A/N: Okay, new chapter! Let's go straight to the story! Enjoy!

(Rosette’s POV)

I stood in the darkened ballroom of the school. I had lost Azzy somehow. I looked around myself, or rather, the millions of other kids surrounding me—never mind, I know exactly how I lost her. Damn. I looked around again for a recognizable face. Azmaria was leading and she had said she needed to go and see Chrono—

—flashback—

“Where’s Joshua and Chrono. Didn’t they say they were coming?” I asked as I looked around the entrance to the ballroom—we’d already showed our student IDs to the staff.

“Oh, yeah. We’re supposed to meet them inside though, so…let’s go inside and look for them!” she said excitedly as she went through the double doors and into the gigantic room that was already filled with kids. I followed after her

—end flashback—

Where she saw them standing I don’t know. If I did I wouldn’t be here. Well, anyways, I was just following her when some other kid—a so-called “friend”—stopped me to talk, that’s when I’d lost Azzy. As I looked around I caught sight of the “friend” who’d stopped me, he was now talking to a group of his other friends. I sipped the drink that they’d handed me. Fruit Punch, or whatever.

I sighed. Great. The party was just beginning and I was already lost.

“Hey!” I heard nearby voice shout over the loud music. I turned in the direction of the voice…and bumped right into somebody’s shoulder as they walked leisurely past me, the punch spilled over a little of my shirt. “Hey, wassup? Ya wanna dance?” I heard him say again to some girls behind me. No apolo—

Oh, no. I looked around worriedly as I wrapped my arms around my chest. The wrappings were coming undone, and to top it off my shirt was wet! Damn. Damn. And triple damn! I looked around and cautiously, but quickly, made my way to the outer edge of the room. I looked for the door leading to the hallway.

I almost walked right past the boy’s bathroom and into the girl’s bathroom but stopped myself before I could do it. I hurried into the one empty stall and stripped off my shirts, setting them haphazardly around the toilet. Slowly I unrolled the wrappings around my breast and rewrapped them again—

KNOCK

KNOCK

KNOCK

Shit.

“Somebody in there? Hurry the hell up, man! Other people have to use the bathroom, too, you know!”

Quickly I finished wrapping the bindings around myself. This time tightly, to make sure it didn’t come off again.

I pulled the shirts back on and hightailed out of there.

Just as I walked back into the ballroom I saw Joshua looking around. “Hey, Joshua!” I shouted over the music as I started towards him. He turned around and a look of relief flashed over his face before he turned worried again.

“Rosette,” he sighed, “we need to talk. I heard something.” he said quickly. I nodded, he sounded seriously worried about something. “What’s wrong, Joshy?” I asked.

“I heard Aion and Genai talking…” he trailed off. “Go on.” I encouraged.

“I heard them talking about Chrono—they called him ‘their little punching bag’—and they were also talking about y—” We were interrupted as someone shouted, “Hey, Rozet!” I turned towards the voice. It was one of the many people who I’d seen at the weekend parties that I now knew Genai held. “O-oh, hey,” I stuttered as a bunch of other party-goers gathered round.

“Hey…” one of them drawled out the word. I answered back. “Hey, what’s up?” They pushed a cup of juice into my face and shoved it at my mouth. I took the glass from them and gulped it down glaring at them, “Happy?” I asked.

“Oh, well,” the one who’d called me slowly drew out, “you know, right now...they’re doing karaoke…and you have such a beautiful voice…” Uh-oh. I looked worriedly over to Joshua who was fruitlessly trying to finish our conversation. “We’ll talk later.” I mouthed as the other guys grabbed me and started pushing and dragging me towards the front, chanting “SING! SING! SING!” over and over again. I sighed. How the hell did I get into this?

Before I knew it I was pushed on stage with a mike in hand. I didn’t even know what the heck they’d wanted me to sing! I looked around; somehow Azzy had been pushed on stage, too. At least I’m not alone. Thank god for that, at least. I smiled at Azzy and was about to ask her if she knew what we were supposed to be doing but before I could the lights started to dim.

The lights dimmed even more as the quiet of the calm before the storm set in. I looked to the screen in the back of the room with the words of the song on it and prepared to sing. Soon the music began with a piano like sound and I sang.

“You come to me with scars on your wrist

You tell me this will be the last night feeling like this.”

I stopped and looked to Azzy as she sung the next part:

“I just came to say goodbye

I didn’t want you to see me cry, I’m fine.”

“But I know it’s a lie”

I sang the line into the microphone as I looked out into our audience. There, in the very back in one of the lighted areas, was Chrono. He hadn’t noticed me yet.

“This is the last night you'll spend alone.”

I continued as I looked straight at Chrono. He finally turned around and was looking at me. But…not just at me.

“Look me in the eyes so I know you know

I'm everywhere you want me to be.

The last night you'll spend alone,

I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go,

I'm everything you need me to be.”

Chrono’s eyes were flashing from me to something, or someone, across the room. I looked only at him.

“Your parents say everything is your fault

But they don’t you like I know you,

They don’t know you at all.”

I broke my gaze with Chrono and looked over to see Azzy sing. She had a truly beautiful voice—not meant for this song, but still, beautiful. Me, on the other hand. Well, I knew I wasn’t great but…I guess it really isn’t that bad either. It was sufficient, you could say.

“I’m so sick of when they say

It’s just a phase, you’ll be okay

You’re fine.”

“But I know it’s a lie.”

I looked back to Chrono. He was still looking from me to the place across the room. He was biting his lip now.

“This is the last night you’ll spend alone.

Look me in the eyes so I know you know

I'm everywhere you want me to be.

The last night you'll spend alone,

I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go,

I'm everything you need me to be.

The last night away from me.”

I looked in the direction his gaze kept going to but couldn’t see anything. It was too dark over there. I continued singing.

“The night is so long when everything’s wrong,

If you give me your hand

I will help you hold on,

Tonight,

Tonight.”

I looked in the direction Chrono kept looking one more time to see if I could find what he was looking at. Aion stepped away from the dark wall and more into the lit central area. Why was Chrono looking at Aion?

“This is the last night you’ll spend alone.

Look me in the eyes so I know you know

I'm everywhere you want me to be.

The last night you'll spend alone,

I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go,

I'm everything you need me to be.”

—“Aion and Genai talking…they called him “their little punching bag”—Joshua had said. —“…asked if Chrono still shirked away when he was touched. I don’t know how he knows…”—that’s what Azzy had said…and…I looked back in the direction of Chrono, at the moment his gaze was worriedly—and…fearfully?—on Aion Rennis. His cuts, they were on his left wrist. How could he have cut them like that? And…bruises. W-what was going on?! Aion and Genai weren’t harassing Chrono, were they? If they were… I felt an evil smile grow on my face as I thought of all the things I would do to them if they were somehow hurting him, I quickly wiped away the smile before anyone noticed. I was going to find out for sure! …right after I finished with this song.

“I won’t let you say goodbye,

I’ll be your reason why.

The last night away from me,

Away from me.”

I jumped off the front of the stage and into the cheering crowd as the music ended. I looked up from where I landed and in the direction where I’d last seen Chrono. Azmaria was still on stage; the crowd was pushing for her to sing an encore by herself. Fine by me. I had places I had to be anyway.

My throat felt dry and scratchy as I cleared it and neared Chrono. He didn’t see me, he was still looking at Aion. My brows furrowed. I tried clearing my throat to get his attention. My mouth felt too dry. I sighed and walked towards the beverage table.

I looked from my filled cup to Chrono. I tipped it and finished it in a few gulps. More hydrated I walked over to Chrono with a refilled glass of punch—in case my throat got dry again. I set my drink on the counter behind us as I cornered Chrono.

I cleared my throat loudly.

“O-oh. Rosette—I mean, Christopher.” He smiled nervously as he corrected himself.

“Chrono, I…I need to talk to you.”

He fidgeted around a little, looking around me and biting his lip. I moved in closer. 'No where to go now, Chrono.' I thought to myself.

“O-okay.” He finally answered.

“Good.” I leaned in closer, I could see him blushing and I almost giggled, he was so cute. Almost. There were more pressing matters at the moment.

“Explain to me: how did you cut your left wrist when you’re left handed and the last time I checked you weren’t ambidextrous?” I asked.

He leaned away and looked down at his feet, “Well, uh, that is…” he knew whatever answer he gave would give something away. He knew it, whatever he said—be it truth or lie—would still tell me that something was extremely wrong.

“And, Chrono,” I paused to look at him. He was still looking at his shoes, were they that interesting? I looked down just to check. They were…ordinary: white tennis shoes. He had no reason to be looking down. I felt him flinch as I grabbed his chin gently with the tips of my fingers and pushed his chin up, so I could see his face. I held his face in place between my finger and thumb as I bent and whispered, “Chrono, why would Aion ever have a reason to call you his “little punching bag”?”

His eyes widened as the words that I’d just said processed. “Wh-where did you…hear that?” he finished weakly as he tried to move further back.

“Oh,” I continued to look innocently at him, “a little bird told me.” I paused, “So it is true, then.”

He moved his hands up and fanned them from side to side as in a no-that’s-not-true way. “Nothing-nothing’s wrong. It’s not tru—”

I cut him off. “What about all those bruises?”

“I was just clums—”

“So you clumsily cut your wrist when you were so sick?”

“…no, that was…uh-um…”

“So who’s doing it then.” I asked in a whisper.

He looked up fearfully at me, his gaze flickering towards the direction where Aion had stood before, before landing on me. That was all I needed for an answer.

“Why is he doing it?” I hissed out, “Why is he hurting you?”

“I-I don’t know.” He said as he glanced up. “Rosette,” he looked up again, a blush crossing his face, “Can you, um…move back…a little.” I started in surprise. In my rage I hadn’t noticed how close I had gotten to Chrono’s face. A blush crossed my own face as I stepped back a couple steps and heard some girls behind me giggling.

“Uh, sorry.” I said. I almost missed Genai as he walked past my back. He paused momentarily behind me and I was about to turn around and see what he wanted but when I turned around he was already gone.

I turned back to Chrono. “It’s okay,” I said as I heaved in a sigh, “I get why you wouldn’t tell me…” I trailed off as I turned around. I grabbed the glass of punch and downed it before I ran off into the middle of the crowd.

Now, to find Aion.

…

I found Aion after my sixth glass of punch. He was now leaning lazily by the back doorway that faced the wall that separated the school from the many buildings, roads, and allies behind it. I marched up to him. As he saw me coming he straitened up.

“Did you want something?” he asked casually.

“Yeah,” I answered, “a talk.”

He started to move towards the other exit. “Right here is fine.” I stated. He stopped.

I got straight to the point. “What are you doing to Chrono and why?” I asked.

He smiled widely. “You should know what I’m doing to him if you’re asking. As to why…” he paused as his smile grew wider.

“WHY.” I said strongly.

“Oh,” he looked at me, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back on the wall and crossed one leg over the other, “If you really want to know that…then…come to the ally behind the school. In ten minutes. I’ll be waiting for you under the third streetlight to the right.” he said as he walked out the door.

I have no choice but to go if I want to know why Chrono was getting hurt—and what exactly it was that they were doing to him. Chrono would never tell me himself. I don’t know why. I didn’t trust him, so, maybe…

He doesn’t trust me, either.

I wanted to trust in Chrono, though. I wanted him to be able to trust me, too.

--END CHAPTER TWENTY--

A/N: The song was The Last Night by Skillet. ANd if you didn't get it the writing that looked like this: just bolded italics was Rosettte singing. The ones like this: bolded UNDERLINED italics was Azmaria singing. She didn't have a big, BIG part in the singing but, well, it's a GUY'S voice here! And Rosette is supposedly a GUY, remember! That's all! REVIEW if you liked (or disliked, whatever you want!)!

P.S. Sorry! I fixed something (Azzy's lines in the song.) but something's messed up. The words won't stay underlined! Again, sorry! (But, hey, I don't know how to fix that.)