For the sweetest second, Tyler thought it was Josh. But the footsteps were harsher; heavier. And the voice held memories of a charming smile that Tyler had grown to more than hate.

Tyler held his breath. He could see Doc Martins stationed behind the door, the toes pointing outwards as the owner waited for Tyler to open the door.

Tyler held his hand over his mouth, muffling his own cries. His eyes were wide, his tears quickly drying as his instincts took over. He pulled his knees to his chest and stared at the crack in the stall door, willing the figure standing behind it to go away.

"Tyler, I'm not mad," Eddie chuckled.

Tyler didn't reply. He stayed quiet, silently praying that Eddie would just give up and go away.

"Really," Eddie said. "You can come out. It's fine."

Tyler took a deep breath. "Why are you here?"

"I'm a student teacher, sweetie. It's like an internship," Eddie explained.

"Don't call me that," Tyler mumbled, his voice shaking pathetically.

Eddie sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry about the other day. I... I don't know what came over me. But it's killing, me, Ty. Please."

Tyler wiped his eyes and exhaled slowly. He stood up and unlocked the door, keeping his eyes trained to the ground as he stepped out. Eddie looked him up and down with a frown.

"I'm so sorry," Eddie whispered. He sounded sincere.

Tyler didn't look at him as he spoke. "What you did was terrible."

"I know," Eddie said. "God, I know, and I'm so sorry. You have to believe me."

Tyler lifted his eyes to study Eddie's face. His eyes were glossy and his cheeks were tinted red. His mouth was twisted into a sorrow frown. He looked genuinely sad, and Tyler hated that it made him feel guilty.

Tyler took a step back. His eyes flicked to the bathroom door and he noticed that it was locked. He pushed down the anxiety bubbling in his stomach and cleared his throat. "Do you understand that you tried to rape me?"

Eddie nodded glumly. "Yes. And I hate myself for it. So much."

Tyler raised his eyebrow. "And do you understand that, while we were together, you were abusive?"

Eddie scoffed. "I hit you, like, once. And your kinky ass loved it, so shut up."

Tyler glared at him. "You hit me many times, and I never liked it. If you're trying to apologise, you're not off to a good start."

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Alright. I'm sorry."

Tyler shook his head and looked to the ground. "What do you want out it this, Eddie?"

Eddie looked offended. "I just want to be friends. I miss you, Ty."

"You said that last time," Tyler replied bitterly. "To you remember how that ended?"

Eddie laughed as if Tyler had told him a joke. "Yeah, you kicked my balls up into my fucking throat," he chuckled.

"This isn't a joke," Tyler sneered. "You hurt me. A lot. Why do you think I would ever forgive you?"

Eddie clenched his fists and smiled forcefully. "I just want things to go back to the way they were."

Tyler took a step towards the elder. "Yeah? Well, I don't, you abusive piece of shit."

With that, he headed to the door, admittedly walking faster than he usually would. He unlocked it and took a deep breath as the rush of the full hallway hit him. He paused for a moment, evening his breathing, before taking off to his locker.

He gasped as a hand grabbed in his shoulder. He turned and held back a sigh of relief as he saw Josh, looking as worried as ever. He wanted to be thankful, but he found that he we nothing but angry. It was an anger directed towards Eddie, but Eddie wasn't there, and that meant that it was an anger directed towards Josh.

"Tyler, are you okay?" Josh asked.

Tyler rolled his eyes and shoved Josh's hand from his shoulder. "I'm fine."

Josh furrowed his eyebrows. "Seriously. You're worrying me," he said.

"Well, I'm fine," Tyler repeated.

Josh stepped back, his shoulders slumped. "Okay. Do you want me to go?"

Tyler could barely contain the anger twisting in his stomach. "Duh," he spat sarcastically.

He immediately regretted the way he was acting when Josh nodded solemnly and walked away. He watched the older boy go, his stance miserable as he walked away. Tyler bit his lip and raised his hand slightly, contemplating going after Josh to apologise. He was about to, but the bell rung and the hallway fell into its usual panic. Tyler inhaled deeply and turned back to his locker. He grabbed his books and walked to class, his posture mirroring Josh's.