With half of his fingers out of his split, TJ had enough freedom in his hands to hold a pencil and put a dent in his homework after a few weeks. While he sat at his desk, he could hear the commotion downstairs of family members coming over. Mostly aunts. He was still barred from heavy lifting and reaching, so they came over to help with holiday decorations while he had an excuse to not do it. One of his aunts even brought his cookies, and he quickly devoured them.

But he really did have to start working on his homework. It was piling up and he would rather not have to rush to get it done later. Halfway through one of his math assignments, he heard footsteps climbing the stairs. TJ assumed it was the few of his little cousins coming in from playing in the snow. He braced for them earlier and locked his desk drawer with his pocketknives and switchblades, as well as the first aid kit under his bed to keep them from finding it.

But it wasn't his cousins. It was them.

"Hey, where's you stuff, we've gotta get going," Spinelli asked as the five of them came into his room.

TJ let out a sigh of frustration. "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not going," he said. "Get out."

"You've been stuck in your room for the last couple weeks. Don't you want to get some fresh air?" Gus asked.

TJ wouldn't call being trapped in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with five people who he didn't like 'getting fresh air'. That sounded like stress he didn't need, especially now. His bruises were starting to heal, though even with how he pinched and poked around with them, he was surprised it was taking so long. His ribs, TJ had to take pain meds at night if he wanted to get any sleep.

To be honest, he was surprised none of them talked to his parents. He knew both of them were concerned about his lack of friends, so they would probably be all for him going off to spend time with them and more or less force him to do it. But TJ wasn't going to question it.

"I'll open a window," he said.

"Open a window at the cabin, smartass," Spinelli said. "C'mon, pack your shit."

"I won't be able to do anything even if I did go," TJ argued.

"That's fine, we just want to relax and spend time together," said Mikey. TJ leaned back in his chair, since slouching wasn't comfortable with his rib brace, and folded his arms. Clearly, he still wasn't budging. "It would be a nice way to make up for me thinking you were dying."

If that was the case, then he should've left him to die, TJ thought. Being stuck with them for a week, without a car of his own so he could leave whenever? Not his idea of relaxing. Mikey, at least, was kind of right. he could admit that much. But he wasn't close enough to feel like he 'owed' any of them anything for any reason.

"Why would I say yes? You all are just to trying to get me there just to ask questions," he said, picking his pencil up again. "Why would I put myself somewhere to be interrogated for a week?"

"We promise we won't do that, right guys?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever," Spinelli scoffed.

"See? It's just the six of us taking a break from school in a cabin. That's it," said Mikey. "Will you come?"

. . .

". . .Fine," TJ threw his pencil down and closed his textbook. "Fine! You have to carry my bag, though. I'm not supposed to do heavy lifting."

TJ grabbed a duffel bag from his closet, dropped it on his bed, and started stuffing it full of clothes. Mostly items that were easy to get in and out of without too much stretching.

"What's so great about this cabin, anyways?" He said, grabbing his chargers. "What's there that you can't do here?"

"It has a jacuzzi, a entertainment room, a library, an observatory, a full gym, and it's all next to a lake," Spinelli said. "You can find something to do."

The only thing on that list that mildly caught his interest was the observatory, but even then, TJ wasn't any more excited to go. Already in sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt, he opted for an oversized sweater on top of it and an old pair of shoes. He grabbed two bottles of medication from his dresser, tossing one into the bag and keeping the other in his pocket.

"Uh-huh."

He opted for taking the homework of two of his classes. He unlocked his desk drawer and picked out a switchblade he hadn't used yet.

". . .You're bringing a knife with you?" Gus asked.

"Is that a problem? I've gotta have something to get me through this."

After stuffing a few more things in his bag, he zipped it shut and grabbed his jacket. Mikey volunteered to carry his bag downstairs. Before leaving, TJ told his parents about the whole thing, hoping that, in some very small chance, they would be uncomfortable with him going anywhere with his injuries. But of course, he couldn't have that.

"I think that's a great idea," his mother said. "You've been cooped up in your room for too long, and it's nice to see you spending time with your friends again!" Her smiling when she said that made TJ bite his tongue and not tell her that they weren't his friends.

The six of them piled into two cars: Gretchen, Spinelli, and Vince in Gretchen's pickup, and Gus, Mikey, and TJ in Gus's run down car. They said it was going to be a long ride, and, not in the mood to talk, TJ put on his headphone and opted to listen to music and sleep the entire way there.