I have been in the room for a week now nobody came in or out, not even James except my mom who brought food which I did not eat and just lay on my bed. I woke up to my father opening my door walking in. 

“For now, on you stay next to James only talk to James, and keep your grades up you got it?” I nodded my head and did my morning routine. I ate breakfast and walked out to James waiting for me in the car. I got in and we drove away quietly. 

 “Why didn’t they care about what happened.” He asked me quietly 

“Why would they I'm alive and I'm not bleeding so it's fine I should've listened in the first place and stayed with you. All I need to do is graduate firm Harvard get a good paying job and give my parents a lovely home.” I told him bluntly he parked in front of the school and looked at me. 

“So, you're going to stay with me and let me help you right.” I nodded my head, he looked at me for a few min then smiled. “I like the sound of that I will make sure you don’t get hurt ever again. We walked out of the car, and he held my hand as we walked through the school everybody looked at me with worry. James's friend had run up to him smiling and stopped once he looked at me. 

“Dude you ok thought your parents killed you or some shit people saying you getting abused at home.” His friend said. 

“Dude shut up hes fine I'm making him better let us go to class.’’ 

As we walked into the classroom, we sat in our usual seats, me in the middles of Ryer and James. We were in AP health ed class. The teacher was playing children's shows and we had to comment on how they may affect a child later. As I watched I slowly slipped in a hazy state  

James Pov- 

I heard a small giggle and turned and seen Max smiling at the tv he then put his thumb in his mouth. That is fucking disgusting we touched a lot of stuff in this school. Before I could do anything, Max had giggled again, and I seen Ryker wake up immediately and bumped his legs on the desk. He turned toward Max and smiled. Ryker had snatched Max thumb out his mouth and gave him some cheese puffs and put a coloring page in front of him as he grabbed the worksheet and started doing it for him. I snatched the coloring page and worksheet from Ryker and gave it back to Max. 

“You need to do your work stop doing nasty shit.” I said as some of the people in the class looked at us. I turned to see Max start whimpering as all of Ryker friends crowded the area blocking off the view from others. The teacher had escorted the class out and smiled at Ryker before leaving herself. 

I turned back around and just watched the scene silently. 

Ryker pov- 

Shit why did he have to do that I try to soothe Max down hes been slipping a lot lastly, he has not slipped since I moved. I took Mr. Bear out of my bag and handed it to him to calm him down. His breathing started to slow down. 

“What's wrong kitten tell daddy.” 

“I want to color, and the meanie took it.” Max whined  

“Stop it with that fake baby shit see Ryker you ruined him.” James yelled, he tried to grab Max, but he hopped in my lap crying again. 

“I don’t wanna go wanna stay with daddy and kiyah.” Max whined the door had opened and his mom and father had entered along with a doctor and another man in a suit and briefcase. 

“Hey, I need big Max now please.” I whispered to him in urgency, she shook his head at me and buried it in my chest shivering from fear. 

“Let go of my son you're making him do sick things.” He grabbed Max as he whined and placed him in the chair and held him down. The doctor had come up and started checking on Max health and vitals. 

“I don’t see anything wrong he seems fine but malnourished and stressed does he takes any pills to calm it down to prevent any panic attacks.?” The doctor had asked as the lawyer wrote everything, he had down I looked at Jordan and Phynix they had started recording too but hiding their phones from their view. 

“No eats what his mother makes him breakfast lunch at school and dinner at home and a snack on the side and that’s just him being over dramatic. I moved forward intervening. 

“I give him gummies due to his depression, so I don’t trust him with pills his panic attacks have been occurring more often due to him trying to keep his grades up and being forced to hang out with this boy also due to not always eating as his mom only makes portions to make herself look good and to get info out of him. The lawyer was just blindly writing everything until I seen his mother nudge him and he erased it. “I would normally feed him when he gets here. 

“Hes lying, but that also doesn't explain him acting like a child” James and his father said to the doctor. 

“It's called age regression which is particularly normal for some people he will revert to a younger age due to trauma or stress. I assume you’re his caretaker.” The doctor asked, looking up at me as I nodded towards him. Max parents were looking at him with disgust as was James I ignored hem and took this opportunity to get more help. 

“Ok so I sometimes give him these adult pacifiers to stop him from chewing on his nails and thumbs but don’t know if it’s the right brand I notice his teeth became sensitive.” Th doctor nodded and checked his teeth showing me some sites and giving me a pamphlet for more information. 

“Also, one last thing about his depression he would sometimes burn or cut himself I had recently taken every sharp object and lighters out of his room; he hasn't done it in a while, but I also don’t want to give him medication I heard it makes it worse.” The doctor looked at me then at the parents who immediately started paying attention again after scolding the lawyer for writing the wrong stuff down. 

“Well, we can do a therapist if he likes but it needs a parent signature and find out what's triggering it. Her is my card if you need any more info.” He handed me his card and left out the room. I grabbed Max from his parents, and they did not object as we left the classroom with my people following behind. 

“So hes a little?” Kiyah had asked the question I knew everybody else wanted to and sighed. 

“Yes, it had happened at our old school were still new to this, but it doesn't happen a lot, so we don’t really go out telling people, so pretend you don’t know when he ages back, please.” I said tired and ready to get Max who was whining due to not getting a lollipop from the doctor to take a nap.