A/N: Hey I'm not dead! You guys must hate me for taking so long, but I'm definitely not gonna leave you guys hanging anymore. This story isn't over. :) So much has happened with me, I got so busy. I'm so sorry. :(( I almost published a shortened version of this chapter a week ago, but i knew it wasn't right yet. So I had to think about what else I could add on to make this longer. So here it is, remember everything is slowly coming together. :) please review!

It's been a week since that day Koma came home beat up, I haven't seen much of her. She is usually out all the time anyways and I knew she was just partying, but something else is going on now. Why would someone want to hurt Koma? Did she start a fight with them? Call them names? Maybe she just got into a drunken fight with some girl at a club or something. But if that was the case, she wouldn't have looked so…petrified. She's usually so ruthless. And she told me that she could not tell me what happened. But why? This is all so confusing. I fear that someone is holding control over Koma. I hope she is not involved in anything dangerous.

When I get home from school, I notice that Koma isn't here again. Maybe this would be a good time to try to figure out what's going on. I gingerly walk into her room. I can't remember the last time I was in here. The usual smell of alcohol and cigarettes engulf me. Clothes cover her floor, along with empty beer bottles and cartons of cigarettes. I'm not sure where to begin or what the hell to look for. I open her drawers and scramble through there, but there's not much. I look in her nightstand and find several envelopes containing letters. I know it's wrong for me to be looking through her mail, but I just really needed to find out what was going on. Most of them are just old bills. I open the envelope from her job. At the top of the letter it says, "TERMINATION NOTICE". What?! She got fired?! I scan through the letter. Most of it says what she can do with her remaining paychecks and such. None of it says why she got fired. I look at the date; she got this about a month ago. How has she been able to pay the bills? And why didn't she tell she got fired? This is awful…how are we going to live here?

I hear footsteps outside of Koma's door and I freeze. Oh shit.

The door swings open and I don't dare to turn and face her.

"Kori what the hell are you doing?" She asks irritably.

"I should be asking you the same thing…" I whisper.

"What?" She asks, getting more frustrated.

I face her, with the letter in my hand.

"You got fired?!" I shout.

Her eyes widen. "Why are you going through my mail?!"

"Answer me Koma!" I shout again.

She ignores me and flares her nostrils. She charges towards me and rips the letter out of my hand.

"Don't go through my mail you bitch!" She growls.

Although her harsh tone cuts through me, I don't flinch. I narrow my eyes and cross my arms.

"Why did you not tell me?" I ask.

"There's no need." She replies flatly.

"No need?!" I yell. "Koma, how are we going to pay for anything?!"

"I've got it covered, don't worry." She says.

"How?" I ask.

"Kori, I said don't worry." She says while gritting her teeth.

"How can you say that? Of course I'm going to worry!" I frown.

She sighs. "Just trust me, alright?"

I sigh in defeat. There is never a use for arguing with Koma. She always wins.

"Okay." I reply quietly.

I begin walking away and I turn around to look at her when I'm at her doorway.

"I'm sorry for going through your mail." I don't wait for her to answer. I slowly shut the door behind me.

I tap my pencil against my desk repetitively. My mind is zoned out again. Thinking of many, many things. Mostly Koma and Xavier were consuming my mind. Koma told me not to worry. But of course, I will worry. I have no idea how she's paying our bills. How can we possibly keep living there? She doesn't have a job, so how is she getting money? Could she possibly be…

"No…" I whisper to myself. But Vic hears me. He nudges me softly on my arm.

"Kori, what's wrong?" He whispers to me.

I look up at him. His dark brown eyes are full of concern.

"Oh, nothing. I was just daydreaming." I say with a sheepish smile.

Vic smiles. "Oh, well okay."

I look away from him and my smile falters. It makes me sad that I don't tell Vic anything anymore. I don't tell any of my friends anything. I just don't want to involve them. I have too many problems. I'm a handful. This is the easiest way they can deal with me.

But I think of the talk I had with Richard at the cemetery. How I opened up so easily to him and how he did the same. So strange…but I felt comfortable. And I've always wanted to talk to someone like that. Not caring about whether or not if they would judge me and letting out my feelings. But Richard and I act like it never even happened. We don't even talk much. It's back to where we used to be. Strangers.

Every time I walk anywhere, it feels like the whole world is going in slow motion, yet everything is passing by so quickly. Everyone is living their lives. Going to parties, making memories, having the time of their lives and me? I'm just doing what I need to do to get out of high school and sulking. It's my senior year, so I'm almost done. I have been accepted to a few colleges and as of right now I'm going to Gotham University. And I'm very lucky I'll be going there, it's the one of the top universities. I'm only able to go, because of the many scholarships I received. I guess one thing I can praise myself for is being smart. And I really had no idea what I wanted to major in. I just decided on Journalism since writing is easy for me.

Even though I will go to an amazing university, I feel like I'm wasting my life away. I just sit around and feel sad and empty all the time. And I really don't know how to stop that feeling.

I excuse myself to go to the bathroom and give Vic a reassuring smile when he gives me a concerned look. He still doesn't believe me when I say I'm fine. I don't blame him. Everything about me is fake. From my smiles, to my words, to my life.

Every time I walk anywhere, it feels like the whole world is going in slow motion, yet everything is passing by so quickly. Everyone is living their lives. Going to parties, making memories, having the time of their lives and me? I'm just doing what I need to do to get out of high school and sulking. It's my senior year, so I'm almost done. I have been accepted to a few colleges and as of right now I'm going to Gotham University. And I'm very lucky I'll be going there, it's the one of the top universities. I'm only able to go, because of the many scholarships I received. I guess one thing I can praise myself for is being smart. And I really had no idea what I wanted to major in. I just decided on Journalism since writing is easy for me.

I go in one of stalls and lock it. I rest my back against the wall and sigh heavily. I know I said I wanted to leave Koma as soon as I turn 18, but who am I kidding? I can't even afford a dorm room. And I don't even know how she is able to afford our house. She said don't worry, but I can't stop worrying. Sooner or later, she won't be able to keep this up. I have to get a job. I need to help pay the bills since Koma isn't reliable anymore. She's been acting so different. She doesn't seem so dominating anymore. She just seems…like me. So weak and scared. I don't know what goes on in her life. It's pretty terrifying. I don't know who she is.

I felt like I was sweating now and my forehead was on fire. I leave the stall and go to one of the sinks. I run the water under my hands and splash my face. So stressed…I'll never get a chance to breath.

I walk back slowly to my class. No hurry at all. Any quiet time I have is something I cherish.

I hear the sound of footsteps echoing through the hallway, but ignore it. It sounds like they are coming from behind me, but I still ignore it. Probably just a student. But the footsteps get closer…right behind me. I felt the person's body heat on me now. I swiftly turn around and see no one…I briefly scan my eyes around the hallway and continue to walk.

But as soon as I turn, I feel that strange aroma again. As if somebody is right behind me. I hear the footsteps again. Each time I turn around, no one is there. I must be going mad.

"Hey, cutie."

I cringe when that voice echoes in my ears. He's not here. He's not here. He can't be. I'm just hearing things again. I haven't seen him since that day…Why hasn't he been at school? Surely he should have come by now to hurt me…It's so torturous waiting for someone to hurt you.

"Go away." I think to myself.

"But it's been so long, babe." He replies back.

"I do not want to see you."

"But I love you."

"No, you do not."

"How can you say that, cutie?"

"If you loved me, you would never hurt me."

His villainous laugh mocks me. "I've never hurt you. You're crazy, Kori."

I clench my fists tightly. "Do not call me that."

"Listen to yourself right now, Kori. You're talking to yourself."

"Shut up, just shut up."

"What did I tell ya? Crazy."

I put my hands to face and tremble. "Get out of my mind!"

I stop in my tracks when I hear the footsteps behind me again.

"Long time no see, cutie."

A/N: Please review!:))