"You could move in with me if my step dad wasn't such an ass," Billie mumbled taking another drag from his cigarette as the four of us sat on the roof again for the second day of me ignoring the girls.

"I wouldn't expect you to let me move in with you Billie Joe,"

"I'd totally let you move in with me," Tre spoke up. "But I'm afraid there's no space- I have a small house,"

"My moms an ass," Mike sighed.

"I have a place to go. I haven't got to worry about that. It's just- I don't want to have to result to going there y'know?"

"Yeah, did you talk to her?"

"Who willow?"

Mike nodded.

"Yeah I talked to her. She told me the offer was still standing but I didn't have to take it. But if I ever felt like I needed to leave she would buy and mail me the coach tickets and send me up there to live with her,"

"She sounds like a good friend," Tre pointed out smiling.

"She sounds lucky too if she gets to live with you." Billie mumbled flicking the cigarette down to the ground as I watched it fall. He wasn't really in a fun mood today, I'd been trying to get it out of him what it was that was bothering him. But he was obviously in no mood to share with me whatever it was.

Mike and Tre saw it too, there was just something different about Billie today that was putting us all off.

I glanced over at him, he still looked the same. But it was the way he was acting, I just couldn't realise what part.

"She is a good friend," I smiled to myself ignoring Billies comment. "She always has been y'know?"

"There you three are." We heard a voice from down below speak out.

The four of us looked down, to see a teacher with her hands on her hips looking unimpressed. Her eyes diverted to me. "A new member to your gang I see?" She asked.

"A member?" I repeated.

"We'll be down in a second," Mike called down with a sigh, obviously frustrated but not in the mood to start debate. I could only imagine they got caught up here often.

"Not in a second, now please,"

"Yeah alright let me just jump down and break both of my legs then," Billie muttered sarcastically to himself.

She rolled her eyes as we all stood back up.

She waited at the bottom still with her arms crossed over her chest as we all helped each other down. Or more Mike, Tre and Billie helping me get down since I wasn't use to climbing up and down this building just quite yet.

"Carefully Echo," Billie repeated, his hands on my hips as I moved my foot closer to ground.

"I am Billie!"

"She's got it," Tre assured to Bill. "Just chill out Beej,"

He sighed as I felt his hands leave my waist. My sneakers reached the floor as we all spun around to be greeted with Miss Willard.

She dropped her arms to her sides as she exhaled loudly. "Again boys?" She asked staring over at the three of them.

Tre smiled innocently, Billie had a blank face as Mike nodded.

"How many times can I tell you? The school roof is off limits. And you-" She looked away from them directing her focus at me. I gulped preparing myself. "-I would expect it from them, but Echo? Really? Miss Green I must say I never thought you would hang around with such a crowd,"

"A crowd...?" I slowly asked, taking her words to heart. Or more so more literally. "Threes not a crowd,"

"Three is a-"

"Twos a duo, three's a trio, fours a crowd,"

"Four Isn't even a crowd if that," Tre added.

"Not what I'm trying to say," She replied shifting topics back to our behaviour. She gave me more of a disapproving look then any of us before handing us a detention slip.

Mike, Tre and Billie Joe took the slip, not even checking what it was stuffing it in their pockets. Apart from Tre who secretly scrunched it up and threw it behind him.

I took my slip as I looked closely at it. "What an Earth is this?"

"A detention slip," Miss Willard answered. "I'll see all four of you there tonight. Won't I?"

I paused looking over at the three boys, they all gave her an exhausted and half assed nod as I stood confused.

"Won't I Echo?" She turned to look at me now.

"Seriously? For sitting on the roof?"

"Echo shut up," Billie murmured nudging me slightly with his arm.

"Yes for sitting on a roof. Like I've said many times to the school you should know by now that the school roof top is strictly off-"

"-Alright. Jeez, okay, yes then. You'll see me there,"

She widened her eyes, obviously not happy with my response. But walked away as we followed her accepting that we wouldn't be going back up to the roof top today. Since we had just been 'caught' up there.

"This is such Bullshit," I ranted as we walked back around school, Miss Willard, being a fast walker apparently, already way in front of us.

"It's just a detention Echo don't stress about it," Mike told me, seemingly chill.

"My mom is gonna kill me,"

I heard Tre snigger. "Was she not already?"

"Good point. Yeah she was,"

"It's only an hour, you'll survive through it," Billie added. Not very positively as Mike but it was something.

"I know I'll survive but I don't want to,"

"Because that's not depressing at all," Tre mumbled to Mike.

"It wasn't suppose to sound depressing," I grunted slowly dragging my hand down my face. "It just meant I would rather not do the detention at all, not I would rather not survive and die,"

"Which ever one you meant," Billie spoke leaning sideways as he spoke. "None are an option,"

"Alright I get it," I answered shoving him. "Don't have to be such an asshole about it- man what is your problem today?"

~

The room silent as the clock ticked. Sounding louder than I ever actually remembered a normal clock sounding, it being the only noise filling this still room.

I looked over at a Billie. A few desks down from me.

We all were spaced out with a few more kids in detention, having a few empty desks between us to prevent us from chatting to anyone.

Still half an hour left. This is boring as hell. How am I actually gonna make it through thirty more minutes of this bullshit.

Billie put his focus on his pencil as he scribbled something on the desk. Concentrating carefully, his tongue slightly blobbing out and his eyebrows slanting down.

I then turned to look at Mike, who's head was prompt up by his arm. Sitting another few desks away from me at the side.

He looked as if he was staring into space. In his own world. Zoned out. Completely in another realm. Day dreaming. He was out of it, his eyes looking into the distance but at nothing in particular as he didn't move.

I then turned my body around to get a glance at Tre, who's head was down on the desk as he quietly snored.

How can someone fall asleep in such an uncomfortable position?

I turned back around. Observing a few more people in the room before someone appeared at the door of the classroom.

The teacher knocked on the open door, catching Miss Willards attention as she looked away from her computer screen and at the other teacher waiting for her to speak.

"Can I borrow Echo Green please? Her mother is at reception wanting to take her," She requested.

She is? Why the fucking hell is she there then?

I looked at Billie with panic obviously fizzing through me, but he was so concentrated in his doodle he hadn't even realised.

"Billie!" I hushed over to him trying to grab his attention as I heard Miss Willard reply.

"She's got thirty minutes left of detention, is she needed immediately?"

Billie didn't hear me, as I carried on. "Billie joe! Billie are you deaf?"

Finally he looked over, confused. "What do you want? I'm doodling,"

"Did you hear that?" I whispered.

"Hear what?"

"Echo, you need to follow. Your mother is at reception for you," Miss Willard told me interrupting my conversation.

I turned to look at her awkwardly before she added.

"Now,"

"Alright alright..." I breathed picking up my back pack.

I walked to the front of the room giving Billie one last look of nerve before following the other teacher out of the classroom.

She took me through the halls of the school awkwardly and silently. Before I was met with my mother at main reception.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" I asked confused as I kept a hold of my back pack strap over my left shoulder.

She ignored me and thanked the teacher who had come to fetch me, as we walked out of the schools front doors and into the car park.

"Explanation?" I asked her cocking my neck forward and widening my eyes.

She ignored me again, which only made me way more scared.

We got to her car, she climbed in the front as I got in passengers seat. I laughed slightly seeing Billie Joes car besides my moms, wonder if she knew that.

I clicked my seat belt on and looked through the front window as she began to start the car. It couldn't have been more quieter.

No one spoke. She didn't. I didn't. The radio didn't. It was complete and utter silence and the silence was louder than anything else on this earth.

And because it was silent, the ride home felt longer. Like it had taken forever. But we got home, she parked in front of the house as I quickly jumped out making my way to the front door.

I tried the door handle quickly to check if I could just get in with out her, but it was locked.

"You'll need the keys for that," I heard her shout.

I looked behind me to see her holding the keys up as she leaned on the car.

"Why have I been taken out of detention anyway? I best not be going to the dentist I hate that place,"

"You're not going to the dentist,"

"Opticians?" 

"No,"

"Doctors?"

"No,"

"A therapist?"

"Oh don't be silly! No! You aren't going anywhere like that!"

"Then why have I been-"

"-Because you've been avoiding me and your father all week and it's time we had a talk!"

I paused confused. "And we couldn't have done this after school?"

"Now get back in the car,"

"Why? Where's dad?"

"On his way back from work,"

"So where an earth are we going?"

"I said get in the car,"

"Alright! Alright." I rolled my eyes making my way back to her car. I opened the front door of the car before she stopped me.

"Dads sitting there, get in the back,"

"Jeez... okay." I shut the door quite harshly as I tumbled into the back seats of the car.

Ping.

Billie Joe:
Detention sucks with out you.

I laughed slightly at the text as I typed my response in.

Me:
we don't even talk in detention, how could it possibly make a difference whether I was there or not?

Billie Joe:
no one interesting to stare at while you're gone, everything sucks with out you

Me:
That's not true

Billie Joe:
really, it is

Me:
my moms kidnapping me, if you never hear from me again she's probably teamed up with my dad and taken me out

Billie Joe:
she's kidnapping you?

Me:
yeah. Taking me somewhere with my dad in the car. She won't tell me where or anything really. Just told me to get into the car

Billie Joe:
so if you disappear with out a trace...?

Me:
then my mom and dad murderer me, precisely

Billie Joe:
I'll keep that in mind