The clock on the wall said there were eight minutes left before school was out for the week. Jo let her eyes wander to the window, looked at the empty schoolyard, except for one person pacing around, pondered about her weekend plans . . . wait. Her gaze went back to the person on the yard. It wasn't unusual to see people standing around outside. Mostly teenagers who went to other schools and came to pick up their friends, partners or siblings. But because the teachers at Jo's school didn't like it when strangers roamed the schoolyard, these people were asked to wait in the adjacent school parking lot. Maybe that was the reason why Jo took a closer look at the person outside. She felt like she knew this person. But she couldn't connect the person outside with anyone close to her who would pick her up from school. She was about to turn back to the class when the realization hit her like a lightning strike. Her eyes widened in disbelief. 'Oh no . . .' She turned to Camille, who was staring at her textbook, lost in thought. Jo quickly glanced over at the teacher, but he was just sitting at his desk, reading a book, waiting like everyone else for the weekend to start. Jo took her pen and hastily wrote something on one page of her pad. Then she touched Camille's arm and pushed the pad over to her. Camille looked at her in surprise, then tilted her head to read Jo's note:

Did Logan tell you that he's planning to pick you up from school today?

Camille gave Jo an odd look, then wrote something on the pad herself.

Great joke, Jo. You know he can't do that.

Jo quickly scribbled an answer.

But he is here.

Camille rolled her eyes.

It's not funny anymore, Jo. What's wrong with you?

Jo shook her head, writing quickly.

No joke! HE IS HERE! ON THE SCHOOLYARD! Look out the window!

Camille looked at Jo doubtfully as if she were concerned about her sanity, but then glanced over at the teacher and got up, went to the window, looked out.

"Do you see him?" Jo whispered next to her. Camille frowned. "How do you know that's actually Log-?" She broke off as she watched the person outside remove the hood of the dark blue hoodie and run his right hand restlessly down the back of his neck and then through his hair. Camille knew that gesture. "What is he doing here?"

"So you didn't know about it?"

"No, of course not."

Fortunately, the bell rang at this very moment, and everyone jumped up, rushing out of the classroom. Jo pulled Camille's arm. "Come on."

They packed up their things and stormed out, meeting James in the hallway, who gave them a puzzled look. "Hey, what's up?"

"An emergency," Jo explained tersely, hurrying on with Camille, followed by James.


Camille grabbed his arm. "Logan . . ."

He grinned at her. "Surprise."

Camille shook her head. "What are you doing here?"

Logan started to answer but was distracted by Jo tugging on Camille's arm. "Cami," she murmured softly. "People are staring at us."

Camille looked around, rolled her eyes, grabbed Logan and pulled him with her until they found a quiet corner, Jo and James followed them.

"So, what are you doing here?" Camille repeated her question. Logan shrugged. "Picking you up from school. That's what boyfriends do, right?"

"Do your parents know you're here?"

"Well, they . . ."

Camille's cell phone started ringing and when she stared at the display and recognized the number, she already suspected the worst. She took a few steps away before accepting the call. "Hello, Dr. Mitchell, how can I help you?"

"Hello, Camille, I'm sorry to bother you, but . . . do you happen to know where Logan is? Did he say something to you? Because he's not home, he hasn't left a note, and Jen and Kendall don't know anything about it. Do you have any idea where he-?"

"Don't worry, Dr. Mitchell. He's here, at my school."

"He's . . . what?"

"I'm as surprised as you are. Suddenly he was standing in the schoolyard, I had no idea he was going to do this."

"Is he alright?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Okay, where - where is your school? I'll come over and-"

"Don't bother, I'll take him home, right now."

"Okay, yeah, yeah, that's probably the better idea. Okay, thanks Camille, see you later."


Logan watched Camille for a while, then turned to Jo and James. "How are you, Jo?"

"Um, I'm fine, thanks."

James cleared his throat. "So . . . you're Logan, right?"

Logan nodded.

"Well, I'm James. Nice to meet you." He held out a hand, but Logan didn't take it.

"It's a germ thing," Jo murmured to James. "Don't take it personally."

"Anyway," James began again, "you're one lucky guy, man. I mean because of Camille, not because of that . . . other thing, um, you know, your illness. By the way, I'm sorry about that."

"Thanks," Logan replied with a downright coolness in his voice.

Before any of the three could say something more to ease the tense mood, Camille rejoined them. "Why don't your parents know where you are?"

"Well, I figured they wouldn't agree with my decision, so-"

"Unbelievable," Camille murmured, taking Logan's hand. "Come on, I promised your dad to take you home. Let's go." And she pulled him with her while Jo and James watched them go.

"So this is her boyfriend?"

"Yep."

"Well, to be honest . . . they don't exactly seem like a happy couple."

"I think that's because you had to see them on a bad day."

"Hmmm . . . if you say so . . ."


Shortly before she reached Logan's house, Camille parked the car on a side street and looked over at Logan, who looked out of the passenger window.

"Again, why did you show up?"

"I told you. I wanted to surprise you. And honestly, I don't know what the problem is. I thought you would be happy."

"I would have been happier if you had told me about your plans."

"Other people do it all the time. It's totally normal."

"Yeah, but you're not normal, Logan!" Camille exclaimed desperately. Logan turned to her and gave her a look that was difficult to interpret. "Yes," he said slowly, "and that's exactly the problem, isn't it?"

"I didn't mean it like that," Camille whispered. Logan said nothing.

"I just had to think about what might have happened to you and-"

"You do realize that I'm allowed to go to other places, right? That's why I take my medication."

"Yes . . . yes, I know."

Now they both were silent. Logan watched Camille thoughtfully. He knew she was worried about him. But that was the problem. Everyone was always worried about him, not allowing him to lead his own life. He wasn't helpless, but nobody gave him a chance, nobody trusted him. They all just treated him like a child, and he was tired of it. He understood his parents' behavior. Yes, he understood, but that didn't mean he accepted it. It had something to do with the past. But Camille had no idea about that time, she didn't know the story. She kept saying he was a good person, but he wasn't, not at all. But he couldn't tell her the truth either, he was too afraid of losing her.

"I'm sorry, I acted stupid. I didn't want to cause you any trouble," he said quietly. She gave him a searching look, then she smiled slightly, and Logan knew that everything was fine now.

"It's okay," she replied, putting a hand on his.

"So you're not angry?"

She laughed softly, which caused in Logan a feeling of warmth and comfort.

"Come here," she said, pulling him into her arms. Logan carefully put a hand on her back. "Let's say I would like to kiss you now . . ." he began slowly and hesitantly. She laughed - and there was that feeling again - and said, "Then do it."

"Really?"

"Logan, we're dating, remember? If you want to kiss me, you can do it. You don't even have to ask."

He looked at her in disbelief, shook his head. "No, that doesn't sound right."

She smiled, put a hand on his cheek and kissed him gently. It was still unfamiliar, still new, and still incredible.

After a while, which still felt too short, she pulled away from him and caressed his cheek. "I promised your father I'd take you home right away."

Logan sighed and nodded. "All right then, let's do this."

As she parked in front of the house, he asked, "Will you stay? When I explain it to my parents?"

"Yes."


They had barely reached the front door when it was thrown open and Logan's mother stormed out, closely followed by his father.

"Logan!"

Logan raised his hands soothingly. "Mom, I'm fine. I was just-"

But his mother wouldn't let him speak. "We'll talk about this later, Logan." Then she turned to Camille. "Thanks for bringing him, Camille. We'll work this out between ourselves, you can go now."

"But-" Logan began, but his mother silenced him with a quick wave of her hand. "You go to your room and wait for us," she said to her son in such a decisive tone that he didn't dare to answer back. He gave Camille an apologetic look, slipped past his parents into the house and disappeared. Joanna eyed Camille oddly, then she followed her son back into the house. Now Jeffrey turned to Camille. "Thanks for bringing him home, Camille." These words sounded much friendlier.

"Please believe me, Dr. Mitchell, I had no idea. He didn't tell me he was coming."

"I understand."

"I'm sure he didn't want to cause you any distress on purpose."

"Yes, of course."

"Will he get in trouble?"

"I . . . I don't know yet. Um, but you really should go home now, Camille."

"Yes, of course," she said, and turned away, hoping the feeling inside her didn't mean anything and that she was worrying for nothing.


"That was the last time he saw that girl!"

Jeffrey looked at his wife in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"I mean it! Our boy has completely changed since she's been around. He was always kind and sweet and well-behaved, always followed the rules. And now look what happened! It was only a matter of time before she would tempt him into some nonsense."

"But she said she had no idea what his plans were. And I believe her."

"I don't care what she said. He won't see her anymore."

"You say that our son has changed. And that is true. After all, he's no longer six years old, he's seventeen, he is a teenager, Anna. And teenagers are testing their limits, it's perfectly normal. And besides, didn't you notice how happy he's been lately? When was the last time you saw him so carefree? He's been in agony for eleven years, actually since he was born, and now he's got a chance to be happy, and you want to spoil that for him?"

"I know what my son needs and it's definitely not that girl."

Jeffrey was breathing heavily. He was about to lose his temper. And that was something that usually never happened to him. "I can't let that happen."

She raised her eyebrows. "What?"

"I've always been on your side; I've always agreed with you. But I can't do that anymore. Not when you're about to jeopardize our son's happiness."

"You won't help me?"

"I can't."

She crossed her arms. "Then why are you still here?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you don't agree with my educational methods, then there is no reason for you to stay. Go, I won't stop you."

"You know very well that I can't and won't go."

"It's your decision."

Jeffrey stared at his wife and knew he had lost. He would have liked to say something back to make her realize how wrong she was. But his family needed him, now more than ever. "All right."

She didn't say anything, just smiled contentedly, and that's when Jeffrey realized that he was about to lose his son's trust for good.


For a long time nothing happened, then he suddenly heard his parents talking, they were discussing something, maybe they were fighting too. Then it was quiet again for several minutes, then he heard footsteps on the stairs. Logan sat on his bed, chin in his hands, staring at the floor, waiting for the confrontation with his parents. They didn't knock, just walked in. His mother stood in front of him while his father sat down on the desk chair, looking down. That seemed odd to Logan and a bad feeling spread inside him. His mother gave him a sharp look. "I'm really disappointed, Logan."

"I'm sorry, Mom. I made a mistake, I'm really sorry."

"I appreciate your apology, Logan, but I'm afraid it won't help you much in this case. Especially when you consider who is actually to blame for everything. I think you should stop seeing Camille."

Logan's head snapped up. "What? No, Mom. It's not like that. It's not Camille's fault, I swear. Honestly, if she'd known what I was up to, she never would have let this happen."

"Ever since she's been around, ever since you've become friends-"

"We're not just friends, Mom," Logan said quietly. His mother paused for a moment, then she said, "It doesn't matter. She gives you bad ideas, she is a bad influence on you, she's not the right person for you. You won't see her again, Logan."

Logan jumped up. "No, Mom, please! You can't-" He turned to his father for help, but he was still sitting on the desk chair, silent and motionless, staring at the floor like none of this was any of his business. "Do something! Why are you letting this happen?! Dad!"

"Your father fully agrees with my decision."

"Oh yeah? He can tell me that himself, can't he?" Logan snapped and looked at his father, but nothing came from this side.

"We will not discuss this any longer, Logan. Our decision stands."

"But-"

"Call her."

"What? I should . . .? What?"

"Now."


Camille smiled when she saw Logan's name on her phone. She accepted the call. "Hey, you. How did it go? Were your parents angry?"

"No, they were . . . um, listen . . . do you remember what we talked about? I don't mean today, but . . . but before that."

"Yeah . . . yeah, I think so."

His voice sounded strange, like something was wrong.

"I know I said I'm okay with it, but . . . well, I've thought about it again and . . . and I was wrong. I need some time to deal with it. So I guess we shouldn't be seeing each other for a while . . ."

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Camille . . ."

"No, Logan. You can't do that. I begged you to think things through, to take your time with everything. But you said it was okay. You can't give me hope that everything will be fine and then take it away from me!"

"Camille, please-"

"Forget it, Logan." Camille just couldn't help but close her eyes and feel the tears. "I thought you were different, Logan. But at the end of the day, you're just a jerk like everyone else."

"You're right."

She couldn't hold back a sob anymore. Everything was falling apart. "Don't call me again, Logan."


With a straight face, Logan stared at the phone in his hand. Then he slowly raised his head and looked at his mother. "Are you happy now? She cried."

She put a hand on his shoulder. "Believe me, honey, it doesn't feel like it right now, but soon you'll realize that it was the right decision."

Logan shook off her hand and turned away. "Leave me alone."


Jeffrey waited until Joanna had retreated to the living room with a mug of hot chocolate, then he went back up the stairs and knocked on Logan's door. He didn't get an answer, which didn't surprise him at all. So he gently opened the door and stepped inside, closing it quietly behind him. Logan lay sideways on his bed and stared at the wall. Jeffrey sat down next to him. "Logan . . ."

"Go away."

"Let me explain, please."

Logan sat up and gave his father a reproachful look. "You could have stop it!"

"I tried, please believe me. But your mother made it very clear that if I didn't agree with her, I should leave."

"Maybe that's not such a bad idea. We're just a burden to you. You are a brilliant doctor and a great professor. You could have anything you want. But instead you're stuck with us."

"You know I don't see it that way. You are not a burden to me; you are my family. And together we will find a way. We did it then and we will do it now."

"And how are you planning to do that? Camille hates me now."

Jeffrey was silent.

"Why does she always do that? Why won't she let me live my own life?"

"Logan, your mother . . ."

"She's still blaming me, right? That's why she's doing all this. She just can't forgive me."

"Logan-"

"And I understand it. Because she's right. It was my fault. Without me, it never would have happened. Camille always told me I was too good for this world, but she's wrong. She wouldn't say that if she knew the truth. I'm not a good person, I'm a-"

"Logan! Stop that!"

His father had never yelled at him before. This surprised Logan so much that he actually fell silent and looked at him. Jeffrey put a hand on his shoulder. "Logan, we've talked about this, many, many times. It wasn't your fault. And your mother knows that too."

Logan let out a dry sob and ran his hands over his face, then he put his head on his knees. It was all too much for him.

"Hey," his father said softly, stroking his back soothingly. "We'll get through this. We'll stick together. We must give your mother time until the situation calms down and then we'll think of a plan to make things right. All you have to do is promise me that you'll pull yourself together until then, can you do that for me?"

Logan lifted his head and gave his father a searching look. Finally, he nodded. "Yes, I promise."

But neither of them knew at this point that Logan would already break his promise the very next morning.