Okay, so I may or may not be crazy, trying to update two stories at one, but I'll give it a shot. I've had people ask me to do a longer ikarishipping fic, most notably Jessicuhxoo, so here we go. I'll just warn everyone now, if you're a twinleafshipper, you probably don't want to read this. Thanks!

Dawn sighed, watching the leaves swirl across the pavement. It was barely October, but autumn was already in the air. She shivered and drew her coat around her, focusing on the gym door. If she could only get inside . . .

Beside her, Barry was ambling on aimlessly about his latest football triumph. Dawn sighed internally, tempted to let him know exactly what she thought about football. She might be a cheerleader, but Dawn had absolutely zero interest in the sport itself.

Wham!

Dawn had been so focused on getting inside where it was warm that she had walked right into someone. She stumbled backwards, overcorrected, and fell. Her coat cushioned the worst of the fall, but Dawn winced as the rough asphalt bit into the her hands.

"Are you okay?" Barry hovered over her, his light brown eyes filled with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Dawn said, letting him help her to her feet. Barry whipped around, anger darkening his face, as he focused on the guy who Dawn had run into. She vaguely recognized him from some of her classes, but he wasn't someone she had ever spoken to. As he tried to get up, Barry walked over and shoved him back down.

"Hey, buddy, watch where you're going," Barry said aggressively.

"Barry, it's fine, it was my fault," Dawn said putting a hand on Barry's arm.

Barry sneered down at the guy. "Watch it, loser." Smirking, Barry looked at Dawn expectantly, as if waiting for her to thank him. Dawn just looked at him, unimpressed.

"I'll see you after practice," she said. Barry frowned slightly but left, making his way towards the football field. Dawn sighed and reached down to help the guy to his feet. He ignored her outstretched hand, however, and stood up. He brushed himself off and readjusted his bag, not even looking at Dawn.

"I'm sorry about that," Dawn said apologetically. "Barry's just a little overprotective."

"It's fine," the guy said curtly. He pulled his dark gray beanie further down, so the hat covered his ears. Dawn couldn't help but notice how good it looked with his purple hair.

"I'm Dawn, by the way," she said. "We're in some of the same classes."

The guy nodded once but didn't respond. Dawn was trying to think of something else to say when she heard May calling her name.

"Dawn! Hurry up, Jade wants to start!"

Dawn turned and called, "Alright, I'll be right there." She looked back, but the guy was already walking away as if nothing had happened. Dawn sighed unhappily and started walking towards the gym. At least she had cheer practice to look forward to.

"Oh my God, that was horrible," May said as she tied her shoes. "I don't know what's up with Jade, but she was on a warpath tonight."

"Agreed," Dawn said, wrapping her scarf around her neck.

"Hey, why were you talking to Paul before practice?" May asked, pulling on her coat. They were the last ones in the locker room since May didn't like changing in front of the other girls. Besides Marina, most of their fellow cheerleaders were kind of bitchy, especially Jade. After May had joined the squad at the beginning of the year, the others had decided that she was the weak link. It was only after Dawn stepped in that they started leaving May alone.

"Oh, is that his name?" Dawn asked.

"Um, yeah. He's in all of your classes."

"How do you know?"

May rolled her eyes. "Because I'm in all of your classes."

"Oh, yeah." Dawn smiled sheepishly. "I've never really noticed him before."

"He sits in the back a lot," May said, shrugging. "But he's really smart. Marina doesn't like him because he might knock her into second for class rankings."

Dawn giggled. "And then Marina's head might explode."

"Yeah, really. But you didn't answer my question."

"Oh, I ran into him. Literally," Dawn explained, grabbing her bag. They made their way outside, and Dawn winced as they moved from cozy warmth to frigid cold.

"You really should watch where you're going," May said, shaking her head.

"I know. It was an accident, although try explaining that to Barry."

May winced. "Did he . . ."

"Turn into a raging asshole?" Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Why yes, yes he did. Honestly, I don't know what his problem is lately."

"Maybe he just doesn't like seeing you with other guys," May said, waggling her eyebrows. Dawn smacked her on the shoulder.

"Shut up."

"You know it's true," May sang, dodging as Dawn tried to hit her again.

"What's true?" Barry grinned as he strode up to them, looking attractively windblown. Dawn had to admit, Barry was good looking. Gone were the skinny, scrawny days of middle school. Football had certainly been kind to him, and Dawn knew personally that almost every girl in school would kill for a date with him. Unfortunately, his personality hadn't kept up with his looks, and Dawn had a hard time stomaching some of the things he was doing lately.

"Oh, nothing," May said, shooting Dawn a sly glance.

Barry laughed. "Okay, then. You need a ride home, May?"

May shook her head. "No, I'm stuck here for another couple of hours. Drew and I have to finish that project for history."

Now it was Dawn's turn to waggle her eyebrows. "Don't get too carried away, now. I'm not ready to be an aunt."

May blushed fiercely. "Um, not happening. We're just friends, and our topic's the Holocaust."

Dawn winced. "Eek, sorry."

"It's fine," May said nonchalantly. "See you tomorrow."

Dawn grinned and waved as May walked around to the history wing. Despite the fact that May had only moved into the district last year, they were already best friends.

"So, what you want to do now?" Barry asked, raising an eyebrow. He had a gleam in his eye that made Dawn slightly nervous.

"Oh, I'm just going to go home. I've still got that English paper to write," she lied. In reality, that English paper had been done since last Saturday, but she certainly wasn't going to tell Barry that.

"Oh," Barry said, looking disappointed. "Well, you'll be at the game tomorrow, right?"

Dawn resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Of course. I have to cheer, don't I?"

Barry grinned. "Yeah, and if we win, I'll expect a congratulations."

"Oh, really?" Dawn giggled uncomfortably. She had an idea as to what Barry was getting at, but she thought it was safest to just play dumb.

"Really." Barry gave her what he probably thought was an alluring look, but Dawn thought it just made him look like he was in pain.

"Uh oh, there's my mom," Dawn said, relief spreading through her as she spotted her mom's car. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She gave him a quick hug and then made her escape, thanking the powers at be for her mother's impeccable timing.

The next day at lunch, Dawn purposefully wedged herself in between May and Marina, hoping to keep her distance from Barry. He didn't seem to notice, however, because he was locked in a heavy conversation about football with Justin, the team's running back.

"Oh, so Jimmy asked me to Fall Ball," Marina said casually, as if that wasn't huge news. Dawn and May both squealed, and for the moment, Barry was banished from Dawn's mind.

"No way! When?" Dawn was practically bouncing out of her seat. May was slightly more subdued, but her face was still flushed with excitement for her friend. They both knew how long Marina had had a crush on Jimmy.

"Last night." Marina blushed. "He caught me before cheer practice."

"Ooh, I bet Jade wasn't happy," May whispered, glancing around to make sure no one was listening.

"So that's why she was in such a foul mood." Dawn grinned. "Well, good for you. Somebody needed to wipe that smirk off her face."

A commotion on the other side of the cafeteria caught their attention. Dawn looked up just in time to see Barry "accidentally" knock into Paul, sending him and his tray flying.

The whole cafeteria froze, eyeing the spectacle with interest. It was like a train wreck; you wanted to look away, but couldn't.

"Oops, sorry," Barry said mockingly. "I should watch where I'm going."

Someone tittered, and then everyone was laughing. Paul just glared up at Barry through a mask of ground meet and sour cream.

"Oh, it had to be taco day," Dawn moaned, tugging on a strand of hair in distress. Barry smirked before flicking a stray piece of lettuce off of his arm, right onto Paul's face. Barry shoved his hands into his pockets as he sauntered back to their table, not even watching as Paul picked himself up and headed for the doors.

As he sat down, Barry grinned at Dawn, but she just stared at the table. She waited long enough for everyone to go back to their conversations before she picked up her tray and stood.

"I'll see you later," she muttered to May. After she threw her garbage away, Dawn walked into the hallway. The noise and confusion from the cafeteria immediately faded away, replaced by silence.

As she walked down the hall towards the bathrooms, Dawn wondered what she was doing. She didn't even know Paul that well. She hadn't even known his name until May told her. It wasn't like they were friends or anything. But still, Dawn couldn't help feeling guilty. After all, it was her fault that Barry had done what he did.

Paul came out of the boys' room looking extremely pissed. His white long sleeved tee was covered in meat stains, while bits of lettuce and sour cream still clung to his now damp hair. He took one look at Dawn and his face darkened even further. Paul turned abruptly and started walking away.

"No, wait," Dawn said, chasing after him.

"What do you want?"

Dawn winced. If looks could kill, she was certain she'd be dead several times over.

"I'm sorry about that, back there. . ."

"Why are you sorry?" Paul asked tersely. "Your boyfriend's the one who has issues."

"Not my boyfriend," Dawn muttered under her breath. Louder, she said, "Yeah, but he wouldn't have done that if I hadn't walked into you last night."

Paul chuckled darkly. "No, he wouldn't have done that if he didn't have mental problems. Your lack of coordination has nothing to do with it."

Dawn bristled. "Lack of coordination? Hey, you ran into me, too."

A pair of dark gray eyes narrowed at her. "And yet, I don't see you covered in taco guts."

Dawn snorted. "Taco guts."

Paul rolled his eyes as the bell rang. "And on that note, I think I will head to class."

Dawn groaned. "Kill me now. Ms. Mitchell's freaking awful." They started walking to the chem lab together. May had been right. He was in all of her classes.

"Why?" Paul looked puzzled.

"She flips out on me every time I ask her a question." Dawn winced, recalling how she'd been yelled at in front of the entire class. "How can you not have noticed that?"

Paul shrugged. "I finish early, so I go to the physics lab."

Dawn wrinkled her nose. "Why?"

"Because that's where all the cool parties are, duh," Paul said dryly.

"Ha, ha, very funny," Dawn said, making a face.

Paul started to say something, but something caught his attention behind Dawn. Wariness crossed his face, and Dawn watched as he withdrew back into his shell.

"What's up?" Dawn felt her stomach drop as Barry came up behind her, slinging an arm over her shoulders. "How's Paulina doing today? Get all that taco off?"

Dawn glared at him and shrugged off his arm. "Stop being a jerk, Barry."

Paul didn't say anything; he just turned and walked into the classroom, leaving Dawn and Barry alone in the hall.

"Freak," Barry said, watching Paul go. "I don't want you talking to that guy, Dawn. He's weird."

Dawn narrowed her eyes. "I'll talk to whoever I want."

Barry just chuckled and looked at Dawn like she naïve, which infuriated her more. "Okay, Dee. Whatever you say." Barry chuckled again, and he sounded like he was humoring a small child. Dawn felt her hand twitch as she fought the urge to slap him. Without another word, she turned and stomped into the lab, biting her tongue to keep herself in line.

Hehehe, Barry's such a jerk. Anyway, this is really a Dawn/Paul centric fic, and while there's going to mentions of contestshipping and questshipping, it'll be very minor. I really do love May and Marina, but I wanted to focus on Dawn more. Anyway, if you like this and want to see me update, leave me a review and tell me what you think. Thanks!