Kurt and Blaine were gone when Sebastian got out of the shower. His bed had been neatly made with clean sheets and Poupée was propped up on top of the pillows. When he saw it, he forced himself to suppress a pang of guilt hurriedly changed clothes.

Seeing as his father was still extremely pissed about the night before, Sebastian ate breakfast very quietly so not to give him a reason to leave the office. His mother had gone out to get groceries for supper, leaving her son to fend for himself. Before long he disappeared again to do his homework.

By noon, his mother had returned and he rushed downstairs to help her with the groceries. Once everything was put away, he hung around the kitchen. After fifteen minutes of staring at produce and moping, Gabriella shoved a knife into his hand and told him to get cutting or get out.

Sebastian smiled and accepted the stalk of celery. "Sorry, I guess I'm just feeling…

"Sad? Did you fight with your friends?" She asked. "What about?"

"Guess." He muttered. He finished with the celery and swiped it into a bowl as two carrots were placed before him. Positioning the knife in his hand, he slowly began to peel.

"Oh, poussin, I'm sorry." Gabriella sighed. "I wish you could have a boring life like everyone else."

"You mean normal?" He corrected.

"No."

Sebastian paused and looked up at her. "What? What do you mean boring?"

"I mean, yes, Bassy is not always good. But he keeps life interesting." His mother shrugged. "He gives you friends."

Sebastian huffed and went back to peeling. "All he's done is humiliate me. And besides, they aren't my friends. They're his."

"Bassy is you." Gabriella frowned. "A very crazy, bizarre you, but still you."

Sebastian's head snapped up in disbelief. "Are…are you taking their side? You just said you wished I had a normal life!"

"No, I just-

"You are! Everybody thinks that Bassy is me but he's not! He's nothing but a problem! He's ruined by life! I hate him! I hate him! I hate him!" Sebastian yelled, squeezing the knife in his hand.

"Sebastian, please calm down!" Gabriella said with a hint of severity in her voice. "This instant!"

"No! I hate him! He's not me! He's done nothing but ruin my life and I hate him!" His hand shook and a drip of blood splattered on the tiled floor.

"Sebastian! You're hurting yourself! Stop!" Gabriella cried. She seized his wrists and pulled him to the ground, digging her long nails into the soft flesh of his wrist until he released the knife. It clattered to the floor and she wrapped her arms around him. "Cher, you need to calm down. Before you can control Bassy, you must control your own feelings."

Sebastian sniffed and buried his face in her shoulder. "I just want it to stop." He said softly, his voice cracking. "I'm frustrated."

"I know. It's okay. You will be fine." She promised him. Pressing a kiss to the top of his head, she sat back on her knees and brushed the hair out of his face. "Let's help the hand."

"There's Sebastian!"

Nick's head snapped up when he heard that. Dropping his bagel, he shot right out of his seat and hurried over to the boy. Other than the gauze on his hand, he looked fairly unscathed since his last appearance. The rumors and talk had gone down a little, but at the first sight of Sebastian, whispers began to arise once more.

"Hey!" He said, taking the boys arm and guiding him over to the table. "You look tired, why don't you get something to eat?"

"I'm fine." Sebastian sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"Did you just get here?" Jeff asked, peering at him from across the table.

"Yeah."

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"Have you been in touch with Kurt and Blaine?"

"…no."

It was virtually hopeless. Every time the boys tried to ask him something or include him in conversation, they were immediately put down with short, curt answers. As soon as the second morning bell rang, he was gone, taking off down the hall. It was like he'd never even been there.

He missed a lot of work. What else was new? But this time it was different. It was worse because instead of the usual looks of impatience or expectance he usually received, the teachers gazed at him with pity. They told him to take it easy, do the work when he could get to it. Don't stress about it too much. He was like a bomb. Even the tiniest nudge could set him off and they didn't want that, no way. Not after hearing about what happened with Mr. Knapp. Who knew when he'd strike back?

His fellow students were the exact opposite. They poked and prodded, wanting to know all the details. Did he always wear diapers? Was Bassy real? Was he molested as a child? Did he take medication? Had he ever been put away?

He stayed in his room mostly. Sometimes he'd even skip dinner or lunch just so he wouldn't have to take on the mountain of probing, falsely sympathetic assholes. It was just a façade. Nobody really understood. They could say they understand because sometimes they get anxiety too. Then they trot off on their merry way to their life filled with friends and happiness and normality while he was still stuck. Stuck forever with Bassy. It made him angry.

Sebastian started snapping. Every time Nick or Jeff tried to talk, they were greeted with a bark and a cold shoulder. They'd return from class to find their entire dorm in a state of disarray. Papers strewn across the floor, blankets ripped off of beds. Entire desks swiped clean. Then Sebastian: his uniform disheveled and wrinkled, his hair messy. They'd usually find him curled up on the floor or lying face down on his bed. And what could they do about it? They picked up the papers, restocked the desks and made the beds.

Where were Kurt and Blaine?

Sebastian refused to talk to them. Kurt and Blaine refused to talk about Sebastian, who refused to talk about anything. They were at a dead end.

It started getting scary. Sebastian began sleepwalking, maybe as Bassy, maybe as himself. They'd wake up at the sound of a text book smacking the floor to find the boy standing at the edge of the desk. Several times they'd even caught him in the bathroom with disposable razors, soap, shampoo bottles, and cleaning supplies. That's when they started using the child safeties again.

Sebastian tried to suppress everything. To keep control of his emotions, but by doing that, he wasn't allowing himself any emotion other than anger. After a week of silence and short, terrifying outbursts, Nick decided that it was time to visit the school counselor.

"How are you feeling today, Sebastian?" The man asked calmly as he took in Sebastian's livid expression.

"Fine." The teen replied, his teeth clenching. He would never forgive Jeff and Nick for this.

"Do you know why you're here?"

"Nick and Jeff." He grumbled.

"It sounds to me like your friends are worried about you. About your safety." The counselor stated.

"They should mind they're own business." Sebastian replied darkly. His hands slipped into the pocket of his blazer and fiddled with the pacifier that he had put in there this morning. It was the newest idea his sham of a doctor had come up with. She had suggested keeping a possession of Bassy's on his person at all time to make the baby comfortable should he arise in order to prevent another scene like the one he'd created in his English class. So far they hadn't had to test the idea, but Gabriella had insisted that he give it a try so he did it to make her happy.

"They told me that you've been sleepwalking? Is this true?" The counselor asked with a completely fake look of concern on his face.

"No idea what you're talking about." Sebastian shrugged. How was that their business?

"They said that they found you in the bathroom with razors."

"Must be lying."

"Sebastian…" The man frowned deeply. "We need to get to the bottom of this. I can't let this go if there is a possible threat to yourself or others."

"Do you have any proof?" Sebastian asked evenly. Sometimes having an attorney for a father paid off.

"Well, no but…"

"Then you have no reason to keep me here. Good day." Sebastian answered smoothly. He stood up and grabbed his bag before stalking straight out of the office. He found Nick and Jeff waiting out in the hall for him and he cast them hateful glares. He only got a glimpse at their concerned expressions as he took off down the hall.