I'm sorry that I'm such a ditz. I'm sorry that if I write a chapter, it's a new story. I'm like Dr. Calamatis, I can't help it. I'm sorry. Don't hate me.

It had been about a month since Garfield Logan's ex-girlfriend, Tara, had run away. He was distraught. And not even because he really liked her, more because he'd broken up with her the night before she ran away. He couldn't help but think it was his fault. That was, of course, until he got his mail that morning.

"Gar, you've got a letter!" his adopted mother Rita called. He slid down the rail of their stair case, swiping the envelope from her hand and kissing her cheek at the same time.

"I wonder what. We already got my re-acceptance letter to the Jump Academy," Jump was odd and every year, if you didn't screw up too bad, they sent you another acceptance letter to let you know that you could still attend, "and I never get mail," he mused, his sock-clad feet making no noise against the hard wood floor as he padded into the den. "Hmm. No return address either." He slid a nail beneath the fold and opened it, none to gently, nearly ripping the letter itself in half.

He flipped it open and leaned back on the couch, throwing his legs up onto the table. "Feet down!" his mom called. He rolled his eyes, but did as he was told.

He read quietly;

"Dear Gar,

I want you to know, honestly, that it wasn't you. I ran away from home a while ago, and I've never stayed in one place for long. Jump was the longest I've ever been tied down, and that was just for three months. I'll miss you so much, and I just wanted you to know that it wasn't your fault I left. But when we broke up, which, funny enough I was starting to think we should anyways, I realized that I shouldn't be there anymore. I was going to risk my parents finding me. I really will miss you, you were the most fun person I've ever known, and Jump was the best place I've ever been. And believe me when I say, I've known a lot of people, seen a lot of places. But then, maybe we'll meet again in some other place. I'm bound to come back to Jump eventually.

See ya maybe,

Tara."

Gar was stumped by that one. He wasn't sure whether to be sad that he wouldn't see her again, or elated that it wasn't really his fault. He decided on elated. He always did prefer to focus on the positive. He set the letter down and headed for the kitchen. After that, he needed some tofu scrambled eggs.

"So, who was the letter from?" His dad asked.

"Tara. She explained why she left Jump," Gar wasn't really one of those teens who kept stuff from his parents. They were both psychiatrists and they thought it was healthier for him to share his thoughts.

"Tara... that was the pretty blonde girl, right?" his mother asked, arching a delicate brown eyebrow.

"Yeah, that would be her."

His dad shook his head, "Shame. She seemed so sweet, and she really seemed to like you."

"Nah. We weren't serious. It was just a fling," Gar assured them , shrugging. "Whelp, I gotta get to school. Love you guys, bye." He slipped into his shoes and bounded outside, where he knew Vic, his best friend would be waiting. He always was.

"Sup, BB," Vic said, holding out his fist. Gar bumped it with his own and dropped his bag at his feet as he shut the door. BB, short for Beast boy, was a name that Vic had given to him in the fifth grade when he'd gotten lost at the zoo. He ended up in the tiger enclosure, cuddled up to a tiger, taking a nap. From that point on, he was BB. Or grass stain, for the ones he'd acquired from the tiger.

"Nun' much, Cy. Got a letter from the T this mornin'," he said, shrugging. Cy, short for Cyborg, was Vic's name because he had a deep love of computers and all things tech, and Gar never saw him without some sort of weird gizmo.

"Really? She grouch you about breaking her heart?" he asked.

"Nah, explained to me that I didn't break her heart. She's just a runaway," Gar replied.

"Oh. Weird."

Gar shrugged. "I mean, I guess, but can you really see someone like T staying in one place? She seems like the kind of person who wants to fly."

Vic nodded. "Guess you're right about that one," he admitted. He pulled his car into the school parking lot and into one of the senior spots, and the two friends climbed out.

"See ya in French!" Gar called, jogging into the school and heading to his AP Biology12.

His next couple classes passed in a blur, as they were all easy. Things like Algebra 1 (which he'd done in eighth grade), or French (which he absolutely loved), and P.E. (which he full-blown rocked at.) But now, he was in English, which was a class he particularly hated.

"Mr. Logan, can you explain to me the meaning of the Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart?" Gar's teacher, Professor Mallah asked, crossing his arms as he stared at the green-eyed teen.

"Uhm," Gar started, pulling at his collar as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "It mean that, uhh," he stammered, scratching his head awkwardly. Professor Mallah shook his head, turning to face another student.

"Hmmm. Ah, perhaps our new student, Ms. Roth, could tell us," He said, his ape-like face twisting in irritation. "Ms. Roth, tell us, what do you think Poe meant?"

There was the small sound of a throat being cleared, and then a soft, lilting voice said, "I believe that Edgar Allen Poe means that in the end, guilt will always find us. It will get into our brains and ruin our minds until the only thing we can think of is our wrong-doing. The only thing we can remember is how we have wronged another. The guilt will eat at us. It will haunt our dreams, it will live in the darkness of our minds, it will drive us into insanity until all we can do is perish or confess." The voice was monotone, quite obviously bored with the subject.

Gar couldn't see the girl, but he imagined her. Tall, hunched shoulders, long, messy brown hair, and bright green eyes. He imagined her glancing between her desk and Professor Mallah. He imagined her with wire rimmed glasses that slid down as she talked, and she continuously pushed them up.

"Very good, Ms. Roth. Perhaps you should be Mr. Logan's partner in our upcoming project. We'll be studying The Tell-Tale Heart very closely, and then we will be presenting a project on it. Since it will be quite extensive, I will allow you to have a partner if you desire to. Of course, Ms. Roth, Mr. Logan, the two of you have no choice." Professor Mallah smirked at Gar, then glanced at the girl who was to be his partner.

After that statement, the bell rang, and Gar shot up out of his seat.

"Mr. Logan, Ms. Roth, please stay a moment," Professor Mallah said, causing Gar to groan. When he got to the front of the room, his seat was in the back, there was only one other person there, and damn it all if she wasn't the exact opposite of what he was expecting. For one, she was short. About 5'1", 5'2" maybe. To be fair, Gar used to be short, until about eleventh grade. She held her shoulders high, even though they were tiny and fragile looking. And, at first glance, he assumed that her hair was black, but at closer inspection, he realized her was wrong. Her hair was a gorgeous violet color, twisted into two short pigtails, each stopping at her breastbone. She had no glasses, and her eyes were the same amethyst color as her hair, which made her ivory skin and plump, pale pink lips stand out even more.

"Mr. Logan, I paired you up with Ms. Roth because she can probably manage to help you pass this class, and the twelfth grade, simultaneously. For every group project we do, she shall be your partner. Other than that, she will be your private tutor," Mallah said.

Again, sorry. Please don't hate me for this. I'll try to be better.

With Love,

~LBB