The rest of the week passed by without incident. The worst of it was whenever Guang-Hong was in fourth period and he could feel Thomas glaring at the back of his head. Other than that, Thomas seemed to be avoiding him and Leo.

Leo and Guang-Hong both breathed a sigh of relief when they made it into Leo's car after their last period class on Friday. Half the hockey team had walked with them, just like they had the rest of the week.

"I think as long as we make it to winter break, we'll be fine. Thomas should give up by then," Leo said.

"When is winter break?"

"A few weeks from now. God, I can't wait for the semester to be over." Leo started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

"What are your plans for winter break?"

"We're just staying here. My family from Mexico is coming to stay with us for Christmas. You're welcome to join us, if you'd like."

"I would but I'm going to California to spend it with my grandparents."

"Man, I wish we would go to California. I love the beach."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I like to sit and watch everyone play in the ocean. I also like to look for shells."

"Oh. I've only been to the beach a few times. We don't go very often."

"That's a shame."

They kept talking about their respective days until they arrived at the Adams' house. Leo had stopped dropping him off at the corner after Guang-Hong's fight with the Adams.

"Do you want to see the game tomorrow? I can pick you up. I'm not allowed to play yet, but Coach said we could both sit with the rest of the team," Leo said.

"Yeah, sure. Just let me know what time you'll be picking me up."

"Okay. See you tomorrow." Leo had a big grin on his face as he drove away. Guang-Hong waited outside on the sidewalk until Leo's car went around the corner and he could no longer see it.

When he walked into the house, he could hear Candice in the other room talking with someone, but he wasn't sure who. Curious, he poked his head in just to see who it was. When he saw Candice sitting on the sofa cuddled into Thomas, he quickly retreated to his room. He paced for a moment, with his backpack still on, and decided to grab a water bottle from the fridge and head to Leo's house.

He managed to make it outside and he was pretty sure that neither of them had noticed he had come home. He quickly walked in the direction of Leo's house. While he did so, he pulled out his phone and called Leo.

Leo picked up on the third ring. "Miss me already? What's up?"

"Thomas was there with Candice. I'm walking to your house now."

"I'll come get you. Just give me a second."

"It's fine. I'm halfway there already. I just figured you should know that I'm coming. I also wanted to call in case something did happen so someone knew where I was."

"Okay."

It was hard to find something to talk about when they had just been together all day, but they made it work. Guang-Hong was relieved when he made it to Leo's house safely. Leo walked Guang-Hong to his room and sat on the bed.

"So, what do you want to do?" he asked.

"I don't know. I usually do homework after I get home."

"Okay, let's do that. You can use my desk."

They sat mostly quietly for an hour or so while they both did their homework. Then, Leo's mom knocked on the door.

"Come in," Leo responded.

Leo's mom opened the door and took a few steps in the room before stopping. She and Leo exchanged a few words in Spanish before she looked to the side and saw Guang-Hong sitting at Leo's desk.

"Oh! I didn't know you were here, Guang. Can I get you anything?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine right now."

"Okay, let me know if you change your mind." She said a few more things to Leo in Spanish before leaving and closing the door.

"What did you guys talk about?"

Leo's face got a little red and he started toying with the sheets. "She asked me how school was and if I had started my homework yet."

"Oh, okay." They both worked on homework again for a few minutes before Guang-Hong put his pencil down and looked at Leo again. "You know, Mrs. Adams doesn't do that."

"Do what?"

"What your mom just did. She usually just opens the door without knocking and leaves it open when she leaves. I thought that was just the way people do things in America."

"Not really. Some parents do that, but my parents both understand that I need a little space and some privacy at times. So they always close my door and knock before coming in."

"Oh."

They sat quietly for a moment, both of them not really looking at each other.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?"

"Sure."

Leo straightened his back and shouted, "Mamá! Guang is staying for dinner!"

After a few moments, Guang-Hong could hear Leo's mom shout back in Spanish.

"What'd she say?"

Leo smiled at him. "'Thank God.'"