Dylan's POV

When the bell rang Monday morning, I rubbed my tired eyes and hoped that our teacher wouldn't notice if I fell asleep in class. After talking to Zach and spending most of the weekend together, I had to catch up with the normal rhythm of time-changing from being awake half the night and sleeping until way past noon.

A finger tapped on my shoulder. I turned and caught a smiling Seb. "Hi, how was your weekend?" he asked.

"It was good." I didn't know if good was the right word for it, but doubted I could explain it any other way. Besides, Zach probably wouldn't want me to talk openly of his past. The details were too painful. "How was yours?"

We started walking in the direction of the classroom. "It was great." He was smiling wider, and I could tell that he was excited to tell me something. However, he didn't get the chance before we walked into class, meeting none other than the principal.

"Good morning, boys." His eyes trained on me, and I wondered if he was here for some special reason. "Dylan, would you like to come with me?"

I peeked past him, wondering if Tobias was back, and if that was the reason. However, the teacher standing behind the desk was unfamiliar. A sense of calm warmed my chest, and I nodded to Mr. Taylor.

"Thank you, Miranda. He'll be back shortly," Mr. Taylor said to the new teacher. She answered with a quick nod and focused on the class. She seemed experienced, and I hoped they had found a permanent teacher this time.

"Where's Tobias?" I asked as we walked through the corridor.

"We relieved Mr. Forrest from his employment here."

My heart lurched in my chest-speeding up and then slowing down. I wondered if I had heard right. "Really?" That was the best news I could have received. Not only did it mean that I wouldn't have to be afraid in school, it was also an acknowledgment that Mr. Taylor believed my story.

"Yes. I talked to your old school. I don't understand how he managed to clear his record after working for them. Someone in the administration must have had a weak spot for that man." Mr. Taylor opened the door to his office. "We should discuss in private," he added. "Please take a seat."

I sat down in the chair that felt infinitely more comfortable this time around.

"As I said, Mr. Forrest won't be working here, and I doubt he'll find a job at another school anytime soon."

"Thank you." Those words felt minuscule in comparison to the gratitude heating me from inside out. I wanted nothing more than to give the man a hug and then call my mom.

"I'm glad you came to us with your story, Dylan, and I hope you won't hesitate to report if something like this should ever happen again. It is a severe transgression for teachers to interact with students in such a way."

"I know." The relief was momentarily replaced by shame. I knew I shouldn't have started the relationship with Tobias in the first place, but at the time, it was beyond exciting-at least before it went down the wrong highway.

"I wanted to tell you in person, but I'm also worried that this man will continue to be a problem where we can't help you. Have you considered filing for a restraining order?"

"It didn't work last time around." I thought of the brief meeting with the local officer. He hadn't believed my story, partly because he thought I was making it up to get Tobias sacked. Afterward, I realized that the officer was buddies with Tobias' father. That was the moment Mom decided that we had to move.

"Maybe you should try again. I can give them a call at the station."

I perked up at that. "Do you know someone there?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. My wife works there as an investigator. I'm sure she will listen to what you have to say."

Smiling wide, I felt another urge to hug the man, or give him a fist-bump, or something. "Thank you."

Mr. Taylor stood up, and I followed. When he reached out with hand to shake mine, I wondered if this was the day that would turn things around for me. Could it really be that easy to get rid of Tobias once and for all? I wasn't sure, but as my hand disappeared in Mr. Taylor's firm hold, I almost believed it.

---

Zach waited by my locker as I got back from the first period. The message from Clive was gone, and I wondered if Zach had a hand in that.

We gave each other some sort of vague nod in greeting, and I settled my back against the locker next to him.

"You look happy," he commented.

"Yeah. No more Tobias."

"Really? They sacked him?"

"They did."

Zach smiled, but I could see that the weekend's revelations still haunted his thoughts. I laced my fingers through his and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Did you go through your sister's computer?" When he left my place yesterday, he had told me that he was going to see if he could start the old machine.

"I couldn't get it to run, but I thought I would head down to town this afternoon. Someone said the guys down at the Tech Lab are able to break into almost everything."

"Respectable hackers, you mean?"

Zach chuckled. "I don't know. I'm happy as long as they can help me."

"You want company?"

"You don't have to."

"I want to."

His hand squeezed mine. "Thanks." The fleeting vulnerability in his eyes surfaced for a brief moment until he let the cold layer descend on them again. I looked over my shoulder, seeing a couple of girls from the cheerleading squad. I had a feeling that he'd slept with half of them, but I refused to be jealous. They didn't know him the way I did. He had never let them inside; he had never opened up.

I nudged him and when his focus shifted from them to me, I gave him a quick peck.

The bell rang again before we could do anything exciting, but perhaps it was better that way. If we started kissing, I had a feeling we would end up in the storage room again, and it was perhaps becoming a stupid habit. One of these days the janitor would catch us red-handed, and that would be far too embarrassing.

---

Zach put up a brave face at lunch and during art class, but I could see that he was bothered by his past. Having stirred up memories, he wasn't capable of shutting it out like he usually did, or that was my guess, at least. Tyra noticed that something was wrong, but when she asked, I urged her to stay out of it for a while.

She looked at me funny, but didn't comment. Hopefully, she got the message to stay clear until I told her more. Seb was a better friend-I was starting to see a pattern there-he tried to keep up a light conversation, including Zach from time to time but never beyond what Zach was willing to participate with.

When we left after the last period, Zach even commented that Seb was a nice guy.

"Yeah, he's stellar," I replied.

"I'll have to deal with Tyra one of these days, though, since she's your friend." He seemed less than happy about it, but I also knew that we would have to fix their relationship-if it was fixable.

"She's never really said anything about why she's...yeah, you know."

Zach's eyebrows arched. "She hasn't?"

"No."

He shrugged. "Maybe I should give her a bit more credit then."

It was my turn to shrug. "I like her. She's got her heart in the right place."

"Yeah, you're right. It was just...well, she knew about the suicide, and she knew that it changed me. We were close friends when all that happened...or at least as close as 11-year-olds can be."

"I didn't know that."

We kept talking about Tyra and their relationship. Apparently, Tyra had been one of the few who had remained a good friend, but Zach hadn't been able to tell her everything, and that put a rift between their two little hearts. When Zach began to isolate himself from emotions, he had lost Tyra as well. It was a sad story, and I hoped they could find their way back to each other.

The doors to Tech Lab slid open as we approached, and a guy with glasses thick enough to make his eyes too big looked up from his screen. "Welcome," he said, and returned to his screen. I almost laughed at the fulfilled prejudice of a nerdy computer guy without much in the ways of social skills.

A girl popped out her head from the back room. "Hello there, guys. How are you today?" She seemed to pause when she got a better look at us. "Zach?"

"Mel..." Zach sounded surprised.

She came around the desk and gave Zach a warm hug. I didn't know how they knew each other, but I could tell that they were both shocked but pleased to see each other.

The broke apart. "I almost didn't recognize you," she said.

"It's been a few years," Zach replied.

"Yes, I had to get out of town for a bit. Stifling." She tucked a brown lock behind her ear. "So, what are you doing here? I guess you're not here for a social visit."

"I need help with Clara's computer."

"Oh. I didn't know you kept that." She seemed anxious to get her hands on the laptop as Zach retrieved it from his backpack.

"Mel, I think there might be some important stuff in there. I'd like to see if I could get it started."

"Important?" She took the laptop and cradled it in her arms. "What kind of information are we talking about?"

Zach took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You were her best friend, Mel. Did she ever tell you?"

Mel's lips tightened into a line and she barely blinked. "I knew something was wrong, but she never told me what it was. She was afraid, I believe. It's haunted me for a long time."

Zach placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't blame yourself. I have for far too long, and it's not bringing her back. But, maybe you can help us?"

"Of course, I'll do everything I can."

I smiled, thinking that everything was falling into place for us. Of course, nothing was really mended yet, but at least we were heading in the right direction. Zach seemed to think the same thing because as our eyes met, he broke into a genuine smile. Gone were the gray undertones that too often hid his true emotions.

We left the store a short while later after giving Mel the instructions she needed. To say she was shocked when Zach told her what to look for was an understatement. She seemed to fall apart in front of us until she took the computer behind the desk and told us in a professional voice to be back tomorrow. She was on a mission, and that seemed to help calm her down. I wondered if it was the same with Zach.

He was definitely calmer than he had been during lunch, and when we sat down in the park on a lonely bench looking out over a small dam and a grove of trees, it seemed as if his smiles came a little more often.

"It's been a good day," he said, and I could only agree. I only hoped that it continued like this. Fewer problems, more solutions.

When he leaned over to kiss me, I had no problems at all-they scattered in the light breeze until I felt lighter than a feather but still rooted by Zach's presence.

It was a good day.