This chapter features the formidable Jack McCoy! Sorry if he's a bit out of character here; I'm not used to writing him.

Abbie went back to bed. She didn't know what else to do. But she couldn't sleep. She'd driven away the one person who she might have actually fostered a friendship with.

She made herself some pancakes for breakfast, but couldn't force them down. She felt like she wouldn't be able to keep down anything she ate.

Her brother came into the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cereal. "Hey, where's your friend?"

"Screw off," snarled Abbie.

Graeme dumped some milk on his cereal. "Wow, you're in such a good mood this morning."

"I know, right?" she said sarcastically.

"I'm supposed to take you to school today," he told her, running a hand through his unkempt hair. "Mom and Dad have to meet with that shrink again."

Abbie picked up her plate and scraped the remnants of her breakfast into the garbage. "They should just drop it."

"They care about you," said Graeme mildly. "You know, you're wasting food. Why don't you put those pancakes in the fridge and I'll have them later?"

Abbie deposited the last of her pancakes in the garbage. "Maybe I don't want to."

"You know Mom and Dad are only trying to help you."

"Could you just shut up?" growled Abbie. She didn't want to talk about what had happened, not to Dr. Picard or Dr. McKenna or even her own brother.

Graeme shrugged and wolfed down his cereal. Then he held the bowl to his lips and slurped the remaining milk.

"That's disgusting," Abbie told him, wrinkling her nose.

"Deal with it. We're leaving in ten, so get dressed."

Abbie sighed. "I'm not going to school today."

"Yes, you are," replied her brother. "Mom and Dad will kill me if you don't."

"Deal with it," she muttered, parroting his words.

"You know, sometimes I just want to smack you. Mom and Dad left me responsible for you. That means you need to listen to me."

She looked around for something to throw at him but came up with nothing. Instead, she turned and stomped into her bedroom, obediently throwing on jeans and a t-shirt and pulling her hair into a messy ponytail. She plodded back into the kitchen and grumbled, "Fine. Take me to school."

He saluted. "Yes, ma'am."

She punched him lightly in the shoulder and trudged out to the car. She climbed into the passenger seat, scowling as she buckled her seat belt. "You know I'm going to skip, right?"

"I wouldn't have expected any less."

"Then why do you bother?"

"Because it's my job and it's on you if you skip, not me."

"I'll tell Mom you knew about it."

"She'll be mad enough at you to forget about me," said Graeme calmly.

Abbie kicked the door. She knew he was right.

Graeme grabbed her shoulder. "Hey! Don't deface my car. If you ruin it, you replace it."

"I have no money," she muttered.

"Then don't kick it."

"Screw you."

"I'm kicking you out of my car if you can't respect it," he threatened.

"Be my guest."

"Hey, I'm doing you a favor. You should be grateful."

"Yeah, sure. When I can drive – which will be in two years – I won't need you."

"Aw, it's nice to be so wanted." He tousled Abbie's hair. "I'm glad my baby sister loves me so much."

She batted his hand away. "Yeah, yeah." She pointed to the turn he needed to take. "Go right, go right! Turning signal, you idiot." She cursed when he missed the turn. "Great, you missed it. Now turn around and go right on 53rd. I'm late."

"Why don't I just save you some time and drop you off wherever you're going to go when you skip? It can be our secret."

"I don't trust you as far as I can throw you, which isn't far because you're a gorilla."

"No, you're just a toothpick," Graeme shot back. "I'm all muscle. You're skin and bones."

"Could you just do as I tell you? Make a U-turn and take a right on 53rd."

"Why don't you drive, my annoying backseat driver?"

She scowled. "I'm not youranything."

"Honestly." He did as she'd told him and made a right turn. "What are you so worked up about?"

"Screw you," she growled, kicking the door again.

Graeme pulled over and stopped the car. "All right. Out."

Abbie got up and climbed out of the car, slamming the door behind her.

He followed her. "Hey! Where are you going?"

"You told me to get out."

"I didn't mean it!"

"Don't make empty threats," she snarled.

"Just don't kick the door, okay? I don't want to have to replace the door once you kick right through it."

"I thought I was a toothpick. How would I have the strength to do that?"

He sighed. "Just get back in. I'll take you to school. I'll get you a doughnut first, okay?"

Abbie scowled. "I can get my own doughnut."

"Hey, that was a generous offer. I'll get you a cup of coffee and a doughnut. My treat. You've got no money, remember?"

She sighed, the fight draining from her eyes. "I'm sorry. Just – just take me to school."

Graeme sighed, too. "Okay. Get in the car."

She climbed back into the passenger seat and they rode the rest of the way in a pregnant silence. Abbie had to go to school because she had to see Olivia. She had to make sure Olivia was okay. She had to apologize.

When they reached Abbie's school, she got out of the car and went inside. After depositing her backpack in her locker, she made her way to her French class and sat down in her seat. Alex was already there and greeted Abbie with a smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. "Are you okay, Abbie?"

She nodded. "Fine. Um, have you seen Olivia today?"

Alex shrugged. "No. Her locker's on the opposite end of the school as mine. I don't usually see her before first period. Why?"

"No reason," said Abbie, fidgeting in her seat.

"Take out your cahiers," Mme. Rochman called from the front of the room.

"Oh, great," muttered Abbie. "I left mine in my locker."

"We can share," offered Alex.

"No, we can't." She folded her arms, leaned back in her seat, and closed her eyes.

"What's up with you today?"

Abbie searched for a snappy retort, but she was just too tired to come up with one. She shrugged.

"Nightmares?" said Alex sympathetically.

Abbie's head snapped up. "No!"

Alex raised her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay! Calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down," snarled Abbie.

Mme. Rochman started to hand out their French tests. Abbie had, predictably, failed. Alex had, just as predictably, got perfect. "I was very disappointed with your marks," lectured their teacher. "The only person who got higher than a seventy was Alexandra."

"As usual," muttered a kid sitting a few seats away, whose name Abbie thought was Fin.

Alex tried not to look too pleased with herself as the rest of the class glared at her.

French class went by at a snail's pace, and when it was finally over, Abbie all but ran to science class.

Olivia was already there when Abbie arrived, scribbling away at her science homework. Abbie plopped down in her seat and ventured, "Hey."

Olivia turned so that her back was to Abbie and ignored her.

"Liv," said Abbie tentatively. "I'm sorry about what I said last night."

Still, Olivia didn't reply.

"I didn't mean it," added Abbie.

Olivia went back to her science homework, seemingly disinterested in anything Abbie might have to say. She started to fill in the periodic table.

"You were really good to me when I first came here and you didn't deserve that," Abbie rushed on. "You were only trying to help."

Olivia filled in hydrogen and helium, continuing to ignore Abbie.

"Can you forgive me?"

Olivia labeled the alkaline metals and didn't say a word.

Abbie swallowed. "You can still stay at my place if you want to."

Olivia didn't answer.

"Liv, I'm really sorry."

Olivia wasn't listening, so Abbie gave up. She opened her science textbook to the appropriate page and started to copy a note of the blackboard. She got as far as the date and the title before her pencil broke.

"Shit," she muttered, rummaging around in her backpack for another pencil but not finding one. "That's just great." She tapped Olivia on the shoulder to get her attention. "Can I borrow a pencil or a pencil sharpener or something equivalent to either of the above?"

"No," snapped Olivia.

Abbie sighed. She deserved that. She turned around in her seat. "Melinda, can I borrow a pencil?"

The girl sitting behind her handed Abbie a pencil. "You can keep it," she said. "I've got a bunch."

"Thanks," replied Abbie, half-sarcastically.

After class, Olivia stalked off without saying a word to Abbie. Abbie tried to catch up to her, but soon Olivia was lost in the throng of students rushing toward the cafeteria.

She sighed and went to meet Alex, Elliot, and Trevor. There was another boy sitting with them. He was tall, with short brown hair and brown eyes.

"This is Jack," Trevor introduced him. "He's new. He's in my law class."

Abbie managed a smile, even though she was preoccupied with Olivia. She remembered how hard it was to be new in the middle of the year – actually, it still was.

"So where's Benson?" asked Elliot, not directing his question at anyone in particular.

Abbie shrugged.

"Is she here today?"

Abbie nodded. "I saw her in science. She's kind of mad at me, though."

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Abbie shrugged. She didn't feel like getting into this with Elliot right now. "No idea."

"That's not like Liv," he commented. "I guess it's just you."

She narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged. "You two are too alike."

Abbie rolled her eyes.

"Hey, that's a compliment."

"No, it's a statement of fact."

"Oh, God, now you're starting to sound like Alex."

She turned her back on Elliot and looked at Jack. "Jack, right?" He nodded, and she asked, "So where'd you move here from?"

"Massachusetts," he told her.

"How come?" She knew in the back of her mind that she shouldn't ask, because she hadn't wanted anyone to ask her, but she was trying to divert the conversation from Olivia and herself. Jack was a good distraction.

"To be closer to my grandmother. She's sick – cancer – and my mother was tired of commuting every weekend."

"Are you close with her?"

Jack shrugged. "Not really, but my mother is."

Abbie nodded. Then she realized she didn't really know what else to ask him that was relatively benign and non-invasive. Making small talk with boys wasn't her specialty – she hadn't done it in months. And now she was always second guessing what she should and shouldn't say. "What classes do you have this term?"

Jack pulled out his schedule. "In the morning I have law, then math, and after lunch English and French."

"Cool," said Abbie. "We have English together after lunch. Actually, everyone except Trevor does – me, Elliot, Alex, and Olivia." Whoops. She hadn't wanted to talk about Olivia.

And shit, Jack had noticed. "Who's Olivia?"

"Oh, um, one of our friends. Elliot's girlfriend." Good save, Carmichael.

"Where is she?"

Not such a good save, Carmichael. "I don't know. She doesn't always eat with us."

Elliot gave her a strange look. "Yeah, she does."

"Well, not today," snapped Abbie, and Elliot had the good sense to drop it.

"Miss me?" came a sharp voice from behind them. Olivia.

Elliot moved one seat over so Olivia could sit down. "Hey, Liv. Where were you?"

She shrugged. "Picking up lunch. I got an extremely overpriced bagel from that place across the street."

Abbie couldn't stop herself from asking snidely, "Where'd you get the money for an extremely overpriced bagel from that place across the street?" Great. Smooth move, Carmichael. She's going to hit you.

But Olivia just shrugged. "Found it."

"Stole it," supplied Elliot.

"Same thing," she said dismissively.

"Depends where you steal it from."

"Stole it from the kitchen table a few days ago. She owes me, anyway."

Elliot nodded his concurrence. "She does." Then he gestured to Jack. "Oh, Liv, this is Jack. He's new. Jack, this is Olivia, our very own badass."

"Badass Benson," agreed Olivia.

Abbie leaned toward Olivia so only she could hear. "Olivia – are we good?"

Olivia sighed. "I got put in emergency foster care last night because they found me sleeping on the streets. No, we're not good."

"I'm sorry, Liv." Abbie felt horrible. "I shouldn't have said –"

Olivia rested her chin on her hands. "It's not really anyone's fault. It was bound to happen someday. And I'm safe now. So really, I should be thanking you."

Abbie just stared at her. "So, are we –"

Olivia sighed again. "Yeah, we're good. I'm safe now, I guess, and that's what matters. I'm okay. And Abbie?" She waited for Abbie to meet her eyes, then said in an undertone, "You will be too."

Review for chapter twelve!