"I think he'll leave you alone if you keep standing up to him." Eric replied, his tone soft. "I know he picks on guys regardless if they stand up to him or not, but I don't see him pick on many girls." He paused for a brief moment, a thought entering his mind. His first instinct was to let it spill from his mouth, but he wisely stopped, hesitating before speaking. What if she took it the wrong way? He quickly decided that the most likely outcome was that she would either think he had a crush on her, or she would find it at least somewhat flattering, so there was no harm in saying it.

"Especially if they're pretty. So I'm sure there won't be very many more conflicts." He shot her a side glance with a surprisingly subtle but yet still flirtatious gleam in his eyes.

He giggled at her next few words, not taking any offense to it at all. "It might take me a bit to follow," he said, his eyes still gleaming with a teasing glow. "Because I'd be too busy holding him off, using my amazingly muscular body." His words sounded extremely sarcastic and self depricating in a funny way as he made a teasing and subtle goofy flexing gesture, as if he was preparing to box somebody.

"Youll be fine," he responded kindly to her comments, his teasing energy dying back down. He personally was surprised at how quickly the two of them were hitting it off. Especially since she was a girl, and a girl a grade beneath him! Even he and Kyle had taken at least a week or slightly more to become close. He'd only met Kai on the bus this morning! But he wasn't complaining in the slightest. Something about her was just catching, and he couldn't put his finger on what, other than the fact that she was different than most of the girls he'd ever talked to. But that couldn't be it, could it? Not the only thing, surely.

She's also cute. he reminded himself, feeling slightly guilty for thinking so. But what was so wrong about it? He was a boy who was naturally attracted to girls, and a natural thought for a boy of his age to think. He led her to her first class, hoping that she wasn't finding everything too overwhelming.

After what she'd done, it was a bit hard to focus properly in class, his mind swirling over what it could have meant. He didn't want to believe that she had a crush on him so soon. It was too early for that, wasn't it? But he reminded himself how easy it was to fall into crushing on someone, especially at this age. Hormones galore, everyone trying to stand out and get somebody's attention.

Kyle's constant teasing, whispering, and arguing helped nothing. He was quite glad when class was over and he was able to spot Kai. He made his way over to her rather quickly, feeling happier at the sight of her face. She looked happy, which in turn made him so.

"No, not at all." he answered quickly, giving her a smile. "To be honest I was about ready to start being not so friendly to him so cheers to you for catching my attention." He walked with her to the cafeteria, tilting his head slightly at her words. He felt bad. She must feel so alone here, being in a new school and not knowing anyone. He nodded. "It won't be scary for too long," he reassured. "Promise you that." He listened as she answered his questions about her classes, smiling a little and nodding along.

"Math is the worst." he agreed. "Worst class, worst teacher, most anxiety wridden for sure." He shrugged. "Same old, same old. A bit distracting with Kyle." he answered. "He's the guy I was talking to earlier. Bit of a nut, that one." He smiled, shaking his head. Kyle was so bizarre. Very energetic, funny and into sports but yet geeky and studious all at once. He wasn't the best looking in the class, but somehow he always seemed to be with a girl. He figured almost every girl in their class and the grade below had been on at least one date with him. He couldn't understand what was so special about him, but he was in now way jealous. He didn't think he could handle that many girls coming up that consistently. Bit too much for him.

"But yet somehow he seems to always catch the attention of someone. Particularly the girls..." he said as his gaze shifted to see his friend walking past them with a small group of 7th and 8th grade girls following him in, each of them laughing and trying to compete for his attention. He gave a half smile and shook his head, amused at the scene. "Every day with that one." he said quietly, giving Kai a smile. "Bizarre to me, I don't get it. I'm not quite that lucky. Although I'm not sure I could consider it luck if I'm being honest. Bit overwhelming if you ask me."

He gave a light chuckle and handed her the money, Kai thanking him right after and offering to return the favor. "It's not a big deal," he said kindly. She thanked him again, and made her way to get her things and find a seat. He watched her go for a moment, biting his lip and debating on what he wanted to do. He hadn't brought his own lunch, so he went through the line instead. Once he had his things, he searched for her. He spotted Kyle rather quickly, but wasn't surprised to discover that his friend hadn't saved him a seat, for it was surrounded by his small following of girls.

Eric shook his head, still amused, and finally spotted Kai in a rather secluded corner. There weren't very many kids over there, and he felt his heart fill with pity, saddened that she was alone and thought she had to burden herself by staying that way.

"Hey Kai," he said softly as he approached, setting down his tray of food and sitting down at her table across from her. "I think my spot has been replaced." he told her, an amused and teasing glimmer in his bright blue eyes. He nodded in Kyle's direction, giving a grin. "But that's okay, because if you don't mind....I think I have a new spot now."

He grabbed his apple, taking a bite out of it and gazed in Kyle's direction, taking note of each girl who sat around him. Three of them were in Kai's class, and the other four were in his. Out of the seven girls, Eric knew that at least two of them had already had their fair share of time with Kyle.

Must be trying for another date. he thought. "You aren't gonna ditch me for him, are you?" he asked her teasingly, shooting her a friendly glance and setting down his apple. His attention was momentarily diverted as he noticed a couple of girls in his class heading his way, both of them giggling softly to each other, their cheeks flushed and their eyes wide. He felt his heart sinking. He knew those looks. The girls stopped short a table away, one of them shoving the other in his direction.

She approached he and Kai's table, her body jittering with nervous excitement and giggling shyly to herself as she shot glances back at her friend. Her skin was fair and her hair fell in golden blonde curls down to her shoulders, her body adorned with a cute sundress.

"Hi um...my friend wants me to ask if you're free um...today after school?" Eric's heart continued to sink, having gone through this several times before. Why didn't her friend just ask him herself if she was interested?

He shot a glance towards Kai, his expression a mix of thought, nerves, and slight worry over what to say. "Um..." he said quietly, his mind spinning through all the excuses he had in his book. A new one suddenly clicked, and it clicked hard and fast. He spoke before he could think on it any more, hoping and praying that Kai wouldn't blurt or say anything to mess it up.

"Actually...I already had plans today." he said slowly, his heart thudding loudly in his chest. He gave another look over at Kai and nodded gently towards her as a gesture for the other girl to see her. "Tell..." he paused, shooting another glance at the one girl who had been far too shy to come up herself. He recognized her, her name coming to mind. "Tell Malissa that I'm sorry, but...I can't. I'm hanging out with someone else." The girl nodded, some of her jitters fading, as if her excitement was leaving her. She looked over Kai for a second or two, it clear in her expression that she was trying to figure out who she was. She finally turned and left, escorting her friend off, the two of them whispering to each other.

He let out a sigh of relief, his muscles releasing tension that he hadn't been aware of building up. He sat back in his seat, staring at his plate of food before glancing back up at Kai. He gave her a small smile, this time his own coming off a bit shy, and his blue eyes glittering with an apology.

"Sorry," he said quietly, tapping his knuckles on the table before leaning back up into the position he had been in previously. "They're a bit much. I couldn't think of anything, and you were just right here..." he gave her an apologetic smile. "You don't have to do anything if you don't want to, it was just an excuse to get them off my back." he explained. "But..." He lowered his voice, leaning forward a little. "I am free after school. If you'd want to come over to my house after, I think it'd be fun."

"Value," Eric lightly scoffed, shaking his head with a grin still on his face. Looks weren't what supplied value, but she was obviously teasing, and he decided against saying too much more about it. Her smile somewhat flattered him, as he realized that she was returning the look he'd given her just seconds before. Had he really been that obvious without realizing it? He'd never flirted without realizing he'd done so before. But he had. He'd flirted with Kai without exactly intending to. Was he sending her the wrong message? They'd only just met, they couldn't be smitten already, could they?

No, of course not.

He continued to keep getting surprised the more they talked, things continuing to run smoothly. He hadn't been completely sure what he'd been getting into when he'd approached Seth to stand up for the new girl, but he was beginning to like where it was taking him. He was glad that he could be someone for her to talk to on her first day in a strange new place. He couldn't imagine what it was like for her, and he felt a desperate longing to help.

After Kyle's oh so wonderous words of wisdom, Eric was truly considering them. He was curious about how she felt, and he wanted to ask about the kiss, but continued to get too nervous and back out. He wasn't sure how he would respond if she admitted that she did in fact have a crush on him so soon. She was the only girl so far that he could potentially see as a future girlfriend, because she was so different than most of the other girls. But...future girlfriend. Not now. He wasn't sure how much he could handle, or how obvious she would be about it if he asked.

Her words to his response about the cafeteria sounded slightly rude and a bit sarcastic, but it took it in a stride, trying not to overthink. She was overwhelmed and nervous. "Well no," he asnwered, shifting on his feet. "I haven't. But...you'll make friends quickly and then it won't be so scary. Besides, you've already made one." He gave her a small and kind smile.

He was fairly quick getting his food, and felt his heart warm surprisingly so at her expression and tone of voice upon seeing him sit with her.

"I'm here," he said quietly, his smile a friendly, shy, and sweet one. He giggled a little at her following statement. "As I you." he said. He noticed her looking around a bit curiously, and soon asked him a question, granting her a slightly shocked and amused look that quickly spread into a smile. "Yeah right," he chuckled, having at first missed her question and implication. "I usually sit over there with Kyle." He nodded in that direction. "But it looks a little crowded over there."

She continued to look around, and this time her words finally clicked. He quickly looked up at her, his blue eyes a bit widened at her statement. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly into a smile. "Oh I....I don't have a girlfriend." he told her quietly, giggling a bit shyly. "Can't say I'm exactly ready for that." He gave her a grin and took another bite. Her teasing comment caused him to shoot her a knowing glance, his eyes glimmering with understanding and orneriness.

"Oh yeah for sure," he teased back. "Exactly what I'm doing. Surveying for leftovers." He scoffed, amused. She was proving to continue being funny, and it seemed as if she wasn't too hesitant about what she said. That sometimes could be bad, and if he was a different person it could very well be just that. But he wasn't someone else. He was himself. Eric Godfrey. And he quite liked her sense of humor and sarcasm.

"Kyle?" Eric questioned at her next words, grinning teasingly at her. "Kyle not interested? Kyle's always interested. Look at that buggar." He tossed a head at Kyle's table, filled now with girls and some eager boys. He chuckled, shaking his head. "Pretty girl like you...yeah he'll be interested." He took another bite, not really realizing that he'd complimented her on her looks for the second time today.

"Trust me..." he said as she spoke again, still teasing. "He's not worth your time. I'd like to at least believe for one moment I'm better company than him." He beamed at her, feeling happier with her than he'd felt around most other people. Kyle was his only real friend, and the rest were simply classmates and teammates that he talked to once or twice a day. But Eric felt a strange connection with Kai, a similar connection that he felt with Kyle.

He noticed her slump a little in her seat, her demeanor shifting. At first he was confused as to why, and then quickly saw the two girls approaching. During the exchange of conversation, Eric was keen on noticing Kai's not so subtle smug expression, which almost made him grin at a rather inappropriate time. Luckily, he was able to keep composed until the poor girl walked away.

"Pffff," he scoffed as she spoke, chuckling. "Drop into my lap? More like sending a messenger to tell me from afar how they feel. Just talk to me if you want to get to know me better, don't relay messages." he said, shaking his head. "Girls who don't have guts to talk to me and tell me themselves aren't worth my time in my opinion." He lifted his apple again, taking another bite.

As he'd begun to explain his reasons, she'd spoken as well, asking who he had plans with after school. It soon registered to her what he'd said, and he smiled a little as she dramatically leaned back. His muscles quickly tensed and he stood up just as her chair fell back, a small amount of adrenaline shooting through his body, his heart leaping and his expression changing to worry. He was already moving around to help her by the time one of the other girls reached out her hand. He let out a slow breath and backed up, returning to his seat since she'd gotten the help she needed.

Kai's little jazz hand move put a smile on most everyone's faces, but the shock and worry was still evident on his own. He gave a small and nearly silent breathy laugh, swallowing back his beating heart. She'd scared him by falling, and he'd been worried that she would get hurt.

He watched patiently as she introduced herselves to the girls who'd helped her, silently hoping that maybe they would become friends with her too. She looked surprised at his offer, but he was completely in earnest. He nodded, agreeing with her about her mother. "I can ask my mum if I can come to your house." he said, pulling out his phone and shooting his mother a quick text asking for permission. "I'm sure she won't mind." he said. "She's always pushing me to make more friends." He gave a small smile, finishing up his lunch. "She says Kyle's a good friend and all, but it's always better to have more than one friend by your side. I suppose she may be right, but...." he shrugged, looking down as his phone vibrated softly with a response.

His eyes brightened and he looked up at Kai. "She said it's okay." he said. He gave a small chuckle as his phone vibrated again, and he held the phone up onto the table to let Kai read the messages from his mother. The first text read,

That's fine with me! Just be home in time for supper.

Then the next one,

Is she cute? I want to meet her!

If she looked closely, it wouldn't be hard for Kai to see the faint warm glow on his cheeks. But showing even more so than that was the glimmer of happiness and laughter in his bright blue eyes. "She likes to tease me," he informed Kai quietly, the pink on his cheeks growing a little more, becoming more obvious as it nearly hid his light spray of freckles.

"She probably thinks I'm smitten." He looked back down at his phone, re-reading the texts from his mother and running one hand through his hair. He replied to her and promised he'd be home on time, and then put his phone into his pocket. "I love her though."

He was about to say something else to Kai, but was swiftly interrupted by a hand landing on his shoulder. "Heyyyy Eric." Eric looked up to see Kyle standing beside him, an ornery gleam in his dark brown eyes. "Don't believe I've met you yet," he said to Kai, holding out a hand to her. "My name's Kyle. See you've already met my sidekick, here." Eric grinned, shaking his head. "Aw who am I kidding. I'm Eric's sidekick. He's the real stud here, right Godfrey?" He elbowed Eric playfully.

"Yeah right," he scoffed, standing up. "In my dreams."

"Say, we all have the same class next, don't we?" Kyle asked. Eric nodded, looking at Kai. "Nice to meet you." Kyle said to Kailey, nodding at her before walking away, his energy seemingly never ending. Eric waited patiently for her, then walked with her to the next class, making small talk and joking the entire way.

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

History was a class Eric personally didn't love, but he did enjoy some things about it. He usually always sat next to Kyle, but today he sat next to Kai, to which his friend gave him a teasing look with raised brows and a kissy face. Eric looked at him like he was ridiculous, promptly ignoring any more faces his friend made towards him, trying his best to hold back a smile.

"Fair warning," Eric whispered to Kai. "Boring class...boring teacher. But he's a bit stern. In other words...don't follow Kyle's oh so brilliant example."

"Feeding her lies, I see." Kyle teased, leaning in to his friend. He sat on the left side of Kailey, the poor girl now trapped between the two young teenage boys. One of which was exceptionally hyper, and the other exceptionally sweet and calm.

"Rubbish," Eric argued, but a grin on his face. "Of the two of us...who gets sent to the office more, may I ask?"

Kyle scoffed, leaning back in his seat. "Pfff means nothing." Eric gave him a teasingly smug smile, leaning back in his seat as well, satisfied with his efforts.

Eric shrugged, observing Kyles crowded table. "I usually walk in with him." he said. "When I walk in with him, the girls usually dissipate. It must either be too nervewracking to approach two guys or I just must be too hidious." He gave her a charming grin before turning back to his food. Her response to him not having a girlfriend was funny and cute, and he kept a small smile on his face as he said,

"You have nothing to worry about." Despite how many girls approached him weekly, Eric never agreed to hang out outside of school. Dating in middle school was simply worthless, because no one was mature enough to understand what love really was anyway, so why even try? It would only end in heartbreak, even someone inexperienced in relationships like himself knew that.

"You did surprise me though," he said in a lower voice so no one around them would hear. "With the hug and kiss. Caught me a bit off guard. But...it was nice. Thank you." He remembered the feeling he'd gotten when she'd thrown her arms around him in a big hug, and the light brush of her lips against his cheek. He could understand why most kids their age fell into crushes so easily, and mistook a crush for a relationship, because he found himself wanting to do the same thing.

He wanted to have a crush on her, but he had to keep reminding himself that it wasn't wise. They'd only just met this morning, and they weren't old enough to really value anything they could get yet. It wasn't worth it. Besides, they seemed to be making rather good friends of each other, and a stupid rushed middle school relationship would only tear that apart.

Thank god for mum. he thought to himself, his heart warming at the thought of her. She was the one who gave him talks, who helped him with homework, helped him through the struggle of lust last year when he'd been exposed to things he shouldn't have. He'd come out of it wiser and more mature, which is why he supposed he continued rejecting so many girls. His eyes had been opened, and he'd been taught the danger in experiencing things too early.

He chuckled at her smirk and comment about keeping Kyle's attention. "His attention span is pretty short, so you may have to work a little harder than you're anticipating." He gave her a friendly grin as she told him she'd have to agree with him, since he was sitting with her instead of Kyle. Her expression turned slightly more serious as she asked him a question.

"Kyle's a good kid," Eric told her. "I was mostly kidding. But...he's not the most loyal person when it comes to girls. He's fair. Not loyal." He gave her a look, hoping she'd understand what he meant. "He's never actually dated anyone, because he's not that dumb. Middle school's too young. But....he likes his girls and he likes to keep things even. He'll tell one girl one thing, tell her he'll hang out with her on a certain day, but end up hanging out with another girl, because she asked him first. He wants to spend time with everybody, make everybody happy. Not a great strategy to have if you're wanting a real relationship in my opinion."

He grinned at her again so she would know that his serious answer was over, and that he was on the verge of kidding again. "So at least in that aspect I am better company than he is." he teased her. "At least you know that I have nothing else on my slate, no other people to see or hang out with. I may not be as funny or energetic, but I'd at least like to think that I'm more dependable, if nothing else."

He listened to her as she responded to his comments. He nodded. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." he said. She would know, she was a girl. It may prove valuable to have a friend with all the right information. That is, unless she became an interested player. That would change things quite a bit.

He gave a grin as she told him her mother had said yes to him coming over, and shook his head at the comment about the mess. "You've just moved, no reason to be embarrassed by it."

He belted out a laugh as she pointed out the comment his mother had made, and how he was wrong. "Okay, okay," he conceded, trying to calm his giggles. "Maybe it has a little value." He brought the phone down to his lap and slightly under the table to answer. It was a normal action, but also one that was deliberate, because he didn't want Kai seeing the response he gave.

I'll be home in time. And actually...yes. She is.

He giggled again at her words, a smart and fast whip of a comeback. Eric was young, only thirteen years old, but when someone got him to laughing and giggling, he always managed to look at least two to three years younger, his happiness almost always contagious. It was yet another thing that set him apart from most of the boys in his grade and up. Most of them were afraid to smile, afraid to show any sort of vulnerability because they were "too cool." They wouldn't laugh at anything or anyone unless it was a bro who made them laugh, or if they were picking on someone. No way would half the boys ever laugh at something a girl said, let alone a girl a grade younger than themselves. Most of them wouldn't even spend time with a girl a grade younger unless they were interested in a date.

Eric was glad Kai seemed to hit it off with Kyle, although he was a bit surprised at how quickly she was comfortable teasing him. It made him slightly nervous, because that kind of teasing could easily prompt Kyle into thinking it was flirting, and by the looks of things...he'd taken it as such.

"Oh well uh...thanks!" Kyle responded to her, shifting on his feet and glancing at Eric. He wanted to tell Kyle that she was kidding, and that her words weren't meant to actually degrade Eric's appearance. She wasn't really flirting with Kyle, but he didn't know how to tell him that without making things awkward. Kyle had responded pretty quickly, and his actions from someone like Kai's point of view showed no sign of being uncomfortable. But Eric knew him well enough by now to pick up on the subtle signs.

It became slightly more obvious however, when Kyle left in a hurry. Despite wanting to explain to his friend the truth, Eric decided to stay back with Kailey, not wanting to ditch her randomly too.

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

By the time they'd made it to History, Kyle seemed to have completely forgotten about the small incident, acting just as crazy and energetic as he did all the time. Kyle sassily and playfully made a face right back at Kai, giggling as she did before he and Eric started to teasingly bicker back and forth.

Eric smiled at her, noticing her wave at Mary and Anna. He nodded to them as a greeting, but quickly turned back around to face Kyle, so he missed the small wave to him by Anna.

As soon as the teacher spoke, Kyle snorted a laugh, prompting a glare from him. Eric tried hard to keep his laughter at bay, but watching Kyle was doing absolutely nothing to help him. By the time Mr. Hooker was on the third repeat of instructions, Kyle was leaning over whispering to Eric and throwing things at him trying to get his attention.

Eric was doing his best to ignore his friend, trying to keep a straight face and do as he was told, although it was proving harder and harder with each passing second. His attention was finally caught as he felt a wad of paper hit him lightly on the head. "Would you stop it?" he hissed, small giggles seeping through his scolding. He jumped slightly as the teacher loomed up behind Kyle, smacking him lightly on the back of the head with a small rolled up stack of papers. One glare and Kyle cowered, finally opening his book to the correct page.

Through the entirety of the class, Kyle was spacing off, whispering to people, tossing notes to Eric, and being in general...a distraction to everyone involved. He was smacked with the rolled up papers at least three times in total, finally being scolded and asked to go to the office.

Eric raised his brows at his friend with a smirk, an "I told you so" look in his eyes. Kyle playfully stuck out his tongue at Eric and walked breezily out, having not been fazed at all. This was of course at least his hundreth time going to the office this year so far. At least he'd been around for the group pairings, but he would be missing out on the final instructions. Poor Mary would have to be the one responsible to relay the important things. Not that Kyle would do much on it anyway.

Eric was pleased to know that he'd been partnered up with Kai and Anna. He knew Anna, but hardly ever spoke to her, so it would be interesting.

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

The bell to dismiss the students finally rang, and Eric stood up quickly, throwing his bag over his shoulder, grabbing his things, and walking out the classroom door. He headed straight to his locker, dumping all the things he wouldn't need until tomorrow inside, and then making his way to the main doors to wait for Kai. He usually walked home, since he lived in town, but he wasn't sure what Kailey's plans were. Would her parents pick her up? Or would they walk?

He leaned up against the wall, the sun shining through the glass paned doors and giving an amber glow to his dark brown hair. His icy eyes now had a tinge of gold from the sun's rays, making them appear for a moment like a sunrise. Kids bustled about around him, pushing their way past and leaving the school, leaping down the concrete steps and flying to their cars.

"Hey, you have plans today?" Kyle asked, rushing up to him. Eric quietly nodded, feeling slightly guilty. He hadn't even asked Kyle if he'd wanted to do anything today.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "Yeah, I'm...going to Kai's place." Kyle's face quickly changed into a knowing smile, a teasing light igniting his eyes.

"Ooooohhhh." He elbowed his friend, pushing open the door. "She won't be able to help but fall in love!!" he yelled playfully as he hurried out the door, his voice fading as he walked. Eric shook his head, grinning to himself. Such a nut.

By his tone change, her gaze darted back to him, and she felt nervous. She was hoping that her guess was wrong, but she figured he was finally deciding to confront her about it. He had said they were friends, so hopefully, he wouldn't be too annoyed. She blushed a little, "Yeah....You were a knight in shining armor. According to tradition, I was supposed to reward you properly," she kept her tone light and teasing like she didn't find this topic of conversation awkward.

When the conversation changed to Kyle, she relaxed more. It was off of her awkward decision making. She made a gesture as if she were saying awww rats! She nodded her head at this clarification. "I get it now. He's a good friend, but not what I am looking for in a relationship," she raised a brow silently asking if this was correct. Her eyes widened slightly, as he explained in more detail. "Ohhh. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, but I can't imagine trying to juggle all of that, and running away from the furious girls." She grinned in agreement, "Yeah. If you annoy too many girls, one of them will get you, and then where will you be? I swear, dealing with a bunch of sharky girls would be terrifying."

She nodded her head, "For sure. I prefer my plans to not change, once I have made them. I dislike others not respecting my time." She gave him a reproachful look. He at least had Kyle to hang out with, and who knows who else. She smiled sweetly, since she wasn't going out of her way to contradict his statement about not being super funny and energetic. Hopefully, her decision didn't give off crush vibes. She started gently kicking one leg to release some of the tension. "Yes, I am full of valuable information, that might be wrong," she joshed.

When she finally got him to concede defeat about looks, her posture was relaxed and smug. She noted the way he put his phone down, and she almost started leaning over to be nosy, when she realized that he might be purposefully keeping it from her. She was tempted to tease him by asking, if he mentioned her ravishing appearance to his mom. She already knew the answer, because he had called her pretty at least three times. She was glad that she was able to make him laugh, a smile of her own spreading to her cheeks, and she decided not to mess up the moment, if she could help it. Kai was totally ignorant of a debacle in the making with Kyle.

Even though they amused her, after a bit of bickering, she was finished listening to them, and her attention moved elsewhere. Kai did her best to ignore their mischievious behavior, because she didn't want to be included in the punishment, that was sure to follow. She wanted to shove him, because Mr. Hooker had deigned to leave his desk. Someone was about to get into trouble, and it had better not be her. Kai was surprised the teacher had whapped Kyle, even though he deserved it.

Perhaps Kyle could get some legal rettribution when he was old, bitter, and had nothing better to do. Kai had a hard time concentrating on an already boring class. Kyle worked effeciently. She was surprised he didn't move back to talk to Anna and Mary. She felt bad as he was escorted out, but he had thoroughly deserved it, and he was enjoying it. He was probably relieved to escape class. She felt bad for one of the girls who had helped her earlier. It already looked like that studious girl would be doing all of the work. Kai was excited that she would get some time with Anna.

It would be awesome to make some female friends. As great as Eric was, there were just some things he could never understand. Besides, if she had a crush on him, she couldn't talk about it, to him. "When do you want to meet up?" she asked them. She wanted to get ideas rolling soon. She hated to procrastiante and rush at the end. It was so nerve wrecking.

~~~~

Kai had almost forgotten that he was coming with her. She wondered if she should try to go find her own locker. She might need most of this stuff for homework. She realized she also needed to find her glasses. Hopefully, they were at home, because she had no memory of where she could have left them. She headed toward the front to wait for her mom. Her mom didn't know this area, so she didn't trust it. She was coming to pick Kai up. Kai came up in time to see Kyle leave. She was about to ask Eric what had happened, when she saw her mom's car, and beckoned him to follow. She slid in first, leaving him the seat closest to the way they got in.

"Hey Eric how are you?" Lisa turned around most of the way to get a good look. "Kai, how was your first day of school here?" Lisa asked them.

"It was fine. You know the way school is," she told her mom, but leaving something in her tone, so her mom would know to ask more later.

"Eric, how long do we get to keep you?" she asked him, "Do you know how your mom wanted us to get you home?" she smiled in the rearview mirror at her daughter, with a knowing look. Kai could tell her mom thought Eric was cute, and she tried not to roll her eyes.

"Here we are. Home sweet home," she told Eric.

Before she darted out of the car, her mother gave her a warning look. No boys near her room. When she was younger, Kai had been oblivious, and she had not listened at all. After she had been given the facts of life, she was more understanding, and cautious.

"What do you want to do? Most of the stuff is still wrapped up. Perhaps we could go to the park nearby or something," she suggested.

He narrowed his eyes slightly in confusion but kept a small grin on his face so she wouldn't think he was mad at him. "No, of course not." he said. "I mean...I guess yes in a way but I'm not upset about it. There have been some other days where I've lost my seat over there, so it's not your fault."

Upon mentioning the hug and kiss, he noticed the slight blush rush across her cheeks, which only increased his already sweet smile. He giggled at her words, shaking his head. "Never been called a knight in shining armor before," he commented. "But I'll take it." He nodded as she raised her brow in question regarding Kyle. Her responses to his explanation made him smile. "Yeah, I have a hard of enough time as it is rejecting all of them. I don't know how he can handle doing both so constantly."

He was glad to have confirmation from her that he was good company, someone who didn't waste her time. Her sweet smile reflected his own from earlier, and getting that look from a pretty girl was always cause for a slight blush. His observant eye noticed the subtle bouncing in her body, indicating that she was tapping her leg under the table, and he wondered briefly why. He only ever did that when he was nervous or excited and trying to contain the emotions. But he didn't dwell on it much, brushing it aside.

In class it was hard to focus much on anything with Kyle going on about his daily distractions, but Eric somehow managed to stay out of it, keeping his attention mostly on the work that was supposed to be done. Except for the occasional glare or whispered word to Kyle, or a stolen glance or two at Kailey.

The group agreed to meet up over the weekend for a couple hours to get some ideas going and maybe even start on the actual project.

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

Eric turned to face Kai as she approached him, giving her a friendly grin and nod. "Is your mom picking us up or are we walking?" he asked. It seemed just as the words left his mouth, the glint of a car pulling up bounced of the glass doors, and Kai beckoned him to follow. For some reason, he was starting to get a little nervous.

I've never been nervous going to a friend's house before. he thought to himself as he followed her quietly out, his innate shyness starting to seep through his demeanor although he was begging it to stay hidden. He hated that he was shy. It prevented him from making friends easily, because he was never brave enough to approach someone first. He'd only become friends with Kyle because they were both on the basketball team and Kyle had done the approaching. The boy was friends with almost everyone it seemed, and Eric couldn't understand.

He couldn't imagine having so much energy built up inside, he couldn't imagine how easy it being to just walk up to someone you don't know at all and start a conversation. Both Kyle and Kailey had done so, neither of them were friends because of him. Both had approached him and started a conversation in some way, which then prompted him to speak and show his colors. Eric would gladly talk to those who talked to him, but the thought of going up to someone he didn't know was nervewracking and embarrassing. What if he said something stupid? What if the other person thought he was an idiot?

He continued to think over these small anxieties as they drew closer to Kai's mom's vehicle, finally forcing them to the back of his mind as he slipped in the car behind her. He pulled the door shut and buckled himself in, glancing up to her mother and giving her a friendly smile as she greeted him. But the shyness was far more obvious now than before, glimmering in his eyes, hidden in his smile, and evident in his posture.

"Hello," he said in response. "I'm doing good." Her mother asked Kai how the first day of school was, and he noticed her answer to be a bit vague. It made sense, for he wouldn't want to talk about being bullied racially on his first day in front of a friend, either. Even if that friend had witnessed most of it. Who knew what her mom would say? It could turn into something awkward pretty quickly, so he valued Kai's wise decision to leave it private.

Her mother asked him how long he would be over, and how he would be going home. He remembered the bus pulling up to his house and then just a few blocks away was Kai's, so he felt confident enough in walking. "She told me I had to be home in time to eat with them. We usually eat around six or six thirty. And I can walk home, it's not a problem. She may decide to pick me up, but I don't know."

As they pulled up to the house, Eric got out of the car and followed behind them. Partly out of shyness and partly because he'd been taught to let women go first, to stay behind. There were two reasons this was, he suspected. Politeness and protectiveness. To be the outer layer of protectiveness if something or someone decided to jump from behind.

He shifted on his feet a little, glancing around. His attention was brought back to Kai as she asked him what he wanted to do. "The park is always fun," he said. His eyes brightened as a thought entered his mind. "Do you have any basketballs?" he asked. "If we go to the park we could shoot around or something." A teasing smile crossed his face. "Or play a game of one on one if you think you can beat me."

When she began to talk, it was often more of a monologue out loud, but it got others involved. She'd start conversations with people who passed through her life, and sometimes it was a little forced, because they didn't have a choice in the matter. She didn't realize it was her willingness to talk to random people that won her the ability to have lots of friends, and people to hang out with. She was glad that Eric wasn't super quiet. It was awkward trying to get a conversation going when the really quiet person either was too anxious or unwilling to hold up their end. It was very discouraging. Kai couldn't start talking to her mom about her bad day.

She knew her mom would want to verbally light into anyone who had dared insult her child, and she might try to bring in the principal, and that's not how she wanted to be remembered from her first day of school. Even though it made Kai feel good and loved, she didn't want to watch her mother stew, if that boy's name was ever brought up again. Besides, she didn't want to scare Eric off. Her mother was quite the fierce mother bear, and she wasn't sure how cemented her friendship was with Eric. He might think her family was berserk, and never be willing to come over again.

On one hand it would definitely warn Eric that if he was going to ever be a jerk, her mother would jerk a knot in him. She also knew that her mother's vocabulary would be quite verbose, and her mother wouldn't appreciate it if she had an audience witness her use it. Besides, there were a few private things she would want to add. Her mother's brown eyes were quite excited for her daughter. It was her first friend here, and a cute boy to boot. She had been nervous for her daughters, but Kai had already made a friend. As she looked into the rearview mirror to check on them, and make sure everyone was buckled before she pulled out, her eyes passed over another mirror, and noticed that her straight brown hair with blond highlights had become slightly frizzed and needed to be brushed again.

She normally tried to keep tidy, but she decided it was fine. She had been home alone all day sorting out the house, and she hadn't bothered to spend much time on her appearance. She tried to joke with a smile, "Sorry we're not presenting our best foot forward. Everything's a bit of a mess," she gave a chuckle. "Oh honey," Lisa sounded concerned. "I'm driving you home, or your momma will come get you." She wouldn't let her own kid walk home unless maybe it was in the same neighborhood, and she hoped that when Kai went over to friend's houses, they would take care of her and watch over her.

She asked how long he was staying just in case she needed to plan ahead meal wise. She wouldn't want to fix something that he hated, and she would want to make sure he got home in plenty of time. Sometimes she felt weird, when guys let her go first. She would prefer if they were beside her, so she didn't have to turn one hundred and eighty degrees to talk. In her own house on her own turf, even though it didn't quite feel like hers yet, it gave her a certain amount of confidence, even though she was slightly worried he wouldn't like it here. She understood why she should lead, because it would be awkward wandering around someone's house, trying to read their minds about which direction the host wanted her to head in.

Once they got to the house, they exited the car in the garage, and the family members went their separate ways. The house was a medium sized brick house. Kai had to give him the grand tour, and show him their glorious messiness. When she came upon them, she introduced the cats to him, "These are my four cats: Perry P. Plum, Toby Opossum, Ms. Regina, and Polly." She pet fluffy Polly a delightful smoky gray. Ms. Regina was a black cat with black fur. Toby Oppossum looked like a siamese, and Perry P. Plum was a yellow tabby. She waved to her sister, as she went by. Her sister had sat in the front seat on the way home, so she could avoid the younger ones in the back, and they hadn't seen much of her.

Now that they were finished with that, they still had time to fill. "I'm not sure. We're not big on basketball around here. Maybe there will be some at the park." She gave him a grin, "I think I might be able to beat you at a game of horse or pig. I don't think I can beat you at 1x1. If we do 1x1 I don't want the outcome to change, but I would appreciate it if you weren't as aggressive as you would be at a game. At least not until I get into the zone where I don't mind pushing you around and getting shoved back," she grinned slightly.

"Eventually, I'll get that competitive. Mainly, I don't want it to be like playing with my dad. I tried it once, and he trampled my toes, so if you are trying so hard that my toes get trampled, it's too far, unless that's normal, and I should accept it." Kai had found that she had a natural knack for aiming. Even though she didn't practice, each year it improved. She beckoned him to follow her to the garage where she rumaged around. When she found a flat basketball, she sighed, "This is what we've got." It still maintained a round shape, but it bounced around to their knee level, maybe hip if they did it right. "Hopefully, there is something better at the park. If not, I think we can at least try to shoot hoops with it, right?"

Eric shook his head at Kai's mom's words. "No worries," he said. It wasn't as messy as some houses were, for he'd been to worse. It actually looked to be cleaner than some houses he'd been to, which was saying something considering they'd just moved in.

He gave her mother a smile as she told him she'd drive him home. It wasn't a problem for him to walk, for he only lived a few blocks down, but he wouldn't refuse her offer. His mother probably wouldn't want him walking in the evening by himself anyway. "Thank you." He told her a bit shyly, ducking his head slightly at her.

Eric followed Kai as she showed him through the house. His eyes lit up with boyish joy at each cat they came upon. His family didn't own cats, he only had one dog because his father thought cats were just vermin. It took enough persuasion from his mother to convince Erics father to let him have a dog. He couldn't imagine how wanting a cat would go over.

Each time a cat was shown to him, he bent down and slowly reached out, holding out his hand gently and waiting for the animal to come to him rather than the other way around. Eric was used to rough housing with his dog, which in turn made him a little anxious aeilound cats. The cats were much smaller and more fragile than Gunner was, and so he was afraid to make any sudden or bold movements.

Eric was slightly disappointed that her family wasn't into basketball. But it didn't bother him too much. His eyes lit up at her challenge. "Horse or pig sounds fine to me," he said. He couldn't imagine really playing 1x1 with her and going full charge. Despite his quiet and reserved nature, in basketball he could get quite aggressive, and he wouldn't put that risk on her. If he were to play 1x1 there was no way he would go all out.

"Trampling toes is fairly normal," he said, grinning back at her. "But not as normal as spraining an ankle." He made a face, remembering the flaring pain he'd felt when he'd torn a ligament last year. He hated being out for the rest of the season, and now he had to wear ankle braces each game. It was a bit annoying to have to deal with, but it only took a second to put them on and they worked wonders. He hadn't had an ankle injury since.

She beckoned him to follow her, so he did, and she led him out to the garage. After a moment or two of rummaging around, she pulled out a basketball. But to his slight disappointment....it was flat. He gently took it from her hands, bouncing it, the ball making it a poor distance up to his thigh and straight back down. He sighed quietly and held it against his side.

"Yeah," he answered. "There's a good chance of there being good basketballs there. And if not...we can try a go with this one. May have to invent some new form of a game to fit with it." He got a playful gleam in his eye as he thought about it. Making up new rules and adjusting an already well known game would be pretty fun now that he was thinking about it.

Once at the park, they found a couple of well inflated basketballs to Eric's delight. He set her flat one down in a spot separate from the rest so they wouldn't forget it, and grabbed two of the well inflated ones. He tossed one to her and began walking slowly towards one of the goals, bouncing it between his legs with each step like they'd been taught to do in practice. Eric himself was a fairly good ball handler, but he was even better at defense. It was easy for him to fumble the ball in a game because he was more stressed, so it was easier for him to trip up. But when he was on his own, he went slower, and he was able to handle the ball pretty well.

Defense however...he was always good at. He never failed to steal a pass, steal the ball, or slap it away from the other team. His shooting was above average as well, and he took pride in that. "You go first," he told her, the playful gleam lighting up his eyes once again. He was impressed by her aim and her ability to make a good percentage of her shots without having ever really played basketball before. He liked a little competition, so he was glad she had good aim. It would have been a pretty boring game if she had little to no ability to shoot whatsoever.

On the last round, he backed up a few feet past the three point line, giving her an ornery grin. If he made it...she'd have to make it too. If he made it and she didn't...she'd lose the game and he'd win. If he missed, she chose the next spot and she'd have a higher chance of winning. He already had H-O-R-S, and having one letter left was a bit stressful, especially considering that he shot really well. This game sure wasn't proving that point.

He took a brief moment to aim, and then shot. He watched in minor suspense as the ball arched into the air. His excitement peaked to its limit as the ball swished straight through the net with a satisfying sound, having not hit the rim at all but instead went straight into the basket.

"Let's goooooo!!" he shouted, pumping his arm into the air and laughing. "One hundred percent was NOT expecting that to go in!" He let out an excited laugh once more and took a step back, motioning to the spot where he once stood. "M'lady," he teasingly said, bowing. "Beat that and we call it a tie, sound good?" He knew the time was inching closer and closer for him to go home, so they shouldn't be out here for too much longer.

Once the game was done, he made sure to grab the basketball that they'd brought with them, bouncing it a couple of times just for pure amusement. They walked back to her house together, with him making slight jokes and talking with her. He made sure to thank her family for letting him come, and waited outside for his mom to pull up.

Rose greeted him lovingly, but an ornery gleam was in her eyes, as if she had many things hidden inside that she wanted to tease him about in private.

Eric was thourougly embarrassed once home, teased by both his sister and mother about having a "girlfriend." In all honesty, he didn't mind too much, and unlike many of the other boys his age...he didn't let any amount of teasing stop him from hanging out with her. Surprisingly, Kyle slipped in rather easily into the friendship with her, and the three of them became a tight knitted group. Kai had her own little group of female friends as well, and slowly but surely Anna and Mary worked their way into Eric and Kyle's hearts. Kyle was quicker to accept them into the group than Eric was, purely because for Kyle...the more girls the merrier. For Eric...it took quite a bit. Not that he didn't like them, for he did, but he was more hesitant to expand the group because he didn't like being in a big group. He often separated himself on a daily basis from Kyle because the kid had such a large following. But he finally let his guard down and allowed both Anna and Mary to earn his trust. While he liked them both, he had more of a liking towards Mary, simply because she was quieter and more reserved, not as loud as Anna was. Eric had a pretty obvious favorite amongst the girls in the group, and he was still unsure why. He didn't know why he trusted Kai so much so quickly, and he couldn't understand how exactly she differed from everyone else. But she did...and he loved it. She was energetic in a way that he wasn't, but also in a way that wasn't loud and in his face like Anna was.

The rest of the year ran pretty smoothly, and only two of his closest friends knew the pain he was slowly starting to go through. Towards the end of the school year, Eric's mother had revealed to her children about her cancer. She had known for quite awhile, but kept it hidden from her kids. Because it had gotten worse, she decided to tell them. Eric was in a constant state of stress, bottling it up during the day as best as he could in order not to make everyone else feel uncomfortable. But it was hard. Especially knowing that each treatment she got, each appointment she had...was doing little to no good at all.

By mid-summer, Rose Godfrey's health had declined significantly, and her family recieved news that the cancer could not be treated. Eric would never forget the day he stepped into the hospital with his father and Summer, the reality of the situation hanging above his head but not yet dawning on him. Stepping into the room, he wanted to burst into tears straight away. The slow beeping of the heart monitor filled his ears, and Summer's quiet cries tugged at his heart. His father was stoic as always, a grim expression on his face and his jaw set sternly.

"Is she gonna be okay, Dad?" he asked quietly, nervously. His voice had started to change and mature over the course of the rest of his 8th grade year and into the summer, but it had still not yet gotten there fully. It still cracked randomly, but not near as bad as it had been.

There was no answer to his question. He balled his fists together and stood still, looking back over towards the hospital bed. "She's gonna be okay," he answered himself, since no one else was. "She'll be fine, she's gonna be okay."

"She's on her death bed, dammit boy!" David scolded his son, fiercely removing his cap and walking briskly out of the room. A soft sob escaped Summer's throat. Eric's expression had changed from hopeful to solemn. His jaw was clenched tightly, so much so that it was beginning to burn.

"Eric, sweetheart..." Rose's voice called softly out to him. He walked slowly forward, the reality slowly starting to set in as he gazed upon her face. Her once long dark hair was gone, and her blue eyes were dim and grey. She shakily reached out a hand to him and he shakily took it, his expression still holding up the same. The only difference being a solitary tear that rolled down his cheek.

"Mom," he choked out, swallowing the lump in his throat. She reached weakly up to his head, running her fingers through his dark and wavy hair. "Don't cry," she whispered. "I'll always be here."

"No," he whispered back, another tear leaking out. "No you won't. Mom...Mom you're dying."

"Shhh," she whispered, brushing a finger along his cheek and wiping away the tear. She took a moment, her eyes examining the features of his face, as if she was memorizing every line, every curve. "You've grown up since last visit." She gave a weak smile and brushed the hair out of his eyes. "He still didn't get you that haircut, did he?"

"Mom," Eric choked out, shifting on his feet. Why was she ignoring it? Why was she ignoring the fact that she was dying? How was she so calm? How was she not crying? "Mom please..."

"Listen to me Eric," she whispered calmly, running her thumb over the side of his hand. "I want you to do exactly what you told me you were going to do before you knew about any of this, do you remember what that was?"

He nodded slowly, failing to hold back his tears any longer. "I will, Mom." he whispered, his voice cracking in sadness.

"Here," she whispered, reaching back and pulling something off the side table. "Take this. You know what this means?" She showed him the object, and his eyes widened slightly. It was a silver chain necklace, the pendant a silver circle with a cross and roses engraved in the middle. "This means that I'm always with you. This means that you still have hope, you still have love. Don't ever lose sight of that, baby. Never lose sight of that. Here." She handed the necklace over, the chain draping between his finger and thumb.

"I love you sweetheart..." she whispered. Eric couldn't hold back anything anymore. A sob left his throat and he broke, bending over and crying fiercely into his mother's shoulder, his knees eventually giving out and putting him in a kneeling position. His arms stayed wrapped tightly around her body, and tears flowed down his cheeks, his body trembling in despair.

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

The rest of the summer had been a solemn and stressful one for Eric as he tried to cope with the loss of his mother. He strayed from his friends, even Kai, locking himself in his room for days at a time, refusing to come down to eat until everyone was in bed. He couldn't face his father, and he couldn't deal with Summer.

His father's drinking habit had increased and turned into an addiction, causing him to come home drunk almost every night. Empty beer bottles lay strung around the house, and David's anger was lit far easier than it had been before.

Eric still texted his friends, but had refused to leave his house for the rest of the summer. By the time the school year rolled around again, he was both excited and very nervous to see them again. Especially Kailey. Summer drove herself and him to the school, neither of them talking the entire way there. He slung his back over one shoulder and walked silently up the concrete steps and inside.

He went straight to his new locker, opening the door and standing there for a moment in silence, staring inside of it. He no longer had a mother to go home to after a long day, no one to share a laugh with after school, no one to tease him about anything. No one to cuddle with, no one to sing with and to. He felt a warm tear slide down his cheek, but he brushed it quickly away, flinching as his hand bumped the blue and purple bruise splotched across his right cheek.

A small cut was in the process of healing above his left eyebrow, and his left hand's knuckles were slightly scabbed. He shut the locker door in silence, lifting his head and looking around to search for a familiar friendly face.

From her experience the nicer boys never went all out on the girls, so she didn't really expect him to. "Oh, just what I always wanted. A nice friendly game of will I sprain something?" she sighed, wishing she had something clever to say instead of sarcasm, which she fell back heavily on. When she showed him their basketball, she shrugged, finding herself strangely embarrassed, at the way they cared for the ball, "We don't play much, so it's not worth it blowing it up to play one game. I know it looks really sad," she had a hard time getting it to bounce higher than her hip, no matter how hard she tried. Her eyes brigthened, "A new game would be interesting. It would probably take us the whole time to invent it though."

Hopefully, there were better balls there, if they needed one. Kai kept one eye on her ball. Even if it was flat, she didn't want anyone taking it home with them. It was in decent condition, so it might be tempting for someone who has a ball pump at home. Whenever Kai played pig or horse, she felt like she was supposed to dribble the ball. She also felt silly, especially around someone who actually played basketball, because she didn't know what she was doing it or why, and it might look like she was trying to show off or something. She wasn't so clueless with the ball, that she couldn't dribble it slowly to whatever part of the court, she wanted to shoot from.

She felt like, because it was a basketball, she was supposed to dribble it, but she wasn't going to risk being silly by trying something fancier. It always took Kai a few shots to warm up, but once she got on a roll, she was in the zone, and wasn't an embarrassment to herself. Kai had a real knack for making the shots, when they counted. Namely, when she was showing off. She often failed to make a basket, that would keep her caught up, but sometimes, she felt like goofing off and showing off, and she almost always made it. At least it wasn't totally boring for Eric, even though she suspected that he might wish for a more challenging opponent.

Unforunately for her, Eric didn't become less accurate, when he went farther away, while more inexperienced people did. She had a disadvantage over distances, and she missed the last shot. She much preferred on leaving on a positive note for herself, so with a smirk, she grabbed the ball. Once she was a little closer, she did this weird hop thing, the ball launched away from her fingers, and it went through with a satifying swoosh without touching the rim. "Okay, let's go," she agreed. Kai was sort of intrigued about meeting Eric's mother. Since Summer and Rebecca were closer in age, she was curious if they might become friends. Once Eric left, she realized she would have to tell her mom about her day. Her sister was sure to want to hear it also.

Even though Rebecca always looked perfect, her sister was still willing to stand up for her, and even beat someone up, if hse really felt the need. It would only embarrass Kai being new and all, and not having a better reputation than that yet. Once he was gone, her sister floated into the room, and tried to imply that they were a thing. Stubbronly, Kai pretended that she had no idea what Rebecca was hinting at. Her mother waited for Rebeca to lose interest and go out of earshot before she began to talk to her daughter. Kai was relieved she hadn't told yet, because her mother was bubbling mad. Kai wasn't sure how to deal with it. She felt like she was supposed to calm it down, but it was useful. Kai told her mom it was just one bully, but that was far from convincing.

She found a few million ways to baffle each one of them. Surprisingly, Kai soon found her place, and they all grew quite close. She always had at least one person to hang out with. Even though Eric did well at keeping it quite, she did somehow figure out that his mother was sick. She felt distressed that she couldn't help, but it was obvious that everyone knew there wasn't much time left. Kai knew he was going through a very painful time. She couldn't imagine what it would be like, if her mother wasn't able to come back. Even so, she wished that he hadn't shut himself off so completely. She might not have been able to do much, but she had a feeling that she would have been able to show him that she loved him, and partially distracted him.

Kai wasn't sure if she was relieved that he wasn't going to any other friend either, or more concerned. Kai had imagined having more fun with her friends over the summer, but it was all overcast by Eric's loss. They were all wanting to help him. Kai knew it was rough at home, but how could she get him out of the house, if he was so determined to shut himself in? At least he had started messaging them again. She felt even more useless, since they couldn't talk.

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

Kai was a bit nervous for her first day of school. Even though she and Eric had become friends quickly, he hadn't wanted to depend on her during the rough times, so she wasn't sure how close of friends they actually were. She felt awkward not having been there for him, and it went against all of Kai's instincts. She wondered if she should have asked her mom to drop her off at his house, and be a persistent friend, but she was scared of Mr. Godfrey. Besides, there had to be a reason Eric didn't want to see their faces.

Kai was dropped off by her sister at the school, and she hustled into the building. Hopefully, she would get to see her friends before they headed to homeroom. Most of them had met up recently after recieving their schedules to see who would get to see each other during the day. She wasn't sure about Eric, since he hadn't met with them. She began roaming the school looking for any of her friends. When Eric came into view, she hesitated with an awkward smile, as she made her way toward him. She knew life had been rough for him, but she decided she had to show that she cared. She gave him a hug. "How are you doing?" her smile was nervous but caring. "What classes do you have before lunch?"

When she realized that there was a tear sliding down his cheek, her mind began to race. What could she do? Should she invite him over? Would being around her mother hurt or help? She knew that when it came down to it, Lisa was very loving, and she wouldn't mind taking in another kid, and trying to give him that kind of love. It was something that Kai did with her mom. They were a team. Kai was outgoing and brought them home, her mother showed them love, and together they gave the kids a taste of what Christianity was like. They weren't always super close, but she knew her mother managed to wedge her way into many people's hearts.

When she heard some noise, she turned and realized that Anna and Mary had arrived. They had been looking for her, even though Anna wouldn't admit that she had also been looking for Eric. They looked as nervous as Kai felt, and they weren't as warm and welcoming. They made things more awkward and cool. Kai wanted to eye them to tell them what to do, but it was bound to make things more awkward instead of natural. Kai wished Kyle was here. He would balance out the gender field, and he was so light hearted that he knew how to smooth out situations. Besides, he knew Eric better than all of them, if he was paying attention.