So sorry this took so long, but I think it's a great improvement. My new beta, AtlantaJackson95, did an amazing job on this! Go check out her stories and by the way, thanks to everyone that stuck with this story! Love you all!

I stared at the kindergarten classroom—at the laughing crowd of kids and parents filling the room—yanking nervously on my pigtails.

"Well, Annabeth," my mom whispered to me. "Are you ready to start the first day of school?"

I bit my lip, too scared to speak, and shook my head.

I felt her kiss my cheek. "Its okay, Annabeth. Everything will be alright. I have faith in you"

I sighed, and decided to believe her. Then I stepped into the room, sealing my fate.

After a while, the teacher clapped her hands and called everyone into a circle. Still feeling shy, I sat down next to a girl with curly red hair and bright emerald green eyes. Immediately, she cut off her conversation and turned to me.

"Hi!" she waved enthusiastically. "I'm Rachel Elizabeth Dare, but people call me RED. What's your name?"

"Annabeth Chase," I mumbled, looking at the floor.

"Nice name, Annie."

"Not Annie," I say with determination,, I hate when people call me Annie. "Annabeth. Don't call me Annie. Ever"

"Okay, Annie," she said with a small, childish, smirk.

I clenched my teeth and was about to argue, but she went off onto a random tangent—something about babies.

I had a feeling we were going to be really good friends.

*LINEBREAK*

Last year, I'd been tugging on my pigtails. Now, it was my new dress, as I scanned the halls for Rachel on the first day of school.

Brown hair, blonde hair, black hair… Ah! Red hair!

And it was Rachel, talking to Juniper from the popular group. I ignored Juniper and ran for my best friend.

"Rachel!" I squealed, hugging her.

Rachel stumbled back in shock. She was about to hug me back, when I heard a disgusted snort behind me.

I turned around to see Juniper roll her eyes.

"Get lost, Annie," she sneered. "No one wants you here."

I waited for Rachel to protest, but she never did. She only said sorry later-as in a week later- and thought we were friends again, as if my feelings didn't matter.

*LINEBREAK*

Third grade.

It's been two years since I first became the object of torture for the popular crowd—dubbed now as "Thalia's Group''—because of that moment with Rachel and Juniper. I was glad for Rachel, since she'd always comfort me, but sometimes it wasn't enough.

At least things seemed to have died down this year, I thought.

But I'd spoken too soon. My Fate was once again sealed as a boy with spiky blonde hair and bright blue eyes hurried into the room.

He was obviously new, and late. Normally, this wouldn't catch my attention, but this boy intrigued me. I wasn't sure what it was, but I apparently wasn't the only one; Thalia was swooning over him as well. Great I bitterly thought.

From then on, Thalia and I were sworn enemies, fighting for the same prize: Luke Castellan- the boy with the hair.

*LINEBREAK*

I screamed into my pillow, crying my eyes out. It was fifth grade, and Rachel was comforting me—again.

I wasn't upset because I'd lost the three-year battle for Luke. I'd given up on him a long time ago. It was all the teasing I'd been getting from everywhere.

But Rachel was comforting me, even if her eyes looked a little distant. . I had a feeling as to what that meant.

We would be friends forever.

Little did I know how short of a time "forever" was…

*LINEBREAK*

I bit into the pillow –poor pillow, it suffers from so much abuse-, struggling to keep a fresh wave of tears in. But it was impossible, and the sobbing very soon returned, and I wept as Rachel rubbed my back soothingly.

It was mom. Mom, who'd comforted me the first day of school. Mom, who'd taken me out to ice cream when everything else seemed like too much. Mom, the lady who always had faith in me.

Mom, Athene Chase, who was currently dying of colon cancer. I was only ten. That was too young to deal with that stress, that burden thinking it was my fault.

"Its okay, Annie," Rachel whispered. "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere."

I was too upset to notice, but there was a distant sound to her voice. Rachel had been getting sucked farther and farther into Thalia's Crew. She'd found her passion in acting, and excelled in it, and would be spending more and more time working towards her dream.

I thought my life was over. Ending. Gone. Kaput.

But it wasn't. All it took was an Angel for me to come back.

*LINEBREAK*

"Rachel!" I yelled, waving in the direction of my best friend as I hurried up to her.

Rachel turned around, and for a moment I thought I saw a flash of panic cross her bright green eyes.

But before I could be sure, it was gone.

"Hey, Annie!" she smirked at my frustrated expression as she used the nickname. "What's up?"

"Hey," I stumbled to a stop, panting for breath. "I was—I was wondering if you wanted to hang out after school today."

She bit her lip. "Sorry, Annabeth. I've got a play thing. "

She was lying. I could tell by the way she wouldn't meet my eyes. I knew her too well. And she could tell.

"It's really important, I could maybe get you front row seats to the actual thing?" She suggested, strengthen her lie, making it more and more unbelievable.

We still refused to lose each other. I was her rock, her fallback. She was my only friend. After mom died the beginning of this year—sixth grade—and dad had immediately remarried to Susan, I'd gone inward, and refused to make any new friends, so everyone else already had cliques. Things that I could never be a part of, with the burden of being the most hated by Thalia's Group.

I wanted to hate Susan. I really did. But she was just so kind. She had two sons, Matthew and Bobby, that I couldn't help adoring and feeling all big-sisterly around. There was no Cinderella in this story, I was the only bitter one in our relationship, even if I might love them.

But it still wasn't the same without mom. I'd been cast aside, despite their better intentions.

And this time, Rachel wasn't around to comfort me.

Forever isn't as long as we think…

*LINEBREAK*

Things continued the same way.

Rachel got parts in plays.

I fell behind.

Rachel rose to the top.

I fell lower.

Rachel's newfound beauty attracting multiple lovers.

I was still fantasizing over Luke, a taken man.

All was normal. At least, until Rachel got her dreams, and mine were crushed.

But, little did I know, that miracles come in Sexy voices…

*LINEBREAK*

I flinched as a paper ball hit me in the back of the head, and low, muffled laughter echoed from across the Goode High cafeteria. Ignoring it, I continued to read my Architecture book with one hand and poke the mystery meat on my tray with the other.

"Annie!" squealed a familiar voice.

Wincing at the evil nickname, I turned around to see Rachel headed straight for me.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare had been my best friend since kindergarten, when I sat down next to her in the introduction circle and she randomly started talking about babies. She'd always "dared" to be different. She had always known from the beginning that she wanted to be an actress, and she'd worked for it her whole life. Even now, as she raced towards me, I could see that her curly red hair flew out around her, and her outfit was covered in marker and paint. Typical, an artist and an actress. It wasn't as if I was bitter and resented her, I just wanted to be known for me, not "Rachel's loser friend."

Stumbling to a stop, Rachel waved a piece of paper in my face.

"Look, Annie! Look!" she practically screamed in her excitement.

Figuring she'd gotten a new necklace or bracelet or something like that, with her rich parents it wasn't uncommon, so I ignored the paper and the annoying nickname and scanned her up and down.

Not a hair out of place. I sighed in defeat.

When Rachel realized that I hadn't noticed anything, she huffed in annoyance, and slapped the paper against my face. I jumped when the cold sheet of white covered my vision.

Yanking Rachel's arm back so I could clearly see the paper—no, letter—I skimmed it, noticing only a few words.

But it was enough. It seemed that Rachel's dreams were going to come true.

"Amazing," I breathed, no other words able to form on my tongue.

She nodded eagerly, her red curls flying everywhere in her frantic, excited head bob. Her squeals erased any other lunch room noises from reaching me.

"I know!" she squealed again.

I grinned at her, feeling happy for my best friend, but a small seed of jealousy sprouted in my mind.

Actually, more than a "small" part. Why did everything always have to go in her favor? I mean, was I good enough for my dreams to come true as well?

I shook my head angrily. I should be happy, not jealous. My best friend was being casted for the role of Karla Parker, the star of what the New York Times was saying will be the best Broadway show since Annie.

But at the same time, that meant that Rachel would move from our small town in California to New York, and she would get to co-star with Tiger Beat's biggest hottie, Will Solace. She would get to live her dream, while I would be left alone to rot in my own personal Hades. It would mean that Rachel would become part of the perfect couple with my celebrity crush. It would mean that I would have to set aside my feelings for him. It would mean—

"I can't wait to go!" Rachel's shrieking interrupted my thoughts. "My mom already bought plane tickets! We're leaving tomorrow!"

There was a subtle click in my head as I took in what she said.

"G-gone?" I stuttered. "Tomorrow?"

As happy as I was for her, I didn't like the idea of losing her so soon. We may not have been that close anymore, but she was still my best friend.

"Yup!" her peppy voice made it clear that she didn't notice my worries. Rachel grinned and skipped off to Thalia Grace and the popular crew, the people that have tormented me since kindergarten.

Sighing, I turned back to my food, suddenly not as desperate as I had been before. I glanced over at Rachel, watching her perfect hair bounce and her laugh sound like an Angel's as she giggled with Thalia. Just looking at them giggle, laugh, and point at Luke Castellan, the hottest guy in school- and Thalia's boyfriend- made a jealous range burn inside of me.

I forced myself to look away and down at my lunch.

Suddenly, I felt sick to my stomach- the mystery meat taking its toll-and I scrambled out of the seat and into the hall, one hand over my mouth.

As I turned a corner, I ran into something warm and strong, and two arms wrapped around me before I could topple to the ground.

"Oh my God," a warm, sexy voice called frantically into my ear. "I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

The voice filled me with a strange sense of peace, and I began to relax. But the nausea began to rebuild, and I shoved out of the boy's—I think it was a boy's—arms, stammering an apology, and raced away.

"Wait!" the voice shouted after me. "I don't even know your name!"

I ignored the boy and kept running, ignorant to the fact that I had just set up my own Cinderella story.

I ran. Past the halls. Past the whispers. Out of the school. Home. Past my gasping father and step-mother. Up the stairs. Into my bedroom.

Locking the door of my safe-haven, I toppled forward onto the comforter and—for the first time since my real mother's death—began to cry. Wet, hot tears fell down my face reminding me of all I have lost

I cried for ages. Horrible, heartbroken sobbing. My pillow grew quickly soaking, but I continued to cry.

The last thing I remember were the horrible tears and worried whispers outside my locked door before I fell asleep.

Normally, my dreams were deep and dark, and filled with horrible nightmares. But instead, tonight, they didn't haunt me with that. Instead, it was something equally scary.

Eyes. Two sea-green eyes. They simply stared at me. Never moving. Never blinking. Just boring into my soul, staring, staring, staring.

Thanks for re-reading, Please review and, if you ever need to address me, feel free to call me FS16 or Evey (pronounced e-Vy) cause well if you are reading this that means I like you…

Lots of Love, Hope and Friendship,

Evey