Cory came walking in like nothing had happened. Concern spread across his face as he noticed each of his friends reactions to seeing him. He'd been gone for far too long and he knew that. He knew he shouldn't have pulled the stunt he did, but he just didn't know what else to do. None of them deserved it. Lea, especially. She had always been his rock. The one he went to when he was having problems, but for the first time, he couldn't. So he ran. Why had he disappeared? Things were getting so serious. He was going to move into her house as soon as he returned from Canada. Clearly, that didn't occur.
The moment he heard the news, he knew things were serious. Jason was gone. DEAD. Of an apparent overdose. All because of him. Jason, not Cory. But how was he supposed to explain that to everyone? Cory had a twin and he was suddenly gone. That fateful July day. He didn't know exactly what to do, so he just ran. Where could he go to? That hadn't crossed his mind. He had to figure it out. And fast. Before anyone realized that Cory was still alive.