Patrick was laying across his bed while Joe sat beside him, both working on their homework and conversing about the day's events. Joe explains that Gabe was sent to the hospital but wasn't sure how bad the damage was and then everyone went on about their lives like nothing happened. He basically thought whoever it was that beat him up was some kind of hero. Then Patrick explained that he went to lunch with someone named Pete and-

"Wait, hang on," Joe interrupts, placing his pencil in the crease of his English book. There was a good chance he was just going to ask Brendon for the answers in the morning anyway. "You ditched me to go out with some guy named Pete?"

Patrick sighed then rolled over, sitting up and putting his things to the side. "It wasn't like that." He muttered.

"Well, what's it like then? 'Cause it sounds like you went on a date to me."

"It wasn't a date!" Patrick defends. "We got pizza, we talked, and then we left."

Joe's brow lowers then he stares at Patrick for an unnaturally long time before saying, "That's a date, Patrick."

Patrick groans in frustration before picking up his notebook, placing it in his lap and silently continuing his homework. He doesn't need to explain himself because he knows that he didn't go on a date with a guy that he just met earlier that morning. Nope, that's not what happened. "Wasn't a date." He mumbled.

"But it was though."

"Fucking Christ-"

"Patrick, language!" Patrick's mother shouted from somewhere in the house, he wasn't sure where exactly but she either had really good hearing or the walls were just paper thin.

"Sorry, mom!" He called back, hearing Joe chuckle beside him and barely even trying to hold back his laughter. "Shutup, this is your fault."

"Hey, I'm not the one who ditched my best friend just so I could get some dic-"

"Get the fuck out."

***

The following morning at school consisted of the usual; eating breakfast alone in the back of the cafeteria. Joe never ate breakfast at school so Patrick probably wouldn't see him until just before Mr. Way's class. Normally in his absence Patrick would be getting the shit kicked out of him and using recycled excuses for his first three classes --'I tripped down the stairs', 'I slipped in the shower', 'I was play fighting with my cousin yesterday'-- but today he didn't have to go through any of that. It was a bit strange to not be punched in the face or called some kind of stupid name at this time, but it was something Patrick could definitely get used to.

He didn't eat much of his breakfast, mostly because the pancakes were still semi frozen and the eggs tasted like how farts smelled. He pushed his tray to the side and began texting Joe like he normally did before he hears a bookbag being dropped onto the floor beside his. He jumps and nearly drops his phone, prepared to glare daggers at whoever just gave him a tiny heart attack.

"Morning, sunshine." Pete smiled as he plopped into the seat opposite of Patrick. "Do you always sit back here by yourself or are you just feeling especially lonely today?"

"No, usually there's a size twelve foot in my stomach." Patrick responded while going back to his incomplete text and pressing 'send'. Then he realized that school hadn't yet started and Pete was actually there. On time. A whole level up from on time, actually. He was early. "Since when do you get to school early?"

"What makes you think I'm not always early?"

"Because I'm always early. I'm pretty sure I would have seen you come in before."

"Hm, touché." Pete grinned.

Patrick narrowed his eyes at the other boy, thinking he was a bit... weird. Not the good kind of weird either, the 'what the fuck is wrong with you' kind of weird. But even Joe had his moments so he couldn't really judge him based on that. And as much as he hated getting to know new people, he just might have to make an exception for Pete.

Patrick opened his mouth to say something but before any words could come out he was yanked out of his seat by the collar of his denim jacket and thrown harshly to the floor. When he looked up he saw that one of Gabe's friends was standing over him, bending down and glaring at him.

"I hear you like to send people to the hospital." He spat.

"N-no, I didnt-"

"Shutup!" He yelled, punching Patrick in the mouth to shut him up. Patrick held his hands over his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut in pain.

Pete has been fuming in his seat, hoping in his heart that Patrick would fight back. But as soon as he heard that punch he knew Patrick was losing yet again, and it only made him angrier.

He climbed over the table and grabbed the asshole by the hair, pulling him off of Patrick and dragging him across the floor. The boy cried out, begging Pete to let him go, but Pete didn't care.

"I am so fucking tired of people like you." He grunted, tightening his grip and pulling harder. More students began to file into the cafeteria, and they all stopped and stared while others took out their phones to record it. Pete glanced back at the boy as he dragged him, kicking his legs and tears flowing down his cheeks. "Next time I won't be so lenient. Actually, if there is a next time, I'll do more than just make you cry."

Pete yanked his hair a final time, resulting in his hand slipping and a fistful of brown hair left between his fingers. He looked at the boy again as he held his head in pain, realizing he knew this kid. Alex, he believed his name was. Funny, he was a star student sophomore year.

Pete dropped the hair in his hand and looked toward Patrick, finding him sitting on the floor about twenty feet away. He walks over and helps him to his feet, seeing that Patrick's mouth was bleeding and his bottom lip was split open.

"Are you okay?" Picking up a napkin from Patrick's abandoned tray, Pete wiped the blood from the other's face and gently cleaned around his wound. Patrick simply nodded.

"Why do you let them do that to you?" Pete dropped the bloody napkin back onto the tray, giving Patrick a blank look as if all of his emotions had temporarily vacated his body. "Why don't you ever fight back?"

Patrick looked away briefly, shrugging his shoulders. "It's easier to just... let them do what they want."

"So, what, you just let people walk all over you?" He asked calmly.

"Whether I fight back or not, I'm gonna get the shit kicked out of me either way." He shrugged again. It upset Pete how much Patrick didn't seem to care about his own well being and how he just let people hurt him. It was saddening.

"Fine. If you won't fight then I'll do it for you."

"I don't need a bodyguard, Pete. I can take care of myself."

"Apparently you do need a bodyguard or else you wouldn't be standing in front of me with a bloody mouth." Pete proceeded to pick up his bookbag and slung it over his shoulder just as the bell rang. "You won't protect yourself so somebody has to." Then he walked off and disappeared into the crowd of students that began scattering to their designated classroom.

Patrick stands there staring after him until Pete's long gone, the cafeteria emptying out and abandoned food everywhere. He's not sure how he should feel about Pete's words, in a way it's flattering but Patrick would never ask anyone to protect him. Never. But Pete didn't really give him much of a choice.

Patrick gathers his things and leaves, heading to his first class with a lot on his mind.

***

A few hours later Patrick was one of the last to walk into his third class of the day. Mr. Armstrong noticed him and called him over to his desk like he usually did, mostly just to make sure he was alright. Patrick stood beside his desk, staring at the tiles on the floor.

"Everything alright, Patrick?" Mr. Armstrong asked him, concern threaded throughout his features. Patrick nodded, pulling the bill of his hat further down over his eyes. "Are you sure?"

Patrick nodded again. Mr. Armstrong didn't seem quite satisfied but it would have to do, he had to get the class started. "Alright, please take your seat."

As Patrick went to his assigned seat, the teacher got to his feet to address the class, grabbing a stack of papers from his desk and passing them out as he spoke. "Good morning, everyone. Today's assignment will be to partner up and work on this lovely thing," He held up one of the worksheets for the class to see. "It's 52 questions but since you'll be working together it shouldn't be that bad. You can use your textbooks and each others brains for help. And be sure to put these papers in a safe place at the end of class because you'll be working on this tomorrow as well." He handed out the last of the papers then made his way back to his desk, quickly taking attendance and telling them to get started.

The class got into pairs and chatted away with each other as they worked on the assignment. All except for Patrick, who didn't usually partner up considering his only friend had a different class at this time. He took his textbook out of his bag and opened it to the appropriate chapter before he noticed someone take the vacant seat beside him.

"Hey." Pete greeted, sitting sideways and smirking slightly.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I told you that we have four classes together."

"Yeah, but I didn't know this was one of them."

Pete let out a sigh and playfully rolled his eyes. "Do you wanna work together or not?"

"Fine." Patrick smiled, scooting his desk closer to Pete's and sliding his book over so they both could see.