"Well look here it's nerdy Serena Taylor."

I groaned hearing, one of the many people whom I hated, I knew the voice from anywhere. It was Darien.

"Well aren't you going to say anything to me or act like the quiet mute you are?"

I didn't' say anything at all, I brushed my hair out of my eyes and walked down the hall as quickly as I could still hearing the laughter come from Darien, I've know him since elementary school and in all my years of knowing me he has never said a nice word to me, not once. I haven't done anything to him, at least not that I know. He just decided that I was going to be the girl he picked on, ridiculed, poked fun at, and teased for the rest of his life.

I wasn't exactly the beautiful, drop dead, stunning girls he usually went for but I always felt like that I was beautiful on the inside and that's all I needed to know, I didn't need fancy clothes, a boyfriend, or makeup to make me feel happy even though my life was far from the fairy tale life that I had once dreamed about having when I was little.

To anyone else, I was your average eighteen year old girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. I wore thin rimmed black glasses and I was extremely shy and kept to myself which is why I was made fun of so much. I was the

Most nerdish girl at school. If you could label, I would be the nerd.

It was the beginning of my senior year of high school and I was ready to be done with it and leave, I was planning on getting far away from Japan as far as I could, far away from all the drama, the tears, the fights, the fake people, and mostly importantly Darien.

Darien's POV

"What a nerd."

I shook my head as I watched meek and shy Serena Taylor rush down the hallway looking at the ground as she usually did, she was the most nerdish girl in the entire school. I had never met someone like her, she was quiet and meek and never said anything when she was spoken to, easy target for me. I had known her since elementary school and made fun of her ever since the day we met, she had glasses, brains, and read more than anyone I knew. I hoped I didn't have any classes with her this year, that would be a killer.

"What are you doing talking to nerdy Serena?"

I snorted. "More like making fun of her."

I smiled as my best friend Andrew Hansford looked at me while he messed with his shirt and said," Now that's more like it."

"She's such a nerd, who in the hell would ever want to be with her?"

"No one, she'll be lonely for the rest of her life."

Serena's POV

"Why can't anyone be nice and help me out once in awhile?"

I was picking up my papers on the floor near my locker after someone purposely ran into me, probably one of Darien's friends who had passed him in the hallway.

"People are jerks."

I stood up to face the person who was helping and realized she was new to the school, she had bluish black hair which was short and she was chewing gum or something. She was wearing a plaid skirt and a white blouse with a red bow on it. I smiled. "Thanks. I haven't seen you before, did you just move here?"

She smiled. "I'm Amy Anderson and I did just move here, I saw those guys push you into the lockers and I wanted to help you."

I smiled. "Thanks but I'm used to it."

"So am I. By the way, what's your name?"

I blushed. "I'm sorry, I'm Serena Taylor and I am used to it too, it's happened to be my entire life. I'm the nerd so everyone makes fun of me but mostly Darien."

"Does he do it for a reason?"

I giggled. "No he's a guy, he's a jerk. Well, at least I think he is."

Amy smiled at me and said," Well, I have to get going but I'm sure I'll see you around and keep your head up. Don't let those jerks get to you."

"I won't. Thanks Amy."

"Hi Serena."

I turned around to see Mina, a girl who I called my only close friend and always stuck up for me walking over to me and I said," Hi Mina."

"You aren't having a very good first day are you?"

"Nope, I ran into to Darien or well he ran into me."

"Don't worry about him Serena, just think in one year you'll be in Juuban going to school at Azabu University."

"I hope I get in Mina."

She smiled at me as we walked down the hallway and she reassured me," You will get in, I promise you. Azabu would love to have you."

"I hope your right."

"You know you will, don't worry about Darien and his friends. They are too stupid to see how brilliant and beautiful you are."

"Thanks Mina."

I hope she was right, Azabuu was my dream school and I wanted so badly to get in there, I was working two jobs and trying to help out at home which wasn't easy, my dad left our family when I was young and I have two younger siblings and my mom who isn't much help either, she's an alcoholic who will sometimes leave the house for days and then suddenly appear days later like everything is okay so I was basically the mother, I worked to help my siblings out and so they could have things, she wasn't much help at all. Not many people knew that about me, only a few. Mina is one of them and her parents help me out whenever I need it but I want to learn things and I want to show the world and mostly my parents and everyone I went to high school with that I can do it. I'm not just the nerdy girl who pays attention in class and gets high grades but that I can contribute to society and accomplish my dreams.

Serena's POV

As I entered my senior year English class for the last time, I noticed that Darien was sitting in the back and I groaned inwardly and thought," Why this year?"

He must have been thinking because he rolled his eyes in my direction and I made my way to the back as I usually do and plopped down in my seat, I set my bag down as Darien looked at me and said," I bet you have already every single book we are supposed to read Serena."

A few laughed but I looked at him and said," Shut up Darien."

"Ohhh the mute speaks?"

That's when Ami walked in and yelled," Shut up asshole and leave her alone!"

Darien looked at Amy and scoffed," Who the hell are you?"

"Her friend that's who I am and I don't like seeing my friends picked on."

"Like Serena has any friends."

That got everyone expect Amy laughing who walked over and pushed Darien back into the chair and said," Shut up asshole or I'll make your life a living hell."

"Alright! That's enough!"

The English teacher walked in and he said," That's enough, all of you."

I sighed as Darien snorted and sat down across the room and Ms. Haruna, our English teacher spoke up," Welcome to your senior English class, this is the beginning of the your last year at high school."

"Well isn't he captain obvious?" Someone muttered from the back of the room.

"I am going to pretend I didn't hear that."

"As of now, you will be assigned a year long project which is due on the last day of your senior year. You will still have other homework but this will a partner project that you will do together and when I say together, I mean it. Every two months, I will do checks up to see where you are and see how much you have done."

Everyone groaned as he continued, I will be assigning you partners beginning now."

"Serena Taylor and Darien Shields."

"Oh no."

He must have been thinking the same thing because his face lost color and he sank into seat staring at the floor, I bit my lip as Amy shot a sympathetic look in my direction and she mouthed," I'm sorry."

I shrugged as he finished calling the names and announced our project which was going to be based on an author and we had to do research but it was more of research project than a regular essay, we had to find everything and put it into a ten page paper with facts, stories, and everything you could think of and I had a feeling that I would be doing most of the work.

Dariens's POV

"You have to be shitting me. I get stuck with the nerd out of all of the people in this class."

I glanced at Serena who was looking down at the paper that he handed out to us and she already looked engrossed in it, this was going to suck but then again I wouldn't have to do much of the work because I knew she was going to do it.

But how in the hell did this happen? I couldn't be seen with her, she was a nerd. A laughing stock of the entire school, no one liked her expect for that stupid dyke sitting in the front. No one tells me off, I hoped I wouldn't run into Amy or whoever the hell she was.

I couldn't even believe she was my partner, things couldn't get worse than this. Or they might.

"Tomorrow you will get with your partners and plan who is going to do what."

Great, now I had to actually talk to her and get to know her and knew that we were probably going to have to work together not during school hours. Just what I needed.

I was hoping things wouldn't worse but I had a bad feeling about that.

Serena's POV

I was going to have to work with my enemy, the boy who bullied me since elementary school. I couldn't believe my luck, now we were going to have to work together outside of school which meant the possibility of him coming over to my house or seeing what I do everyday which I knew he would use a way to tease me and make fun of me. I wish I could skip over my senior year and move to Juuban and enroll in Azabuu but that wasn't possible.

Even though, I had known Darien since elementary school we lived in two different worlds, he lived on the rich side of town and I was living on the poor side of town in a run down three bedroom house, my brother and sister shared one room and I had the other room while my mother still kept her room but she was never around, she came home four weeks ago and all she did was rant and rave and then stomped out with her new boyfriend. That was my life.

The class ended seconds later and I got up from desk but as I started to walk out, I noticed that Darien was looking at me and I glanced back at him as he looked the other direction and I shook my head and thought," This is going to be a long year."

"Sucks your with Darien."

"Tell me about it."

"You'll live."

"I hate him, he's bullied me since elementary school. I know your trying to help Amy but you don't understand."

"Actually, I do. I was bullied at my old school and transferred but now I don't care if anyone doesn't like me. He thinks you are an easy target because you are quiet and shy. Don't let him get to you."

"That's what I keep telling myself."

She cracked a smile and said," Don't worry Serena, it will be fine. I'll see you later."

I was hoping she would be right but I had a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling.

Darien's POV

My life had just got unbelievably worse, not only was I partnered with Serena Taylor for our senior project but her dyke friend Amy was on the cheerleading squad and she was going to make my life a living hell, I hated the sight of her. I couldn't believe she was on the cheerleading squad with us, my life was just beginning to take a turn for the worst.

"Can you believe that dyke?"

I snorted as Rei, one of the snobbiest girls at our school sighed as she walked out of the gym where they had been holding tryouts. And the only reason I came to the cheerleading tryouts was because of all the hot girls. I had known Rei since our freshman year and we had flirted with each other everyday since then but only in a friendly manor, I would never date her. She's not my type.

"She's friends with Serena Taylor."

"What a bore."

"Did I tell you she's my partner for our English project?"

Rei laughed. "I feel bad for you. Good luck with the quiet nerd."

"Why are you guys so mean to her?"

I rolled my eyes as Lita, the head captain and the know it all of the team walked over to us; Lita was always nice to everyone that she met and even though she and Serena were friends they were friendly to each other which I couldn't' understand, nothing about Serena Taylor made her interesting, she was one of them most boring girls that I had ever met.

"She's a bore."

"How would you know Rei? You don't talk to her. She's a nice girl."

"Lita, I know you are trying to be nice but she's the most boring girl at our school."

"You got that right."

I rolled my eyes and said," I don't even want to think what our conversation will be about when we start our project."

"She's probably already started."

I snorted. "You are probably right, I won't have to do much."

Lita sighed. "If you got to know her, she is a nice person Darien but you are too busy looking up girls skirts or down there shirts to notice I guess."

Rei laughed and high fived Lita who smirked as I rolled my eyes and yelled," See you sluts tomorrow."

Serena's POV

"May I help you?"

I smiled as a young woman around my age approached the help desk at the California Regional Library where I worked and had been working since I was a freshman, I also worked at fast food restaurant place when I wasn't working here. Most of the kids I went to school thought I devoted all my time to do homework but I was usually up till around one in the morning trying to finish it. By the time, I got home I had to get my two younger siblings to bed and make sure they had lunch money for the next day.

"Yes I was wondering where I could find Serena Taylor?"

"I'm Sadie."

She smiled and responded," Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Amara Tenoh, your brother fifth grade substitute, the teacher has been out for the last couple weeks."

I recalled a conversation I had with my little brother a couple days ago when I asked him what had been going on in school and he said he had sub and he was trying to get along better with his classmates. I figured it wasn't working out that well.

"Is there any chance I can have a few moments with you?"

I signaled to Trista Meioh, my boss who nodded and I made my way over to Amara who smiled and asked," Your brother talks an awful lot about your mother, is everything okay at your home?"

I sighed. "Everything is fine. I know my brother has had a few problems with some of the kids in school and we are working on that. He's trying the hardest he can."

"I understand that he is but he's been getting into fights with some of the kids again, I know she left me a note that sometimes he does that but have you ever thought about an Alternative School for him?"

I sighed. "Yes we have but haven't looked into it."

"I think you might want to do that. I know there is a wonderful alterative school down the street from Crossroads High."

I smiled remembering passing the school on my home, I didn't want to tell her that my mother wasn't even around that much anymore. They would take my siblings away from me and put them in foster care but I had a feeling that she was going to find out sooner or later that my mother wasn't around and I was right.

"Parent-teacher conferences are coming up in a few weeks and I would love if your mother would come up so we can talk about your brother. He is a fine student but I think the alternative school would be a better place for him."

"I will let her know and see what she can do."

"Thank you Serena, I will let you get back to work. Take care."

"You too."

I groaned inwardly knowing that she wasn't going to be there and I couldn't be in her place because the sub knew me and would figure it out. I didn't want my siblings to be taken away seeing that my alcoholic mother couldn't even show up and take care of her own kids but I had to do it. This year wasn't starting out like I had hoped it would be.