Seventeen-year-old Christopher Perry Halliwell toyed anxiously with a stray thread of his jeans while he waited outside the principal's office. After being summoned out of his last class for the day, he had spent ten minutes waiting in the reception with only the constantly clacking of computer keys to keep him company.

The door opened with a creak, making Chris's head snap up.

"Ahh, Mr. Halliwell, excellent of you to show up. Sorry to keep you waiting!" Principal Hayne greeted him warmly.

"Not a problem sir." Chris replied.

The principal lead him out of the office and down the hallway, bypassing classroom after classroom.

"Now, Mr. Halliwell, I know that you are one of Mr. Jacobson's brightest math students, correct?"

"Yes?" Chris replied slowly, not really getting the point.

"Well there is a student here whose mother has requested some form of tutoring for her daughter and I was wondering if you would mind doing it. Feel free to say no."

Chris paused; Principal Hayne wanted him to tutor someone? Chris really didn't see the harm in it.

"Okay, sir. Who is it?"

"Wonderful! We are on our way to meet her right now. Oh and Chris this will be going on your activities list as well."

The activities list was something that the school had been running for years. Every time a student completed an activity it was added to a list. The year twelve student with the most when they graduated was given an award. It looked very good on college applications they were told.

Principal Hayne stopped outside a door and pushed it open. The lights were all turned off and the shades were drawn, making the room remarkably dark, but light filtered through the gaps in the shades, casting a depressing glow on the room. The scent of paint invaded Chris's senses but couldn't work out why it was so strong if nobody was in here. Surely nobody would work in darkness?

Principal Hayne flicked on the light, brightness filling the room to reveal a young woman approximately Chris's age standing over an art table, paintbrush in hand; eyes squinted against the bright light.

"Christopher, this is Faith Cullen. Faith, Christopher has agreed to help tutor you in math like your mother requested."

Faith looked Chris over before she returned her brush to the pot of paint and continued with her work.

Chris likewise looked her up and down, taking in her appearance. Her jeans were ripped and torn at the knees, her shirt looked far too big for her. Her entire body was rather thin but not dangerously so. Unruly long black hair was swept up into a careless ponytail at the base of her neck and Chris noted that her skin was a sickly pale. Her hand moved over the painting, allowing Chris to glimpse at bitten and ragged fingernails.

"Faith?" Principal Hayne said sternly, "Chris is giving up his time to tutor you so it is expected that you will cooperate."

She gave a vague mumble, moving away to wash her brushes.

Chris decided to make the first move, outstretching his hand to her.

"Hi. I'm Chris."

Dull green eyes looked at his hand with an emotion Chris couldn't identify.

"Faith. Excuse me."

She bustled past, replacing the brushes before turning back to them. Principal Hayne was the first to speak.

"Well then, Mr. Halliwell I will leave it to you and Miss Cullen to arrange study times. I have to get back but I trust the two of you will use the remaining time before homeroom to sort out your study times. Thank-you Christopher."

Principal Hayne disappeared out the door, leaving the two in silence.

"So," Chris began conversationally, "I haven't got anything on these days so when is a good study time for you?"

She flicked her eyes to his, "Whenever."

"How about tomorrow," he suggested awkwardly with a shrug, "In the library? At lunch?"

"Sure." She replied in the same, flat tone.

Chris sighed and buried his hands in his pockets.

Homeroom started in ten minutes and it would take him that long to get back to class.

"What are you working on?" he queried, genuinely interested in what she had been painting when he had arrived in the room.

Her hand paused above the paper, black pen inches from the artwork.

"Art project. I had a spare periods so I figured I may as well do my other work."

"Can I see?'

Faith finished writing, stepped back from the desk and capped the pen.

"Sure."

Chris made his way around the desk and was immediately amazed at the beautiful work.

The painting before him looked masterfully done, each brush stroke painted with care. The delicate beach scene painted in varying shades of gray on the paper stuck out amongst the contrasting border of onyx. Her name was scrawled in the bottom corner.

"It's amazing." Chris praised.

A blush tainted her pallid cheeks.

"Really?" she mumbled with her head dipped to the ground.

"Of course?" he told her truthfully, "But can ask why you were painting in the dark? I can barely paint in the light!" he joked, trying not to make it seem like he was prying.

"The light hurt my eyes. Headache." She answered, something in her tone told him it was slightly more then that, but he did not pry, knowing that it was not his place.

The homeroom bell rang causing Faith to jump slightly. She grabbed her painting and rested it on the drying rack.

"I have to go. See you tomorrow in the library. Nice meeting you Chris."

Without another word she quickly disappeared out the door.

Chris sighed, leaving the room as well with a question he had been hesitant to ask in his mind.

He had never seen her around before, was she a new student? He had been unwilling to ask in case she was, in fact, not a new student and he had just failed to notice her.

Swiveling his lock, his locker opened allowing Chris to grab his books.

Harry Hunter, Chris's friend came up behind him, clapping his shoulder.

"What'd you do? Why'd Hayne want to see you?" he pried unashamedly.

"Wants me to tutor a girl in math." Chris replied tonelessly, adding another book to his ever-weight-gaining bag.

Harry's eyes brightened, "Dude who is she? Is she hot?"

"Her name is Faith Cullen and is that all you care about?"

"Who?" he asked, stumped at the name Chris had given.

"Faith. Cullen." Chris dragged out the name slowly, pronouncing ever syllable clearly.

"Don't know her," Harry shrugged, "She new?"

"Don't know."

"Oh well. Later!"

Harry disappeared down the hall and Chris closed his locker only to see Faith crossing the hall, silently sliding between people as if she wasn't there. One of the jocks slammed into her, causing her sketchbook to fall from her bag. Faith failed to notice and kept walking, ignoring the lack of apology from the boy.

Chris bent down and retrieved the sketchbook from the ground. He caught a glimpse inside and saw what looked like a group of children at a cafeteria table.

"HEY!" He called down the hall, "FAITH!"

Faith stopped and turned around, clearly surprised that someone had noticed her walking.

Chris walked towards her with the sketchbook in his hand.

"You dropped this."

A smile twitched at her lips, "Thank-you Chris."

"You're welcome."

He gave a wave and ducked into his homeroom just as the final bell sounded.

"I'm tutoring Faith Cullen." Chris announced that night at the dinner table when his mother asked how his day had been.

"Who?" Wyatt asked with a mouthful of spaghetti.

"Wyatt!" Piper reprimanded.

Wyatt swallowed and gave a grin.

"Who?" he repeated, shoveling another forkful of food into his mouth as if it was his last meal.

Wyatt had gone off to college but had stayed in San Francisco, still occasionally coming back to the manor for laundry and food.

"I don't actually know," Chris, answered guiltily, "I thought she might be new but I looked in the yearbook and she has been there since freshman year with me. I just never noticed her."

Piper smiled, "Well then it's an excellent chance to get to know her. What are you tutoring her in?"

"Math."

Chris replayed the entire story to his parents from the summons to the office to the sketchbook incident in the hallway.

"Well," Leo began, "I agree with your mother, I think it is a good opportunity to get to know her."

"I suppose." Chris agreed.

Maybe he and Faith could be friends.

A/N- Hi everybody! Yes, I know on the profile it says that ALL fics will be co-written but this story is just written by me, Hellcat. So I hope you enjoy it. Next chapter up soon. (Hopefully)