It hadn't been the first time, and it defiantly was not the last time. She was staring at her mirror, waiting to see any emotion pass through her face. But it was the same, emotionless and plain. She blamed it on her bullies, the one that had made her this way.

So, literary, she blamed the whole school. She couldn't remember the last time she had peace in high school, every day was hell and torture. She never talked, never even paid attention to the other students.

Anyone who tried to contact her in any way instantly gave up, even the teachers. She had once been called into the councilor's office out of a teachers worry, but she hadn't talked then either. Instead, just wrote.

She had absolutely no friends, no one to turn to. She was all alone in this world, each day being an emotionless pain that quickly went away. Her face was always blank, she didn't even know why she kept on living.

She cried a lot every day, not at school, but at home, where she was alone. Supposedly, she lived with her father. But he was never home. Probably drunk or sleeping at another women's house, though that was the least of her worries.

She was the way she was, because, well…they all hated her. At school, everyone treated her like a disease. She didn't know why, they just did. Of course, there was the thing called 'hate at first sight.

What was the reason they took away her desk and chair if she wasn't the first one in class?

She was always the last person who got chosen in gym class, the one that nobody wanted. She was always working alone, too. Even if she was supposed to work in teams. The teachers sometimes tried to put her in teams, but the people would refuse her instantly.

On her locker, the words 'loser' were painted on, and the last time she had tried to take it off it hadn't worked. Well, it had. The paint had come off, but the next day it had been sprayed on again, and she found it hopeless to try to take it off again.

And about the hate at first sight…that was the reason, wasn't it? Why they laughed, why they tormented her? It was so bad that it came to the point where they even started bullying her physically.

One crew in particular, the ones that made sure she was miserable at all times all day. Clay, Akane, and Kilik. They would punch her, and she would land on the ground. But even then, no tears would appear. Even though she did want to cry, she wouldn't. Because she was at school.

But the one that hit her the most was Akane, he was the worst. Clay and Kilik would just hit her once, but Akane was the one who would always start hitting her.

"I am Maka Albarn." Maka said, staring at her reflection. The same emotionless face was still there, looking at her with dull eyes.

She was sure she could take on her bullies, but she didn't. Because they would hate her even more. She was just the lonely quiet girl without a mom and a drunk dad. She never got pity.

"I am seventeen years old." She said again, feeling as if her insides were squeezed when her voice sounded dry.

She took it all the pain in silently, though. She didn't want to bother anyone, they would crush her.

"I go to DWMA Academy." She said, eyes getting teary. But her voice didn't falter. A silent tears fell. She felt horrible, but nothing was shown on the outside. She tried to smile, but it was so broken and fake that it hurt her even more.

Another tear fell from her eye. Perhaps that fake smile could have fooled somebody, but to her it was garbage, what people always called her. She knew it wasn't a real smile, it was just fake. She felt like a puppet without strings, she felt useless.

As if she was just lying on the ground, unable to move. And nobody cared, just stepped all over her.

"I spent every day alone." Her mask didn't break, but her tears came pouring out. Without making a sound, she looked away from the mirror.

It was pathetic, really. Every day, after she came back from hell, she would do her homework, eat alone, and come stare at herself in the mirror. Not because she wanted to see her looks, not because she wanted to check her hair or the makeup she wore to cover up the bruises.

She came to see if today was different, if her expression had changed into a real one. Even if it was a sad one, she just wanted a sign that she was still alive, still capable of emotion. But the same dull face stared right back at her, making her stomach crunch.

Sighing, she walked out of the bathroom, looking around. Her backpack had been thrown to the ground, it was almost time for dinner. But she wasn't hungry, instead she just walked to her room and slammed the door shut, even though nobody was going to enter anyways.

She went straight to her drawer, taking out the only thing that made her sane, the only thing that reassured her she was still alive.

But, no. It wasn't a knife, it was a postcard, one from her mother.

She got it and held it close to her chest, feeling the lonely feeling come over her again. Then she put it away, taking something else.

Something with a tip, something that flashed whenever light shone on it. It was a knife, and she looks down at her blood when she cuts once. But twice wouldn't hurt, would it? The next thing she knows, she can't stop.

She can't stop until she knows it turns unhealthy, not that cutting herself was healthy. Sighing, she walked out of her room and into the bathroom, were she took care of her wounds. Then she looked at herself in the mirror.

"My name is Maka Albarn." She said again, but a disappointing feeling crawled into her chest when it hadn't changed since the last time she had done that. Her face was the same.

Emotionless as her whole body felt dull, but underneath all of that the lonely feeling was still lingering inside, reassuring her that she was still capable of emotions, that she was still human. She hadn't lose herself, she wasn't an empty vase…yet.

…Rab34…Rab43...Rab34…Rab34…Rab34….Rab34…

It had been surprising, really. She had never seen that guy before, that strange guy with white hair and crimson eyes.

He made friends easily, and she felt a little envious of that. In a second, he had become the most popular guy in school.

He knew everyone, everyone but her.
"Hey." She didn't bother to turn around, because there was no way someone was talking to her. Not now, not ever.

So she kept scribbling in her notebook, ignoring the new guy.

"Hey, it's not cool to ignore someone." She continued writing, trying to ignore him. She was a bit curious, but she didn't look up. Not until she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She looked up, and sure enough, he was staring at her.
"I'm new." He said, nodding. She stared at him blankly before turning and writing in her notebook again, not knowing what to do.

Oh, wait. Yeah she did. She wouldn't talk to him, just like everyone else.
"Can you talk?" He asked, and she frowned. At that moment, her eyes widened. She had actually felt her face move, something that hadn't happened in a while.

"Can you hear?" He asked, and she sighed. She glared at him and slammed shut her book, making his eyes widen. Then, without looking at him again, she stood up and walked away, leaving the new guy with wide eyes.

…

The phone rang as soon as she got home, surprising her. Nobody ever called, not even her mother or father. Hesitating, she slowly walked over to it and picked up.
"Hello" Her eyes widened when she recognized the voice.

"My name is Soul, I'm the new guy." She slammed the phone down, her heart racing. How had he gotten her number? She would never know.

But he…had gotten in between her schedule, she was supposed to have started her homework by then. She looked at the phone for a little longer before sighing.

If her schedule had gone out the window, she might as well watch TV.

…

When she got to class, surprise-surprise. Her seat was gone, and her chair was with someone else. Akane grinned at her, gesturing to the chair under his feet. She looked, and sure enough there was her seat. He had his feet on them.

But her table…she had no idea where that had gone.

"What the hell, guys?" She turned to look at Soul, who looked angry. The new guy, she remembered him. It was weird, he wouldn't leave her alone.

"Just stay out of it, albino." Akane said, grinning as Maka walked to the back of her class and sat down of the floor, not really sure of what to do. A ring of the bell made everyone look up at the desk.

"Okay, class is in session." The teacher, Mary, said happily, clapping her hands. Soul, however, had not sat down. Mary coughed.

"Umm, Soul? Please take your seat." She said, but he didn't seem to hear her. Soul glared at Akane.

"Miss, they took-"
"Soul, please listen and sit down." Mary said more strictly, making Soul scoff.

"Fine, whatever." He said, walking away from his seat. Everyone's eyes widened when he raised the seat.

"Soul!" Mary snapped.
"Shut the hell up!" Soul snapped back, walking over to Maka. Maka watched it all with wide eyes, blushing when Soul slammed the seat next to her.

He looked her straight in the eyes.
"You're welcome." That was all he said as he walked back to his desk. Everyone watched as he got on his knees. Hesitating, Maka slowly stood up and sat down, everyone stupid with shock.

That was, until Mary snapped out of it.
"Soul, please stay after class and have a chat today. Okay, now, we'll start the session off by working on the packages I brought…agh! I lost them!"

Soul turned around and grinned at Maka, but she didn't return it. She just looked at the board, unable to get a weird feeling out of her chest.

…

"Okay, get in groups." The P.E. teacher, Nygus, said. Maka didn't move, she would eventually get put in a group by the teacher.
"What are we playing?" Soul asked, stretching.

"Volleyball." He grinned, turning around and jogging straight towards Maka.
"Let's get on the same team." He said, and Maka's eyes widened.

She didn't even nod, just started to follow him. Soul walked around, getting more teammates on their group. The girls all looked at Maka with envy and jealousy.

"She probably paid him or something." One of them whispered.
"There's no way he would chose her because he wanted to…right?" Another girl asked, hesitating.

Maka was silent, just listening to all of their different ideas. She didn't know what Soul's intentions were, truthfully. She had no idea why he was being so nice to her, either.

…

The teacher of their science class, Stein, had assigned them a packet. They needed partners.

"Soul, let's work together!"
"Come on, I've been dying to get and know you!"

People yelled, but Maka ignored them. In fact, she had already started working, half-ways through the page. She had decided that working solo wasn't too bad.

"Nah, sorry guys." An arm was wrapped around her shoulder, making her tense and look up with big eyes, trying to find the person responsible. Soul grinned at her.

"I want Maka as my partner." He seemed to want and make that word clear, making her neck hot. He knew her name, she didn't think he actually cared enough to know it. He turned to look.

"Is that okay?" He asked, waiting for her to just continue working. But...Maka looked him in the eyes and nodded, making him grin.

"So, you finally replied, huh?" He asked, and she took his hand off her shoulder. "Actually, I don't even know what this package is about." Soul said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'll try, but don't be surprised if I have to copy you once in a while." He warned, making Maka roll her eyes. Of course, that was probably the only reason he had wanted to be her partner, because she knew the answers. Typical.

…

She had been getting a book out of her locker when she felt a presence behind her. When she turned around, it was Soul. He was frowning.
"Hey, who wrote that?" He asked, referring to the 'loser' written on her locker.

She didn't answer and instead sighed, closing her locker. Soul took out a paper and wrote something on it, nodding at her.
"See ya later." He said, walking away.

Maka didn't know what to think. He was weird, that was all there was to it.

She was surprised to see him by her locker after school, surprised enough to drop her books.

He was holding a sponge, cleaning her locker with the rough side of it. When he saw her, he gave her a nod of acknowledgment.
"Don't let them step all over you like this." He said, scrubbing harder.

"It ain't cool. But I know what you're going through." He said, talking to her but attention on her locker. A bucket of water is by his feet, and bubbles are spilling everywhere.

"Just…be careful." He said, grinning when he turned to look at her. He put the sponge in the bucket and picked it up, obviously done. The last thing he did was stick a sticky-note on it, a sticky-note with writing on it.

She couldn't tell what it said from where she was.

"Peace." He said, walking away. Snapping out of her trance, Maka bent down and picked up all of her books, trying to get to her locker as soon as possible.

When she got there, the words 'loser' were out, and her attention turned to the red sticky-note. Her heart started to beat faster when she saw what was on it.

If you write on this locker again, I swear I'll find you and stick a sponge up your nose.
-Soul

She stared at it, not knowing whether if to take it off or leave it there.

Sighing, she decided to leave it on, knowing no harm would come from it.

Sure enough, the next day her locker was clean, nothing written in it. Soul's note was still in it.

…

A punch sent her to the floor, making Akane grin. He was beating her again, this time with a crowd. But it was worse, way worse. He laughed and kicked her in the stomach, and another scream of furry was heard.

Maka turned around to look at Soul, who was being held back by Kilik and Clay. He was furious, eyes looking as if they would burn anything. Yet Kilik and Clay weren't intimidated at all, laughing when Akane kicked Maka in the leg.

"Maka!" Soul yelled, and she looked straight at him. He cared, didn't he? That was the reason he had been acting nice, it hadn't been because he wanted something in return.

She waved at him, but quickly flinched and looked down when Akane kicked her again.

That was when she heard Kilik and Clay yell out in pain, making her look up. Kilik was holding his head as if in pain, and Clay was on the ground, against some lockers.

She didn't see Soul, and got worried for a little bit. Maybe he had realized she wasn't important enough to protect. Her doubts, though, were soon answered when Akane was slammed against the lockers, making Maka look at him.

Soul was grabbing him by the collar, looking furious. She was glad she wasn't Akane, because right now Soul looked as if he could kill.

"Don't' you dare touch her again!" He screamed, making the halls go silent. He threw Akane at the ground, huffing in anger. Then his eyes softened when he turned to look at Maka.

"You okay?" He asked, kneeling down and picking up her stuff, helping her up. Maka nodded dumbly, touched. A blush rose to her cheeks, and for the first time she felt as if she might actually cry while in school.

Sighing, Soul made her arm go around his shoulder.

"Come on, I'm taking you to the Nurses' office."

She hadn't felt as if anyone cared since…she couldn't even remember. Soul had touched her, he actually did care about her.

…

"Hey, Maka." Soul said, nodding in acknowledgement as he slummed down next to her. Her reply all the time was a nod in reply, she wouldn't even raise her head from the book. But this time, she closed her book and turned to look at Soul.

Soul's eyes widened before he grinned.
"Yeah, you're finally looking at me!" He yelled, as if he had accomplished the impossible. Maka's insides twisted.

She chuckled, a smile growing on her lips. Soul turned to look at her, eyes wider than before. Now he only looked shocked.

Maka felt warmth go through her body. He was happy because she was paying attention to him now, imagine how he would react when she did the next thing…

Giving him a toothy smile, Maka opened her mouth.

"Hey, Soul." She said.

…Rab34…Rab43...Rab34…Rab34…Rab34….Rab34…

She was smiling most of the time now, rarely a time when she wasn't. Soul had burst out laughing when she had first talked to him, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and saying that she was the coolest person ever.

She wasn't alone anymore, and she wasn't the quiet loner either. She talked, talked to a lot of different people now. She had met Soul's friends, a bunch of crazy people called Black*Star, Kid (She thought those names were weird), Tsubaki, Liz and her little sister Patty.

She had even gotten a few friends herself, like Kim and Jacklyn, Crona and her annoying brother Ragnarock, she even had a friend which she considered a rival, Ox.

It was weird, really. It was almost as if she was a social butterfly. Heck, she had even made up with Clay, Kilik and Akane. She was in the 'Key Club', a club that tried to prevent bullying, and enjoyed it. She was currently the president.

She was talkative, but she had made all of those friends towards the end of the school, in the second semester when she only had two classes with Soul.

One person had changed her life so much, it made her feel…good. They were rarely without each other after school, and projects were always done with them.

The first time Maka had socialized, it had felt weird. Weird talking to someone besides Soul, heck, talking to Soul felt a little weird too.

But she kind of liked it. Having fun and walking to these people, having fun and laughing…

There was only one problem left.

Rumors, rumors about her and Soul. She loved Soul, loved him more than anyone else. But she loved him as a friend, and everyone was saying he love-loved her.

She wasn't sure until the day he went over to her house at night, a Friday night. It was movie night. Of course, everyone else went, too. It was almost like a party, her first party…a real party, because her birthday parties didn't count.

She liked school now.

Nobody bullied her anymore. Well, more like they didn't get the chance to. She had her own personal bodyguard, Soul. But soon after, her other friends started to protect her too, and she didn't need that sticky-note on her locker anymore.

But she still kept it somewhere in her room, it was very special to her.

There had been no alcohol at the party, though everyone had left not-so sober. Maka had no idea how.

She was left alone with Soul that night, and they were both in the kitchen.

"Hey, Maka?" He asked, and she looked up at him. He was eating a slice of pizza. She didn't know how he was able to fit that in, because he had already eaten like…an hour ago.

"What's up?" She asked, and he sighed.

"Are you happy?" He asked, taking her by surprise. But she smiled.

"Of course, Soul. Thank you." She said, holding his hand. He blushed a little, scratching the back of his neck.

"Hey, Mak?" He asked again, and she sighed.

"Yeah?"

"You know the rumors lately about me loving you and stuff?" He asked, and she tensed a little. She didn't say anything, just nodded instead.

"They're true." He said, and her eyes widened. She stayed like that for a couple of minutes before a warm smile reached her lips.

"I love you too, Soul. Love-love." She said, smiling.

Huh, what do you know? What she thought was impossible before had turned into reality as soon as she first saw him. She was happy, she wasn't alone anymore.

She had friends, she was social, and most of all…she had Soul.

Okay, so I feel bad because I didn't end my last story, so I thought I would put sugar in the wound and make a One-shot. Well, seriously, I can't take full credit. I was reading a One-Shot from Fairy Tail, and most of it I took and wrote in my own words. I know, I'm horrible T-T
Review=Love
So, please review. Tell me what you thought, and if I did something wrong don't be afraid to tell me what I could do better.