"No meeting today," Nadia announced as we sat in the student council room. "We're just going to focus on our homework."

                "Good," Leigh said in relief. "I have an essay to draft and I didn't know if I'd be able to get it done tonight."

                "A break to catch up on work and relax at home is a good idea," Kace said, setting his bag at his feet.

                "I didn't think she'd actually have us go through with homework instead of a meeting," I said. "I left my textbook in my locker."

                "Then go get it. Everyone needs a little break, Gabriel. It's not just you who's getting behind on sleep," Nadia said.

                I felt guilty as I looked at my friends. Sometimes I got so caught up trying to do my work and keep on top of my responsibilities that I didn't always notice what was going on with my friends. It was a horribly bad habit of mine that always made me drown in guilt when I stepped back and realized they were struggling too.

                "A homework period," I agreed, standing up. "I'll go grab my textbook. Take a break from all your duties today, too. Don't even check your emails. It can wait until tomorrow."

                They looked relieved at that, so I left the room to head to my locker. I needed to stop getting so distracted. I needed to pay attention to my friends more. Frustration bubbled in me, because I always told myself I would, but then I always got caught up with all my work again. What a rotten friend.

                When I heard footsteps next to me, I didn't even need to look to know it was Taliesin. He matched his pace to mine as I headed for my locker.

                "You look miserable," he said at last.

                I gestured to him. "Gee, wonder why."

                "Oh, harsh," he said, but he didn't sound particularly offended. "It's rare to see you free of the council room during lunch."

                "I needed to grab something from my locker," I said.

                I stopped at my locker and put my combination in. I dug through my stuff and grabbed two notebooks and a textbook before standing up. I shut my locker and finally looked at Taliesin.

                This close, and finally paying attention, I realized just how bad he looked. There were heavy bags under his eyes, and he looked sickly. He was standing a little oddly, probably trying to relieve some of the pain in his back.

                "Like what you see?" he said.

                "No," I said.

                That earned a surprised burst of laughter from him. "Don't sugarcoat it, sunshine."

                "Have you been sick?" I said.

                His laughter cut off and I could tell by the way he set his shoulders that he was on his guard now. "No. Just trying to readjust to having my schedule changed."

                "That's all?" I said.

                "That's all," he said.

                "Taliesin."

                We both turned to look at the boy coming down the hall. I only knew him because he was notorious for getting in trouble.

                Kayden Sanzone was trouble simply because of his personality. He was confrontational and strong-willed. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind and defend his opinions, which generated a lot of conflict between him and his teachers.

                He'd also been known to throw punches, but that was rare in school. He usually saved that for arguments away from the school.

                And he'd suddenly become Taliesin's new best friend after everything happened.

                "I'm busy," Taliesin said, crossing his arms.

                "We were looking for you," Kaya said. She was so small compared to Kayden that I hadn't even noticed her standing behind him. "Hi Gabriel."

                "Let's go, Taliesin," Kayden said.

                "What he means to say is 'I pissed off Marshall again and need you to come fix it'," Kaya offered helpfully.

                "He's spineless and should know it," Kayden said.

                "I can't leave you alone for three damn minutes," Taliesin grumbled, shaking his head.

                "Go back to your friends. I'm going back to mine," I said.

                Taliesin shot a dirty look at Kayden, who seemed unaffected by it. I walked past Taliesin, half expecting him to grab my arm to stop me, and relieved when he didn't.

                "Just ditch the coffee for today and go to bed at a normal time," he called after me.

                "My mom will fist fight you if she finds out you're trying to replace her," I called back.

                I went back into the student council room and looked at my friends carefully. How much had I missed while I'd been wrapped up in my own work?

                "Hey, we should go out to eat this weekend," I offered. "No work, just finally relaxing, stuffing our faces, and making fun of each other."

                Kace pressed his hand to my forehead. "You sick or something? Get replaced by a Gabriel clone when you left?"

                I pushed his hand away. "You're uninvited."

                "I think it's a good idea," Nadia said. "But I also think every time we plan something like this, things come up. This is a busy time for us. Let's set that idea on hold until things calm down." At my expression, she offered me a smile. "We appreciate the thought, Gabriel. It's just not a good time for it."

                Leigh tugged me over to the couch. "Get to work on your homework. Quit wasting time!"

                Nadia sat next to me, leaning in close and lowering her voice. "We get it, Gabriel. We know how busy you get. You have more work than the rest of us. We know you care."

                "Let's just get our homework out of the way," I said.

                The longer I worked, the heavier my eyelids felt. Maybe I would actually get to go to bed at a normal time tonight. I don't think my body would even let me stay up late.

                "Gabriel." Kace shook my shoulder. "Don't go falling asleep. Lunch is almost over."

                "I'm fine," I lied, rubbing at my eyes. "Just boring text is all."

                "Pack it up. You don't want to be late to class," Nadia said.

                "Will you survive two periods of science? We have lab today," Kace said.

                I groaned. "Shit, I forgot we had lab. Yea, yea, I'll be fine. I'll walk around a little in between periods."

                We gathered our things and left the student council room as the bell rang. Kace and I went down to the science hallway, but before we entered the class, he grabbed my shoulder and pulled me to the side.

                "Gabriel, you always do this. You work so hard that it all hits you at once and you crash. Promise me you'll finish your homework and then relax tonight?" he said. "You told us not to check our emails. That means you need to take a break too."

                "Kace, I'll be fine. I already told Nadia I'd go to bed early today," I assured. "Come on. Let's get to class."

                He sighed but followed me into the room. We sat down at our desks, and I took my notebook our, doodling on it. I liked our teacher, but sometimes she droned on and on and I was worried I might nod off if today was one of those days.

                Unfortunately for me, Ms. Trela stood at the front of the room and began to talk about the effect water temperature had on sea life evolution. I tried to take detailed notes, and kept pinching my wrist to wake myself up.

                But the next thing I knew, someone was shaking me. I jerked up in my seat, my face heating up when I realized the class was watching me.

                "Mr. Rizzo, I'm very sorry you're so bored by my class, but high school students don't get a nap time," Ms. Trela said. Some kids snickered a little.

                "Instead of embarrassing him, just wake him up and send him for a walk to get some air," Taliesin said, surprising me with how angry he sounded.

                "No one else is napping in my class, Torres. I get that all students are tired, but the others managed to stay awake for the lecture," she said.

                "No one else is the president of the senior class student council," Taliesin said. "He's busy. Who cares if he fell asleep once in class? You're boring as hell."

                Ms. Trela looked like she was regretting every decision that led to her being a teacher. "Gabriel, go take a walk to get a drink. Taliesin, go with him to complain to someone who cares. Any more attitude out of you, you can just stroll on down to the principal."

                I stood up and Taliesin copied me. The two of us left the classroom together, and I looked down at my feet, hating how embarrassed I felt. I never fell asleep during class. What the hell was wrong with me?

                Taliesin lifted his hand like he was going to put it on my back, but he seemed to realize what he was doing as he reached for me, and dropped his hand. "I was starting to pass out, too. She's so damn dull."

                "You shouldn't argue with a teacher. She was right to call me out. I shouldn't have fallen asleep in class," I said.

                "Kace should've been nudging you awake, but that useless lump can't be counted on," he said.

                "Taliesin." My voice was sharp. "Don't talk shit about my friends. It's not his job to keep me focused. He probably didn't even notice I'd fallen asleep. You know he focuses hard in class."

                Taliesin didn't say anything to that. I stopped at the water fountain and took a drink. The water was lukewarm, which didn't help me feel anymore awake. I pushed the door open into the men's bathroom and turned the sink on, waiting until the water was sufficiently cold to splash it on my face.

                Taliesin leaned against the bathroom wall and watched me. His expression was that carefully closed-off one he wore when he didn't want you to know how he was really feeling.

                "None of them are keeping an eye on you," he said.

                "I'm old enough to keep an eye on myself," I said, shaking my head to get the water out of my hair. It splashed lightly on the mirror in front of me.

                "Old enough, sure. Doesn't mean you're any good at it," he said.

                "I wish she sent you to the principal's so you wouldn't be here bothering me." I grabbed some paper towels and wiped at my face with them. The cold water had shocked me awake, but I knew it wouldn't last. Still, Taliesin had been so insistent about me not getting more coffee that I felt like that wasn't an option.

                "You've never been good at putting yourself before your work," he said.

                "So what?" I said, feeling too exhausted to deal with this. I turned to face him, tired enough that I wanted to start a fight, but knowing that wouldn't accomplish anything. "It's not your problem anymore, Taliesin. If it ever was."

                I left the bathroom and headed back for the classroom. I could hear his footsteps behind me, but he didn't say anything.

                But Taliesin put a hand on my shoulder before I entered the classroom. I looked back at him, his face closed-off again.

                "She shouldn't have embarrassed you. I shouldn't have either," he said before moving past me into the room.

                I stared after him. Was that...an apology?

                Yes, from Taliesin, it was. He'd never been one for apologies. He'd always told me he made his decisions and lived with them. He said apologies meant regret and regret bred doubt in the future. He said apologies were a waste, and that mistakes just meant learning from them so you didn't repeat them in the future. That growing from it was worth more than overused words.

                I took my seat next to Kace, who shot me a worried look. I just forced a smile and a shrug before turning my attention back to Ms. Trela.

                Well, my gaze was on her, but my attention was on what Taliesin had said. I shouldn't have either. He'd said that. To me.

                Did he actually feel sorry for what he'd done to us? Apologies from Taliesin were so rare it was making my head spin to have received one. Sure, he'd say sorry if he ran into you or knocked something over. But to apologize for a choice he'd made? That was very rare for him.

                Ms. Trela wrapped up the lecture just before the bell rang. Kids got up to go out and walk in the hallway. I stood up and went up to her desk.

                "I'm sorry I fell asleep," I said. "It won't happen again. I promise."

                "You're not the first student who's ever fallen asleep in my class, Gabriel. Just try not to let it happen again. I didn't expect it from you," she said.

                "I know. It won't happen again," I repeated.

                There was nothing more to say, so I lapped the classroom before sitting back down next to Kace. He frowned at me.

                "You okay?" he said. "Sorry. I didn't notice you'd fallen asleep or I would've woken you up."

                I waved my hand dismissively. "I'm not a little kid, Kace. It's not your job to make sure I'm awake in class."

                "Do you want me to get you coffee from the student council room?" he offered.

                "No thanks. I'll be fine. Just needed to walk around a bit," I said.

                Ms. Trela started up the lab period once the bell rang. It was a little easier to get through it with Kace there to make sure I was awake. We made our way through the lab packet together, me trying to force my tired thoughts to focus on the task at hand. I was slower than usual, but we managed to get it done just before the bell rang.

                "Get to bed early tonight, Gabriel," Kace said as we left the classroom. "Take care of yourself."

                "I'll see you later, Kace," I said.

                I went up to math and dropped into my seat. Just a little longer and then I could go home.

                "You look horrible," Mariah said, sitting down next to me.

                "Thanks, I love hearing that," I said.

                "Well, you do," she said. "You look like you're going to pass out."

                "Hit him if he does," Taliesin said, coming in and taking his seat behind us. "You going to make it, sunshine? You're looking pretty rough. Ms. Trela could turn anyone into a Snorlax."

                "Was that a fat joke?" I said. "Are you calling me overweight and perpetually exhausted?"

                "Perpetually exhausted, yes," he said with a nod. "You're still in shape though. I see you getting a gut by your 40s, though."

                "Maybe dad bods will still be in by then," I said.

                "Better hope so for your sake," he said, but he was starting to grin a little. "So, Sleeping Beauty, you going to make it or not?"

                "I'll be fine," I said, though I wasn't entirely sure. Math was so boring, would anyone really blame me for falling asleep during it?

                But the lesson started and, despite my best efforts, I found my head dropping forward and my eyes fighting to stay open. Shit.

                "Shit," I hissed as something jabbed me in the side. I turned to glare at Taliesin.

                "Wake up, Snorlax," he said, keeping his voice low so we wouldn't get in trouble.

                "Did you just jab your pen into my kidney?" I demanded.

                "Don't be such a drama queen. You have two of them. You'll be fine."

                "Keep your pen away from my internal organs."

                "Keep your eyes open and my pen doesn't have to get anywhere near your internal organs."

                I glared at him as his grin grew before turning back around and scooting my chair up as far as I could. It wasn't far enough apparently, because every time my head start to drop forward, his pen would dig right back into my side or my back. Twice I nearly yelped out loud and had to hiss at Taliesin to stop before we both got in trouble.

                When the bell rang, I spun around and whacked him with my notebook. "You're insufferable."

                "And you're awake," he said, pushing my notebook away. "You're welcome. And you're abusive."

                "I'll show you abusive if you stick one more writing utensil in my kidney," I grumbled, shoving my stuff in my bag and standing up.

                Taliesin followed me out of the classroom. "Go home and pass out there. Don't think I won't have my pen aimed at your kidney tomorrow, Gabe."

                I spotted Kayden before Taliesin did, so I didn't reply to his taunt. As we passed by him, Kayden grabbed Taliesin's arm and jerked him to a stop.

                "Let's go. Marshall is back to being a little bitch boy and I'm going to hurt his sensitive feelings if you're not there," Kayden said.

                "I'm busy," Taliesin said, impatiently gesturing to me.

                "No you're not. I'm going home," I said, hating the sudden reminder that he was theirs now.

                No, that wasn't quite true. They were his. He couldn't get us to do what he wanted, so he recruited other people to be his puppets.

                He wasn't the Taliesin I'd loved. I had to remember that. Sure, I could try to help him. But I couldn't let myself forget who he was or what he'd done.

                That teasing grin when he knew he was getting a rise out of me was so familiar it'd drawn me back in. I couldn't let that keep happening. He wasn't the boy he'd been a few months ago.

                "Fine," he said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Go home and sleep, Gabe. I'll see you tomorrow." He turned to Kayden and punched him in the arm good naturedly. "You need a ride home today? I need to stop at the store."

                They walked away, out of ear shot. I continued on down the hall, weaving my way around students until I reached my locker. I put in the combination and pulled it open, shifting through my books and worksheets for what I needed.

                "Gabriel," Leigh said, coming up to me. "Kace said you fell asleep in science." She looked at me, concern in her eyes. "That's not like you. Are you sure you're okay?"

                "Yea, I'm fine. Thanks for worrying about me," I said, flashing her a smile that seemed to drain me even more.

                "Does it have to do with Taliesin?" she asked, not meeting my eyes. "I know it must be hard to be around him again."

                Maybe it did have to do with that. But I couldn't let my friends know. They'd just think he was trying to play me.

                "Nah, it's just been all this work lately. It's a busy time of year for us. Time for us to both go home and relax for a change," I said, shutting my locker and walking with her to the doors leading out of the school.

                She looked a little relieved to hear a lie about it not being Taliesin. "Well, a good night's sleep will do wonders for you. You need to recharge!"

                I wish it was that simple. "I'm basically a portable charger. Once I'm all used up, I just blink at you uselessly until I'm recharged."

                "Well, go home and finish your work so you can relax," she said, patting my shoulder as we reached the parking lot. "I'll see you tomorrow."

                "Bye, Leigh," I said. I turned and nearly ran into Nadia. "Oh, god, hello, hi, please don't stand so close to me when I'm unaware of it."

                She pushed me back a little, hiding a smile. "I just wanted to check on you before you left for the day. No working tonight, got it? The school won't go up in flames if we breathe for a night."

                "I know, Nadia," I said, taking out my car keys. "A day off can mean a lot every now and again. I get that. I'm sorry I didn't realize you guys needed it too."

                "You put too much pressure on yourself. Go relax," she said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, Gabriel."

                I gave her a wave before getting in my car. I drove myself home and went right up to my room, getting to work.

                By the time I'd managed to finish all my homework and get a little jump on tomorrow's schoolwork, my parents were calling me down for dinner. I went downstairs, and frowned at my dad's expression.

                "What?" I said, taking my seat.

                He shook his head. "Nothing. Just...you look tired. Are you sleeping okay, Gabriel?"

                "Sure, dad. I'm fine. Just been a long week," I said.

                "Is your homework done?" mom asked, setting a plate of food down in front of me.

                "Yea, I did some of it during my free periods and just wrapped up the rest," I said.

                "Then get to bed early tonight," she said sternly. She ran a hand through my hair, her expression strict but her touch gentle. "You're going to burn yourself out. You're too young for that. Wait until you're in your 40s."

                "I'm going to get a gut and lose all life motivation in my 40s, apparently. I've learned so much today," I said.

                "Then enjoy your youth while you have it," she said, and took her seat. "You better eat everything on that plate, Gabriel Giovanni. That's a well-balanced, proportional meal."

                "You're so afraid of your 40s that she reverted you back to a toddler," dad said, cracking a small smile. "You just can't win, kid."

                "Guess not," I said, returning the smile.

                I ate and talked with my parents. When I was done, mom shooed me up to my room, reminding me to get to bed early tonight.

                But once I was in my room, I wasn't sure what to do. I tried reading a book, but found myself becoming restless. I switched to video games, but kept forgetting what my quest was and eventually gave up on that too. I turned on the TV, but there were no shows or movies I wanted to watch.

                I shouldn't have either.

                The words repeated in my head, over and over again. Did he still care? If he did, why did he wait so long to come back? Why did he leave at all?

                I laid on my bed, tugging at my hair until a few strands fluttered down onto my lap. What drove him to do what he did? What drove him to come back?

                I couldn't stand the questions I had no way to know the answers to. So I opened my laptop, got on my emails, and got to work doing my student council job. Maybe it wasn't relaxing, but it was better than going crazy thinking about Taliesin.

                The louder his words grew in my head, the harder I threw myself into my work. I sent out emails, arranged for meetings, typed out proposal drafts, and researched price points. I picked up a few of the jobs my friends hadn't gotten around to yet, feeling desperate to relieve the burden on them. All because I'd believed Taliesin would come back.

                And now he had. I felt like I was going crazy.

                When I looked at the time, my eyes widened at how late it was. But I didn't feel tired anymore. I felt wound up, those questions reemerging in my head. I didn't want to face it right now. I didn't know how.

                So I worked late into the night, until I finally passed out, silencing my questions at last.