Hello dear readers. I asked you not too long ago what story you wanted to see me write next. This one won and I am so excited to finally post it.

This is a story about self-discovery and self-acceptance - not just for Hanna and Caleb, but for other characters too. It's going to be light and dark and hot and cold and I hope you're all going to enjoy it as much as Restraints and Growth. I know I am.

Without further ado...

I

Hanna Marin was used to being the it girl. Pretty and popular, when she walked down the school hallways every girl turned to see what skirt she was wearing and every boy turned to see how short that skirt was. And now that she was a senior… well that just meant she really was queen bee. There was nobody else above her in the social hierarchy, and that was just. how. she liked it.

She'd lived in Rosewood her entire life, in the same house, in the same bedroom. Everyone knew who her family was and everybody knew who she was. Her mother was on the PTA, her father essentially funded the annual Founder's Festival; they were… prominent to say the least in the local community. With prominence came expectation and as the only child of the Marin's, if she was honest with herself, she was still trying to balance the weight of that expectation with reality. It was a work in progress, but one that she was comfortable was heading in the right direction. For the first time in a long time, she was starting to finally feel comfortable with who she was and where her life was going.

She was going to graduate High School, go to her father's Alma Mata, Cornell in New York and she was going to do whatever was needed to ensure they were proud of her. Of course, a husband and baby would be needed. She'd doubted that would ever happen until recently, but now she was sure she'd found somebody who'd make long distance work, who understood everything she had to do, who'd knew her.

Hanna sighed happily as she pulled open her school locker, looking at a picture of her and Sean Ackard at prom. After she'd finally lost the pounds that had clung to her hips, he'd finally taken an interest in her over summer and now they were navigating the paths of a teenage relationship that was under the spotlight of parents and the entire student body.

Because if people weren't convinced of Hanna Marin's it girl status before, then dating Sean Ackard was the final diamond in her crown. He was the pastor's son, star football player, straight A student who had every single person who attended Rosewood High in the palm of his hand. Nothing was going to take that away from her. Nothing she thought, blinking her eyes shut as she stood at her open locker.

"Hey Han," A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts and when she opened her eyes, she was unsurprised to see her best friend, Spencer Hastings approaching her. "Are you coming to Noel's tonight?" She asked, watching Hanna reapply her lip-gloss in the mirror.

Hanna tried to hold in a snort as she thought about Noel Kahn. She'd always thought he was a walking oxymoron; star player on the football team with Sean, but drug taker and alcohol obsessed who was slowly destroying his hopes of a scholarship. His parties were infamous for getting out of hand.

"I can't," Hanna pouted, throwing her makeup into her bag.

Spencer rolled her eyes as Hanna smiled and began to stare off into the distance dreamily. "Let me guess, you're seeing Sean?"

"Sean's new foster brother's been there for a week now and he wants me to meet him before he starts school on Monday," Hanna explained as she slammed her locker shut and began to walk towards the exit with Spencer at her side.

"His parents are fostering again?" Spencer raised an eyebrow as they headed towards Hanna's silver Mercedes.

"Sean said this guy's 18 in like 4 months, it's not like they're planning on adopting him."

Spencer snorted, "They've adopted every child that's walked through their door."

Hanna rolled her eyes as she unlocked her car, "Which is two. Apparently they're the last hope for the boy," She replied, "Sean said he heard the social worker saying they caught him smoking coke."

Spencer laughed at Hanna's incredulous look, "Sounds like a real bad boy." She said wryly as Hanna paused at her car door. "I'm pretty sure Sean's done coke with Noel at a party," Spencer told her incredulously.

"Sean and Noel are friends because they play football together," Hanna corrected her, "But Sean's not into that stuff," She argued, "He doesn't even drink that much," She added, shooting Spencer a look that told her it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Really?" Spencer remarked sarcastically, frowning at her best friend. She could be so deluded when it came to Sean sometimes. "Well you're gonna miss out on a great party. Emily's stolen vodka from her parent's liquor cabinet," She yelled as Hanna climbed into her car and waved goodbye, completely ignoring her.

She flicked her CD on and shook her head as Katy Perry began to blast out, thinking about the troubled teenager who was moving into her boyfriend's house for the foreseeable future and the party that she was most definitely not going to tonight. "Not for girls like me," She muttered to herself, "Definitely not."

Later that evening, Hanna found herself stood outside the Ackard's front door as she waited to be let in. She was so glad to be out of her house; as soon as she'd walked through the door she'd heard her parents arguing. And when she'd tried to disappear upstairs to avoid them and anything they had to say, her Mom had decided to take safe haven in her room as she got ready. That had led to comments about what necklace and shoes went best with her dress, which unsurprisingly were the complete opposite of what Hanna had envisioned. She'd walked out of the house in it to please her, but as soon as she'd been in the car she'd whipped the necklace off and switched her heels for the emergency pair she kept in the trunk.

She took a deep breath and tried to banish the negative energy as she heard footsteps approaching the front door. "Hello sweetheart," Helen Ackard opened the door, "Come on in, John's just about to serve up."

"Sorry I'm late," Hanna apologized immediately. They were the last people she wanted to disappoint.

"No, no dear," Helen smiled at her, "You're bang on time."

"Hanna!" A high-pitched voice called as a blur of blonde curls appeared.

"Hey P," Hanna greeted six-year-old Penelope Ackard with open arms as the little girl ran at her and leapt into her arms.

"I've got a new brother," She whispered excitedly as Hanna picked her up.

"You do?" Hanna gasped, "What's he like?" She brushed one of her curls back from the front of her face.

"He doesn't play ponies," She murmured solemnly, pouting her lips as Sean came over to greet them.

"Hey Hanna banana," He said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Penny, you know what Mom's said about being nice to Caleb," He chastised his little sister, shaking his head knowingly with a smile on his face.

"But I just want him to play ponies," She exclaimed sadly before wriggling down from Hanna's arms and trotting off to find her parents in the kitchen. Hanna tried to ignore how it irked her when Sean kissed her forehead instead of her lips and just expected her to follow him into the kitchen rather than take her hand, but it did. She was trying really hard to make sure she was good enough.

Helen and John ushered her to sit down with a Diet Coke and sent Sean upstairs to go and get the mysterious foster brother as they were entertained by Penny's conversation about what had happened at school that day. Hanna took a moment to take in her surroundings; she was convinced that if there was anyone who could sort out a bad boy and get him right back on track before he became a fully-fledged independent adult, it was Sean's parents. They had the perfect home that was so welcoming and so happy. She didn't doubt they'd try their hardest and whatever they needed from her, she'd be ready to give it to them.

The floorboards creaked bringing everyone's attention to the dining room doorway. Hanna didn't know what to expect but somehow her breath caught in her throat as she took in the chestnut-haired being that lingered a few feet away.

He was a bad boy. A real bad boy. Okay… well he was a real bad boy by Rosewood's standards.

He was dressed almost completely in black apart from that stupid grey beanie on his head and when she finally connected her eyes with his, she was shocked to see they were almost as dark as the boy's clothes. But they were also a pair of the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen. Goddamit she could have sworn she was a blonde-hair-blue-eyes type.

She pulled her dress up around her chest a little and wished in that moment that she'd worn something more conservative. She almost shuddered when he smirked at her with a look that made her feel like he knew all her dirty secrets already. She was definitely avoiding him at all costs, she thought, as she pulled her eyes away and played with her hair awkwardly. Nobody should have made her feel that on edge.

"Hanna, this is Caleb," Sean said, completely oblivious to the way his foster brother was staring at his girlfriend.

"Hey," Hanna forced out as Caleb stalked over and sat opposite her, tugging his beanie down over his mop of dark hair.

Helen Ackard smiled warmly at Caleb as she watched him pour himself a glass of water. "Caleb honey, you know we don't wear hats at the table," She said gently but pointedly, waiting for Caleb to remove the material covering his hair. Hanna watched him pull that ridiculous smirk that made her stomach turn with unease as he pulled his beanie off and pushed it down onto Penny's head next to him.

"Caleb!" She whined, pushing it above her eyes and huffing up at him annoyed.

"Penny, no hats at the table," The Reverend joked, trying not to laugh as his daughter shrugged her shoulders in annoyance and plucked the grey beanie off her curls. He held his hands out above the table for Sean and Penelope to take and closed his eyes as he prepared to say grace.

Hanna couldn't help but glance up under her half-closed eyelashes and watch as Caleb refused to hold hands. He seemed like such an ungrateful brat – did he not realise what Sean's parents were doing for him, she thought angrily.

"Ca-leb," Penelope demanded in a whisper, holding her hand out expectantly and hunching her shoulders until he gripped her hand.

Hanna sniggered under her breath but quickly shut up when Caleb shot her a glare and squeezed her eyes shut as she waited for Sean's father to bless their meal. Everyone began to eat, but Caleb remained silent throughout. Hanna kept trying to give him subtle glances but no way on earth did she want him to know what she was trying to do – she wanted to get a good look at him; assess where he was going to fit in at school, her school, before he rocked up on Monday morning and just stared at her again.

"Hanna sweetheart," Helen began, "Sean told me you're still struggling with your Math," She said sympathetically as Hanna moved her food around on her plate and tried to wish away that hot blush that was now covering her cheeks. "Caleb's a whiz," She winked at her, "He'd happily tutor you – I've already got him helping Sean," She added, looking at her foster son as he stared down at his half-empty plate.

"Oh yeah," Sean piped up in agreement, "I suddenly get what Mr Pang's been trying to tell us since September," He laughed, scraping the last of his dinner onto his fork and shoveling it in.

"You'll help Hanna, won't you Caleb?" Helen asked, although it wasn't really a question.

"Sure," He replied statically. "May I be excused?" He said, pushing his chair back and not waiting for an answer before stealing his beanie back from Penelope and stalking back upstairs.

Jonathan Ackard smiled at his wife reassuringly, "He's still adjusting," He said before they resumed their normal conversation.

Hanna didn't really know what to say. Or think. Or know how to act. They couldn't have fostered anybody more different from Sean if they'd tried and she didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit. And now they expected him to tutor her and Sean in Math. She'd do it for Sean's parents, but right now, she couldn't think of a worse idea.

Hanna felt like she spent the rest of the weekend being caught up on Noel's party. On Saturday, she'd planned to work on a group assignment for Biology with Sean and Aria Montgomery at Sean's house, but all they wanted to talk about was the ridiculous back flip Noel did into the lake, or the game of Truth that almost broke up Emily Fields and Ben Coogan. Hanna didn't care about 90% of it. She sent a quick text to Emily to ask if she was okay, but in the end, she found herself sitting quietly and just letting them talk.

They didn't seem to notice when she disappeared off to the bathroom and didn't come back for 10 minutes, but she was too consumed with her own thoughts to let it bother her. Caleb didn't make an appearance; she could have sworn she felt his eyes on her, but when she'd whipped her head around to glare at him there'd been nothing but an empty hallway. Aria was intrigued and wanted to meet him, but it wasn't until Monday lunchtime that she actually managed to get a look at the newest addition to the Rosewood High student body.

"Who is that?" She asked with raised eyebrows as she pushed around her plate full of salad.

Hanna and Spencer turned their heads to look at the dark-haired boy who had just sauntered into the cafeteria, looking like he really did not care. Hanna snorted and turned back to her uneaten lunch, "That is Sean's foster brother."

"That's him?" Aria raised her eyebrows.

"Yep." Hanna pushed her salad to the side of her plate and kept her eyes down.

"Is he talking to Noel?" Emily frowned as they tried to covertly watch him. Hanna looked up to see what they were talking about, shivering as her eyes caught Caleb's.

"I guess so."

"He's kinda hot, Han."

"Are you kidding me?" She frowned at Aria, "He looks like he hasn't showered in weeks."

"He's looking over," Emily murmured, "I think he's coming this way."

"I need to go," Hanna didn't give them time to argue before she was out of her seat and heading in the opposite direction and out of the cafeteria. She wanted to see Sean, tell him about who she'd caught Caleb talking to, but she did two laps of the corridors and checked the quad and he was nowhere to be seen. She figured he was in the gym, but there was no way she was heading into that sweaty man-cave just to tell him about a conversation.

She found solace at her locker, stopping to touch up her lips – Sean had actually wanted to make out this morning in his car and she'd felt her gloss was off ever since. It had been a welcome surprise though, and she was by no means complaining. She was ready to move their relationship along and he was finally starting to give her the signs that he was too.

"Hey Princess," Caleb murmured as he approached her locker. He'd been following her around the corridors. He needed to talk to her.

"I didn't realize you had a voice," She snarked, not giving him the satisfaction of having her turn around.

"Feel privileged."

A scowl immediately crossed her face. She didn't understand why Sean had been so desperate for her to look out for him at school, all he did was rile her up and she was pretty sure he was going to be just fine by himself. "I don't."

Caleb rolled his eyes at her prim nature. As soon as he'd come downstairs and seen her, he'd thought she had one of the most perfect faces he'd ever seen. But then she'd been sat there, clearly on edge, clearly trying to make a good impression. He wanted to shake her and tell her to relax, be herself; they only had one life and they had to live it. Hell, he'd known all about being on the brink and coming back. It was petrifying but exhilarating and it had shaped his outlook on life. He didn't do respect, because life had taught him it only came straight back to bite him in the ass. He didn't do impressions, because life had taught him they didn't count for anything anyway. He didn't care.

If the state thought putting him in a home with two successful foster kids and two Bible-loving parents would manage to change him, they had another thing coming. He was there to cash his cheques and exploit the next student body he'd been forced to submerge himself in before he was moving onto the next spot in his life.

"Can I help you?" Hanna's voice was muffled as she reached into her locker.

"Helen wants me to tutor you."

"I know," She rolled her eyes, "I was actually present for that conversation." The embarrassment at being called out on her lack of math prowess was still firmly situated at the front of her mind.

"When can you come over?" He needed to tick this box and fast.

"I'll need to talk to Sean," She turned around and finally looked at him.

"He doesn't own you."

"We're working on the same things," Hanna said defensively. "It makes sense."

"Okay," Caleb held his hands up, "Cleary hit a nerve."

"I don't want you doing anything to hurt Sean or his parents," She spat as she scowled at him. Caleb rolled his eyes at her; the Princess really had no clue about real life.

"Why do you think I'm here?" He asked sarcastically.

"I-" Hanna opened her mouth to respond when the school bell rang, cutting them off.

Caleb sighed and adjusted his beanie, pulling it down further over his eyes as the school bell rang, "Soon blondie," He said as students began to flood the hallways.

Hanna slammed her locker shut and slung her bag over her shoulder, "I'm doing this for Sean and his parents, not you," She said pointedly before flicking her hair over her shoulder and strutting past him to class. She wished she didn't have the urge to look back but something inside of her told her to.

So she did.

He smirked. She frowned.

Their eyes met.

And for the first time in a long time, her breath caught in her throat as she questioned herself. So did he.

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