Gabriel laid in bed the next morning, his eyes heavy and his cheeks sticky from his constant crying. The sun had been up for about an hour now, but he didn't even attempt to get up for school, just letting himself lie there and mentally torturing himself from what he had done.

It wasn't until about noon that he actually got up out of his bed and changed from his bloodied shirt into a fresh long-sleeved one, hiding both the shirt and the blood-covered hand towel in the back of his closet. He remained quiet, as he could hear his mother doing the dishes downstairs, slinking stealthily back to his bed and crawling into it.

Lying there only made him feel worse, but he didn't know what else to do as the time slowly wore on. Everything felt dull and empty, and he couldn't even help but wonder if Sam was even worried about him not being at school today. Did Sam even really care about him at all?

No sooner than that thought crossed his head, the doorbell rang, making Gabriel's heart leap to his throat as he pushed himself up in surprise, forcing himself not to hiss in pain as he put pressure on his arm. He heard his mother's footsteps, the quiet of the house making it easy, as she opened the door.

"Sam! What a nice surprise!" His mother greeted brightly, her voice barely muffled by the floors above her head. "Is Gabriel not with you?"

There was a moment's pause before he heard his mother's voice again, this time the tone not so happy. "What do you mean Gabriel wasn't at school?" She asked, and Gabriel felt panic take over him. He didn't know what he was doing, but the next moment he was sliding underneath his bed, pulling the cover down just a bit so he was out of view from the doorway.

The door opened only a few moments later, and Gabriel held his breath as his mom called for him, the panic in her voice growing when she didn't find him there. She left the room, and he could hear her calling for him all through the house, each time getting more desperate than last. Gabriel didn't know why he was even hiding, but there was no going back now.

He rested his head on his arms, unable to stop the sigh of relief that escaped his lips as he realized he wasn't found. He didn't have a clue what he was going to do, or how to deal with his angry mother when he finally got out of hiding, but he didn't want to think about it now.

He might have sighed a little too loudly though as the next thing he knew, he heard footsteps moving towards his bed. He swore in his mind, his breathing catching in his throat and staying there as he waited, swallowing the lump in his throat as he saw the bed sheet slowly lift and Sam's concerned eyes coming into view.

Gabriel felt his tears well up all over again and slammed his fist onto the floor in frustration as he scooted out from under the bed. He didn't want Sam to see his shame, not now. Yet, there was nothing Gabriel could do as his mother came back upstairs to investigate the thumping and she gasped as she saw him standing there.

"Gabriel, what the hell do you think you were doing giving me a heart attack like that?!" She scolded, tears in her eyes as relief crossed her face. Gabriel flinched even more, taking a step back from both of them and his hand automatically clutching his injured arm, as if he could hide it from them.

Sam frowned and slowly walked around the bed, approaching Gabriel and holding out his hand as if he were asking for Gabriel to give him something. Gabriel looked at him, then his arm, then back to see Sam glancing at the same thing, making his heart twist in guilt.

Gabriel didn't move, but he didn't fight as Sam gently took his wrist, pulling his arm further into view and pushing up his sleeves. The scratches came into view, shaky and torn into his flesh unevenly. Gabriel felt his lip quiver, his heart hammering as he heard his mother gasp before he pushed Sam away, tearing past his mother and out of the house.