The next few weeks weren't all that eventful for Petey, really. The only thing worth noting was all the failed attempts at making Gary jealous by starting rumors of something going on between him and Jimmy. He was sure Kirby would've found out and run off to pass the news on to Gary, but there hadn't been any mention of it in any of his recent visits to the asylum, and that was not something Gary would've just let go. Mostly all they accomplished was confusing the hell out of the other students. At least most of them were home for the summer, though.

For Gary, it was getting harder and harder to ignore the things Kirby was telling him about Petey and Jimmy. What was even harder was stopping himself from strangling the pink-shirted teen whenever he came to visit. He had suspicions that Jimmy had convinced Petey to play this jealousy game, and as much as he didn't want to play into their hands, he was starting to lose control. The thought of that pug-faced Jimmy putting his hands on his femme-boy was becoming too much to deal with. He needed some kind of outlet. Luckily for him, there was a knock on the door. Hopefully that would bring the outlet he needed.

"Come in," he mumbled. He almost felt bad for whoever was on the other side of that door, with the terrible mood he was in.

Petey couldn't help but frown. Gary's voice sounded a little different than usual. He hoped it was nothing to worry about as he forced the frown from his face and opened the door, stepping into the room. "Hey, I just wanted to come see how you were doing."

Gary scowled, he didn't expect Petey but he'd take whatever he was given. "The hell do you want?"

"I told you, to see if you're doing okay. I can come back some other time if you're gonna be cranky." He could see Gary was definitely in one of his moods, but it didn't seem like something he needed to be too worried about. Then again, maybe the rumors had finally gotten back to him. The thought made Petey a little uncomfortable now that he actually considered it; making Gary jealous was an entirely different game when he was right next to you.

"Oh no, Peter," he chirped, slinging an arm over Petey's shoulders. "I couldn't be happier to see you." He grinned deviously, leaning in closer to the teen. "I need your help, in fact." He saw the confusion flicker through Petey's eyes and snickered inwardly.

This wasn't sounding good at all. He didn't have much of a choice but to hear Gary out, though. Hopefully it wouldn't be too unpleasant. "My help with what?"

"My escape, of course!" Gary made it sound as if he'd just asked Petey to help him with his homework, not most likely break several laws.

Petey could practically feel the color drain from his face as he laughed nervously, patting Gary's back. "That's, uh...that's a good one, man. What do you really need help with?"

"Oh I'm serious, Peter. More serious than I've ever been." He moved away from Petey to look out his barred window. "I'm busting out. You saying you aren't up to it?" He'd planned to just give Petey a hard time, but it wasn't as satisfying these days since the boy could just leave if it became to much for him, which really ruined it for Gary. Though he was serious about escaping, Gary decided that regardless of how it turned out, just the look on femme-boy's face was enough.

"Gary...where do you think you're going to go? You'll get caught." Petey had never met anyone else who was so good at making terrible decisions, except maybe Jimmy. Gary was so much harder to deal with, though. "I don't know what you expect me to do."

"Well your mom works here, right? And she gives you a key to get in here, doesn't she?" Gary stroked his chin deviously. "Well what if you happen to forget that key on my bed? And I just happen to find it and make my escape during the night?" The plan was all coming together in his head. The thoughts coming almost too quickly for him to keep up. He could feel the adrenaline rising as he thought of slinking through the sterile hallways, slipping past the night orderlies and beating the system.

Watching Gary's expression change as he formed his plan, Petey could tell there wasn't much hope of changing his mind. Still, he could try. "But you still don't have anywhere to go once you leave. Your parents would send you back."

"Who says I'm going home? I'll come stay with you, of course." He hated to admit that Petey was right, but well...Petey was right. He really didn't have a place to go, and no way in hell would he ever go home. Outright demanding that he stay at Petey's place was more or less something he'd just blurted out.

"My house? My mom would have you brought back here the second she saw you, Gary."

"Then just hide me." He was becoming agitated with Petey's refusal to help him with his plan. Petey wasn't supposed to say no to him.

Petey sighed. He really did want Gary to be happy, but he could already imagine how many problems could come from doing something so reckless. "I...guess I could try."

Gary grinned. "Great. Just set up a place for me, and when you're done, leave the key here."

This was going to be a disaster. Petey gave a nod to show he was listening. "Anything else?"

"Nah, that's it. I'll know more when I get to your house. You should get started on it." Gary motioned towards the door, indicating it was time for Petey to get to work.

Not bothering to try hiding the grim look on his face, Petey followed the unspoken order and walked out. As soon as he heard the door click shut and lock, Gary laid down on his uncomfortable cot, continuing to muse over his escape plan.

"Ugh, Kirby! Get your shit off my side of the room!"

Kirby scowled. His stupid roommate had been doing nothing but complain and bug him lately, and it was starting to really piss him off. Most of the things Trent did pissed him off, though, so that wasn't saying much. "It isn't on your side."

"It obviously is!" Trent kicked the football gear over to what he decided was Kirby's side of the room. "Now keep your shit over there!"

"You're a complete idiot," Kirby muttered as he picked his precious helmet up and brushed it off.

Trent rolled his eyes, shedding his shirt and heading into their shared bathroom. He couldn't wait to get out of this rat hole of a school. Though when he really thought about it, it frightened him a little. Where would he go after high school was over? College? He scoffed as he studied his face in the smudged mirror.

Annoyed at the lack of reaction, Kirby left their small room, all but slamming the door. He didn't have an exact idea where he wanted to go, but it didn't take long before he found himself on the path to Happy Volts. Maybe seeing Gary would clear his mind.

Gary startled awake when Kirby finally knocked on his door, and immediately a scowl graced his once peaceful features. Who the hell had come to wake him up? "What?" he growled as a greeting, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"It's me. Don't get pissy," Kirby said as he unlocked the door and stepped in, rolling his eyes.

"Why the hell are you here?" Gary did actually enjoy the company, not that he'd ever let Kirby or Petey know that.

"Well I'm obviously not here to enjoy the scenery. Why do you think I'm here?" He sat on the cot, kicking his shoes off. "Roommate's being annoying again, so I left."

"I'm gonna guess sex, but I'm not in the mood. Sorry Kirb," he teased as he sat up, resting his head on the jock's shoulder. "What'd he do now, princess?"

Looking embarrassed, Kirby gave the other boy a shove. "Shut up. He was just being an ass."

Gary laughed wholeheartedly. "That's nothing unusual. Is that all you wanted to talk about?"

"I didn't even come to talk about it. I just wanted to see you. Have you been in bed all day?"

Gary shrugged. "Pretty much, nothing better to do in this place."

"Don't they let you go out sometimes?" Sometimes Kirby really doubted how legitimate the institution actually was. Gary never had anything but complaints about it. Though, as Kirby thought about it, Gary complaining about everything possible wasn't anything new.

"Yeah, but all I do is sit outside on a nasty old bench. Doesn't matter anyway, I'll be out of here in no time."

"Oh yeah? They set up a release date for you already?" If that was true, he figured Gary must have done some damn good acting lately.

"Nah, of course not. It's been like what, a month? Petey is helping me bust out of here." Gary smirked as he watched a range of emotions pass though Kirby's eyes.

Why the hell would Gary have asked that wimp for help? He was screwing around with Jimmy! Kirby narrowed his eyes as he tried to figure out what to say. "Why him?" And of course that brilliant response was the best he could manage to come up with. He hated how much Gary could piss him off.

"Simple, he's my bitch." Gary was pleased with himself for being able to keep a straight face. "Do you think you'd be better for the job?" He planted a chaste kiss on the jock's neck, loving the way his muscles tensed against the feather light touch.

"Bastard," Kirby practically growled, grabbing a fistful of Gary's shirt and kissing him. "He's with Jimmy all the time now. Obviously you don't have as much control over him as you think. You might as well just stop pining after him."

Gary smirked, nipping at Kirby's lower lip. "You really believe all that shit? Petey has it bad for me. Jimmy is just trying to fuck with me through him. Once I'm out all that'll change. And you didn't answer my question," he mused, pulling the smaller teen into his lap.

"I don't have to answer it. You already know I'm not your bitch." Frowning in annoyance, Kirby smacked the other boy's hands away, refusing to budge.

"Hn." He nuzzled the jock's neck. "I meant if you had a better idea of how to get me out of here."

"Well...not really," he admitted. "But where are you going when you get out? With him?"

"Probably. That part I'm not totally sure on. Got any suggestions?" He watched as the jock thought, using the distraction as an opportunity to slide him into his lap.

Kirby glared a bit, but he didn't bother trying to stop Gary again. He was busy thinking. "There's always the clubhouse at the football field."

"Hm, I don't wanna take the chance of running into a teacher, or worse, Jimmy." He really didn't want to see Jimmy's ugly-ass face first thing when he got out of this place.

"Well there's no way my parents would let you stay at my house."

"Hm, any other hideouts?" He doubted he would ever go anywhere Kirby suggested, but a back up was always useful.

Kirby made a valiant effort to think of a good place for Gary to stay, but in the end all he could do was shrug. "I can't think of anyone that would willingly hide you."

"Gee, thanks." He pouted, but he wasn't truly hurt. He was sure word had gotten around town about what he'd done at the school. He would almost be shocked if someone willingly let him stay at their place. Petey was an exception, of course.

"You know it's the truth. Anyway, stay with that wuss if you want, but I'm gonna be checking in." He couldn't stand the idea of Petey having Gary to himself all summer.

Gary laughed, hard. "Checking in," he managed to choked out between fits of laughter. "What's there to check up on?" He eyed the boy as he wiped false tears from his eyes.

Rolling his eyes, Kirby did his best to ignore how Gary's laugh could make anyone feel like the biggest idiot on the planet. "Yes, checking in! I have to make sure you don't do something stupid."

"Me? Stupid? Kirby, I didn't think you felt that way about me," Gary joked, taking a firm hold of Kirby's ass.

"Oh shut up. And cut it out." Kirby shifted uncomfortably before standing up. "I've gotta go."

"Already? I was just starting to have fun." Lying back on his cot with his arms behind his head, he offered Kirby a lopsided grin. "Check in on me soon?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't beat up any orderlies, or whatever you do here all day besides sleeping." Not waiting for what he was sure would be some smart-ass response, Kirby gave Gary a wave before walking out and locking the door behind him.

An aging woman with brunette curls sat waiting by the window of a small cafe in the town of Bullworth. Her skin was pale, crows feet and worry lines beginning to show around her eyes and forehead. But it was her eyes that gave away her true age, though they still shone with a certain warmness only a patient and understanding woman possessed. She held her cup of tea with both hands and let it warm her, even with the summer heat bearing down ruthlessly on the passersby outside of the cafe's air conditioned confines. Though she'd never seen the woman she was waiting for, Catrina Smith waved to a small woman whom had just walked in, and her smile was returned as the petite woman made her way over to the table for two.

Smiling, she sat down. "You're Catrina, right? I think I saw you visiting Happy Volts once. I didn't know you were Gary Smith's mother."

"Oh, yes, I am. You're the receptionist there, right? We must've missed each other every time. I ordered us some peppermint tea, I wasn't sure what you liked." Catrina felt a bit awkward. Adam really didn't like her going out and socializing, so she'd lost contact with most of her friends. To be out like this was...almost new to her.

"That's just the kind of luck I have," Amanda said with a small laugh. "Peppermint tea is fine, thank you. I'm glad we could meet up, I've been wanting to speak with you." She wasn't sure if Gary's mother would know any more about what was going on with their sons than she did, but she didn't have anyone else to speak with about it. She could tell something was strange about the way that boy made Peter act, and she needed to figure the situation out.

Catrina couldn't quite explain the feeling in her chest when Amanda had said she liked the tea, relief maybe? She shrugged it off, remembering that tea wasn't the point of this meeting. "Right, you weren't totally clear on the phone. What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Was Gary misbehaving? Oh, she hoped not, it might mean that he would have to stay at Happy Volts for longer. Had they even decided on a release date? Sometimes she hated how Adam always kept her in the dark.

For a moment Amanda considered how exactly to word what she had been thinking about. "Well, has your son ever mentioned a friend of his named Peter?"

"Gary?" Catrina was a little ashamed to admit that she knew next to nothing about her son's life. She couldn't really call him at school, unless she left a note with the secretary. And 'Hi, how are you doing, hun?' on a sticky note just didn't have the same feel to it. "Well...he doesn't really talk much about his social life."

That basically eliminated any chance of Catrina being able to give her any information, Amanda realized with some disappointment. Still, if this woman didn't know what was going on with her son, Amanda felt the least she could do was fill her in a little. "Oh, well Peter is my son, and the two of them seem to be really close. He never really talks to me about Gary, though, so I don't really know what their friendship is like."

That fact that a mother, one who was as involved and loving as Amanda, didn't know everything about her son made Catrina feel better. If only a little. "It's comforting to know that Gary had at least one friend." She sighed and stared into her cup of tea. "Gary has always been a little...different from the other boys his age."

"He's been very well behaved so far," Amanda mentioned as she sipped her tea, smiling. "I'm sure you raised him right. He just needs a little help."

"You really think so?" Catrina felt hopeful, and the desperate need to form a friendship with this woman was eating away at her. "Maybe once Gary is released the two of them can get together some time? I'd be happy to have you and your family over." The second the words left her mouth she regretted it. No way would Adam ever agree to that. He was a very private person, and hated having company over.

"That would be great, I'd love to." The woman seemed a little nervous, but Amanda couldn't figure out any reason why she would be. It almost reminded her of Peter. "I want both our boys to be happy."

Catrina wondered if maybe her life was finally getting back to normal. Her spirits rose a bit when she thought about maybe being able to convince Adam that a little socialization would be good for all of them. "That's what I want, too." Catrina smiled as she rose from the table. "I'm really glad you called me, I feel much better about this whole situation, and I hope we can talk again soon." As they left the café together, little did the two women know that they would be meeting again far sooner than either of them thought.

Ever since he left Gary's room at Happy Volts earlier that day, one thing had been going through Petey's mind: where was he going to hide Gary? Obviously it was a bad idea to just let him stay in the house; there was no doubt his mother would eventually see Gary before long. But Petey would be heading home from school very soon, so where else was there for him to stay? Another thing that had crossed his mind was whether he actually wanted Gary at his home…not that he had much control over that. Still, it would be so strange to have one of the bullies he'd been teased by for years in his only safe haven. Especially knowing that he brought the bully there himself.

Petey shook his head, clearing the thoughts from it. Thinking about that wouldn't help anything. He closed his eyes and imagined his house in his mind, trying to think of somewhere, anywhere he could hide his friend for at least a little while. After a few more minutes of thinking, something struck him. In one of the taller trees placed in his backyard, he had a rather impressive treehouse. His dad had worked so hard to build it for him when he was younger, but Petey managed to fall out of the tree the first time he tried it out. He never did climb that tree again, but the treehouse was still there, hopefully in good condition…and hopefully it would be good enough for a temporary hiding place. Although Gary probably wasn't going to be happy about it.

Still, there was nothing else he could do. Already working out an explanation in his head, Petey steeled his nerves and headed to Happy Volts.

So far everything was going as planned. Gary was informed by Petey that a place for him to stay had been arranged, and today was the official start of Bullworth's summer vacation, which meant there was less of a chance he'd be spotted by someone that knew him. The key to his room had been 'forgotten' by Petey on the end of his cot. Once all but the few nightly orderlies remained, Gary decide it was time to take his leave. As quietly as he could, he turned the key, unlocking the metal door with a soft click. He stuck his head out into the hallway, being careful to look both ways before slipping out and closing the door behind him. Having memorized the way out, he was able to sneak past the orderlies without ever being spotted. He took a deep breath of night air before heading left towards the fence that blocked his escape. His heart skipped a beat when he didn't spot Petey right away, but relaxed when he spotted the glow of a pink shirt hiding behind the tree Jimmy had used when breaking Johnny out of Happy Volts. "Glad to see you didn't chicken out, femme-boy. You bring the blanket?" A heavy blanket was needed so he could climb up and over the barbed wire fence. Gary was, for once, thankful for the shitty town, whose asylum couldn't afford electric fences.

Petey couldn't help jumping at the sound of Gary's voice. "I brought it," he said, shifting nervously. The entire time he had been waiting, he couldn't stop himself from imagining all the things that could've gone wrong with the plan. After a few attempts, he finally managed to get the blanket over the fence to allow Gary to climb up. "I wasn't just lying when I said I would help you, you know."

Careful to keep away from the barbs, Gary slowly made his way up and over the chain-linked fence. "Just making sure," he teased, being sure to keep his voice down as his asylum issued slippers made contact with the dry ground below. "Let's get going." He helped Petey yank the blanket free of the barbs, briefly wondering if he should collect the fibers left behind. He shrugged, deciding that the staff probably wasn't smart enough to check. He turned to Petey with an expectant look. "Lead the way, femme-boy."

"Right," Petey whispered with a nod, starting the long walk to his house. Sooner or later Gary was going to find out he was staying in a treehouse, of all places, but he had no idea how to break the news. Holding the blanket against his chest, he wrestled with what to do the entire way home. Tell him first or wait until they got there? Which would be better?

Once in town, Gary felt it was safe to hold a conversation at a normal volume. Clapping his hand on the smaller boy's shoulder, he grinned. "A job well done, I'd say. Now let's get down to business. You never really clarified where I'd be staying, and 'somewhere close by' really isn't going to cut it now." Petey's reluctance to clearly identify where he'd be staying was really starting to grate on Gary's nerves.

Well, at least that was decided for him. "It's not exactly the ideal place, but it's only gonna be temporary, I swear. I...have this treehouse in my backyard, and it's pretty big, and still sturdy, so..." It sounded even more ridiculous when he said it out loud, but all he could hope for at that point was that Gary wouldn't be pissed off about it.

There was silence for several minutes, though it felt like a lifetime to Petey. Gary's face portrayed no hints as to what he might be thinking about the situation at hand. Petey nearly jumped out of his skin when Gary started to cackle. "Well...not sure what I was hoping for, but beggars can't be choosers." And just like that...Gary was fine with it? Petey was at a loss for words. No smack to the back of his head? No yelling or lashing out? Had the asylum done something to Gary? He'd told Petey that he wasn't swallowing his medication, giving the pills to Petey to dispose of so the orderlies wouldn't find them when the rooms were inspected weekly. But had they somehow found out about it? Had they forcibly administered Gary's medication? Petey wasn't even sure what his prescription was called, or even what it was supposed to treat.

Petey was pulled from his reverie when Gary started walking again. "So are we there yet, femme-boy?" Gary yawned, stretching his arms over his head. "I'm getting kind of tired."

"U-um, yeah," Petey stammered, still amazed at Gary's acceptance of the situation. "My house is just down the street," he added as he lead the way there.

"Great." Gary beamed as he followed the teen back to his place. "So are your folks home?" Come to think of it, Gary had never heard Petey mention anything about his father. Were they separated? He figured he'd find out soon.

"Mom is already in bed, and my dad doesn't live with us," he answered as he headed to the backyard and gave Gary his flashlight. "There's the treehouse." His parents hadn't really had a particularly nasty divorce, but he still hoped Gary wouldn't press him too much about it. He'd never really told the other boy much about what his life at home was like before.

Feeling somewhat merciful, Gary decided to drop the matter, though he'd be sure to bring it up some other time. He shined the flashlight up into the tree. The outline of a square treehouse was barely visible in the blackness. "That's it?" Gary refused to let Petey see the disappointment he felt, though he doubted he could see it in the dark, anyway. He'd hoped for something a little nicer, but Petey had said it was only temporary. Did that mean he was already working on another place for him?

Sighing, he secured the flashlight between his teeth and climbed up the boards nailed to the side of the tree. He clambered inside through the narrow hole at the bottom of the treehouse and settled on the sleeping bag Petey thankfully had the foresight to leave for him. The wooden hideaway groaned in protest of the teen's weight, but otherwise felt stable enough.

After telling Gary goodnight with as much volume as he dared with his mother asleep in the house, he crept inside and headed to his room, trying to make as little noise as possible. He had no idea where he was going to eventually move Gary to, but at least he would be able to let him in the house whenever his mother left for work. He would figure something out eventually.