I've learned that a really good day only happens if it's gonna be immediately followed by a really shitty one. Game days are normally supposed to be one of the better days but apparently, some force in the universe really hates people named Dash today.

Really, this shit started last night. I was working late and drove around for a while to get my mind off of… everything. I ended up getting home around eleven and I was too exhausted to care about anything so I just crawled into bed and tried to sleep. Tried being the operative word. I laid awake for three fucking hours before I drifted off. By then, I only had a chance at getting a little over two hours of sleep and there's nothing worse than going to school after a shitty night of sleep.

This morning, I was met with more shit. Because dad didn't pay the power, everything in the fridge spoiled. And cause I came crawling home late last night, I didn't know about the spoiled food until this morning. So it had plenty of time to make almost the entire downstairs area smell like shit. I was late getting to school cause I had to clean out the damn fridge. Not even the condiments made it cause I didn't want to take any chances on leaving anything in there to continue smelling like death.

And, cause I was late getting to school, Ms. Anderson was finally able to chew me out like I'm sure she's been waiting for since she started teaching here. I swear, new teachers lie in fucking wait to pounce and lecture us about the importance of time. I'll bet they purposely choose a day when we're not only running late but we're barely awake cause we didn't have a chance to grab coffee on the way.

So, I practically slept through all my morning classes and my history teacher yelled at me for wasting his time and I came really fucking close to just walking out of his stupid, shitty class. Somehow, I managed to keep my ass in the chair only cause if you skip a class, you're not allowed to participate in any kind of extra-curricular activities for the day. Which means I'd be benched for the game. I really need the distraction of the game tonight cause today's been fucking awful.

Danny sits with us again at lunch and though I make small talk with everyone there and occasionally smile at whatever Paulina says, I'm pretty sure Danny's not the only one that picks up on the fact that I'm distant today. I can't help it, my mind's a million miles away from the flag football idea I suggested on Monday. Kwan's dragged the guys into it and everyone's pretty excited but I can't really care right now. I've got a lot more shit on my mind than just high school today.

Speaking of Kwan, he's glued to his phone like it's some kind of life preserver and I guess Jared's texting him or something cause he grins roughly every twenty three seconds. I don't know why I counted the seconds between each change of my best friend's facial expression but it did keep me out of being dragged into a conversation.

As soon as I force down enough food to call it lunch, I leave to get coffee. I feel bad about leaving Danny with my friends cause he doesn't really know them. And yeah, this is probably a good time for them to get to know him but I can't really justify it.

I give a groan before starting back toward the table but I stop when I realize that they're actually talking to Danny. He's smiling as Keith leans his elbow on the table, gesturing with one hand as he talks. I hesitate another few seconds before I decide that if I don't get some kind of caffeine now, I'll fall asleep in my next class and that's algebra. There's really no safe way for me to risk that.

On my way to my car, I slide my phone out of my pocket and tap out a message to Danny. At least this way I don't have to talk and he can pretend that my text has something to do with some shit he needs to take care of if he wants to leave.

To: Danny Fenton

Sorry to ditch you with my friends

To: Danny Fenton

You okay?

As I get into my car, I almost wish I had invited Danny to come along. Then again, I can be really fucking grouchy when I don't sleep well so maybe it's a good thing that I didn't ask him to ride with me. I'm really not interested in scaring him off after I just convinced him to start talking to me again.

My phone vibrates and I toss it onto my passenger seat for a second while I start my car. Once the air's going, I lean back in my seat and snag my phone again just as it vibrates for a second time, reminding me that Danny's also a repeat texter.

From: Danny Fenton

I'm supposed to ask you that ;P

From: Danny Fenton

I'm good but are you? You were acting kind of strange to be honest

There's really no way for me to sum up everything that's happened so far and I don't have the mental energy to attempt to anyway. I tap out the first thing that comes to me and I pull out of the parking space, letting my phone drop onto the passenger seat.

To: Danny Fenton

Yeah, I'm fine. Just been a really shitty day

It's not a lie, today's been fucking horrible. But whatever, there's plenty more day left to suck and screw me over. And I still gotta get through the game. But that shit's to deal with later. For now, I need caffeine.


By the time my teammates and I are packed into the locker room before the game, my day's only gotten worse. I was late getting to Lancer's class cause the coffee I drank during algebra made me need to marathon piss as soon as the class let out. And Lancer acted like being late was the worst thing in the world. Like Jesus Christ dude, is it really that important?

My car didn't want to start in the parking lot and Keith had to give me a jump just so I could get to the garage to replace the damn battery. Alex wasn't working and Anastasia was busy so I just changed it myself. Managed to somehow cut the shit out of the back of my hand and burn my index finger and I still have no idea how.

Took me nearly twice as long to get back to the school cause apparently everyone in this goddamn town was on the roads. I ended up having to take a back entrance into the school just to make it there in time to get dressed and listen to coach's attempt at inspiring us.

My teammates all get really pumped up for the game after everything coach says but the pep talk only really serves to exhaust me even more. Didn't realize that was possible but apparently, I'm closer to falling asleep than I am to playing a football game.

None of the guys really pay me any attention until Blake starts acting obnoxious and jumping around and I don't even acknowledge him. He's jumping right in front of me and being really annoying and I barely look up from staring down at my phone. I don't know why but I find myself scrolling back through Danny's messages and I'm stuck on the one he sent me after I opened mom's letter.

I still remember the way I felt almost instantly better just from reading his text message and even now, it's starting to put me at ease. Maybe this game won't suck completely. It'll at least give me a chance to stop thinking for a little while.

"Yo, Baxter. Your girl send you nudes or something?" Jeff asks, giving me a shit eating grin when I look at him. He puts his gym bag into his locker and spins the combination before leaning back against it as he crosses his arms. "You've been staring at your phone like it holds the secrets of the universe." He rolls his tongue over his canines with a grin. "Or a hot girl's pics."

I roll my eyes, clicking my screen off before I put my phone into my locker. "You wish, you horndog." I close my locker door before leaning back on the bench to look Jeff's way again. "You're just asking cause you're still trying to live vicariously through me."

Jeff snorts, pushing off his locker. "Please. Girls are always on me. They all want more of the J-man, can't get enough of me." He does an overdramatic flexing motion and despite the fact that my day's been complete shit, I laugh. Really fucking hard. Jeff can be an idiot most of the time but he makes me ache from laughter sometimes.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Keith says, smiling softly when I glance toward him. He shuts his locker door before sinking down onto the bench next to me. He looks around at our teammates but aside from Jeff and Kwan, the others aren't really paying us attention. Keith drops his voice anyway. "You've kinda been acting out of it all day."

I didn't realize so many of my teammates would pick up on this shit. I guess they're not used to this level of drama from me. "Yeah, I know. My day's been shit, man. Nothing's gone right for me, I swear."

Keith gives me a patient smile and nods and it's pretty much that moment that I realize what a dick I am. Shit, he… deals with a hell of a lot more than I do. And I'm bitching again cause my day hasn't been easy? God, why am I such an idiot? Keith probably counts the day as a success if his sister makes it through another twenty-four hours.

"S-Sorry man," I mumble before I think it through. I can't even look at him as soon as the apology leaves me. Jesus Christ, why am I such an asshole? My teammates have so much going on in their life and I spend ninety percent of their time bitching. Even when we're at parties, I find some way to kill the mood.

"For what?" Keith asks, giving me a funny look. Like he doesn't understand why I'm apologizing and hell, maybe he doesn't. Maybe people don't immediately hate me for wasting more of their time with my bullshit.

I shrug, shifting a little on the bench to face him better. "C-Cause. I'm always bitching, man, you know me. A-And it's not like your life's easy either, probably a hell of a lot worse actually." I want to add a lot of shit about his sister or the fact that my worst day is still better than his best day but I don't. The words stick somewhere around the back of my throat and I can't get my tongue to say anything else.

Keith sighs, hesitating a second before he leans over to squeeze my shoulder. "Don't think like that, Dash. I don't like playing the comparison game." He smiles when I manage to look his way again and for some reason, it feels sincere. "Seriously, we all go through our own things."

I don't feel like stepping all over his nice words so I don't respond. Even though my world is probably much easier than his and I bitch too often and I should really learn how to fucking deal by now. I don't say what I'm feeling and I think I even attempt a smile. None of my teammates deserve the shit they have to put up with from me but tonight, I can't help it. Everything feels fucked up and I doubt I'm gonna feel better any time soon. I wish I could think positively or some shit but pessimism is the only home I know.


The Ravens are once again victorious and by the time the final buzzer sounds, we've pretty much mopped the field with the visiting team. My teammates and I carry Kwan around on our shoulders while we cheer about him scoring the final goal. It didn't really matter if he'd made that shot or not, we would have won either way. But still, having those extra six points to rub in the opposing team's face is nice.

Coach is cheering along with all of us and after a few minutes, we set Kwan on the ground so we can all high five each other and slap Coach on the back as we pass by him. The crowd pours out of the stands and onto the field and the cheerleaders are quickly by our sides. I catch Jeff swinging Star around and planting a kiss on her cheek while a grin spreads across his face. She steals a glance around at the crowd before pressing a kiss to his lips.

"Hey you," Paulina says as she slides her arms around my waist. She grins up at me before standing on her tip-toes to kiss me. I give her a smile in response and pull her against me for another kiss.

She smiles up at me when we part and presses her lips to my cheek. "You were so good out there, Dash," she whispers, her lips touching my earlobe. The sensation causes me to shiver and she laughs softly, her breath hitting my ear.

"Yeah, well you looked pretty good out there too," I tell her, flicking my gaze down her body with a smirk. She swats my shoulder but there's no strength behind the movement. And she's giving me this seductive smile while she does it.

Paulina stands on her tip-toes again to whisper into my ear, giving me shivers with her promise. "Maybe I should wear this outfit more often then." I turn my head just far enough to capture her lips with mine and she drags her fingers through my hair.

When we part again, she makes a face and exhales. "I've gotta get going, my dad's been really insistent that I get home earlier on game nights." She rolls her eyes but gives me another kiss before she leaves, disappearing into the crowd.

"I thought the quarterback was supposed to get the last shot," someone says from behind me and I instantly turn toward the voice. Danny's standing just a few inches behind me, grinning like he made the world's best joke or something.

I give an exaggerated roll of my eyes before chucking my helmet onto the grass. "Yeah, yeah. You're just jealous cause you wouldn't last a second out here. You'd be creamed as soon as the other team set foot on the field."

Danny snorts, folding his arms over his chest as he fixes me with a look. "Whatever, you're just assuming stuff again." For half a second, he just holds my gaze before he abruptly sticks his tongue out. It's completely childish and the gesture makes me laugh even though it probably shouldn't.

He instantly relaxes once I've laughed and the grin stays on his face as he glances out toward the crowd. "You played well though, honestly. I'm not just saying that either, you really were impressive out there." Danny looks toward me again with a small smile in place of the grin.

I'm not sure exactly how to take the compliment but I do my best to respond with a smile. "Thanks. I probably coulda slept till half-time. Livermore really didn't bring their A-game tonight."

Danny laughs and starts to say something but the crowd's pressing in on us, everyone trying to hug their friends and congratulate my teammates. I can see how uncomfortable Danny's getting being surrounded by a bunch of people so I grab his arm with one hand and my helmet with the other, leading him away from everybody.

"You okay?" I ask once we're far enough away from the crowd.

He glances back toward everyone still loudly cheering and runs a hand through his hair before focusing on me again. "Yeah," he mumbles, a small groan leaving him as I tug him closer toward the bleachers. "Dash, I'm fine."

"I know," I respond, grinning as I pull him down onto the bleachers next to me. "Humor me, my legs are tired." Danny scoffs quietly but sits with me, watching everyone milling about on the field. The noise level is still pretty loud but Danny slowly relaxes next to me.

The crowd is starting to break up when Danny turns toward me with a small smile. "So, you wanna get a burger or something?" he asks, the smile making his eyes almost sparkle. I was right. Happy looks so fucking good on him.

"Sure, sounds like a plan," I tell him, grinning as I stand from the bleachers. "Let me get a shower in first and I'll meet you here." I toss my helmet toward him and he instantly catches it, looking up at me in question. I grin again. "Keep that safe for me, will you?"

Danny hesitates a second before nodding, his smile returning. "Yeah, sure. I'll keep it for you."


The guys are on the field when I leave Danny and most of them are still hanging around when I'm heading out of the locker room after a record timing shower. I'm almost to the end of the bleachers when I hear someone call out to me. I don't know why but I expect Danny to be the one standing there. Or one of my teammates. Or hell, even Coach. But no. That's not who's staring at me when I turn around.

My breath sticks in my throat when I see this woman standing there. Her hair's shorter now and maybe she changed the color. She looks thinner somehow, like she shed almost all her weight the day she left. She looks so different but it's her and she's here. Back in Amity Park. After so fucking long, mom's here. I make some kind of strangled noise and a soft smile lights up her face. I can't speak, I can't think of a single thing to say to her. Everything in my brain is overloading and no words are making it to my tongue.

"Hey baby," she says and I think those two words break me. It snaps my reality back into focus and I can breathe again. I suck in a splintered drag of oxygen and she takes a step closer to me, placing her hand on my cheek. "Shh, it's okay." She takes in the lingering bruises dad left but she doesn't say anything. I don't think there's anything for her to say anyway. We both know what these marks are from and she just sadly shakes her head as she surveys them.

Mom glances around the field before her eyes are looking into mine. "Do you remember where you parked your car?" she asks and I nod, sparing a glance toward the lot. "Come on, let's go. We can't talk here."

Her hand leaves my cheek and I'm instantly following after her, walking behind the bleachers when she does. Everything in my head is so jumbled up and we're walking across the parking lot before I remember Danny.

I turn back toward the field and mom stops beside me. She tugs at my arm again, tilting her head to one side when I look at her. "Come on, baby. We've gotta go now, okay?" She tugs my arm again before continuing into the parking lot. I hesitate for a split second before I'm following again.

We get into my car together and I slide my phone from my pocket before I start the engine. "J-Just gimme a second," I mumble, staring down at the screen like it's gonna help me figure out how to navigate everything with mom.

My hands shake as I tap out a message to Danny and it takes me longer to type than it normally would. But given the circumstances, I'm surprised I'm able to sound at least semi normal. At least, I hope I sound normal.

To: Danny Fenton

Something's come up. Raincheck?

I drop my phone onto the center console before I look toward mom, nowhere close to ready for whatever conversation we're gonna have. "S-So, where to?" I have no idea where we're supposed to go to talk but I'm guessing home isn't really an option. Even if I were to tell her that dad hasn't been back for days, I doubt she'd want to return there.

Mom leans back in the seat and turns her gaze out the window with a sigh. "Just drive, Dash. I'll tell you when to stop."

There's really nothing left for me to ask so I pull out of the space and though my hands shake, I manage to drive out of the parking lot and away from the school. Almost no one is on the road and though I keep my foot on the gas pedal, no amount of fuel could bridge the miles of silence in the car.


Mom gives me a few directions until we're out of Amity Park and then it's a long stretch of road before she's directing me to this cheap motel on the edge of Dryden. She unbuckles her seat belt as soon as I've parked and digs a key out of her pocket.

"We'll talk inside," she says, getting out of my car before I have time to argue. I don't think I would have even if she'd given me the chance. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that she's actually here and this isn't some kind of dream.

I get out of my car and follow her up to the motel. She twists the key into the lock and steps back to let me in first. She flips the light switch on as soon as I step inside and the room is suddenly lit up as she shuts the door behind us. A single bed is centered in the room with a nightstand on either side. There's a television across from the bed and I'm guessing the other door in the room leads to a bathroom.

"Dash," mom says softly and a sigh is dragged from me as her hand touches my shoulder. I'm not sure I'm ready to look at her just yet but her touch is insistent and I turn around, meeting her gaze instantly. For a few seconds, we just stare at each other and I really wish words came easily to me. If they did, I could think of a thousand things to say and this silence wouldn't be looming over us.

Mom tilts her head to one side and offers up a smile that looks so fucking sincere, I can feel my anger at this shitty situation completely dissolve. I can't hate her for getting out. For leaving Amity Park in her dust and getting as far away from dad as she possibly can. I want to hate her for leaving me behind but I just can't anymore.

"M-Mom," I whisper, my voice cracking as soon as my eyes fall closed. She tugs me into her arms and god, it's like everything falls into place. It feels right to be hugging her again. To hear her whisper my name as she pulls me closer.

For a few moments, we just hang on to each other and I try to understand it all. I know why she left but… I still don't understand why I couldn't come with her. Is it just cause I look like dad? Or is it because I'm me and she knew she couldn't take someone like me with her?

When mom pulls away from me, she leads me to the bed and I sink down next to her. She leans back against the headboard, smiling at me as she does. "I've missed you so much, baby." Mom shakes her head, still staring at me like she can't believe I'm here. The feeling's mutual.

I let out a shaky breath and drop my gaze to the bedspread beneath us. I had so many questions when she called me and I don't know how to voice any of them now that she's here. There were so many things that seemed so important and I don't know if any of it ever was. It sure as hell doesn't feel important right now.

"What are you thinking?" mom asks. I can't lie to her. After all this time that she's been away and all the anger I should feel toward her for leaving me there alone, I can't lie to her. I just want her to be my mom again.

I kick my shoes off before I crawl up onto the bed further and join mom at the headboard. I exhale softly before leaning my head back, staring up at the ceiling. "I don't know… I-I'm thinking a lot of things." It's the truth. I can't really pick anything that's circling my head or one reoccurring thought. It's all just a jumbled mess right now.

Mom leans her head against my shoulder and it feels like this should be simpler than it actually is. She's here and there are so many things I should be talking to her about. So many questions that I need to have answered. But I'm still awful with words and mom doesn't press me for anything. The silence really isn't uncomfortable and I think we both know that it should be. Maybe we're used to quiet because dad is our loud. Maybe we're quiet to make room and maybe we're just quiet cause I'm not the only one that's horrible with words.


I don't know how long I've been sleeping but apparently I dozed off at some point. Mom's gently trying to wake me up and I blink an eye open to look at her. She offers up a smile before exhaling softly.

"You should probably head home," she says, shaking her head a little. "I don't want him to ask you where you've been. I really don't want you to have to deal with that tonight." I hate to burst her bubble but since she's been gone, I don't have anyone waiting up on me.

I stretch my arms over my head with a groan and focus my gaze on the ceiling again. "Actually… he hasn't been home in a few days," I tell her, feeling like I can speak a little more freely with mom than with anyone else. She's the one person in the world that I don't have to explain anything to when it comes to dad.

Mom groans and when I glance toward her, she's looking at the bruises on my face again. I don't know how to tell her I'm okay when I'm clearly not so I don't say anything. We just hold each other's gaze for a few minutes before she reaches out to touch me.

She hesitates for a second but when I don't flinch or move away, she gently rests her fingertips against my cheek. Her eyebrows draw down as she exhales again, nothing but concern on her features. "I'm so sorry," she whispers and I don't know how to tell her that it's not her fault. She didn't make dad do the things that he does. And I can't blame her for leaving when she got the chance. If I could ever leave this town for good, my ass would be on the interstate right now.

"It's not your fault," I tell her, shrugging a little. She looks like she wants to utter a different apology or explain why she feels bad or some shit so I cut her off. I can't listen to that right now and I wasted a lot of time sleeping. "I um… I-I kinda have some questions for you."

Mom's eyebrows draw down and she moves her hand from my face. "What kind of questions?" She scoots back to the edge of the bed and crawls off of it. I watch her cross the room to get her bag, rifling through for a minute or two. She comes back to the bed with a chocolate bar and offers me a square. I let it melt on my tongue and wait until she's quietly chewing before I speak.

"Wh-What have you been doing since you left?" I ask, my voice a lot softer than I wanted it to be. I wanted it to come out strong, like I'm ready to hear the truth. But I just sound pathetic and desperate for answers instead.

She smiles again and I take that as a good sign. "As soon as I left, I tried to get as far away as possible. I ended up moving around a lot but I'm pretty sure I'm settled now." Her gaze falls to her lap as she shakes her head. "I was terrified he would find me again and a box of dye and a self-haircut didn't do much to ease my worry."

I know that fear. It sits on my chest most nights and keeps me from breathing easy. That's one of the reasons I know I can never leave. If he ever found me after I left, I can't even begin to imagine how ugly that would get. Mom's a lot braver than I am and I'm really fucking glad that dad hasn't found her since she left.

"Y-You don't have to worry anymore. He's given up searching for you," I tell her, my voice sounding scratchy to my own ears. It's the truth. Dad gave up looking for mom around March. The days following his admit to defeat are days I'll never forget. I can practically feel the ache in my jaw just thinking about it.

She gives me a funny look and scoffs lightly. "Dash… he'll never give up searching. That's why I have to get this restraining order and file for divorce. Until I'm legally safe, there's nothing stopping him from coming after me."

I drop my gaze from hers and she immediately places her hand over mine. "Honey, it's okay. It's all gonna be okay. I'll get this all sorted out legally and then you and I can go far away from him forever. We'll go somewhere he'll never find us, okay?"

"Y-You want me to come with you?"

The words are out of my mouth before I've fully thought them through and even if I had stopped to think, I wouldn't have said them any differently. I don't understand it. If she wants me to come with her why didn't she take me in the beginning? Why make me wait this long?

Mom gives me a sympathetic look, nodding. "Yes, baby. I always wanted you to come with me. But I knew it'd be more dangerous in the beginning. I didn't want you in the middle of this crossfire. Not until I could legally keep you safe."

I don't bring up the fact that next month, I'll turn eighteen and technically, dad can't do anything to me. Or how she already put me in this crossfire when she left. I don't feel like bringing up any shit and if there's a way for me to leave dad that's permanent, I'm willing to wait. I've waited this fucking long just to see mom again. I can wait a little longer to leave with her too.


A/N:

Yooo, readers!

The best way to end a shitty day is to have the mother that abandoned you with your abusive father show up, right? … Right?

Okay, so maybe I was a liiittle mean to Dash in this update. Can you blame me though? Last chapter was TOO happy. I had to give the boy some kind of angst otherwise this story wouldn't be recognizable as one of mine ;P

Sucks that Dash didn't get to go out for a burger with Danny, huh? Too bad his mom had to show up and cock-block him. But hey, maybe they'll make good on that raincheck, who knows?

I'd love to know what you guys think of this chapter, I know the past few chapters have felt kind of like a giant setup but I promise they're setting up for something good. (Or something incredibly angsty… honestly, it's probably a healthy mix of both lmao)

Oh, one thing I need to mention. I've changed my blog, it's no longer the-little-insomniac, it's now jaeger-soul. So, you can find me on fanfiction, ao3, Spotify, and tumblr all with the same name. I hope that makes it easier for any of you to find me wherever you might want to. (I occasionally post things about Stay on my blog so, feel free to check that out if you're interested)

The title of this chapter comes from Suddenly Strangers by Lauren Aquilina. As a whole, I don't feel like the song fits the feel of Dash at all but the line I chose for the chapter title was just too perfect for their reunion.

Anyway, I've rambled on enough, thank you all for coming back for another update, I really appreciate you keeping up with this gay angst. It really does mean a lot to me. So… thank you! For next chapter, I can promise you… the space nerd makes a reappearance. That's the only tease you get ;) See you next week!