She stumbled through the front door and removed her heels. Her hair was a wild mess and her eyes bled mascara. It was six in the morning, and the dried puke on my mother's jacket was a clear indicator that she'd enjoyed herself last night.

"Here, come on. Let's get you to bed," I said, making her jump slightly.

"Why are you still up?" she slurred slightly, chuckling a little.

"I'm about to leave for school. The bus will be here pretty soon. I have a big test first period and I was studying a few notes before you came." I grabbed her arm and led her to her room.

Her eyes instantly shut in comfort as she climbed into her bed.

"Who would have thought I would have given birth to a nerd," she cackled against her pillow as I pulled off her jacket.

She moaned and gripped her head. "Can you please hand me the painkillers? This headache is killing me, and if you really love me, you'll make me some breakfast before you go."

I hated when she said that: If you really love me you will. I couldn't even remember the last time she told me she loved me, but yet it seemed like I had to constantly prove my love. "I have, like, seven minutes to make the bus, I don't have the time to . . ." I gripped my bag, glancing at the clock hanging above her bed- room door.

"You can't take seven minutes of your time to make your own mother some breakfast?" she spat, her eyes red and her breath bad.

I missed the bus.

I missed the test.

But my mom didn't miss breakfast.

I grabbed my books as the bell for third period rang. The halls filled quickly, and it wasn't long before we were packed like sardines in a can. The raging school of students flushed through and was about to dive into its classes. I tried to stay with the current until everyone stilled in a tight circle, staring at the scene that played before their eyes. I didn't care what they were seeing; I was just trying to make my way to my locker. I pushed and slid around the thick crowd, until I, too, became rooted to the spot.

Everest.

He murmured quickly to Cara, a gray hoodie covering his head. He was positioned at an angle that only gave away the pro- file of his face.

I felt like I was seeing a ghost. Even though I knew he didn't actually die, looking at him, I didn't think he'd ever come back. It had been two weeks since the first day of school, and the Everest drama had sort of died down since then.

But there he was. In the flesh.

Cara's features betrayed only disgust. "You have some nerve coming here." He tried to grab her arm but she yanked it back. "Don't touch me."

Everest glanced around the large crowd and I saw redness— sadness—brimming in his irises. He quickly whipped his head back toward Cara.

"Look, he's about to cry," someone laughed in the crowd, causing a few more chuckles to arise in the large group.

"Is this really how you're going to treat me?" I'd never seen Everest angry before.

Cara shrugged and grabbed some books from her locker, her blond hair shielding her face. Nash stood between them, his face a sleet of stone. "Get outta here, man. You don't belong here anymore."

His words struck me to the core, so I could only imagine how Everest felt. Head hung low, the gray hoodie shielding his head, strands of his bronze hair sticking from out of the top, he nodded slowly before turning on his heel and storming out of the high school.

Teachers came into the hall to break up the crowd, and for the second time, my heart broke for Everest.