a/n: so I basically wrote this, keeping in mind that everyone would have probably wrote Mitchie and Shane's attitudes in reverse. And everything is in Shane's POV. Enjoy!

UNLIKELY HAPPENS

I'm Shane Gray, the not so typical teenage male. Straight A's and scholarships are my specialty. Everyone makes fun of me just for that reason. My mom says they are just jealous, but I think I have more reason to be jealous of them than them of me.

First off, 98% of them are dating. The only other person besides myself that doesn't seem to date much is Mitchie Torres. I'll get back to her later. Secondly, they all have more than ten friends and good looks.

I have one friend and my looks consist of throwing on a shirt, jeans, my glasses, and a bandana on my head. Apparently that makes me a 'nerd'.

Now onto Mitchie Torres. She is the immensely popular bad girl of the school. She'll do anything to get into detention. She has black hair and wears black fishnet tights with a black dress, military boots, and red lipstick everyday. Apparently she is a straight A student, like myself, and that is the only reason she has not been kicked out of the school yet.

My mom and her mom used to be friends. I talked to her up until fourth grade. Then she went all loony. Mom said:

"Well no wonder the girl doesn't have a boyfriend, she has blown up the science lab, looks like death warmed over, and is as hormonal as a pregnant woman. I'd say she is pregnant, but who would sleep with her?"

Of course Mom thinks everyone should be like me, so she has an opinion on everyone I talk about. Well, maybe except Nate.

Nate Black is my best friend. Has been for ten years. Even though he is really close to being in the popular crowd, he still hangs out with me. Cool, right? His girlfriend is Caitlyn Gellar, Mitchie's sidekick.

He's hung out with Mitchie a few times and he told me that she isn't actually as intense once you get to know her. I completely laughed at him and retorted, "Are you kidding me? The girl stares at lockers as some sort of voodoo."

Now I'm sure that Nate wouldn't lie, but the idea seemed so ludicrous to me. Mitchie Torres not being intense. Ha. She was the pure definition of intense.

I had sworn to never speak to her again. Ever. Maybe it was because of the grudge I still held from fourth grade when she blew me off. Maybe it was because I was utterly afraid of her. Or maybe, even though I had no idea at the time, it was because I was hopelessly in love with her.

.....

I rushed through the halls, trying to avoid the jokes and sneers directed towards me.

I was already one minute behind schedule, thanks to Nate's big mouth, and if I didn't hurry, I would be late for class.

Just as my luck came to save the day, creating a clear hallway, it left as soon as it came, disappearing as a jock ran into me, knocking me and all my books on the ground.

He just kept on running, as if I was imaginary, leaving me with my books on the floor. I panicked as I heard the bell ring and everyone ran to their respective classrooms.

It took me nearly five minutes to collect all my papers that had been strewn across the floor and to put them back in the correct folders. I quickly picked up the books and ran to my classroom.

I burst through the door, earning glares and smirks, but the only face I was concerned about was Mrs. Burnside. "Ma'am, I can explain, I-"

She silently handed me a piece of paper and pointed to my seat.

Once I sat down, I looked at the paper and my eyes immediately widened. One week detention.

Tears formed in my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away. Mom would kill me. I was always her little angel, but now I was going to end up in the same place as Mitchie Torres.

My mouth nearly dropped open at the thought. I was going to spend a week in the same proximity as Mitchie Torres, the bad girl.

Mom really is going to kill me.

....

DAY ONE

I smiled nervously as I headed into the kitchen with my book bag. Grabbing my lunch, I smiled at Mom, who was staring me down, and said, "Have a nice day, Mom."

She smiled a bittersweet smile at me and responded, "You two, Shane. Have fun in detention."

I frowned as I closed the door, heading to my car. She didn't have to be so harsh. Everyone gets detention sometime, right?

The ride to school wasn't long. I held my breath as Nate ran over to me with his light brown messenger bag.

"Dude, is it true that you got detention?"

"Yeah. Sucks."

I flinched when he smacked my back. "Congrats, man! You have finally gotten in trouble for something! You're one step closer to being like everyone else."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" I glanced at him sideways.

"Dude, the reason why no one likes you is because you're like…a goody-two-shoes. No one likes kiss ups."

"So being polite is the same thing as being a kiss up now? Good to know. Whatever, Nate. I actually thought you were my friend." I scoffed and started walking faster.

Unfortunately, he kept up with me, arguing, "I am your friend! You think I want to see you be made fun of for the rest of junior year? Come on, man. If you didn't want to be judged, you should have stayed at the academy."

"I thought I would have more friends here." Or at least a girlfriend. I wasn't about to say that aloud, though, knowing he would have something to say about it.

"Then listen to me."

I stopped and faced him. "You know what? No. I'm done listening to you become more and more like lose airheads. Bye, Nate. Have fun doing your girlfriend." With that, I walked away.

As I walked into the school, I briefly noticed Mitchie leaning against the wall, observing me with a cigarette in her hand. Even though I wanted to stop and clarify that the object she kept putting to her mouth was a cigarette, I kept on walking. I knew she had problems, but I never thought that she smoked.

But that was the thing with Torres. She always had a secret.

....

I bounced my leg up and down nervously as the second hand on the clock slowly reached the twelve. The bell rang and I took my sweet time at my locker, and once I was done there, I quickly checked my detention slip to see what room I was supposed to be at and slowly walked there.

I looked out the window and saw hundreds of bodies running towards buses and cars, and amongst the bodies I saw Nate making out with Caitlyn. I scoffed and kept walking.

Soon enough, I reached the detention room. I walked in and immediately saw Mitchie sitting there, staring straight ahead, moving her head up and down to the beat of the music I could hear coming from her iPod.

I pursed my lips together, deciding whether or not I should introduce myself. I decided to just leave her be, and I took a seat, noticing the handwriting on the board, stating that there was to be no talking.

I always thought detention would be dark and scary with writing essays and stuff. This was way different. A bright, sunny room with no teacher supervision.

I glanced back at Mitchie, who now had her eyes closed and she silently mouthed the words to a song. I could instantly recognize the lyrics to Because Of You by Kelly Clarkson.

At that moment, I decided that this week, I would do everything possible to figure out all of Mitchie Torres' secrets.

....

DAY TWO

I quickly ran down the stairs, avoiding my mother's gaze, and ran out to the car. As I got into the vehicle, I looked into the mirror, checking my appearance again.

Today I had decided to use my contacts and lose the bandana. I felt very different and insecure.

On the car ride to school, I quickly thought over my plan for Mitchie. There was obviously a story behind her that no one knew and I felt the need to dig it out of its non-existence.

What my appearance had to do with that, I wasn't sure, but I felt like it would help get her to talk to me.

As I parked and stepped out of the car, I got some looks from people, who raised their eyebrows and quickly whispered to the person next to them.

I didn't really care about what they were saying, I just wanted to get to class and let the day fly by as fast as possible.

....

I smiled and jogged to the detention room that day, but diverted my happiness into false seriousness as I opened the door to the bright room.

My heart fluttered as Mitchie looked up from the notebook she was writing in. Her thick eyebrow raised. "I see that you've lost the glasses and bandana."

I sat down, not sure of what to say or do, my nerves turning against me. "Um, yeah."

She blinked. "Oh. Everyone was talking about you today, I was wondering why. Now I know."

I cocked my head in confusion. "What were they saying?"

My nerves eased as she smiled kindly. "They were saying that you looked different. But I don't think that even covers it. You look…handsome."

As soon as that sentence came out of her mouth, my insecurity faded. "Thank you."

We sat in an awkward silence. I was beginning to become confused. This girl was the girl who burnt school property, punched a few people, did graffiti, and smoked, but the same girl who had just smiled and complimented me. I cleared my throat. "May I ask you a question?"

Her tired eyes looked over at me again. "Shoot."

"Why do you try to be so tough?"

Her eyes flickered from me to the floor, and back to me again. "It's a long story."

"I have the time."

She smiled a bit. "Everyone has a story, but not everyone listens. Sometimes people forget that everything isn't what it looks like. I appreciate your offer to listen, but I don't know if I trust you." Her smile turned into a frown and she looked down, her black bangs covering her face.

I had to know her story. I didn't know why, but I wanted to help her, be there for her. "We were best friends, remember?"

The silence settled in again.

"That was a long time ago, Shane," she said softly, breaking the silence.

"But what happened?"

"My mom stopped talking to your mom and then we…grew apart."

I sighed. "Well, them not talking with each other didn't mean we had to stop."

"Sometimes you have to do things you know you have to even if it hurts." Her eyes became glossy.

I moved to the desk in front of her and turned around. "Will you please tell me why you are doing this to yourself?"

"Doing what to myself?"

"Not letting anyone in. Becoming…"

"Becoming a mess? A fucking mess, right? I'm a fucking mess and I can't do anything about it!" Her eyes flared and I leant back, shocked by her sudden outburst.

The door suddenly opened, and a smiling teacher announced that we were free to go.

Mitchie immediately picked up her bag and shoved past the teacher, leaving.

The teacher looked at me skeptically. "Was that Mitchie Torres crying? Mr. Gray, you must have some connection with that girl if you were able to make her cry." She shook her head and left.

I just sat there, thoroughly confused by everything that had just happened.

....

Dad wasn't going to make it for dinner, so later on that day, I decided to ask Mom what had been on my mind. "Mom, why did you stop talking to Mrs. Torres?"

Her fork immediately stopped in midair. "Why do you ask?"

"Um, I was just wondering…"

"Shane, this may be hard for you to hear since I know how close you were to her daughter, but…I found out that her mother is a drug addict."

"How did you find out?"

"I stopped by their house one day she was as drunk as a sailor."

"And you knew that if you stopped talking to her, I would stop talking to Mitchie."

"I didn't want you being near that sort of influence."

It all fit now. "Sometimes you have to do things you know you have to even if it hurts." She didn't want me near her mom. I suddenly became angry. "But you were okay with Mitchie being near it?"

"Shane, I-"

"No! All you ever do is bitch about her and you know that she is in a bad situation! Why didn't you call the cops? Mitchie's life has been ruined. Indefinitely ruined! We could have taken her in and she could be much better off now!"

Mom wasn't a person who liked to be yelled at, so she spat at me, "Much better how? Being your girlfriend? Shane, it was plain to see, even if you were just kids, that you loved her more than a friend. I didn't want you to end up with someone like her."

"And what exactly is she? Can you answer that? No. But I can. She's someone who has been placed into a life she cannot handle on her own. You should have helped her if you knew I loved her! Hell, you know what? I still love her, dammit! I cannot believe that you have lied to me all these years, Mom!" I stood up and walked right out the front door.

I sat on the front step, staring at the grass in front of me. Had I really meant that I love her? Or was that just something that flew out of my mouth?

I closed my eyes and pictured the old Mitchie. Auburn hair, a bright smile, red clothes and moccasins. My heart swelled. Then I pictured the current Mitchie. Black locks, broken smile, all black attire. My heart swelled even more.

I did love her. That was the reason why, I realized, I wanted to help her so badly. I wanted her back in my life.

Boy, I wanted her back. And I was going to get her.

....

DAY THREE

I sat alone in the detention room, with the desk topped with roses next to me empty. I stared at the door, hoping and waiting that Mitchie would walk in at any moment.

Detention slowly came to an end, and I was furious. She had skipped detention just because I had said something, whatever it was, that offended her. I threw the roses in the trash and walked quickly to the front office.

Mrs. Krait, the secretary looked up. "Mr. Gray, is there anything you need?"

"Yes, ma'am. Can I please have the address for the Torres family?"

"Certainly."

She handed me a card with the address jotted down on it and I drove speedily towards the correct destination.

Once I got there, my eyes widened at how unkempt the property was. I got out of the car and walked swiftly towards the door.

Just as I was about to raise my hand to ring the doorbell, I heard a scream come from inside, and I prayed to God that this was the wrong house. My hand shook as I discovered that the door was unlocked and I stepped inside. Being the geek I am, I had never witnessed abuse before, or how to handle it.

I nearly collapsed as I saw a tall, buff, tan man hovering over Mitchie, squeezing her arm, causing tears to run freely down her face. A protective instinct instantaneously came over me. My hands curled into fists at my side, and as he raised his hand to her, I said as tough as I could, "Get your hands off her."

The man turned around and I flinched at the hard stare he gave me. I quickly glanced at Mitchie, who was staring at me in shock. My eyes returned their focus to the man, whose face was full of sweat.

"Who the hell is this wimp?"

Mitchie slowly stood up and wiped her tears away. "Shane, why are you here?"

"I was worried. And for good reason, I see." I was secretly terrified, but that was something I did not want either of them to find out.

Mitchie pursed her lips and her eyes softened. The man, on the other hand, scowled at me. "So what are you going to do? You really think you can beat me? You little shit?"

My heart pounded in my chest. "I can try."

He let out a sarcastic chuckle. "I'll let you go. And you can take this bitch with you." He shoved Mitchie into my arms and I felt her flinch in pain. "She ain't good in bed anyway."

Mitchie started to tremble in my arms, and I hurriedly led her to the car. We drove in silence, the only noise being Mitchie's occasional sniffle.

I pulled into a deserted parking lot. "Mitchie."

She instantly burst into tears. I just scooted over and rubbed her back, taking her hand in mine. My love for her grew in that instance. I had wanted to know what her story was and I had just seen a page up close in personal. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't at all what I had been expecting. It was worse.

As her tears subsided, she asked quietly, "Why? Why were you there?"

I squeezed her shoulder and answered softly, "I'm not sure. I think God picked me up and put me there. You needed me."

She laughed shortly. "Who would have thought you of all people would save me?" She picked her head off my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. "Would you have fought him?"

I intertwined my fingers with hers and offered a small smile. "Yeah, I would have."

She smiled. "Thank you." She looked down again and uttered, "I don't want to go back. That's my mother's boyfriend and she'll be pissed at me for getting him rattled up."

I caressed her hand and slid back over to the driver's side of the truck and put my seat belt on. "I know. That's why you're coming with me."

....

"Shane, I'm not so sure about this," Mitchie said to me as we entered my house.

I gave her a sideways glance. "Well, I am."

Mom came in, wringing her hands together. "Shane, I wanted to apologize about-" She noticed Mitchie and her eyebrow raised. "Mitchie. It's been a very long time." She let out a small smile.

Mitchie returned it and politely replied, "It has. I've missed you, Mrs. Gray."

I could tell that Mom was touched by the comment. "Why don't you have a seat in the living room and Shane and I will get you something to snack on?"

Mitchie nodded and headed over to the couch, while Mom dragged me into the kitchen. "So why is she here all tearstained?"

I explained everything that had happened and Mother closed her eyes. "I owe that girl a lot, Shane. And since you seem to truly care for her, I will allow her to stay here. Just pray that your father will concur."

I nodded, thanked her, and grabbed some soda and chips and headed into the living room. "You doing okay?"

"Okay for someone with a lot of stress."

"I know." I handed her the snack and she ate slowly.

After about fifteen minutes, the back door slammed shut and my dad walked in, his mouth instantly dropping open. He quickly smiled and hugged Mitchie, who seemed uncomfortable. "Mitchie! It's been such a long time! I've missed you, young lady! What brings you here?"

Mom came in and kissed his cheek. "Mitchie needs a place to stay, and we thought that it would be best if she stayed here."

I had never seen my father smile so big. "Well of course! Mitchie Torres, the guest room is now officially yours!"

Mitchie smiled largely for the first time that day. "Thank you so, so much!"

I smiled along with everyone else. Things were finally setting into place.

....

DAY FOUR

Mitchie and I were laughing as we headed into school the next day. Nick and Caitlyn ran over to us.

Nick raised his eyebrow and scoffed, "Torres, why are you hanging out with this loser?"

Mitchie smiled as she looked up at me. "Actually, Nate, Shane has been a better friend to me than you have been." She continued walking forward and after I winked at Nate, I caught up with her.

She truly looked beautiful today. My mom, being a small woman, loaned Mitchie some clothes, and she was wearing a blue floral dress and a denim jacket. She was wearing minimal makeup and she looked gorgeous.

As we walked through the halls side by side, we got some looks from our peers. Mitchie smiled at me and said, "See you in detention?"

I returned the smile. "Sure."

She walked off and seemed genuinely happy. I smiled to myself and headed to class.

....

A few hours later, I walked into the detention room, to find Mitchie tapping her fingers on the desk.

"Hey."

"Hi."

I sat down and we sat in a comfortable silence. Mitchie turned towards me and stated, "I'll tell you."

I raised my eyebrow in confusion. "Tell me what?"

"My story."

My throat became dry. That was what I had wanted, to hear her story, but now that I had seen a piece of it, I wasn't so sure I wanted to hear the rest.

Ignoring my silence, Mitchie continued. "In the beginning of fourth grade, my dad left. My mom was heartbroken and she started to change. Then she began to neglect me and act weird, she was drunk. Then she brought Alec home. He would smack me and she would just stand there and watch. I didn't understand it. Then once I got into high school, he started to rape me. That's when I started to push everyone away. I thought if I became tough at school, I could be tough at home. I only get detentions so I have an extra hour away from him."

I cleared my throat. "I saw you smoking the other day."

She let out a small laugh. "I don't smoke. What you saw was one of those fake sugar cigarettes. My mom smokes. If I smoke, I'll become just like her." She looked down and I heard her start sniffling.

I got out of my seat and knelt down in front of her. As I pushed the hair out of her face, she whimpered, "If he stayed, this never would have happened. We would still be best friends, our moms would still be friends. I just want to see him again and ask him why he left me!" She burst into tears.

I pulled her off the chair gently and placed her in my lap. I caressed her arm and put my head on her shoulder, shushing her quietly. I whispered, "We are best friends."

She turned her head towards me, our noses touching. "Really?"

"Forever and always."

My heart exploded in my chest as we leaned forward and our lips touched. I smiled as we pulled apart and rested our foreheads together.

"Hi."

"Hi."

As we started laughing, I knew Mitchie was on her way to a better part of life.

....

Later that day, Mitchie sat on her bed in the guest room after putting away the clothing Mom had bought her. I was leaning on the door frame, enjoying her enthusiasm over the new wardrobe.

I looked at my watch and coughed. She looked at me, and I told her that it was time for bed. As I turned around and was about to leave, she called my name and asked, "After what happened today, are we just best friends?"

I walked towards her bed and sat on the edge. "I think we're more than that, you?"

"Definitely."

We smiled at each other and I kissed her forehead. "Night, Mitchie."

"Night, Shane."

I grinned as I left the room.

I was changing Mitchie's life for the better and it felt good. Really, really good.

....

DAY FIVE

Today was the final day of detention. Mitchie and I arrived at school holding hands. All the jocks were nodding at me and offering me the peace sign. I just ignored them and squeezed Mitchie's hand, causing her to look up and kiss my cheek.

We said our goodbyes and headed off to our respective classrooms.

.....

In detention, there were two other people with us in the room. Mitchie and I sat next to each other and had our own private little conversation until the one guy spoke and said, "You know you two were voted most unlikely couple?"

Mitchie rolled her eyes and I smirked. "Unlikely happens."

a/n: Wow. I recently read over my past work and decided I wanted to mature my writing a bit more. I am really proud of this one. It took me a week to figure out what to do with it. I was originally going to write an epilogue at the end, but I might do that separately. Please review!