The next morning, Joey woke up to find that it had been decided he would take a few days off from school to let the chaos surrounding his fight settle. He wasn't sure whose decision it was—Ms. Kwan, Officer Kealoha, maybe even the school—but he didn't argue. A break from the usual routine didn't sound so bad.

Andrew had made the trip to Adam's house to retrieve the Switch, which was then handed over to Officer Kealoha. Joey didn't know what Kealoha planned to do with it, but he didn't ask. His conversation with the officer had stuck with him more than he expected. Something about it had rattled him—not fear, exactly, but an uneasy feeling he couldn't quite shake.

Ms. Kwan had been extra soft with him ever since. Quick hugs whenever their paths crossed, gentle pats on his shoulder. It was a rare thing for her to show so much concern outright, and it only made him more restless. Mr. Marks, on the other hand, was practically swelling with smugness, his expression every time he saw Joey screaming I told you so.

The one upside? His ankle had almost completely healed. The swelling was finally going down, and it didn't scream at him when he walked anymore. In fact, Joey had tested it by jumping from the middle of the staircase to the bottom, landing solidly on his feet. Good as new.

For the first two days of his forced break, Andrew still went to school as usual but came straight to Joey's side afterward. Once Joey finished his chores, they would hang out in the rec room, talking about anything and everything.

One afternoon, the conversation drifted to Andrew's past. Joey had been curious but never pried. This time, Andrew spoke willingly, leaning back against the couch with a distant look in his eyes.

"Me and my dad used to go dune-bugging in the desert," he said. "Every weekend, almost. He always let me drive, even though I was way too young. My mom used to freak out about it, but I think she liked watching us have fun." He chuckled, his fingers tapping idly on the armrest. "Every summer, we went to Disneyland in California. One year, we planned to go to Disney World instead. Never made it, though."

Joey didn't have to ask why. The answer was already there, in the way Andrew's voice dipped slightly.

"Car crash," Andrew murmured. "Happened before we could go."

For the first time since he met Andrew, Joey saw a flicker of sadness in his usually steady demeanor. Andrew took a deep breath, exhaled it slowly, and forced a small grin.

"What about you?" he asked. "Got any stories?"

Joey shrugged, shifting uncomfortably. "Not really. I don't remember my parents. I was told my dad was Samoan and my mom was some white girl from Kansas."

Andrew frowned. "You don't even have pictures?"

"Nope." Joey gave a small huff. "I was told they loved me, though. Died in some freak accident at sea. I don't know the details."

For a moment, Andrew said nothing. Then, slowly, he nodded, staring at the ceiling like he was deep in thought. "You're lucky," he said finally.

Joey raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"

"You don't remember what it was like to lose them."

"No, you're lucky," Joey looked over, meeting Joey's gaze. "You have happy things to look back on."

Andrew stared for a moment, his stoic features slowly relaxing into a handsome grin. He patted Joey on the shoulder. "You're a cool kid, man."

Joey grinned for the first time in three days.

The rest of the week settled into a monotonous rhythm: wake up, school, chores, hang with Andrew, sleep, repeat. With both him and Adam stuck on punishment, there wasn't much motivation to do anything else. Even Andrew, who seemed to have a knack for stirring things up, wasn't in a hurry to push boundaries.

By midweek, Officer Kealoha stopped by Mauna Vista with an update—Cole's parents had decided not to press charges.

Joey barely remembered most of the conversation, except for the loud snort Mr. Marks let out when the news was delivered. Joey didn't react, but inside, a familiar question gnawed at him.

Why does this guy root so hard against me?

Ms. Kwan, on the other hand, had let out a relieved sigh before squeezing Joey's shoulder. "See? Not everything is a disaster," she had murmured, offering him another quick hug before she disappeared down the hall.

Joey didn't say anything, just nodded. He wasn't sure what to feel—relieved? Annoyed? He hadn't even been worried about charges, but now that Kealoha had said it out loud, it made everything feel a little more real.

His jaw still ached when he chewed and his ribs were sore anytime he moved too fast or twisted wrong, but at least his ankle was feeling completely normal again. He considered testing it out with another jump off the stairs, but even he had some sense left. Maybe tomorrow.

Days continued to pass, and Joey went through the motions. School, chores, sleep. It wasn't fun, but it wasn't terrible either. It just… was.

When he finally returned to school, it was without much fanfare. Conveniently, he didn't run into Cole or Danny. Even Julie wasn't in class. Joey figured more had gone on behind the scenes than he realized. Not that he was complaining, but something about it felt too easy.

At recess, Joey met up with Adam, who wasted no time grinning at him. "My sister keeps asking about Andrew. It's annoying."

Joey laughed, nudging Adam's shoulder. "You sound jealous."

Adam made a disgusted face. "Of her? No way. But it's like, he's got her acting all weird and giggly, and it's freakin' me out."

"I mean, Andrew is cool."

Adam groaned. "Not you too."

Joey smirked but soon turned serious, telling Adam about his talk with Kealoha—how Cole's parents had considered pressing charges. Adam's face went pale for a second before he shook his head. "Man, that's messed up. But hey, no charges. That's a win."

Joey shrugged. "Guess so."

When he returned to Mauna Vista later that day, he walked into chaos.

Apparently, one of the younger kids had secretly been keeping a rat in his room, and it had escaped. Staff scrambled to locate the animal, while older male teens helped in the search. Meanwhile, girls screamed, some even crying—though Joey was pretty sure half of them hadn't even seen the rodent.

The female teens were left to console the younger girls, while the younger boys made things worse by teasing them. It was utter mayhem.

Joey, for once, just stood off to the side, arms crossed, watching the scene unfold like a spectator at a bizarre play. What made it even better was the look on Mr. Marks' face—pure, unfiltered exasperation as he barked orders in frustration. It was probably the most alive Joey had ever seen the man.

Ms. Kwan, ever the problem-solver, was busy herding kids outside to de-escalate the situation, while Andrew joined the search party, weaving through the hallways like a man on a mission.

For a brief moment, Joey and Andrew locked eyes across the room.

Andrew smirked and threw him a wink before disappearing into the chaos.

Joey grinned to himself, shaking his head.

A chorus of shrieks erupted from the other side of the room as a group of younger boys gleefully chased the girls around, making exaggerated squeaking noises. One of them, breathless and laughing, called out to Joey. "C'mon, Joey! You're missing out!"

"I'm enjoying the show!"

"Stop being lame, dude," another boy said. "Rats have invaded the house and we're revolting!"

The boy let out an almighty war cry that sent a few more girls into absolute hysterics. An older girl slapped the boy upside the head as she cradled multiple girls close to her. Undeterred, the boy ran off, releasing another war cry as he went.

Joey was in tears laughing. This was probably the craziest thing to happen at Mauna Vista in a long time.

Suddenly, Joey was aware of two other boys, about five or six, standing before him. Their doe-eyed expressions bore into his soul.

"You've gotta join us," one of them said. "You make it more fun."

The second boy nodded eagerly. "It's not the same without you!"

Joey hesitated, feeling the weight of their expectations. Then, with an exaggerated sigh, he stretched his arms over his head, pretending to debate it.

"...Alright, alright, I'm coming."

The younger boys cheered.

And just like that, Joey was right in the mix, dodging flailing arms and laughing as he joined the chaos, never one to pass up a good time.