Eric frowned shaking his head lightly. He guessed. So that was going to be his awesome answer. Eric's ears fell agaisnt his head again as he just focused out the window. He didn't know what to say. He didn't even know where to begin. He bit his lip lightly before shaking his head. "It won't be long. The test takes about a week and there's a week convention. So. If i'm lucky i'll come back early" he shrugged.

He pressed his back against the seat watching the road as Andrew drove. He hadn't realized how far his appartment was from the hospital. Then again....he didn't ever need it so there was no reason he needed to live closer.

( fail )

Andrew nodded. Well, at least he was getting what he wanted in a few days. To be alone. But he hadn't wanted to make an *censored* out of himself just before Eric left. Though it was kinda late to worry about doing that it seemed. It was like he just kept stepping into it every step he took now a days.

He refrained from sighing into the awkward silence that their conversation had brought between them. And soon they had pulled into Eric's apartment building parking lot once again. He pulled the car into parking space and turned it off, unbuckled and just sat for a second before actually getting out of the car. This was... going really bad. And all because of him.

Why the hell was he being honest anyway? What had happened to the Andrew that absolutely hated Eric Dashaniel and wanted nothing to do with him? Not speak to him, not look at him, not be around him? He had absolutely no idea! Now he was telling him his life story and feeling bad when he hurt his feelings and.... telling him the truth! What the f***? This only managed to piss the teen off that so much had changed in a matter of two or three months. He didn't even know how long it had been anymore! It sucked!

He waited for Eric to get out so that he could give him his car keys back. 

Eric stepped out of the car as soon as they pulled into the parking spot before rounding around his car. He went to say something to Andrew but his phone rang in his pockect causing him to frown. "Go on up, Andrew. I'll be there in a minute" He spoke pulling out his phone. "hello?" he asked into it curiously only for his face to fall hearing his old friend's voice.

"Your shoulder hurt?" Red asked curiously. Andrew growled into the phone before just sighing. "Yeah it does, thanks for helping. You find it?" He asked curiously. "Yeah I did. It's at the club and I must tell you. That sucker has a clean slate. You told me it was a winner not a ghost" Reed frowned into the phone leaning against the window of his own appartment building.

"But you have it right?" Eric asked his tail fluffing up a little bit. "Yeah....I do, Eric. Now...shall we talk about payment?" Reed asked curiously. "Not now, Reed. You'll get that when I actually see it" he huffed into the phone not really wantin to talk to Reed right now. At least he had the car but then again...now he was just taunting him. The whole.... I have something you want, routine. Eric was smarter than that and would get the car reugardless. He just needed to meet with him sometime. "Tomorrow sound good?" Eric asked into the phone to hear a puase ont he toher end. "Tomorrow's fine. See you then." With that both lines were hung up and Eric spun aorund to go into his appartment building.

Andrew shrugged off the fact that Eric didnt want to talk on the phone around him, it wasn't any of his business nor was he curious as to what he was talking about anyways. He went ahead and did what Eric had suggested him to go do. To go up to the apartment.

And he was in luck, at first thinking that he was still going to have to wait on Eric to come up and unluck the door for him until he remembered that he was the one with the keys.

He unlocked the door and moved inside easily, turning the light on as he did so. He closed the door behind him without locking it so that Eric could get in but a random stranger walking by wouldnlt.

He laid the keys down on the kitchen counter, unsure of where Eric would have like them to be put. This is when he also realized that he had never called his father back like he had planned to do the other day when he was goint to walk back to the old place. And... he'd never gotten Alex's gun back. 

Eric took a deep breath and made his way up the stairs. He detoured into his appartment shutting the door behind him. He took a deep breath noticing his keys on the counter before actually locking the door behind him. He was going to head to bed for the night. Tomorrow was school and he had to get some rest or he'd be no good in the morning.

"Andrew...I'm crashing for the night. If your hungry you know the drill" He called yawning and letting out a sigh. Why in the world did monday have to come so soon? He pretty much felt teh same thing when he had to go back to work after he was beat to a pulp. His shoulder hurt and he was just exausted figuring Andrew hadn't had much sleep in jail. He knew how hard it was to try to get any sleep in there.

He sighed making his way towards his back room and actually not even bothering to shut the door behind him. He simply crawled onto his bed and layed down letting his body relax into the sheets.

Andrew heard Eric call but decided not to answer. He didn't care about food at the moment.... had he even eaten that day? Drank anything at all? He wasn't even sure! He was... way stressed. He didn't need this sort of pressure on him.

He closed his own door out of habit than anything else and changed into something more comfortable to wear and to go to sleep in. he climbed into bed soon after hooking his phone up to charge and fell asleep soon after that.

The next day Eric's alarm clock seemed to wake him up causing him to groan and slamb his hand down on it. He took a deep breath opening his eyes to witness his own familar room. That was nice. It felt nice. Rest was well needed and now that it was the next day he hoped things would go smoothly.

He pushed himself up and immediatly got ready. He slipped on his regular work clothes and exiting his room. He galnced at Andrew's closed door before sighing and makign his way to the table and collecting his laptop and papers for his clas.ses today. It was aproximatly an hour and 30 minutes before school oficially started. That meant he had thirty minutes get ready and be otu of the house by. He had a deadline of when he was supposed to be at school and it was always an hour early to get everything set up.

Andrew would have woke up to Eric moving around the house, he was usually a light sleeper, but he was having his nightmare once again and it seemed to be getting worse. More things happening in them. He'd woke muliple times in the night and once the dream had become so horible it had forced him out of the bed and to the bathroom thinking that he was going to be sick. He never was. 

It was a wonder that he hadn't woke Eric up in the night. And he wondered what caused these nightmares to plauge him in the night. Would they remain with him for the rest of his life> Or would they evertually fade and hopefully be forgotten? Andrew hoped so. 

Eric frowned lightly throwing his stuff in his breifcase. He placed it by the door before grabbing his coat and putting it on and snatching his keys off the counter. He was up early so he would just let Andrew sleep. No need to wake him up an hour early just for him to get a ride. His apartment wasn't that far from teh school and he figured Andrew would want to walk to get some air.

They both needed air. And with that, Eric grabbed his case and keys. He quickly exited the appartment shutting and locking the door behind him. The last thing he needed was some perosn breaking into his appartment and hurting Andrew because he left it unlocked. He sighed making his way downstairs to his car. He threw his stuff in the back, started it, and left.

Andrew woke once more and this time he just decided to stay up. He might as well, if he went back to sleep he was only going to dream of the same things... over and over and over again. He sighed and sat up, looking over at his clock next to his bed. It was still early. Figures he didn't sleep any later, even through his nightmare.

He swung his legs out of the the bed and made his way over to the door to see if Eric was still here or if he had left already. He knew that he'd left already by now, but for some reason he still wanted to check anyway. He was right, after peeking into the living room to see that his laptop was gone off the table, he went back to his own room.

If he wasn't going to go back to sleep, what was he going to do all day? He certainly wasn't interested in watching any TV. He'd grown up without things such as the internet and TV so he could live without these things and really rather preferred to avoid them all together.

An idea struck him when he reached his room once more and looked over at the corner where he kept all of his stuff and happened to look at his bookbag. Why not go back...? Surely there was something left for him there. He could... be around people again... he sighed and went to sit on his bed and take his phone off of his charger. 

He could leave this house. He's always here! Always bored and all alone. He could give it another chance and at least try. He was so sick of wasting all of his time. It was also sort of painful to be outside looking in again, like when he used to live with his 'family'. It was hard being his own best friend... now that Aiden was gone. 

He got up, got dressed, and picked up his bookbag. He was going to try school again. He left soon after that, locking the door and started his long, slow walk in the cold to school. It was odd not being driven by Eric. It was odd going to school. But he would manage, plus this allowed him time to think things over and get some fresh air. Literally. 

Eric pulled into the parking lot after not long and climbed out of his car. He pulled his breif case out of his back seat and just so happened to glance over at the p*censored*enger seat where Andrew would hve sat. His ears drooped  little but he just simply shut his car door and made his way towards the school building.

He opened the school building doors only to glance to the side to see a bright red convertable pull up infront of the school. A Siamese neko climbed out and slung his bag over his shoulder laughing at what ever teh driver was saying before he shooed the red car off. As the young neko waved his hand the red car sped off down teh street causing Eric to pull his ears bck at the squeel of the tires. The new student was here.

Well he wasn't that new. He had been here a few weeks but he was the newest student. Jake. He was a good kid, bright but a lot to handle at times. "Mr. Dashaniel!" he called his tail flickering back and fourth. "Hello Jake" Eric chuckled holding the door open for the student as he made his way into the school building, Eric following behind. "Need any help this morning?" Jake asked only to recieve a shake of his head. "Naw. I think I have everything. Gotta test today so you better study" Eric grinned ruffling the kids hair causing the teenage boy to groan. "Fine fine. I'll be on the roof" Jake called pas.sing his lit teacher and heading towards the opposite end of school.

"Don't fall off and break a leg. I'm not driving you to the hospital!" Eric called detouring into his room to set up for the day.

Andrew didn't get there too soon after that, it took him a while because he was deliberately walking slow. Though he did want to come... he was also dreading facing the student body again, afraid of it actually. He hadn't been there in so long and probably no one expected him to come back either. He hadn't been planning on coming back before an hour ago.

He could see the school parking lot and decided that if he was coming back to face eveyone. Then he might as well go to the scene of everything, where everything... ended. He walked slowly toward the place where Aiden's car was hit. He could almost swear that he could see marks in the pavement from where the car had rolled.

A lump formed in his throat and he could admit that tears had his eyes sting in the chilly weather. He sniffed, the sighed, moving on to where him and Aiden had spent their last few minutes together. If he could go back.... he would have spend more time with him instead of going to work. He would have.... done so many things different that day.

He looked around the area where the students had been having their fight. He could remember this part clearly. Seth hanging onto him and both him and Aiden remembering when they used to build snowmen together and what they called them. He sighed. He hated the snow...

More students were starting to arrive now, so he would stay here a moment and hope that no one recognized him before school started.  

Eric set up his laptop and just placed papers on the student's desks not knowing wha else to do. He had already checked in, talked with the principle abou thte possible situation of Andrew comming back and what exactly needed to be done. Andrew had already missed moths of school and hadn't made any of it up. His nearly perfect grades had been seriously affected.

The lit teacher's ears drooped forward as he sat on the edge of his desk stairing at Andrew's seat. He wanted his distance though so he was goin to give it to him. He frowned just sitting on the edge of his desk picking up papers and going through them.

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

Jake had managed to climb on the roof and just press his back against the cold shingles. This was his spot ever since he came to this school. He'd hide up on the roof for about an hour before having to jump down and go to his fist clas.s of the day. It wasn't really hectic and it was easy enough to get up there. He was suprised no one else had figured it out. His mutli colored eyes seemed to close allowing the cold air to catch the fur on his tail and ears moving his hair slightly from the nice breeze.

He loved the weather. Especially teh cold. There was something calming and smooth about it. Hot only seemed to bother him which was why he was never really as happy in summers as he was in winter.

Seth pulled up in his own car and parked in the usual place that he always parked in. From day one. He was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans and a red sweater topped off with a white scarf and high heels. He got out of the car and put his keys into his pocket. 

He was making his way quickly to the front doors to get out of the cold when he spotted a figure standing out in the gras.sy area outside of Mr.Dashaniel's window. He stopped to see who it was and discovered, to his great pleasure, that it was Andrew. "Andrew" He called and he even turned a little to call out to him.

Other students were arriving as well and a lot had ended up arriving around the same time that Seth had. And by now everyone in the school knew Aiden's and Andrew's name. Even the Elementary school kids had heard of the two teenagers from the crash up at the high school. Seth made his way over to Andrew, other stopped to see if it was really him.

Soon, Andrew was surrounded. And by people he never even really knew existed, let alone that they even knew him! "Andrew! Andrew!" He heard his name repeated and they were all asking different questions all at the same time. Andrew wasn't quite sure what was going on. How had this even happened in the first place?!

At first he was standing alone in and empty school yard and the next thing he knew.... this! He was surrounded with no means of escape by a bunch of rabid teenagers all asking questions and obviously wanting answers.

Jake perked his ears to a certain name being called. Where had he heard that from? Oh yeah. That was a student's name that Eric had called out in lit clas.s once and also a student who was involved in a wreck. Rumors spread quick to new ears. He sat up on the roof and sort of crawled to the edge leaning over to see what exactly the comotion was about.

There in the gras.s was a poor lone student standing in a hoard of teenagers. He tilted his head a little bit  trying to observe the poor male in the middle. It sorta reminded him of the nature show he watched with the pod of whales circling seals and going into strike one by one. "Poor boy" Jake whispered to himself but the quietness of teh roof seemed to end when a famialar voice yelled causing the poor neko to junp and nealry fall off the roof.

"Hey!"

Eric had apeared out of the building and was shooing kids away. "Get away from him!" he growled his eyes glaring at the students. "Dont you have better things to do? I swear you all are being inconciderate little jerks now get lost" he snapped ears pinning against his skull. Andrew didn't need this.

So many questions, so many questions! Andrew's breathing started to increase ever so slightly. These people were.... so stupid! Why did they want answers to these questions? 'How was he doing' 'Did he go to Aiden's funeral' 'Did Aiden make it to the hospital' 'Where has he been the past few months' 

It was all getting to be too much when a familiar voice shot through all of the others and made them stop and go away. "Hey!"Andrew heard a ringing in his hears. "Dont you have better things to do? I swear you all are being inconciderate little jerks now get lost!" Andrew watched silently as the students began to dispurse slowly into smaller groups to gossip amung themselves. Everyone left except for Seth who was by his side.

"I'm so sorry, Andrew! I din't know that would happen!" Seth apologized, grabbing Andrew's hands in both of his.  

The sight of the students leaving made Eric stop in his foot steps before sighing. Now that that was handled he wasn't going to intervene any longer. He spun around and went back inside the building leaving Andrew with Seth figuring he was in good hands. The boy had been odly good around Andrew lately.

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

Jake watched Eric go back inside once the students left before sighing and slinking back and just watching Seth grab the boys hands. "Hmmm" he muttered to himself before actually standing up and turning his back to the two. Clas.ses should be starting soon and he didn't need to be late by hanging out on the roof. He took a deep breath and walked over to teh edge before jumping off.

He gave a small huff as he landed on his hands and feet but managed to stand up and brush any dirt he might have gotten on him. With that he made his way towards his first clas.s but stopping occationally to mess with a random boy in teh hall.

Andrew noticed that Erc didn't even come close to him after everyone was gone. Seth went on apologizing, but he wasn't paying any attention as he watched his teacher leave. Why hadn't he come all the way over? Why even bother making the other student leave him alone if he wan't going to make sure he was alright?

Seth caught his attention, "Andrew! Look! It's Jake!" Andrew focused on the blonde in front of him then to where said blonde was pointing. A boy was walking around the side of the school building and then disappeared behind the wall. He could no longer see him. "Did you see him?" Andrew frowned.

"Not really..." He responded, and then Seth was pulling him forward quickly. "He's the new guy here and he just came a few weeks ago." Seth explained, "I'll tell you about him in science." He told him and pulled him into the school building.

Jake swayed his tail back behind him as he pranced through the hall, his multicolored eyes watched as his school mates pas.sed him. He smirked holding out his arm and caught a random dude around the neck causing Jake to spin and sort of hang on his back. He chuckled in the other males ear watching him turn beat red. "I have a question..." Jake spoke his tail wrapping around the males leg.

"We had english homwork right? Mind telling me what that was. I forgot" Jake frowned focusing on the male in his hold. "Uhh...I-it was p-p-ages 78 through 89" he frowned lightly trying to get away from the other male but Jake seemed to cling to him. "Okay...thank you" Jake grinned from ear to ear before kissing the males cheek and releasing him. He spun around and continued to walk towards his first clas.s just in time too, cause the bell rang indicating it was time for clas.s.

Seth pulled Andrew to their first cl*censored*, which just so happened to be Biology and they had it together. Unfortunately. And Seth had gotten them there early to tell him all about some new guy at school that h apparently thought was hot. Andrew did not.... want to hear about a guy. He was not one of Seth's little gal pals that he hung around with all the time, he as a guy. A straight one at that. 

Turns out that Seth had a lot of information about the guy. Like he had two differnt colored eyes, was gay, and liked sitting up on the roof before, between, and after clas.ses. So much information that it took the whole period to tell the tale and the best part was that he had Drama with Seth. Again. And even better this new guy he'd been talking about none stop for an hour. Jake...

Clas.s ended and both Seth and Andrew got their things together and went ot their next clas.s. Andrew didn't understand why he was in drama or hoe he had been put in there at all. He didn't sign for the clas.s they'd just put him in the. At least he could act out and not get into trouble for doing it here.