Chris heard Izzy yelp, and he jumped himself. Though the message he recieved back was somewhat comforting. He hated driving by himself, hell, he hated being by himself anymore, but it wasn't like it could hurt him. He was always at home alone now, his mom always at work and his father had been absent his entire life. Alone was something he knew, he had embraced it for the longest time, but ever since Roland... being alone bothered him.

[I]"Hey guys, look at the little nerd boy. What are you doing? Reading about how totally lame you are?" One of the eighth graders taunted. Chris had just transferred in about a week earlier and was in the sixth grade. However, his thick glasses, small frame, and obscene oile of books tended to get him made fun of. It always had.

At Chris's silence, the eighth grader knocked his books off the lunch table, and when Chris went to pick them up, they pushed him down, knocking his glasses to the floor.

"Hey! Pick on someone your own size!" A voice exclaimed, and the eighth graders shot the boy a look. A sandy blond boy, about six inches taller than Chris came over and handed him his glasses. "Don't mind those guys. They're jerks. I'm Roland, by the way. What's your name?"

Chris was a little stunned, but he spoke. "Christopher." He practically whispered. "But, you can call me Chris if you want."

Roland smiled and waved over a boy and girl. "Hey, Matt, Izzy. Meet Chris, my new friend." He smiled.[/I]

Chris had seen a lot of changes in himself since then. After an inheritance from some uncle his freshman year, he had gotten Lasik surgery and no longer needed glasses or contacts. He also hit his growth spurt between freshmen and sophomore year and had filled out. But now, now it didn't matter that Rolnd and Matt weren't teaching him to stick up for himself... now Roland was out of reach and everything was changing. He could feel it.

Finally, he sat forward and placed his own head in his hands, just wanting the service to be over.

--

She could hear Matthew speaking, but Ricki paid him no mind. She just gently washed the blood off of his hand and dug into he clutch and put some gauze around his hand before taping it. Then his voice hit her, and she looked into his eyes. He had said he was okay, but his eyes betrayed him. She could see so much in them, and she looked away when she saw something familiar... the inner fight.

"Don't lie to me, Matt." She spoke, still quietly. There was a softness to her still though, and she brought her hand up, hesitating a moment before she placed it on his shoulder, looking back to his eyes. The tears had returned to her own, but she knew Matt needed to hear what she had to say. "You may be the strongest of us, but it's painfully obvious you're not okay. And you have the right not to be, the strongest people are allowed to have their times of weakness. And you are so far past due..." she said, removing her hand from him and she backed away a bit, taking a paper towel from a nearby dispenser and wiping her eyes.

She couldn't believe what she saw in his eyes though... how the familiarity scared her. Still, she looked back to him. "No one will judge you, and if they do, you know that..." she half chuckled, half sobbed. "I'll go crazy Ricki on them for you."

She exited the bathroom and sat on a nearby bench, cradling her head in her hands as she began crying again.[b][I]Poor Christina, all alone. I told you he would leave you... they'll all leave you one day. Once they know how insane you really are. I have always been here for you, my dear... And I always will.[/I][/b]

Ricki shook her head, trying to shake the voice away, mouthing, wordlessly, "Just shut up, go away."

She needed to take her meds, something she had been neglecting the past week, but she finally gathered herself up to look at her phone, and she blinked as more tears came. She texted back.

[I]I'll stop and get us some food and drink. Might be a few late though. Any requests, just ask.[/I]