A/N: So... I thought the first chapter was crap. so i re-did it, and now I can actually say I'm proud of it! yay me! lol.

In your eyes,

I'm a criminal.

All that I do,

Is a crime.

All that I do

Is some kind of ploy;

Some way to sabotage your efforts

To be a perfect parent.

In your eyes,

I'm not the perfect child.

I'm the failure.

I'm the rebel.

In your eyes,

I'm the brat.

The annoyance.

The bitch.

The waste of space.

I'm a bitch.

I've built my walls.

I let no one too close anymore.

I will snap at the smallest thing,

Not knowing why.

The second I believe,

That your making an effort to know me,

To help me, to save me;

It's like a poof of smoke.

And then your gone.

In your eyes,

I will never compare.

I will never live up to you,

And your perfect childhood.

I will never be the perfect child.

Sometimes I wonder,

If maybe, just maybe,

You're driving me towards my own destruction.

My own demise,

All alone in my walls.

I can feel myself falling,

Falling away.

I'm not the girl I used to be.

I can pretend,

Force a smile,

Fake a laugh.

It's not worth it.

In your eyes,

I'm just the makings of a failure.

In your eyes,

I'll be sitting alone when I'm old;

No one to die with.

Because I'm the bitch.

The criminal.

I just want someone who cares.

Someone who gives a shit about me.

You tell me,

"We love you."

"We hate seeing you unhappy."

If that's so,

Why do you make my life so damn miserable?

In your eyes,

I'm the bitchy girl,

Who gives you headaches,

Gives you problems.

In your eyes,

I'm self centered.

I care about nothing but myself.

I don't care about you.

And I don't.

Not anymore.

Not since you began the rampage,

The tug-of-war on my life.

And then you wonder,

Why I no longer confide in you.

Everything I put out there,

Every piece of me I release,

You grab for yourself.

I want to be treated like a human.

I'm not a criminal.

I'm not a mastermind,

Plotting to overthrow you.

Not everything I do,

Is to hurt you,

To annoy you.

In your eyes

I am ugly.

I am ragged.

I am trash.

A waste of space.

But I'm about to find out,

That I am beautiful.

"Daddy! Stop it!" Giggled a four year old Gabriella Montez, her dark curls bouncing as she squirmed to get out of her father's gentle grasp. Mr. Montez grinned down at her before picking her up and swinging her around. Gabriella's squeals of delight were music to his ears.

Finally, he set her down on the soft grass and kissed her forehead affectionately. She collapsed back onto the ground next to her mother, giggling uncontrollably.

Mr. Montez sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around his wife and daughter. "Look! Pretty lights!" Cried Gabriella, clapping her hands excitedly as the fireworks show started overhead.

Mrs. Montez smiled and turned to her daughter. Her motherly instincts kicked in as she saw the small child shivering in her pink dress. "Honey, are you cold?" She queried. Gabriella nodded furiously, and Mrs. Montez wrapped a blanket around her tiny shoulders. Pulling Gabriella into her lap, Mrs. Montez sat back and watched the fireworks for the first time as a family.

As a family. How great that sounded… The Montez's were still a relatively new family. Having gotten pregnant at 18 with her boyfriend's daughter, they decided to get married after the child was born. And everything had worked out perfectly. Except for the fact that their parents still had no idea…

The little girl yawned, obviously exhausted, and snuggled further into her mother's arms. The young parents laughed softly at their daughter, and began to gather their things.

Finally arriving at their house, the parents stood over a sleeping Gabriella, smiles playing on their lips.

"Goodnight Gabriella. Sweet dreams." Whispered Mr. Montez slipping an arm around his wife's waist.

"Happy New Years. We love you."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------

I'm a bitch.

I've built my walls.

I let no one too close anymore.

I will snap at the smallest thing,

Not knowing why.

----------------------

"Gabriella, if you don't get up right now, I swear to god I'll--" Already fully clothed, I threw open the door to face my mother.

"I've been up for hours! Go away!" I told her angrily, all the while buttoning my miniskirt and adjusting my top. She was about to retort when she spotted the low cut of my blouse. She raised an eyebrow, Maria Montez language for disapproval. Not that I cared. I really didn't have time for this.

"Don't even start." I said warningly, before returning to my closet and rummaging through my clothes. I heard her footsteps behind, me and the creak of my bed as she sat. "Mother! I just made that!" My mom just rolled her eyes and stood up.

"Jesus Christ, you are so uptight. I was never like that when I was your age. I actually had fun sometimes instead of being a frigid--" By that time, I had heard this speech way too many times. About how she was the perfect child. The perfect everything.

"MOM!" I cried, louder than intended. She looked at me expectantly while I returned to my closet. "You were the perfect child, I get it. End of story." I snapped. My mom looked as though she'd been slapped in the face, before glaring at me.

"Maybe you should appreciate what you aren't." She retorted coldly before leaving. Groaning in frustration, I extracted myself from the closet and slid down the wall, burying my head in my hands. I hated my life. I really did. Sure, I had the hottest boyfriend, the coolest clothes, the best friends. But none of it mattered. It never did. All I wanted was that glorious feeling I only hear about, that wonderful on-top-of-the-world feeling you only get when your parents are proud of you.

But the last time I had felt that was in 2nd grade, when I learned how to ride my bike. I bit my lip, trying not to cry at the memory. It had honestly been the best feeling of my life when my parents had patted me on the back, given me a hug, and even given me a card; all to express how proud they were of their daughter.

I used to always wonder who my grandparents were. My parents never talked about them, and there was no sign of them anywhere in the house. I would know, I looked. The year that everything began crashing down around me, the year that home became hell, the year that my parents began to hate me, was the same exact year that my grandparents found me. It was the same year I learned everything about my parent's past.

My parent's eloped at just 18, as soon as they found out they were having me. They left without a word, in the dark of the night, leaving everyone, including their parents, clueless. They eventually settled down in Augusta, Maine and had me.

My grandparents disowned my parents when they found me. And they've hated me ever since.

--------------------------

In your eyes,

I'm the brat.

The annoyance.

The bitch.

The waste of space.

-----------------------

"What's your problem?!" I screamed at my dad. He was watching me with that cold, calculating stare of his. I swear to god, I haven't actually seen any other emotion other than annoyance and anger on him since… Well, you know. He was tapping his foot as he awaited my explanation. "I went out with my boyfriend! Why is that such a crime?!" I cried, throwing my hands up.

He laughed coldly and rolled his eyes when I said the word "boyfriend". "You think that boy actually likes you?! Why would anyone like you?! No one, especially after the way you've been treating your mother and I tonight." My jaw dropped. He could not be serious. "And especially," He pulled on the edge of my sleeve. "When your dressed like that." Tears pricked my eyes, but I wouldn't let him see me cry. I wouldn't give him that satisfaction.

"Somebody have a bad day at work?" I asked in a baby voice before returning my voice to a normal pitch. "'Cause you do this every freaking time you have a bad day."

"This has nothing to do with my day. This is all about what a bitch you're being to me right now." I stifled a sob at his tone, reminding myself he said that every time.

"I'm not a bitch. You are. " I told him in a near whisper, as though to myself.

He laughed loudly and looked at me with cool amusement. "You think that, sweetie." And with that, he swept past me and into his office.

I hated him. I hated everything he'd become. Vaguely, I could remember the days when he would randomly pick me up and spin me around. The days when he would hold me until my tears stopped. The days when he loved me. I stood there in silence, my face emotionless. I wanted to stay there forever, hiding in the dark from my friends. My boyfriend. My parents. My life.

The vibrating of my phone in my pocket awoke me from my reverie. Slightly annoyed, I pulled the phone out of my pocket and pressed it to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Gabs. Did you hear about the party at Lance's?" Alicia's voice filled my ears, and I cringed at the high pitched squeal of it.

"Who didn't?" I replied. It was true; the guy had posted flyers on everyone's lockers, called everyone, even gotten the school speaker to announce it over the intercom in the morning. It was honestly unavoidable.

"Well you're coming. With me. Tonight. It's in like… two hours. So get ready!" She squealed obviously excited. I rolled my eyes. There was no way I was going to be getting out of my prison-- uhh house. My dad probably already knew about the party, and was at this moment padlocking every window and door. Ugh.

"Sorry, Alicia… I don't think I can go." I said in a fake-disappointed voice. I honestly didn't care that I couldn't go. Although no one would believe me if I said it, I'm not really a partier. This coming from the girl who gets wasted almost once a week... But whatever.

"Awe… Gabi, that sucks! I guess you'll just have to sneak out then won't you." She said matter-of-factly. If she was here right now, I swear to god she would be dead. I was definitely ready to kill her. Suddenly, an idea popped into my oh-so-brilliant mind.

A way to get back at dad.

I smiled and pressed the phone closer to my ear and whispered, "Don't worry, Alicia. I'll be there."

My life sucks ass. I might as well have a little fun with it.

----------------------

I can feel myself falling,

Falling away.

I'm not the girl I used to be.

I can pretend,

Force a smile,

Fake a laugh.

It's not worth it.

---------------------

I grinned stupidly up at my boyfriend, hanging drunkenly off his arm. Finally noticing I was practically staring at him, he turned and smiled awkwardly at me. Finally, I turned my throbbing head towards the center of the party; the dance floor. Couples were dancing heatedly, grinding into each other, and plainly, it bored me.

"Let's go home and have some fun of our own!" I said, looking expectantly at Warren. He considered it for a moment, before nodding excitedly. The sudden movement seemed to hurt his head, and clutched his head before staggering towards the door.

Standing there for a moment, I finally followed him out into the street. The street lights were almost blinding as I struggled into the front seat of Warren's car. We just sat there, not even bothering to start the car, as we soaked in each other's company.

"You want to know something, Warry?" I said into the silence. He grunted and leaned against the cool glass of the window. "My parent's hate me! Isn't that insanely funny?" I giggled. "And you want to know the funniest part? They have no reason! They call me a bitch, and a criminal! And they even call me ugly! Isn't that hilarious?" I was laughing harder now and my head was beginning to hurt again.

"And then--" Hiccup "And then, they tell me they don't want to see me upset! But then they make me feel like shit… AGAIN!" I yelled the last part before collapsing in laughter.

"And you know what else is funny, Warren? I neverrrr would have gotten drunk before. EVER! Because I was a bitch. And I was ugly. But now I'm beeeeeYOUtiful!" By now I was laughing hysterically, tears rolling down my cheeks. "Do you think I'm beautiful, Warren? Don't you think I'm drop-dead gorgeous?" I looked at him expectantly, just to find he was asleep.

Still laughing, I opened his door and dragged him out of the car and onto the sidewalk. I reentered the car, this time on the driver's side. I started up the car, and began my way home. I turned on the radio, turning the volume all the way up as I sped through traffic.

I couldn't tell you why she felt that way,
She felt it everyday.
And I couldn't help her,
I just watched her make the same mistakes again.

Suddenly, I felt sad. All the giddiness from earlier had melted away as I listened to the song sadly. Softly but slowly, I began to sing along. "Why don't you love me?" I whispered into the darkness.

What's wrong, what's wrong now?
Too many, too many problems.
Don't know where she belongs, where she belongs.
She wants to go home, but nobody's home.
It's where she lies, broken inside.
With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes.
Broken inside.

Slowly, the tears came. I closed my eyes to wipe them away, only to open my eyes and find a pair of headlights speeding towards me.

Open your eyes and look outside, find the reasons why.
You've been rejected, and now you can't find what you left behind.
Be strong, be strong now.
Too many, too many problems.
Don't know where she belongs, where she belongs.
She wants to go home, but nobody's home.
It's where she lies, broken inside.
With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes.
Broken inside.

The crunching of metal. The piercing scream I recognized as my own. It all came in a blur.

Her feelings she hides.
Her dreams she can't find.
She's losing her mind.
She's fallen behind.
She can't find her place.
She's losing her faith.
She's fallen from grace.
She's all over the place.
Yeah,oh

I found myself on the gravel, pain coursing through my body. I could hear the slamming of car doors, the noise of blaring of the sirens. My vision was slowly starting to cloud over…

She wants to go home, but nobody's home.
It's where she lies, broken inside.
With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes.
Broken inside.

Suddenly, I could see my mother's face. She was young, care-free. And she was smiling. That was the last thing I saw before everything went black.

---------------

The second I believe,

That your making an effort to know me,

To help me, to save me;

It's like a poof of smoke.

And then your gone.

-----------------

My eyes fluttered open to the sound of beeping machines. My body ached, and my head was pounding. Suddenly, I realized what was happening. I was in a hospital, and I just gotten in a car accident.

I groaned, my parents were going to kill me.

I practically jumped out of my skin when the door to my room flew open. "Oh my god! Sweetie, we were so worried!" I smiled at the worried expression on my mom's face. Maybe she actually cared…

"Honey, what were you thinking? You have to use better judgment next time." Said my dad, in a stern fatherly tone.

They actually cared. I could feel myself tearing up at just the thought of them caring about what happened to me. So what if I was in a hospital, possibly with a concussion and maybe a broken rib or two? My parents loved me. And that was all that mattered.

However, my dream was cut short when the doctor entered behind them. Of course. They wanted to seem parent-like in front of the doctor. The doctor smiled at me, before abruptly turning to my parents.

"So, Ms. Montez has a concussion and a broken leg. She's a very lucky girl." Said the doctor, her voice in a whisper as thought I wouldn't be able to hear them.

"Can I talk to my parents alone?" I asked, after a few minutes of the adults talking whispers. The doctor nodded and left the room. Taking a deep breath, I looked at them. They had obviously took their time to get here; my mother's make up was fresh and my father had gelled his hair. Tears pricked my eyes at the thought that they hadn't really felt obligated to come fast.

"Stop acting like you care." I said abruptly. They just smiled innocently at me and shrugged, as though they were confused. Yeah, right. "I know you guys don't care. And that fact alone hurts. So pretending just makes it worse." I told them, silently scolding myself for telling them this much.

An unknown emotion flashed onto my mom's face. Was it… regret? She quickly covered the emotion with her mask of coolness and smiled at me again.

"What do you mean, honey?" She asked sweetly.

"The doctor's not here, so cut the shit." I spat, glaring at her. After a moment of silence, it was my dad who first spoke.

"What the fuck, Gabriella? Now we have to pay for the damage! Do you know how much that is?" He cried. My mom watched me for a moment before speaking.

"We're moving." She said nonchalantly, and began to pick at her nails.

"WHAT?!" I screeched, staring at her incredulously. "Are you fucking serious?"

"You're the reason, Gabriella. I'm leaving my job, my friends, my house. I hope your happy." She told her curtly, before walking out of the room.

I stared after her. I couldn't move. Everything I'd ever had was here. All my friends, my boyfriend, my everything! I could NOT move! I closed my eyes, attempting to get my breathing back to normal. This was too surreal.

When I opened my eyes, I was alone. More alone than ever.

A/N: So was it too fast? Too slow? You tell me. Reviewwww!