Tuesday morning, the first bell rang at Degrassi, signifying the start of a new school day. Liberty looked around her homeroom and noticed the two empty chairs where her friends normally sat. Liberty wasn't surprised that JT had not come to school. He'd gone home the day before looking green, and understandably so–Liberty hadn't liked the look of his lunch that day. But Toby was also absent, so perhaps the two were playing hooky together.

That last thought made Liberty smile, but she was pretty sure it was not true. It didn't feel right, for one thing. Try as she might, Liberty just could not shake the feeling that something was really not right with Toby.

The bell rang to propel students to their next classes. Not needing the locker time, Liberty started on a detour that took her halfway across the school. She quickly ended up in front of Ashley's locker. Like the previous day, Ashley and Ellie were preparing to walk to class together when Liberty appeared. The two older girls were surprised to see her.

Before either one of them could open their mouth in greeting, Liberty began her prepared statement. "I'm really worried about Toby. Why isn't he at school today?"

Ashley looked at her blankly. "What do you mean, he's not at school today? I saw him leave. He got a call from JT, told Jeff they were walking to school together, and then he left."

Liberty relaxed a little. "JT's not here either. They must have skipped and gone off somewhere." She looked at her watched and winced. "If I'm going to get to class on time, I've got to go now. Thanks for your help."

After Liberty walked away, Ellie watched as Ashley's expression changed from confused to worried. "What is it?"

Ash shook her head slowly. "It's just...Toby and JT always walk to school together. It seems a little odd that JT would call for that. Why ask him if he wanted to do something they always do?"


Toby didn't leave any of the girls' minds during the school day. At lunch time both Ashley and Liberty could be seen making a phone call. Ashley quickly hung up without speaking to anyone, but Liberty reached her intended party. A hoarse voice answered the phone. "Hello?"

"JT, is that you?"

"Yeah. Is this Liberty? Why are you calling?"

"Toby's not with you, is he?"

"No, why would he be? I called him this morning to let him know I have food poisoning and wasn't going to make it to school. Last time I talked to him." There was a pause. "If you're looking for Toby, that means he's not at school. What's up with him?"

Liberty sighed. "I don't know. I even talked to his stepsister about it. Sounds like she's worried too."

"Let me know if you find out anything."


Liberty reappeared by Ashley's locker shortly after school was dismissed for the day. Ashley was not surprised to see her. "I called JT during lunch, and he's home sick. He hasn't seen Toby all day today." Liberty shifted her backpack from one shoulder to the other as Ash continued to grab her books.

"I called home and no one answered. But I think Toby's there–maybe in bed again. I just hope he's not thinking about doing something stupid." Ashley fretted as she zipped her bag.

"What do you mean?"

The locker slammed shut. "I don't know what's bothering him, but he seems really depressed about something. He might do something like..."

"...Hurt himself," Ellie piped up, joining the pair in the hallway. "I did a report on depression for English class back in grade seven. If someone gets depressed enough, they stop thinking and feeling logically. Sometimes they do things to themselves so they can feel something or to end their own lives." She unconsciously rubbed her forearm as she kept talking. "They feel like no one out there knows how they feel or would care if they disappeared."

Liberty looked shocked for a moment. "Toby wouldn't do that, would he?"

"He would if he didn't think anyone would notice." Ashley had started hurrying toward the main door of school. "Liberty, can you come with me? I want to make sure he's alright, and I think if both of us talk to him, he'll take it better." Ms. Van Zandt nodded and followed.

"I'm coming too," Ellie added as the other two disappeared down the hallway.



AN: Sorry you had to wait a while for this one! I started writing when I was sick, and now that I'm (almost) better, I have a lot of things that I've been neglecting and needed to catch up on. I'm hoping to get at least one chapter up a week, so this story should be completed by the end of November. Keep a lookout, and thanks for all the positive feedback! ~Teeki