Kai looked up, and noticed that Eric had finally come. Would she feel safer? Would she feel like more people were looking at them and judging them? Her will was crumbling away. She still wanted to leave, but there was no where to go. If she went home, her parents would ask what had happened, and she wasn't going to be telling them. Every where else in school probably had someone in the room. She couldn't hide in the offices, and the bathrooms were frequently used.

There just wasn't anywhere she could go, and she didn't want to hide in a classroom. It wasn't allowed. Besides, she might bump into some people using them when they weren't supposed to. They were supposed to stay where there was adult supervision. Why did she often feel safer with Eric around? He couldn't protect her from their words. Even though she was getting a little clingy with Eric, she supposed it was good that she had gotten some time to talk to the girls, but she wondered what had kept him late.

He was wet, and she knew that he had weights before lunch. She also remembered that he saw Daniel during weights. Had he said something? Had Eric done something? She felt like she was putting a lot of pressure on him to always be there for her. It wasn't his job to protect her unless he was already there. It was only someone's job to help her if they were there and wanted to be a decent human being. She couldn't make people go out of their way to help her. He couldn't do it forever, and it was unfair to expect him to.

He was holding his tray with cafeteria food. Even though she was upset, she could see that Eric hadn't gotten much to eat for lunch. It concerned her that he had lost so much weight. It told her of all the pressure and anxiety he was going through. Was keeping him safe worth all of this backlash and secret keeping? Could he have done fine in the park? Was it something pressing down on him with his dad besides just their problems? She couldn't ask about it with everyone else around.

He didn't know them, and she doubted that he would want the part of his life that he hadn't told anyone to be shared in the least little bit. If she weren't so upset herself, she would have tried to get him to eat. However, she assumed that he had heard what everyone was saying, so it might be hard to eat right now. He sat down near her, and she resisted the temptation to scoot closer. She took his hand under the table and gave it a squeeze before she held it normally.

She could see her friends were a little uncomfortable now that Eric was here, and she wished she had introduced them before. He was one of her best friends, and she didn't like it that they weren't comfortable around each other. She didn't tell them to leave or stay. It was their choice. They might not want to get mixed up in all of this. She began to sit up straight and look less upset. It was a work for her, but she hoped it would help the aura around the table improve.

"Hey Eric, what happened? Are you doing okay?" she implied asking why he was late. She wanted to know how he was handlign the new set of rumors, and possibly he might think she was also talking about his home life. She shrugged, "I don't know why I care. I'm tired of this, and it doesn't make sense." Her mind was churning trying to figure out how this rumor started. She assumed it was Harper's fault, but she wasn't sure who had added the pregnant part. She wondered if Daniel might have done it to be spiteful, and Harper had told Daniel. Someone could have started this rumor besides them, but she didn't see why they would.

They both sort of shrugged, when Eric asked them, "We weren't sure. Kai hasn't been keeping us in the loop. She's been spending a lot of time with you. It wasn't hard to believe. We don't think that it's true, because Kai says so, but we didn't know what to think."

She hated that her friends could think she might have done something like that. At least they still believed her. "Eric, you at least need to eat the food that you brought. You're getting to the point where it's unhealthy," she sort of rebuked him. She wasn't sure if she wanted to continue talking about the same thing. She needed to learn how to ignore things. At least she had friends.

Her head turned surprised, when Jack stormed up. He was one of her guy friends. She wasn't super close to him, but they talked frequently enough. He looked mad and tense as he came boring in on them. "Jack?" she had a question in her tone. What was he doing?

"I know that Kai would never do something like that. You sicken me taking advantage of her good nature," he scowled at Eric. He was skinny without much muscle or fat. It made his definition much better, which made him look more muscular than he was. He was a few good inches shorter than Eric, and Kai was pretty sure he wouldn't stand a chance against him.

She wondered if she would have to intervene. "Jack!" she said to get his attention. When he was looking at her, she began, "Jack, nothing happened between me and Eric. Thanks for defending me, but nothing happened." Technically something had happened, but she wasn't sure how much she should say or how much of it was their business. She wondered if spreading rumors could count as bullying. "Want to sit with us?" she asked after a moment, when he was still standing their befuddled.

He sat down after a moment. "What's going on?" he asked them.

She sort of hoped that Eric would tell them. She didn't want to talk about prom, but she felt that it might give them some insight to why this was happening. "I think Daniel and Harper hate us," she began knowing that was probably the wrong sentence to begin explaining everything with. "They've been doing stuff for a long time, and I'm not sure what their intentions are." They had done some stuff at that first party where the rumors had started. There had been prom, and now there was this.

He felt the little squeeze her hand gave his as he first took it in hers, before her muscles relaxed and she held it normally. He could see that Kai was trying to sit up more straight and look less upset than she actually was, and while that was a strapping thing to do, he wasn't sure if it was best. How long could she keep doing it? Holding her chin up as the world around her continued to beat her and break her down, bit by bit, crumbling away her will to live and go on.

He knew firsthand how hard of an emotional effect that had. To keep everything inside, to try and appear fine when absolutely nothing around you was, when you just want things to stay the same and not have to deal with the new and intense problems that were blowing up around yourself. It was a brave thing to do, but very dangerous.

She asked him what happened, and if he was doing okay, and he simply shrugged. He wasn't sure if he wanted to tell her about the situation with Daniel. While he didn't like keeping things from her, he was worried that if he told her he'd made an offensive move on Daniel again that she'd start thinking of him as everyone else did, and he didn't want her scared of him. Besides, he didn't want to say that in front of her girl friends, either. Especially at lunch. It wasn't proper.

She said she didn't know why she cared, and that she was tired of everything, and he agreed. Why couldn't people just leave her alone? He once again felt a huge stab of guilt. If you never had screamed out like that in your head, if you never had spoken to her, never agreed to meet her in the park...none of this would be happening. This is your fault, you put her in this situation, you made her life miserable.

You're a monster.

He took a deep breath in, his emotions making it a bit more shaky than it should have been, and looked down at his lap. His eyes caught the image of them holding hands, and that only intensified the guilt. They weren't even an official couple. What was he thinking? What was he doing? Was he forcing her into a relationship she didn't want? How...how could she ever want to be romantically involved with him now? The rumors would only intensify.

He forced back the tears that wanted to fall. The words and answers from her friends only made it worse. By coming into her life, he'd stripped her away from them. They'd been friends longer, probably much longer than he and Kai had been, and the second he came into the picture they were shoved aside. "Well I promise it isn't true." he said to them. "I would never do something like that. I couldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do, let alone that." He glanced over at her, unsure what all she'd heard yet. But it made him angry how quickly people were jumping to conclusions. "So no, she isn't pregnant, and if all goes right she won't be for a long time." He started to say more, but Kai spoke first, scolding him a little about his eating.

He shifted a bit uncomfortably in his seat, unsure how to respond. The very thought of eating right now made his stomach churn, and as much as he wanted Kai to be happy and have one less thing to worry about...he couldn't eat. Not right now. "Kailey, I can't." he said, his voice coming out a little exasperated. "I-" he was cut short by the sound of footsteps storming up, and he turned to see a vaguely familiar face walking rather quickly up to the table. When Kai said his name, it clicked. He never knew this Jack guy personally, but he'd seen him around. He looked angry, and Eric was fully prepared to stand up and defend himself and Kai. But he decided against it for now and continued to sit, waiting to see what he wanted before doing something brash. But his emotions were charged and heated from everything already, and if he said one thing about Kai...

He started right in, blaming Eric for what the rumors were about, and surprisingly...Eric relaxed. At least he was directing his anger at him rather than Kai, and he was under the impression that Jack cared a great deal about Kai if he was brave enough to do this, and Eric instantly respected him for that. He didn't argue, he didn't say anything. He sat in silence, letting himself be berated with words just like at home he let himself be berated by fists.

Kai's voice rang out louder this time, calling Jack's name to stop. She quickly told him that nothing happened between them, and Eric sat silently, looking down at his lap. At this point in time his hand had slipped out of hers instead of holding on tighter. He was feeling like the worst person on the planet, and his grip on her both physically and mentally was beginning to falter.

You don't deserve her. His brain said. You brought her into this in the first place, everywhere you go trouble follows. She deserves much better than you. He was also beginning to wonder if he should rethink everything involving her. He wanted to still be friends with her, and he desperately wanted to be much more. But...he didn't know if that was a good idea at all. After all just being friends with her had started their own batch of rumors, now this! If they ever did get together...how bad would the rumors be then? What kind of emotional strain would that have on their relationship?

After a moment, Kai asked if Jack wanted to sit with them. He asked what all this was about, and by this point in time Eric was seriously thinking about standing up and leaving. He was so close to being done with life, and his anxiety continued to flood his brain with self depricating thoughts and blaming him for throwing Kai into such a horrible situation. His gaze still hadn't left his lap, and his eyes were beginning to sting, his throat beginning to tighten as he felt the emotional tidal wave about to rip loose.

Kai began with a vague explanation, and as soon as Daniel and Harper's names were spoken, he felt the first tear. He quickly brushed it away by rubbing the side of his face against his shoulder. "They've spread the rumors," he said quietly. He wanted to leave, but he didn't want to risk making Kai even more hurt or upset. As much as he didn't deserve her, as much as he loved her, the best thing in his state of mind right now was to leave. Disappear from her life and things would start to get better. But for some reason his heart told him to stay. Was it possible she needed him in her life? That he needed her? Even though she had this small group of friends?

"I don't know what all they've spread, and I don't know what all you've heard, but I can promise that next to none of it is true." he said quietly. He wanted to give more backstory, so they would understand better, but he knew Kai probably didn't want to speak of or hear about prom again. He felt another tear slowly start to escape, lining up at the edge of his eye ready to fall. He looked down at his lap again, and practically whispered the words,

"Please don't blame me for things I didn't do to her." His words were directed specifically at Jack, and he could hear the small but still present waver to his voice. He was done. He was done with this, ready to give up. But as long as Kai was still standing he would force himself to stand beside her through this. Sure, he'd been going through it years longer, and abuse at home didn't help at all, but even though he was weary and ready to fall, as long as she was still strong he would be too.

He had to be.

The tear fell, landing softly on his arm.

He did nothing to stop it.

Eric sat there in silence, his ears filling with the noise of the cafeteria, everyone's voices filling his head and jumbling together in a storm of words that made no sense. He wasn't really even focused on what they had been talking about anymore, for he was lost in his own thoughts and self hate. That's why Kai's touch startled him as she grabbed his hand and told him to follow.

Normally he would have argued and asked why, but he wasn't feeling like saying anything at all. He felt heavy and useless, like a dead body she had to keep lugging around until she found a place to bury him. He stopped for a second, pulling his hand out of hers. "Wait," he said quietly. He turned and grabbed his tray, going to the trash can and dumping the little amount of food that was on it, then set it on the counter to be washed. He then followed her out of the lunchroom and to a secluded place in the hallway. A corner rounded off by a wall, but they would be able to hear and see anyone coming.

She asked him if he wanted to say anything, and he simply shook his head no, feeling too weak and bad to even talk. His gaze still hadn't made its way to her face, his eyes still pinned on the floor and his chin down. She sighed and pulled him into a hug. At first, for a longer moment than he ever had in his life, he paused and didn't reciprocate. He felt terrible for dragging her into situations like this, and he knew the longer he stayed with her the worse it would get. But her words were true. He couldn't leave her, no matter how hard he tried.

His arms slowly came up to embrace her back, and once they were there, the feeling of having her in his arms again, her arms wrapped around him...he instinctively tightened the hug and pulled her closer. He felt like bursting into tears, but he knew now more than ever he shouldn't. He wanted to be done with emotions, and crying would resolve nothing.

"I'm sorry Kailey," he said softly, his voice trembling as he held back the tears. He knew she would know what he meant. He was sorry for ever even considering leaving her side, even if in his mind it would have been to help her. "I love you too." He was aware that lunch would be over relatively soon, and that kids would be passing this area. He wasn't sure what to do anymore. Should he continue to hug her? Hold hands? He knew he needed to dial back on everything else, because she wasn't his girlfriend. Not yet, anyway. But how was he supposed to show her that kind of affection and comfort in public if he couldn't hug or hold hands here? He was scared to do either for fear of the rumors getting worse.

He let go, pulling out of the hug and leaned his back against the wall behind him, sighing deeply. "Your knight in shining armour is crumbling away." he said, giving her a small self depricating smile. "I don't know how much longer he can keep standing." He reached gently out and took both of her hands in his, looking down at them and running his thumb over the side of her hand a couple times. After a moment of silence, his self hate began nagging at his mind again, continuing to throw insults at him and blame him for everything.

"Why do you still want to be around me?" he said so softly it was almost a whisper, his gaze on the floor. "Look at everything I've caused to happen to you. All these rumors, lies. This never would have happened if I had never even caught your attention in the first place." He shook his head, his hands loosening from hers and slipping out of their grasp. He finally looked back up at her.

"What if this gets worse?" he asked. "How much longer can you put up with this? How long can you keep standing before the weight of everything crushes you? How is it that you can still love me and want to be my friend when I'm the one that's causing you all this pain?" Finally, his voice cracked and gave out, and a couple tears fell from his eyes. He couldn't understand it at all! He loved her so much, and he hated the fact that all of this was happening to her solely becaus of the way he was and all the rumors surrounding him.

She was brave to have ever approached him at all, and he was so thankful that she still loved him, even through all of the pain she was going through because of him. He was thanful and grateful for her, and that fact alone made him love her all the more. But he couldn't wrap his head around it at all. Coming from a home like the one he was in, meant mess up once and you're cast out. He didn't fully understand this concept of making mistakes and still being loved.

It encouraged her to not act quite so morose. When she felt they were in a private enough of a place, she asked him if he wanted to say anything. Listlessly, he shook his head, and she wasn't sure if that was good or bad. He wasn't even looking her in the eye, which was a little awkward. She felt like he was trying to shut her out. She had taken him here, because she was going to jam her foot in the door before he closed it. She began to really worry, when he didn't hug back.

She knew that he loved her, but he might not think this was worth it. He might not be willing to fight for it like she was. She was willing to perservere against people, and she hoped he would be too. She relaxed and was relieved, when he returned the embrace. It was amazing how short it had been before the rumors had hurt them. She wasn't sure at first what he was sorry for, but she knew she would forgive him. She wasn't sure what to do, but she couldn't push him away just because other people wanted her to do.

Friends didn't do that. He let go and pulled away, so she did too. She looked at him trying to figure out what he was thinking. She gave him a little smile. "I know this is hard, but plenty of people have survived this kind of thing before. We can too. We'll persist even if we aren't thriving, but we will make it, and eventually we'l be okay." She didn't want to be annoyingly and sickeningly positive saying that this kind of thing could help them grow. It may very well be able to help them do that, but it would be super annoying. At least that is the way she would feel if people said that to her.

However, she knew that if anything was hard, she didn't do anything to get through it except keep doing what she normally did. Eventually, one day she would feel better, because time did help heal things. She gave him a small smile, "It's okay to crumble, but don't give up. You have to keep trying." She waited a moment knowing that silence would give him a chance to speak, and he probably would. She cocked her head not sure if she could pin point it on an exact thing. She looked intently at him giving him her full attention.

She always liked hanging out with him. She thought he was a nice guy. He cared for her, and she cared for him. She tried to care for people. She wanted to show him love, and she had to do that by showing that she wouldn't leave, because of other people. The only person she wanted to be able to chase her away from any of her friends or family was themselves. Hopefully, it would never come to that, but that was the only reason she wanted to be separated from them. She never wanted to be the person who walked out on someone else. "You didn't do this," her voice was gentle but stern.

"Unless you started the rumors," she said leaving that open. She didn't think he had done that, but she left that option open to him, if he was guilty of it. "Eric...Everything I've done. I've always been the one to reach out. I could have halted this friendship way before now, and I'm certainly not going to do it now that I care about you." She shrugged, "This may get worse, but it is not the end of the world. We can get through this. I can put up with it for as long as it lasts. I certainly won't like it, but I can do it. It may crush me sometimes or for a while, but it won't keep me down forever. You are not the one causing my pain. You aren't the one who is saying all of this stuff," she tried to reassure him not at all sure if she was doing it the right way.

She couldn't ask him what he needed her to say, because it wouldn't be as effective. His voice cracked, and she saw the tears slip out. She wondered if this would affect how she felt about him. It would be hard being with someone who she associated these feelings with. However, she threw those doubts to the side. Once things got better, it wouldn't mattera nymore. She took his hands in hers, because she felt like they needed some physical connection. "I'm not going anywhere. I wouldn't suggest it right now, but you wouldn't change my mind even if you kissed me in front of them," she told him. She was implying that the kiss would make the rumors worse. She might not think it was a good idea, and she wouldn't want to get into any type of trouble with her parents, but she wasn't going to let rumors stop her.

He knew her words were true, and he knew he needed to start trying to push through it instead of letting it bring him down. He tried to give her a smile, but his emotions were still churning heavily with guilt. "I know," he said softly.

Eric knew good and well that he wasn't the one who started the rumors, but he was the one who had so many rumors attatched to him, and he was the one who'd initiated the first kiss between them, the one who'd started any sort of affectionate relationship between the two of them. Even though he wasn't responsible for the rumors starting, he still felt responsible for part of it.

"I will keep trying," he told her as she went on. He was trying to reason with himself that leaving her wasn't the option. It would make things worse for the both of them. As he asked and explained his guilt towards the situation, she responded with stern confidence. She left the option open that he'd started the rumors, and he was a bit hurt by that. Of course he hadn't said anything. But it didn't matter. She had a right to think that.

She took his hands back and assured him that she wasn't going anywhere, and that was enough of a boost for him to stay beside her. If she wasn't leaving his side, he wouldn't either. He decided that if she was happy still being his friend, and if she didn't blame him for her pain, maybe it was best to stay with each other. Sure, he'd have to reconsider his option for dating her, at least postpone it for awhile longer yet, but that was okay. Timing in some instances could be everything. He needed to wait.

He actually was able to smile as she mentioned kissing in front of everyone, and he ducked his head slightly, looking in her eyes with an ever so slight blush on his cheeks. "If I could I would, believe me." he said softly, giggling a little. She always made everything better. The bell hadn't rang yet, but it would be soon. No one was in the hallway yet, and for a moment he really did consider kissing her. But he knew he needed to back off. They weren't a couple and they needed to stop acting like one. So instead of doing the impulsive thing, he pulled her slowly into a hug.

"I'll try to be better, okay?" he whispered, his heart thrumming steadily in his chest. His collar bone and chest seemed a little more narrow, sunken in, and he hoped she wouldn't say anything about it. He hadn't really been spending any extra time exercising either, so he knew his muscle mass would dwindle as well if he didn't start getting back into physical activity. He'd been spending so much time at home stressing and worrying, unable to focus on his health.

Maybe now he could start getting better.

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

It had been a little over a week since all the rumors had started, and they had only grown worse. But Eric and Kailey, while it did take a toll on them both, they had stuck together and relied on their friendship to keep them strong. She also had a small friend group of her own that was there to support her through this. Eric still wasn't completely comfortable around them yet, but he was getting better. They seemed to slowly be accepting him as well, and he and Jack were even able to joke around and have decent conversations at times when hanging out as one big group.

They both had been so absorbed in friendship and spending time with those who cared for them and helped them, that neither of them had realized how much the rumors had grown, and who all they were spreading to.

Eric walked up to his house, just getting home from school. He'd invited Kai over this evening to eat with he and his father, and hang out for a bit. David had been getting better with his drinking after the incident with Eric fleeing from home, and he hadn't had a woman in the house since. The two had been starting to spend at least a little more time together, even though it wasn't much, and to be honest Eric was really starting to hope for a good senior year with his father next year.

He had been foolish to ever believe so.

Eric walked up to the door, opening it and tossing his bag on the floor. The curtains were oddly pulled shut, even though it was nice outside and rather bright. "Dad?" he asked, feeling a bit strange. Where was he? Why were the curtains pulled shut? His truck was here, so he knew he was home. Uneasy, he reached down and grabbed his bag, starting to head upstairs. He had been planning on coming right home and asking permission one more time for Kailey to come. He'd asked yesterday, and David had said yes, but Eric knew his father's mind was apt to changing frequently, so he wanted to ask one more time to be sure.

But his father was nowhere to be seen, even though his truck was here, and for some reason it really was beginning to unnerve him. He walked slowly up the stairs to his room, opening the door and peeking inside. To his surprise, Gunner was nowhere to be seen, either. His kennel door was open, and his dishes were filled, but no dog anywhere. He tossed his bag on the bed and stood still for a moment bewildered, looking around his room. Everything seemed very...off.

He turned and headed back down the stairs and passed through his father's office to get to the hallway. As soon as the door shut behind him, the door to the mudroom opened, light flooding in. David stepped inside, having not seen Eric yet. He shut the rickety door with a creaky rattling sound, and stomped, shaking the mud off his boots.

"Dad?" Eric said, walking closer. "Where's Gunner?" David looked at him, his expression one of supressed anger, and when Eric looked closely, he could see how tense and clenched his jaw was. After no reply, he tried again. "Dad?"

"Get in the other room." David said swiftly, sternly. Eric's heart took a leap, and he backed up, letting his father brush past him first. He followed slowly, walking into the living room.

"I was...going to ask again if Kailey could come tonight." he said slowly, a little on edge. "Just to make sure?" David was knelt on the ground, untying his boots. His back was facing Eric, and as the question was asked, he stood up, throwing his boots harshly on the ground and whirling around to face him.

"Why don't you start rethinking that question?" he retorted. He stuck his hands in his pockets, and stood, glaring at Eric from underneath his ball cap. "What were you thinking?!" He suddenly yelled, tossing a hand. "How many fucking times have I told you to stay away from women like her?!" Eric was taken aback by the hostility and language that was suddenly used, and he was very confused as to what he was talking about. Was he talking about Kai?

"What?" he asked after a minute.

"No, Kailey can NOT come tonight!" he yelled. "You done messed up, boy! Both of you did! Is that why you're always hangin' out with her?! 'Cause she gives you want you want?"

"Dad, what are you talking about?" he asked, his own voice rising. He didn't like the tone he was using, and he sure didn't like what he was implying about Kai. She was not an easy girl, she was not a slut like Harper. What made him think that he could talk like that about her?

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Eric!" he shouted. "You thought you were being sneaky about it, weren't you? Thought you could get away with it? Well Eric, sex has consequences, especially when you aren't ready for it! When you aren't an adult!"

It suddenly clicked.

His father had been exposed to the rumors, and now he had it in his head that Kailey was pregnant, and Eric himself was the father.

Instead of responding the way he should have, Eric was baffled enough to question. How had his father found out? He'd thought it was all between the students at school!

"What?" he asked again. "Where...How...how did you-"

"How did I find out?" David interrupted, walking heavily towards his son. "One of your teachers called me, told me you and Kai have been acting stranger than normal, and your grades are slipping again." Eric was being backed up slowly but surely, his fear rising. "Said a lot of the kids know about you two sleeping together, she overheard a conversation at lunch."

"I swear, Dad, it's not true. You can't believe things like-"

"Why?" David yelled, tossing a hand again. "Why can't I believe what an adult has told me? Do you think I'm an idiot, boy?!" His already raised hand came to rest fiercely across Eric's jaw, sending him stumbling back into the wall. Eric knew that once his father had an idea in his head he did not let it up, and it was no use to argue.

"Please," Eric said, his eyes wide and frightened. He started to open his mouth, to say more, to argue, to prove that he was innocent to these lies, that he did nothing to make his father so angry. But it was too late, and as soon as any sort of sound left his mouth, as soon as any trace of defiance came onto his face, his head was smacked against the wall, and ringing commenced in his ears.

His vision dwindled out and went black, and his concious mind slipped away, pain throbbing through his skull.

She wasn't sure how her parents would react, but it wouldn't be good. Eric had already seemed a little faulty, so she was glad to have other friends to encourage her. She wasn't sure how she would be able to handle it if Eric got it into his head that she would be better without him, and then her parents jumped in, because they heard what had happened. It would be a catastrophe, and she would be stuck in the middle. It wasn't something she was sure she could handle, and she didn't see a way to fix it. She needed everyone's support, because she doubted that the rumors would disppear just because they stopped talking to each other.

She hated that Harper lived down the street. Now she was a little more secretive. After Harper must have been able to see Eric escaping, she kept her window and blinds very well shut. She was always nervous that Harper would tattle or she would try to come over. So far Harper hadn't tried blackmailing Kai. It was a small relief, and she sort of kept on expecting it. Perhaps Harper was happy that Kai wasn't as perfect as everyone seemed to think. Since Kai didn't want her parents to know about everything that was happening, she began to work to decieve them.

Kai had a hard time pretending that everything was okay at home. She found it hard to pretend at school too, and it was less important that she act happy there. They already knew that she was upset, so she let more of her emotions loose at school. She was a little more hesitant to invite Eric over after school. After a little standoffishness at first, she was glad that Jack and Eric got along. Once Eric got over their first meeting, and Jack learned that Eric really did care about her, they got along much better.

They certainly weren't best friends, but they were cordial to each other, and they could joke around. While she knew that Eric wasn't completely comfortable with her friends, she knew that he didn't mind that she hung out with them. He was still getting used to them. Kai often felt ragged and tired. The emotions were constant, and she often tried to hide them. It took a lot of hard work and self control. The best thing she knew to do was to ignore the rumors. They were loud and constant, but she focused on her friends, so the rumors didn't bother her.

Today Eric had invited her over. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go over. She still had some of her school work to work on. It was never ending. Sometimes she had a hard time getting it done, because she felt unmotivated to do it. It was hard to work through it, when she felt like doing nothing. Mr. Godfrey scared her, but she didn't want to disappoint Eric. They thought that it might be a good time to try for her to come over again. The last time had been a scaring experience, but they had decided to try to do a do-over.

Mr. Godfrey had backed off on his disapproval of Kai. At least he didn't forbid Eric to see her. When Eric's grades had begun to rise, and she thought he might finally approve of her. She had tried her best to be someone that he would approve of, but she wasn't exactly sure waht Eric's father wanted from her. She realized that if she wanted to be with Eric that was another reason to wait. Mr. Godfrey would never approve of her, if she fell prey to her feeligns. Eric didn't really tell her too much about what was going on at home, but she hadn't heard of him finding anymore women, when he was home.

She was hoping that meant that things were going well. She didn't want any fierce storms brewing ready to break upon them. Perhaps things would get better for them. She had decided to walk over to his house instead of driving. She didn't consider that she might want to make a quick exit from his house. The walk was nice and pleasant. she had started running again in the mornings. It had been hard, because she had already gotten out of shape. She was building herself back up again.

It had felt nice to feel her body working. By the time she was at his house, she was panting and she had heated up. When she reached the house, she stopped a moment trying to determine if there was a storm brewing. She was never here, so she doubted that she would be able to guess if she had come at a good time. She stood there, and she didn't hear anything that told her something was wrong or right. She was a little disappointed that Eric didn't come out and she didn't hear Gunner. She headed toward the front door quite a bit nervous. She hoped that Eric would answer the door, because she didn't know if she had the courage and fortitude to brave Mr. Godfrey. After a few knocks, she waited on the door step. She fidgeted anxiously, and fiddled with her fingers. She stared at the door waiting for someone. Soon she heard the sound of someone coming for the door.

"Hello?" A muffled voice said, seeming to come from far away. Eric felt like he was drifting in and out of heavy sleep, and no matter how much he wanted them to, his eyes would not open. His entire body felt numb and heavy, complete dead weight, but he was aware that he was laying on the floor. He could feel warmth on the back of his head, and a faint warmness trickling down his temple and across the bridge of his nose.

What was that throbbing on the back of his skull?

"Yes, hi, I need an ambulance." The voice spoke again, still sounding muffled and far away. "It's my son. He uh..he fell down the stairs and hit his head pretty good. He's bleeding and unconcious." The floor beneath his body vibrated softly, and Eric could hear the steady pulse of boots walking across the floor over to him. But even still, he couldn't raise his head or open his eyes.

"Yes, bleeding." The voice repeated, a little louder this time.

Bleeding? Blood? Is that what that warmth was? Where was he? What had happened? His mind went in and out of darkness for moments longer, before it finally gave out once more completely. He was awakened briefly to harsh white lighting blaring in his eyes, and serious throbbing pain in his skull. He could feel something being tightened rapidly around his bicep, but once again faded out from the world before his mind could piece together what was happening.

He didn't know how much later it was, but he awoke yet again briefly, laying in a bed. He could hear a steady beeping from somewhere near him, and he felt an odd stinging poking sensation in his hand. He was aware it was probably an IV tube, and he could hear a heart moniter. What happened? Was he seriously in the hospital?

He could hear voices down the hall talking quickly with each other, but no one seemed to be in the room with him. He wasn't awake for long before he lapsed back into a state of darkness.

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

"Come on boy," David grunted as he hooked a collar around Gunner's neck. The dog seemed apprehensive and standoffish, nervous. He didn't much care. He hooked on a leash and yanked him from his kennel, his blood boiling with what he'd been told. If Eric was going to keep going behind his back, keep disrespecting him, and making stupid mistakes...he didn't deserve the dog.

He hauled the middle aged dog out to his truck and threw him in, driving him down to a shelter. He didn't much care whether he was adopted out, killed, or what. He was too angry.

He'd just gotten home and was walking into the back yard when he heard Eric's car pull into the drive. Bastard was home. He stayed outside for a moment, fixing things up before walking in. As soon as Eric spoke his temper flared, and words were exchanged. He couldn't believe that Eric was denying it! Lying straight to his face! It was bad enough that he'd continued to see her in the first place after he told him not to. Sure, she'd helped him and he was grateful for that. He'd really started to like the girl for awhile, but now he'd lost all that respect. For she was a whore just like any other in this town, and his son was being manipulated by just that.

It was only when he'd heard the smack against the wall, and seen his son crumple lifelessly to the floor when his temper vanished. He'd been so angry, but now fear was coursing through his blood in replacement of that. What had he just done? He stood stiffly over Eric for a moment, and his eyes widened upon seeing blood begin to seep through his dark hair.

He quickly pulled out his phone, dialing for help. He knew he had to have an excuse for this, because deep down he knew what he was doing, what he had been doing for years on end now was illegal. The only thing his panicked mind could think of was falling down the stairs. That was reasonable, right? It could happen to anyone.

When the ambulance arrived, he drove behind them to the hospital. He had to sign some papers, and authoratize Eric's overnight stay there. The doctors said that as of now they were saying it to be a concussion, but they wouldn't be able to tell until he was fully awake and functional enough. They were going to run some blood tests and such, and David gave them permission to do everything they could.

He left in a hurry to go back home, preparing to pack up some things and head back to the hospital. He was guilty for what had happened, and he was genuinely frightened for his son's well being. He froze as he heard a knock at the door, and then a couple more. Who on earth....

Right. he thought. Dammit. Kailey. The Adair girl. She was supposed to be here for supper. While his anger began to rise again, he tried to press it down. He did not and would not hurt another person's child, especially not a girl. He walked quickly towards the door and swung it open, his gaze landing fiercely down at the young sophomore girl. It sickened him to think that Eric had done such a thing to her. Maybe she wasn't the one who'd influenced him. Maybe Eric himself had persuaded her or forced her into it. She was so young, so innocent looking. It made him sick to even think of the baby she was now being forced to carry.

"Miss Adair," he rumbled quietly, keeping his muscular bulk in the doorway so she couldn't come in. "Sorry to inform you of this, but we won't be eating together tonight. Eric isn't home, and he won't be back until tomorrow or a few days after. I apologize for the inconvenience."

Her eyes widened slightly which gave her a scared innocent maybe even deer in the head lights look. She didn't know if Eric would be able to protect her from his father, but she felt more safe with him around. Where was Eric? Mr. Godfrey didn't look pleased at all. She knew it was a mistake to try to come over here. Why had she thought it was a good idea? Because she wanted to know where Eric was, she began to pry into his thoughts. It was hard for her to pretend that she wasn't shocked at what she found.

When she peeked into his thoughts, she realized what he was thinking, and she wasn't sure what to do about it. It surprised her that he had heard about the rumors. She had a feeling that it was only a matter of time before it reached her parents. She couldn't start professing that she wasn't pregnant to anyone, because that never reassured anyone even though it would soon become apparent one way or the other. She also found out that Eric was in the hospital because of him.

Mr. Godfrey had hurt his son seriously. While she knew that Eric was hurt, and he had to go to the hospital, she still didn't know exactly what happened. How serious was the injury? She remembered seeing all of Eric's previous wounds, and she didn't think any of them had warranted a trip to the hospital. It must be something serious. She wondered if she should tell her parents about what Mr. Gofrey did to his son. She couldn't let this continue. She did notice that Mr. Godfrey felt guilty. He knew what he had done was wrong, and Kai didn't want him to forget.

She would have to be careful, because blowing up at him would be dangerous. She wanted to berate him for being a bad father. She might not be able to say anything about his choices he had made, but she could tell him that no good father would beat his son so much that he was sent to the hospital. She was a fairly weak girl by herself. It wouldn't take much for Mr. Godfrey to blow up at her, and send her to the hospital. "Oh," she said at first at Mr. Godfrey's announcement. "Where is he?" she asked wanting at least a partial confession from him. "He invited me over, so it's weird that he would go somewhere when he knew I was coming over."

She decided not to apologize about making him inconvenienced. How should she know? Eric had invited her over and it had been okay then. Hopefully, the way she phrased it made her seem fairly innocent. At least he would have to give her some type of explanation. Perhaps she might even be told that Eric was at the hospital and she could see him. She was becoming worried that more she thought about it. As soon as she went home, she would find the hospital that Eric had been taken to.

David stared at her, pondering on what to tell her. After a moment, he came to the conclusion that she seemed innocent enough. "Eric's in the hospital," he informed her. "Something happened, and it was serious enough for overnight hospitalization. We didn't have time to contact you, and I apologize for that." He started to shut the door, but paused, thinking a moment. "I also apologize for whatever incident happened between the two of you. I didn't raise him to fall so easily for such temptations."

His jaw tightened once again at the thought, and although he was guilty and scared of what he had done to Eric, he hoped that it would be a lesson well learned. Eric was a strong young man, and he was sure to pull through fine, but David was scared of the charges that may be pressed if he remembered any of what happened, and he was scared that there could be lasting effects on his son that he hadn't intended to happen.

David Godfrey most of the time was blind to Eric's life and activities, but he had started to notice the weight loss. He'd been subtly worried about it but never approached his son about the matter, for fear of another argument sparking. Despite all the incidents between father and son, David never fully intended to hurt Eric. He knew what he did was wrong, and he knew that his anger flared much too quickly and uncontrollably. He was aware that his drinking fueled those flames, and for awhile he had really tried to stop it. For awhile he was doing well, and he and Eric had begun to build a relationship, dare he think it.

But the word reached his ears of Kailey's pregnancy, and all trust and hope he'd built in Eric was lost. How could he be so foolish? How could he continue to disobey the one thing David asked of him? He gave Eric pretty free reign, and not many rules were laid down for him. He always saw Eric as a respectable young man, and never before had he proven himself to be edgy or disobedient. Not until Kai had come into the picture.

At first, Mr. Godfrey had blamed Kai Adair for the sudden shift in behaviour, but he discovered quickly that that was not the right thing to do. Perhaps it was his own fault for being so blind and naive to Eric's whereabouts and activities, he couldn't blame Kai for that. He stood for a moment longer in the doorway, his right side facing her as his left side was already partially inside the darkness of the house.

"You're a fine young woman, Kailey," he said quietly, his voice sounding solemn and sad, his mind flaring with regrets of all of his past actions inflicted on Eric and words that had sliced his skin. "I'm glad he has a friend like you in his life. I..." he trailed off for a bit, and then turned his gaze to her one last time. "I suggest you go home, no use stickin' around here." With that, he shut the door softly and stood inside his darkened house, staring at the staircase.

His eyes moved to the spot in which Eric had been shoved so mercilessly up against the wall by his own bare hands, and his chest tightened with guilt and anger at himself. He walked slowly over, placing his hand on the wall and removing his cap. He leaned his forehead against the wooden wall and closed his eyes, a single tear running down his face.

"I'm sorry Rose," he whispered aloud, his deceased wife's face glimmering in the back of his mind. "I failed again."