Craig Drama!

by EMOSAURUS

FINALLY UPDATED! Part 21: The news of Ashley's baby stresses Craig to the point where he breaks down, but the help of his old friend might just be enough.

14. Part 10: Wake Me Up When December Ends

Part 10: Wake Me Up When December Ends

A/N: Okay, everyone! I just wanted to say, thanks for all the great reviews! Trinity, you're the best, and yes, I'll tell readers why Jay gave Craig his MP3 player when he dropped it. Also, I'm jacking the review MINIMUM up to 15. Normally, I already have all the chapters ready, but this time I was actually still working on it. ALSO: whenxixamxqueen: Okay, I'll explain all this stuff in this chapter, including the term 'gay'. Where I live, 'gay' has three meanings: homosexual, happy, and, in my context, stupid; lame. Sorry for any misconceptions. Hellogoodbye123, Craig's in MH for three weeks in this story. And, yes, I'll put in all that good stuff. So...yeah!

Lalalalala! Hope you like this chapter! P.S.: whenxixamxqueen and Hellogoodbye123, you need not argue through reviews, mmmkay? Crashetburn, it's good to see that you're still reading this; I thought you'd deserted it. Thanks for all the long reviews! (you know what? This chapter's going to be longer than part 9. Sorry. Didn't mean to make it so long, but it just kind of happened.

"Ash, you can't do it yet. It's like, two weeks before Christmas. This isn't the right time," Ellie Nash said to her friend, Ashley Kerwin. Ashley had been contemplating whether or not she should tell her long-time boyfriend, Craig Manning, what she'd been keeping inside of her for about two weeks now.

"Ellie, I know it seems weird, but I feel bad not telling him. He'd want me to be honest with him," Ashley said quietly.

"Listen. If you do it now, he's going to freak out. You know he will."

"I know. But he needs to know."

"Do what you want. But don't blame me when Craig kills himself," Ellie said, standing up from Ashley's bed. She went to the door. "If you ask my advice, make sure you actually consider it before you just say you're going to do it anyway." She opened the door and left. Ashley laid back on the bed. She sighed. She thought about holding in her feelings, in case they changed in the next few weeks. She turned her head to her night stand, where a picture of Craig stood. He looked happy, though he hadn't been when she took the picture.

It was before the accident at the party, before the beginning of the school year, before she'd gone to London. She picked the picture up and held it close to her. "I'm sorry, Craig," she whispered to the picture. She carefully set it down on the night stand and rolled over. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed Craig.

"Hello?" said Joey.

"Joey, is Craig there?" Ashley asked. Stupid question, seeing as he was grounded until tomorrow.

"Yeah, hold on," Joey answered. Ashley waited for a minute before she heard Joey say something, and Craig took the phone.

"Hello?" he muttered, tired.

"Craig? I'm sorry, were you sleeping?"

"I was. But I woke up like, two minutes ago. What's up?" said Craig.

"Oh, I was just wondering what you were doing. So..."

"I'm just sitting here on the floor."

"Why're you sitting on the floor?"

"Because the floor's comfortable for a little while."

"I see."

"So do I," said Craig. "It was weird. When I got home, Angie came up to me and said that some guy named Jay dropped off my MP3 player. I asked her what he looked like and she said he had a black hat and sunglasses. Why would Jay give back something so expensive?"

"No idea," Ashley answered nervously. "Maybe he's just going soft."

"Jay. Go soft. That's funny, Ash."

"Yeah. Jay's not that much of a nice person, is he?"

"No. He's not. I've never really had a conversation with him. As Joey always tells Angie, 'it's not nice to judge people by impressions.'"

"Maybe Joey's right."

"That's what everyone says. But I agree with him. Most of the time. Me and Joey fight a lot, though."

"I know."

"You're lucky. You've never gotten in a fight with Joey."

"I don't think that'd be very proper if I got in a fight with my boyfriend's step dad."

"No, it wouldn't."

"Oh, Craig, I'm sorry. I have to go."

"Okay. I have to do something for Joey anyway. Bye."

"Bye." Ashley hung up, and Craig listened to the almost-silent buzz coming from inside the receiver. He hung up and tossed the phone across the floor. It started ringing again. Craig crawled over to the phone.

"Hello?" he said.

"Craig? It's Sean."

"What's up, Sean?" Craig asked.

"I was just calling to see if you've heard anything from Ellie," said Sean.

"Uh...no. Why would I hear from Ellie? I don't hang out with her. No offense. I mean, she's cool and all, but I just...have no time to hang out with anyone. I just got off the phone with Ash. Maybe she knows where Ellie is."

"Okay. Talk to you later. Bye." Craig hung up the phone and threw it back on the floor. Joey came in.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"Sean. Wanted to know if I've seen or heard from Ellie. I haven't. He said bye and I hung up. Want the phone?" Craig said. Joey nodded and took the phone from Craig's hand after he'd picked it up from the floor.

"Is something wrong?" Joey asked. Craig shook his head.

"Not really. I'm tired and bored."

"Okay," Joey said calmly. He left the room with the phone. He hung it up on the base downstairs.

"Something wrong?" Caitlin asked, looking up from the newspaper.

"I'm worried about Craig," Joey answered. "He says he tired, and if that's the case, then there's no problem. But I think there might be something else."

"Well, interrogating him isn't going to get anything out of him, but... he'll tell you if there's something wrong, and if there is, he'll tell you when he's ready. Give it time," Caitlin said.

"Okay," Joey said. Caitlin stood up and wrapped her arms around Joey.

"Stop worrying for one day. Just one day," she muttered. Joey smiled and sighed, breathing in her scent.

The next day, after school, Ashley approached Craig. "Hey, Craig," she said sweetly.

"Hey, Ash," Craig said. He kissed her quickly. "What's up?"

"Um...I need to talk to you. Come on, sit down," she said, indicating the picnic table that was off to the side. They went over to it and sat down.

"How important is this? Should I be worried?" Craig asked.

"This is really important, and I'm not sure if you should be worried or not," Ashley answered.

"Okay..." Craig said, looking at her.

"Um... over the past few days, I've been kind of... I don't know how to say this... but remember how we used to be around each other?" Craig nodded. "Well...I've been feeling a little different...about you."

"This is bad, isn't it?" Craig asked.

"Yeah. It is," Ashley whispered. Craig shook his head slowly. "And I think I'm...I think..."

"Don't say it. Please. Don't say it, Ash. Don't," Craig pleaded. Ashley looked into Craig's sad eyes.

"I'm sorry. I think I'm...falling out of love...with you." Craig stood up and started running. He ran as far as he could. He finally stopped when he reached his own door. He opened it. He ran up to his room and slammed the door behind him. He heard a knock on his door, and Caitlin opened the door slowly.

"Craig? Are you okay?" she asked. Craig was sitting on the edge of his bed. He didn't say anything. He didn't look up. He didn't move. Caitlin sat down next to him. "What happened?"

"Ash dumped me," Craig mumbled. "She's 'falling out of love with me.'"

"Craig, I'm sorry," Caitlin said.

"Don't be sorry. We should've broken up a long time ago." Caitlin put her hand on Craig's arm. She gave him a sad look and stood up. She left the room without another word. Craig could hear what she was doing. The house was quiet except for the fact that he heard Caitlin pick up the phone and sit on the stairs. She was probably calling Joey. Craig was right. She heard him say something to him, but couldn't distinguish it all. Then he heard her shut the phone off and call someone else. The name "Emma" came up in conversation. Craig figured she was probably calling her to go pick up Angie. She was.

It surprised him; Emma hadn't babysat Angie for a while now. But whatever she could do for money. He sat on the bed, alone. The word itself was too much to handle. 'Alone'. He could've been sitting on the bed for minutes or hours. But a while after he heard Caitlin get off the phone, he heard footsteps on the stairs. They sounded different than Caitlin's; lighter. And there were two people going up the stairs. He knew it wasn't Joey. Joey went up the stairs quickly. Then, a third person. He looked up, and through the doorway, he saw Angie running into her room.

Two girls stopped at his door. Emma and Manny. They looked at him. Craig gave a sad smile. The two girls entered and sat down next to him on the bed. He saw Emma and Manny standing in the doorway. He must've looked pathetic. He was sitting on the bed, alone, in the dark except for the light from the window, and his head was bowed. "Craig?" said Emma.

"We heard about what happened today," said Manny. "I'm sorry." Craig said nothing. "Craig, it's okay. It'll be okay." Manny hugged Craig, resting her head on his shoulder. He had a different scent than he used to; he now smelled of men's deodorant from an aerosol can. Emma hugged him, too. The two girls sat with their heads rested on Craig's shoulders. Craig still didn't move.

Suddenly, Emma's cell phone rang. "Hello?" she said angrily. "No, Mom, we're busy...no...yeah, but we're at Craig's!...But...Fine." Emma hung up. "Manny, we have to go. My mom wants us to go take care of Jack." Manny sighed. She sat up and put an arm on Craig's knee.

"Feel better, okay?" she said quietly. Craig said nothing. She hesitated for a second before kissing his cheek. "It'll get better," she said before leaving.

"Manny! I can't believe you just did that!" Emma cried.

"He looks like he needed it," Manny said simply. Emma shook her head. They opened the front door and almost ran into Joey.

"He's in his room," Emma said before walking out the door, followed closely by Manny.
Joey went upstairs to Craig's room. He opened the door. The sight of Craig sitting on his bed alone almost broke his heart. Craig looked up. Joey looked back him. They stared at each other for a second before Craig stood up. He walked a few steps toward Joey. He hugged him and Joey hugged back. He rested his head on his shoulder and let everything come out. Joey stood there and let him cry. The tears soaked his shirt. He could tell he'd been holding it inside of himself for at least two hours.

Finally, Joey had gotten Craig to his bed. He laid him down and covered him with one of the blankets. Craig stared up at him, and Joey could tell he was still upset. "Okay, Craig," he whispered. "I'm not gonna make you go to school tomorrow, okay?" Craig nodded slowly and rested his head against the pillows. "Now go to sleep. You need it." Craig sighed and turned onto his side, facing Joey. He looked up at him for several minutes.

"You don't have to stay in here," Craig muttered. "You can leave if you want."

"I know. But I want to stay here until I know you're asleep." Craig nodded in understanding. He closed his eyes coolly and sighed softly. He finally fell asleep. He didn't feel better, though. He woke up late the next morning. It had to be eleven. He wondered why Joey hadn't woken him up. But then he remembered what happened yesterday. Getting dumped by Ashley had to be one of the worst things that ever happened to him.

He went down to the kitchen and opened the fridge. He looked at all of the food he had at his disposal. But somehow, he wasn't hungry. He scoffed and went back upstairs. He looked at the picture of Ashley t hat was on his nightstand. He picked it up and threw it against the wall. He watched the glass shatter and fall to the floor.

His cell phone started ringing. He picked it up from the floor, where he'd tossed it the night before when he went to bed. The name was clear on the screen. 'Ashley Kerwin'. Craig stared at the screen. He could've answered it. But he wasn't going to. He wasn't going to talk to her. Not after yesterday. He pressed "Decline" and tossed the phone back to the floor.

He fell back onto the bed and actually managed to fall asleep. He woke up and almost forgot where he was. He looked around his room and underestimated how close he was to the middle of the bed and rolled off. He lay on the floor for a second. He was covered in a mass of blankets. Someone came in the room and he wasn't sure who it was.

"Who's there?" Craig shouted from under the blankets.

"Joey. Are you okay?" asked Joey, walking over to the bed. He looked over the edge, where the large pile of Craig and blankets was.

"I'm okay. I got confused and fell off the bed." Craig rolled around for a second before he finally freed himself.

"What time is it?" Craig asked, noticing that he'd accidentally unplugged the alarm clock.

"It's around eight." Craig nodded.

"Where's Angie?"

"She's down with Caitlin watching TV."

"Sounds good to me," said Craig. He got up and swayed slightly before walking toward the door. He went downstairs and sat down next to Caitlin on the couch. He looked at her for a second before leaning his head on her shoulder. Caitlin put her arm around Craig's shoulder. Angela stood up from the other side of Caitlin and went over to Craig and sat on his lap. Craig wrapped his arm around her and held her closely. Joey came and sat down next to Caitlin and rested his hand on her shoulder.

Several minutes later, Caitlin heard something that didn't sound like regular breathing. She turned her head. Sure enough, Craig had fallen asleep on her shoulder. He looked cute when he slept.

"Joey," she whispered. "Look at Craig."

Joey looked over at Craig and smiled. "Poor kid," said Joey. "Of course, it's not his fault he has the ability to sleep all the time."

Angela was still curled up on Craig's lap. She stared at the TV. She was small for nine years old.

"Angela, come on. It's time to get ready for bed," Joey said at 8:25. Angela sighed as she rolled off of Craig.

"I don't want to go to bed," she pouted.

"Well, you need to. You have school tomorrow."

"Fine!" Angela cried as she ran upstairs to the bathroom. Joey rolled his eyes. "I'm never talking to you again!"

"That's okay," Joey said as he went into his own room.

Downstairs, Caitlin was still watching TV with Craig on her shoulder, sleeping peacefully. Joey came back downstairs. "I think it's time Craig went to bed, too," he said quietly. Caitlin sighed and turned her head to Craig. "Craig, it's time to go to bed," she whispered.

"I'm already in bed," Craig muttered.

"No. You're on my shoulder. You need to go to bed. You're going to school tomorrow."

"But I don't want to go to school tomorrow," said Craig, opening his eyes.

"I know. But you have to. Do you have any idea how much school you've missed this year?"

"A lot. But I do not want to go to school tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Ashley's at school. Spinner's at school. Sean's at school."

"I thought you were friends with Sean..."

"I am. But he's always 'concerned'. He has to know everything that's wrong with me. Like the day when I ran away from my dad's. He just needs to know everything." Craig stood up and trudged upstairs. He went to his room and slammed the door behind him.

Joey followed him up and slowly opened the door. "Craig? Is everything okay?" he asked. Craig turned around and looked at Joey.

"No. Nothing's okay. I don't want to go to school tomorrow," he said.

"Well, I'd like it if you did," Joey responded. "Please?"

"Fine," said Craig. "But I can't guarantee a good day."

"Okay. Your teachers tell me you've been a little rebellious lately."

"Yeah. So?" Craig said carelessly. He took his shirt off and exchanged it for a different one, tossing the first one to the floor.

"So? Why have you been acting like that at school?" asked Joey.

"Because...I just have."

"There are reasons you're acting like this. What are they?"

"I'm stupid, that's why! I don't care how I act in school!"

"Well I do!"

"Why? I'm probably not going to university! Why even try? It's not like I can afford it!"

"Craig, I can take care of that."

"No. I don't want you to live out on the streets because you paid for someone that lives off of you to go to college."

"Don't worry about it."

"I have to. All my friends are going to the university and I'm not. I'm the loner who can't afford anything for myself and who's not going to college with my friends."

"Craig, what's wrong?"

"What are you talking about?" Craig said blankly.

"You just now thought about complaining about university. There's something wrong. What is it?"

"I just broke up with my girlfriend, Joey! You can't expect someone that's bipolar and just broke up with their girlfriend to be in their right mind!"

"Being bipolar shouldn't have anything to do with this unless...Craig!"

"What?"

"You told me you were taking them! You told me yesterday that you were taking them!"

"Like I'd tell you otherwise," Craig said quietly. "I don't need them!"

"You do need them!"

"No, I don't. You don't think I'm getting better at all. You just say that to make me feel like I'm doing something right for once."

"No. I think you'll get better if you take them."

"I don't need them, Joey! Stop telling me that! I'm not dependent on drugs!"

"It's not 'drugs'. It's prescription."

"Yeah. Prescription drugs."

"Craig! That's not the point. The point is, without them, you could end up hurting yourself or someone else."

"I don't care. I'm not taking them." Craig sat down on the bed. He stared at the floor.

"What's your problem with taking them?" Craig was quiet for a minute.

"I'm scared," he whispered. Joey walked over and sat down next to him.

"Of what?" he asked. He looked at Craig, ready to listen to what he had to say.

"Of what I'll do if I don't take them," he answered. He stared at his hands and sighed. He ran his hand through his hair.

"Then why don't you?" said Joey, confused.

"Because at the same time, I'm scared of what they'll say."

"Since when did you care what they say?"

"When I asked Manny and Emma and Jimmy for money to pay for the medications."

"Craig, they're not judging you because you're bipolar. They judge you by characteristics. Being bipolar isn't going to change their opinion of you."

"That's not true. Ever since that day, Jimmy and Spinner treat me different. Marco's still Marco, and Manny and Emma act the way they've acted for years. But Jimmy and Spinner...they're stupid. And I don't want to go to school tomorrow because...I don't want to see Ashley."

"I know this sounds really old, but try and ignore her. I know it's hard for you. Just try, okay? For me?"

"Okay, Joey," Craig said, looking up at him. "For you. I'll try for you."

"Thanks." Craig gave Joey a sad smile and hugged him.

"I miss her," said Craig. "I just don't know why I didn't see it." Craig pulled back and laid down on the bed. He covered himself in blankets and rested his head on the pillows. He looked at Joey, who was still sitting on the bed.
"Goodnight, Craig," said Joey. He stood up to leave the room.

"Goodnight, Joe," Craig responded. Joey smiled and left the room, closing the door behind him. Craig was now in the dark.

Craig, somehow, didn't sleep. But it was no wonder to him; he'd slept for the entire day except for when he first woke up that morning, and when he'd gotten up to watch TV. He started to get bored and annoyed laying in bed in the dark. He rolled off the bed and went into the bathroom. He opened the medicine cabinet and took a small pair of scissors out. He closed the door and locked it.

He sat down against the door and held the edge of the scissors to his arm. Second by second, he cut the stitches that remained along his arm. He pulled them out and threw them into the garbage. He looked at the long scar that would probably remain there for most, if not all of, his life.

The edge of the scissors which was still pressed to his skin slid when he was startled by a noise from the other side of the door. His skin was sliced open and he started bleeding. "Craig! Craig! I have to go to the bathroom!" Angela cried.

"Shit..." Craig muttered as he grabbed a small towel from the cupboard. He tossed the scissors into the sink and opened the door. "How'd you know it was me?" he asked, holding the towel to his arm.

"I guessed," Angie answered before pushing past Craig. She shut the door behind her. Craig was about to run to his room before he ran into Joey. He held his arm to the side casually, holding the towel in his hand.

"Joey. What're you doing up?" Craig asked nervously.

"I was going to get some water for Caitlin. Why're you up?"

"Because I rolled over and hit my arm on the nightstand and I went to see if I had hurt it."

"Oh. Okay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Craig ran into his room and shut the door behind him. He went over to his lamp, which was barely visible in the dark. He turned it on and looked at his arm. There was a small cut, but the cut could bleed a lot. He held the towel to his arm and wondered silently why the smallest cuts hurt the worst. Finally, the blood stopped flowing. He sighed and tossed the towel to the top of the pile of clothes he had next to the bed.

He waited until he heard the door to Joey and Caitlin's room shut and then he went downstairs. He turned the TV on and started flipping through channels. He stopped on a channel that had a very familiar person being interviewed. Kevin Smith. He was talking about his movie. "Shut up," Craig said quietly, changing the channel. He decided to just watch music videos. He was getting more bored by the second. Was it just him or was it getting hot in here? It shouldn't have been...it was only 30 degrees outside. He sighed and unlocked the front door. He stepped outside and sat down close to the door.

The grass was coated in a layer of white powder. "Great. Snow," said Craig. He stood up and walked over to the snow. He rolled a ball of it in his hand. He held it, staring at it. It turned his hand cold and numb, so he dropped it to the ground. He went back into the house and got his jacket, cell phone, and shoes. He put the shoes and jacket on and went back outside. He looked back at the house and then started off down the sidewalk.

He had only walked about four blocks when his cell phone started ringing. He took it out of his pocket; it was probably Joey. Surprisingly, it wasn't. "Sean..." he muttered. He pressed 'Answer' and said, "Hello?"

"Craig? Sorry if I woke you up, but it's important," said Sean.

"Nah, I've been awake. I'm actually outside right now. What's up?" said Craig.

"Oh. Well, if you're already outside, I kind of needed to talk to you. Can you come over?" asked Sean.

"Yeah. I'll be there. I'm only a few blocks away," Craig said coolly.

"Okay. I'll see you when you get here," Sean said. "Later."

"Later," Craig said before pressing 'End'. He wished that the buses ran this late. He was forced to walk through the cold and the snow. He finally made it to the apartment building. He went upstairs and knocked on Sean's door. Ellie answered, and let him in.

Craig sat down on the couch next to Sean.

"Hey, man," said Sean.

"What're you two doing up so late?" Craig asked curiously.

"I could ask you the same question," Ellie answered. "You want something to drink?"

"Water," said Craig. "And I'm only awake because I slept all day. Somehow, I doubt you two did."

"I would be asleep if Ellie and her friends didn't have problems every hour of the day," Sean muttered. Ellie returned from the kitchen with a glass of water and handed it to Craig.

"Thanks, Ellie," Craig said, taking the glass from her.

"Well, Sean," Ellie began. "It's not my fault that people call me to help with their problems. They'd call Paige, but she's never any help." Ellie stood up and walked to the room she shared with Sean.

"So...what did you want to talk about?" Craig asked blankly.

"It's not so much me who wanted to talk to you...it was Ellie, and..." Sean said, trailing off.

"Who?" Craig asked. Ellie emerged from her room, with the last person Craig wanted to talk to. Ashley. Craig stood up and went to the door.

"Craig!" Ellie cried. Craig turned around. "Please, just stay here for a few minutes!" Craig glared at her.

"What is this? Some kind of...sick intervention?" he whispered.

"No. But it's important," Ellie answered.

"I'm going to bed," said Sean. Craig glared at him as he went to his room. Ellie gave Craig a pleading look.

"I'm only staying for two minutes," Craig told her. Ellie smiled. Craig sat back down on the couch, on one side of Ellie, and Ashley on the other.

"Okay, let's begin," said Ellie. "Craig, tell us why you're here."

"Because Sean told me to come over and then you gave me a sad look that made me stay," Craig answered.

"Okay...why didn't you have a problem with coming over?"

"Because I was already awake," Craig said. He was started to get annoyed.

"Why were you awake?" asked Sean. He came out of his room. "I'm not missing this."

"Because I couldn't sleep!" Craig cried defensively.

"Why couldn't you sleep?" Ellie asked quietly.

"Because I slept all day instead of going to school!" Craig almost shouted.

"Why didn't you go to school?" Sean asked simply. Craig didn't answer. "Why?" Sean repeated. Craig looked at his hands. Sean sighed, irritated. "Tell me why you didn't go to school!" he shouted. Craig looked up at him sadly.

"Joey's gonna wonder where I went," he said quietly. He stood up and walked quickly to the door. Sean stood up and grabbed his shoulder.

"You're not leaving until you answer the question!" he yelled. Craig pulled away from him.

"Don't touch me!" he cried. He leaned his head into the door. Ellie and Ashley stood up. Ellie went up to Craig. She put a hand on his shoulder. Sean stepped back and retreated to his room. "Are you okay?" Ellie asked. Craig didn't say anything. Ashley stepped up to the plate and went up to Craig. As quick as possible, she turned him around and jumped onto him. She kissed him, hard. Craig wasn't about to let her drop down to the floor, so he supported her. He couldn't find it in himself to kiss back. She pulled back and hugged him. "Go home," she whispered. Craig let her down, turned, and left.

Craig left the apartment building. He was halfway home when he was stopped by a cop. "Can I help you?" Craig asked. The cop stepped out of the car and closed the door.

"Take your jacket off and put your hands on the car," the cop ordered. Craig did as he was told. Craig got cold instantly. He watched as the cop searched his jacket. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"Your parents know you smoke?" the cop asked. Craig shook his head.

"They don't know because I don't smoke," he said.

"Then where'd you get these?"

"This is my friend's jacket," Craig answered.

"What's your friend's name?"

"My friend's name? JT."

"What's his last name?"

"I don't know." Craig looked at the cop and then back to the hood of the car. The cop pocketed the cigarettes. "Get in the car," he said.

"Why? Am I going to jail?" Craig asked quickly.

"No. You're going home. Craig Manning?"

"Yes," Craig muttered. He opened the door to the car and got in the back. He slammed the door shut. Craig looked at the laptop that was sitting next to the cop. Craig's name was clear on the screen. Craig thought about something and pulled out his cell phone. He checked the call log and it said he'd missed a call. Sure enough, it was Joey. He wondered why he hadn't heard the phone ring, and then he remembered that on his way to Sean's, he'd turned the ringer off.

Craig was quiet and cold while the cop drove back to Joey's. The car stopped in front of the house, and Craig waited until the cop opened the door. He stepped out of the car. He walked up to the door, where Joey was standing in the doorway. He looked mad. Craig looked at the ground. "Craig, you must be freezing!" Joey said. "Where's your jacket?" Craig pointed at the cop, who held Craig's jacket in his hand.

"He says this jacket isn't his," the cop told Joey. "Recognize it?"

"Yeah," said Joey. "He's had that jacket for years."

"Well," the cop added. "I found these in his jacket." The cop pulled the pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and handed them to Joey. Joey turned and looked at Craig, whose eyes were still fixed on the snow-covered walkway.

"Cigarettes?" Joey said blankly. "Why?" Craig looked up at Joey. His eyes were turning red.

"Don't be mad, Joey," Craig begged. "Don't be mad. I didn't even smoke one. Don't be mad..." Craig hugged him. Joey handed the cigarettes back to the cop, who counted how many were in the box.

"He's not lying," the cop said. "They're all here."

"Thanks for bringing him back," Joey said. The cop nodded and left. "Come on, Craig. Let's go inside." Craig let go of Joey and followed him inside, closing the door behind him. Craig sat down at the kitchen table. Joey thought about yelling at Craig until he was deaf, but he decided against it. He sat down next to Craig.

"Don't be mad at me...don't be mad at me..." Craig kept saying.

"I'm not mad at you," Joey said calmly. "I'm not mad." Craig looked up and gave Joey a small smile.

"Really?" he said quietly.

"Really. I'm not mad."

"I don't smoke. I never smoked. And I never will. I'll never smoke because...I don't want you to be mad at me."

"And I'm not. Why did you leave? I was worried," Joey said.

"Well, first, I couldn't sleep. And then I was just going for a walk. And then Sean called and said he wanted to talk to me, so I went over to his place. Then, him and Ellie gave me this weird intervention-type thing. And Ashley was there. And I left. And...then I got pulled over."

"Did you turn your phone off after Sean called?" Joey asked.

"No. I turned the ringer off. I'm sorry," Craig said shamefully, bowing his head.

"No, no. Don't be sorry. It's okay. Just...go to bed. It's cold outside."

"Okay," Craig muttered.

"Craig, one more thing," Joey added. "We talk tomorrow morning." Craig nodded and went upstairs. He took his shoes off upon reaching his room. He also pulled his socks and jeans off.

He laid down in bed and pulled the blankets over himself. "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm," he sighed. Warmth enveloped him as he fell asleep.

Joey woke him up the next morning. He took his time showering and getting dressed. He put his socks and shoes on and went downstairs.

"Hey, Craig," Joey and Caitlin said plainly. Joey set down his coffee.

"Hey," Craig said back as he sat down. He got a bowl of cereal. "So..." he said.

"Craig, you remember what I said last night," Joey stated.

"Yeah, I know. I already told you—I'm not smoking," Craig said quickly.

"I know that. Where'd you get the cigarettes from?" Joey asked.

"I...Jay," Craig answered.

"I don't want you to see Jay again," Joey said simply.

"But—Joey, he's in like, two of my classes!" Craig cried.

"I don't care. Don't talk to him." Craig glared at Joey. He ate his cereal in silence. Finally, he finished and he rinsed the bowl and headed to the door.

"Bye," he said before opening the door and leaving. Joey was a little concerned that Craig was walking to school in the cold and snow without a jacket. Craig arrived at school, cold. His arms were light pink from the frosty air. He got inside the building and felt instantly warm. He sighed as he walked to his locker. Sean walked up to him a few minutes later.

"Hey, Craig, listen...I'm sorry about last night," he said.

"No. It's cool. I probably shouldn't have left my place at all. Joey called the cops, and then the cop took my jacket, and..."

"And what?"

"And they found cigarettes," Craig finished. Craig turned to go to class when Sean stopped him.

"What cigarettes?" he demanded.

"Just...cigarettes," Craig said quietly.

"Where did you get them?" Sean asked.

"I got them from Jay! God! Why do you always ask so many questions?" Craig shouted.

"Why did Jay have them? He doesn't smoke!" said Sean.

"Don't ask me! He just told me to keep them with me, so I did! How the hell did I know I was going to get pulled over and searched by the cops?" Craig said defensively. Sean just sighed and walked away.

"I don't smoke, Sean!" Craig yelled after him. Manny walked up to Craig after he gave up on Sean.

"Hey, Manny," he said casually.

"Hey, Craig. Did I hear right? You got caught with cigarettes last night?" Manny asked.

"Yeah, I did. But don't worry; I don't smoke. Okay?" said Craig.

"Okay. But why did you get them from Jay?"

"Because he...he gave me back my MP3 player a few days ago. And I thought that was cool of him, and he told me to hold the cigarettes for me. So I did. And I got caught with them. But...it's Ashley's fault. Really, it is. I mean, me getting caught with them."

"How is it her fault?" Manny asked, walking alongside Craig as he walked down the halls.

"Because if she hadn't dumped me, then—"

"She dumped you?" Manny cried, horrified.

"Yeah, she did. Anyway, if she hadn't dumped me, I wouldn't have been able to sleep all day yesterday, and I would be able to sleep at night. And then I wouldn't have stayed up last night and gone on a walk and answered my cell phone when Sean called. Joey wouldn't have called the cops and I wouldn't have gotten caught with them."

"Craig, do you wanna go see a movie tonight? It'll just be us and Emma. I mean, just as friends," Manny said quickly. Craig smiled.

"Sure. I'll call Joey after school," he said.

"Okay, great. See you then," Manny said. The bell rang and Craig turned into the classroom. Craig sat down at his usual computer. Ellie sat down next to him.

"Hey," she said. "What're you doing after school today?"

"I'm going to the movies," Craig answered.

"Oh really? With who?" Ellie asked.

"Um...with Manny and Emma," Craig said.

"Manny?" Ellie said blankly.

"Yeah. She's cool. We're just friends. What's the big deal?" Craig asked.

"Manny...she's your ex...and you..." Ellie stammered.

"Don't talk about it. I've thought about it enough," Craig interrupted.

"Sorry," Ellie said apologetically. Mr. Simpson talked endlessly about the assignment. He finally finished. Craig started on his and finished a few minutes before class was over. He caught Ellie sneaking a few worried looks at him every so often. Finally, he said, "Ellie!" Ellie blushed nervously and stared back at her computer.

The bell rang and Craig stood up from his computer. Ellie followed Craig immediately out of the room.

"Craig!" she cried.

"Ellie, don't talk to me!" Craig shouted.

"Why are you mad at me?" Ellie asked. Craig turned around and faced her.

"Because you're judging me because I'm going somewhere with my friends," he said quietly.

"I'm not...judging you," Ellie whispered.

"Then what would you call it? You're gonna run right back to Ashley and tell her what I'm doing. Then, she's gonna come up and slap me and say I'm a heartless asshole. Then, she's gonna run home to her mom and cry her eyes out and tell her how lame I am. Don't start with me, Ellie!" Craig cried.

"I'm trying to help you!" Ellie retorted. "Obviously, you're not the type that wants help, even though you actually need it!"

"Shut up!" Craig shouted before turning and walking away quickly. The bell rang and Craig was about to turn the corner when someone grabbed his arm. He stopped and looked back. Standing behind him was Jay. "Hey, Jay," Craig said awkwardly.

"Hey, Manning," Jay answered. "Let's step outside." Craig followed Jay outside to the back of the school.

"So..." said Jay. "Word around school is you got pulled over by the cops and he took the cigarettes." Craig bowed his head and nodded.

"Yeah. I did," he said quietly. "But I can pay you back."

"No," Jay told him. "It's okay. I jacked them from some kid in English. He was talking about Alex again. So I took them. He knew it was me who took them and I didn't want to be caught with them, so I gave them to you." Craig frowned.

"Why'd you give back the MP3 player? And where'd you find it?" he asked. Jay was thrown off guard by the question. He didn't really know what to say. He sighed; might as well tell him the truth.

"I felt sorry for you," Jay said finally.

"What?" Craig said blankly. Jay took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair.

"You know...last week...on Thursday..."

"Jay, what are you talking about?"

"We followed you to the cemetery!" Jay shouted. Craig stared at him.

"What?" he said in disbelief.

"We followed you to the cemetery...and when you left, you dropped the MP3 player. And I picked it up and gave it back."

"Who's 'we'?" Craig demanded.

"Me, and Sean, and Spinner, and Marco, and...Ashley," Jay said quietly. He put his hat back on.

"So let me get this straight—you all followed me to the cemetery, you found out what I was doing there, you felt sorry for me and gave me back my MP3 player? Why would you feel sorry for me?" Craig asked.

"Because," Jay answered, "it would've been wrong to take something and sell it when you can't afford another one."

"That's why you feel sorry for me? Because I'm broke? I have none of my own money?" Craig cried.

"No!" Jay shouted. "I don't know why I felt sorry for you! I just do! It's easier for me to steal from people and sell their stuff or use it for myself! And you're lucky I didn't sell it! I had enough heart to give it back to you! There's something wrong with me lately!"

"Something wrong with you? You gave it back. You're Jay. You don't give things back. I think there's something really, really wrong with you," Craig told him.

"I almost have nothing left!" said Jay. "I lost Alex! She doesn't talk to me anymore! I only have two things left in this world—Sean and Spinner. Woo! That's a lot! I used to have tons of friends! But, no. Not anymore. Now I'm just screwed over. I wanted to prove myself and show everyone that I can be something...more."

"So you followed me to my mom's grave? You find my MP3 player and then give it back to me? That's proving yourself, Jay. Absolutely proving yourself." Craig turned to go back inside; it was cold out here.

"Craig! Wait! Don't leave me alone!" Jay cried. Craig turned. He rolled his eyes and walked the few steps back to Jay.

"What?" Craig asked.

"I don't want to be alone anymore. Spinner and Sean don't understand me. You seem to. What're you doing after school?" Jay asked hopefully.

"I'm going to the movies with Manny and Emma..." Craig said. "But if you need me to do something, then..."

"Yeah. I need you to do something after school. I'm alone after school," Jay said.

"How desperate are you?" Craig asked curiously.

"I'm extremely desperate."

"Okay," Craig said. "I'll tell them that Joey said no." Craig and Jay stared at each other for a second. The silence was broken when Craig's cell phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and pressed 'Answer'.

"Hello?" he said casually.

"Craig?" said Joey.

"Yeah...?" Craig responded.

"Meet me in front of the school."

"Right now?"

"Yeah. Right now." Craig shrugged.

"Okay. I'll be there in a second." Craig hung up and dropped the phone back in his pocket. "Um...I'll see you after school, okay? I gotta go." Craig left Jay standing there. He ran around the side of the building. He saw Joey's red sports car, completely fixed and renewed in all its glory, parked in front of the school. He smiled softly and went to the door.

"Hey, Joey," he said. He opened the door and crawled inside. "What's going on?"

"I'm taking you to the hospital," Joey answered.

"What? Why? I'm fine! I'll take them! I'll take them! I'm sorry! I'll take them!" Craig cried quickly. Joey laughed. "How is this funny to you? You wouldn't laugh if you were the one who was supposed to be taking the stupid medications!"

"I'm not taking you to the hospital because of that. I'm taking you to get your cast off," Joey said, still laughing. Craig sighed in relief.

"Thank God," he muttered.

"And then I'm dropping you off to see the therapist." Craig scoffed.

"I hate seeing her. She's annoying," he said.

"Craig, you need to see her," Joey said, starting the car and putting it in drive. He let go of the brakes and put his foot on the gas and started slowly down the road.

"But Joey! All she says is 'And how does that make you feel?'" Craig imitated the therapist and slouched down in the seat. He looked out the window at the snow, which was starting to fall again.

"Craig, I know that she annoys you. Just tell me how this session goes and if it doesn't work, we'll talk about it," Joey offered.

"Fine. But do I really have to answer the 'How does that make you feel' question?" Craig moaned.

"You can answer it once. Just try and act like yourself when you talk to her."

"If I acted like myself when I talked to her, she'd see a side of me she wouldn't want to, and that'd be my butt sitting up and leaving the room," Craig retorted. This made Joey laugh.

"You're hilarious, Craig," he said smoothly. Craig smiled sadly. Joey looked over at him; his smile faded. "What's wrong?" Craig looked over at him.

"Everything's wrong," he whispered. Joey pulled the car over on the side of the road. He pulled out the key.

"What do you mean 'everything'?" he asked softly.

"I do everything wrong," Craig answered. "I can't even go to a party without screwing myself up."

"Craig, what happened...well, that's kind of unexplainable. But..."

"No, Joey. Here's how it works—I would've been fine if I hadn't run away. Sean wouldn't have come back and had the party, and I wouldn't have gotten drunk. But I can't change what happened then. I keep thinking—I shouldn't have even gone to the party. If I hadn't gone, I wouldn't have gotten drunk. And it doesn't matter if I was even on the meds or not because if I was, I likely would've died regardless of me and Ash fighting. Without the meds, the alcohol screwed my mind up even worse than it would have."

"Stop blaming yourself."

"Who am I supposed to blame?" Craig said quietly.

"Here. Put your jacket on. You must be cold." Joey handed Craig his black leather jacket which was sitting in the backseat where Joey had tossed it before he left. Craig took it and put it on. Joey shrugged and started the car back up. He drove to the hospital. Halfway there, Craig leaned himself down so that his head was on Joey's leg. Joey smiled to himself and kept driving. He wondered how Craig could find it comfortable in that position. He finally stopped at the hospital and let Craig get out before finding a parking spot. He walked inside the hospital, where Craig sat reading a magazine. He sat down next to Craig and picked up a magazine for himself.

Craig closed and set his magazine back down on the table. He leaned over to Joey's magazine to see what he was reading. Joey slowly drew his attention from the magazine to Craig, who also slowly looked over at Joey. They both laughed and then Craig sat back down in his own chair. Craig sighed. He was starting to get bored. Joey noticed as Craig started fidgeting with small toys that lay in a bucket next to the chair. He took a toy car and started rolling it up and down his leg. He took another one and took a minute to situate it in his hand. He started rolling both of the plastic cars into each other. He got bored with those. Joey set down his magazine. Craig took two dolls out of the bucket and started playing with them.

Craig's fun was interrupted when the same receptionist that he'd seen a week or so ago called his name and he had to go see Rennips about getting his cast removed. He walked down the halls alongside the woman. "Back again, Craig?" she asked sweetly.

"Yeah. Why? Do you like it when I come back?" Craig asked.

"I'd answer that but saying what I was about to say to the patients is against the policy." She smiled and opened the door to one of the rooms. He sat down on the same bed and Rennips came in the room.

"What's up, Rennips?" Craig said coolly.

"Nothing much," Rennips answered. Craig nodded.

"So...are we getting the cast off?" he asked. Rennips nodded, setting his infamous clipboard on the table.

"Um...do I have to do the measure thing? I haven't grown or gained any weight whatsoever, I swear."

"I'll take your word for it. Okay. Stand up. Sit over there by the sink; we have to soak the cast so that it's easier to take off." Craig shrugged. He stood up from the bed and sat down on the chair next to the sink and rested his arm in the water.

"So...I just have to sit here? For how long?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Oh...it depends. So where are you going after this? Back to school?" Rennips asked.

"Nah," Craig said. "I'm going to see some stupid shrink. She's so annoying!" Rennips laughed.

"I had a therapist when I was about your age, too. I had anger management problems." Craig nodded.

"I sort of have anger management issues. I have since I was like, six." Rennips didn't even ask why Craig had anger management issues. A few minutes later, he told him to pull his arm out of the sink. He made taking the cast off look simple; he simply unwrapped it like any other bandage. Craig stretched out his arm and rolled his wrist around. He sighed in relief.

"Thanks," Craig said before leaving the room. He went downstairs and finally found Joey. He smiled happily and they went back out to the car. Craig put his seatbelt on and Joey started the car.

"I don't wanna go to the shrink!" Craig cried when they were about two blocks away. "She's rude and annoying!"

"Craig! Would you be quiet? She's a very nice woman. Calm down and be quiet. And be nice to her." Craig glared at Joey.

"I knew it," he muttered.

"What?" Joey demanded.

"Nothing," Craig assured him. 'That you hate me,' he thought. Joey pulled into the parking lot and stopped the car.

"Now remember, Craig: be nice, and...don't tell her everything you think of her. Which, I guess, means be nice," Joey said firmly. Craig nodded silently and opened the door. Just as he was about to get out, he leaned back and hugged Joey. He was quiet as he got out of the car and closed the door. He walked to the building sadly and before he was about to open the door, he looked back at Joey, who was about to leave the parking lot, but still watching Craig to make sure he went inside.

Craig walked into the building, which smelled like that the room he'd been in at the hospital after the accident. He went to his therapist's room and opened the door. She was sitting in her chair as though it were a high-and-mighty throne. Glaring at her, he sat down on the long couch.

"Hello, Craig," she said in a sugary-sweet voice. Craig moaned. "How was your day?" Ugh.

"My day has been about...two hours long. Why do you ask? It's not as if you care," Craig uttered.
"Craig, is something wrong?" she asked curiously.

"Again!" Craig shouted. "It's not as if you care."

"I do care. I'm here to help you."

"Nobody can help me and nobody should even try."

"Craig, is there something you'd like to tell me?"

"Not particularly. I'd rather talk to my step dad than you because we are both missing the same thing."

"What would that be?"

"Absolutely nothing," Craig answered.

"Craig, you need to talk about problems instead of keeping them bottled up inside."

"I do? God, I didn't realize that." The woman sighed as she jotted a few things down on her clipboard.

"Listen, Craig. I understand your condition. But you cannot disrespect people and use it as an excuse."

"Use what as an excuse? Being crazy? It's not an excuse! It's a reason! I disrespect people all the time and THEY seem to understand just fine! YOU seem to be the ONLY one who DOESN'T understand my condition! I'm sick of having to come here every week and listen to this CRAP that you tell me. Oh, but wait—I believe you forgot to ask me, so I guess I'll turn the question around and ask you. How does that make you feel?"

"Okay. I'm going to go get some more coffee. You just sit here and calm down until I come back, okay?" the woman said. She stood and left the room. Craig took his cell phone out of his pocket. He checked the time, and noticed that it was sometime around lunch. He called Manny's cell phone.

"Hello?" Manny answered sweetly.

"Manny, hey, um...I can't go tonight," Craig said uncertainly.

"Craig? Where are you calling from?" Manny asked.

"I'm calling from my cell phone; I'm at the doctor's. Um...Joey told me I can't go tonight, so...sorry. Maybe another time?" Craig suggested.

"Yeah, sure. It's okay. Um...I'll call you later. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay," said Craig. "Later." He pressed END and tossed the cell phone back into his pocket.

The therapist walked back in the room.

"Get your coffee?" Craig asked.

"Yep," she answered. "It's good coffee."

"That's nice," Craig said, leaning on the side of the couch.

"You seem in a better mood," she said, taking a sip of coffee.

"Yep," said Craig.
"So...how are things at home?" she asked. She set the coffee down on the table.

"Things are okay, I guess. My little sister broke her finger when she fell off the couch. That's about the only bad thing that's happened recently."

"Oh. I see."

"So do I."

"How's your step dad?"

"Um...he's okay. We get in fights sometimes, but they don't last for very long."

"Oh. What do you fight about?"

"Some of the stupidest things," Craig told her. She took another sip from her coffee. "Like, we fought about my mom and my meds, and my friend, and my stuff...stupid things." She nodded and set the coffee back down.

"How are you doing in school?"

"Socially, bad; Grade wise, good. My MI teacher, Mr. Simpson's really nice. He doesn't get mad at me like he used to. He's cool. Ms. Kwan got mad at me and my ex-girlfriend when we were passing notes in class. I don't have problems in the other classes, though."

"Why are you doing socially bad?"

"Because...my girlfriend dumped me, and her friends won't shut up about it. I got caught with cigarettes last night, and they weren't mine, so everyone thinks I smoke. I'm hanging out with this one guy, Jay, and he's got a really bad reputation, and hanging out with him kind of makes me inherit it."

"Oh. Craig...have you ever thought about killing yourself?" Craig looked up.

"What?" he said blankly.

"Suicide. Have you ever thought about it?"

"Uh...yeah. I was going to when I was fourteen, but I didn't. Why?"

"Why were you going to kill yourself when you were fourteen?"

"Because...my dad used to beat me, and it felt like I was never going to get away from him. That was before I thought I could trust anyone, especially Joey." She took another sip from her coffee. Craig looked up at the water dispenser that was only a few feet away. He stood up and walked over to it. He picked up a cup and filled it with cold water before promptly tossing it into the garbage can. He sat back down on the couch. "But that doesn't answer my question. Why are you asking me about suicide?"

"More often than not, teen suicides are caused because of peer pressure and social problems. You seem to have a lot of social problems."

"So you're saying I'm going to kill myself?" Craig asked.

"That's not what I'm saying. I'm asking you if you've ever considered it."

"And I answered you!"

"Craig, if you wouldn't mind, can I see your arms?" she asked. Craig's eyes widened.

"Why? I don't cut myself," he said defensively.

"Craig! Please! Let me see your arms!"

"No!" Craig cried. The woman sat there for a second before she got an idea. She walked over to the thermostat and turned the temperature up to 90۫. She was wearing a simple cami top and a black skirt. Craig wondered why anyone would wear those clothes in this weather. He, however, was wearing his jeans, T-shirt, and black leather jacket. Soon, he started getting overheated and sweating. He felt as though he were about to pass out.

"FINE!" he shouted. He pulled his jacket off and tossed it next to him. "Look at them! Okay?" He held his arms out. His right arm was covered in cuts; not self-induced ones, of course, but ones that had happened on accident.

"Craig," she said softly. "If you were hurting yourself, you should've just said so."

"For one thing, I'm NOT hurting myself! Another thing, being hurt isn't something you just say. Me and my mom were too scared to talk about what happened to us! It's not something I could just say!"

"Craig, honey, you're in denial."

"Denial of what? I'm not doing anything! And don't call me honey! You're like forty, you pervert!"

"Craig, I'm gonna call your step dad, and I'm gonna talk to him. He's gonna come get you and take you home and I'll talk to him, okay?" Craig glared at her venomously. He ran over to the thermostat and shut it off. He then took his jacket and ran all the way outside.

He sat on the curb out in the parking lot in the snow. He put his jacket on and waited for Joey to show up. Twenty minutes later, he did, and Craig got in the car. They both sat in silence. Joey arrived at the house and Craig quietly went upstairs and into his room. He took off his jacket and laid on his bed with his head at the bottom. He rested his head in his arms and closed his eyes. He breathed peacefully for a few minutes. It felt good to lay like this. It annoyed him that the bottom of his pants was wet from the snow on the curb.

Joey came into the room a short while later. He kneeled down on the side of the bed next to Craig. He ran his hand through Craig's hair. Craig opened his eyed and turned his head to face Joey. He smiled.

"Hi, Joey," he said.

"Hi, Craig," Joey said, smiling.

"I want you to know that I'm not cutting myself," Craig informed him.

"Shh...Don't worry about that right now," Joey whispered. He rested his hand on Craig's back. "I just wanted to see how you were doing." Craig sighed.

"I'm doing okay. I think I just need to chill out in here for a little while. You can go back to work or whatever you were doing."

"Are you kidding? I'm not standing out at the lot in this weather. The lot's closed until the snow goes away." Craig smiled. "Well, I'll just leave you alone in here, then."

"Okay. Bye, Joey."

"Bye, Craig." Joey walked out of the room, gently closing the door behind him. Craig returned to his original position and dozed off. He woke up an hour or two later. He rolled over and stood up. He went and turned his lamp on. The room filled with more light. He looked over and found just what he needed—his guitar. He picked it up and turned on the amp. He started playing it when Joey walked in.

"Happy now that you can play?" Joey asked. He sat down on the bed next to Craig. Craig nodded and stopped the sound.

"Yeah. I am. I love this guitar. Thanks for buying it back for me. You should try playing it; it's fun."

"Okay," Joey said. Craig handed him the guitar and put the strap around his neck.

"There. Now just start strumming, JoJo." Joey gave Craig a mock glare of death. He started strumming. "See? Isn't it fun?" Joey smiled at Craig and handed him the guitar.

"It's fun, Craig," Joey assured him. Craig started playing his own music. "I'm gonna go pick Angie up from school, okay? I'll be back in a little while." Joey stood up and Craig nodded. He then realized what time it was. He waited until Joey left and he ran downstairs, almost dropping his guitar on the floor when he set it back down on the stand.

He picked up the phone and called Jay. "Hello?" someone said.

"Is Jay there?" Craig asked.

"Yeah, hold on..." the person answered. Craig waited for a second until Jay picked up the phone.

"Hello?" he said.

"Jay, it's Craig. I'm sorry I didn't meet you after school. I was all over the place today."

"It's cool. Uh...what're you doing now?" Jay asked.

"Standing here being bored. My step dad just left to go pick up my sister."

"Oh. Can you leave?"

"Yeah."

"Meet me at the Dot, okay?" Jay said quickly.

"Okay," Craig answered. "I'll be there." He hung up the phone and ran back upstairs. He picked up his jacket and put his cell phone in his pocket. He was about to walk out the door when he ran into Caitlin, who was probably just getting back from work.

"Caitlin. Hi. Um...I'm going to the movies with Manny and Emma. . Okay?" he said nervously.

"Yeah, okay," Caitlin said. "Bye, Craig." Craig ran out the door, shutting it behind him. He walked in the cold to the Dot. He went inside to find Jay already sitting at one of the tables. He sat down across from him.

"Took you awhile," Jay noted.

"Yeah. I walked here." Spinner came up to the table.

"Hey, Spinner," the two said.

"Okay. What do you guys want?" Spinner asked.

"Water," Craig answered.

"Pepsi," said Jay.

"Okay. I'll be right back," Spinner said, walking away. He returned a minute later and set the two drinks down on the table. He sat down next to Jay.

"So, what's the deal here? Craig, why are you so boring these days?" he asked.

"Boring? What're you talking about, Spinner? My life is lame. Did you ever get that idea?" Craig said coldly.

"Yeah, I did," Spinner said. "But it was just a question. Really. You don't have to be so rude."

"I'm not being rude. You're being annoying."

"Whatever."

"Spinner. Shut up," Jay said quietly. Spinner stood up and went back to work. "Finally. Come on. I have something for you." Jay led Craig outside, leaving their drinks behind. He'd pay Spinner back later. He got into his car, telling Craig to do the same.

"Okay...so...what?" Craig said uncomprehendingly.

"First, we have to go somewhere. Then I'll show you," Jay said expressionlessly. He turned on the radio and he started down the road. They went a few blocks, then about another mile. He stopped at an old house. They sat there with the car parked in front of it. The house looked horrible; it was a bad color of yellow, and there was garbage everywhere. Craig swore that he saw a rat run across the driveway.

Jay reached under the seat and pulled out two bottles. He handed one to Craig. "Life sucks," he said. Craig took the cap off of the bottle. They got out of the car and Craig threw the cap to the ground. He drank a large portion of the alcohol that occupied the bottle.

They went to the front door and Jay kicked the door open. He took a long drink from his bottle.

"Does anyone live here?" Craig asked.

"Nope. Abandoned," Jay said.

Craig finished his vodka and realized it was a glass bottle. He held the bottle's neck and slammed the bottle against the wall. The rest of the glass shattered and fell to the floor, but the neck still stood.

"Everyone thinks...I'm trying...to kill myself," Craig said. "So I think it's time everyone's right." Jay turned and looked just as Craig took his jacket off and draped it on his shoulder. He slid the edge of the glass along his left arm. Craig lifted the glass to do it a second time before Jay ran over to him.

"What're you doing?" he asked.

"I'm doing what everyone wants," Craig said in a low tone.

"This isn't what everyone wants."

"Yeah. It is." Craig slashed the glass along his arm several more times, while Jay stood there and stared at him. The blood streamed from Craig's arm and onto the yellowing carpet. He went into the bathroom and almost vomited. The toilet, bathtub, and sink were all filled with dark brown water. He ran out and slammed the door shut. "Don't go in there!" Craig warned Jay.

"Craig! I have a towel in my car! Come on!" Jay shouted. Craig was about to run out of the house when he saw something moving in a box.

"Hold on!" he shouted. His head was starting to hurt and he was about to fall. He opened the box.

"Jay! Hold on!" he shouted again. "I found a cat! I can't leave it here alone!" He picked the cat up. It was a small, gray cat. It was cold and skinny. He wrapped it in his jacket, which he'd picked up from the floor before running to the door. He carried it outside, blood still leaking from his wounds. He got into Jay's car. Jay handed him the towel from the back seat and Craig wrapped it around his arm. He handed Jay the cat. Jay looked at it. The cat looked back at him. Craig found a rubber band on the floor and used it to keep the towel on his arm. He took the cat back from Jay.

"You're not gonna crash, are you, Jay? Because if you are, I'll walk home."

"No. You drink that stuff enough and you become numb to it." Craig shrugged. "Besides, I'm not letting you walk home like this. You're drunk, dude. I'm not stupid."

"Why do you wear your hat all the time?" Craig asked.

"Because I don't like my hair," Jay answered.

"What's wrong with your hair?" Craig took Jay's hat off and started stroking his light brown hair. "It's soft." Jay rolled his eyes.

"That's nice. Now stop touching it. Play with your little friend."

"Shhh!" Craig cried. "He's sleeping." Sure enough, the little gray cat was sleeping peacefully in Craig's jacket.

Jay resituated his hat and started driving. Craig's cell phone started ringing. He answered it.

"Hello?" he said.

"Craig! Where are you?" Joey shouted.

"I'm...hold on. I'm in the car," Craig said sweetly.

"With who?"

"With my two friends," Craig answered.

"Who are they?" Joey demanded.

"One of them is Jay. The other one doesn't have a name." Joey sighed.

"Craig, get home. Now." Joey hung up.

"Joey says for me to go home now," Craig told Jay.

"That's kind of where I was taking you," Jay said.

"Okay." Jay pulled up in front of Craig's house. Craig stumbled out of the car, still holding the cat. He went to the front door. Jay drove away and Craig opened the door. Joey and Caitlin were sitting at the table, a scene Craig was familiar with.

"Joey! Look what I found! It's a baby cat!" Craig said happily, sitting down next to Caitlin. Caitlin stroked the cat's head softly.

"Craig, no. No cats," Joey said immediately.

"But Joey! He's all alone and nobody wants him! He's homeless! He's got nowhere to go, just like me! And you wouldn't throw me out on the streets, would you?" Craig said hopefully. Joey looked at Craig, then at the cat. "And he has no food or water and it's cold outside and it's almost Christmas. Nobody wants to be alone on Christmas. Please!" Craig begged. Angela ran downstairs from her room.

She looked at the cat that was wrapped up in Craig's jacket. She gasped. "It's a kitty!" she cried happily. She ran over and petted him.

"Yeah. And he's Craig's cat now," Joey said, sighing. Craig sighed.

He passed the cat over to Caitlin and went up to the cupboards. "Do we have tuna?" Craig asked. "That cat hasn't eaten in forever." He turned to look through another cupboard when he swayed and fell to the floor. Joey ran over to him.

"Craig, are you okay?" Joey asked. "What happened to your arm?"

"I'm fine! I'm fine! I—" Craig began. Joey smelled his breath.

"Have you been drinking?" he asked. Craig leaned on the sink as he stumbled upward.

"N-no," he muttered. "I feel sick." Joey sighed heavily and led him to the bathroom. He held his head up while he threw up in the toilet. Craig groaned and spit the rest of the contents of his stomach into the bowl and reached around for the handle. He pushed it down and flushed it. He turned around and sat up against the toilet.

"I'm sorry. I did it again," he whispered. "I need to take meds, huh?"

"Yeah. You do. Because if you would've taken them, you wouldn't have drank. But you didn't. And if you did take your meds and you still drank...there'd probably be no more Craig. And yes, I'm mad. But not at you. I need to take better care of you."

"No. You don't. You take care of me just fine. I need to take better care of me. It's not your fault."

"We're going to see the therapist tomorrow, okay? I know you don't like her. But we're going."

"Who's we?" Craig asked.

"Me, you, and some of your friends."

"What? Why?" Craig cried.

"It's a method of therapy. Sean, Marco, Ellie, and...Ashley. I know you two aren't talking, but it's important that she's there. Okay? You don't have to say anything. I promise." Craig grabbed onto the counter and stood up.

"Fine," he said. "I'll go. But I'm not talking." He walked past Joey and left the room. He walked down the hall to his own room. He laid down on the floor. Joey glanced into his room, where Craig lay on the floor. He sighed sadly. He went downstairs to find Caitlin gone.

"Angie, where's Caitlin?" Joey asked.

"She went to the store to get some food for the kitty," Angie answered, scratching the cat's ears.

"Okay. You just stay down here with the cat, okay?" Joey said. "I'm gonna go take care of Craig." Angie shrugged and kept petting the cat. Joey went upstairs to Craig's room. He kneeled down next to Craig and started rubbing the space between his shoulders with one hand. Craig sighed contently.

Craig pushes himself up from the ground and crawls the short distance to Joey, who is now leaned up on the end of the bed. He is now right next to Joey, and slowly, he leans into him. Joey supports Craig's back with one arm, and rubs his back with the other. Craig rests his head on Joey's shoulder. He wraps his arms around him. He sobs freely onto Joey's shirt, soaking it with tears. Joey wonders what he's upset about, but it's not the right time to ask. There is a lot he could be upset about now—Ashley, the therapy tomorrow, school, the drinking...too much. Joey holds Craig, uttering words of comfort. Slowly but surely, the crying stops. Craig's breathing becomes easier. Joey leans Craig back. He smiles sadly. His eyes are still red, and Joey's shirt is still wet. Joey smiles back. "You okay now?" Joey asks. Craig nods. He hugs Joey one more time.

"You're the best dad ever," he whispers before pulling back. "I'm gonna go take a shower." Craig rolls over and stands. Joey does the same. Joey goes downstairs to make sure Angie's still alive. Craig goes into the bathroom and takes a shower. He emerges, fresh and clean, and gets dressed. He goes downstairs.

"Hey, everyone," he said. He sat down on the couch. He picked up the cat and set it on his lap. He pet it and watched TV. Caitlin came back with a bag of dry cat food and a few cans. She also has two small, plastic bowls a cat bed. Craig smiled and stood up with the cat. He filled one bowl with fresh, cold water, and the other with dry cat food. He set it on the floor and put the cat next to it. The cat began eating immediately. Craig watched the cat eat. He ate all the food in the bowl and then wanted more. Craig happily refilled the bowl. The cat ate more, drinking water in-between. Soon, the cat was full and it fell asleep in the bed that Caitlin had bought for him.

The Next Day

Craig dreaded the moment when he would walk into the therapy clinic and face Ashley. Too soon, Joey said, "Craig. It's time to go." Craig put his jacket on and before he walked out the door, he talked to Angie.

"Take care of the cat," he whispered. Angie nodded and went back to the couch with Caitlin. Craig sadly walked out of the house, closing the door behind him. He got into Joey's car and put his seatbelt on. Joey took several turns that weren't what Craig was used to when he went to the therapist.

"Where're we going?" Craig asked.

"We're going to pick up Ashley, Marco, Ellie, and Sean," Joey answered. Craig scoffed and huddled toward the door.

"How are they all gonna fit in here?" Craig asked.

"Ellie's sitting on Sean's lap," said Joey. Craig shrugged. He stared out the window. The first stop was at Marco's. Joey got out and let Marco in.

"Hey, Marco," Craig muttered.

"Hey, Craig," Marco said calmly. Then, they stopped at Ashley's. Ashley trotted out and sat next to Marco. Then, it was Ellie and Sean. Sean got in first, and then Ellie sat on Sean's lap. Joey got back in the car and he drove off. Craig could hear them all whispering back there. About him, of course. "Shut up," Craig said quietly. "Shut up...shut up..." Everyone stopped talking and they were quiet until they got to the clinic. Craig got out of the car and walked quickly to the door. He jogged to the therapist's room. He opened the door and ran inside. He occupied the end of the long couch, farthest away from the therapist.

Several minutes later, Joey, Ashley, Sean, Ellie, and Marco came in. Joey sat at the other end of the couch, while Ashley and Marco sat in two chairs that were there. Ellie sat next to Craig, and Sean sat between Joey and Ellie. Ellie put her hand on Craig's arm. He looked over at her and gave her a fake smile.

"This is Sean, Ellie, Ashley, and Marco," Joey told the woman.

"Okay. Good, good. Craig's friends?" the woman asked.

"Yeah," Joey answered. Craig curled up into a ball on the couch, not talking. Craig listened to them all talk. Joey talked about how he acted at home.

Sean talked about the incident after he ran away from his dad. Ellie talked about how she didn't believe that Craig was cutting because she used to, and she'd recognize the behavior. Marco said that Craig wouldn't try to kill himself because...it wasn't in his nature. Ashley talked for about a half-hour about Craig's behavior and how he'd always acted like he was okay. She talked about Craig being 'perfect'. Craig still didn't look at anyone, or say anything.

At the end, everyone was focused on Craig. Craig had lost focus on it. "Craig," Ellie said quietly. "Take off your jacket." Craig looked at her, begging her not to repeat it, so that maybe he could act as if he didn't hear her. Unfortunately, she said it again. Craig shook his head.

"Okay, everybody, off the couch," Sean commanded. Ellie and Joey stood up from the couch. "Joey, I'm gonna need your help." Sean held Craig down while Joey removed his jacket. Craig immediately curled up into a ball, hiding his arms.

"Craig, let me see your arm," Sean said. Craig shook his head.

"Craig, please," Ellie said calmly. Craig shook his head again. "Okay. Come here, Craig. We're just gonna step outside for a second. I have to talk to you." Craig nodded and stood up, holding his arms to himself. They left the room and went down the hall. They went into a small room with a couch and a small house plant.

"Let me see your arms, Craig," said Ellie. Craig looked at her for a second and then released his arms. He closed his eyes and bowed his head. He felt Ellie run her fingers along the cuts.

"Craig..." she said. Craig stood up and went back to the therapist's room, Ellie right behind him. He walked over and sat down next to Sean. He held his arm out to him. Sean looked at him, but Craig had buried his face in his free hand. Sean put his hand on Craig's back.

"Okay," the woman said. "Sean, Ellie, Marco, and Ashley, could you go downstairs? Joey, Craig, and I are going to talk." Ellie, Marco and Ashley left the room before Sean.

"Okay, Sean can stay," said the therapist. Craig leaned onto Sean's shoulder, crying. Sean put his arm around Craig's shoulder.

"Joey, people with Craig's...problem are usually in need of treatment. If you want him to stop, I would recommend putting him in the psychiatric ward in the hospital for a few weeks. You can have him out before school starts if you do it soon." The thought of being in the psych ward of the hospital for three weeks killed Craig and made him sob even more.

"Okay," Joey muttered. "Three weeks...make him better..." He looked over at Craig, who was still leaning on Sean's accepting shoulder. "I'll do what it takes to get him better," Joey said. Craig stood up from the room and ran down the hall. He went into the bathroom and threw up in one of the stalls. Sean was standing outside the stall when Craig turned around.

"He's getting rid of me, Sean," he said desolately.

"He's not getting rid of you. He wants to make you better," Sean said reassuringly.

"He is! He's getting rid of me! He doesn't want me anymore! And...better from what? I'm not sick! And I'm not trying to kill myself! Why won't anyone believe me?" Craig cried.

"I believe you. And Ellie and Ashley and Marco believe you. But...Joey...his opinion is what matters. I'm sorry." Sean left the bathroom and Craig went back to the car, passing Ellie, Marco, Ashley and Sean, who were still in the waiting room of the building.

"Sean, what happened?" Ashley asked worriedly.

"It's over," Sean answered. "Joey's sending him to the psych ward for three weeks." Ellie gasped.

"But he's not doing anything! He doesn't deserve that!" she cried.

"I know. But it's not my decision, and it's not Craig's decision. It's Joey's," Sean replied. They waited for Joey to pass them before following him back out to the car. Not a word was said the entire way. Joey dropped Sean and Ellie off first. Ellie ran to the other side of the car, to Craig's door. She opened it and wrapped her arms around him. "You'll be okay," she whispered.

Craig gave her another fake smiled and she shut the door. Joey pulled out and drove off to Ashley's. He dropped her off and then dropped off Marco. Craig regretted not looking at Marco the entire time, figuring that he'd never see him again. Joey then started driving home. He was probably going to take Craig tomorrow or later that day. They got to the front of the house and Craig opened the door. He went inside and found Caitlin just coming downstairs. He ran up to her and hugged her. She hugged him back, not sure of why he was hugging her at all. But it's not like it annoyed her, just confused.

Craig then pulled back and ran up to his room, slamming and locking the door behind him. He sat on the edge of his bed, considering suicide right there. He could hang himself...or slit his wrists...or he could climb up onto the roof and jump off head-first. He sat in silence until he heard yelling coming from downstairs; another Joey and Caitlin fight. Angela and the cat must've been in her room because he hadn't seen her when he first walked in. He walked over to the door and unlocked it. He opened it slowly and crawled to the top of the stairs, listening.

"He's my step son and he needs help! I'll do what it takes to make him better!" Joey shouted.

"He's my step son too and you can't just send him away like that!" Caitlin argued back.

"Don't tell me what I can and can not do, Caitlin!" Joey barked.

"You know he doesn't deserve this! It's almost Christmas and you're sending him away like he doesn't live here at all!" Caitlin screamed.

"He needs help! He's going to kill himself without it!" cried Joey. Craig heard him slam something into the floor.

"He's not trying to kill himself! And even if he was, I could see why! I wouldn't want to live somewhere where nobody seemed to give a crap about me, either!" Caitlin yelled.

"I seem to be the only one who does give a crap about him!"

"Yeah, Joey. And I'm the one who's sending him off to some psych ward for a month, and I'm the one who punched him in the face, and I'm the one who makes him feel worthless on a daily basis, right?" Caitlin said. Her voice was deathly quiet for someone who was in a heated argument. Come to think of it, Caitlin was right. She'd never hurt Craig in any way. She'd never hit him or insulted him. And she was against getting rid of him for three weeks. Craig went into the bathroom, still crawling. He shut the door quietly and leaned up against it. He heard someone coming up the stairs and prayed that it wasn't Joey.

Fortunately, it was just Caitlin. She knocked on the door. "Craig? Are you okay?" she asked soothingly. Craig sighed.

"No," he answered. He heard Caitlin sit down on the other side of the door.

"Craig..." she said. "I can't even make up an excuse for what he's doing."

"Neither can I, Caitlin. He hates me. That's the only excuse. He's just looking for a way that he can get rid of me."

"Craig, I know...it's not fair. But...he feels the need to put you in there."

"Sean says that Joey's not getting rid of me; he's getting me help. Sean doesn't believe that I'm doing anything. Neither does Ellie or Ashley or Marco or anyone for that matter. I think that therapist needs to go in the psych ward." Caitlin laughed.

"She doesn't sound that exciting," she said.

"Caitlin, you're considered my guardian, right?" Craig asked.

"Yeah..." Caitlin answered. "Pretty much."

"Okay. If I really hate it there, can you promise to get me out?" Craig said hopefully.

"I'll see what I can do," Caitlin said, sighing. Craig stood up and opened the door. Caitlin stood up. She was short compared to Craig. That was when Craig heard Joey call him from downstairs.

"Come on, Craig!" he called. Craig felt like he was a soldier about to go to war. But he didn't feel brave or courageous; he felt scared and alone. Tears ran down his cheeks as he turned to go downstairs. Caitlin stopped him. Craig looked down at her.

"Caitlin, I have to leave," he whispered. Caitlin hugged Craig supportively. Craig pushed past her and went into his room. He went into his closet and curled up into fetal position. Joey went upstairs to go get him. He went into Craig's room, and then to his closet. Sure enough, that's where he was. He didn't move or speak. Joey went into to the closet, and that's when Craig stood up and ran outside. Joey followed him and found him sitting in the car. Joey got in the car and started it. Craig stared out the window, curled up on the seat. Joey glanced over at him several times.

Finally, they reached the hospital. Joey looked over at Craig. Craig got out of the car and walked the long, lonely walk to the psychiatric ward of the hospital. Joey signed Craig in and Craig was led to his room.

He got into his bed and rolled onto his stomach, facing away from the door. Joey came in the room, but left without another word. That was when Craig's heart was completely broken. Joey had been too self-centered to talk to him about why he was there. Ashley had dumped him. Caitlin was the only person who seemed to care about him anymore. Craig was there for the next three weeks, including Christmas, when he'd be alone. He didn't leave the room at all. Several times, someone would pass by his room. The door was open. One woman was saying, "I'm going to see the VIP. I'm going to see the VIP." Another was upset because she wanted her pants.

"I WANT MY SWEAT PANTS!" she screamed. She ran into Craig's room and started yelling at him, "I WANT MY SWEAT PANTS! I KNOW YOU HAVE THEM!" These incidents actually happened when my grandparents put my cousin in the hospital for a psych evaluation (don't ask why, 'cause I don't know).

Craig stared at her. A doctor came in and took the woman's arm. "We have your sweat pants," he said. "We have your sweat pants..." Other than that, the hospital wasn't exciting. He didn't watch TV or talk. There was no music, and he didn't get morphine so that he could sleep. He didn't even bother to eat, but he did drink the water that mysteriously appeared on his nightstand every morning.

On Christmas, he lay in bed, alone. He wondered what kind of great day Joey was having with his perfect family, not including Craig. At around ten in the morning, Craig was surprised when three people showed up. Of course, it was not the Joey-Angie-Caitlin trio that he had hoped for. It was Sean, Ellie, and Jimmy. He rolled onto his back and looked at them. He didn't say anything.

"Hi, Craig," Ellie said happily. Craig stared at her. They all pulled up chairs, except for Jimmy, who had brought his own. Craig wondered why they were even allowed in. "We brought you Christmas presents." Sean handed Craig three packages, one from each of them. Craig smiled uneasily. He opened the first one, which was from Jimmy. It was a George Michaels CD. Craig smirked and Jimmy started laughing.

Ellie's was a simple card. Craig opened it and read it out loud, the first time he'd spoken in almost two weeks. "Mom, I wanted you to know that I still love you and I wanted to wish you a merry Christmas. Love, Ellie," he said. Ellie gasped and snatched the card from Craig.

"That's the wrong card! I'm sorry, Craig. I'll give you yours when I find it," she said, blushing.

Craig opened Sean's. To his surprise, it was a book. He'd never thought Sean would go into a bookstore, let alone spend money on one. This book must've cost around $25. It was called "Rock Theory". Craig thanked them, but silently wished that Sean hadn't spent so much money on the book.

"Okay, Craig," said Jimmy. "I have one question for you—why 'Faith'?" Craig sighed.

"Because when I was younger my mom used to take me for drives around in Joey's car, and that's what she would listen to," he answered solemnly. That was the end of the conversation. Nobody was really for talking about Craig's mom on Christmas.

Ellie started another conversation, and they talked for about two hours. Then, it was time for everyone to leave. The phone rang the next day.

Craig didn't answer it. He figured that whoever was calling had played some part in putting him in here. They didn't deserve his attention. He turned onto his side and again faced away from the door. The nurse came in when the phone was ringing.

"Craig, honey, your phone's ringing," she said. Craig didn't answer, but he sighed. The nurse sat down on the bed. "You can't ignore them forever," said the nurse. She rubbed Craig's shoulder. Craig hadn't talked to her, either. Ellie, Jimmy, and Sean had been the only people he'd talked to these last two weeks. And Joey hadn't even bothered to come see him. One week from now, Craig would leave. The nurse sighed and picked up the phone.

"Hello? Yes, he is, but he's still not talking to anyone...some kids came by yesterday to see him...okay...alright...goodbye." She turned back to Craig. Craig was now faced away from her, toward the door, with his knees to his chest. She wanted to hug him, tell him everything would be better. But she couldn't. She left the room without another word. The next week passed without any excitement. Craig lounged around in his room, thinking. Thinking...about Ashley, Angie, Caitlin, Ellie, Sean, school...going home. That's where he was supposed to be going later today. However, there were no signs of Joey or Caitlin coming to get him. Night approached, and soon it was eleven. Then, he fell asleep about six hours later, wondering why nobody had come to get him. Days passed. Nobody came to get him. He stopped waking himself up. That final day. January 4th.

His door opened, and someone emerged. It wasn't Joey, however. Thank God. Joey was the last person Craig was going to talk to. It was Caitlin; his savior. She sat down on Craig's bed. Craig sat up, his body weak. He hugged her. "Joey's down the hall talking to the nurse," Caitlin whispered. Craig scoffed.

Down the hall, in the waiting room, the nurse that had come into Craig's room every morning and night to make sure that he was still alive and non-destructive was talking to Joey.

"I've listened to him cry himself to sleep for the last three-and-a-half weeks," she said. "I've never had a patient his age. He hasn't spoken to anyone, except maybe those kids that came in to see him on Christmas. Those kids that should've been you."

"I didn't want to hurt him more," Joey replied. "He would've been more upset if I left after showing up than he probably was with me not showing up at all."

"Either way, you should've at least called. He hasn't eaten since he got here, and he didn't come in here with an eating disorder, and I wasn't going to shove it down his throat. He hasn't even acted like there was anything wrong, except for maybe being a scared and upset. Somehow, I don't think he's going to be talking to you for a while. You'd better go see him." Joey nodded, thanked her and left. He went down the hall to Craig's room. He went inside, just to find Caitlin sitting on the bed, alone. "Where's Craig?" Joey asked.

"He's in the car. I just needed to be here so that you would know that. Now let's go," Caitlin said quickly. Joey could tell she was still extremely irritated with him about putting Craig here in the first place. After talking to the nurse, Joey felt terrible about leaving Craig here. He followed Caitlin to the car, which was out in front of the parking lot. Craig, sure enough, was in the back seat of Joey's red car. Caitlin got in the car with the presents that Jimmy and Sean had given him. Caitlin had told Craig upon arrival that Ellie had dropped off the right card the other day.

Craig sat behind Caitlin, as far away from Joey as he could. Craig didn't say anything the entire way back. He went slowly into the house. He saw Emma and Manny watching TV with Angie on the couch in the living room. They looked over at him, but he looked away and went upstairs. Caitlin motioned for the two to go upstairs.

The two whispered amongst themselves as they quietly went upstairs. Manny opened the door to Craig's room and they entered. It was dimly lit in the room. Neither said anything. They couldn't see Craig. Emma felt around for Manny. "Emma!" she hissed. Emma knelt down on the ground next to Manny. Craig was lying on the floor, motionless. This must've been something he did often. Emma was surprised when Manny rested her head on Craig's back.

Emma got brave and laid down with her head next to Manny's.

Craig sighed. Manny sat up, Emma following, and leaned down next to Craig's ear. "Hey. I've gotta go, but if you need anything, call me, okay?" she said. Craig nodded and Manny and Emma left.

Craig stood up and left his room. He went into the bathroom. He flicked the light on and looked at his reflection. There were dark circles under his eyes. He lifted one side of his shirt up. He was able to see his ribs. He looked at his arms. The dark red had disappeared, but the pale scars remained. They probably always would. He wasn't now, and wasn't going to be too keen on talking, but he would probably start eating again soon. He looked out of the corner of his eye and saw that Caitlin was standing in the doorway. "Hey," she said calmly. Craig looked at her to let her know that he acknowledged her presence. "You look horrible," Caitlin said plainly.

Craig shrugged. "Come downstairs," she said quietly. Craig shook his head. "Craig, come on." Craig didn't look at her. "You don't want to see Joey?" Caitlin asked. Craig again shook his head.

"Do you want to go somewhere else to eat?" Craig thought about it for a second and then nodded.

"Okay. Come on." Craig pushed past her and then grabbed his sweatshirt from his bedroom floor. He was cold. He went downstairs and got into Caitlin's car. She turned the heater on and they drove around for a while. Craig stared out at the fresh, white powder that layered the ground.

Caitlin finally stopped at a fast food place. She went through the drive-thru because she figured Craig wouldn't want to be seen by anyone from school while he was in this condition. Craig ate his food slowly. When all he had left was French fries, he cleared his throat. "Could you drop me off at Sean's?" he asked. Caitlin looked at him for a second before saying,

"Sure." She drove to Sean and Ellie's apartment building. Craig thanked her for driving her there and he got out of the car and went up to Sean's apartment. He answered and he didn't recognize Craig at first. He then recognized his sweatshirt and let him in. Craig sat down on the couch. Ellie and Sean looked at him pitifully. "So..." said Sean. Craig swallowed hard.

"Did you...talk to Joey yet?" Craig shook his head slowly. "I'm having a party next week. They just put the indoor pool in downstairs. I asked the landlord guy and he said that I can have a small party down there, but I'm liable if anyone gets hurt. You wanna come?" Craig shrugged.

"How've things been around here?" Craig asked.

"Okay, I guess," Sean answered.

"Um...I don't know why I came over. I just needed to get away from that house. I want to stay away from there as long as I can. Can I just crash here tonight? I don't want to go back to Joey's right now." Sean nodded understandingly.

"Sure. Yeah," he said.

"Thanks, Sean," Craig muttered. "For everything." Sean nodded.

"You don't have to thank me. It's cool. Me and Ellie were just about to go to bed."

"Oh. Well...thanks. Still." Sean smirked and he followed Ellie to their bedroom. Sean turned the light off on his way, and Craig slowly drifted to sleep on the couch.

He woke up early the next morning. He'd gone to sleep at around seven last night. He was contemplating whether or not to go to Sean's pool party. He hated swimming, but maybe he could just go to the party and not swim...sounded good. He heard Sean's bedroom door open and Ellie came out. He figured that Sean was still sleeping. "Want some breakfast?" she asked. Craig wondered how she knew that he was awake.

"Sure," Craig answered. Ellie sang to herself as she made breakfast. Craig stood up and walked over to the counter. He leaned up against it as he watched Ellie cook. She glanced over at him and smiled.

"Wow, Craig. You're so skinny! What's your secret?" she said sarcastically.

"Don't eat for almost a month," Craig answered. "But I don't think it'd be safe for you. You're small enough already."

"I'm only...what...51 kilos," Ellie responded. She picked up the spatula and turned over the eggs.

"And you...well, I'm almost scared to say it...you're probably about the same now." Craig shrugged.

"I don't want to go to school tomorrow," Craig said. "Everyone is going to stare at me." He figured that since it'd been two days since school had started again, they'd wonder where he'd been.

"Wear a jacket and...I'll see what I can do about your eyes. I've got an idea! Hold on..." Ellie said quickly, running out of the room. She returned with a small makeup container.

"Ellie, no. I'm not wearing makeup to school," Craig said firmly.

"Do you want people to stare at you?" Ellie asked. Craig shook his head. "Okay, then. I'll come by before school tomorrow and cover up the circles." Ellie put the cover-up on top of the fridge. She then picked up a loaf of bread and put a few pieces in the toaster. The eggs were done soon afterward, and she buttered the toast and divided the eggs amongst her and Craig. She dropped two pieces of toast on Craig's plate and handed him a fork. They went back to the couch and started eating. Ellie glanced over at Craig, who was shivering.

"Are you cold?" she asked curiously. Craig nodded. She set her plate down and got up to turn the heater up. She sat back down and picked her plate back up. She took a bite out of her toast.

"So..." she said.

"So..." Craig replied. He was eating slowly. "This is good. Good..."

"Thanks. I've been cooking for myself for...a while now," Ellie said calmly. Craig was silent. The phone started ringing. Ellie got up to answer it.

"Hello?" she said. "...Yeah, he is...no, he's fine...he just wanted to sleep here, I guess...okay...okay, I'll tell him...bye." She hung up the phone and went back to the couch. "Caitlin's coming to pick you up in like...twenty minutes."

"Okay," said Craig. He finished all of his toast and one egg and started eating the last one. He finished a few minutes later. He set his plate on top of Ellie's. Ellie picked it up and took them to the kitchen. She set them in the sink and washed them, along with the forks and the pan and spatula. She set them down on the counter and strolled back to the couch next to Craig.

"Um...so...have you talked to Ashley?" she asked.

"No. I was home for about...fifteen minutes yesterday, and then I left. I haven't talked to her. And I really don't feel the need to. Ash...she doesn't...love me like she used to. It's over, Ellie."

"Do you want it to be over?" Ellie said sweetly. Craig shook his head.

"No. She meant more to me than...a lot of things. But...I guess I didn't. Not to her."

"I think she still loves you."

"Ellie, that's like saying Joey still cares about me. It's laughable," Craig said emotionlessly.

"Joey cares about you."

"That's not true. He sent me away. He got rid of me. He's dead to me. He doesn't love me. Not like he does with her."

"Who?" Ellie said blankly. Someone knocked on the door, and Ellie figured it was Caitlin.

"I have to go," Craig said quickly. He stood up. Ellie followed him.

"Who, Craig?" she demanded.

"Nobody, Ellie! I have to go!" Craig cried, opening the door and pushing past Caitlin. Ellie stared after him. Caitlin shrugged and went with Craig downstairs. Ellie shut the door. Caitlin found Craig already sitting in her car with his seatbelt on, hugging himself. She got in the car and started it. She drove a few blocks before asking Craig if he'd had a good night at Ellie and Sean's.

"Yeah," said Craig quietly. "Ellie was really nice. I didn't really talk to Sean, but Ellie woke up early and we talked.

"That's good. That's good," Caitlin said. "Did you have breakfast?"

"Yeah. Ellie...she made breakfast. Ellie's cool."

"It sounds like it. I mean, I haven't really talked to her. Once or twice, maybe." Caitlin pulled up to the house and they both got out of the car. Craig went inside with Caitlin right behind him. "God, it's cold in here," Craig muttered. He looked around. Angie was on the floor, playing with the cat. Joey was on the couch, watching TV. Craig went up to his room to go change his clothes. He changed his jeans first, then his shirt. He pulled it off. Caitlin opened the door behind him.

"Hey, um...oh, God, what happened to your back?" she asked.

"Huh?" Craig said. "What're you talking about?" Caitlin took his hand and led him into the bathroom. He turned around and looked in the mirror. There were several large, dark bruises on his back. "Whoa. They're probably from when I was sleeping on the couch last night. It's fine."

"Fine? You call that fine? Craig, you didn't eat the entire time when you were in the hospital. You were in there for like, three weeks! You were skinny enough as it was! Now look at you! It's...disgusting!"

"Caitlin! I don't need you telling me that the way I look is disgusting! I already knew that! I did it because...because I was mad at Joey. And I still am! He hates me! He didn't even talk to me, explain why he was putting me in there! He just left! He didn't even come see me on Christmas! If Ellie and Jimmy and Sean didn't show up, I would've felt like crap and drowned myself in the bathtub!"

"We tried calling! Nobody answered the phone! The nurse did, once, but she said that you weren't going to talk to anyone!"

"Why didn't you come back? You could've gotten me out! You could've saved me! It's too late, Caitlin."

"Craig! Joey said that if you came back before the 'treatment' was over, he was going to put you right back in there! I wasn't going to hurt you like that!"

"Too late. You already did." Craig went into his room and slammed his door shut. He put a different shirt on, then a sweatshirt on over it, and curled up on his bed. He got under the blankets and rested his head on the pillow. He heard something crinkly. He lifted his head up and picked up the pillow. And there it sat. A pack of cigarettes. "How'd you get here?" Craig said quietly, picking them up. He rummaged around his nightstand for a few seconds until he found a lighter. He opened the box and pulled a cigarette out. He sighed and lit the end. He inhaled and let the smoke out.

He stood up and went over to the window. Joey had obviously replaced the glass. He opened the window and leaned outside. He had smoked about half of the cigarette when someone was knocking on his door. He dropped it carelessly out the window, letting it fall to the snow.

"What?" Craig called. The door opened and Joey stood in the doorway. Craig got back into the bed.

"It smells in here," was the first thing Joey said.

Craig didn't answer. He lay in bed, facing away from Joey like he always did when he was mad at him. He felt Joey sit down on the edge of the bed. He rested his hand on Craig's arm, which was covered by blankets and his sweatshirt. Craig tried to hold it in, but he started to get cold and burrowed underneath the blankets. Joey stood up and left the room. Craig thought he was gone for good, but he then returned. Craig felt two more blankets being piled onto him. He poked his head out and glanced at Joey, then quickly returned under them.

Joey then left the room. Every few hours, Caitlin would bring Craig something to eat. Other than that, he'd been left undisturbed.

He awoke the next morning and looked out the window. More snow. He rolled his eyes and got out of bed. He went into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. He took a hot shower. He turned the water off and got out. He wrapped a towel around himself and retreated back to his room.

He closed the door and quickly got dressed. He put his shoes on, then his sweatshirt and jacket. He went downstairs and sat down at the table. He still didn't look at Joey. He knew that this hurt Joey, and it hurt him, too. But he knew that it would hurt more to spend more than the half-second he had the day before looking at him. He decided to start the conversation. "Angie, what'd you name the cat?" he asked.

"Smoky," Angie answered.

"That's a good name." Angie smiled proudly and stroked the cat that was rubbing its head on the chair below. Craig watched the scene sadly and hugged himself.

"Craig, are you okay?" Joey asked worriedly. Craig shook his head. He stood up from the table quickly.

"I have to go to school," he muttered. He ran to the door and left. He forgot all about Ellie coming over to cover up his eyes, but at this point, he didn't even care. He ran about a block before his side started to ache.

He leaned up against the fence and sighed. A car pulled up in front of him, and he looked up. It was Jay.
"You need a ride to school?" Jay asked. Craig nodded and got in the car. "What happened to you, anyway? I haven't seen you in like, weeks."

"Nothing. I was just...gone."

"Well, you look like you were stuffed away in a cellar for a month."

"I pretty much was." Jay looked at Craig suspiciously, but kept driving. They stopped at the school and got out of the car. They walked up to the doors and Craig walked quickly to his locker with his hood up and his head lowered.

He opened his locker and got a few things out. He closed it and directly in front of him was Paige. He stared at her expectantly. When she didn't say anything, he turned and started going to class.

"Craig! Wait!" Paige called. She ran after him and got in front of him. "Listen, I'm sorry."

"For what?" Craig asked.

"For...telling people that...where you..."

"Paige, you didn't..." Craig said in disbelief. Paige bowed her head and nodded. "Who told you?"

"Ellie. She told me not to tell people...I mean...first, it was just Hazel...but then the Spirit Squad...Craig, I'm so sorry...everyone knows." Paige looked up and looked up into Craig's eyes.

"I need to...go somewhere," Craig said, pushing past her. He went into the bathroom and leaned over the sink. He ran warm water over his face and looked up at the mirror. He wiped the water off and looked behind him. Standing there was JT, staring at him.

"What?" Craig said irritably.

"Nothing, nothing," JT said innocently. "Finally out of the crackhouse, eh?"

"Shut up, JT!" Craig shouted. JT looked at Craig's now-small body.

"Hm...heroin, too?" he said. He wasn't prepared when Craig's fist came in contact with the side of his face. He fell to the floor, his hand holding where he'd been hit. He wondered why JT had become so brave. JT stood up from the floor. Craig noticed that his lip was bleeding, but he couldn't have cared less. JT pushed Craig, which wasn't very hard, considering he'd lost a lot of weight.

Craig fell into the wall and slid down. He stood back up and threw JT into the sink. He then left the bathroom without another word. He went to class and sat down at his computer. Just as he'd thought, everyone stared at him. He tried to ignore it, but he couldn't. He finally stood up and left the class, not saying anything or asking permission. Mr. Simpson opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out, just a small sigh.

Craig walked out of the building and went home. Home. He couldn't even call it that. Not anymore. It was more of the place he lived. He was cold but he kept walking and when he finally did get home, he found that Joey was still there. He didn't say anything to him, but went directly upstairs. Joey was confused at why Craig was home now. He waited for a few minutes, then went up to his room. He opened the door and found Craig in his bed, fully clothed.

"Hey, Craig..." he said smoothly. Craig didn't say anything. "Why're you home?" Craig coughed audibly and Joey took that as a sign that he was sick. Joey went downstairs for a few minutes and then came back with something—Craig's favorite sandwich. He left it on Craig's nightstand and left the room. Craig turned over and looked at it. He picked it up and ate it slowly. He heard the door open and he dropped it back on the plate and quickly turned back over. Joey walked over to the bed and saw the half-eaten sandwich and smiled. He put something else on the nightstand and left.

Craig came out from under the blankets and looked up. It was a glass of water. He touched it. Warm water. He ate the rest of the sandwich and drank the water. He then burrowed back into the bed and fell asleep.

Over the next few days, Joey left food and water on Craig's nightstand and let him stay home from school. Craig gradually regained weight. He figured that Joey must've been putting something in his water because it tasted weird; it was probably weight gain powder or something. But, he didn't mind. He didn't want to be so skinny. Skinny. He shuddered at that name. He shrugged the matter off and finished eating the soup that Joey had left him a few minutes ago. He didn't even have to leave his bed; everything came to him. Except the bathroom. That he had to do himself.

He'd been laying in bed for a week when he remembered that Sean was having a party the next day. He decided to go, but he was not, under any circumstances, going to drink. He'd hurt himself...again. And he'd probably go to jail. And that...that just wasn't going to happen.

He went into the bathroom and pulled the scale out. He stood on it. "Hmm...62," he muttered. He turned to find Caitlin standing behind him.

"62?" she said. "That's good, Craig. That's good."

"I used to be like...68. I've got a little more to gain."

"Not much, though."

"Yeah. I still weigh less than you," Craig said.

"Excuse me, Mr. Manning?" Caitlin said, smiling softly. "Are you saying I'm fat?"

"Oh, no, Caitlin, never," Craig answered, smirking. They laughed and Craig went back to his room. He crawled back into bed to find someone already in it.

"Angela, this is my bed. What are you doing?" Craig said, lifting the blankets up.

"But, Craig! It's warm!" Angela cried, pulling the blankets back over her head.

"Fine. You can stay. But the thing is, it's my bed, and I'm the sick one, so you have to share," said Craig firmly.

"Okay," Angela mumbled, slowly falling asleep in the bed. Craig fell asleep a few minutes later. He woke up the next day to find Angela gone. He got out of bed and went to go take a shower. He then went downstairs and sat down at the table. Caitlin and Joey stared at him, but Craig didn't look up.

"Sleep well?" Joey asked. Craig shrugged. Caitiln set a plate of food in front of him. He ate it quietly and slowly.

"What're you gonna do today, Craig?" she asked, sitting back down.

"I'm going to finish eating this and drink water and then I'm going to crawl back up in my bed and hope that Angie's not in it again," Craig answered. Caitlin glanced up at Angie, who was smiling. Craig finished his food and 'special' water. He went back upstairs, taking the phone with him. He looked at the clock; Sean wouldn't have left yet.

He dialed his number and let it ring a few times until Sean answered. "Hello?" he said.

"Sean, it's Craig," Craig said.

"Craig! Dude, I haven't seen you in like, a week. I called and Joey said that you were sick."

"Yeah, I have been. But I'm a little bit better now."

"Cool. You coming to the party tonight?"

"Yeah. I'll be there. Um...I'm not gonna be at school today, though. I mean, I'm still kind of...sick."

"Oh. No, it's cool. You know, everyone's talking about what happened...with JT..."

"What? Little JT has to tell the whole school that I, who was ill and defenseless, pushed him into the sink and punched his little baby face? He pushed me! And he asked me if I was on heroin! It's his fault. Oh, yeah. If you could tell him one thing for me today...and tell him it was from me: penis pump." Sean laughed.

"Okay, I'll do that. But...I better get going. School starts in like, a half-hour, so...I'll talk to you later."

"Bye." Craig hung up the phone and took it back downstairs. Joey, Caitlin, and Angie were on the couch, watching TV. "School's starting soon. Why isn't she going?" Craig asked, pointing at Angie.

"What?" Joey said blankly. He looked over at Angie. He sighed. "Caitlin, would you? On your way to work?" Caitlin sat up.

"Oh...it is almost time for her to go, isn't it?" she said. She took Angie and ran out to the car, leaving Craig and Joey alone in the room. Craig could almost feel the tension rising in the room. He took a deep breath and went over to the couch. He sat down at the other end of the couch, away from Joey. Then, unexpectedly, he turned onto his side and rested his head on Joey's lap.

Joey hesitated for a second and then put his hand on Craig's arm. They watched TV in silence.

When the show was over, Joey looked down at Craig, who was asleep. He hadn't noticed, but Craig must've fallen asleep sometime in the middle of the show. Craig hadn't spoken to him since he'd been home from the psych ward, as Caitlin had called it. But, Craig had his reasons, and Joey understood that. Craig was mad at him. As he watched him sleep peacefully on his lap, he could tell that Craig wasn't going to tell him that he wasn't mad at him anymore, that he didn't hate him, that he would talk to him soon, or at least look at him. He didn't expect Craig to talk right now; he was sleeping. But sometime in the near future, possibly. Craig sighed softly in his sleep and Joey continued to watch him. He still couldn't seem to look away when Craig opened his eyes slowly. They looked at each other calmly, and Craig gave him an actual smile, something he hadn't shown in weeks. He still didn't say anything as he drifted back to sleep. Looking at him and smiling was enough for Joey; Craig didn't need to say anything else.

A/N: HOLY CRAP! THAT WAS THE LONGEST DEUCING THING I'VE EVER WRITTEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE! AHH! IT'S LIKE, 19.5 THOUSAND WORDS! AHHH! I'M LISTENING TO THE KILLERS RIGHT NOW. IT'S "SOMEBODY TOLD ME" ON YAHOO RADIO! BUT...YEAH. I'VE PUT A LOT OF THOUGHT INTO THE NEXT CHAPTER AND I'VE DECIDED WHAT IT'S GONNA BE ABOUT! WAAAHA! SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! MY BROTHER WAS ON THE COMP FOR LIKE, DAYS. YEAH. LIKE I SAID, FIFTEEN REVIEWS ON THIS CHAPTER, AND THEY CAN'T BE THE ANNOYING REVIEWS THAT SAY 'UPDATE SOON!' ONLY. THEY HAVE TO BE PROPER REVIEWS, I.E. WHAT YOU LIKE AND WHAT YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT IT, AND...SUGGESTIONS AND STUFF. YEAH. ANYWAY...BYE!