The tires came to a stop and he unbuckled his seatbelt. Without any hesitation, he climbed out of the car and walked across the parking lot. A bus stood right in his way and forced him to walk around it. When he stood in front of the school, he stopped and took a deep breath.

'Nothing like going from one hell to another.'

He fixed the strap on his shoulder and walked up the steps. As he entered the main hall, he watched everyone move around with pure happiness. It was the end of the semester finally and the school year. He could see the jocks causing trouble already and rolled his eyes.

"Ter! Wait up!"

When he heard that voice, he started walking to his locker. He inserted the combination and started packing his bag for the summer break. When he zipped his bag closed, he closed his locker. Then he turned to his left and found Mags watching him.

She shrugged and asked, "Do you even care?"

He looked down the hall and said, "No."

His eyes picked out Jack with his gang and he spotted their center of attention. He shook his head and walked to his first class. He could hear Mags running behind him.

She tugged on his shoulder and asked, "Aren't you going to help Amy?"

He rolled her hand away and said, "Not my problem."

Then he reached his class and slipped into the room before the girl could complain. He found the room empty and enjoyed the silence.

___________________________________________________________

A paper fell onto her desk and she picked it up. She read the words and looked back at Telk. He smirked and she turned back to the front. Her hands rolled up the paper and she walked to the front of the room. She nodded to Mags and watched Telk's face as she tore the paper into shreds.

When the last scrap fell into the trashcan, she wiped her hands on her shorts and returned to her seat. As she brushed her hair back off her shoulder she spotted Terry gazing at her. She sent him a smile and he looked back down at his work. With a sigh, she looked down at her work and finished the last sentence. Then the bell rang and the class went nuts.

Everyone took their papers up to the front and left their last period of the school year. The halls were packed with several celebrations and she weaved through the crowd to get to her locker. As she put her combination in a hand slammed onto her locker and made her jerk. She looked to her left and found Jack watching her with a smirk.

He leaned in and asked, "Gonna refuse me again, Amy?"

She opened her locker and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

His hand gripped her shoulder and he growled, "The summer fair! Are you coming with me or not?"

She jerked free and said, "Not."

Her feet moved her away from him enough to where she could breath and she headed for the door. When she stepped into the sun, she let out a sigh and spotted Mags waiting for her. She took a deep breath and walked in the opposite direction. It took her two minutes to reach the parking lot and then she walked to her brother's jeep. The instant she was standing next to it, she threw her bag into the backseat and leaned against her door.

Her shoulder started to hurt again and she slowly began to massage it, hoping to kill the pain. When she shoved it too far back she winced.

"Telk?"

She looked up at the voice. Terry stood in front of her and held a stern look. It was always the same look, but she still felt something besides his carelessness. She nodded and looked to the school. There was still no sign of her brother.

"Maybe you shouldn't let him hurt you next time."

Her eyes drifted back to him and she said, "It's not like I have much of a choice. I don't ask him to hurt me."

Something from her words hit him hard and he looked away. She studied his face for a minute and tried to think what it was.

Then he looked back at her and asked, "Need a lift?"

She smirked and said, "I'd appreciate it."

She turned around and grabbed her bag from the back seat. Then she closed the jeep and followed Terry through the parking lot. The walk gave her a chance to check his outfit out for the day. He wore the same jacket as always, but underneath his shirt was navy blue and his jeans were black. His hair was still wild and she wondered if he had ever thought about a comb.

They stopped at the black mustang she had come accustomed to see him at. He put their bags in the trunk and walked to his side of the car. She opened the door and heard someone yelling.

"Yo Amy! Where do you think you're going? Get back here!"

She looked at her brother and heard, "You want to get out of here?"

With a smirk she said, "Very much."

They slid into the mustang and he started the engine. As they pulled out of the parking place, her brother ran after them. When they left the lot, she let out a deep breath and relaxed.

PGS