Before he collapsed. Right into my arms...

I freeze. Time seems to slow as everyone turns to me, shock and surprise registered on their faces. Steve looks at me, and his glinting eyes tell me drop him. leave him there. But something in me knows that that's not right. 

"I- I'm gonna take them- him to the infirmary," I mutter to Frank, who just stares at me while I half carry, half drag the supposedly unconscious Sam towards the building. As soon as we're out of sight of Steve, they scramble to their feet. 

"Uh, thanks," they mumble, scratching the back of their neck. "I guess I'll see you around..." I notice how soft their skin looks. How beautiful their eyes are, like a forest floor flecked with dapples of golden sunlight. They turn away awkwardly and start to limp towards the nurse's room. 

"Wait!" The word leaves my lips before I can think about what damage it could cause. Same turns, slowly, and I can see the fear in their eyes. "I-is it true? Are you a girl? If you don't mind me asking, um, because i don't know- i mean, i can't-" My words are muddled, my thoughts unclear. The corners of Sam's lips turn upwards slightly. 

"Yeah, I'm basically a girl in a boy's body. It doesn't fit me." I smile, breathless for some reason. Same's smile grows wider, shoing their- her crooked pearl-like teeth. 

"I-I can understand that. I mean, I go around with the guys but I don't... I don't really fit in with them, you know?" She nods, thoughtful. Suddenly I remember Steve. "Dammit. I need to go. See you soon, hopefully?" I don't give her time to reply as I run swiftly out of the school. Steve is going to kill me. 

---------------

When I get home, my first thought is my mum. I find her curled up in the bathtub fully clothed, but with ice cold water filled to the brim. I think she is asleep, until I notice that her eyes are wide open. They are glazed, staring blankly at something I can't see. They are red and swollen from crying, but her cheeks are dry. How long has she been here? I coax her into putting on some warm dry clothes and tuck her into bed. 

"It's okay mum, I'm here now, you're safe," I whisper, gently pressing a kiss to her forehead. She sighs softly as if coming out a trance, finally closing her eyes. She looks so vulnerable lying there, so thin and pale. I go to the window to clear my head, but when I look outside I am just in time to see Ryan darting behind a car. He is fast, but not fast enough. I pull the curtains closed and run to the door, locking it twice and pushing the table against it just in case. If it was just Steve and the boys, I could handle them. But sometimes Steve teamed up with his cousin and his gang, that's right, Josh J. I push the thought out of my head and clench my suddenly sweaty hands. My priority is mum. I check all the windows in our tiny flat, not that there are many, and barricade myself in my mum's bedroom. Luckily, she is still asleep, oblivious to the potential danger she's in. 

I peek through a crack in the curtains and jump back when I see Tyler balancing on the ledge and scratching something into a piece of wood with his pocketknife. He looks up, smiling widely like a child when he sees me. He waves and taps the glass. Haha I think not. I shake my head and step away slowly. Still grinning, he raises his knife to smash the window. I lunge forward and open the window to let him in. Glass is expensive to replace. 

"Hey, Jo," Tyler says in an overly loud and bubbly voice. I shush him, eyes darting to the sleeping figure behind me. He follows my gaze, eyes widening in shock. 

"Hey, Ty."