"What are you doing?"

My eyes flew wide in shock and I took a sharp inhale of breath, turning around to see James grinning at me. Immediately, I relaxed, letting go of my breath.

"Why are you waiting outside the biology room?" James asked, raising his eyebrows. "Can't handle the smell?"

"Uh, sure," I responded, directing my gaze to my feet.

"Wimp," James joked with a small laugh.

A small forced laugh left my lips as well. I couldn't tell James the reason I didn't want to go in there was because of Mr. Heywood. My palms were sweating at just the idea of talking to him after last night. It was going to be so awkward! I chewed on my lip, reaching for the door handle, and then pulling my hand away at the last second.

C'mon, Holly. Man up!

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the doorknob with my shaky hand. Why was I getting so nervous? It's not like we could talk about what happened last night in class; there were too many students around. But it'd still be awkward. I sighed. I'd have to face him sooner or later.

Without hesitation, I quickly pulled the door open. To my surprise, an old man was sitting at the teacher's desk. He had a face full of white hair, and a small tuff of it sat on top of his head. I frowned, surveying the man with my eyes. He was someone I'd never seen before.

"Umm, where's Mr. Heywood?" I asked, looking around the room quickly.

"What?"

"Where's Mr. Heywood?" I repeated, louder this time.

"Come closer, I can't hear you."

Fighting the urge to roll my eyes, I walked up to the teacher's desk and leant over it, speaking loudly and clearly. "Where is Mr. Heywood?"

"What?"

Was he kidding? I stared at him incredulously. The old man cocked his head to the side, and then realization flashed across his face.

"Hold on, I think my hearing aid is off..."

This time I did roll my eyes, but a grin also made its' way onto my face. The old man fiddled with the hearing aid on his ear, and then looked up at me expectantly.

"Is Mr. Heywood here today?" I asked once more.

"Oh, no. He's absent today. I'm his substitute."

For some reason, I felt disappointed. Mr. Heywood had taken the day off? Was he sick? Did something happen? Disappointment was quickly replaced with worry. I cleared my throat. "Is he okay? Is something wrong?"

"No, no, he's fine!" the old man responded, speaking too loudly. "From what I hear it's just a personal day off."

I relaxed, nodding my head. "Okay. Thanks."

"It's nice to know young people these days still care about their teachers," the old man commented, smiling at me.

Like? That was an understatement. I blushed, shaking my thoughts away. "Haha, well we wouldn't want to have to have a substitute for too long..."

The old man nodded, but said nothing more. I quickly escaped to my seat, a frown appearing on my face. It was funny how much my mood could drop after just finding out Mr. Heywood wasn't in school today. That was weird too, since Mr. Heywood was always in school.

With a shock, I realized what the reason Mr. Heywood wasn't here could be. Was it that he was avoiding me? Horror dawned on me. It probably was, since I basically said I thought he way gay! I slumped lower in my seat, holding in a groan. Me and my stupid, big, lying mouth.

The rest of the day passed quickly and before I knew it the final bell had rung. I was planning on visiting Lance, so I headed home straight away. As I came to my dive way, I narrowed my eyes in confusion. My mom's car was in the driveway.

"Mom?" I called as I opened the door to my house, dropping my back down and kicking off my shoes. "You here?"

"Bedroom!" a muffled voice responded from the upstairs.

Following the sound of her voice, I found her in her bedroom, putting clothing into a suitcase. She gave me a quick smile when I entered, but returned her attention back to folding the clothing in front of her. I narrowed my eyes in confusion.

"Why are you packing? And home early?"

"Business trip," my mom responded. "I got out early to pack because I have to leave tonight."

"Gee mom, thanks for warning me in advance," I responded, shaking my head. "I didn't ask Casey if I could stay the night."

"Honey I'm going to be gone all weekend. I thought I told you. Guess I forgot..."

"How could you forget to tell me something like that?" I demanded, looking at her in shock. "I've never stayed home alone for more than a night!"

"Don't worry," my mom responded, waving her hand. "I wasn't going to leave you by yourself. I arranged a place for you to stay already."

"Lance is still in the hospital though," I pointed out. "I'd feel like a moocher at Laura's."

My mom shook her head. "No, you won't be staying at Laura's."

"Then whose?"

"Your handsome teacher's place."

My mouth went dry and I stared at my mom like she had three heads. Well, she might as well have three heads since she was thinking like an alien. I small laugh escaped my lips.

"That's funny mom."

"Is there something wrong?" my mom responded, furrowing her brow in confusion. "I thought you two got along?"

I blushed slightly. "Um, we do... but mom, he's my teacher. I can't stay at his house. He'd get in trouble and so would I! Surely that's against school rules."

"No, it's not, since I'm the one who asked him to look after you while I'm gone. It's a teacher's duty to watch over a student. And he seemed more then willing to help out."

I stared at my mom in disbelief. When was she going to pull the punch line? I couldn't spend the weekend at Mr. Heywood's after what happened! It was embarrassing enough just to think about coming face-to-face with him after last night, let alone staying with him! Was my mom crazy?

"Are you really serious?"

"Yes," my mom responded, sighing. "Even though you're almost eighteen, it's still dangerous to spend the whole weekend alone. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"No, I understand. It's fine. I'm just a little surprised. When are you leaving?"

"A few hours. I still have to go get some groceries from the grocery store for the trip. I hate paying for hotel food."

"When am I going to Mr. Heywood's?"

"You're supposed to call, um, Henry?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I don't know anyone Henry..."

"Hold on," my mom said, holding up her finger. "That's not his name. Gerry? No, that's not it either. Jared?"

"Jeremy?" I guessed.

"That's it! You're supposed to call him for a ride whenever you're ready," my mom told me. "Chris has something to do today until around seven."

I frowned slightly. That "something" was probably him going to visit Haley. A little jealousy arrived in me, but I quickly threw it away. She was in the past. Mr. Heywood loved me now, not Haley. But I wanted to know why he always seemed to be visiting her these days.

"Speaking of which, who is Jeremy?"

"He's Mr. Heywood's friend, and mine too."

"How old is he?" my mom asked suspiciously.

"Twenty."

"You trust this guy enough to drive you places?" my mom prodded, watching me intently. "Is he trustworthy?"

I laughed, rolling my eyes. "He's very trustworthy mom. Don't worry about it, Jeremy is a good guy."

"Okay," my mom responded, but still didn't sound convinced. "If you need anything, just call me..."

"Actually, after you go grocery shopping will you give me a ride to the hospital? I want to visit Lance. I can ask Jeremy to pick me up there after."

My mom nodded. "Sure, but it won't be for another few hours. Why don't you do your homework in the mean time?"

I made a face. Homework. Ew. However, I did as my mom suggested and went to my room to start. By the time I finished, my mom was ready to leave. I quickly slammed my biology book closed and rushed to my closet to grab a pair of clothing. The first thing I found was a pair of washed blue jeans, so I grabbed those and a plain black long-sleeve shirt, stuffing them in my side bag.

"Holly? You coming?"

"Hold on!" I responded, quickly going to the bathroom and grabbing my hairbrush and toothbrush.

"Grab an umbrella!" my mom shouted up the stairs. "It looks like it's going to rain!"

Sighing, I grabbed the umbrella from my room before I descended the stairs. My mom was waiting by the door, her car keys in her hand. She smiled, turning and opening the front door. I followed her out, shutting and locking the door behind me.

"Am I seriously going to Mr. Heywood's? Or did you actually make plans for me to go to Casey's house instead?"

"You're going to Chris's," my mom responded, raising an eyebrow. "Is it really that big of a deal?"

"No!" I responded quickly so she wouldn't get suspiciously. "It's just a little weird."

"Okay..."

The drive to the hospital didn't take long. When we arrived, I quickly unbuckled, grabbing my bag from the car floor. My mom leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

"Be careful! And be safe! And make sure you eat properly," my mom said, frowning at me. "Make sure this Jeremy guy remembers to pick you up! I have Chris's cell phone number, so I'll check in with him around eight to see if you're back."

"Mom, don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Alright, see you Sunday night."

"Bye, mom," I responded, getting out of the car, and shutting the door behind me.

Lance looked up at me eagerly as I entered his hospital room. I deposited my belongings by the door and pulled up a chair next to his bed, flopping down on it. Lance raised an eyebrow.

"What's up?"

"My mom is making me stay at Mr. Heywood's for the weekend."

"Making you?" Lance repeated sounding skeptical. "Don't you want to?"

I blushed slightly, adverting my gaze. "Um, at a different time, yes, but right now, no, because it's going to be really awkward. I lucked out because Mr. Heywood wasn't at school today, but I'm supposed to go to his house after I leave here..."

"Well, then now's a good time to make your move."

I raised an eyebrow, eying Lance suspiciously. "What?"

"You know, make more progress in you're relationship," he responded with a shrug.

"Aren't you all anti-Heywood?"

"I want to see how this plays out," Lance responded, a smirk appearing on his face. "I want to see how long you guys can last."

"It's not a game, Lance," I responded with a sigh.

"To me it is," he responded with a grin.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, deciding to change the subject. "Any different from yesterday?"

"Well I can sit up without it hurting as much, but that might be due to the medicine I've been taking."

"Do you still have to stay for awhile?"

"The doctors are saying I can leave the November 17th," Lance told me, frowning. "That's a day after your birthday, so I was hoping we could celebrate it when I get out. With Casey and everyone else, too."

"Sure," I responded, smiling. "Though you might want to take it easy..."

"I'll be fine by then! Well, okay, I won't be fine, but I'll be much better," Lance responded, grinning. "Being shot won't stop me."

The smile automatically dropped from my face as guilt set in again. I couldn't help but feel this accident was somehow my fault. Of course there was no way I could have known Lance would be attacked that night, but still... It was my fault he was involved with the whole gang thing in the first place.

"Holly, stop feeling guilty."

I looked at Lance in surprise. "How'd you know what I was feeling?"

"I'm not stupid."

"But I can't help it," I complained, crossing my arms. "It's only natural."

"I don't care, it's not your fault," Lance responded, frowning at me. "If you want to place the blame on someone, put it on Heywood."

"It isn't his fault they attacked you though!"

"There you go. Nor is it mine, nor yours. So stop wallowing."

"I'm not wallowing," I muttered, my face heating up. "I'm just feeling... like, survivor's guilt or something like that."

"But I'm alive," Lance pointed out, a small laugh erupting from him.

"I said or something like that!"

"I know what you said."

I rolled my eyes. "Stop talking, Lance."

"I have a question. Does everyone at school know what happened?" Lance inquired, pursing his lips. "I hope not. Only you, Heywood, Casey, and this Jeremy guy knows I'm in here and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Why?" I responded in surprise.

"I don't need unnecessary attention," Lance responded, shrugging. "I'd prefer to keep this a secret."

"I won't tell anyone then," I promised. "But what do you want me to say when they notice you're not in school? Two and a half weeks is a long time."

"Just say I have some strange sickness."

I laughed. "Okay, I'll look a good one up."

"So, tell me what I've been missing in school. I don't want to get too far behind..."

For the next hour or so I told Lance about everything we were learning, and about how I have to dissect the rat with Mr. Heywood since he's out, and also about the old man who was the substitute today since Mr. Heywood was out.

"I was looking forward to dissecting the rat," Lance commented when I was done.

"I was looking forward to you looking forward to so I didn't have to do anything," I responded with a sigh. "Mr. Heywood makes me do most of the dissection."

Lance glanced at the clock that was on his night table. He leaned over and grabbed a piece of paper off of it and a pen, bringing it to his lap. I watched as he proceeded to scribble something down on it, and then he handed it to me. I took it and looked at it in confusion.

"Could you go get my dinner?" he requested. "You just have to bring the slip to the kitchen, and then they'll bring the food when it's done."

"Aw, lucky me, I get to help the crippled!" I said, scanning his food choices. "It will be my pleasure."

"Next time you come, bring me a burger or something. Hospital food is gross."

I laughed. "I'll make sure to do that. Be right back."

"Au revoir!" Lance called after me as I exited the room.

The trip to the kitchen took longer than it should have. I got lost twice, and even the directions from the doctors and nurses didn't help. I handed the slip of paper to one of the kitchen workers, and then started back to Lance's room. As I was walking down the hall, I realized I had taken the wrong turn and was now in the wrong section of the hospital. When I was about to turn around, something caught my attention. Or rather someone.

Mr. Heywood was walking down the hallway with a tray of food in his hand. I blinked in surprise. Why was he at the hospital? After a second of hesitation I decided to follow him. For a few minutes I followed him down the halls, matching my steps to his and praying he wouldn't turn around.

Finally, he came to a door and I froze as he turned. Luckily he didn't look around before he entered. I slowly crept up to the door, and tried to peek through the window. To my disappointment, there was a paper covering the little window on the door. I sighed, taking a step back.

My breath caught when my eyes landed on the nameplate on the wall. Pierce. That was Haley's last name...

Suddenly the door began to open. My heart leapt into my throat as I quickly looked around for a place to hide. There was another door to my left, so I quickly opened it and stepped in, shutting it behind me quickly. A few seconds Mr. Heywood walked by the door. I sighed in relief.

"Are you here to give me my sponge bath?"

I jumped violently, twisting around to see an old man peering at me eagerly. He tiled his head to the side.

"Are you?"

"Um, no... I'll send someone in though," I responded, clearing my throat. "Yeah... I'll do that now..."

I opened the door again and stuck my head out, peering both ways. Mr. Heywood was nowhere in sight. Stepping out into the hallway again, I closed the door to the old man's room and turned back to the other room. Should I go in?

"Hey!"

Did everyone want to scare me today? I turned to see a nurse frowning at me.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Um, I..." I hesitated, trying to think of a good excuse. "I'm visiting my, uh... sister."

The nurse studied me for a minute and then blinked in realization. "Oh. You're a Pierce?"

"Sure..."

"Well go in then, you can't be loitering the halls. If someone else catches you, you'll have to go back to the waiting room," she told me.

I nodded, turning back to the door. Now I had no choice. Holding my breath, I opened the door and walked in. A woman with light brown hair was sitting on a hospital bed with her back turned towards me. When she heard me enter, she turned and my eyes widened in surprise. Her expression became shocked as well.

It was almost like I was staring into my own reflection! Her eyes were the same exact shade as mine, and so was her hair. The only difference was our facial structure, and she looked a little taller, but I couldn't quite tell since she was sitting.

A hand went to my mouth. "Are you Haley?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "My name isn't Haley..."

I relaxed slightly. So this girl wasn't Mr. Heywood's ex-girlfriend? Maybe she was Haley's sister. The picture I saw of Haley looked slightly like me, but this girl and I were shockingly alike. If this woman was a few years younger, we could almost be twins.

"What are you doing in my room?" the woman inquired, a frown on her face.

"Oh, I'm um..." I blushed, staring at my feet. "Wrong room, sorry" I finally lied.

The woman laughed, waving her hands. "It's fine, it happens. I was just curious."

"Is your sister's named Haley?" I blurted out, looking up at her again.

She shook her head, giving me a confused look. "No, I don't have a sister. Why?"

"No reason," I responded, growing even more confusing. Who was this girl then? Obviously Mr. Heywood knew her. "Can I ask your name?"

"My name is-"

Suddenly the door opened again. My eyes shot open and I panicked, looking around for a place to hide, but it was too late.

"Holly," a voice I recognized as Mr. Heywood's started, and I felt my heart sink. "They vending machine is out of orange soda, do you want something else?"

What? Confused, I turned to face Mr. Heywood. His eyes landed on mine and they widened in shock. If I didn't know better, I would have thought he'd seen a ghost. His face paled, and his eyes shot to the girl in the hospital bed and then back to me.

"Holly," he breathed, a look of horror on his face.

"What? I want orange soda!" the woman complained from the bed.

Now I was even more confused. "Mr. Heywood?"

"You two know each other?" the brunette asked and I looked over my shoulder to see her looking at us. "Is she a friend, Chris?"

"She's one of my students," Mr. Heywood responded in a tight voice.

"Really? What's her name?"

A frown appeared on my face and I turned back to the girl. I was standing right here. She didn't have to ask him. "My name is Holly."

The woman's eyes widened in shock. "You're kidding!"

"No, why?"

"My name is Holly too!"

There was a small groan from Mr. Heywood, and my heart skipped a beat, and then started beating ten times faster than normal. I turned to Mr. Heywood who was giving me a guilty look.

"Is this? Is this Haley?" I whispered, my palms starting to sweat. "Is it?"

"Yes," Mr. Heywood responded, nodding briskly.

"Is there something wrong?" Holly asked, peering at me worriedly. "You look like you're going to be sick."

"Holly, I can explain," Mr. Heywood started, reaching out a hand.

I slapped his hand away, glaring at him. It made sense now. The reason why Mr. Heywood singled me out so early in the school year, the reason why he thought he loved me. I was a replacement for the other Holly.

"It's perfect how we look the same and have the same name, isn't it Heywood?" I said with a cold laugh. "How great!"

"Holly, listen-" Mr. Heywood started, but I cut him off.

"You used me as a replacement," I whispered, feeling my eyes starting to water.

"Holly-"

"Don't say my name!" I nearly shouted, slapping his hand away when he put it out again. "Move!"

"What's wrong?" Holly asked in surprise. "Chris?"

I shoved Mr. Heywood aside as hard as I could and started out of the room, angry tears threatening to spill my eyes. Refusing to let them spill, I blinked them away rapidly.

"Holly! Wait!" Mr. Heywood demanded, grabbing my arm. "Listen to me!"

"Let go!" I growled, ripping my arm away from his.

"Holly!"

I walked swiftly down the hospital hallways, keeping my eyes on the ground. Mr. Heywood was following me; I could hear his footsteps and calls to me. I ignored him, my chest clenching painfully. As soon as I reached the hospital exit, I felt Mr. Heywood take a hold of my arm again.

"Leave me alone," I ordered, glaring at him.

"Holly," he said in an exasperated voice. "Just let me explain-"

"Explain how you used me? I don't care!" I cried, trying to pull my arm away from him.

He sighed and held on tighter. As a desperate attempt to make him let go, I kicked him in the shin as hard as I could. He didn't even look phased. In fact, he looked amused. I didn't find anything funny about it.

"Let go, or I'll scream," I warned.

"Holly, please."

"One..."

Mr. Heywood let go and I automatically took off running. I didn't want to hear his explanation, or excuses, or apologies. Not right now. Right now I just needed time to myself.

"Holly!" Mr. Heywood yelled after me. "Holly! Stop! Where are you going?"

I ignored him, continuing to run through the parking lot. It was dark now, but I could care less. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew I wanted to get away from Mr. Heywood.

________________________________________________________________________

Dun dun dun!!!!

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