Hello my fine readers! I have a brand new chapter for you, and I'd like to apologize for being late as usual. Thanking you for waiting so patiently- I kinda feel like this chapter was worth the wait... I think you'll see why :)

Thanks to Anony mouse101 and kamikaze-djali for your reviews.

Uploading stuff to to the website on a half-broken tablet is hell, by the way. Just so you know.

Ok, on we go!

Waking up at the start of the end of the world,
But it's feeling just like every other morning before,
Now I wonder what my life is going to mean if it's gone,
The cars are moving like a half a mile an hour
And I started staring at the passengers who're waving goodbye
Can you tell me what was ever really special about me all this time?

I believe the world is burning to the ground
Oh well I guess we're gonna find out
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Well I believe it all is coming to an end
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come

'Lets See How Far We've Come'- Matchbox 20.

"I can't do this."

"Yes you can."

"I can't do this!"

"Yes you can."

"I can't."

"Yes you can."

"I-"

"You know I'm not going to let up, right?"

The boy in the green sweater peeked at me through his fingers, his face hidden in his hands. I could hear how quickly he was breathing, almost hyperventilating, and the waver in his voice that made it sound like he was near tears, and for a moment my heart twisted and I was tempted to call the whole thing off. Anything to take away that visibly crippling fear and tortured expression. I didn't want him to feel this way- it was painful to see his reaction and know that it was kind of my fault. But this was important. This was for us... for him. And he couldn't let fear control his life anymore. I wouldn't let him do that to himself.

He took a deep breath and met my eyes, his voice shaky and pleading. "B-but I-I can't! I can't do this!"

"Saying it multiple times isn't going to change my mind."

He groaned and buried his face his hands again, and I sighed, waiting.

It was Wednesday morning, the day of the concert. It was the day everything would change, and I had been expecting a reaction like this. Tuesday had been easy. Quasi was quiet, contemplative, happy to sit with our new friends and eager to practice our song. Today, though, we were supposed to be practising one last time and he was having a nervous breakdown, and I was stuck between wanting to be all 'tough luck' with him and just hugging him forever.

"I'm not going to let you back out of this now," I said finally. "Do you know why?"

He didn't answer.

"Because I know that you can do this, and I know that you'll be awesome. Because I'll be with you almost the whole time, and I won't let anything bad happen. And because tonight will be the best thing that will ever happen to you, and I want to make it easier for you."

I watched him take a great, shuddering breath and let it out, and then I scooted over and wrapped my arm around his back, leaning my head on his shoulder. Despite the heat of the approaching summer and the stuffiness of the room, sharing his warmth wasn't uncomfortable, and as I sat with him, waiting for him to calm down, I started to feel drowsy.

Maybe that was the reason my mind started wandering. Maybe it was my tiredness lowering my mind-barriers or something, but I starting to think how nice it was to just sit with him and do nothing, and how I would never get tired of being with him, and how, when all this was said and done, I would have to have him over and show him the wonders of Netflix and everything on a screen that he had missed, get him into all my fandoms, have long conversations into the night and share our artistic creations with each other and-

The reality of the situation came back to me suddenly, hitting me like a ton of bricks. We wouldn't ever get a chance to do that stuff. Our time together was limited. Of course there was the tiniest possibility that he might be able to stay in the area, but Johanna had said that it would be very unlikely, that she was considering all the options and working with child services and that, as difficult as it might be, I needed to be prepared to say goodbye. I thought I was, but now I wondered if I would ever be ready. I prided myself on having a lid on my most vulnerable side, but I could feel myself cracking at the edges.

I tightened my grip around Quasi and squeezed my eyes shut, willing the tears that pushed at the corners of my eyes to disappear. I didn't need this right now.

Thank god for the knock at the door.

I reluctantly unwrapped myself from around him and unlocked the door, smiling at the sight of my three excited friends waiting to come in. "Hey, guys!"

"Are you busy?" Em asked, thinly veiled curiosity hidden behind her brown eyes.

I looked over my shoulder, where Quasi was still hunched over his guitar, brooding. I knew that there was a great possibility he didn't actually want to talk to anyone, but I also knew that it wasn't healthy to hide from people. I wasn't really in a sociable mood myself, but I couldn't kick out my friends. So I shrugged and opened the door for them to come in. "Just keep it down a bit, OK? Quasi's kinda nervous about tonight."

The girls filed in and grabbed some chairs from the back of the room. Beck put hers right next to Quasi and tapped his shoulder lightly. "Oh, I'm sure everything will be fine. You guys are really good."

Dez nodded. "Yeah, we heard the recording you did. You have an awesome voice."

Of course they wouldn't know just how little the concert mattered compared to what was really going to happen that night. I picked up my guitar and dropped into my chair, hoping the girls wouldn't overdo it on the praise.

"Everyone knows you'll be great. You just have to believe in yourself." That was Em, getting deep at the most random times.

Quasi lifted his head and contemplated the far wall. "Believe in myself," he repeated slowly.

"Yeah, when you believe you can do it, it'll be easy. You'll do great, don't worry."

"Yeah, Quasi, don't worry! You're gonna own that stage!"

"Everyone will love you."

He raised his eyes to meet Em's. "Really?"

And for the first time since she had met him, I saw Em look straight into his eyes without having to look away immediately, and smile. "Of course. You and Mich together. It'll be the best thing we've ever seen."

I knew he wasn't convinced yet. I knew it wasn't the stage he was worried about, at least not at this moment. But their sentiments helped him all the same. He may still have been worried sick and terrified of what he knew he had to do, but the encouragement was good for him, and I suppose that was all that mattered. Maybe I was wrong and he did need other people after all.

Beck pulled out a pack of cards then, with a wicked glint in her eye. "Well, I think you need a distraction. Guess what I brought?"

I grinned and lowered my guitar to the floor. "Tell me that's Cards Against Humanity. I am so up for that."

Everyone gravitated to our table, and I nudged Quasi gently. "Hey, wanna play?"

"Ok." His reply was almost a whisper, but it was good enough.

We entertained ourselves for the next 20 minutes, and I was very happy to see Quasi laughing along with everyone else. I was proud of him- and of the girls, who had all accepted and rallied around him like the awesome people they were. And then I realised that if... when he left, he wouldn't just be leaving me. He would be leaving them too. And while it wouldn't cut them up too badly, he was leaving a safe haven. He was leaving people who accepted him and weren't afraid to include him in things and were his friends. We would be losing one person. He would be losing everyone.

Ugh, way to make things depressing.

"Another round?" Em asked, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

I suddenly didn't want to play anymore. "What do you want to do?" I asked Quasi. "I mean, we haven't finished practicing yet..."

"Oh, did we interrupt you?" Dez was immediately apologetic. "I'm sorry. Should we leave?"

"No, no-"

"Actually we should!" Beck stood up and started to collect her cards. "If we hear it now, it won't be as special tonight. Let's go, guys."

"Good point." Em stood up too, and motioned for Dez to join her. "Don't think we're ditching you. We just don't want to spoil the surprise. It was nice playing with you, Quasi."

Grumbling, Dez let herself be pulled away, and they filed out, leaving me a little bit dazed at their rapid exit. "Well, that was... interesting." I sighed. "Sorry I let them take over the place."

"No, it was... good." Quasi nodded to himself, looking a little more alive than he did before. "They're... nice."

"And right. About everything. You just need to believe in yourself. I know you've been taught otherwise, but you can do anything- even change your whole life around."

"H-how can you be so sure?"

"Because I just can. You know you don't even have to do much. Just sneak out and let everyone else's take care of the rest. You've done it before, right? You snuck out without anyone's help."

"That was a disaster."

"It doesn't matter. It shows that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. And the best bit is that you won't have to worry about coming home. You just have to get out. You can do that, can't you?" He was silent, and I leaned over and looked up at him, leaning my head on his arm. "Hey?"

He just breathed for a while, and then I leaned up and pecked him on the cheek, and he reddened. "I suppose," he muttered softly, and I grinned.

"That's what I like to hear." I rubbed his back and scooted away to grab my guitar. "Ok, lets try this again."

The practice session went well, and by the time we were finished, I couldn't wipe the grin off my face.

I think we're ready.

Of course my confidence couldn't last.

For all the pretty words, all the assurances and insistence that everything would be fine, by the time the afternoon rolled around I was a nervous mess. I felt like there was a coil in my chest, wound tight and ready to spring open and burst through my chest at a moments notice. I had to make a conscious effort to not let my hands shake or let my true feelings show on my face lest Quasi realise that I didn't actually have it together as much as I said I did. Someone had to be strong, right?

Music was the last class of the day, if you could call it class. We were told to do something music-related and keep the noise down, and so I pulled my earphones out and brought up my music. While I was browsing the lists of songs, I asked Quasi if he had told Frollo about us 'breaking up'.

He nodded soberly. "He was very happy to tell me 'I told you so'. And he said some pretty awful things about you."

"Like what?"

He waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, the usual. That you're rude, disrespectful and dishonest, and that you were only playing with my feelings, and that you looked like a-" Here he stopped and cleared his throat, flushing red to his roots. "Um, you look like a... not very nice... girl. And that you were probably just experimenting, and you're definitely much happier without me hanging around, and that even girls like you wouldn't want to get close to someone like me, and-"

"Wait, wait- did he call me a slut?" I asked quietly.

He squeezed his eyes shut and nodded, as if fearing my reaction.

Despite my anger at the slur, I had to stifle a laugh. If there was anything I looked like, it wasn't that.

"Wow, he's really grasping at straws." I shook my head "I've heard more creative insults from children."

"You-you're not angry?"

"Oh, I'm furious. But not because of his childish meanness. I'm angry because it brings him pleasure to make you feel bad."

A throat cleared, loudly and deliberately, and I glanced over at Miss Basso, who was staring at us from her desk. Obviously we were too loud, or didn't look busy enough. I nodded and gave Quasi an earphone, and we got out our notebooks. He drew and I wrote while we listened to music for the rest of the lesson.

When the bell rang, Quasi's head snapped up and he met my eyes, growing pale. I just knew that in the few hours we would be apart this afternoon, he was going to work himself into the nervous wreck he was that morning. Knowing there was really nothing I could do about it, I stayed with him while he packed up his stuff and walked him to the door that led to the waiting area..

Where a police car was already waiting, a familiar figure peering through the window.

The sight was so unexpected that i stopped dead and nearly dropped my bag. "Flipping hell!" Hoping that he hadn't noticed us yet (or at least recognised me), I slammed the door shut and took a moment to calm my heart. "What's he doing here so early?"

"I don't know." He was holding his bag strap so tightly that his knuckles were turning white, and I could almost feel the panic that tinged his voice. "I d-don't know, I don't know... I can't think of anything..."

"It'll be OK." I grabbed his hands and squeezed them, forcing him to look at me. "Hey, it'll be fine. It doesn't matter. Just go home and wait for me. I'll be there about 5 or 6. Be ready to leave before 5. And don't make him suspicious." He nodded, mouth set and brow furrowed, and I opened the door again, just enough for him to slip through. A horn sounded outside, and we both jumped, then I rubbed his shoulder and gave him a little push. "Now go. You'll be fine. See you in a few hours."

He was terrified- I could see it in his tense shoulders and clenched fists- but he walked out the door with all the grace he could muster and I watched him jump the fence and get in the car as naturally as he could under the circumstances.

I closed the door and let out a long breath. He would be fine. We would be fine. It would be OK.

I went home with Dez, sandwiched between my friend and her little sister. For once, I was glad to be subjected to the little girl's idle chatter, for in the primary school gossip I found solace from the panic attack I could feel creeping up on me. I needed to realise that telling myself it would be fine didn't make it true. When Karen ran out of school anecdotes to tell me, Dez kept me talking about holiday plans and room decorations and horses, and I let myself be distracted. I think she understood, to a point, that I was just as worried and nervous as Quasi about our musical part, though I don't think she could even begin to guess why. She knew our plan involved sneaking out, but the rest was a complete mystery. However much she knew, she also knew how to keep me calm, and for that I was grateful.

When we got home, Dez disappeared into her room to change and practice, and I fixed myself a snack and interrogated her brother Richie about work. We chatted for a while about my future job opportunities and my driving and Marvel movies. But no matter how much I kept myself busy, I still found myself glancing at the clock every 5 minutes. I even trailed off mid-conversation a few times, not distracted by anything in particular, but simply because I lost my train of thought in my underlying nervousness.

Dez came out some time later and asked if I had brought a change of clothes, to which the answer was a bewildered 'no'. To tell the truth I hadn't even thought about what I'd wear onstage. She offered to lend me an outfit and I let myself be dragged to her room, where we tried to find me something that would actually fit. I was horribly reminded of the fact that while we used to be able to share clothes, she had lost weight over the years and I hadn't, and she had replaced her wardrobe- probably the one thing I didn't want to think about more than that night's activities. Then I realised that it was probably the worst thing to have to think about, as my outfit kind of hinged on the whole sneaking out thing- what could I wear that was cute and stylish, actually fit me, and was practical for climbing through windows and running for my life?

And the awful coil in my chest was back. Yay.

By the time I settled on the green cargo pants and black T-shirt that was a little too tight for me, it was time to go. I sped into the bathroom, took a quick pee, ran a brush through my hair, and sighed at my reflection. This was as good as it was going to get. I didn't have time to refresh my makeup, and seeing as I was going to be on a stage, it didn't really matter anyway.

Dez came in, dressed head to toe in black as the band members were supposed to be, and held out a few items of jewelry. "Here. They don't suit me, and you need a little bling."

I took them- a chunky chain with a strangely shaped clasp, and a leather bracelet with dangly metal bits- and pocketed them to put on later. "Are you ready?"

She gave me a searching look. "Are you?"

No. "Yes."

"Let's go then."

It took a moment to get my bearings, but I was able to direct our driver to Notre-Dame Court, while using Dez's phone to text Johanna to ask where she was. Upon her answer that she was 5 minutes away, I got Dez's mum to park at the end of the street instead of in front of a house, and almost fell out of the car and sprinted to number 14.

I didn't want to go in without Johanna there to distract Frollo, but I also didn't want to loiter outside the house and attract attention, so I gulped and jumped the fence quickly, hurrying around the side to Quasi's window. Peeking in, I saw the room was empty, so I leaned against the house and waited, shivering a little in the soft breeze that was too cool for December.

Great, I'm not dressed for a cold night. Come on guys, where are you?

The sound of an engine crept through the air just as the phone vibrated in my hand. I'm here, read the text, and I tiptoed over to the front corner and waved at her as she got out of the car. 'Let's go,' she mouthed, and I nodded and went back to the window.

A knock at the door. Silence, then a creak and muffled voices, and suddenly there was movement on the other side of the glass. Quasi came in with a half-eaten sandwich and I tapped on the glass, and he opened the window excruciatingly slowly so as not to make a noise.

"Ready to go?" I whispered.

He nodded, his face pale and pinched, and pushed a backpack through the window. Then he paused and looked at me. "D-do you want a jumper? You look cold."

"Yeah, OK, thanks. If you're quick."

He ducked under the bed, out of sight, and I heard the rustle of paper and small objects, and then a thump and a small 'oof!'. He came back up and passed me a black jumper, along with the report that it sounded like Johanna and Frollo were in the dining room. I slipped the jumper over my head and held out a hand to help him out of the window, and he stuck his head outside, looking unsure.

"What's wrong? Forgotten how to do it?"

'I-Its been a while." He frowned and pushed the window up a little more, and we both froze as it produced a scraping sound that was much to loud for our tastes. When it didn't sound like anyone had heard, Quasi eased himself onto the windowsill and tried to swing his legs around... and simultaneously banged the sill with his head and kicked the wall with his feet.

There was absolute silence, then: "Don't you walk away from me, Claude!"

Our eyes met, terror mirrored in green and brown. Oh God...

Everything seemed to slow down after that.

The door opened behind Quasi and he was yanked out of the window. I heard the thump when he hit the floor and only just stifled a scream of fright.

"What do you think you're doing?" Frollo's voice was cold with rage. I peeked inside to find Quasi lying on the floor, eyes wide and white as a sheet, Frollo standing over him with clenched fists and Johanna in the doorway, her face every inch showing just how much she realised the plan had gone to pot.

"I said..." Frollo grabbed Quasi's collar and lifted him slightly, making them eye to eye. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I-I-I'm j-just... I-I'm not... I-I-I was only..." Quasi was a terrible liar at the best of times, so nothing said here was going to make the situation better. Someone had to intervene. Where was the cavalry that Johanna had promised?

Frollo glanced at Johanna and suddenly kicked the door shut, leaving Quasi for a moment to jam it with something. Johanna cried out in panic and started banging on the door. "Wait! Claude, open the door! Don't hurt him! Claude! Don't hurt the boy!"

Frollo sneered and picked up Quasi by his collar again, lifting him off the floor and leaning him over his desk. "You were going to leave, weren't you?"

"N-n-no, I-I-I..."

"Yes you were. You were about to climb out that window. What have I told you, Quasimodo? What have I told you about leaving this house?"

Quasi couldn't even speak at this point, completely taken over by fear as he was, hands shaking and flinching at every word Frollo spat at him. As for me, I was frozen to the spot, unable to believe that our carefully thought out plans were crumbling down around our heads.

Frollo gave Quasi a vicious shake, looking half-crazed. "You stupid, ugly, little imp, are you really that thick? What. Have. I. Told. You?"

"Th-th-that I c-cant go out b-because p-people will hate me and p-people like me d-don't d-deserve to b-be around normal p-people..." Quasi gasped out.

"And...?"

"A-and you're only t-t-trying to p-protect me b-because the world is cruel and wicked and you're the only one I-I-I c-can t-trust."

"Right." Frollo threw Quasi to the ground again, prompting Johanna to start banging on the door again.

"Claude! Stop it!" She sounded like she was crying. "God damn it, Claude, open this door!"

Frollo kicked at the door, halting Johanna's hysterics for the moment, and turned back to Quasi, raising a fist. "You obviously haven't learnt enough from your last little outing. I think you need a little reminder."

"P-please..." Quasi whimpered, covering his face in preparation for the first blow.

And Frollo hit him.

And hit him.

I don't know how I got into the room, but suddenly there I was, jumping off the bed and shoving Frollo away. He hit the chest of drawers with a grunt and nearly fell over, but righted himself and stared at me, a little smirk crawling over his evil face. "Well, if it isn't the little skank. You lied to me, I see. Look at her, pretending that she actually cares about you, how sweet. We're you planning on taking him out tonight? Corrupting his mind and playing with his feelings so you can laugh at his innocence?"

"Stop it." It wasn't until I spoke that I realised I had been screaming as I jumped through the window- my throat was hoarse and scratchy. "Just leave him alone."

Before I realised he was moving, he had grabbed my arms and pulled me close to him. His cold grey eyes pierced mine, and his breath washed over my face, sharp and sour. "You don't get to tell me what to do, child," he sneered, tightening his grip and making me cry out in fear and pain... and anger.

"Let me go, you fudging twit!" I shrieked, because that always works. I tried and failed to wrench myself of of his grip, and gave him my best death-stare. "You're a maniac, you know that? And a bad policeman. You've been abusing your son all his life, telling him lies about the world and making him believe he's practically a monster, when the real monster is you!"

"Shut up!" He growled, looking extremely dangerous, but I continued on undeterred.

"You love destroying people's lives, you love the power you hold over them, and you bully people into doing what you want. You're a sadistic ass who feeds off pain and misery. You've destroyed Quasi's self-esteem and belief in himself and you're quite happy to continue destroying his life but you won't. You won't." I started to squirm and kick. "I won't let you hurt him anymore!"

"You won't let me? You won't let me?" He started to shake me roughly, causing me to cry out again. "Who are you, girl? Who the hell do you think you are?" He freed one hand to grab my hair, forcing my head to be still. "You're nobody, that's who you are. A filthy little nobody who doesn't know how to keep out of things that don't concern her. You won't let me. Ha!"

Whatever I had wanted to accomplish by charging to the rescue had fled my brain. My mind had clouded over with strength of my emotions and now I could only think of three things: he was crazy, i had antagonised him, and now I was going to die.

Frollo laughed at my terror and pain, a truly insane cackle, and flung me away, where I hit the wall and collapsed to the floor. I think I hit my head, but I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure of anything. Not until I realised that I didn't want to die in a bedroom at the hands of a psychopathic madman did I open my eyes and see that the dynamics had changed. My vision was a bit wonky, but I managed to make out Frollo being held over the bed by Quasi.

Wait, that can't be right...

I frowned and forced my eyes open properly to find that yes, it was Quasi who was standing over Frollo who had turned into a flailing idiot within the last 10 seconds.

"Don't. You. Touch. Her." It was more of a growl than anything else, and it was one of the strangest things I had ever seen or heard- shy, gentle, scared Quasimodo, being even remotely threatening. It took a moment for it to click that he was defending me.

The mad glint in Frollo's eyes had faded, replaced with horror. "N-now, listen to me, Quasimodo..."

"No, YOU listen!" Quasi released his step-father roughly, causing the older man to slip off the bed and onto the floor. Standing over him, hands clenched into fists, even shaking and stammering still, Quasi looked like a force to be reckoned with. "All m-my life you've told me that the world is a d-dark and cruel place, but now I see that the only thing cruel and dark about it is p-people like YOU! N-not everyone is like you. N-not everyone is afraid of being different. That girl has t-tried to help me so many times, and whatever you try to say, she DOES care about me. You may have ruined my life, but I will n-not let you ruin hers."

You could've cut the silence with a knife. I did it with a cough. "Well said."

I winced as I started to ease myself up, and Quasi immediately rushed over to me. "A-are you OK?"

I let him help me up and smiled at his concern. "I'm fine. Really, I am." Movement over his shoulder caught my eye, and I pushed him to the side just in time to punch Frollo in the face. He staggered back with a groan and fell back into the floor, and I scowled and cradled my hand to my chest. "See? Perfectly fine."

Before anyone to do anything else, Johanna gave a muffled cry of triumph from behind the door as a number of car doors slammed in the driveway and someone hammered at the front door. I sighed with relief and grabbed Quasi's hand.

"The cavalry's here. That's our cue."

We pulled away the books that were jamming the door, and as Johanna went to answer the front door, we hurried to the window and climbed out as fast as we could. Making sure there were no policemen in the yard, we jumped the fence and raced down the street to where Dez's mum was patiently waiting for us.

After apologizing profusely for taking so long and making up a lame excuse, the ride to school was silent. Both Quasi and I were a bit shocked by what had just happened, and as I ran over the events in my head, I felt like something huge had just been accomplished. Our worst fears had come true, but here we were. We had survived. We were free.

Ok so I had this whole scene planned out in my head, right? Only I didn't actually write it down. Up until last night, when I was writing the confrontation, I had the whole speech and everything, word for word... and then the time comes to write, and its gone. Zip. Zero. I had to start from scratch and wrack my brain trying to figure out what I wanted to convey in this scene. Basically, the confrontation is very different from what I wanted it to be. Thanks, brain. Love you too.

So anyway, there you go! Review, and tell me what you thought! I'm eager to hear what you have to say :)