Seth walked in confidently, unafraid of Eric getting onto them or calling them out in front of the entire clas.s. If he did, they would have to seperate of course but they were practically right next to each other in the clas.sroom and then they would see each other afterwards when Eri'c clas.s was over. 

-

ANdrew walked in alone. Something he'd never really done before. He'd always had someone with hm in school but all of that had changed within a matter of just a few short months. Everything was different and Andrew hated it all.

He went to his usual seat, setting everything down and getting ready to listen to Eric go on and on about things that.. he simply wasn't interested in anymore. Things he didn't want to know about. Useless, boring things. Or get onto some unfortunate student that would probably drop his pencil too loudly or something.

Andrew sighed quietly and glanced over at the, for the moment, empty seat that used to be Aiden's. He wished that Aiden would walk through that door with that silly grin he always used to wear and run his fingers through his dark brown hair. 'Sorry, sorrry.' He would say, as if he had been out sick or late to clas.s. But that wasn't goingto happen.

Andrew had even heard that Aiden's parents were moving away. Taking the last few thing that andrew had connectiong him to his best friend. He blinked, realizing he had been stairing at the seat and turned to focus on his suddenly interesting desk instead. ears drooped slightly. 

Jake smiled and actually pulled Seth out of the clas.sroom to give him a quick loving kiss. He pulled away chuckling slightly before releasing his boyfriend and walking to his empty desk, slipping into it silently. His tail curled behind him seeming to enjoy his day. It was actually quite nice suprisnigly. It's amazing what a boyfriend owuld do to brighten things up.

==

Up at the front Eric returned and cleared his throat. "Now now, calm down clas.s" he called out watching student's shuffle to their seats. His tail flopped behind him as he sighed sitting on the front of his desk. "Today is goin to be a very....interesting day" he spoke sighing. "The paper's on your desk are  a quiz but it is an open book. Poems and all that good stuff" he smiled shrugging lightly.

Seth felt those pesky butterflies in his stomach when Jake pulled him out to just outside of the room and kissed him once again. He was sure that this wasn't going to be the last kiss of the day but there had certainly been a few before this one as well. 

And like all good things, it ended far too soon and Jake slipped back into the clas.sroom and into his seat beside Andrew. Seth sighed, bit his bottom lip for a moment, and then decided to go in just before the bell rang and got to his own seat in time to hear the as.signment for the day.

-

"yay..." Andrew sighed again and reached, along with the rest of the students in the room, for his literature book to take the test with. he hadn't done work for months and was not really not looking forward to doing so now.

He sat the decent sized book onto his desk top and flipped through the pages just in time for the intercom to come on over their heads. "Mr. Dashaniel? We need Andrew Parks up to the front office to check out... Thank you." the woman announced without waiting for any sort of reply from the teacher or said student. 

Andrew paused with a frown. Check out? Who could possibly be here to check him out? He didn't have anyone to check him out! But he slowly, with a puzzled look on his face, closed the book once more and put it away, figuring he could make up the test in detention or something along the lines of that and stood up.

The rest of the students didn't pay him any attention as they were doing their test and Andrew made his way to the door to head to the front office to find out who would be here to check him out.  

Eric listened to the intercome a little baffled himself. Who would be there to check him out? He lived with the student and his mother practically handed over her custody to him. He huffed before answering the lady. "Alright...I'll walk him up. Thank you" He called out to the device then quickly hopped off the desk exiting the room figuring his students would behave themselves.

He looked down at Andrew before shaking his head. "Do you have any idea who would be checking you out?" he asked his tail swaying behind him. This was a little odd to say the least. Maybe they had gotten the wrong name? The wrong kid perhaps?

"Nope." Andrew responded curtly. Oh, now you're talking to me? Nice...  He thought to himself. He had absolutely no idea what was going on right no and wouldn't be surprised if they'd called for the wrong kid. 

He swung his bag over his shoulder and walked down the hall beside eric, figuring that he was actually going to follow him the rest of the way to the office. He didn't care, let him do what he wanted. Maybe Eric could give him to however was standing up in the office for him.

Wrong. Andrew perked his ears at the man that as standing in the office having, what looked like, a pleasant conversation with the receptionist. His father? Why was he cheking him out? Why was he even around here? Andre didn't understand this.  

[[ again, he dad xD   ]]

Eric perked up as soon as he entered the building noticing the man what looked to be Andrew, although a little older. He blinked before sighing and placing his hand on Andrew's shoulder not really sure what the situation was. "Excuse me....you called for Andrew?" He asked a litle confused allowing his tail to sway behind him, his eyes not leaving the man.

Who---Wait. He was the one at the church at Aiden's funneral. He had had a pleasent conversation with this man and yet he'd come here talkin Andrew away? Who the hell was this guy? Did he even have a reason for comming to claim Andrew now after what all had happened to him? This couldn't be good. Not good at all and Eric wasn't about to give up his student without a fight. He cared about the kid and wasn't about to release him into anouther unstable home.

Andrew watched the man carefully as well, his on tail not swaying at all. "Yes," The man replied simply, talking directly to Eric. He hadn't glanced at Andrew yet. He'd always been that way, straight forward and polite even though there was something about it that intimdated you. "We need to talk." He stated, looking at Andrew now. 

Andrew was intimidated at least. He didn't know about the other people in the room. And this guy was his own father. "Why?" He asked. "Well," replied his father, "Seeing as you dont answer your phone or call me back, I came down here to talk face to face. Never really liked talking on the phone anyway."  "Obviously...." Andrew replied flatly. His father hadn't bothered to pick up the phone and call within the years that he left. 

David perked his ears at Andrew, he didn't know what the boy was thinking at all. "Don't mumble, Andy." He stated, ruffling Andrew's air out of his face. Wonderful.... did all adults feel the urge to just... ruffle everyone's hair as they alked by? Or did they do it to specifically pidd off their victim? Andrew shok his hair back into his face, much to the displeasure of his father though he didn't say anything about it

Eric's eyes traveled down to Andrew as he tightened his trip on the boy's shoulder lightly hearing the two speak. Talk? And since when had this man called Andrew. A sigh esaped the teacher before shaking his head. "If it is just talk you may, but if your planning to take him away from here. I can't allow you to do that" he spoke not out of hostility but more of a matter of fact way. "At the moment I am his guardian and I can't let him leave with someone I, and obviously he, doesn't know too well" he frowned watching the man.

Why couldn't Andrew have opened up and told him he was getting calls? He could have helped him but no. They wern't really speaking. Well this was sort of a downfall. "I mean no disrespect sir, but there are legal actions required in me releasing Andrew. They still count even though he's a teen but....he does have a choice in the matter ontop of those legal papers" he spoke looking down at Andrew. "He's an adult" he added dropping his hand from the boy's shoulder. If this man somehow had all the papers it would be entirly up to Andrew. There would be nothing he could do.

David glanced at Eric once he mentioned the word 'guardianship'. Andrew's ear twitched as well. This was news to him. Eric thought of himself as Andrew's guardian? "Legal guardianship?" David asked, "I wasn't aware that Andrew had a guardian as.signed." He stated. Biological parents were notified when a legal guardianship was placed over their children. 

Andrew remained silent. He didn't want to go with either of these men at this point, both of them standing in about the same place right now. david on the other hand seemed to remember something. "Ah, Eric? Was it?" He asked, he could remember him from Andrew's friend's, Adien's, funeral. "I'm not sure we were properly introduced before... considering the circumstances." He stated simply. 

"My name is David Parks." He informed Eric. Andrew looked at the floor. Yep, that was his father. "we know each other quite well." he added.  

"I wasn't as.signed to him. His mother handed him over to me to keep him save, so no, I'm not a proper legal guardian. Who knows where she left off to....I just know at the time he was not in the proper care he needed" Eric spoke with a slight nod. "Yes my name is Eric and now that I know you are his father I still have my doubts about your....mental capacity to take care of a child or be alone with him" He huffed lightly shifting his weight onto his other leg as he brought his arm up to cross them over his chest.

He wasn't happy Andrew's father just showed up randomly wantin to take him out of school. Did he even have permission to sign the kid out? "Excuse my doubts, David, but Andrew has been alone for quite a while now without anyone bein there for him. I don't want to turn my back agin to have him disapear from my care. I may not be his legal guardian bu i'm pretty protective of him and I am still apart of child services. I keep a very careful watch on the boy to prevent further heartbreak and mental damage. He's already been through a lot within teh few months. Of course everything being non-avoidable. Event's happen but that doesn't mean I can't protect him from those..."He spoke his tail seeming to still behind him. What had brought these events now? And since when did Andrew know his father as well as he was speaking? This was getting irritating but he sure of hell wasn't about to show David this bothered him.

DAvid listened to what Eric had to say about Andrew. Little interest in what he had to say about Andrew's mother though he was a bit surprised that she would give their only remaining son away to a strang high school teaher. What, did he happen to be standing there or something? He couldn't believe Nicole sometimes. 

"Yes, Nicole has been... mentally ill for quite some time now, I'm afraid." He stated. She hadn't been officially diagnosed with a mental problem. But since their eldest son died she hadn't been quite right. Andrew flicked his ear, he ddn't think that David was mentally stable either. It seemed that he didn't feel like what he had done to him was wrong at all. Thats all the proove of mental illness that Andrew needed. 

"As for myself, I am fully capable of caring for a child." Andrew frowned, how could these two talk about him as if he weren't standing in the same room. And there was another woman in there as well, listening to the whole conversation and he had very little doubt that she would later spread this to whatever friends she had here in the building and soon everyone would know what kind of stuff that he had had to put up with through out the years. 

David glanced over to his son who was not look his way. But at the obviously interesting repeated black and white pattern on the floor. Andrew had always been a tough, independent child as he was growing up. He didn't doubt at all that whatever Andrew was going through right now, whatever was going through his mind, he would be able to over come and make things better for himself. He'd survive. 

"I will beleive that David when I see it" Eric spoke frowning not taking his eyes off the man in front of him. "Again no offence but..." He froze slightly, his eyes focusing on the lady behind the office desk before sighing. "David...May I talk with you privatly for a moment?" He asked motioning to the door outside where there would be some quiet versus in an office where rumors could echo. "There are a few things I must speak with you about that I do not wish to spread around like some gossip in a salon" He frowned focusing back on David.

His tail curled behind him still a little annoyed. How could the man act so calm and yet be here to do all this damage. Mess evrything he had fixed within the few months. Andrew was happy...wasn't he? Oh he didn't know anymore. They wern't speaking. All because they both got drunk. Of course Andrew more than himself, but still. They were both drunk and did things that should never have been done but that didn't mean Andrew had to leave. Cast him aside to be with his real father...did it?

David glanced over at the woman behind the counter as well, she had seemingly gone back to her wor behind the computer screen but he highly doubted that. He'd honestly forgotten about her. "That would be appropriate." He responeded. 

Andrew sighed quietly and moved away from the two that were talknig about him and out into the hall without them. He knew that this was going to turn into his whole boo hoo story and that eric was going to tell David everything. Like he needed to hear his own life all over again. He didn't want to. He'd only just managed to swallow all of his feelings and keep them from running rampid. Hearinf all of this would only made things worse. He didn't need that.

He traveled to one of the large windows and leaned against it to look outside as it slowly began to start raining. He didn't understand how it could rain when it was so cold. His breath made a large, foggy smudge on the window and the already grey outside weemed to get even duller than before with the arrival of the rain.  

David turned to follow Andrew into the fall, keeping the door open for Eric. He wasn't going to follow Andrew around, sensing that his son didn't want to hear whatever Eric had to say to him in private.  

Eric followed David out, silently thanking him for holding the door before he closed it firmy behind him and sighed. "Rumors about my student are things I want spreading around this school"He spoke his tail curling behind him. "I've been his care taker for a few months now, but even before that i've kept my eye on him. He was an attention seeker in school, always wanted to be the center of attention through talking back and jokes. I suspected things wern't right at home and they wern't. Nicole, your wife, was dating a guy who took out his anger on Andrew. He was abusive. I noticed bruises apear on his skin. He wasn't that good at hidding them" He explained before letting out a puff of air.

"Shortly after he ran away from his home. Living in an abandoned house not too far from the school. It's winter so you can imagine how cold that was. I don't know how long he lived there. I wasn't aware until after he was living with me." Eric wasn't sure why he was explaining all this to David but if he was his father he might as well know what his son went through while he was out doing who knows what. "That snowy day here at school is when the car wreck happened. I watched the drunk driver plow into Aiden's car, flipping it. Andrew was with him inside the car when it happened. I was the first to run and help. They were pinned and I couldn't do anything but keep them awake. Paramedics got here and pried Andrew and Aiden out of the car. I rode with them all the way to the hospital. My job was to keep Andrew awake while the paramedic worked on Aiden who was badly injured. Once arriving at the hospital, Aiden didn't make it but Andrew did. He was badly wounded and I stayed by his side every day and nearly every night. Ribs broken, bones crushed...he had a lot of healing to do. It asn't till near the end that his mother came and kidnapped him the night Andrew sent me home" He frowned leaning against the wall.

"She took him to vegas and forgot his pain medication so he was screaming in pain and had done for countless hours before I was called to help him. I drove up there myself, leaving my job here to take care of him. That is when she released him into my care. I took him back here to my place and he's been there ever since. So now you see my hesitation into releasing him into your care for even the slightest moment" Eric explained shaking his head. "So my apologizes if I seem rude, but I'm sort of at a loss here. You havn't really been around him that much from my gathering so, why now?" He asked curiously watching David and not looking over at Andrew figuring he was doing just fine.

David had absolutely no idea of these thing that Adnrew had been going through. And in such a short, recent amount of time as well. He glanced over at said teen who wasm't looking out of the window, but that them instead, silently, and maybe a little lifelessly. This lasted maybe half a second before he returned his gaze back to Eric. 

"I know I havn't been around for some of the mot crutial years of my son's life. And I realize that I can never get those years back as hard as I try and he'll probably never forgive me for doing that to him. BUt I've come back to try and get some sort of relationship with my son back before it's too late and he doesn't even want to be in the same room as me. Let alone listen to me beg his forgiveness." He eplained.

"I understand your hesitation and I wouldn't consider what you're saying to be rude. But I don't believe I need your permission to talk to my own son." He said with a small nod. "And, as you said before, its is up to neither you nor I about this situation and neither of us have any real power over Andrew anymore. It's up to him whether he wasnts to talk to me or not." 

Eric listened to David before nodding lightly. "It is his choice..." He spoke glancing at the ground for a breif moment. "I'm not trying to keep you from your son. I am just hesitant but if he wants to talk to you, to go with you, I won't hold him back." He explained. "But....if you and him do leave this school to talk or what ever. For you to get to know your son and develop a relationship; I expect you to have him back at my place at a certain time" He spoke stairing at David.

"Take note this is only a precaution because his mother did steal him that day and I do not wish for you to do the same. IF he decides to leave with you and live with you....I want to hear it from him, in person versus a phone. If i do not and you two disapear I won't hesitate to call the cops" Eric spoke sternly standing up straight and not taking his eyes off of David. "Is that clear?" he asked.

David liked the fact that Andrew had someone looking out for Andrew, even if he didn't come back with him to live. He would know that he was doing just fine here in this small town with Eric as his unofficial guardian. "Crystal." He responded. 

Andrew had gone back to his own world. This conversation uninteresting and he went to wondering what kind of man his father was. He'd never really known him to tell the truth. He worked so much and then slept and then went back to work. He'd only ever see him for a few minutes to an hour and the most they would talk would be late before bed on the phone. He knew that David was married now, he had seen the ring on his finger earlier. And he wondered if he'd had any more children since he left.

"Good...then by all means. Go talk to your son. I must get back to my clas.s." Eric frowned stepping to the side lightly. "If he does go with you tot alk somewhere outside of school. I'd like him back around...eight. That should give you guys hours of catching up..." He spoke, his ears falling against his skull. "Just keep me informed...Andrew has my number and a key to my place" He nodded actually turning his back and walking away from the other male.

He didn't want to stay to see what would happen. David and Andrew needed time and he hoped that somewhere within those hours he had given them there would be either a bonding moment or that David would realize Andrew needed to stay here. Although it would all be up to Andrew. Whether he stayed or left. Neither David nor Eric had a choice in that matter.

Andrew looked up when he heard someone walking his way. It was David. He perked his ears and looked to watch Eric go. He was letting him go? Andrew had figured that he was going to prevent this from happening, but he just left him here. He lowered his ears, flicked his tail and turned back to David.

"Are you coming?" He asked simply. Andrew glanced back at Eric once more for a splitsecond, and saw that he hadn't turned around or slowed down at all. "Guess so." He responded and pushed himelf off of the wall behind him. "Good." David responded and put his arm around his son's shoulders to lead him outside and down to his car. "You've grown." He responded, Andrew was quite tall actually. Especially for a teenager. He wasn't but an inch or so away from being the same height that David.

"It's been a while since you measured." Was his only, short response. David nodded before they were through the doors of the building and heading into the parking lot. 

Eric continued walking down the hall not looking back at Andrew. He had no reason too. If David did anything he'd have the cops on his tail in a heartbeat. Something inside him sort of wanted Andrew to make up with his father. He wanted him to have someone he could look up to and know he was safe. Eric couldn't give that to Andrew. It was something his father could do...not him.

He frowned walking down the hall before walking back into his clas.sroom a little unsure of what to do. He glanced at his students and just seemed to sink into his chair behind his desk, marking off a few papers. Looks like things were going to be weird for a while till Andrew figured out what he wanted to do.