need to be patient. I know it's hard, believe me, as soon as I found out what they did to you, I was ready to… Well, it doesn't matter what I wanted to do. All that matters is that we keep you and our friends safe, get you healed up and get Paige on our side… Man, this has been a weird week…"

Cristina nodded in agreement. It had been a weird and very stressful week and she hoped to god it would start working it's self out soon… Which she guessed was slowly starting to happen, what with Lynn looking for Paige and all… Wait…

"So… What's going to happen with Paige once Lynn finds her? I mean, I know you said you were going to make a deal with her, but then what?"

Lincoln gave her a thoughtful look before shrugging. "I don't really know. I haven't really thought that far ahead. I guess I don't have much of a choice other than to let her go about her life like normal. I mean, she did save you from getting beaten worse and in my book, that makes her a good guy. I'm not happy about what she did to me at school, but I guess I don't have much of a choice… Man, I really know how to pick my crushes… Anyway, we can figure out what to do when the time comes. Let's just focus on right now, okay? Are you hungry? I still haven't eaten yet, so I'll go make breakfast. Do you like muffins? I could make strawberry muffins… Oh, how about orange cranberry muffins? Yeah, I'll make those."

Cristina gave Lincoln a confused look at he stood from the couch and gave her a small smile before heading back for the kitchen. He didn't even wait for a reply, leaving Cristina even more confused.

"Did I say something wrong…?"

"No, you didn't. He's just under a lot of stress right now and he's confused."

Cristina turned her head as Lori sat next to her, taking Lincoln's spot and giving her a serious look. "What do you mean? He seems pretty certain about what he's doing to me."

Lori sighed, shaking her head as she took a glance at the kitchen doorway. "Oh, when it involves other people's problems or issues, he's an expert… But I'm afraid he has a lot of trouble with his own… I guess in this particular instant, that issue would be both you and Paige."

Cristina raised a brow, pulling her aching hand into her other, rubbing it. "You mean with what she did to him and then turned around and helped me?"

Lori frowned, shaking her head. "Not really, no. I mean, I guess that's part of it, but what I'm saying is that Lincoln had a crush on you and you rejected him in a very negative way. I know that he forgave you for that and that you are both working your way into a friendship, but I also know that it still hurts him. You were his first real crush and well… Since you, he's had worse and worse luck when it comes to girls. There was his friend Ronnie, that one was really hard on him because she had to move and I think there may have been something between them even if he refuses to admit it to himself… And then there was Paige. I know he really liked her. He even wrote her a couple of really sweet love letters for her, but she rejected him even harder than you did. I think that's when he stopped trying so hard. I mean, there was that small crush he had on Stella, but after she told him no, he just stopped trying all together. I'm just glad she stayed his friend and now she's his best friend, so yeah… Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, Lincoln may seem like he's always calm and well thought out, but he's still just a kid… A kid that's had his heart broken one too many times… You know, it's kind of funny in a sad sort of way. Sometimes I forget that he's my little brother and not my older brother. I know that sounds really weird and you would be right. It literally is weird. But that's just who he is. He too damn mature for his age, not to say he doesn't make mistakes, because we all know he does, he's human. But he does what he can to make up for those mistakes and he learns from them… Cristina, I know that you are trying to make up for what you did to upset him and I appreciate that a lot. I mean it, I really do… Just don't fuck it up. I know Lincoln still has feelings for you, I doubt that they are romantic in any way, but there is something. Just keep working at being friends with him, he needs it. Probably more so than you or even he himself realizes… Hmm, maybe sometime you should ask him why he posted that video with him kissing his picture of you. I think it might help you. Anyway, I've got to go call my boyfriend. If you need something, feel free to ask. You are our guest and you are hurt. Have a good morning kid and make sure Lincoln saves me one of those muffins. You have literally no idea how amazing he is with baking."

Cristina blinked a couple of times as she both watched as Lori stood from the couch and headed for the stairs, and as she processed what she had said. She never knew that Lincoln had so much trouble with dating. Just a week ago, she would have thought it was because he was a creep or something… but after spending a couple of days with him and getting to know him a little better, she came to realize that she couldn't have been more wrong.

Lincoln was a gentle man, he was a kind person and quite frankly, he deserved someone that could make him happy. He deserved someone far better than Paige or herself. Someone better than even Stella… Someone that was just as kind as Lincoln. Someone that liked him for being himself. Someone like… Cristina grinned to herself, realizing just who would be perfect for him. Someone that already liked him, even if she might not know it herself…

Paige had a miserable day. That's all there was to it. From the moment she woke, to this moment, it had been long and miserably stressful. She had been so nervous about what was going to happen, she could barely focus in school. She had to keep looking over her shoulders to make sure that she wasn't getting followed and she swore to god that she was being watched at all times since she got to school.

By the end of the day, she had to splash ice water in her face to slap herself out of her funk. If she didn't, she would have ended up detention. She had already gotten yelled at four times already, and didn't want to take any risks. She just had to make it through her last class and she would be… Well, she really wouldn't be fine, but as long as she didn't get detention, she wouldn't be late to meet with Lynn…

Paige shuddered as she thought about that morning. She had no idea what she had gotten herself into. None of this was supposed to have gone this way. She just wanted to get Lincoln off of her back, how was she supposed to know that things would have escalated this far?

…

It didn't matter now. She just had to play it safe and meet with Lynn and Cookie. She had no idea what to expect and it was making her nervous… There is no way today could possibly get any worse…

"RING…"

"Sigh…"

Paige stood up straight and reached for a couple of paper towels, using them to dry her face before throwing them away and turning to head out of the bathroom. She couldn't wait for this day to be over with…

She pressed her hand against the door, pushing it open as she stepped into the hall. She just had to go to her next class, sit through it, take notes and leave. Then she could focus on not getting the crap beaten out of her. Lynn did say she wasn't going to hurt her, but she wasn't sure if she should trust her. After all, everyone knew that Lynn Loud was a ruthless jock and that she…

"Ouph…"

Paige walked into someone, making both her and them fall to the ground. After taking a second to rub the pain from her butt, she looked up… Crap…

Sitting on the ground, looking rather annoyed, was one of the people she wanted to see the least. Frankly, at this point, she would rather face Lynn or Cookie… Hell, she would rather face all of Lincoln's sisters and Lincoln himself than this jerk…

"Would you watch where you are going…? Oh, it's you."

Paige grit her teeth as she locked eyes with Rusty. She had managed to avoid him all day, and yet, just when she thought she was in the clear, here he was. Why couldn't he just disappear? This whole mess was his fault anyway.

Paige didn't respond to Rusty, making him roll his eyes. Instead, she just pulled herself to her feet and dusted herself off. She wasn't interested in anything that involved him. Someone else would probably get hurt and she wanted nothing to do with it. Never again… When she closed her eyes she could still see Cristina's bloody, broken body laying in the grass… She doubted she would be able to sleep right ever again…

She just started to move past him, ignoring his snort of annoyance. She had to admit, it felt pretty damn good. If she hated Lincoln… Well, she hated this jackass a million times more…

"Paige, we need to talk."

Nope, not happening. She just kept walking. She wasn't interested. She was going to make the last hour of her day normal. It was the very least she deserved. Nothing was going to get in the way of it. Nope, nothing. Not Lincoln, not his sister, not Cristina, not Cookie and most certainly not this jackass.

"Paige, stop walking away from me."

Still she ignored him. She was starting to get irritated. Get the massage would yah? She wasn't going to talk to him, no matter what he… EXCUSUE YOU?

Paige whipped around as soon as she felt Rusty grab the back of her shirt, snapping her bra. She clenched her fist as hard as she could and swung at him… She missed as he ducked, obviously having been ready for her. "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU? CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE? FOR FUCKS SAKE, GET THE MESSAGE YOU FREAK! I'M NOT INTERESTED IN TALKING TO YOU. FUCK OFF!"

Paige tried to swing at him again, stepping forward to add more force, but Rusty put his foot forward, tripping her. "Calm down you crazy bitch. We need to talk about what happened with Cristina."

Paige landed hard, feeling slight pain as she landed on her hands and knees. She ignored it. She was pissed. She tried to jump to her feet, but Rusty kicked his foot into her butt, knocking her onto her face. That was it… That was the last straw. Her day had been horrid and then this ass thinks he can just knock her around? No, no more…

Paige rolled over, kicking her foot out, feeling satisfied when it came into contact with Rusty's shin, making him fall to the ground. "Leave me alone you jerk. Why should I talk to you about Cristina? You hurt her really bad. I know what the police said and they were wrong. Those two morons that took the fall, they weren't responsible. No, that was you. You hurt Cristina. You told everyone that is was her and they believed you… But no more. This ends now. I'm going to make sure you rue the day you…"

"BAM…"

Paige flew backwards, hitting the ground with an audible thud. Pain filled her face and she had to blink several times before her vision cleared enough to see the enraged Rusty diving at her. At that point it was too late. He pounced on her, grabbed her by the shirt and gave her what would be the equivalence of a snarl.

"MY FAULT? This is just as much your fault as it is mine. You dare put the blame on me? How about we talk about what you did? You were the one that did the most damage to Lincoln. Sure I was the one that came up with the idea, but it was you that made my plan better. You deleted his records. You sent the letters. You sent the glitter bomb. It was you that made me sent you that video of you forcing yourself on Cristina. If anyone is at fault for what happened to her, it's you. Cristina got hurt because you are in love with her."

At that, Paige felt something inside of her crack and just like that she smashed her head into Rusty's, feeling his nose crunch against her forehead. Blood flowed from it as he screamed out, grabbing his nose with one hand. She expected him to just let her go, but he didn't. He just smashed his fist into her face, hitting the same eye for the seconds time… The same eye she got soap in that morning…

Paige grabbed her face, holding her hand over her eye. She attempted to use her other hand to punch him back, but she only hit air. She looked up in surprise when she felt his hand slid into her pocket, grabbing at her phone.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

Rusty jumped off of Paige, taking the phone with him. Both her and Paige looked up to see an angry looking Lynn and Cookie, along with a couple of other familiar looking girls approaching. Seeing them, Rusty looked to Paige, giving her a sneer. "This is your fault. All of it. If they find out what's on this phone, my plans are ruined… But if they can't get into your phone, then yours are ruined."

With that said, he raised his hand and smashed Paige's phone on the ground, making her flinch as shards of glass bounced up to her exposed ankles. As soon as the phone hit the ground, he gave it a couple of stomps, then took off, not sticking around as Lynn, along with the other girls ran up to the dazed Paige.

She just stared down at her phone, frowning. What a waste of a perfectly nice phone…

"Uh… Hey, kid you okay?"

Paige slowly turned her head, having to blink a couple of times to clear her vision. Rusty punched a lot harder that she had expected… She looked up at Lynn, ignoring the other girls for the time being.

"That was what you wanted, right?"

Lynn's eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and mild worry. "What are you talking about? Are you okay? Your eye looks super messed up. Why don't you let me take you to the nurse?"

Paige let out a sigh, looking back down at her phone. She raised her hand, pointing at it. "The phone. You asked me to bring my phone with me when I came to our meeting… Am I right in assuming that what you really wanted was the video on it?"

Lynn sighed, moving her hands up to grab Paige's head, looking at her face. "Forget that. It's ruined, nothing we can do. Are you okay? Can you see out of your eye? How many fingers am I holding up?"

Paige blinked a couple of times. She couldn't even feel the pain any more. Rusty had hurt her... He destroyed her phone… He destroyed the video… Or at least that's what he thought… A smile slowly started to form on Paige's face. It was over. Rusty would leave her alone. There was nothing more that he wanted from her… It was finally over.

"Uh, Paige, are you okay?"

Paige's eyes focused on Cookie. She looked slightly weirded out and Paige had to force her smile away as she answered, looking at all of the girls. "Yes. I'm perfectly fine. I've actually never felt better in my life. Rusty destroyed me phone… and now he's going to leave me alone… All because he thinks the video is destroyed…"

Lynn raised a brow, giving her a curious look. "Thinks? What do you mean, he thinks? What the hell are you going on about?"

Paige's smile returned. It was like a massive weight had been removed from her shoulders. She didn't care that she was going to have a nasty black eye. She didn't care that Rusty knew her feelings about Cristina. She didn't even care that Lynn and her friends were probably going to beat her… Because she was free…

"The video… Rusty is a lot of things. He's a perv, a jerk, a bully… But most of all, he's the dumbest moron in the world. His phone had the original and I had him sent it to me… He thinks the video is gone for good… Ha… Ha ha ha… But he's wrong… Just like anything on the internet, I can get it back… Rusty is screwed and he doesn't even know it yet…"

Well, that escalated quickly. Sorry for taking so long to update the story. There have been a few, unforeseen incidents that happened in my life and a lot of things have changed. The biggest being that I had to move back home.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm going to try to post the next much sooner, but I can't guaranty anything, so please, be patient. Tell me what you thought of this chapter and as always, have a good one.