I pealed my eyes opened and looked around the hospital room until my eyes stopped on Zack. "Hey, buddy, how you feeling?" he asked.

"What happened?" I rasped out.

"Those freaking perverted jerks gave you a concussion."

"Mom?" I asked fearfully.

"Doesn't know a thing until you want her to. I told her we got into a fight with some bullies from school. She's getting coffee right now." He said sitting back in his chair.

"Thanks Zack, for everything," I said.

"That's what big brothers are for Codester."

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After a couple of days I was able to go back home. Mom made a big fuss about me staying in bed, which I was glad for. That meant I didn't have to lie to her more about why I was always in my room.

I was actually developing a fear of being alone outside. I wouldn't step an inch outside unless someone was with me. Mom noticed this, but I guess she just chalked it up to the supposed 'fight' Zack and I got into.

I never really did know what happened after that guy Chris came after me. Zack wouldn't tell me what happened either; he just said that I didn't need to worry about them messing with me anymore. I was glad for that, but I was still, I wouldn't say scared, more like anxious of what he did to those guys.

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I slammed the bedroom door shut as I let out a frustrated sigh. I got caught in yet another lie. I tried telling mom I was getting hardly any sleep because of school, but of course she didn't believe me. I hated being a lousy liar.

Mom grounded me to my room until I could 'come up with a better excuse.' She said it wasn't like me to be the liar, that she knew something was up, she just didn't know what yet. I'm actually surprised she hasn't guessed by now how I nearly jump out of my skin when everyone, but Zack comes within two feet of me.

"Cody, why don't you just tell mom? It'll be easier; I mean you've kept this from her for like two-three weeks now. Don't you think it's time to let her know?" Zack said as he sat down on the bed next to me.

"I know, I know. I just…. I can't. I mean it took me a week just to tell you and I tell you basically everything."

"That's because I can read you like a book, it's the perks of being a twin." He said with a smile.

"Zack, I just can't, I'm too ashamed. I just feel to dirty…" I said trailing off.

"No, don't feel like that Cody. It wasn't your fault man. Your were a victim, its not like you had a choice, so why should you be ashamed for something you had no control over?"

"Because I'm weak, you could have stopped them if it happened to you, but I'm too weak and too much of a crybaby to stop anything." I said crying.

"No, hey…no, that's not true Cody. It never will be," he said pulling me into a hug. "Promise me you'll quit blaming yourself," he said pulling back and taking my face into his hands.

I just let tears stream down my face as I got up and walked out of the room and into the bathroom. Shutting out Zack, shutting out the one person that was trying to help me, shutting out the world.