The rest of the evening went by as routine. Alan had enough time to sit and stew in anger at what Thomas had done, figuring out that Thomas had manipulated him into admitting that Daniel Lang was gay, without actually saying a word. That was the one thing that drove him insane about Thomas; he was able to out smart him in the simplest of ways. He wasn't too sure how he was going to be able to keep Thomas' mouth shut, but he would deal with that tomorrow in-between class.

Eventually, Nicolette came over and joined his family for dinner, helping to distract him from what transpired on the phone earlier. Of course, they questioned her about the knowledge of a boy that Alan may have been dating, and even she was surprised by this, not helping but to ask him and tease him along with his family.

Later that night, they watched the premiere of American Horror Story in his bedroom, enjoying the episode and chatting amongst themselves afterwards. Once done, Nicolette retreated to their guest bedroom while Alan lay alone in his bed, trying to rest and get some sleep. He knew it was going to be a rather long and eventful day tomorrow.

-

"So, what's this about some boy, Alan? You hiding stuff from me?" Nicolette asked as they sat on the bus next to each other.

"There is no boy... " Alan spoke as he rolled his eyes, adjusting his glasses back onto his face.

"Then where did this come from? Why is your family asking about it?" Nicolette pressed, curious.

"All I did was mention that I wanted to wear contacts and they just automatically assumed there was a guy." Alan admitted with an annoyed grunt.

"...Yeah, I agree with them. There must be a guy." Nicolette replied with a smile.

"Why can't I not wear glasses?" Alan asked as he poked her in the side.

"You look... different. I don't know. I'm just not used to seeing you without them. Even when you take them off to clean them or something... it just looks weird. It's like I'm talking to a completely different person." Nicolette admitted.

"In a good way or a bad way?" Alan asked. "Do I not look attractive or something?"

"I mean, I'm just used to seeing you with glasses. You've had them forever. You were like... 6 years old the last time you didn't have to wear glasses. The only reason you got them was because when we played hide and seek outside, you ran right into a tree, claiming you didn't see it."

"I don't need to be reminded of why I need glasses, Nicolette." Alan stated with a sigh. "I really want to know... do I look bad without them?" he repeated, before removing his glasses entirely.

Nicolette stared at him carefully, before poking him in the forehead. "You actually look... good. You don't look bad."

"Really?" Alan questioned, surprised. "Then why does everyone say I look strange..."

"Because you're almost too good looking. Like, you shouldn't be talking to me. You should be with the preppy kids or something..." Nicolette quietly admitted as she watched him put his glasses back on.

"Is that why you always told me I look different? Because it would probably get me noticed?" Alan asked, curious.

"Maybe... that's probably selfish, right?" Nicolette replied with a guilty look.

"In a way, it is... but I kinda understand why you did it." Alan admitted with a shrug.

"What do you mean?" Nicolette questioned, surprised.

"Let's be honest, there is no damn way I would fit in with that crowd, and they're all a bunch of fake assholes anyway. They would only be interested in me because of my face. What good would that be for me?" Alan stated bluntly.

"This is why they call you smart." Nicolette stated with a smirk.

"I'm not ranked #3 in our class for nothing." Alan joked.

Once they arrived at the school, they headed straight for their lockers, gathering their books for the classes they had that day.

"You want to study for the trig exam we have tomorrow? I can meet after school today?" Nicolette asked.

"I can come to your place a little later. I have an errand to run after school today." Alan stated, trying to be as vague as possible.

"An errand?" Nicolette asked, a skeptical look on her face.

"I'm just going to pick up a new game... you're worse than my mom." Alan stated with a smirk.

"You made it seem shady as hell. For all I know, you could've been going to an adult store or something." Nicolette joked, only to see Alan scoff.

"Porn is free on the Internet, Nikki." Alan joked back, just to see Nicolette laugh loudly. "Can I come by around 8?"

"Sure, that's fine. I'll let my mom know you're coming over." Nicolette stated, closing her locker door. "I have to run to the dark room to check on my photos. I didn't have time to grab them yesterday. I'll see you in homeroom?"

"Sounds good, I'll see you in a bit." Alan replied, as he watched Nicolette head off down the hall. This gave him enough time to attend to another matter: Thomas.

He knew exactly where he would be, closing his own locker door and heading in the direction of the gym.

-

His right hand was beginning to turn slightly red from the constant serving he was striking against the volleyball, the last one having made contact on the other side of the net in a quick, smooth fashion. It was the 15th time it hit that same spot, as was his point of practicing this morning. The season would be starting in about 2 months and he was going to make sure he was going to maintain his varsity status for another year.

He was the only one in the gymnasium this morning, the coach having given him special permission to the gym before school hours. He had impressed the coach since his first season back during his freshman year. Granted, he had already been well-known in the district for his volleyball skills since the 6th grade. He, along with a junior team mate named Elliot, had led the team to state championships last year and won. So, he quickly shot up the ranks amongst under and upperclassmen alike. Grabbing another ball from a rather large basket he had placed near the serving line, Thomas set himself up for another serve. Until he heard a door open and close behind him.

"It's never hard to find you...." Alan spoke, his voice rather flat.

A smile came to Thomas's face as he continued with his serve, the ball lobbying through the air and landing once again in the same spot as before. He turned around to face Alan calmly, his smile growing bigger at the sight.

"I don't make it hard." Thomas replied with a shrug. "Granted, I'm surprised you even came to find me. What do I owe the pleasure, dear Alan?" he asked, walking over towards the basket of volleyballs once again.

"You know why I'm here, asshole." Alan replied, his voice firm. "I'm want to make this quick: Keep your fucking mouth shut."

Thomas took another ball into his hand, holding it firmly as he walked back over to the serve line. "And why should I do that, Alan? I mean, it doesn't really affect me regardless."

"Because I will fucking kill you if you do." Alan spoke through gritted teeth, watching Thomas closely.

"Is that a promise, Alan?" Thomas asked, his back to him completely. "You keep saying this and you never do it. What makes this instance so different?"

"This is a legitimate threat, Thomas. I truly mean it. I will kill you." Alan reinforced, his hands turning into fists. "I will not let you fuck with someone else's life, especially someone who's innocent."

Before Alan could even get the opportunity to fully finish his sentence, a volleyball was hurling towards him at lightning speed. He blinked, before he quickly opened his right palm, made contact with the ball, and returned it in the same fashion towards Thomas, who quickly caught it with his hands.

"Such a shame you don't play anymore... I know you would be unstoppable, if you did." Thomas stated with a pleased smile, eyeing Alan carefully.

"If it means I have to play with your evil ass, I'd rather not play." Alan rebutted, his eyes narrowed.

"Evil is such a strong word..." Thomas stated with a sigh, bouncing the ball in his hands lightly. "What do I get if I keep my mouth shut?"

"What do you want?" Alan quickly shot back.

"OH... this is serious." Thomas stated with a laugh. "Normally, you'd be crude and tell me to go fuck myself. But this time... you're giving me an offer. Something must have happened between you two."

Alan, once again, kept silent.

"Alright, Alan... I'll keep my mouth shut." Thomas replied, walking over towards Alan calmly as he did so.

"What do you want, Thomas?" Alan asked, watching him carefully as he stood in front of him, just a mere 2 feet apart.

"Hmm... I'm not sure yet." Thomas stated with a grin. "Once I do, I'll let you know. But don't worry. I won't say anything."

"You asshole..." Alan forced out, his body seething with anger.

"As always, I love you too, Alan." Thomas replied with a loving smile, before turning and heading back to the serve line. "I'll see you in our computer science class this afternoon. I hope you have a good day."

"Fuck you, Thomas..." Alan shot back, before turning and exiting the gym entirely, slamming the door behind him.

"He's such an adorable ball of rage..." Thomas spoke to himself, a smile on his face as he set himself up to serve once again.

-

The rest of the day went by as normal. Nikki and Alan had a math class together in the morning, spent time with each other at lunch, and Alan had to suffer through computer science with Thomas later in the day. However, the one thing to perk up his mood was a text message from Daniel, asking if he was still able to come over to his place after school. Alan, like a giddy school girl, replied back immediately with a confirmation, only to see Daniel text back that he would meet him at the student parking lot once the last bell rang.

Once that bell sounded, Alan grabbed his things and made a mad walk towards the exit. He made one small stop at his locker before heading out to the school grounds, past several fields and towards the student parking lot. He had located Daniel's car, but was surprised to see that he wasn't here yet. He checked his phone to see if Daniel sent him a message, wondering if he was going to be late.

"Wow, how did you beat me to my own car, Moogle?" Daniel asked, laughing at the sight of Alan next to his car.

"Well, you said to meet you here, so..." Alan spoke with a shrug, a cheeky smile on his face.

"Did you run or something?" Daniel questioned, pressing the button on his key fob to unlock the doors.

"No, I just walk fast." Alan spoke, opening the passenger side door before getting inside.

"Apparently." Daniel teased, getting into the driver's side of the door. Once they were both comfortably inside the car, Daniel started it and went into first gear, making his way out of the parking space and the lot entirely.

"So, we're going into detail about this curse, right? Because I have a spreadsheet of questions, which will lead to other questions and theories based on your answers." Alan admitted without hesitation.

"Yeah, we are... but not that much detail." Daniel spoke with a shocked laugh. "I'll try and explain it all. My family has historical documents and such that have been passed down for centuries. So if there is something that you don't get, you can probably find it in our library."

"You have... a FUCKING LIBRARY?" Alan stated with strong emphasis.

"My mom wanted a small library and study when the house was built. It's not like a museum or something." Daniel stated with a laugh.

"Please tell me how you aren't rich again." Alan joked, only to see Daniel give him slight side-eye.

"Tell me how you don't realize how attractive you are again." Daniel rebutted with a smirk.

"Touché..." Alan replied with a chuckle. "Regarding that... I do have a question..."

Daniel was surprised, glancing over towards Alan slightly as he continued to drive. "Sure, what's up?"

"Would... it be possible... for you to help me with that?" Alan asked with slight hesitation.

"With what?" Daniel asked, a bit confused.

"I want your advice on how to properly dress and style myself... without my glasses." Alan exclaimed, watching Daniel closely.

Not expecting such a request, Daniel's eyebrows raised in complete surprise. "Did... you bring contacts?"

Alan, a bit puzzled at that question, nodded. "Yeah, I did... why?"

"Awesome, because I'm going to give you a makeover today."

-

Greetings again! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

I FINALLY found my Daniel Lang. The image above is of Song Weilong, a Chinese model and actor. Again, I'm only using it for character purposes, but I think he fits Daniel perfectly! I also found images of Nicolette and Thomas, but I'll post them later.

There was a slight delay in getting the chapter up like normal. I'm actually finishing up a solo trip as I write this out. I decided to take the holiday weekend here in the States to venture out to the Pacific Northwest. I spent 3 nights in Seattle. It was incredibly lovely and a well-needed vacation.

But, I wanted to make sure I still got my weekly chapter update for you guys! Let me know what you think! I always enjoy reading your comments and reactions. As always, thanks again for reading and voting as well!

Enjoy your week!