"I mean, honestly, Bella did such a great job," Gillian smiled, hanging off a stiff Spencer. Her brown eyes settled on me, waiting for my input as her dark hand stroked the crook of Spencer's leaden forearm, but all I could think about was soft.

The way his hair fell across his forehead after he rinsed out all the product.

His arms, tucked inside the giant parka his Mom brought him because the weather report called for rain.

Lips that he kept gnawing on that I just wanted to reach over and tug free.

With my hands or my own mouth, I wasn't sure.

All I knew was kissing Spencer was potentially the worst thing I had ever done, and now I was paying the consequences. I barely reacted when Bella sauntered my way, red hair bouncing in waves behind her. Draping a lazy hand on my shoulder, she squeezed tightly before flashing Gillian and Spencer a blinding grin.

"Mazel tov, children," she said, pleased, leaning into me as she crudely raised a can of soda as a toast. "Opening night was a success, although the lack of tongue did not go unnoticed by our most astute audience. I'm sure you boys will take those notes to heart for next time."

"We're even now, Bella. No more lording the past over me," Spencer snapped, glaring at the floor as though it had personally offended him while a ring of red grew around his neck. The muscles there twitched angrily as he clenched his jaw when all Bella did was laugh back.

"I own your soul for another two weeks Spency Boy," she sung, wagging a finger his way when he made to protest. "Unless you want to make tonight a session of airing our dirty laundry, I'd shut your mouth and let me steal your wonderful girlfriend for a moment. Beauregard, you were dashing as always. No notes for you."

"I'll meet you by your car after okay," Gillian promised Spencer, running a loving hand down his cheek before walking off, Bella on her heels. Silence fell between Spencer and I, suffocating in the growing chatters around us. I panned my eyes across the room, noticing that we were, in fact, the only people not talking. Hell, we were the only people avoiding direct eye contact.

"So–"

"I should go," Spencer said, cutting me off entirely. I did a double-take at the way his face both paled and grew stark red, the guy fidgeting with the zip of his jacket as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair as Spencer shook his head.

"It's cool. It's all fine, honestly. Don't even worry about it. I'm not worried about it, at all," He shook his head, taking a step back only to collide with the figure behind him. "Sorry."

"Nice to see your manners have remained intact all these years later," the person responded and I felt my heart drop at the sound, eyes flashing upwards.

Shit.

"Mom," Spencer said, tone embarrassed as his mother saddled up beside him. It was strange seeing Officer Fox out of uniform, dressed down in a pair of jeans and a thick sweater that made her hair seem even more vibrant. Unlike her son, she wore a large smirk, though her eyes hardened when they fell on me.

"Mr. Minders," she addressed me, head tilting back in recognition.

"You can call him Beau, Mom. You're off the clock," Spencer groaned, running a hand down his face as his mother very obviously scanned my entire format though searching for contraband. I wasn't sure what she made of me, dressed in a hoodie and tights and wanting nothing more than to die on the spot.

"Never truly off the clock," Officer Fox reminded her son, going so far as to pull her badge from the back of her jeans and flash it my way. The whole point of the move was to intimidate me, and it was working. Before I knew it sweat was pouring out my armpits, staining the inside of my hoodie in a way that made me refuse to move my arms even a fraction.

"Officer," I greeted her when silence fell across us again. Officer Fox and Spencer were busy engaging in an intense looking conversation using just their facial expressions. Judging by how Spencer was growing more and more defeated as the seconds rolled past, she was winning.

"I've heard a lot about you since our last encounter," she admitted and I darted a look to Spencer, who had returned to punishing the floor with his frosty glare. The full impact was lost since the guy still wore a full face of makeup that made him more pretty boy than rough thug.

And god, was he pretty.

Snapping those thoughts away I willed myself to stay on track, remembering the guy's mother was directly before me and his girlfriend was still in the room. Apparently, when I found someone attractive, my moral compass flew out the goddamn window.

"Good things?" I asked Officer Fox, clearing my throat when the words jumble together in my nervousness.

"Unfortunately," she frowned.

I sent Spencer a grateful smile, which he resolutely ignored. I realized then the only reason he was still there was for my benefit. God knew what his mother would say had it just been the two of us. I wouldn't have been happy with my kid running around with a failed arsonist, let alone kissing one.

"Spencer told me the two of you have a study group together at school, and with another boy... Theodore? He spoke very highly of the pair of you, even convinced me to attend one of Theodore's races. The boy is incredibly talented."

"Tomm– Theodore is amazing. One of the best guys I know," I agreed and Spencer made a face.

"Can you not talk about me in the third person, Mom," he mumbled, drawing his shoulders in on himself when Officer Fox laughed back.

"Spencer also said you had been working hard the past few months, the play one of the many ways you were giving back to the community," she steamrolled ahead, glancing over me in a way I couldn't decipher, completely ignoring Spencer's input. "I didn't think making out with my son was something that bettered the community but..."

"Oh my god," Spencer groaned, a tortured look falling over his face before he hid it behind his hands.

"Trust me, it surprised us as much as it did you," I told her and she arched a brow.

"You mean to say that kiss was unplanned?"

"No, No! We had nothing to do with it. It was completely Bella's idea. You know she's evil," Spencer said, casting his mother a firm look when she failed to lower her brow.

"I wouldn't have been surprised, Spencer. Almost every day, when I asked how school went, the first words out of your mouth have something to do with B–"

"Okay, I think it's time we went home. Gillian's waiting for us outside, in the cold," Spencer stepped in, grabbing his mother by the arm and effectively silencing her. "I'll see you tomorrow night, Beau."

"Yeah, sure," I said, more curious about what Officer Fox was about to say than the sudden eggplant color Spencer's face had turned and the pleading look he sent his mothers way. "Don't forget the chapstick."

"Chapstick?" she repeated, sending her son a confused look that was completely disregarded.

"Good night, Beau," Spencer threw over his shoulder, all but dragging his mother towards the front doors.

Shaking the encounter off I sought out my own parents, more than ready to go home.

"Did you make your rounds, thank everyone?" Mom asked on the way to the car, shuddering slightly against the brisk wind. "There was a lovely boy looking for you after the show."

"I think he wanted to give you his number," April snorted.

"Fuck off," I told her, burying my hands in my pockets and ignoring her eye roll.

"Beau, language," Mom scolded, glancing at Dad who busied himself rifling through his keys. Since the moment we stepped off stage he hadn't said a word to me, merely clapped my shoulder before Kyle had steered me away and towards the rest of the cast. Occasionally I had felt his eyes seek me out, but every time I glanced back, Dad was looking away or purposely whispering something to Mom. Part of me wanted to shake him by the shoulders and ask what the hell his problem was, but the other was too scared to find out, found peace in ignorance to whatever turmoil he was going through.

"He was very sweet," Jenny cut in, offering me a strange smile. "Though I think the look Jeremy gave him certainly deterred him from seeking you out."

"Clark was here?"

I hadn't seen him in the audience, hell he had been the last thing on my mind for once in my life. Tommo hadn't brought the guy up in the brief moment of congratulations we had when the show finished.

"Try not to look so awestruck next time," Tommo had smirked, patting my arm before striding towards the exit. He made something as insignificant as walking away look so cool that I barely registered the remark until just then in the parking lot.

"Jeremy left like halfway through. Saw him loitering earlier, but you were too busy with your boyfriend to notice," Thomas threw in, eyes focused on his phone and I didn't bother to warn him as he stamped down on a large puddle, shooting dirty water up the leg of his jeans. "Fuck!"

"He's not my boyfriend," I reminded them, annoyed.

"Tell that to your heart eyes. I swear the pair of you were nauseating," Flemming added.

"Flemming," Jenny said in warning, though the guy barrelled on.

"I don't think tights were the best wardrobe choice either, they didn't leave much to the imagination after you guys–"

"Shut the fuck up, Flemming!" I shouted, turning on the spot and slamming a hand into his chest hard enough he hit the concrete with a loud thud.

"Beau!" Dad barked, yanking me by the shoulder when I made to shove him again as Flemming staggered to his feet. "What is the matter with you?"

"What's the matter with me? You've all been ripping into me all night and I'm in the wrong... Fuck this, I'm walking home."

Shoving Dad's hand off my shoulder I turned on my heel and marched off, ignoring Mom's call for me to come back. I hadn't been this angry with my family in a while and it brought back bitter emotions even I didn't realize I was still holding on to. No matter what, it was fine for me to be the punchbag but the moment I hit back, someone took issue. Thomas could never do wrong, April was just a kid in their eyes. Fucking Flemming was a saint, someone they could never understand my intolerance of even when he ruined my mood on a daily basis.

I shoved a hand through my hair, yanking it to fight back a curse at the tip of my lips. A car slowly rolled past but I didn't look up in time to catch the driver, didn't lift my gaze until it finally caught on that I was not in the mood to be someone's spectacle and drove off.

The thud of footsteps started behind me but I didn't bother to stop, determined to walk home even if it meant following the same fate as Rex Barns. It was a dark thought but I was so tired, emotionally drained from the months of anticipation, the actual moment with Spencer, and now this shit. I didn't even look up when Thomas rounded my side.

"Beau."

"Leave me the fuck alone. I really do not need this right now," I warned him.

Thomas just jogged after me, easily keeping pace. "Stop, seriously. I'm not letting you walk home like this. We were just messing with you."

"Well, it's not fucking funny, okay?" I snapped at him, skidding slightly when Thomas pulled my arm and forced me to stop walking.

"Jesus, you're heavier than you look," he frowned. "And calm down, okay, they don't mean anything by it. Remember when you ripped on April for three weeks after she got bangs, said she looked like the kid for Ned's Declassified?"

"That was different, okay. Haircuts don't mean shit, you can grow them out. But I'm fucking tired of the gay jokes. They're never-ending and I'm fucking over it. Spencer is not my boyfriend, he never will be, so fucking stop it. We're not gay." I told him, pressing my lips tight at the admission.

Thomas blinked back, surprised by my candor too.

"We know, Beau," he said, tone soft. "We all know, okay."

I stared back at him, not understanding.

"I just want to go to sleep, Thomas. Is that too much to ask at this point?" I settled on, ignoring the way his face collapsed in disappointment, and pulled away.

"Okay. But you gotta let Dad drive you for that to happen, kid."

"I'd rather walk than get in a car with any of them right now."

"Then I'll make them all take Jenny's car and I'll drive you home myself," he promised but I shook my head.

"I'm not getting in a car with you," I said, firm, and Thomas fought back a hurt look before nodding.

"Do you think you can survive half an hour with us? Then you can ignore us entirely again," he asked and I nodded. "And apologize for shoving Flemming?"

"No, he's an asshole."

"You didn't seem so mad at him yesterday."

"Yesterday he seemed like a stand-up person, but like always he's revealed himself, yet again, to be a total piece of shit."

"Beau."

"He's sleeping in your room tonight, you can have at the couch. I need fucking space."

Thomas stared at me, whatever he saw back making him swallow hard then sigh. "Okay, sure. But come on, it's getting late. I think Dad's at his limit, and I wouldn't put it past him to leave us both here due to your dramatics, let's go."

"Dad hit his limit with me years ago."

"Beau," Thomas said, tone shocked but I shook my head.

"I'm taking the fucking bike here tomorrow. I don't want any of you here ever again while I have to keep doing this," I told him, pulling up my hood and marching sullenly back to the car.

Dad flashed the lights when we approached and I scrambled into the back, elbowing April in my haste to put my seatbelt on. Thomas took his spot on her other side, forcing her to cram more toward me due to his larger frame. I just turned to the window, muttered a half baked apology that resulted in Dad starting the car and beginning to drive off. Jenny's car trailed behind us, parking on the street when we finally made it back home. I got out first, rounding the back door and returning with my bike.

"Beau," Mom started but I ignored her, lining the bike onto the sidewalk.

"I'll be back in an hour," I said, pushing off before she could respond. Pedaling hard I waited until unkempt grass hit my feet before braking, dumping the bike on its side and dropping to cracked concrete. The sound of sneakers hitting the court stopped in front of my form and a pair of sweating hands dropped onto my shoulders, the person crouching down. At the touch, I collapsed into the sweaty chest before me and started to cry.