Greg House swerved into his parking space on his motorbike, screeching the tires. He turned the bike off and removed his helmet, and ran his fingers through his short curly blonde hair, panting slightly from the exhilaration.

"If you keep doing stuff like that, you'll kill yourself before your 17th birthday!" came House's conscience in the form of a tall, handsome boy with dark hair swept over his forehead. Wilson grinned at his best friend, most of his concentration going on digesting his huge breakfast. His family had had a fry up together, laughing at his attempt to make pancakes. House jumped off his bike, landing in front of Wilson to bump his fist before they went in to the huge, expensive prep school.

"Did you see the Facebook pictures of my bash the other night?" House asked

"You looked like a moron"

"I was drunk. I don't remember anything past 11!"

"Of course you don't" Wilson despaired at his friend "What was the occasion, or did the lacrosse team just feel like getting hangovers?"

"It was the last night my father's away. He came back last night"

"Oh. How was it?"

"The same as last time, and the time before"

"Anything serious?"

"No. I'll be okay. I've got chem, see you later" House broke into a jog to the chem labs. It was his favourite lesson by far. On his way in, three separate girls moved their bags to let him sit down, batting their eyelashes at him. But he only had eyes for the beautiful brunette at the back.

"You can't sit here, House"

"Why not? No one else is sitting there"

"I saw your photos. You and that girl eating each others faces in your room. Was she drunk enough to sleep with you?"

"I don't sleep with cheap girls"

"You could've fooled me!" Lisa Cuddy laughed as her adversary blushed. She moved her bag and let him sit down.

"Cheers. Now Ive got the perfect view of your knockers!"

"Shut up House!" she grinned. Despite the banter, she wished she had been the girl in the photos. She'd never kissed a guy, even at seventeen. She only wanted House. He was in almost all her classes, even though he was meant to be in the grade below.

"What? They're pretty hot, Lisa" House asserted. Lisa smacked him jokingly on his leather clad arm and he winced. Quickly, he tried to make it look like a joke, but Cuddy had noticed a genuine flash of pain cross her friend's face.

"Are you alright?" she asked, concerned. Before House could open his mouth to deny feeling any pain at all, the teacher walked in and started the lesson.

A few hours later, House, Wilson and Cuddy met in the cafeteria for lunch.

"Buy me a BLT?" House asked Wilson.

"You haven't bought your own sandwich since second grade!" Wilson huffed. His dad gave him five dollars extra to buy House lunch everyday. There had been once, the year before, when Wilson said no. He had expected House to pull out his own money and buy some food, but he just came and sat down, trying to divert attention from his lack of food by telling a wild story about a fictional girl he had slept with. Wilson always bought him lunch after that. The three friends queued up by the sandwich bar. House took his BLT, Wilson grabbed and paid for a cheese sandwich and Cuddy took a jam one. They sat down at a table, House avoiding the girls beckoning him over. He liked the attention, but he preferred having lunch with Cuddy. He took a huge bite from his sandwich as though he was ravenous. Wilson remembered the half term break when House had come to him on the last day and confessed that he hadn't been allowed to leave his room all holiday and that he was really hungry. Wilson had invited him in and his mother had made the boys a feast of meats and deserts. She had exchanged anxious glances with her son as House gulped down mouthfuls of the food.

"So, Cuddy, what are you doing tonight?" House asked

"Working"

"You're always working!"

"We can't all be like you, House. Not everyone gets to ace everything without studying" Wilson said. He'd always been a little jealous of his friend's easy intelligence.

"Anyway, do you guys want to go out?"

"Not really" Cuddy said

"Wilson?" House half bit his lip

"I'm not going out. You can come and stay over if you want"

"Thanks" House allowed himself to breathe again. He couldn't stand another night with his father