Before long October turned into November and it seemed to snow every day. Chris had started driving Andy to school instead of making him walk. Andy's grades were dropping, specifically in science. He was trying, he was, but between worrying about his mom and getting picked on he couldn't focus on his school work. Although the bullying wasn't happening daily it still happened often enough that Andy frequently had bruises. Most of them he could hide from his parents, but the ones on his face were hard to hide. More than anything Andy wanted to stay in his bed and listen to music and ignore the world. Pretend that everything was okay, that he was okay.

———

It came as no surprise when, on Monday, Andy was stopped in the hallway by Mr. Montgomery.
"Could I speak with you in my office?" Andy nodded and followed the principal. Juliet was standing in the office using her phone. She looked up when Andy and Mr. Montgomery came in. She put her phone away as Mr. Montgomery sat down behind his desk. "Thank you both for coming. Mr. Biersack I'm afraid your grades have slipped significantly. I'm well aware that you don't want us to treat you differently so, if that's still the case, the only option is a tutor. Miss Simms has agreed to tutor you in any subjects you need help with, focusing mostly on science." Andy nodded. "You have full access to the school library after school on any day that suits you. Any questions? Comments? No? Alright then. Off to class, both of you." In the hall Juliet grabbed Andy's hand gently and pulled a pen from her bag. She wrote her number on his palm.
"Here's my number. We can start today if you want."
"'Kay."
"Cool. Right after school we'll meet in the library?" Andy nodded. Juliet smiled, "I'll see you later." She headed down the hall. The bell rang. Andy walked down the hall to his first period, dreading everything about school.

———

Andy trudged down the hall after his last class. He was going to be stuck at a table with a girl he barely knew while trying to study for science. He felt sick to his stomach.
Juliet was already in the library when he got there. She was working on her book report for Treasure Island. She looked up when he walked over. She smiled softly.
"Hey. Ready to start?" Andy shrugged and sat down across from her. "So Mr. Kane told me you have a test on Friday so we should start preparing you for that. Any idea what'll be on the test?" He shook his head. "Okay. Well, get your book out and we'll get started." He pulled his science textbook out of his backpack and placed it on the table. He pulled out the worksheets he'd been given as homework and a pencil.

———

That was the day Andy realized how bad things truly were. When he got home he found Amy and Stephanie, Remington, Emerson, and Sebastian's mom, sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea. Amy had a knit cap on and she looked like she'd been crying.
"Hi, Andy." Stephanie smiled at Andy when he walked in. He waved at her and dropped his backpack on the floor. Amy offered him a weak smile as she lifted her mug to her lips. "I'm gonna go. I have to come up with something for supper for my crew." Stephanie told Amy and patted her hand. Amy nodded.
"Thank you."
"Of course." Stephanie stood. "Nice to see you Andy." She said as she walked past him.
"Come sit, sweetie." Amy patted the table in front of the seat Stephanie had just been sitting in. "I have something to show you and I need you to just not freak out. Okay?" He nodded and sat down. She took a deep breath and pulled her cap off. Andy stared at her with wide eyes. Where there had once been long honey colored hair there was nothing.
"Stephanie was helping me shave it." Andy just continued to stare. "I just thought you should know. Because I'm not going to walk around with a hat on all the time. I am right now because it's cold." She put her cap back on and met Andy's gaze. His eyes were wide and glassy. He sniffed and pulled the sleeves of his sweater down over his hands. He wiped his eyes on his sleeve. Then he stood and wrapped his arms around her.
"'M sorry. Sorry. Sorry."
"It's okay, honey." But she didn't believe that. She held him tightly. Afraid now that every time she held him it would be the last. Although he didn't like physical contact in that moment he needed to hug her and he knew it. He refused to believe that he was going to lose her.

———

When Chris got home Amy was sitting at the kitchen table, writing in a red spiral bound notebook. Her knit cap was still snug on her head. He gave her a kiss and told he he'd make himself a bowl of instant oatmeal for supper. When it was ready he joined Amy at the table and they talked about their days. She cried when she took her hat off and he assured her it was okay. He made her a bowl of chicken soup from a packet and then helped her up the stairs to bed.
Although neither of them knew Andy stayed up until the early hours of the morning drawing. He would deeply regret it the next day, but at the moment he needed an outlet. He needed an escape.