The next morning, Reid was woken up by bright sun on his face and he opened his eyes. He wished he hadn't, clamping them shut again, he felt as though his head was being split in two.

Putting a hand in front of his eyes to shield the light, he opened them again. Looking around, he found he was in the same spot he had fallen unconscious in. He slowly lifted himself to the feet, grabbing at the wall for support. Still leaning on the wall, he followed it out to the hall and into the bathroom.

Seeing his reflection in the mirror, he winced. Dark circles had formed under his eyes, and his pale skin made them look even darker. A shade of blue/purple marked a bruise on his far right cheek, mostly covered by his hair. It wasn't too bad. He could just say he didn't sleep well. The bruise was covered mostly so he hoped no one would notice.

Back in his room, he looked at the clock, knowing he was late. 9:28. Shit. That was all of first period. Going to class like this would be hell, but only a few more days until break so it would be worth it. A week and a half of no school, but also a week and a half of being forced to stay at him.

Shuffling through his closet, he found a white t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and threw on a jacket. A black beanie he found on the floor covered the rest of the bruise. This ensemble would have to do until he got to the dorms and found his uniform.

The house was silent walking to the kitchen. It was also spinning, but he tried not to pay attention to that. Grabbing his keys, he headed out to his car and left for campus.

Reid headed for class down the empty hallway. Getting dressed again had been a challenge, as nothing around him would stop moving.

Clutching his bag to him, he opened the door to his second period class, ignoring everyones stares. The teacher stopped, chalk raised in mid-lecture.

"Ah, Mr. Garwin. How nice of you to grace us with your presence.." His teacher waited for a snappy comeback, taking the tardy pass from the teen. Normally, Reid would have stated some cocky reason for whatever his mistake was, but he didn't feel up to it. Instead, he took his seat next Tyler, feeling the stares of the rest of the Covenant.

Tyler flashed him a confused yet sympathetic smile as he sat down. Before continuing his lesson, the teacher looked back at Reid. "Mr. Garwin; dress code," he said sternly.

Damn. No hats. Reluctantly, Reid pulled off the beanie. Even the small movement sent his head pounding again.

"Thank you," he looked at Tyler. "Mr. Simms will inform you of what you missed."

Tyler turned towards Reid as the rest of the class went back to their work. Reid could still feel Pogue and Caleb's stares burning at the back of his head.

"Jesus, you look like shit. Why are you late?" Reid's blank face stared back at Tyler's eyes.

"Slept in," he said quietly. Tyler looked at him. That was weird, even for Reid. His best friend seemed really out of it.

"So what'd I miss?" Reid asked trying to avoid questions about the states he was in.

"Oh yeah... mostly notes, some lecture last period even I didn't pay attention too..."

Reid tried to listen, but his mind kept drifting back to last night. His father couldn't have meant what he said... but the way he looked at Reid. And he had even Used on him. Reid started to doubt whether he himself would use again until he Ascended.

"Reid... Reid?" Tyler shook his shoulder and he jumped back from the contact. He swore he could feel his brain rattling around in his skull. Tears stung the back of his eyes and he tried to push them back.

"Come on, man. Class is over." Tyler was standing, gathering his things. Reid stood as well, but he bent slightly, gripping the table in pain as Caleb invaded his mind.

'And where you this morning?"

'Home. I slept in.'

'Are you sure?'

'Fuck off, Caleb.' He didn't need to lose consciousness because Caleb wanted to mess with him.

Looking back up, he found Tyler staring at him. Most of the room had cleared, but the Covenant remained.

"You okay?" Now Tyler was starting to get concerned.

"Yeah, yeah. Fine." Tyler didn't keep his eyes off him as the four boys left the room.

"Well Reid, are you up for Nicky's tonight," Pogue asked, walking down the hall, "or are we still tired from our morning escapade?"

The rest turned to face him, and Reid tried his best to hind his old attitude, the old Reid. "Hell no boys," he said with a smirk. "I'm up for it."

The others smiled at him. That was Reid.

Reid figured he was doing okay. He couldn't let them know about last night and he just had to keep this up a bit longer. But hie didn't know if he could go that long with out using.