((Another person's POV for once! Woot. Also I'm leaving for camp in like an hour you have nO idea the lengths I went to to get this chapter done. I really need to sort out my priorities. OH WELL ENJOY

and pls stop asking if it's going to get dark ik it should have happened sooner I didn't expect the birthday to take up so many chapters (it's like 5 chapters) but it's getting there, it's getting there, trust me. ))

"Scott, what are you going on about?" Kayla followed Scott up the stairs, not quite sure where he was leading her.

"I just wanted to talk to you, that's all," Scott shrugged, not looking back at the girl as he stepped onto the landing. He looked up and down the hallway, mumbled something under his breath, and turned left.

Kayla frowned, skipping up the stairs to catch up with him, "Where are you taking me?"

"Vincent and my bedroom," Scott replied casually, "It's a good place to talk without being overheard." He stopped in front of a door and tried to open it, only to find it locked. He groaned.

"Scott, I appreciate what you're trying to do... I think. But I don't think we need to talk," Kayla fiddled with her fingers as Scott jiggled the door handle, and it suddenly made a loud clicking sound.

"For the first time, I'm happy our bedroom door has a broken lock," Scott smiled, swinging the door open and gesturing for Kayla to step inside.

Kayla glanced at Scott once, almost concerned for his mental state, before she walked carefully past him. The room was quite sweet. Almost everything was purple, almost. It was obvious that Scott had changed some things since he moved in. The cupboard was overstuffed with clothes that were spilling out onto the floor, and the sheets on the bed were pulled back and crumpled. It was a typical boy's room... She always thought Scott would be a tidy person... apparently not. Just above the bed, there was a photo of Vincent and Scott in the snow. Underneath it was a patch of wall that looked as though it had recently been repainted - it now had the words "Love Finds a Way" in pink paint. It looked like Scott's handwriting.

"Huh..." Kayla turned back to Scott after she'd finished taking it all in, "You're really serious about him, aren't you? This looks like... a married couple's bedroom."

"Really?" Scott sounded excited by that prospect. "I wish it could be..." He sighed, almost dreamily. "It sucks just being his boyfriend for the rest of my life. I mean... I know that you don't have to be married to prove that you love someone, but... I wish I could marry him. It would just feel... more permanent." He caught himself, looking sideways at Kayla, "But this isn't supposed to be about me. It's supposed to be about you."

Kayla shrugged slightly, leaning over and picking up a crumpled t-shirt. She folded it neatly, putting it on top of the overflowing cupboard. "I don't see the point. I've got nothing to talk about- Whose is this?" She leaned down, picking up a blue knee-length dress. "What...? Is this Linda's?" She turned around to face Scott.

Scott's eyes were wide, he spluttered awkwardly, "Uh-I... Well, th-the thing is..."

Kayla tilted her head, and then it hit her like a freight train. "Oh! OH!" She flushed, "Oh, I'm so sorry-" That was so awkward! Just go ahead and embarrass him like that, Kayla, nice one!  She walked over the wardrobe next to the cupboard and opened the door to put the dress away.

"Wait-!" Scott squeaked, but it was too late.

Kayla's eyes widened, her eyes scanning over the sequin-covered, skimpy red dress and- was that lingerie? She opened and shut her mouth a few times, face bursting into flames. She glanced back at Scott, to find him with one hand clamped over his mouth and nose, the other half outstretched towards Kayla. His looked like he was about to faint from all the blood rushing to his head, he was that red.

"Uhh..." Kayla blinked, then dropped her gaze to the ground, "I'm sorry... I'm really sorry, Scott. I didn't mean... I didn't know you were a transvestite..."

"I'm not a transvestite!" Scott snapped quickly, pulling the hand away from his mouth. He looked around, and mumbled, "It's called crossdressing. There's a difference."

Kayla nodded quickly, "S-still, I- Oh, gawd, this is so embarrassing."

"You're telling me," Scott muttered.

Kayla took a deep breath and let it out again, but it wasn't helping, "I really am sorry, Scott, I..." And before she knew it, she was in tears. "I didn't mean to embarrass you like that."

Scott looked over at her sympathetically, he walked over, "Hey, Kayla. It's alright. It's not your fault I left the stupid thing on the floor. It's... I don't mind if you know..."

Kayla shook her head, "No. No, it's not alright-" She jolted when she felt his arms around her, but then she relaxed into him, "I know w-what it f-feels like when p-people embarrass y-you like that."

"Yeah?" Scott pulled her closer, stroking her hair, "Kayla, has anyone embarrassed you really badly recently?"

Kayla didn't reply, drawing in a shuddering breath. "T-That's not the point..."

"Kayla," Scott soothed, "You can tell me anything. Nobody else has to know that we even talked. I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong, and you're only going to feel worse if you don't say anything."

Kayla shook her head, "It's n-nothing, S-Scott. It's r-really... r-really awkward, and personal. I-It's not something... I would tell a guy."

"Well, that's a perk about me being gay," Scott smiled slightly, pulling away from the hug to tuck a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, "I'm practically a girl, anyway."

Kayla laughed quietly, wiping the tears away, "T-Thank you. I'm okay."

"Is it Blake?" Scott asked, and Kayla paused, a fresh wave of tears building up and overflowing.

Scott sighed, "I knew that kid was no good, from the moment I saw him. Come on, here, sit down..." He walked over to the purple bed and sat down cross legged on it.

Kayla stumbled over to the bed and sat down opposite Scott on the soft sheets, "I r-really don't want to talk about it."

"Okay," Scott watched her carefully, "If you don't want to talk about it, we won't. You can leave, if you want to."

Kayla hesitated, then let out a teary sigh. She hated that Scott could see straight through her like that. She stared down at the bedsheets, drawing mindless patterns on them with her fingers. "Y-You're going to think I'm really stupid for this, but... I think it all started because I wouldn't sleep with him."

Kayla looked up, and saw Scott's eyes filled with something half concern, and half anger, "I know what you're thinking," she said quickly. "No. He didn't... take advantage of me. Not... not really... Ugh. It's all so stupid. I just should have broken up with him then, or just agreed and gotten it over with, but... we'd only been dating a few days, and..."

"I understand," Scott said quietly, "You don't have to explain yourself. Your body is your body, and it's up to you to decide when and who you trust with it. It took months before I was confident enough to let Vincent sleep with me."

Kayla looked at him, genuinely surprised. She guessed she'd never really thought about it: the possibility that not just girls, but boys, too, get scared about sex. She wasn't quite sure why, but it kind of helped, just a little bit. "Really?"

"Of course," Scott smiled. "It can be scary - not just scary, terrifying. It's not easy to willingly entrust someone with your body, Kayla. For some people, it comes naturally. For others... it takes a little longer, that's all."

Kayla almost let herself smile, sniffling. She wiped the tears off of her face, "Well... anyway, I told him I didn't want to... but... he... he told me that..." She broke into another sob. "He told me he'd break up with me if I didn't, a-and he told me that... that no other man would ever want to sleep with a prude with me, anyway, so I-I... I should just take what I could get."

Scott frowned, "Kayla..."

"I know," Kayla cried. "I should have told him 'no'. I should have stood up for myself. I should have broken up with him, but... but..."

"That's not true," Scott whispered calmingly, "It's not your fault, Kayla. He forced you to do something you weren't comfortable with. When people put you in a situation like that, it's not always easy to say no. It's not your fault for not knowing how to push him away."

"H-He didn't tell me," Kayla hardly heard any of the words Scott spoke, her heart was racing and the tears kept coming, no matter how hard she tried to stop them. "He didn't tell me he... h-he took a video of it... a-and..." She trailed off, her voice breaking. She was crying too hard to speak.

She was only barely aware of Scott's arms around her once again, pulling her close, but she welcomed the contact, practically falling into him, "H-H-He t-told me, if I b-b-break up with him... h-he'll s-s-send the link to e-e-everyone... H-He t-told me th-they'd all k-know what a s-slut I am..."

"It's okay, Kayla. It's alright," Scott cuddled her as close to him as he could manage, "It'll all turn out okay. We'll figure something out, you and me."

"Y-Y-You don't g-get it, S-Scott, t-there's no w-way out of this one..." Kayla sobbed into his chest, her voice muffled by his shirt. It was true. If she tried to leave, he'd just send everyone the link to the website where the video had been uploaded. There was nothing anyone could do, not even Scott.

"There's always a way," Scott replied. "There's always a way, Kay, even if we have to get the police involved. I tell you what, do you want to stay over here for the night? Vincent will make sure Blake can't get to you while you're here, and we can have a talk about what we can do to help you out."

Kayla was silent for a moment, the sobs dying down. "Really?" she asked.

"Of course, Kay. We'll do everything we can."

Kayla's lips quirked into an involuntary smile, her chest blossoming with warmth. Since the very day she'd met Scott, she'd thought he'd be the best boyfriend she'd ever have. Now she realised, he was the best friend she'd ever have.  

"Thank you."