The apartment was small, but anything was better than where he had come from. It had four walls, a roof and windows. The small kitchen was usable and he had running water, both hot and cold.

He wasn't complaining. It was affordable.

And temporary, he told himself. One day he would have made enough money to rent something better. Right now, he was just grateful to be away from his old man.

Ever since his mother had died seven years ago, his father had hated him. Blamed him.

He wore scars that would never heal. Sometimes he believed that the happy family they had once been was just an illusion.

Chase sighed as his eyes roamed over the sparsely decorated rooms. A bed, a table, three random chairs and a worn couch. It wasn't much, but he didn't ask for much. He never had, though he hadn't lacked money growing up.

When his phone blared to life, he smiled when he saw the picture that flashed up in the display. "Archer," he greeted the person on the other end.

"You settled in yet?" Archer asked.

Chase nodded, but realized Archer could not see. "Yeah," he said, "though there's not much to settle."

"If you need anything, Chase," Archer said kindly, "you know you can just ask. We'll figure something out."

"I know," Chase answered. Even after knowing Archer for so long, he still felt reluctant to accept help from the man. Archer had done so much already. Chase wasn't sure how he could ever pay him back.

"You're still dropping by the gym later?" Archer asked, though he already knew the answer, "we can discuss your hours. I wouldn't want it to interfere with your schoolwork."

Chase scoffed. "I'd rather work at the gym. School sucks big time."

"None of that now, boy," Archer scolded lightly, "you're going to finish your school. It was part of the deal. Once you graduate, I'll see about that job offer, but I want you to get that diploma."

Chase sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I know."

"Good," Archer said, "speaking of school. Shouldn't you be going?"

A slight smirk appeared on Chase's lips. "I was actually getting ready to leave when you called."

Archer chuckled. "I won't intrude any longer then. Get going. And bring that girlfriend of yours sometimes. I haven't seen her in a while. You're still together, aren't you?"

"We are," Chase confirmed, "she's been busy volunteering at the animal shelter. And she has these other school activities. But I'll ask her."

"Great," Archer said, "we can all have dinner together. Now get going . I'll see you later."

"See ya," Chase said and he broke the connection. Quickly he gathered his things and grabbed his sports bag. His new home was a little further away from the school, so he had to hurry. He couldn't get in trouble now. He had stated he was responsible. Getting in trouble would reflect badly on Archer too, who had stuck his neck out for him.

He had to make an effort.

...

She hadn't spoken to him all week, not since he had dropped by at Dandelion. And he hadn't made an effort to approach her either. Perhaps he had finally given up befriending her.

Of course, that meant no more study sessions either. And she was in desperate need of assistance. Midterms were approaching and she still didn't have a clue what she was doing most of the time. Reluctant as she was to admit it, she had come to rely on Eric's annoying presence. And now that he ignored her, she missed his company.

It was good to have someone to talk to, or even bicker with.

Before, she had been surrounded by people daily. They had lived together, bickered together, and caused trouble together. Now, all of that had changed. Now she had nothing.

She couldn't deal with nothing.

Maybe if he hadn't talked to her in the first place, she wouldn't have missed it now.

Allison sighed as she maneuvered through the complex maze of hallways. Why this place needed so many wings was beyond her. She had already gotten lost once. This wasn't a part of the school she normally visited.

In the end, it wasn't the signs that guided her, but the voices.

She headed over to the open door at the far end of the hallway. Maybe fifteen people were gathered in the room, wrapped up in a heated discussion. In the corner of the room, a girl was studying the argument carefully while making notes.

Allison ignored the argument and searched for the familiar face of Eric. He wasn't participating in the discussion, but followed it with interest. He hadn't noticed her arrival, but others had.

"Who are you?" a girl asked her haughtily, "this is a closed meeting."

Allison tilted her head. "Then why was the door open?" she asked sweetly.

The girl opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but then closed it again and narrowed her eyes.

The exchange had drawn the attention of the others in the room. They had halted their discussion and now stared at her.

"Allison?" Eric asked surprised. He jumped from the table he had been sitting on and approached her. "What are you doing here?"

Suddenly conscious of the attention she was getting, Allison gritted her teeth. "Nothin'. I was just wonderin' what all the noise was about. It sounded like someone was getting their head smashed in."

Eric smirked knowingly. "We were debating. I suppose it can get a little heated sometimes."

"Yeah whatever," Allison said, "I'm outta here." She turned around and left the way she had come. Nothing on this planet could make her ask for help with so many people around. She could hear them talk behind her back.

"What was she doing here?"

"What did she want?

"She's such a freak."

"Leave her alone already."

The last statement hadn't come from Eric, though the voice was vaguely familiar. Allison didn't stop to find out who it belonged to.

"Care to tell me why you were really here?" Eric had followed her out of the room and now walked next to her.

Allison scoffed. "I already told you. I thought there was a fight going on."

Eric nodded. "You have good ears if you can hear it all the way across the school. I mean, I know it was getting intense, but we weren't that loud."

Allison rolled her eyes, but didn't reply. "Shouldn't you get back?" she asked instead.

Eric shrugged. "We were about to finish anyway. And since you took the effort to come all the way here, I thought I could at least hear you out."

She narrowed her eyes. "I got nothin' to say." Suddenly she felt embarrassed for coming here. The shield she had so carefully built was starting to crack and she did not like it at all.

Eric nodded. He tilted his head back and put his hands in his pockets. "I'm sorry for invading your personal space," he said, "I didn't mean to pry, you know. I just wanted to give you your notes so you could study."

Allison sucked in a breath. She hadn't expected an apology. No one had ever apologized to her for anything.

"I didn't tell anyone," Eric continued when she kept quiet.

Allison sighed and thought about what she could tell him without really telling him anything. "Next month it will be four years ago," she said. When he glanced at her wheelchair, she shook her head. "Not that."

Eric thought a moment, but then it clicked. "Is it alright if I ask how he died?"

It wasn't.

"Does it matter?" she asked.

Eric studied her carefully. For once, the reply hadn't been snarky or hostile. She only sounded tired. He sighed. "I suppose not." Perhaps in time she would trust him enough to open up, because that was the real issue, he had figured. It wasn't that she didn't want to have friends. She was just afraid to trust anyone. He didn't know what had happened to her to make her feel that way, but he could take an educated guess. No one lived in a group home without reason. "So," he changed the subject, "study session tomorrow? Midterms will be soon."

Allison scrunched her nose. "Tomorrow is Saturday."

"So?" Eric smirked.

Allison rolled her eyed. "You wanna spend Saturday studying? Shouldn't you like hang out with your friends?"

"I am," Eric chuckled, "at least, I thought we were friends."

Alison snorted. "Get me a B on my English test and I might consider it."

Eric raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you being a little unrealistic here? I mean, I know I'm a good tutor, but I don't do miracles. C plus might be doable, but a B...?" he smirked at her.

Allison gasped. "Such a friend you are!"

"Hey," he held up his hands in defense, "I'm just giving you my honest opinion."

"B-minus," Allison stated.

Eric chuckled. "You're ambitious, aren't you?"

"I got to be," Allison muttered seriously.

"Hm?" Eric questioned, "what was that?"

"Nothin'," Allison sighed, "so what time you plan on comin' to torture me?"

"Whatever works for you," Eric shrugged, "I'm not sure if you like to sleep in on the weekend."

Allison scoffed. Sleep in. If only. "Ten's fine."

Eric laughed. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow then." They had reached the front doors of the school and Eric held it open for her.

"Whatever," Allison rolled her eyes.

It only made him laugh. As he watched her disappear around the corner, the others had caught up with him.

"Dude," Daniel said while handing Eric his bag, "what's with you and that chick? You're all buddy-buddy all of a sudden. She's a bitch to everyone."

Eric rolled his eyes. "And when is the last time you've had a conversation with her?"

"That's my point," Daniel replied, "she doesn't talk to anyone. She just glares like she wants to run you over."

"In your case, that's completely understandable," Elise told him flatly.

Daniel narrowed his eyes. "Shut up, Elise."

Elise held up her hands and rolled her eyes. "Just saying."

Eric chuckled and shook his head. "She's not so bad," he continued, referring to Allison.

Daniel snorted. "Yeah, whatever man. If you dig that girl then good for you. I'll pass." He slapped Eric's shoulder. "See ya Monday." He walked out of the school with Elise on his heels.

Eric sighed and shook his head.

"I think it's good she has a friend."

Eric turned around at the sound of Zeke's voice behind him. "What would you know about that?" he asked. The comment came of ruder than he intended, but he didn't apologize. Perhaps Allison was rubbing off on him.

No, he told himself, it wasn't because of Allison. He was just socially awkward. If it hadn't been for Mark, whom he had known all his life, he would have probably been a loner. Was that why he tried so hard with Allison?

Zeke sighed. Talking with Eric could be a trial sometimes. "She just looks like she needs someone." Actually, Allison reminded him of his cousin. Chase used to give off that same vibe. The kind that said 'I need help, but I can't ask for it.' He hadn't talked to Allison since that first day, but he had seen her around the school. And he had seen her enter the courthouse one time. He had been there to catch a ride home with his father who'd had a trial that day. She had been arguing with a man in a suit before they entered a courtroom. He had wondered then why she was there, but he knew better than to ask his father. What happened in the courtroom was confidential. At least it wasn't one of his father's cases. He knew that much.

"She does, doesn't she?" Eric stated.

Zeke offered him a small mile. "See you next time," he told the older boy before making his way home.

...

The three teenagers had been hanging around the entrance of the train station for a while, pushing each other around, smoking cigarettes, studying passersby. People in the street watched them warily. Some even took an effort to cross the street as to not pass them. Those were the people the trio made fun of.

A fourth, slightly older, person approached them and exchanged a few words with them in a hushed manner. Two of them exchanged a nod.

"You should stay clear of them. They're bad news."

Allison glanced up to find a boy next to her wheelchair. She recognized him as one of the boys that had lifted her wheelchair into the school on her first day. Chase, she recalled. His name was Chase.

She turned her gaze back to the teenagers. The fourth person had vanished.

"They don't go to Hillview," Chase continued, "but I've seen them around the gates a few times. They're trouble."

"They're sellin' drugs," Allison stated calmly.

Chase stared at her surprised. "Could be," he said, though it sounded plausible. He wondered how she was so sure, but did not ask. "Are you afraid to pass them?" he asked. She didn't seem like the type to be afraid easily, but what did he know? He himself was an expert at hiding things from people and appearing like he was okay. He wouldn't blame her though if she was afraid. Those punks loved causing trouble and Allison's wheelchair might make her a target.

Allison snorted and looked at him. "Why would I be afraid?"

Chase shrugged. "Just askin'. You've been sitting there motionless for a while."

Allison raised an eyebrow. "You been observin' me? What are you, a stalker?"

Chase rolled his eyes. "Sure. Stalking you is how I spend my free time." He shifted the sports bag on his shoulder. "I just thought you might need help avoiding them."

Allison tilted her head. "I thought you didn't offer help. Ain't that what you told your cousin?"

Chase sighed. "I'm offering it now. But make up your mind. I have somewhere to be."

Allison studied him more closely. "You'd be outnumbered. Or do you want another black eye to match the one you got already?"

Chase flinched. How had she even noticed that? He had used Tess's concealer to hide it. Had it come off?

"You squint slightly with your left eye," Allison said, "don' worry, it's barely noticeable."

"But you noticed," Chase pondered.

Allison shrugged. She motioned at the sports bag. "You fight?"

A faint smile appeared on Chase's face. "Boxing, a little bit of karate. I was headed to the gym." He tilted his head when Allison nodded and her eyes had a faraway gaze. "Wanna come?"
The offer had left his mouth before he could even think about it. He had never invited anyone to come before, except for Tess. And even she only accepted to please him. She wasn't a big fan of fighting sports.

Allison scoffed. "You see me boxin'?"

Chase shrugged. "Your arms work perfectly fine, don't they? Besides, it's good to blow off steam sometimes."

"Don' I know it," Allison muttered. It would be nice to hit something, let go of all that pent up anger. Perhaps if she imagined it his face she was hitting... She sighed. "Maybe some other time."

Chase studied her carefully. For a moment he had seen something in her eyes. A sort of anger he recognized. But it was gone as fast as it had appeared. "Alright," he nodded and he thought for a moment. He dug around in his pocket and fished out a business card. "Here. In case you change your mind."

Allison took the card and studied it. The Donnovan Gym was a few blocks away from where she lived.

"Tell Archer I sent you," Chase continued, "he'll pull some strings."

"Sure," Allison said vaguely.

Chase nodded. "Well, I have to go. See you around I guess." He offered her one last glance before crossing the street.

Allison let out a heavy breath and tapped the card against her hand before placing it in her pocket. She glanced over her shoulder to where the teenagers were seated, but he spot was empty now. They had gone.

A concerned frown appeared on her face. Trouble, Chase had said, bad news. Selling drugs to the preppy rich kids at Hillview.

But that wasn't what concerned her. She had recognized one of the boys.

It was Tim.