AN: Wow, it was a really long time since the last time I updated this story. Sorry to everyone for the long wait, college has been incredibly busy for me and I've been trying to work on finding time to work on this. Thankfully I did, and now can continue this and maybe my other story as well. I hope you all can forgive me for this incredibly long hiatus for this. This is the beginning of Part II of No Fear. I hope you all enjoy this.

Chapter 19: The Second Chris

January 7th, 2013
Wawanakwa High School
Environmental Science

I had arrived in class slightly earlier than the others, so I decided to look out the window. I don't know why exactly I did so, but there was something mystifying about it. Seeing all the snow still on the ground made me wonder when the snow was ever going to melt. I didn't mind seeing it at all, I just wanted to see the liveliness of nature instead of seeing it dead. I sighed and turned to the door to see that someone was standing right outside of it.

"Ella is that you?" I asked to the girl standing outside.

"It is, Dawn! It's so lovely to see you again." She said to me.

"You look much different from the last time I saw you. May I ask what happened to your dress that you always wear?" Ella did indeed look different. Instead of her pink dress, she was dressed in what made her look like one of the actresses back from the 40's or the 50's (I was never much for movies, so I didn't exactly know for sure).

"Oh, you've noticed. Do you like it?"

"Of course, you look splendid."

"I'm glad you like it. People seem more willing to talk to me. Like the other girl in the class; Bridgette, you remember her of course? Well she seems to want to talk to me now."

"Where did you get those clothes?" I asked her rather curiously.

"While I was in Rome, there was clothes store that I was looking at, and I saw this outfit that you see there, and I thought that it would be lovely to start the year off with a change, you know? I then found a barber shop and I went and did some things with my hair as well if you haven't notice. I just saw this picture of this beautiful actress that I had never seen before until then."

"What was her name?"

"Well that's the thing, I never found out. All I know is, is that the character that she was playing was called Princess Ann.* I hope that I find out her name sometime in the near future, because I want to know who to thank for giving me the idea to try and match her look."

"That reminds me to ask you, how was your trip with your mother?"

"Oh it was wonderful! We started in England, and traveled through London. We then traveled to Spain and saw the sights in Madrid. We then flew to Paris in France and that was such a beautiful city. I got to see the Eiffel Tower and actually stand at the top of it! We then flew to Rome and that's where I got this outfit and this haircut. And then we ended our trip in Berlin, which was just as lovely as all the other places we saw. It was so nice to be able to spend that time with my mother, it almost makes up for all the time that was lost."

"Well, I really am happy for you. Do you know how the others enjoyed their trips?"

"Well, I did see Gwen and her family while I was in Paris and we took some pictures together. Her brother seemed like a nice boy, but Gwen looked like she wanted to get away from him a lot of the time. Her mother was a nice woman as well, but Gwen acted the same around her as she did her brother. She must not really enjoy being around her family much at all." I kept this in mind after Ella had told me this.

We continued with our study in Environmental Science, and as the day progressed, nothing of interest happened very much. I decided that, out of the boredom that I had felt throughout the day, I wanted to walk around the school and see the things that I haven't noticed ever. I saw many things around such as the library (which was where Cameron was usually if he wasn't in class or at lunch), the baseball field (which I had no interest in seeing because I never cared much for sports), and then the hockey rink. The hockey rink was the only slightly interesting part of the trip, even though the hockey rink was another sports thing, because of someone I saw there.

He didn't look familiar to me because I had never seen him before at the school, but there was something about him that was familiar to me.

"Excuse me, but could I have a moment of your time?" I said. He couldn't hear me from the skating he was doing. I said it again a second time. Still no response. Finally, I screamed at him to listen to me, and only then did he hear me.

"Yes, what is it? Can't you see that I'm busy with something? If it's an autograph you want, you'll have to wait until I'm done with my practice." The boy had said to me. He had such a narcissistic tone in his voice from what I could tell.

"I must apologize for distracting you from your hockey, but I must ask, have I seen you before? It is a rather weird question, but I could've sworn I've seen you here before." I said to him.

"Did you go and see the play from last month?"

"Of course, why?"

"Because I was the beast. The name is Topher McNeil. I'm head of Student Discipline, Captain of the Wawanakwa High School Hockey Team, and Chris's #1 man."

"That's why you looked so familiar. I'm Dawn by the way."

"Yeah, yeah, so what exactly do you want? I was busy with my shots, you can't become the best by talking all the time whenever someone says they want to talk."

"You don't have to be like the way you're acting." I said to him in slight anger. He noticed I was starting to get angry, and he started to skate away after that. The only thing that I could think about was why he was acting the way he was acting. His aura suggested that there was something up, but…for some reason, it was being clouded by something else. I brushed that feeling aside for a moment and started to make my way towards the café where Joe worked.

3:30 P.M.

"Dawn, I wasn't expecting you to be here! Is there anything that I can get you?" asked Joe.

"Some tea would be nice, and if you have a moment to spare, I would like to talk to you about something that happened today, but only if you have a moment, I don't want to take you away from your job." I said to him.

"Oh, I always have time for you. Hold on, let me get your tea and I'll get some coffee and we can talk." Shortly after he said that, he rushed into the kitchen and came out a few minutes later with some tea and coffee. After he led me to a table, he sat down and started to ask me,

"So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?" he asked curiously.

"Well today I met someone who I had never seen at the school before." I said to him.

"Well, is he or she someone that you are planning to help out like you do everyone that you meet?"

"I don't know. I was very unsure about the way he was acting. There seems to be much going on with him, much more than I could've picked out in the small time that I got to talk to him." That made Joe rather curious about who exactly I was talking about when I finished saying this.

"Who exactly were you talking to?"

"His name is Topher and…" I wasn't able to continue because Joe interrupted me.

"If I were you, I'd steer clear of Topher. Don't you remember the first time you came in here when we had that talk about us, and Topher got brought up, and I specifically remember telling you to avoid him because he's nothing but trouble?"

"I didn't think that he seemed too bad, just…troubled is all."

"Troubled? That boy has been pampered all his life. Look at the way he dresses, the way he talks, the way he acts to people. He's basically Principal McLean as a teenager, and that's who he's trying to be like! Topher has been nothing but trouble since he's been at this school, please, just this once, can you not help someone? He's not exactly the most deserving person for it."

"As I remember correctly, you didn't approve of me helping Dakota when she was going through her situation."

"Yeah, but that was different because I made a wrong assumption about her due to me not knowing her. I know Topher though, and that kid is nothing but a spoiled punk who doesn't care about anybody's well-being except his own." I was starting to get frustrated listening to this, but I didn't want Joe to see me frustrated.

"Joe, thank you for the tea, but I think I must be going."

"Here, let me give you a ride back home." I obliged and Joe drove me home after that. It was dead silent on the way back.

January 8th, 2013
Outside my House
6:00 A.M.

I was sitting outside waiting for the bus to come because I had woken up exceptionally early. The reason was because I was wondering about Topher and why he was acting like that. I told myself that I would try and help him, even if he was going to be evasive of it. As I sat there, my mind continue to wonder about other things, such as realizing that I only have a few more months to be at this school, and also how little time I had to try and help all the other people that I could, especially Lightning, Jo, and Scott.

"Hey Dawn, do you want a ride to school?" asked Mike as Zoe and him were sitting in Mike's car outside my driveway.

"I didn't even notice that you two were there. Yes, that would be nice." I said to them. I got into the back of their car after I said that.

"So, Dawn, you look like you were thinking about something. I mean it's none of my business really, but I mean you didn't even notice that there was a car in your driveway for about 5 minutes." said Zoey.

"Well, I'm helping another person and…" I started to say but was interrupted by Mike.

"Can I ask, is this certain person causing you to act like this? I mean you kinda zoned out." said Mike.

"Well, I don't think he even knows that I want to help him. He's not exactly the nicest person I've met here."

"Is it Lightning!?" asked Zoey

"Is it Scott!?" asked Mike.

"It's neither. His name is Topher. I assume that you two know him?" Mike nearly stopped the car after hearing that. He turned to Zoey and gave her a worried look.

"Look…I think it's just best if you don't mess with Topher. He is a very rude person, and it doesn't surprise me that the one person he does look up to happens to be Principal McLean." said Zoey.

"You're doing the exact same thing that you were doing when I said that I was going to help someone like Dakota or even had the idea to help someone like Lightning or Jo or Scott." I said to them.

"We just don't want to see you get hurt you know? I mean, sure we were wrong about Dakota, we wouldn't have ever guessed that she was into someone like Sam and that she was having all those problems, but Topher is something else. Look, both of us have known Topher for a few years now, I mean this kid would probably sell out his only friends if he has any just to become more like Principal McLean. Please, Dawn, don't waste your time on him." said Mike. I have rarely been angry enough to scream, but I felt that it was about to happen. I tried to calm myself down, but listening to what Joe said to me yesterday and what Mike and Zoey had said to me today, I finally snapped.

"You know, you don't have to tell me that what I'm doing might be a lost cause! At least I'm trying to do something about it instead of complaining about it and doing nothing to help these people who desperately need it!" I yelled at them. I saw that we were at the school, so I quickly got out of the car and slammed the door behind me. I didn't notice that Mike and Zoey were staring at me from the car, and worrying about what they had caused.

3:00 P.M.

I started to make my way towards the hockey rink and my mind was full of thoughts. How was I going to help Topher? How could my closest friends and my boyfriend think that what I'm doing was for nothing and how I shouldn't bother with it? How am I going to focus when I try to help him? Can I even help him? All of these thoughts continued to race through my head, and I was so oblivious of what was going on, that I ran into the glass on the hockey rink. I brushed it off and called for him.

"Topher!" I yelled. This time was much easier than the last time since I knew who he was. He skated by and stopped right on the other side of the glass.

"Oh it's you again. You keep coming here and I'm gonna have to give you an autograph…not without a price though." he said to me.

"I don't want an autograph." I said very bluntly.

"Well, what exactly do you want?"

"I want to talk to you, do you have a moment?"

"Sure I guess. But not for too long. I have to be on the ice to practice by 4:45 or else coach will kill me." He started to skate to the other side of the hockey rink and once he did, he got out and started to make his way towards the locker room.

3:15 P.M.
Outside the Hockey Rink

"So what exactly do you want to talk about? Have I told you that I think that you're weird? I mean, you've been coming here for the past two days now, and I don't even know you. And now you want to talk to me about god knows what?"

"Look, I just wanted to talk. I just wanted to know a few things about you. Especially about you deifying Principal McLean."

"Oh, you mean Chris? Yeah Chris is such an awesome person! I've been wanting to be just like for years now. Here follow me." He started to make his way into the hallway that lead to the locker rooms and I followed him. He pointed to a picture of a somewhat handsome teenager with the year dating back to 1999.

"This was Chris when he was a high school hockey player. He played for this school as the Center from 1995-1999, and he became captain of the team in 1999. Gosh, he's just so awesome! That's why I wanted to start playing hockey because of him." I started to wonder something after he finished saying this.

"Topher, how are things with your family?"

"What? What kind of stupid question is that? You just expect me to open up about my family to someone who I just met a few days ago?"

"May I ask, why are you being so defensive to me? You don't have to say that my questions are stupid. I was just wondering, because you deifying Principal McLean the way that you do, it makes me wonder about how your family life is going. I mean you must have a father and a mother correct?" Topher started to walk away after I said that, and then he took a seat on one of the benches in the hallway.

"I apologize if I offended you. That was not my intention in asking things such as that but I understand that you might be frustrated with it." I started to walk out of the hallway but then he started to make his way towards me.

"You wanted to know why it is that I act the way that I do. Sit down." I obliged and I sat down next to him.

"Well, if you really are that interested in wondering about who I am. Well, growing up, I, like everyone else, grew up with a mom and dad. The thing is, is that neither of them were ever home. My mom was so busy with work that she would rarely ever get home. I mean, she worked three jobs. She worked so much that she would have her workplace be a bedroom at the same time."

"And what about your father?"

"I never really knew my dad. My dad left when I was 5 and ever since, I haven't heard a word about him. I don't know whether or not that he died, or that my mom is hiding what happened to him from me, but honestly, I don't care. It's better off that he's not here rather than him coming back and trying to win me over and tell me how much he loved me, since he was never there."

"And is this why you look up to Principal McLean?"

"Well, that really started back my freshman year. I didn't really know anyone, because I didn't have many great social skills at the time. Well one of the classes I was taking had me working in the office, running things back and forth to Principal McLean. One day, I walked into his office, and he asked me to take a seat and talk. I did, and the first thing he asked me was about my family life. Believe it or not, even with what people say about him being ruthless to students and punishing them severely, he knows what it was like to not grow up with a father in his life, because he went through that for years. Ever since that talk I had with him, he was someone that I looked up to, because if he could do just fine without growing up with a dad, then I sure as hell can!"

"Topher, I believe that it's great that you know someone who went through the same thing that you are going through right now, but, can I ask, do you believe that you can avoid your problems by trying to grow up to be exactly like someone?" Topher was rather shocked to hear me say this because he had a slightly uneasy look on his face.

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Well, I think that you looking up to someone like that, and it seems to me like you're somewhat copying his life, it seems to me that you're trying to avoid the problem head on, and I think that's really damaged you. Your aura is showing a lot of pain from not only having this problem linger for so long, but not taking the right steps to work on them."

"That's…"

"Yes?"

"I never honestly thought that what I was doing was copying someone's life. I mean sure, I play hockey, and I just happen to play the same position that he did, and sure I wear his number on my jersey as well, and sure…" I gave him a curious look after he said this, and he understood exactly what that meant. He gave a very long sigh after that.

"What do you think that I should do? I mean, you seem to know a lot about my situation, and I barely told you any of it."

"Well Topher, I might not know what it was like not growing up with a father completely, but my father passed away a few years ago, so I somewhat know what you're currently going through right now. And yes, it was incredibly difficult for me to go through all of that, and it still is from time to time, but everything happens for a reason, and trying to avoid it isn't healthy or beneficial to you. Topher, you can become anything you want to become, and just because someone went through the same thing you're going through, doesn't mean that you have to copy everything that they did, because, and I believe that you would agree with me, everybody has a different way of coping with their feelings." I got up and got ready to walk off until Topher got up and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Maybe… maybe you're right. Never thought I'd hear myself saying that to someone. What do you think I should do?"

"I think that you should open up to people more. You don't seem like you have very many friends. I know a few people who would love to be your friend, including myself."

"Thanks Dawn, I might have to take you up on that offer." He then began to walk out of the school after he finished saying that. I felt rather happy to see that I had been able to make a difference, and that took my mind off of the frustration that I had felt from Joe, Zoey, and Mike.

January 9th, 2013
6:00 A.M.
Outside of my House

I stood outside again wondering what exactly Topher had done with the revelation that he had after our discussion, but while I was thinking about that, a car pulled right outside my driveway. It was Mike and Zoey again, but this time they also had Joe with them.

"Hey Dawn, could we talk for a second?" asked Zoey. I was still rather angry at them for not believing that I could help Topher.

"May I ask why? If you cannot notice, I'm still slightly irritated with the three of you." I said to them.

"Well… that's kind of what we wanted to talk to you about." said Mike. I sighed a little, but I obliged to go and hear them out, so I stepped into the car, and they began to drive to the school.

"What exactly would you three like to discuss with me?" I asked.

"Look, I know we could say sorry and try to ask for your forgiveness and all about how we doubted you, but we really messed up this time, and we wanted to do something other than that, because we feel like saying sorry isn't enough." said Joe. Joe then reached into his bag and pulled out a card.

"What, may I ask, is this?" I asked rather curiously.

"Why it's a card. Open it." said Zoey. I opened it, and I was rather shocked to see what was in it.

"It's a card that everyone that you've helped signed, just for you. To remind you, that even if we screw up and all, that you helped us." said Mike.

"And if you go and help anyone else out, you can ask them to sign it as well." said Joe. As they talked about the card, all I could pay attention to was the messages that each person who I had helped had written. It had everyone I had helped from Mike and Zoey, to Dakota and Sam, and even…

"Topher signed this?"

"Yeah well, he had heard about what we were doing for you from Sammy believe it or not, and he was rather interested to sign this. Reckon we gave him some pretty dirty looks and all, but he said that you had helped him, and that gave us another initiative to apologize to you." said Mike.

"We really are sorry Dawn, we keep breaking our promises to you about supporting you with everything you do and everyone you help, and it really hurts us as well that we've thought about it so rudely and selfishly." said Zoey. We had arrived at the school once she finished saying that, and once everyone had gotten out, I went to give everyone a hug.

"Thank you, I accept your apology. This was incredibly sweet of you guys to do." I said. They all smiled and started making their way to their classes. As I entered the school, I noticed Topher was speaking with Sammy, and they looked like they were enjoying their conversation very much.

"Hey Dawn!" yelled Topher. He began to run my way down the hall once he saw me.

"Hello Topher, I see that you were talking with Sammy?" I asked.

"Yeah, I thought about what you told me and everything, so I decided that I wasn't going to follow in someone else's footsteps, but I was going to make my own path. I decided to quit Student Discipline, and I changed my number in Hockey. And I even started to open up more, like with Sammy."

"I'm happy to see that you're opening up to people. I hope that you enjoy Sammy's company. She's a really sweet girl, and so is her sister as well. She seems rather attracted to you from what her aura reads." I said to him.

"You think so? Maybe I should take her somewhere to get to know her better. Anyway, thanks again Dawn." He said as he started to make his way back to Sammy. I smiled upon seeing what had become of Topher. I just told myself, "This is the beginning of a good year".

AN: Well I hope you all enjoyed this. As always, I own none of the rights to Total Drama, the characters used in this, etc. I don't know how often I'll be updating this, but I'll try to every now and again. Thank you all for being understanding.
Another thing, that * was an allusion I made to my favorite actress Audrey Hepburn and her role as Princess Ann from my favorite film of hers "Roman Holiday". Thought it be interesting to have Ella look like something else other than what she normally looks like.
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