Not Yet Known **UNDER REVISION**

14

**A/N: It may shock some of you, but I have absolutely no idea how custody battles are fought. As this is a figment of my imagination, I wrote it how I think it would go. However, if I am wrong, please let me know. **

MAY

Noah was sitting at the counter doing his homework when I got home. "Noah, it's nearly one in the morning. Why are you still up?" I ask my rubbing my forehead and stretching.

"Getting caught up to two weeks of APUSH isn't easy," he mumbled and looked up at me. There were deep purple circles under his eyes and he looked like he hadn't eaten.

"Go to sleep. You have school tomorrow. I can talk to your teacher if I need to." He shook his head furiously.

"No. I already have a reputation for being an orphan and a new kid. I don't need that too." I sighed and closed his textbook.

"Get some sleep. We will talk about that comment later." I gave him a gentle push towards his room and cleaned up around the kitchen until I heard his door shut and I saw the lights go off because I knew he would come out here and keep working. I slumped against the counter.

Everything seemed wrong. Lin may be losing custody of Sebastian, I had lost Daveed and I can't seem to help Noah. I get that he lost people, we both did. They were the only extended family we had left. I was feeling it too. But he's shutting me out.

I pushed away from the counter and stumbled down the hallway to my room, not bothering to take off my makeup or brush my teeth. Hygiene be damned at this hour.

No sooner were my pajamas on and the covers pulled over me did I pass out.

°°°

6:30 am comes way, way too early. I rolled out of bed and pulled on the dress I had picked out for today. I walked into the bathroom and was very careful not to get water on my dress as I washed my face and put on makeup. I pulled my hair into a fishtail updo and slid on my watch, my aunt's ring and the bracelets she got me.

I grabbed my heels and purse on the way out, setting them on the counter. I made a cup of coffee and flipped through the various social medias I had. Instagram, boring. Twitter, Lin was tweeting (of course). When I got to snapchat, I saw that some people had gone out last night, Daveed and Rafael included.

I watched through their stories, keeping a wary eye on the clock; I had twenty minutes until I had to wake up Noah. Then something on Rafael's story made me perk up more than the coffee did.

Daveed was kissing someone. Was that... It was Catie. One of his childhood best friends. I locked my phone and I could feel my heart breaking. We aren't even together. He's allowed to do that.

I look up at the clock and decide to just wake Noah up. The faster I get him off to school, the faster I can get to Lin's before court.

I had to testify in court today. I am so not looking forward to it. I open the door to Noah's room and step inside, trying to be quiet.

"Noah, it's time to get up buddy." I gently shake his shoulder. He cracks an eye open at me.

"Five more minutes." I shake my head at him.

"I gotta get to court today, we gotta get going. We leave in a half an hour. I made coffee but breakfast is up to you." He nods and pushes the covers off his skinny body. "And no working on APUSH." He starts to protest then sees my 'really?' face and shuts his mouth. Smart move.

I leave his room and move back to the kitchen. He joins me a few minutes later dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. We ate breakfast quietly and packed coffee in travel mugs. Noah packed up his schoolwork and we headed out, the clock registering at about 7:20. After I dropped Noah off at school, I took the subway to Lin's, not wanting to bother with an Uber.