The small studio looked a bit different, the couch from years ago having been replaced with a much more expensive black leather one, a lounge seat connected to it. He could only assume there was a pull-out bed resting within it. His TV was much better, almost covering the entire wall as it was mounted upon it. He still had game consoles, but instead of just two, he had several. His posters were replaced with framed images of different art pieces and pictures of family and friends. His volleyball trophies were lined on bookcases filled with a large amount of books. His small wooden desk was replaced with a sleek black one, seeming to match the décor of the entire place.

Alan stood near the doorway, his entire body tense as he eyed everything in the confined space.

It looks different... but it feels exactly the same.

"You might as well come in and have a seat. Standing there isn't going to really make this any different." Thomas stated calmly, making his way towards the couch and taking a seat.

Even with his mind screaming at him to just turn and bolt immediately out the place, Alan forced himself to walk over to the couch, placing his book-bag down next to it, before he carefully sat on the opposite side of the couch, away from Thomas. He was silent, his lips tightly shut as he stared at nothing in particular.

I want to vomit... I'm so fucking uncomfortable...

"I didn't think you were going to make it, honestly." Thomas spoke in a passing manner. "How in the world did you get here so fast?"

Alan had to mentally break himself away from getting lost in his own mind after hearing Thomas speak, his gaze averted towards the floor. "I... was in the area..."

"You were? Were you at Nicolette's place?" Thomas asked, curious.

Alan didn't answer the question, figuring it best to be silent rather than give any other information.

"Or... were you at Daniel's?" Thomas asked, his expression genuinely inquisitive.

Again, Alan refused to respond.

"It's not surprising if you were." Thomas spoke with a sigh, resting back into the cushions comfortably. "He doesn't live that far from here. We used to ride the bus together before he was able to get a permit to drive to and from school with his Lexus. So, if you were, it's not something to be nervous about."

Alan glanced over towards Thomas, watching him silently. "Why... am I here?"

Thomas looked to him in confusion, not expecting such a question. "It's part of the deal we made, Alan. We discussed this earlier."

"I... understand that..." Alan spoke once again, swallowing before he did so. "But, that doesn't explain why you wanted me here. Obviously, it's for a reason."

"Does there have to be a reason?" Thomas asked with a smile. "What if I just wanted you here to enjoy your company?"

A frown of disbelief immediately came across Alan's face, yet it quickly went away at the fact that any random expression may set Thomas off.

I can't fucking relax around this asshole... I haven't been alone with Thomas with absolutely no-one nearby in such a long time...

He fidgeted with his hands, his eyes resting on the floor beneath him as he waited for time to hopefully pass by quickly, considering he couldn't be away from home forever. "I'm not... planning to stay over. You know that, right?" Alan stated, looking at Thomas one final time.

"I don't see why you can't." Thomas stated with a wave of his hand, grabbing his remote and turning on the TV. "Let me see what we can watch..."

"Are... you crazy?" Alan stated in shock. "My parents will be fucking livid if they know I'm staying here with you."

"Why is that?" Thomas asked, his attention mostly on the TV screen as he searched for something of interest.

"Because they know I don't talk to you anymore and they don't like you either." Alan harshly replied back. "They know what you did, Thomas. They don't want me interacting with you at all."

"Well... they're not doing a good job of completing that task." Thomas stated with a laugh. "I mean... we go to the same high school."

"They can't keep moving me around the entire area just because you decided to follow me." Alan proclaimed, his tone sharp.

"This isn't my fault. You know that right?" Thomas stated, putting the remote down after he selected a show, his attention turning towards Alan fully. "You're the one that opened your mouth and told me something personal."

"And you're the one that betrayed me and exposed me to the entire fucking school." Alan quickly shot back, his hands shaking.

"I did not do that." Thomas spoke, his tone just as harsh, his expression annoyed.

"You let it happen, Thomas. You didn't defend me. You threw me under the fucking bus." Alan rebutted, his voice shaking in anger and frustration.

"I DID NOT DO IT!" Thomas shouted, his hand slamming against the coffee table that rested in front of them both.

Alan tensed immediately at the sound, his shoulders up and tight, his green eyes wide in utter fear. His back quickly sank back into the cushions of the couch, as if he was trying to hide away entirely within them.

"Do you have any idea how much this has affected me? Any clue to how this made me feel?" Thomas asked, getting to his feet in frustration. "You told me that and how did you think I was going to react, Alan?"

Again, Alan remained silent, unsure of how to respond out of fear and uncertainty of what Thomas would do next.

"Answer me, damn it." Thomas stated harshly, his expression cold as he loomed over Alan.

"I-I don't know...." Alan muttered, his eyes averted once again as he stammered to speak. Before he knew it, his shoulders were captured in Thomas's hands, his body immediately froze as he stared up to see Thomas, mere inches away from his face.

"You have no idea what I went through when you decided not to return after winter break, and what I did to make that situation better." Thomas spoke softly, his eyes narrowed at Alan as he did so, his grip growing tighter on his shoulders.

Alan winced in pain, unable to look away as he listened to Thomas speak, his heartbeat quickening in his chest, his ability to breathe regularly completely gone.

"And he doesn't need to know, because it doesn't matter, does it, Thomas?"

They both looked up to see Nicolette standing over the couch, a wooden bat in her hands, looming over her right shoulder as she was getting ready to strike.

"I thought I fucking told you to never touch or be alone with him again, and that if I found out that you were, I would fucking kill you." Nicolette stated calmly, her eyes filled with pure hatred. "Back away from him. Right. Now."

"Nikki..." Alan spoke, barely in the form of a whisper as he stared up at her, on the verge of sobbing. He felt his shoulders being released from Thomas's grip, his overpowering presence slowly disappearing from above him.

"A bat. Really, Nikki?" Thomas stated with a sigh and a smile, his hands going into his pockets, yet his body was visibly tense.

"If I had a fucking sword, I would've grabbed that instead." Nikki replied, her voice bitter and curt. "Alan, get up and grab your stuff. Go to my house and just tell my parents you're staying over."

"Ah, he can't do that." Thomas quickly interjected, shaking his head as he did so. "He has a deal he needs to keep with me because of private information he's decided not to share with anyone else but me."

Alan looked up at Thomas in fear, then back to Nicolette, not wanting her to find out the circumstances of the situation.

"Do I look like I give a fuck?" Nicolette stated with a laugh, the bat still resting in her hands. "He can tell me what's going on at my place. Without you being there. But if you want to stop me, then feel free... but be ready to face the repercussions of doing so."

Thomas remained silent, eyeing her carefully as he did so.

"Try me, Thomas. You know I have all the power in my hands to crush your entire world... and I'm not talking about the bat." Nicolette stated with a smirk, lowering the bat calmly. "Leave Alan... I'll be right behind you."

"... thank you, Nikki..." Alan muttered softly, grabbing his book-bag and immediately heading for the door, not stopping once he opened it, sprinting towards her home.

"You don't know the situation, Nikki." Thomas spoke calmly, his body relaxing as he did so. "And he won't tell you."

"He will... because he trusts me. Unlike you, who has to manipulate him to even be near you." Nicolette rebutted, turning to leave the studio.

"If he finds out what I did for him, he'll change his mind." Thomas replied.

"Oh, I'm not going to let you sugarcoat your version of the story, Thomas." Nicolette stated with a loud laugh, before her expression became incredibly cold as she turned to face him. "He's going to know just exactly how crazy you are, and if you mess with him again, everyone else will too."

Thomas returned the same cold expression, his shoulders rising in tension. "Good night, Nikki."

"Fuck you, Thomas." Nicolette stated calmly, before slamming the door shut.