Another filler, but hopefully a bit more interesting. Mich goes to Quasi's house and meets Frollo, and she tries to warn him about Esme's plans.

Enjoy :)

Patience took you for everything
Looked like a diamond ring
You are so much longer
That made sense

Apathy in disguise
Crept on you like a spy
Hurt you in ways
You cant describe

Back to the start now
I wont let you go this way now

Honesty is what you need
It sets you free like someone to save you
Let it go but hurry now
There's undertow and I don't wanna lose you now.

'Someone To Save You'- One Republic

The more I thought about it, the more I felt that Quasimodo needed to be warned about Esme's plans.

But not yet. For when I got to school the next day, I found that he wasn't there.

At first, I didn't think much of it. I never saw him in the mornings anyway- it was usually closer to the middle of the day when I saw him walking down the hallway, or only in music class. But as the day progressed, I realized that I just wasn't going to see him today.

For some reason, this fact seemed to put a dampener on my spirits. Although we weren't really friends yet, I had enjoyed seeing the deformed boy every day. I wasn't completely sure why- perhaps it was the fact that he was so shy, and I liked shy people. I didn't have the faintest idea. All I knew was that when I entered music class that Wednesday and saw the empty seat next to mine, I was filled with a heavy sense of disappointment. And I found that that class was the longest it had ever been.

Strolling back to the lockers at lunchtime, I noticed a piece of paper stuck in the grill of Quasimodo's locker. I eyed it curiously, then, checking that nobody was looking, I pulled it out and opened it up. And I gasped as I read what was within.

Go back to where you came from you ugly freak.

My hands clenched into fists, crumpling the paper, as I struggled to keep my composure. It was difficult, but eventually I regained my myself enough to be able to breath without wanting to strangle the first person I saw. I shoved it deep in my pocket and grabbed my lunch bag, slamming my locker shut with as much force as I could, and went to lunch.

I was still boiling when I sat down at our table.

"Whoa, what's wrong with you?" Dez asked as I plonked myself down on the seat, staring at my angry face with concern.

I looked at my friends and let out a frustrated sigh, pulling the crumpled note out of my pocket. "Guess what I found in Quasimodo's locker?"

Dez took it and stared, open-mouthed, at the spiteful words. Bex snatched it off her, read it, and passed it wordlessly to Em, who passed it back to me.

"How friggin horrible is that?" I asked, my voice going up a notch as the silence stretched out.

"Mich!" Dez reproched.

I gave her a look. "I didn't swear, Dez, but I feel like it. I'm just so angry right now-"

"I know." She nodded, frowning. "I agree that it's mean and hateful, and I'm glad you got to it before he did. But there's no point in getting upset."

"How did you get into his locker, anyway?" Bex asked.

"It was in the grill. Honestly, the nerve of some people-"

"But, to be fair, I can kinda see why they do it. I mean, he is ugly, and you know how much everyone like to pick on something different."

"Emma Smith, are you excusing whoever did this?"

"No, of course not, but I'm just saying, it's understandable-"

"How could you be so cruel?" I cried, glaring at her. "You sound like you don't even care about this at all?"

"And why should I?" she shot back. "What's it to me if some dude get's bullied for his looks? It happens all the time! To tell you the truth I'm just glad it's not me. I'm happy being invisible. You sound like you a care a bit too much about this."

"Mich," Dez said softly as I prepared a retort, "I know you don't like to see anyone be bullied- neither do we. But you've seen it before and it never bothered you like this. Why are you so concerned about this guy?"

"Cuz we're friends." I looked at their shocked faces and corrected myself. "Well, not friends yet, but he's my music partner. We've chatted a few times, and I like him. I can't bear the fact that he's being bullied cuz he's ugly. The poor guy can't help it."

"Well, just remember this." Em stared intently at me. "You can be as friendly as you want with him in class, but hanging out with him will make you a target, which will make us targets too."

"Not necessarily," Dez corrected. "Be friends with him if you want, Mich. But don't get involved. I mean it."

"You know I want to stay out of everyone's way as much as you do. I won't get involved." I ripped up the note and dropped the pieces on the ground, faking a smile.

But I think I knew it wouldn't be as easy as that.

Closing my locker at the end of the next day, I found myself being accosted by one of the sub teachers from another class, her arms full of paperwork.

"Michigan Greene, is it?"

"Yeah," I answered, hoisting my bag onto my shoulder and looking at her curiously.

"I'm Miss Cabala, subbing for 2nd period English. One of the students in my class has been away yesterday and today, and the music teacher said you're his partner in music."

"Quasimodo?"

"Yes, that's him. I have all the homework he missed from all his classes, and since you're friendly with him, I was wondering if you could drop it off at his house so that he could catch up?"

I raised my eyebrows, surprised. "I don't even know where he lives!"

"I have the address right here." The teacher shuffled the papers around and pulled out a sheet with an address on it. "Of course, if it's too much out of your way I could ask someone who lives closer to him, but I just thought since you two know each other-"

"No, this is ok." I nodded and smiled, wondering how on earth this girl got a teaching job. She was so awkward! "That's just Boronia Heights. I know where it is, it's not too far. I'll take them to him."

"Good!" Miss Cabala took out a sheath of papers and handed it to me. "Sorry, if I put you out or anything-"

"No, no, don't worry, it's fine." I checked my watch. "Thanks for that. I have to go now."

She said goodbye and left, and I hurried out, looking for the car. Getting in, I told mum where we had to go, and we headed out.

I looked at the address I had been given and pointed to a street sign. "That's it. I think it's the house up the end."

Mum drove slowly up the street and pulled up outside a house, wrinkling her nose. "Are you sure it's the right address?"

I checked. "14 Notre-Dame Court, Boronia Heights. Yep, this is the place." I grabbed the bundle of folders and opened the door. "I'll be right back."

As I approached the little fence and half-heartedly rattled the rusty gate, I could see why mum was skeptical. The first thing I saw was the police car in the driveway. But that wasn't the only thing. Weeds wound around the hinges of the gate, making it virtually impossible to open, and as I climbed over and landed in the yard, the grass came up to my knees. Walking up to the almost invisible path, I winced as I kicked a bottle. The whole yard was messy and overgrown, littered with glass bottles of every colour, shape and size, some broken, some whole. What looked like a broken-down bike and a few rusty oil barrels added to the mess, and the pavers I walked on were crumbly and uneven. The house itself was falling to pieces, too- holes had rusted in the tin roof, and Trying to ignore the fear of snakes and who knew what else that might be hiding in the grass, I made my way to the door and paused, looking back at the car for reassurance, before knocking on the door.

After a few moments of silence, I knocked again, a little bit louder this time. Just as I thought no-one was coming and I had turned away, the door opened, and I found myself face-to-face with a man.

He had only opened the door a little, but I sized him up in a few seconds. Blood-shot eyes, thin, stubbly face, almost completely bald, holding a bottle... Was this Quasimodo's dad? Poor him...

"Whaddaya want?"

I gulped, realizing I was staring. "Oh, right, um, this is for Quasimodo, he hasn't been at school for a few days so they asked me to bring over his homework..." And if he had been wagging, I just got him in trouble... damn... I handed over the folders, hoping it wasn't so. "Is he ok?"

The man looked at me sharply, squinting unpleasantly. "What's it to ya?"

My eyes widened, taken aback. "Oh, er, nothing, it's just that he's my music partner and I just wondered if he's been sick or something-"

"He's fine." The man snatched the stuff out of my hands and, after peering behind me, presumably at the car that was still running on the street, slammed the door in my face.

I stood there, a little dazed. "Ok, then..." I turned on my heel and walked back, climbing the fence and jumping in the car, shaking my head. "Weird..."

"How'd it go?" Mum asked as she turned around and headed back the way we came.

"I think that was his dad... rude guy, he slammed the door in my face, and the only things he said were 'whaddya want', 'what's it to ya' and 'he's fine'. I feel sorry for Quasimodo if that's who he has to live with. And the bottles!"

"Who was that?" called a small voice from the back. I turned and smiled at Kate, who was all strapped into her booster seat.

"That was Quasimodo's dad."

"Kazi-modo's dad?"

"That's right."

She thought hard, and I could almost hear the cogs turning in her little brain. "Who's Kazi-modo?"

"My friend from school." Me and mum exchanged looks, grinning at the cuteness.

"He's got a weird name," Kate observed seriously.

"He does, doesn't he?" I sat back in my seat, staring at the road. "Quasimodo is quite the mouthful. Kazi, though... Kazi, Kaz... What do you think, Katie?"

"Kaz?"

I nodded, deciding to put the matter to my friend when I saw him next. "Kaz."

Which happened to be the next day. Walking into music class that Friday, my heart gave a weird little flip when I saw him sitting in the seat next to mine. I slid into my place and laid all my books out on the table- no clunking and sighs today! I turned towards him, feeling particularly cheerful. "Hey, you've been away." Well, duh. Just point out the obvious, why don't cha? "Feeling better?"

He tensed, staring straight ahead. "What?"

I frowned at his bizarre reaction. "Um, you've been sick, right? So are you feeling any better?"

He relaxed and looked in my direction, not at me but somewhere over my shoulder. "Y-yeah, I guess."

I was about to ask what he had had when I saw it. "Oh!" I peered forward, staring at a bruise on his jaw. "How'd you get that?"

His hand flew protectively to his face and he turned away. "Oh, that? I f-fell."

"On your jaw?" I asked sceptically.

"Yes."

I couldn't help but notice that he had tensed up again. I shrugged and turned away, opening my notebook and flipping through, trying to come up with something else to say. Well, there was that question about his name... "Quasimodo?"

He looked up from the desk. "Yes?"

"That's quite a long name, actually." Again, stating the obvious. You're a genius, you know that? I shook off my demeaning inner monologue and continued. "Ever thought about shortening it?"

"Into w-what?"

"Well, my little sister says your name in a really cute way- Kazi-modo. So I was thinking, what about Kaz?"

He was silent, thinking it over. "H-how does she know my n-name?

"Oh... I dropped off your homework yesterday and she wanted to know whose house it was."

"That was you?"

"Yeah." I quieted down as the lesson began, but a little while later, when we had our laptops open, I continued. "Was the guy that came to the door your dad?"

"Yes."

"Is he a policeman or something? Cuz I saw a police car in the driveway."

"Yes."

"Ok." I shook my head, thinking of the man at the door and his rugged appearance, hoping he was less scary than he looked. I certainly wouldn't want to live with him... "By the way, you didn't answer my question from before."

"W-what question?"

"What do you think of Kaz? As a nickname?"

He took a few moments to think about it. "I... I like it."

I smiled, relieved. "Good. So can I call you that?"

"Yes."

"Cool."

We worked silently after that, doing research, writing down notes, and I managed to snatch time to jot down bits of story into a document. As the end of the lesson drew closer, I suddenly remembered that I had something urgent to tell Quasimodo... but not there.

"I have to tell you something," I whispered, leaning in his direction but not taking my eyes of my screen. "It's important, but I can't say it here. I'll tell you at lunch, ok?"

"Ok."

We both nodded and went back to our work, and I wondered how exactly I was going to word what I had to say...

"You w-wanted to talk to me?"

I jumped, bashing my head on the bottom of my locker door. I slapped the locker wall and rubbed my head, glaring. "Damn! Don't do that!"

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Quasimodo- Kaz, now- opened his locker and started rummaging around, not looking at me.

I shook my head, picking up my bag and putting it in my locker. "No, it's ok, you just scared me. And yes, I do want to talk to you."

"About what?"

I looked straight at him, knowing I had to be quick. Even though I liked him, I knew that it wouldn't be good for people to see us talking outside of class. "Ok, here's the deal. I was talking to Esme the other day and she said she's planning to do something to you at the Halloween dance. If you were planning on going, I'd say don't. It wouldn't turn out very well."

He frowned. "Esme is kind to me. She would never do anything to hurt anyone."

"Oh, do you really believe that?"

"Yes I do!" Surprisingly, Kaz was starting to get rather animated. "I've s-spent time with her, I've talked to her. She's a nice girl. In fact, she asked me to the dance- as in, a date! I think she likes me."

"Quas- Kaz, Esme does not like you!" I knew what I was saying sounded mean, but he needed to know the truth, and this was the only way I could think of telling him. "She's only pretending! She wants to mock and humiliate you in front of everyone, because that's what she does. You have to believe me, she could never like you the way you want her to!"

"And why not?" He looked around and lowered his voice to an intense whisper. "Tell me! Is it because I'm ugly? Because I limp? Because I have a hunch? No, I've found that the world isn't all as shallow as that. Esme likes me. That's something that's never happened before, and I'm not going to let you ruin the one good thing that's ever happened to me!"

My eyes widened at his furious speech. He had never spoken so many words together before, nor had he ever cared so much about something as he did this. I was about to apologize and defend myself when footsteps came up behind me, and I felt a presence behind my back.

"Ready for lunch?" Esme asked him, completely ignoring me.

"Yes." Kaz took his bag out of his locker and started rummaging around, looking for his lunch.

"Well hurry up, we don't have all day."

I turned to look at her- arms crossed, striking a pose she probably thought was sexy or something. I had envied her looks for so long, the feeling of sadness when I looked at her hair seemed natural. But I forced myself to stop and turn back, refusing to envy her now. I hated her too much for that. Beside me, Kaz found his lunch and put his bag back in the locker, moving to close it. I had to do something, at least apologise for what he thought I was trying to do.

I turned to him and raised a hand, drawing his attention."Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that, I'm just trying to warn you-"

He glared at me and shut his locker. "I don't need your warnings!" With that, he turned around and left, him and Esme weaving through the students that had begun to congregate in the hallway, leaving me staring at his misshapen, retreating back.

What was meant to be a friendly warning had been blown wildly out of proportion. Did he honestly think I was trying to wreck everything for him? Was he really so blind as to believe that Esme actually cared for him? Obviously, yes. I let out a long breath, angry at me, him, Esme, everyone, and closed my eyes, trying to calm down. I came to give a warning and that warning has been given. It is no longer any of my concern... I slapped the wall in annoyance and straightened up, zipping up my bag and heading into the crowds of students. Kaz was my friend and he was going to get hurt by a bitch who was leading him on with the express purpose of showing him up in front of everyone. Not my concern?

The hell it isn't.

Wasn't sure which song to use with this chapter. Hope it works.

Quasi's nickname is inspired by some fanart for a Disney RPG.

Leave a review?