"So, do you wanna go camping this weekend?" Trish asked.

I looked at her as we walked up the path to school. "I thought you hated camping." I gave her a grin.

Trish shrugged. "Finals are close and I think camping's a good distraction. I don't want to worry about math and Chemistry until later. Anyway, are you up for it or not?"

I laughed. "Yeah, I am. Are Keith and Dez coming, too?"

She nodded.

"Great!" I beamed.

"Invite your boyfriend," she said. "Keith and Dez will be stuck in one tent, you and Austin in the other, and that leaves me out to be all by myself. Wonderful!" She gave me a flat look. "I hope you all get eaten by bugs."

I laughed again. "God, I love you."

She rolled her eyes but smiled. "I love you, too. Sometimes." I raised an eyebrow at her and she shrugged. "I gotta get to class. See ya later!"

I smiled and we departed paths. Class wouldn't start until for at least another ten minutes, which gave me some time to look for Austin. It didn't take me long to find him. He was at his locker, going through it. There was a guy in my class behind Austin, a smirk on his face. Frowning, I stopped in my tracks and watched. The guy folded his arms and his mouth moved, but I couldn't hear or make out what he was saying. The hallway was crowded with people and loud chatter. But whatever the guy was saying, it didn't make Austin happy. I think Austin was trying to ignore him as hard as possible but it got to him. I saw Austin's jaw slacken, fist clenching. He slammed the locker shut, creating an unpleasant sound. I jumped backwards, my eyes widening. Austin spun around and grabbed the guy's collar, spinning him around again and shoving him hard against the locker. I saw how the guy's face contorted into something near regret.

I thought they were going to pummel each other but all Austin did was say a few words, ones I couldn't decipher. I swallowed, my heart rate decreasing back to normal. Austin's hands were still clutched onto the guy's collar. He pulled him away from the locker and shoved him back again, twice as hard. The guy nodded and Austin let go. He scurried away and Austin's shoulders sagged as he looked down. He grabbed his bag and turned around, freezing when he saw me.

I opened my mouth to say something but couldn't.

"I'm going home," he muttered, walking past me.

I turned around. "Austin, wait."

But he didn't.

He kept on walking until he disappeared from my view and I leaned against the lockers, closing my eyes for a brief moment. When I opened them again, I walked to class and tried my best not to slack off this time. The teacher who put me in detention wasn't happy to see me this morning. I managed to convince him that I had to leave for a family emergency, which was partially true. It was an emergency and Austin was...well, he was my home.

I felt it again.

I felt the eagerness to finish school and run back home to see how he was doing. I didn't want to find him like I did yesterday. I didn't want his knuckles to be newly bruised and bloodied and I didn't want to see him drinking alcohol again. I didn't want to see him lying in a hospital bed again. I just wanted to see him okay. I wanted him to smile without any pain behind it.

For the rest of the day, my mind was occupied with Austin. It was just like yesterday. Only this time I texted him and he replied that he was fine, which brought me some relief. However, it didn't stop me from wanting to see him so badly. Luckily, when school finished, Trish and Dez dropped me off at home and I didn't have to run. I didn't see Mimi's car again today, either. I walked up the path and tried the doorknob, which was left unlocked.

I got a sense of deja vu.

"Please be okay," I whispered, entering. I closed the door behind me and frowned at the darkness. There were no lights on. I tried the switch but to no avail.

My eyes widened.

There was no electricity.

There was still light out but that didn't stop me from running up the stairs, stumbling over a few, falling maybe one or two times, just to get to his door. I flung it open in a hurry and stumbled in, panting.

"I'm here!" I screeched. Austin was lying on his bed, a hand slung over his eyes. The curtains were closed, leaving not one speck of light to enter. I pounced on him and his eyes flew open.

"Jesus Christ, you scared me," he mumbled. "Why are you on top of me?" He frowned and looked around. "Why is it...why is it dark in this room?" His voice sounded strained.

"The electricity is off," I said. I brought my face close to his and grinned. "But I'm here. Hey there."

He rolled his eyes and cupped one side of my cheek. "Hey."

"Are you okay?" I asked. "Well, that was a stupid question, but still..."

He sighed. "Not really."

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, not bothering to move from my place. "What happened with you and that guy today?"

"I don't really want to talk about that," he said, rubbing his face. "He just made a damn comment that...that really fucking threw me off."

"What did he say?"

He shook his head. "I...he was just being an asshole."

"Well, if I can ignore people who like to make cruel comments," I began, referring to Leslie. I wrinkled my nose. "so can you." I smiled. "It's hard but it would be a waste of time to deal with people like that." I got off of him and made myself comfortable on the bed. He sat up, his hand reaching for an unopened can of beer.

"Drink that and I will not hesitate to throw you off the balcony," I flatly said. His extended fingers curled back into his palm and his hand retaliated backwards. I sighed. "Sorry. I...I could have worded that better."

He shrugged and lit up a cigarette instead, which wasn't any better.

"I...I know you're upset," I said. "I just don't want to see you get hurt again. There are so many others ways to deal with sadness." I wrapped my arms around myself. "You'll get better. I'll make sure of it. You're going to be okay. You're...you're not a disappointment. You're a wonderful person and you deserve all the happiness in the world. You're going to feel better, I promise."

He frowned, unconvinced. "How?"

"You can always see a therapist," I suggested, looking at him.

His jaw clenched and his face darkened. "No."

"Why not?"

"They don't fucking know anything," he said. "They won't help at all."

"Well, how do you know that?" I asked. "How? I'm not...I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to do. You're just so upset and hurt all the time and I just want you to be happy. At least give it a thought?"

He exhaled a white cloud of smoke and nodded.

"If...if you decide against seeing a therapist, I'm going to be here with you anyway," I breathed. "We'll get through this together."

He looked at me, his face softening.

I smiled. "Now put out that cigarette and make out with me."

Austin decided to start seeing a therapist.

I fully supported and encouraged him and Mimi did, too. He remained quiet for the rest of the week and I could tell he was nervous and afraid, even if he didn't really want to admit it. His appointment was right after school on Friday.

It was today.

Mimi drove and Austin and I sat in the back. I placed a hand on his and he didn't let go. When Mimi parked the car at our destination, I looked at him and smiled. He looked back at me softly with tired and nervous eyes.

"Hey," I breathed, lightly nudging him. "You'll be okay. You can do this. You've got it. You are one hell of a courageous—" He placed a hand over my mouth and gave me a soft smile. I grinned and shrugged. We got out of the car and entered the building, taking the elevator to the assigned floor. Our hands remained interlaced. When we reached, we walked down the hallway and stood outside a white door with chairs beside it.

Mimi smiled. "We're here."

He nodded.

"I'm proud of you, Austin," she said. It took him by surprise. He froze, his eyes slightly widening. They softened and many emotions danced across his features. I recognized shock and guilt. "I really am."

You're not a disappointment.

He nodded and swallowed. I gave him a smile and he turned around, knocking on the door. A young lady opened it and he was gone. Mimi and I sat down on the chairs and we stayed like that for the next two hours. I knew Austin had a lot to talk about and I hoped that he would feel much better when he got everything off of his chest. To pass the time, I observed some of the strangers around us, watched the clock tick, and occasionally threw in some weird expressions.

My stomach grumbled.

"Is there a vending machine around here?" I asked Mimi.

She nodded. "I believe so."

I smiled. "Okay, I'll be back. Would you like anything?"

"No thank you, sweetie." She mirrored my smile. I got up from the plastic chair, which were not comfortable at all, and walked down the narrow hallway. I took a few turns and actually did end up finding a vending machine.

My eyes lit up and I grinned, racing over to it. I examined what it had to offer, which was a lot, and ended up getting a chocolate bar. I held it in my hands and walked back to where I first was, my eyes focused on opening the bar. When I looked up, I stopped in my place, my eyes landing on Mimi and Austin. Mimi took a piece of paper from Austin and pocketed it, giving him a wide smile. She opened her mouth to say something but Austin...Austin wrapped his arms around Mimi and hugged her. I saw her eyes go wide. She was frozen but just for a brief moment. Austin hadn't expressed affection towards his family in a long time. Mimi's eyes shut and she hugged back tighter. My heart warmed and I smiled.

I realized something, too.

He was trying.

He was trying to make things better. I could see it in the way he hugged his mom, the way his hands held onto her.

He was trying to be happy.

When they pulled away, Austin's eyes landed on mine. I approached him and grinned. "Hey."

"Hey," he greeted.

"I'm going to go talk to your therapist," Mimi said. "I'll be back." She disappeared inside.

"How was it?" I asked.

He shrugged. "It was...it was okay."

I knew that he wouldn't miraculously be generally happy now. It was only his first session but I think it was a good start for him.

"I'm glad," I said, nodding. "Was she good help? How do you feel right now? Do you feel at peace? Did she help you feel at peace?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

He was going to be okay.

Giving me a small and gentle smile, he reached out and cupped my face, resting his forehead on mine, and whispered, "But with you, I'm always at peace."