Kim Crawford stared at her shoes, watching her legs swing back and forth and her laces bob as she sat in front of the school principal. He frowned at her, seeing her the way she was, covering herself up with a hoodie and some jeans, not at all like her old self who dressed to impress, but she still caught the attention of boys no matter where she went. But now it wasn't her good-looks. It was her bad ones. Her hand twitched, a long trailing gash running from her thumb up her arm was covered by a series of heavily wrapped bandages and carefully placed Band-Aids. She would've winced, done something if she could feel it. But she couldn't. Her other arm lay in a sling, the wrap tied tightly behind her neck as her arm lay inside another coat of bandages and a splint, hanging limply. Along her face was a dirty red hand print, indicating she'd been slapped and her lip was bleeding in the corner, causing her pain every time she tried to speak. This was why she was sitting in front of the principal. Not because she'd done something bad, but because someone else had done something bad to her.

You might wonder now, who did this to her. And if you asked, she'd look at you with lifeless brown orbs, a million shades of emotions running through before she settled with betrayal as she answered, "Jack Brewer."

It was in the early minutes of lunch. Kim had just finished putting her books into her locker and was heading towards the cafeteria when she heard scuffling and fighting. She looked longingly into the room, really wanting to go eat something, but she knew she couldn't leave someone prey to the bullies around the school. Especially now that someone new had joined their ranks. She bounded up the hallway, listening carefully for the fight, ready to be the heroine again, before she heard three words that changed her mood completely.

"…Jack…please…no!"

Kim quickly raced around the corner, running on to the scene to see Eddie pressed up against the lockers by Jack, clutching his stomach as the brunette boy prepared to punch him again. You might wonder what happened to him. Well no one knew. One minute he was Jack, the next he was the school bully, Black Jack, they called him, because he wasn't the Jack that they once knew, the Jack that was full of light and love and forgiveness. He was dark. Kim glared at him, walking right up to him and pulling his fist back only for him to spin on her, slamming her into the lockers. She looked to Eddie, clearly telling him to get the hell out of there and so he did. Jack turned to look at him run and was about to give chase when Kim slapped him.

He held his cheek a moment, shocked that she'd found the courage to do that. He'd seen her moping around the halls. She wasn't herself anymore. She wasn't the ubber confident Kim Crawford who would kick any guy in the balls if they looked at her funny. She still did karate and cheerleading, but she'd given up on looking pretty with her new daily abuse. After Jack turned bully, she along with the rest of the Bobby Wasabi Warriors, became his targets. His toys. His play things and his punching bags. But Kim always got the worst of it. Because as much as she hated it, hated who he was, she couldn't hate him. She always defended the others and got the shit beaten out of her, but she never fought back. Until today.

He smiled at her, stickily sweet before Kim's head was flung to the side, her cheek burning as the sound of the slap echoed in the empty hallway. The old Jack would've never hurt her. But this wasn't him. This was the bully. The predator underneath the goodness. The dark side to her Jack. This was Black Jack. "Now we match, Kimmy." He'd sneered as she glared at him. It was her famous death glare. The one she gave anyone who called her 'Kimmy' but Jack had grown used to it. She glared at him every time he hurt her or one of their friends. But he didn't care. He just continued. Smiling again, the same sticky sweet smile that promised her pain, no matter what she did, he dug his fingers into her arm and she felt something sharp puncture her skin, being dragged down. She whimpered, tears burning in her eyes, but she refused to cry in front of him. She refused to give him the satisfaction. He stared her in the eyes the whole time, refusing to miss a minute of her pain. He raised his hand up and she saw the weapon. A pocket knife. He'd stabbed her with a pocket knife and dragged it through her arm. Even worse, it was the pocket knife she'd given him for one of his birthdays. "Got to use it for ya Kimmy!" He grinned and she glared firmly. She wanted to hate him, to punch him, to loathe him like others did. She wanted to be like them and have the ability to hate. But she couldn't. She could hate any other person, but she couldn't hate Jack. "How could you!" She'd spat. She'd literally spat in his face and he just stood there grinning at her. Then her front was pressed against the lockers, her arm bent behind her back as he leaned forward, whispering in her ear, "Just as easily as I could do this…"

Some teachers had come running when they heard her screaming. She was sitting there, clutching her arm in agony and instantly, they knew what'd happened. It was always the same person. Jack. They'd taken her to the nurse and once she was finished, they'd taken her to the principal. Jack was there already, sitting outside waiting to be punished when he saw Kim walk in. He stared at her for a moment, seeing the tear marks on her face and the pain in her eyes and she'd sworn, for a second, just one second, she saw the old Jack. The regret that swept across his face when he saw what he'd done was gone as soon as it came, but it gave her hope. And now here she sat. With the principal. Again.

"Kim," he started, sighing when he saw the determination in her features. It would be the same as always. He would ask her what she wanted Jack to be punished with, if she wanted to call the police and press charges for abuse, and she would say 'no'. She wouldn't give him a reason, she would just say 'no'. And she'd say it so quietly it would be almost undetectable, but he would know because it was what she always said. Then she would leave, heading back to class and he would bring Jack in. He would talk to him, explain that Kim didn't want to call the police, press charges or have Jack punished, and then he would threaten him. He would say if Jack hurt the girl again, he'd be arrested no matter what she said. But it was an empty threat and they both knew it, because Kim wouldn't let Jack get arrested. She wouldn't let Jack get hurt. She'd rather hurt herself then do something to hurt Jack. And they all knew it. And he would get away with it and do it again, and again, and again, and it would never stop.

"Kim, I think it's best if I call the—" "No." She looked up from her feet, staring at him as she shook her head firmly, dull blonde locks falling into her face. "No, I don't want Jack to be punished. It isn't necessary." The principal looked at her firmly, frowning again as he stared her down, arms crossed over his suit. "Yes it is. Mr Brewer cannot get away with this, Kimberly. It isn't right." "Neither is putting him in jail—" "Give me one reason!" he snapped and Kim flinched. In all the time she'd spent with the principal, Mr Forewood, which was quite a lot in recent months, he'd never yelled at her. He'd never been angry with her. Only patient. But maybe patience only lasted so long. He seemed to calm himself when he saw her jump and breathed in deeply before requesting again, "Just give me one reason why I should let this continue." He knew that if anything, he would be the only one to stop this happening. Kim's parents worked abroad a lot more now and hadn't been around for her hospital trips and they hadn't seen all her injuries and bruises and bashes. They hadn't seen what the monster of a boy had done to their daughter. But Mr Forewood had, and Kim was one of his star students, his best, and he didn't like it that she'd lost herself and just surrendered to the abuse. He wouldn't stand for it anymore, unless she gave him a reason. A damn good one too.

"Because…I…I…" he hushed her with his eyes, smiling lightly at her as tears flashed to her eyes and her voice wobbled. She was going to cry. He'd seen her do it a lot in his office, or the nurse's office, whenever Jack had hurt her mostly. He just eventually gave her a spare key, offering his office to be her place of solitude. She was so much like a daughter to him, like his own daughter, grown up now, but still. "Take your time, Kim." She nodded, letting the tears just drip down her face as she steadied her breathing. "Because…I love him…and no matter what he's done to me and no matter how he acts, I still love him. I know he doesn't love me, and I can't change that and I can't make him love me. But I don't care! Because no matter how he feels about me, if he even likes me at all, or if he hates me, if he doesn't want to be my friend, it doesn't matter. Because no matter what, I'm still his best friend…" she sniffled, the words beginning to be blocked out by her sobs before she whispered, "and best friends take care of each other."