It was an obvious giveaway that she was hiding something. She waited patiently after he began to move and groan for his eyes to open. She hated kicking him out, but they were lucky they hadn't been caught. She was certain that her parents would have said something, especially since she was wrapped up and entwined with him. They were sure to assume the worst. She smiled, when he woke up. She didn't want to think that she had purposefully did this.

She gave a loud sigh, "I wasn't logical. I didn't move, because I didn't want to wake you up, and then I woke you up. I think you took the blankets last night, and I got cold. I normally cuddle my blankets like this," she explained wondering if that was normal. She hoped that his home would be safe, but he couldn't stay around. She smirked at him, "You don't have to go for long. You can always head around to the front door and come on over," she suggested.

"I'm sorry that I have to wake you up," she told him blinking a bit sadly at him. He could always take a nap here, if he was tired. He could tell her mom that he needed a place to stay for a while. They probably wouldn't be excited about it. They might say no she realized. They would let him stay during the day, but not at night, because they had a young girl. "Sleep well?" she asked. She held her smile as he drew a tear with his finger down her face. When he rested his forehead against hers she closed her eyes so she wasn't awkwardly staring cross eyed into his eyes.

She opened her eyes and saw his little boy grin. She smirked again, "You are a big lump, that works out so that you are strong. Of course you would win." With some people she would argue with them even though she knew they were right, but sometimes she just went with the sarcastic tone, but admitting the truth. She knew it wasn't the best way to go, but it often took some arrogant breeze out of some people's sails. She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. She heard the sound of her parents coming, and she sat up straight, "I'll try to intercept them. I'll come and get you out of my room later," she told him when she told him to hide.

If they panicked too much, they would make mistakes. "Don't come out. Closet, bathroom, or under the bed is the best. I would advise closet," she told him. "Hopefully the clothes will hide you," she added, while she was crawling out of the bed and heading for the door. She should at least be able to keep them from going into her room. She didn't add her whole other thought process, because she didn't have time. She ran into her mother as she opened the door.

"Kai, I was coming to check on you. You hadn't gotten up yet," she told her. "I thought I heard some noises last night, so I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Kai stretched and yawned trying to look normal. "The thunderstorm woke me up. It made my dream sketchy and I had a few bad dreams," she sort of told the truth.

"Honey, are you okay? Do you need or want to talk about it?" she asked her.

"I'm okay," she gave a small smile.

"Your dad has already gone to work. He wanted to know what was going on with you, but I told him to go ahead and go," her mother informed Kai. "I'll be working in my office," she told her daughter. Ever since prom night at least one of her parents managed to stay at home.

Kai nodded her head, acknowledging what her mother had said. She wasn't sure if her mother was done with her. She supposed she would have to go do something, so that she didn't look weird going straight back to her room. She was probably over thinking things, but she tried to be a thorough deciever. She headed to the kitchen to get breakfast, and tried to make sure that her mother didn't go into her room. Her mother went on somewhere else and she grabbed a drink of water before she returned to her room.

She unlocked the window and hurried to get Eric. "Come on. Come on. Let's get going," she rushed him. "If you want to come back over, you just have to go to the front door," she reminded him. She hoped he would try to sneak away, and then come back. "You're welcome back," she smiled even though they had spent all night together. She looked around hoping there were no observers. She wasn't sure if she would notice them. She opened the window, and now he was all prepared to get out.

Eric listened to her explanation of how she'd ended up so close and entangled with him, and he still couldn't exactly keep a grin off his face. "It's still a bit early to be coming over for a normal visit, isn't it?" he asked with a small smirk. Her parents would definitely be a bit suspicious then. She apologized for having to wake him, and asked if he'd slept well.

"It's okay," he said. "And yeah, actually. I really did sleep well." He grinned. "Thanks to you." He booped her nose playfully with his finger, hopefully taking her a bit by surprise. She grinned at him after he spoke about the tickle fight, and he barely stopped himself from belting out a laugh. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently, and he gave her a loving and relaxed smile. If she was his to hold and love forever...he would have taken her right then and there and given her everything he wanted to give and anything she wanted him to give her.

But...she wasn't.

And that was a long way off.

They both bolted upright at the sound of her parents, and she quickly told him what to do and where to go, and that she would try her best to keep them distracted. He stood up as quietly as he could and moved on silent feet to her closet, opening the doors and pushing smoothly past her clothes into the farthest corner, trying to slow his rapidly beating heart.

He stood silently inside, breathing slowly in and then letting it slowly out, trying to be as silent as possible. He obviously couldn't see what was happening, but he could clearly hear Mrs. Adair's voice and Kai conversing, and he felt horrible. He'd never want to betray Lisa's trust, and now more than ever he was hoping he would be in the clear. Even her walking in and seeing them in the bed together would be better than her finding him hiding in the cloest. Because then she'd know that her daughter was keeping rather big secrets and lying to her, and she may think something more happened between them.

He listened as their footsteps faded away, and he sank slowly to the floor of the closet, obeying her instructions to stay put. He waited for her patiently for several minutes, now fully calmed down. He sat in silence, just thinking about many different things, when he heard her come back into the room. He tensed for a second, worried that it may be her mother, but he heard the window sliding open, and soon the closet doors were thrown open as well, light flooding in.

She helped pull him out, rushing him towards the window. He nodded, agreeing with what she was saying. "Okay," he said, looking briefly around before noticing last second that his clothes from the previous night were still laying where she'd left them, now dry. He brushed past her and grabbed them, carrying them over to the window. Good thing Lisa hadn't seen those.

He decided quickly that he needed to at least change the shirt, so with no warning to Kai, he pulled Michael's shirt that she'd loaned him over his head and put it in her arms, his bare chest and torso exposed, before fumbling to put his own back on. He slid it over his head and got it on right.

"There's a reason for me to come back," he whispered hurriedly. "To give your father back his pants." He gave her an ornery glance, obviously teasing. He would bring them back, but he would be giving them to her, not to her father. He ducked out the window, his feet landing softly on the ground. He glanced briefly around, hoping that no one was around to see. He didn't see anyone, so he made an impulse decision. He wasn't sure if she would be mad at him, but hopefully she wouldn't be. If so, they could talk about it later.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, sticking his front half back inside. He was in a hurry so it was a bit fast, but not fast enough to make her feel scared. Or at least...he hoped not. He gently grabbed the side of her face and leaned up, his lips locking with hers for a small amount of time before he pulled back. "Thanks for everything," With that, he ducked out for good and jogged away from the house, sticking to the shadows and crossing through people's yards before finally making his way onto the sidewalk.

He would go home, eat something, maybe read for awhile, and then go back to Kailey's and see if he could hang out with her for awhile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harper was laying awake in her bed, her brand new house slowly starting to look more like a house instead of an empty echoing space. Her new room was on the second floor, so she was able to see quite a lot.

This house was a bit smaller than her last one, but it would suit her family better now that her two older brothers were out of the house. Her parents decided it was best to downgrade a little. She was laying and reading, when movement caught her eye down at Kai Adair's. This perked her attention, and she sat up a little, peering over in that direction.

A boy was crawling out of a window, and from what she could see...it looked like Eric. Was that Kai's room he was coming out of? She saw him lean back in, and her heart skipped a beat. Did he just...did he just do what she thought he did?

Daniel's going to love this one, she thought, a smile crossing her face. Eric Godfrey and Kailey Adair...sleeping together? Never thought I'd see the day. She pulled down her blinds and returned to her book. Guess Daniel wouldn't be the first guy. Turns out it was Eric, and when school started again...everyone would know about it.

They should probably try to rein things back in if possible. She smiled as he booped her nose and replied. "Surprising," she commented. She supposed the emotions made him tired enough to get a good night's sleep. He couldn't possible feel safe with the possibility of her parents coming in though right? When she squeezed his hand, a surge of feelings came from him. She was surprised how strongly it washed over her for a moment. It was interesting how one little thing could trigger such larger more strong emotions. For a short moment she was able to enjoy his warm smile. It was all broken up pretty quickly.

She heard one of her parents and bolted into action. She hissed out some instructions as she made her way across the room. Once she made sure her mother was busy she came back to get Eric out. She hated to rush him out, but she would hate getting in trouble more. For some reason this was the path she had chosen, and she didn't even think about making a different decision. She had forgotten to give him his clothes back, and she was glad that he remembered them.

It would be easier to hide the loss of her dad's pajamas than some random guy's clothes. Perhaps she should have had him change in the closet. That would have been a dead giveaway, and she was lucky that she had kept her mother totally away from her room. Suddenly, Eric began to strip off his shirt. It threw her off guard, and she began staring at him. What was he doing? She began blushing, when he took off his shirt. She felt like an innocent little child, because she was blushing.

She wondered if it was a good or bad thing that she wasn't more immune. She smirked at him and grabbed the shirt from him. Hopefully, no one would notice that the pants were gone. He easily made it out of the window. He apologized and her brow wrinkled in confusion. What for? Mechanically, she returned the kiss, when he touched her lips. She was surprised at how naturally the kisses were coming for them. She gave him a little shy smile, when he thanked her.

She hadn't expected it and she stood there in quiet shock as he made his getaway. She watched as he jogged away. After she was sure that he was gone she was tempted to return to her bed, and think about everything that had happened and savor it. However she had some things that she needed to do first.

~~~~~~~

She kept on hoping and waiting that Eric would come back. The sooner she got the pants back the better. She also just wanted to see him again. She wasn't sure what he was doing, or if he had gone all the way home. Was his home safe? Probably not, but what else could he do. She heard a door bell ring, and she hurried to the door. She was disappointed to see Harper. What did she want? She was tempted not to answer the door. However her mother didn't give her that choice, because she breezed in and answered it.

Kai sighed wondering if it was possible to go hide. Harper could give her anxiety before she had it. She was going to feel miserable. "Look Kai! It's someone your age. One of your friends came to visit," her mother said cheerfully. Kai would have to straighten this out as soon as possible. They were not friends. Probably not ever. Kai wasn't sure what to do with her now. She didn't want to show her around her house, because she needed a safe place to shelter from people. Harper came in and went over to Kai.

Because her mother was in the room, she gave Kai a large hug. Kai stared confused, and realized that Harper was doing it for her mother's benefit. Once her mother was gone she backed off.

"Hello Goody two shoes," she smirked at Kai.

Kai wasn't disturbed by the insult, but she didn't quite get it. There was another door bell ring, and she went to see who it was. She smiled to herself trying to keep it contained. Eric had come back. She hurried to let him in, and stepped out the door.

"Eric I am sorry. You're not going to want to stay. Harper is here," she told him. This would be a true test of their friendship. Would he offer to stay or would he try to escape? What if where he had been hanging out until he could come here was worse than hanging with Harper. She gave him a little smile, and lowered her voice significantly, "For not being together, you sure are getting brave and plucky with those kisses." She wasn't sure how their behavior would have to change with Harper around. Would they have to dial back their feelings?

She wanted to do something. Anything. A kiss or a hug would have been nice, but it felt like she couldn't or shouldn't in front of Harper. They weren't official and she had no idea what he would say. It was almost tempting to start crying, so Eric would have an excuse to cuddle with her. Since she was annoyed about Harper being there, she could probably maanage it. On a normal day it probably wasn't possible. She wanted to beg him to save her from Harper, but Harper might be worse for him than for herself.

Eric had made it to his house safely, and quietly crept in, the door creaking ever so slightly. His father's truck was in the garage, so he knew he was home, but all was silent inside. He figured he must still be in bed. Eric had made his way up to his room, and Gunner stood up inside his kennel, his tail thumping wildly against the metal bars and his brown eyes wide.

Eric apologized for leaving him trapped up all night, and let him out to go to the bathroom. He fed him, watered him, got himself some breakfast, and then ambled back up to his room. He was still insanely tired, so he laid down on his bed and fell asleep, sleeping longer than he had meant to.

An hour and a half had passed by the time he woke up, his brain sending him a mental signal that it was time to. He changed his clothes, putting his shirt from the previous night in the laundry basket, as well as his shorts, and changed into another T-shirt and a pair of dark skinny jeans, fashionably ripped at the knees and a little on the thighs. He slid on some tennis shoes and decided to head back over to Kai's. He grabbed her father's pants that she'd given him last night to wear, and scrambled down the stairs, heading quickly out the front door.

He reached her house fairly quickly, and walked up to her porch, ringing the bell politely. He stood for a second waiting, and finally the door opened. His eyes lit up as he saw that it was Kai who had answered and not one of her parents. He was about to say hi when she stepped outside onto the porch with him, and told him that Harper was here, and that he probably wouldn't want to stay. She then lowered her voice and gave him a little smile.

"For not being together, you sure are getting brave and plucky with those kisses." she told him. He widened his eyes for a second and then smiled, a few different emotions going rapidly through him. He felt his cheeks warm, but only a little and not for long at all.

"Yeah...sorry," he said quietly, chuckling. He kind of glanced behind her to get a look at Harper, and then looked back at Kailey. "Harper being here gives me more of a reason to stay." he said quietly, a small smile gracing his lips. He subtly reached down and grabbed her hands, giving them a quick and gentle squeeze before walking inside. He was annoyed and frustrated that Harper was here. What did she want? He knew it couldn't be anything good, especially since she was one to hang out with Daniel frequently, so he was glad he had come.

"Hey Harper," he greeted, his voice coming across as friendly, but a look in his eyes that read, Don't even try. "How are you? What are you doing here?" It wasn't hard to figure out that Harper was diliberately changing her demeanor and attitude, since Kai's mother was probably in ear shot, and that annoyed him all the more. He stood next to Kailey, enough to look normal, but to anyone who took the time to look a little closer at the situation, they might see that he'd put himself in a position between Harper and Kai, and that he stood a little in front of Kailey, sort of as a barrier or protector.

Harper, after a small moment of thinking, spoke.

"I'm doing fine, I suppose." she said. "Finishing up moving in a few houses down." She looked at Kai, her tone and voice coming across normal and friendly, but her eyes and expression glittering with a haughty and smug air. "Figured I should...come and get to know my new neighbor a little better than I do now." she said, her emerald eyes flicking to Eric. "Kind of like he's doing." She gave him a smirk, her green eyes blazing with knowledge of something he didn't quite understand.

"You two must know each other very well now." she said, glancing back and forth between them. Eric felt his body stiffen as the subtle message finally came across. But she couldn't have known he was here last night, could she? Had she spotted him earlier this morning? Worries began tumbling in his head, and his anxiety began to build. Maybe she would forget about it by the time break was over. What she was thinking wasn't even true!

"We're friends, yes." Eric said, his tone starting to falter and slip out of it's friendliness, and starting to come off a bit tainted with rudeness. "It's nice to be able to hang out with a new friend and get to know them better than you do." Harper smirked.

"I think it's about time I be heading back," she said. "Have fun, you two."

Eric moved absent mindedly a little closer to Kai as Harper moved towards them, heading to the door. He was desperately clinging onto the hope that she would forget about it by Monday, and that nothing out of hand would happen.

She appreciated any barrier that she could put between her and Harper. She squeezed his hand glad that she would have some reinforcements, when she had to deal with Harper. Kai was normally transparent about her feelings, and Lisa knew Kai well. Kai had to be very careful how she sounded and behaved, if she didn't want to get in trouble. She listened to them not saying anything. They already knew each other, so she wanted to try to remain uninvolved, which would be hard since they were at her house.

Harper seemed a little surprised to see Eric. He had been sleeping with Kai all night, and he had come back this morning. That seemed awfully needy even to her, and she was very good at clinging to somebody. She wasn't surprised by Eric's warnings and she took it all in a stride. At first she had considered flirting, because it always made things uncomfortable for them, but she decided the thing that she knew about would create much more uneasy feelings. She had things that she could hold over him. Now that she was thinking about it, she should have gotten pictures.

Kai appreciated that Eric was putting himself slightly in between them. Unashamed she sort of hide behind him. While she could still look at Harper, she was sheltered behind Eric. She didn't doubt that Harper was thinking that Kai was being pitiful hiding behind Eric, but at the moment she didn't care. There was something about Harper that Kai noticed. It was in her behavior, but Kai wasn't sure what it meant. It was an extra bit of smugness. Kai wanted to tell Harper that she didn't want to get to know her any better, but she reminded herself to try to be polite.

Harper's look between them gave her an uneasy feeling. She hoped that she was merely feeling guilty. She supposed that there was only one thing that people would assume with Eric coming in her window. She tried to nourish a small hope that if Harper did tell someone, it would keep Daniel further away from her. He was bound to know that Eric would be more protective, if what had happened was true, and she was less of a prize. All she could feel was her knowing something was bad, but she had no way of unconvincing her.

She watched worried as Harper made her way out of the room, and she left. Did they act guilty? Would Harper spread a rumor? She had a feeling that she had started the first one. She gave Eric a worried look. However there was nothing they could do. Should she go ahead and tell her parents about it? "Eric...I still have time to tell my parents and get in minimal trouble. Should I tell them? If Harper knows, it's only a matter of time," she looked at him worriedly.

She would feel awful if her mother told her she couldn't see Eric, and it would feel terrible if she told her, but if Harper knew, Kai wanted to get to her mother first. "If I'm going to tell her, I think you should go back home. I don't want to tell her with you here I don't think," she told him. It was a real damper on the day. She wondered if Eric would agree with her, but it seemed to be a reasonable course of action. She wasn't sure how to convince her mother that nothing had happened. Her mother would be sure to ask exactly what happened.

Luckily, they hadn't done any real serious kissing, so she felt pretty good about it except that she had tried to keep it a secret. That was sure to come out, and she was sure to get in trouble for even thinking of trying to hide it, especially since she hadn't come to the decision on her own, and she was only trying to avoid Harper telling her parents first. This was all going to be a big pain in her butt, but she would get in less trouble even if she had planned on hiding it, and told her parents now.

Eric watched Harper leave, his muscles slowly relaxing again. Maybe now tension could die down, and maybe he and Kai could relax and play some card games or watch a movie or something. But her following words made that possibilty almost fly completely out of the window. He turned to her in surprise, his light blue eyes wide.

"Kai..." he said quietly, starting to shake his head in near disbelief. "No, no, bad idea." he said. He swallowed back his fear. He knew she was being reasonable, and...it was the right thing to do. She shouldn't be hiding anything from her parents. But at the same time...he knew they would not take it well at all, and while he loved them as people, they would never fully understand. It was risky to tell them, and it was risky not to. But if she told them...he was bound to be banned from hanging out with her anymore.

He leaned closer to her. "If you tell your mom, she won't let us hang out anymore, I'm sure of it." he said. He found himself instinctively gripping her hand a little tighter, his nerves building up. This was bad. This was really, really bad. Harper knew now, and she was a poisonous, dangerous snake. But surely she wouldn't tell Kai's parents. Surely she would just keep the drama in the school building. Of course, words could spread like wildfire, but most adults didn't pay much attention to the rumors because...they were rumors.

"I know it's wrong to be hiding things from your parents, but..." He took a deep breath through his nose, looking around briefly. He wasn't sure where her parents were, and he didn't want to be caught standing in the open whispering to her. Who knew what kind of questions they would recieve. He started heading to the game room, trying to keep his pace and expression neutral. Luckily, he didn't see Lisa anywhere.

He slipped inside the game room, Kai closely behind, and sat smoothly down onto the couch. "Look," he said. "I love you, and I love your parents. But I really don't think you should tell them this. At least..." He trailed off, unsure what the finishing statement to that was going to be. "Well, listen, I don't want them to think that I'm trying to get you to disobey them, or them to think that I'm just trying to get you to sleep with me. That isn't my intention at all, and if you tell them they are sure to jump to that conclusion. Even though nothing sexual happened between us last night, they are sure to think that it could and will. They're sure to think that I'm not someone you should be friends with, much less be in a relationship with."

He wasn't trying to encourage lying, but...in this case...would it be better for them to never know? "Your parents won't like me being around you anymore, I'm almost sure of it. And while I'm not completely positive on that...I really don't want to risk it." He swallowed. "I understand that it's more reasonable, and it's morally right to tell them, but...I don't know, I just-" He cut himself off, dropping his head into his hands defeatedly.

"I'm sorry, I just don't know what to say." he said, looking back up at her. His foot was tapping nervously, his knee bouncing up and down constantly like a child with ADHD. Ultimately, it was her choice, but he didn't want to be punished or judged for something he didn't do, or looked at wrongly in the eyes of her parents.

She realized that last night was the time to say something before they had done any sleeping together at all. Her parents would have probably let him sleep here, if she told her parents that Eric wasn't safe at home. There wouldn't have been any serious repurcussions. Now in the light of day and under more serious fears, she realized that they might have been watched more closely for a while, but they wouldn't have stopped trusting her like they might after this. She hoped that she could make her mother understand that she had been concerned for Eric's safety.

She had meant for Eric to sleep on the floor. He was gripping her hand tightly, and it increased her own fear. He was able to communicate the feelings through the touch, and they easily passed through to her. She didn't think Harper would say anything to her parents, but she had a feeling it would be a lot harder to keep it secret. He was about to keep talking, but he started leading her somewhere. She was a little nervous, but she just followed not sure where this was going.

She wasn't sure if the game room would be anymore private than where they were. She wasn't sure how to take this. If they both knew they should tell her parents, then he was encouraging her to do something wrong. However, she could understand the fear. If her parents didn't let her see him, she would sneak behind her backs, and that would be just as bad. What if she told her mother that she would see him with or without their permission. That probably wouldn't work out so well.

She wasn't sure what to say. If she said something, she might not sound very kind, because she wasn't sure what to do. Her head ducked as she was thinking about it. Tentatively, she sighed, "Okay. I won't say anything, as long as they don't ask." She didn't explain her decision. She just agreed to it. She didn't want to chance not being able to see him.

~~~~~~~~~~

She wasn't sure if she was glad or sad to be going back to school. She wanted Eric to be there as soon as possible, because she needed someone to protect her from other people. She was scared that if she saw Daniel, she would start whimpering and possible crying. There were a few looks her way, but she didn't know what they meant. Two of her close friends ran up. Anna and Mary were smiling, "Kai! You haven't talked to us in forever. We keep on hearing things about you and Eric. Why haven't you told us about him?"

She sort of froze with a polite smile, "What?"

"Kai, of all of us, we weren't sure that you were ever going to lose your viriginity. I can't believe this. How was it? What's he like?" they asked. "You have never shown interest in a guy, and all of a sudden you start meeting up with him, and then we hear this. Why are we so far out of the loop?" They questioned her.

"I'm sorry," she realized that she hadn't talked to them in a long time. She had concentrated a lot of time on him, and she realized that she had sort of ditched her friends, and left them in the dark. "What are you talking about?" she found herself asking.

"You had some fun over spring break," they gave her knowing looks.

She realized that Harper must have said something, but how had the rumors spread so quickly?

"Are you a couple? You have to be a couple Kai, because I know you. You wouldn't do something like that unless you had a special relationship."

She realized that she would have to fill them in "Girls I can tell that you don't have the full story. I'll tell you after school, okay," she told them. Perhaps she would try at lunch, if she got the time. She wondered if she should try introducing Eric to them today. She wasn't sure if she should tell them about prom too. It would give them a lot to talk about. "What's been going on in your lives?" she asked.

"Nothing much. We just did a few sleepovers over break," they shrugged.

She knew she needed to get them on to class before Eric came. She was sure that she would act like she had a crush on him, and they would nag her about it later. "I'll see you later," she told them. She wondered if she should invite them over so they could talk. However she wasn't sure if Eric would want to talk to her or come over or not or do something today. She felt that things had been a little awkward, and she wondered if letting him sleep in her room was worth it.

This could be a little test. If she acted like a couple with Eric, it meant that there wasn't enough space between them or they just needed to become a couple. When she saw Eric, she knew her face brightened, "Eric!" She waved, "Come and meet my friends. Anna and Mary." They both smirked at her, and she knew that appearance wise they approved. Her eyes widened, when she saw Daniel walking down the hall. She froze where she was. She thought she saw him glance towards her, but she wasn't sure.

When he passed Kai resisted the urge to hug Eric or shelter behind him. She felt silly being afraid, and she wanted to dial things back with her friends watching. She caught a few more glances her way. What did it mean? Why would Harper spread rumors across the whole school? What if she enlisted Daniel's help? Why did people want to spread rumors? Why did they care? "Bye. I guess I have to be getting to class," she told them. She sighed hoping that she would be okay.

Monday morning was a day that Eric had been dreading ever since Harper discovered his night spent at the Adair's. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or upset at the fact that Kailey had agreed with him. He felt bad trying to push her to lie, but he just hadn't been ready to face those consequences just yet.

He was running a bit late this morning, his worry and stress about going back to school pushing him behind. His father wasn't home to tell him to hurry, either. He'd left for work a couple hours early. He did his usual with letting Gunner out, feeding him, and so on so forth. But the stress and anxiety was eating away at him so much that he pushed away the opportunity to eat breakfast, even though he was hungry. He hadn't been eating much since Harper's visit at Kailey's, and he knew he was beginning to lose a lot of weight again.

Never once in his life had he been overweight. Even as a baby he had been small and fragile. As he entered his older teen years his small frame quickly grew into a lean and fit, and defined one, his muscle tone easy to spot. But his eating habits had been bad, and he had been neglecting his usual daily physical exercise. He'd noticed while in the bathroom or showering, or getting dressed, his jaw and cheek bones were beginning to jut out a little further than normal, and the spinal bones on his neck were becoming more obvious, along with his collar bone.

He especially noticed it this morning, and while he stood shirtless in the bathroom, he lifted a finger to brush gently along his cheekbone, his face solemn and depressed. He ran a hand down his neck to feel his collarbone, then placed both hands on the sink, letting out a long and heavy sigh. He stared at himself for a good minute, not ready to leave the house and show up to school. Would Kailey notice the subtle change in his appearance? In a way he hoped she didn't. He didn't like her having to worry about him.

Finally, about ten minutes too late, he was ready to walk out the door. He made it to school relatively quickly, but still barely in time. The bell would be ringing shortly. Upon entering the school building, he instantly gained several looks from people, then whispers.

Great. he thought, taking a deep breath and heading straight to his locker, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone. Back to this again. He was sure Harper had said something, but he wasn't sure what exactly was being said about him. There were so many things out there already that he just kind of accepted it and expected it to happen wherever he went. But school especially...he felt trapped. Stuck inside a box that he couldn't escape, anxiety pressing in on him all the time.

The only place he really felt safe was with Kai, specifically at her house. But now he wasn't so sure about that, either. She still made him happy, made him feel worth it, made him feel safe. But he wasn't sure about her house anymore. Not with Harper just a few houses down.

He wondered where she was, and he closed his locker door shut with a loud metallic thunk. So far all he'd gotten were strange looks and whispers, no one had come up to him yet, which he was totally fine with. But that worried him as well, because now he wasn't sure what Kai was experiencing. Had anyone come up to her? Generally people tended to avoid Eric, but Kai was so cute, pretty, and friendly that surely a lot of people at least tried to approach her.

He made his way down the hall and finally spotted her, and even from a distance he could see her expression lighten. She called out his name and waved him over, so naturally, he came. He was feeling a bit small and enclosed being back here, but he knew he would feel better next to her. She said she wanted him to meet a couple of her other friends, and he tried his best to smile.

As she well knew by now, he was a bit shy when it came to meeting others, but if they were her friends and people she trusted, he was willing and happy to meet them. He sideled up next to her, giving her a small smile even though he felt like shriveling away and turning to ash. "Hi," he greeted her quietly. His blue gaze shifted to the two girls whom she'd called Mary and Anna, and he gave them a shy smile too. He nodded his head in a greeting to them, but said nothing because his gaze was broken by Daniel walking by.

He kind of glanced in their direction, but saw Eric and quickly moved on past. He could feel Kai's tension, and he instinctively moved closer to her, his arm pressing gently against her shoulder so she would feel his touch and know that he was there right beside her. He noticed then that as the bell rang, several more students were shooting looks and glances at Kai and Eric's general direction. His worry started to pick up, and he wanted to just pull Kailey into his arms and hold her forever to shield her from everyone else. She didn't deserve their judgemental stares and glances, harsh whispers and nasty rumors.

She said bye to her friends and they started to head to class. He walked smoothly beside her, his gaze flicking around to everyone. Why did teenagers have to be so judgemental all the time? Why were they so quick to believe anything? He knew she and himself had seperate first hours, but he didn't care about being late. He would walk with her to her first class to make sure no one could say or do anything to her on the way there, and then he would make his way to his own.

Although he looked a bit more shriveled and self conscious than usual, his jaw was still set with determination, and anyone who even dared glance in Kai's direction got a harsh protective glare that sent them bustling on their way. His normally calm blue eyes were alight with awareness and readiness to defend and protect her. He didn't speak unless spoken to the entire way there, feeling overwhelmed and more depressed than normal.

His stress was getting to him, and it didn't help that he felt like he had to keep bottling it up. He didn't want to add his high level emotions onto her heap, so he kept it inside, rebuilding the mountain of self hate and anxiety that he'd just released a few nights ago in her room. When they made it to her classroom, he gave her a loving glance before grabbing her hand gently in his own for a brief moment.

"Good luck," he said softly. Again, he felt the overwhelming desire to pull her into his arms and never let her go, to let all things bad absorb into him instead of even letting the smallest amount of darkness grace her soul. "Find me later?" he asked, unsure if she even wanted to be near him with everything going around. He still wasn't exactly sure what things were being said, but he was sure to find out soon.

"If you need anything, you send me a text and I'll come." he said. "Ask to use the restroom or something, and I'll be there. Okay?" By now almost all the students were inside, and so he squeezed her hand lightly before turning and walking the opposite direction, heading slowly to his class. He didn't care if he was late. Too much was going through his mind to care about school.

She didn't know why she cared what they thought of her, but she didn't want them to think bad things about her. She was surprised that he was escorting her to class. He couldn't do that forever, because he would get in trouble or get a bad grade, and then his father would get mad at them. It was bad enough that she was already risking one parent's wrath. She wasn't totally aware of Eric's facial expression, but she knew he was a steady person there watching over her. When she got to the class, he took her hand. She gave him a nervous smile.

It felt like he was giving her more tender and loving looks more often. However, this time she was too nervous too appreciate it. "Thanks," she said softly, "You too." She nodded her head, "Yeah, I'll find you later." She nodded her head again acknowledging that he would come for her, and she knew that she could call him. It might end in their phones getting taken away, but she would do it if necessary. She rememebred when she would have only depended on her girl friends. Now she spent so much time with Eric. Did her friends miss her?

She darted a quick glance around. Nobody seemed to be there, so she gave him a quick hug. Her eyes widened as she looked at him surprised. He was noticeably skinnier, and she began to worry. She had noticed his anxiety, but it was normal for him, so she hadn't thought to0 much about it. They needed to talk. He shouldn't be losing that much weight. Now that she knew what the change was, she could see where it was obvious that he had lost weight. She would definitely watch him and make sure that he ate a decent amount at lunch. However, since he was already late to class, she didn't scold him or ask about it. She would save it for later.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was lunch time and for a while now she had always tried to find a seat with Eric. When she sat down with her food she began to eat not knowing when he would get there. She tensed when some girl came up. It was a girl, and then it was two. They were swooping on her for some sort of gossip or news. "You slept with Eric. Doesn't he beat people up? Why did you do it?" they began to ask in that line. Her eyes widened, and she wasn't sure what to say. Could she just shoo them away? They sighed and gave a giggle, "We heard that Daniel liked you. Why didn't you go with him to prom?" She wasn't sure how to answer. It wasn't any of their business. "Someone said that you've been sleeping with Eric, which is why you didn't go with Daniel. How far along are you?"

Her eyes had remained a bit wide, "How far along?" she asked confused.

"Pregnant. Someone said you were a newbie, so you didn't know how to protect yourself, and now you're pregnant."

She wasn't sure how to respond to that. It was too blunt and honest. It was too personal, and she wouldn't talk about that except really close friends. She didn't try to correct them, because she doubted anyone would listen to her. She didn't want to tell everyone. "Please go away," she told them trying to hold back the incoming tears. They soon left, because they saw that they had upset her. She was about to start crying, when her friends came.

"Kai, I'm so sorry dear. What's wrong? Is it what they are saying about you? Did someone hurt you?" they asked together. "We haven't been coming over, because you've sort of alienated us. You've only been hanging out with Eric."

"I'm sorry," she whispered tearfully. "I don't know how to handle everything. I guess you've heard the rumors about Eric and me. It's all complicated, but they aren't really true. Someone asked me if I was pregnant. I'm not. We aren't an official thing, because something happened at prom, and he's trying not to pressure me, but....we act like something." She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell them that Eric said he loved her and sometimes they kissed even though technically they weren't supposed to. She looked up and noticed that Eric had arrived. She wanted him to hug her, but she was scared for him to do it in front of everyone. She wanted to leave, but she couldn't let her emotions get the best of her.

Eric had been surprised when Kai gave him a hug, but he was glad she had. His first few classes were boring as usual, but he could feel himself beginning to slip out of the right mindset. He started dazing off in class, all of his thoughts pinned on Kai, and worrying about her almost constantly. All of her lessons, her tips, her advice she'd given him while tutoring was gone. He couldn't focus, he wasn't listening enough to take notes, and his eyes were constantly darting between everyone else.

A newfound pressure was slowly being added to his shoulders, one that he'd never had to deal with before, because he'd always spent his time alone without any real friends. But now he had a friend, and she was slowly starting to become a lot more to him. He now had a responsibility, one that was more important to him than a lot of things. He had to keep her safe, it was his duty to protect her from anything bad.

Between classes, a couple guys dared to approach him. Eric gave them a few glances to try and hint that he didn't want to be bothered or spoken to, but the two were freshmen, and didn't seem to take the obvious hint at all. "You're Eric, right?" One of them asked, his voice still sounding like he was in middle school. The awkward age where it cracked every four words, the stage in which Eric had gone almost an entire year without speaking to anyone. He remembered being so embarassed by it, and being so relieved when his voice finally had matured and deepened. Although it still couldn't be considered a deep voice at all, it was deeper than what it had been as child.

"Yeah," he said, feeling a bit annoyed but willing to at least put up with them for a bit.

"Is it true what they're saying?" Eric narrowed his eyes a little, tilting his head ever so slightly.

"What who's saying?" he asked, beginning to regret listening. The boys exchanged glances with each other, smirking a little at the fact that Eric didn't seem to get what they were talking about.

"Literally everyone," The other kid said a little too sarcastically and smart alecy for Eric's taste. "You and Kai? That you...got her a bit...prego?"

"What?" Eric said, disbelief shooting across his face. His voice had come out harsh and low, and his gaze now looked a lot more fierce than before. People who were scared of him in years past with next to no reason would really fear him now. He looked as if he was about to go on a rampage and start beating up anyone in his path. The two freshman exchanged another glance with each other, and then hurriedly walked away, not wanting to be part of whatever thing Eric was going to do next.

All during weights class he stayed mostly to himself, avoiding contact with everyone and doing his sets in silence. By now he was stressed, worried about Kailey, and boiling mad at whoever would dare spread something like that. He wasn't sure if that had been Harper's intention, or if she even knew it would get so extreme so quickly, but someone had said it, and now everyone was continuing to pass it.

Never in a million years would Eric have the intention of impregnating Kai prematurely. He was waiting in high levels of stress for the lunch bell to ring so he could find her. He couldn't imagine what all kinds of questions she was getting. Just minutes before the bell, his temper was enflamed. Daniel came up to him with a buddy, a smug smile on his face.

"Funny you tell me not to do something...and then you go right around and do it for me." he said lowly. His nose had mostly healed, but it was still a little bruised, and more crooked than before. "How easy is she? Any persuasion lover boy? Or did you force her? Like the punk as-" Eric shoved Daniel to the floor, fury coursing through his blood. He'd had enough of this, enough of everyone!

"Hey!" The teacher called out harshly, stepping between the juniors. "Enough is enough! To the locker rooms, all of ya! Get cleaned up, the bell's gonna ring any second. Get your acts together and start behaving like the men you are!" Eric's cold gaze never left Daniel's as the fellow junior laid on the ground. Eric pulled off the sweat towel that was draped around his neck and tossed it harshly to the floor, walking out of the room and down to the showers.

He noticed with a bit of pride that Daniel never once came down to shower while Eric was down there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eric arrived a bit late to lunch again, his hair still dripping a little from the shower, and his shirt damp around his chest and shoulder blade area. He felt horrible, he felt like he was slowly becoming the monster everyone already thought he was and had been for years now.

Once through the line, he carried his half empty tray over to sit next to Kai, acknowledging Mary and Anna with a nod. He could tell that she was looking like she was wanting to cry, and he wanted to pull her into a hug more than anything, but no way was he going to fuel the fires that were already beginning to explode.

He looked to her friends and gave them a look that said, Please stay over here. Sit with her. He felt like they were possibly the only ones in the school who would maybe understand and listen to the truth. Kailey needed more than just him right now, because he felt like the bad guy. He felt like the spark that had started the fire, and everywhere he went a trail blazed.

He hadn't gotten much food, not feeling hungry at all. His stress was too high, and eating something, the very thought of eating something made him want to throw up. He knew Kai needed comfort, but there wasn't much he felt like he could do here with everyone's eyes on them. So he sat closer to her than normal, once again letting her feel his touch, and placed a hand discreetly under the table to intertwine his fingers with hers.

He reached out with his free hand and took a drink of water, but didn't touch his food. He hadn't gotten much, so too much wouldn't be wasted, but the school was forced to make kids get at least some food, even if they didn't eat it. The couldn't leave the kitchen or lunch line without some sort of food on their tray.

"You doing okay?" he asked quietly. He glanced over at her friends, a questioning look in his eyes. "What have you guys heard? Do you believe any of it?" He wanted to know if they would be willing to hear the truth, because he was willing to tell them what had happened if it meant that Kailey could have at least two more people to talk to and support her when he couldn't.