When the bell rang to announce the next class, we hadn't accomplished more than a few sketches in our notebooks. Hopefully, Ms. Demet wouldn't be too hard on us since we were already ahead of the others, and even so, I couldn't care less. More important things were happening, and a failed assignment was nothing in comparison.

Zach and I parted ways with an odd silence passing between us. I wanted nothing more than to touch him, but we were visible to at least half the school where we were standing in the middle of the hallway. It felt too soon to try our boundaries. We didn't exchange any see-you-laters or any other type of greeting, but I was too preoccupied with other thoughts to resent that fact.

Tyra came up to me a few seconds after Zach walked off, tugging at my arm and turning me around.

"You won't believe what happened."

"What?"

"That guy from the cafe, Tobias, I saw him walking out from the principle's office."

I can't say I was happy about hearing even more news about Tobias, but on the other hand, if he was here to mess with me, it was better if I knew what kind of cards he played.

"That's weird," I said, not knowing how much to tell her. I hadn't said anything about the connection between us, and I wanted it to remain that way unless things turned dangerous for Tyra. I hoped they wouldn't, but one never knew with that guy.

"Okay so maybe I'm kind of snoopy, but I went in there to ask about it, and this is where it turns crazy." Tyra paused, making sure I was listening. "That guy is going to be our temp teacher."

My chest tightened painfully. This had to be some sort of cruel joke. Even so, I knew perfectly well that this was Tobias style. He was trying to worm his way into my life again, regaining the power he held over me before summer break. I wondered if this was the time to tell Tyra the truth, or if I should let her remain blissfully unaware.

"Dylan?" She looked at me with furrowed brows. "What are you not telling me." I couldn't fault her for being perceptive, but right now, I wished she weren't.

"We can talk about it later." I had to buy some time. I wasn't ready to tell her just yet. My confused thoughts had to fall into place before I tried to disentangle which parts to tell her without her freaking out entirely.

"Why not now?"

"Because I say so." I didn't want to be rude, but she was damn persistent at times, and now wasn't the time to push me.

She rolled her eyes before shrugging her shoulders in defeat. "Can I come over after school?"

I sighed but nodded.

"Okay, should I bring Sebastian too?" she asked.

She was right, if I told her, I might as well tell Sebastian about it as well. "Sure. Just come over when you feel like it, I'll be home."

A careful smile landed on her lips before she gave me a quick hug. "You don't look too hot. Are you heading home right away?"

That sounded like a perfect plan, but I couldn't afford to miss any lessons after the long afternoon Zach and I spent painting the other day. "No, I'll stay. I'm okay," I said, even if it was far from the truth.

———

The afternoon classes passed in a blur. I tried to focus on what the teachers were saying, but their words slurred together into a scrambled mess. Tyra and Seb shared a couple of those classes with me, and I hoped that I could salvage some of the information by comparing notes. Instead, my thoughts kept wandering between Tobias and Zach. I desperately wanted to talk to Zach about what was going on, but I figured it was better to try out some kind of reasonable explanation with Tyra and Seb first. If they understood, it would be a lot easier to talk to Zach about it. Of course, I had already said a few things to him, but he wasn't aware that Tobias was sneaking his way back into my life. Moreover, he was the one likely to suffer from Tobias' meddling. I had already received a picture of Zach and I together, so I knew that Tobias was aware of our relationship, if one could call it that.

One part of me knew that Zach could fend for himself, but I didn't want to cause him any stress by pulling him into my mess. No one deserved that.

Tyra offered to bring Seb to my place, so I drove alone. Lily got a ride with a friend, which was perfect. I had to tell Mom before I told Lily. My baby sis was terrified of Tobias, and I wasn't sure how to handle it all.

I wasn't in a good state of mind while driving, but somehow I managed to stay on the road all the way back home. Mom wasn't back from work yet, but I called her the first thing I did. This wasn't something I could keep from her. If I did, she would tear me a new one.

She picked up on the third ring.

"Dylan?"

"Hi Mom."

"Is everything alright?" As always, she picked up on the worry in my voice.

"Tobias is back."

"What?" Her voice was loud enough to ring in my ear.

"He's a new temp teacher."

"You're kidding?"

"Would I joke about this?" I asked.

"Damn it. We have to report this, Dylan. This can't go on." Her voice was tight with strain.

I knew she would say that, but I also knew that we stood with empty hands. It was his word against mine, and it hadn't worked last time around.

"Dylan, we'll get him. Don't worry. We just need to be smart about it, okay."

Clasping the phone with whitening fingers, I shrank back against the wall. She was right. I couldn't give up like this. We had to do something, if only I knew what to do.

"Okay. When will you be home tonight?" I asked, hoping that she would come home early for once.

"I'll try to be back in an hour. Does Lily know yet?"

"No, I haven't told her."

"Good, we'll tell her together. Don't worry, honey. I'm here and I've got your back. Don't forget that."

"Okay." I loved my mom, and I wasn't even embarrassed to admit it.

We closed the call, but I remained leaning against the wall, wiping my face with a clammy hand. My knees were shaking so bad that I wasn't sure I could walk. Right then, I wished I hadn't asked Tyra and Seb to come over. I didn't want them to see me like this. Not only because I was supposed to be a calm dude that didn't fear stupid people, but also because I didn't want to cause them any fear. It was one thing to tell them some vague details and ask them to keep their guard up around Tobias, but it was another thing entirely to tell them everything. They would worry, and I hated the thought of ruining their peace of mind.

My phone gave off a soft purr in my pocket.

Filled with dread, I laced my fingers around it and pulled it up. It was an unknown number, and I knew I should have erased the message before even looking at it, but I couldn't help myself. The screen flashed with another picture of Zach and I, together with the message: I see you didn't miss me enough. See you in class.

My eyes burned with angry tears, but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. I wouldn't cry. Instead, I would fight back. This time, I wouldn't give up. Never again.