Author: EndlessD
Rating: R
Disclaimer: The heavens would weep with joy if I ever came to own Buffy. I do not own the songs Concrete Girl and This Is Your Life, Switchfoot does.

Willow slowly peeked her head out of the bathroom stall. She sighed in relief, seeing that Cordilia and her followers were gone.

She glanced at her watch, on the bright side, she thought, at least I'll miss gym. Gym class was the worst, simply because that meant she'd need to change in front of people and into the gym uniform. Neither of those helped in the least to cover her bruises.

There was also that other thing that kept her from trying to get out of gym. It was... embarrassing to say the least, and it would be even worse if anyone noticed.

Willow wasn't quite sure when it had started, but... lately she'd been... noticing... other people. Girls to be more exact. And as far as she knew, this could not be a good thing.

Even worse, she'd been noticing Dream. She sighed just at the thought of her dream woman. The way Dream's sapphire eyes would light up, or... Willow gulped... the way her shirt hugged her bosom.

No. It wouldn't do to let anyone find out about her. She was teased, and sometimes even beaten up at school for less.

She was only half way through her sophomore year and didn't plan to make the rest of her time in high school a living hell.

"Hey Wills," Xander took his place next to Willow at their lunch table. They were the only ones that sat there.

The redhead took one look at his face and sighed, "What's wrong?"

The dark-haired boy groaned. "It's nothing, just my folks pulling out the beers again." The two sat there in silence a moment. "They didn't hurt me, don't worry." For some unknown reason, Willow was always concerned about whether or not his parents ever hurt him. Occasionally they did, yes, but most of the time they either just ignored or yelled at him. "On the bright side!" Willow looked at him, "I saw a real cutie today!"

Willow rolled her eyes.

Xander grinned. "She just transferred here! That means she doesn't know about... err... my rep yet!"

"You mean the fact that you're a loser."

"Uh... yeah." Xander flushed.

The bell rang. Willow sighed. "Guess I'll see you later."

"You could see me now if you just took easier classes." Xander grinned at her.

"Or you could just take harder ones."

"Never in a million years."

She groaned as the small blonde girl approached her. In all her years, one of the things she had yet to achieve was invisibility. Right now she just wanted to blend in with the wall.

"Hey!" The blonde girl greeted her enthusiastically.

"Uh... Hi." Willow smiled weakly.

"I'm Buffy. I'm sorta new here." Buffy smiled in what she hoped was a friendly way. The girl in front of her seemed very shy, and dressing in those really big sweaters, well... but she refused to judge the girl by her sweaters. No siree! Buffy was not that kind of girl anymore. "I'm in some classes with you."

Willow groaned, guessing where this was going.

"And I was hoping that maybe you could just help me catch up... or well... teach me." Buffy gave the small redhead her best puppy-dog eyes.

Willow didn't know what to say, she never wanted to let anyone down. "I... guess." She wanted to feel needed.

Buffy grinned and gave the redhead a big hug. "When should we meet? How about tomorrow after school, my house?" Willow barely time to nod as the blonde talked. "Yea? Great! I'll see you tomorrow!" Buffy walked off, waving at the stunned girl.

Willow slowly stumbled into her room. She'd bet anything that at least one of her ribs were broken.

It had been her fault, she should have known better than to interrupt her mother while she was watching one of her shows. She stared at the slip of paper in her hands. Her mother hadn't signed it; she'd need to find another way to get out of gym.

She grabbed the old radio from under her bed. She'd found it in a neighbor's trash a few years back and had put it back together.

She played with it for a moment, finding a good song to listen to.

No, she thought, this wasn't who she wanted to be. She didn't want this. She wanted someone to love her, to want her, someone that wouldn't hurt her.

She could feel her eyelids getting heavier with each word. She smiled. She knew that she'd see Dream soon.

Dream warmly greeted the redhead. "It's good to see you Willow." She placed a quick kiss onto the younger girl's cheek. "How are you doing?"

Willow had to suppress a sigh as she stared at the blonde's lips. "I-I'm good." Bad Willow... err... Me! Don't stare! Just because she's got GORGEOUS lips does NOT mean you... I... have to stare! "I... " Change the subject! "I made a new friend... I think?"

Dream smiled. "That's great!"

"She's new at school. She needed my help to get caught up." She leaned her head onto Dream's shoulder.

"She chose the right girl."

Slap! "How many times do I have to help you, you bitch! Don't interrupt me while I'm watching my soaps!" Kick!

Willow tried not to whimper as she felt the blood trickle down from her nose.

"Get out my sight you... thing!"

"What's going on?" Willow froze as her Dad entered the room. Ever since she'd gotten her period, he'd been acting different around her. She didn't like it. He still beat her, but... he looked at her in a way that she didn't like, and there was that one incident about a year ago... She hadn't even told Dream about it. It scared her too much.

He glared at her. "Well?"

She didn't say anything.

"I asked you a question." Slap!

She still remained silent.

Slap! "When I ask you a question you will answer me!" Slap! His hand lashed out, grabbing her by the hair, he dragged her over to the filled sink and dunked her head in.

Willow screamed. Water rushed into her opened mouth. Fear immediately ran through her. She struggled against her father's strung hold, trying to get him to release her, but her weak arms were no match for him, and she remained with her face pressed into the hot water.

Willow woke up on her bed. She felt terrible; she hated when her daddy did things like that.

She felt sick and immediately rushed out to the bathroom and released her stomach into the toilet.

She cried.

She awoke to see her father sitting next to her on the bed. She gulped. He did this every so often. Hopefully tonight he'd just sit.

He remained there for what felt like an hour, then left.

Willow breathed a sigh of relief.

She remembered what happened a month ago.

Willow jumped, seeing her father sitting in front of her. She hoped that if she didn't say anything he'd go away.

He sat there for maybe ten minutes or so before she felt his weight shift.

Willow sighed in relief, thinking him gone.

Suddenly, he was next to her.

She stared wide-eyed at him. Her eyes grew larger as she felt his hands reach up to her chest.

She didn't know what to do, so she just laid there, hoping he'd go away.

He hadn't gone much further than that, but it still scared her.

"Are you okay?" Willow looked up at Buffy. The two of them had eventually become friends.

Willow sighed; her father had begun to get more adventurous in his... nightly activities with her. "I'm fine."

"Did I tell you about Liam?" The blonde grinned. Willow shook her head. "He asked me out! Dawn's being a pest about it."

"Th-that's great." She hoped she sounded happy.

"Are you sure you're alright Wills?"

"Yeah?"

"It's Anya isn't it?" Willow groaned at the sound of Xander's girlfriend's name. The girl had caught Willow accidentally staring at one of the cheerleader's legs.

"Don't worry Wills, I'm sure she won't hang around long. She doesn't seem like the type." Buffy had somehow gotten the impression that she liked Xander.

Willow may not have liked Anya, but she found it mean to say something like that about the other girl.

Buffy had no idea what was bothering her.

"Are you alright Sweetie?"

Willow groaned, why everyone was asking her. They hadn't when she was little.

She hadn't told Dream about her father. She didn't really plan to. It wasn't the kind of thing that she wanted to share.

"I'm fine."

"Willow, I want you to feel like you can tell me anything. You can trust me."

"Then why don't you come and get me?" Willow knew that she sounded mean, but right now she didn't care. She was just too tired.

"I've told you before Honey, I can't. I'm not allowed." Willow scowled. "I'll come the moment I can."

"You always say that."

Dream's eyes filled with sadness. "Please Willow. Believe that I want to. Believe that it's the one thing that I want to do."

Willow awoke with a start, seeing her father seated on her bed. She inwardly groaned and hoped he'd just leave.

She jumped as she felt her father lean on top of her. He smiled at her.

Willow froze as she felt his hands begin to wander. It was normal at first.

Fear raced through her as she realized what was happening.

She screamed and tried to push her father off. She couldn't. She cried and begged.

He wouldn't stop.

She screamed.

Her mother watched by the door.