author's notes: i realize that i left some loose ends in my last fic—namely, whatever happened on that Yipper Card sabotage mission the teens were on. well, we all know that it was a bust, right? what with Maurice's mysterious disappearance right before they set off, etc. another thing that went unexplained is the mention of Kenny, who, if you've read my other fics, you will recognize as Numbuh Thirty C. he has a tendency to pop up uninvited in my fics lately, if only in mention. i keep making reference to Chad's betrayal of Kenny, though i have yet to write it. heh, maybe someday.

i should probably also mention the rating upgrade (er...downgrade?) from K+ to T. basically it's for the cussin'. :P

anyways, on with the chapter, like i said, it's a continuation of the last one, rather than a separate but loosely connected story. if that made any sense.

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"It doesn't matter what Chad thinks of me—why should I care if he hates me?" Cree thought furiously. But she could feel her eyes welling up again. She rubbed them angrily.

She jolted in surprise when she heard a knock at the door. She turned to see Maurice wave at her through the window of the kitchen door.

"Hey, Boo," she said as she let him in.

"Hey," he returned the greeting. He looked at her, noticing her red eyes and troubled demeanor. He immediately pretended that he hadn't. "So what's up?"

"Nothing much," she replied, deciding that if she acted as if nothing was wrong, she might actually feel that way.

"So no big missions or anything? Good." He dropped down on a chair at the table.

Cree attempted to insert feeling into her voice as she said, "yeah, as much as I hate those KNDorks, fighting them can be a drag sometimes," but her words came out sounding rather flat. She walked over to Maurice and hooked her arms around him from behind. It was a comfort having someone to hold close. Chad didn't have that. Maybe if he did, he wouldn't be so angry all the time. If only he would open up more….

She heard a sound coming from the door, and she suddenly realized that she forgot to close it after she let Maurice in. She turned her head. Chad stood in the doorway, gazing at the two of them.

"Chad," she stated in surprise, straightening and releasing Maurice. She tried to read his expression. It wasn't hatred, but it certainly wasn't happy.

Maurice also turned to regard him.

Chad's brows furrowed, his eyes narrowed, and his jaw set. If his expression wasn't hatred before, it was pretty damn close now. He turned and left without saying a word.

Cree sighed. "I give up."

"Give up what?" queried her boyfriend.

"I don't know. I just give up."

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Chad sat in the noisy, crowded cafeteria, taking unenthusiastic bites out of his sandwich. He stared at a notebook in front of him, playing the part of diligent student. In truth, he wasn't studying at all, he was merely pretending to be focused on his notes so no one would bother trying to talk to him.

Someone slid in next to him on the bench. Without turning his head, without even a furtive glance towards her, he knew it was Cree. Why was she here? He turned the page of the notebook and put on an intently focused expression.

"Chad," she said softly, almost inaudibly in the raucous cafeteria. If his ears weren't tuned in to the frequency of her voice he might not have heard her.

He refused to look at her. "Do you mind? I'm studying."

There was a pause, and he wondered if she would leave. But then she countered, "You can't fool me," and yanked the notebook from him.

Finally he turned his head to meet her eyes with a mirthless countenance.

Cree continued to goad him. "C'mon, prove it, say the last thing you read on this page."

Chad sighed loudly then recited, "King Lear begins his journey as a man who is 'blind' because he cannot see beyond the fake and flattering comments that—"

She stared at the notes, stunned. "Lucky guess."

He snatched his notes back. "Thank you," he said icily, recommencing his feigned studying.

Another pause. The cafeteria din was deafening.

"I didn't mean to pry into your life," she suddenly stated outright, as if they had been discussing the matter all along. "I know you're a very private person. I guess I pushed too hard. I'm sorry." He could see her bending forward, trying to meet his eyes as he stared at the lined paper before him. "But if you would only—" the words spilled out of her mouth before she stopped herself and took a deep breath. "I want you to know that I'll be here if you ever want to talk, but until then, I'll let you have your space."

Chad slowly turned to her and studied her face. It was certainly serious, but was she sorry or was that sorrow? His own expression was almost neutral. If anything, it was tired, defeated. How can she know me so well, and still not know me at all?

"Don't apologize," he finally said. "You didn't do anything wrong. I've just been...lately, I've..." He had no idea how to finish that sentence. "I'll try to be less of an asshole."

Cree's smile widened into a grin as she said, "Good luck with that."

He chuckled a little weakly.

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author's notes: kind of a short one this time, hopefully i'll write more next chapter.