Jenna McDougall has to be my best friend. I don't know what it is but she has to be the sweetest girl on this Earth. When I first met her, I felt she was just being polite but she genuinely cares about me as her friend and it's the first time someone actually thought I mattered to them. It wasn't long before she brought me to her lunch table. I sat a small table with Jenna, Amelia, Cody, and Gerard and the five of us would laugh and have a good time together. Part of me was uneasy being their friend but these guys, I love them all. They're so fun and full of life, they actually give a shit about each other and are aware of their friends' feelings. They're just a good group of people and I'm glad they were so forthcoming in accepting me into their group.

The closer I got to them, the better I felt overall. It didn't matter what kind of shit show I walked in on at home because I knew that the next morning, no matter how ungodly the hour was, I'd go to school and hang out with a lot of good people who I knew cared about me. Though I didn't know them for more than a month, I never felt more relieved to be someone's friend. With my "friends" back home, I couldn't stand spending two consecutive weekends with them, it would wear me down so quickly. Now, I just feel so much better about them. I can laugh for no reason for hours at a time and talk about the same bands with each other. They were nice to me, something I wasn't used to people doing so much.

Today, however, I noticed it. I truly realized the underlying secret to the surface of their friendship. While they are amazing people, there is something off about them. I was sensing it when I first met them, something small. The reason I didn't think too much about it was that I didn't know them too well so I assumed my confusion was just due to being new. However, it doesn't seem like the case anymore. Today proved there was way more than meets the eye.

Maybe it was a chain reaction, which is why today was a particularly bad day. One thing led to another type of deal. I was aware of Brendon's situation with his girlfriend but the other problems became a lot more noticeable. Jenna wasn't at school. Hayley was distant. And something changed in Gerard. When Jenna didn't meet up with me before first hour like we usually do, I didn't think too much about it, I mean, people get sick and they have to take a day off. But in guitar class, going through roll call, the instructor marked her absent but Lynn seemed distraught.

"Jenna sick again?" Brendon asks her.

Lynn nods her head. "First hour, Cody told me she was back in the hospital," she whispers softly. I look at Lynn hearing this and my mouth drops open. Lynn looks at me and gives a small shake of her head. She doesn't want to talk about it so I better not ask.

"How's Cody taking it?" Patrick asks.

"Eh, you know how hospitals make him. He's been in them enough already," Lynn says. "But he's also with Gee now and...things are blowing up around us and Cody's taking it hard."

I tried not worrying about it but hospitals aren't exactly the place without fear or worries. People don't just go to the hospital for no reason. If someone is sick, they see a doctor. I never realized something was wrong with Jenna and now I'm wondering about Cody too. Guitar class isn't the same today. Hayley sits further away from us, barely strumming her guitar. It's as if she's trying to hide, wearing a baggy hoodie and keeping her head down. I tried talking to her but she dismissed the conversation quickly by giving one worded answers.

My morning really bummed me out but I was looking forward to the rest of the day. I have history with Gerard and he happens to be the guy who sits in next to me. We were working on our papers now and with the partner project coming up, I was hoping he would want to work with me. Usually, when I walk in the room, he's already there, drawing and when I sit down, we start talking but today was different. His desk was cleared off, no drawing. His head was on his desk and his arms folded over. "Hey, you," I say, playfully nudging his desk with my foot. He doesn't say anything. "You good?" I ask.

"Yeah," he grumbles.

"What's wrong?" I ask. I put a hand on his shoulder but he shifts away. "Gerard?"

"It's nothing," he says. "Sorry, Frank. I just...I'm tired." He puts his head back down and that's the end of our conversation. Usually, we walk together after class but as soon as the bell rings, he's gone. I felt sick to my stomach. I know Gerard probably didn't mean to upset me but that hurt. I always look forward to talking to him and that killed me inside.

At lunch, it was just Amelia and I. "Where's Cody and Gerard?" I ask her, sitting down across from her.

"Cody's with Gee right now," she says. "He's keeping him company."

"Well, where's Gerard?" I ask again.

She thinks about it for a moment. "I don't know," she says. "Either in one of the art rooms or the guitar room. Those are the places he feels safe in." I look at her worried and she tries to put on a smile for me. "He's going to be okay, don't worry too much." I nod but that doesn't mean I stop worrying. I was hoping things would be better at lunch but it wasn't.

At the end of the day, I rush out and met up with the others. Patrick already left to go to work. Cody, Gee, and Amelia are still here. "Hey, guys," I say. Gerard keeps his head down scrolling on his phone.

"You want a ride home, Frank?" Cody offers.

I look at him and then glance back at the others. I had a really bad day and just want to be alone. "Thanks but I think I'll walk home today. It's rather nice out for being October," I say.

"Okay," he says. Gerard looks up at me and we lock eyes for a second. He looks worried but he then glances back down at his phone.

"Mind if I join you?" Amelia asks.

"Not at all," I reply. Amelia's natural cheeriness might do me some good.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow," Cody says. He puts a hand on Gerard's shoulder and the two of them head to the car while Amelia and I walk home.

"I know you're upset, Frank," Amelia says as we leave the school parking lot.

"Are you guys okay?" I ask, looking at her. "What's going on? What's wrong with Jenna? What happened to Gerard? What's going on?"

Amelia glances down. "I wanted to walk with you because I wanted to talk. I know you're closest with Jenna. I'm heading over to her house later tonight. I think she'll appreciate you coming too."

"I thought she was in the hospital," I say.

"She was last night but she's home now. Got back this afternoon. She has eczema so when she breaks out in rashes, she needs to take bleach baths."

I stumble over the curb. "Oh my god. Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's okay. It's just, emotionally hard for her and Cody."

"Cody's worried about her."

"Yeah, he hates knowing his sister is in the hospital. He's been in those enough."

"Lynn said something like that earlier. What does that mean?" I ask. We cross the street and walk on the sidewalk in the suburbs of my neighborhood.

"Well, his best friend is Gerard and he's always supportive of him so..."

"What?" I ask. "Is Gerard okay?" How could I not have realized all this among my friends?

Amelia ponders for a moment. "Well, he's okay it's just...Frank, I really can't tell you."

"Why not?" I ask, even though it's rude to demand to know. I'm not entitled to know anything that isn't my own business but that doesn't mean I don't want to know.

"Well, to be honest, I myself don't know," she says. "I just-there's something going on and I really don't know. Gerard clearly hates talking about it but he said that he himself is fine, whatever that means. The only people he's told apparently is Cody and I think Jenna recently found out but neither of them will break Gerard's trust. The only way you can find out is if he tells you."

"The rest of you really don't know? He wouldn't tell you guys, but you're like best friends."

"Yeah, I know. But whatever it is, it's really hard for him to talk about. I just know he himself is okay, I think a problem at home though. I don't know anything else." A problem at home? Maybe Gerard and I have a lot more in common than I thought. "Anyways, Cody is going to be okay and so is Jenna and hopefully Gerard too."

I wait for my parents to come home but it's hours later. Part of me wonders if I should just go over to Jenna's house without telling them but I know it will only cause them to get into another fight. It's 8 o'clock when my mother finally gets home. "Where were you?" I asked rather annoyed she didn't call me to say she was running late. "I made dinner nearly two hours ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I stopped to eat on the way home from work," she says. "Your father here yet?"

"No, I haven't heard from him either." She nods and walks past me. "I wanted to go visit my friend today, you didn't answer when I called you."

"Well, I was a little busy, sweetie and it's too late now. You'll see them tomorrow," she says.

"She's not going to school. She was in the hospital, that's why I wanted to visit her."

My mom stops and brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. "Oh, sweetie. Is she okay?"

"I hope so," I reply. "Is it still too late?" My mother thinks for a moment. "Please, she doesn't live far away,"

"I don't think so, Frank. You can visit her tomorrow."

"Okay," I mutter disappointed and head up to my room. As soon as the door shuts, I let the tears fall down my face. I'm not even upset about Jenna. Well, I am but I'm angry about a lot of things. I really wanted to visit her and I also wanted to see Cody. I'm still upset about how terrible today was and how lonely I felt. Only to come home and my parents leave me worried for hours not responding to my texts. I just feel so alone sometimes and I hate it.

I pack my bag for the next school day and then shower, brush my teeth and change into the clothes I'm wearing tomorrow. I'm too tired in the morning to worry about dressing when I wake up so I just do it the night before and save myself some time. It's 9:30 when I hear my dad step into the house. Not even a minute later, the yelling starts.

"Where the hell were you?" my mother hollers from downstairs, loud enough for me to hear even with my door shut.

"I just got home, how about a proper greeting?" my father snaps back at her.

I frantically grab my phone and earbuds, turning my music on to block out the fighting. I shut off the lights and dive into my bed, burrowing under the covers. I want it to stop. Why can't they be happy like they were when I was a little kid? Like how they were when we still lived in New Jersey? They fell in love and they married each other. They used to love each other. How could they forget that? How could they always fight like this and still be married?

I shut out the world and listen to my music. Halfway through Green Day's new album, my door gives a little shudder. I learned shortly after we moved here if one of the outside doors downstairs is slammed shut, my door, if closed, with a shudder. I slowly take out my earbuds and hear a car driving away. One of them left again. My door shudders a second time. What the?

I hop out of my bed and open the door. It's quiet downstairs. Tiptoeing in the hallway, I sneak into the kitchen. The lights are still on but they aren't home anymore. After opening the garage door, I see both of their cars are gone. "Fuck you guys!" I scream into the empty garage and slam the door shut. I take out my phone and turn it on but I don't know what to do or who to talk to so I turn it back off. I run up to my room and I throw myself on the bed. What do I even do? I take my phone out and start calling Jenna. I hope she's still awake but if she's not, I hope I don't wake her up.

"Frank?" she says when she answers. "Hey, Amelia said you were going to come over but you didn't."

"S-sorry, Jen-na," I tremble.

"Oh, gosh. What's wrong?" she asks. "Frank?"

They wouldn't notice if I was missing. Hell, they wouldn't even care if I was gone. "C-can I come over? I know it's really late but I just...please?"

"Yeah, of course. Are you in danger?"

"N-no, not like that. I'm just alone and I'm..."

"It's okay. Come over. Go into my backyard, I'll meet you there, okay? Cody and I will sneak you in but even if my dad does see you, he won't be mad. He's very understanding. Are you going to go back home tonight?"

I bite my lip, thinking. "I don't want to," I reply.

"Bring your backpack then. Cody will take you to school tomorrow."

"Th-thank you," I whisper, wiping my eyes again.

"Don't mention it, see you soon."

I hang up and grab my phone charger, disconnecting it from my wall and shoving it in my backpack. I look around and don't think I need anything else so I grab my bag and I leave, walking to Jenna's house.

The walk helps me calm down, clear my head and the fresh air helps too. I love my parents but I hate them for doing a lousy job. All they do is fight and forget about me. If I was 10, I wouldn't know how to take care of myself and I would depend on them. Granted, I know how to make myself dinner and do my laundry but I still need them around sometimes. Of course, I don't matter to them as much as some kids matter to their parents.

When I get to Jenna's house, she's sitting on her front porch waiting for me. "Frank," she says, standing up. Her arms and legs are completely bandaged up from her ankles to her hips and from her wrist to her shoulders. She has medical tape on her neck holding gauze in place.

"Jenna, are you okay?" I ask running over to her.

"Yeah, I just had a break out again but I was treated and should be fine for a while."

"Can I hug you?" I ask.

"Oh, yeah, don't worry." I gently wrap my arms around her and hug her carefully.

"I won't be in school tomorrow but I will be next week," she says. "Come on," she takes my hand and leads me to her backyard. It's rather massive, a large pond with decorative rocks and plants around. There's a large in-ground swimming pool and a finished patio. "You can climb, right?" she asks me.

"Huh?" I ask. She takes out her phone and starts texting real quick. After a couple seconds, she turns it off and puts it back in her pocket.

"How else am I to get you without waking up my dad?" she asks. She looks up and I follow her line of sight. The attic on the fourth floor has the light on and I see someone's silhouette lean over the balcony. Jenna waves at them and the person starts lowering a rope ladder. Huh, she wasn't kidding about the ladder. "Alright, please, Frank, do not fall." She starts climbing up the ladder, angling her legs so she can maneuver in the bandages. After she's up about 10 feet, I throw my backpack over both shoulders and I follow her up. It's rather sturdy, like the expensive type you would buy from the fire safety section in a store. Then again, they don't really need to worry costs since they live in this type of house.

Cody takes Jenna's hand and helps her climb over the side of the balcony and then he helps me. "Hey, man," he says when I'm on the ground. "You good?" he asks, holding my shoulder.

"Yeah, thank you again." He starts rolling the ladder up and Jenna and I head into the attic. "I'm sorry I didn't come over earlier," I say.

"Oh, Frank. Don't feel bad about that," she says.

Cody walks past us and starts heading downstairs. "Hey, Frank, you staying the night here?"

"Um, probably, if that's okay," I say.

"Totally. Gerard's here too so I doubt my mom will mind. I'll drive you to school, too, okay?"

"Thanks, it means a lot."

"No problem." He heads downstairs and Jenna and I look at Jenna.

"When did this start?" I ask, gesturing to her bandages.

"Oh, I had it when I was little," she says. "Usually people grow out of eczema but I'm one of those rare cases where I don't and I also have it pretty bad but we're trying to fix me." I look at her sympathetically and she smiles gently. "Don't worry, Frank. I'm okay. Here, let's go to my room."

The two of us head downstairs to Jenna's room and we sit on her bed together talking. It's after midnight and while she can sleep in all day, I still have to go to school tomorrow. It's going to be a bitch waking up early but I don't care. It's Friday tomorrow so it'll be okay.

"What happened at home?" she asks softly, lying back on her pillow. I bite my bottom lip and fidget with my hands. "You don't have to tell me but I hope you know I'm here for you."

"My parents...they-" I don't know what to say. "They neglect me, not like badly. I have a house and food and I go to school but they ignore me, they forget about me. Neither of them tells me what's going on, they get home really late, ignore me, fight with each other and then they both left the house going separate ways. I just..." My eyes start stinging again and I take a deep breath. "I didn't want to be alone anymore."

"I'm here for you, don't ever feel that you're alone."

"Can I ask you something?" I look up at her.

"Possibly," she smiles.

"You don't need to answer this too if it's too personal. Why did you and Cody's parents' divorce?"

She glances down uneasy. "Oh, that's not really personal, I guess. Um," she runs her fingers through her bangs. "Well, with Cody, his parents are still on good terms. His dad wanted a divorce to help Cody and his mom."

"How would that be better?" I ask.

"Well, there's no easy way to put this. His father smokes and he got lung cancer because of it. Stage three by the time the doctors found it. There wasn't really anything they could do besides prolong his life a few years. His dad didn't stop smoking though. So he didn't want Cody to grow up watching his father die in a hospital and he didn't want to be a burden on his wife. They divorced when Cody was 4 and a few years later, his mom met my dad and they married." Jenna glances down, her bangs fall in front of her face. "And for my parents, well, they never really got a divorce." I put a hand on Jenna's wrist and look at her sincerely. Her eyes are slightly red and I sense her tearing up. "My mom left when I was 7." She gives her head a shake and she swallows. "No explanation, just one day, she was gone. All her clothes were still here, her belongings, her cell phone, wallet. It's like she just fell off the face of the Earth. We tried calling her family but they didn't know anything. My dad, he was just going crazy trying to find her but we never did." Jenna sniffles and wipes her eyes. "I don't see her family anymore, haven't in years. I don't know why she would leave us like that."