*Troye's POV* 

*Timeskip to June*

"I'm gonna miss you guys!" Zoe whimpered, her arms draped around my shoulders tightening their grip considerably. I wasn't even sure she could get any closer to me at this point but she managed to find a way, snuggling her face into my chest and continuing to sniffle pitifully. "You promise to invite me over to your new apartment?"

"Once we actually get it set up, yeah. All we have right now is a bed." I explained, a familiar bubbly grin finding my face at the mention of our apartment. We'd only signed the papers and made things official a little under a week ago so it all still felt so new. We had furniture bought and our own things, but we'd been so busy with all of the graduation preparations this week, we hadn't managed to transport any of it over. That was our plan for tomorrow though, on our first official day as high school graduates. 

"That's all you need though." Zoe chirped finally, her response taking a few seconds and allowing my thoughts to wander like that. I didn't backtrack as quickly as Tyler did, seeing as I was still sinking out of the other thoughts. But, judging by how wide Tyler's eyes went and the way he shoved her, she was definitely teasing us again.

"Zoe!" He chastised, a smile finding my face as it finally clicked what she was getting at. It wasn't nearly as dirty a pun as Tyler and I made with each other, it was just different when other people talked about our sex life, even subtly.

"I really thought after finally banging you guys would be less fun to tease, but you still get so flustered." She sighed out, kicking at the rocks by her feet. Tyler gave a loud indignified huff, stepping further back to cuddle into my side in a show of defeated embarrassment. I, however, wasn't going to just accept her teasing.

"How do you know we've done anything further than kissing?" I challenged, narrowing my eyes at her. She gave me an incredulous face before clutching her chest and bursting out laughing, doubling over and continuing until I worried her legs would give out and she'd fall to the ground. I pouted, grumbling under my breath. "It's not that obvious."

"It's kinda that obvious." She spluttered out, making my cheeks darken nearly as bad as Tyler's. I didn't realize people could tell, aside from my overbearing family. It shouldn't be embarrassing, we've been dating for nearly six months now officially, but it still is. I suppose I could tease her back and pretend to know what's going on between her and Alfie, even if I don't, but that just seemed like so much work.

"Whatever." I snapped dismissively, throwing an arm around Tyler's shoulders. Despite the awkward atmosphere he seemed more than happy to snuggle into the embrace, even standing on his tippy-toes for a second to peck a kiss to my cheek. He missed a bit, ending up pressing his lips to the corner of my jaw, but I didn't complain.

Zoe rolled her eyes at our show of affection, muttering something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like the words 'married couple'. I was tempted to call her out on it, mostly to have an excuse to brag about the whole 'engaged to be engaged' thing again. I realized it wasn't the same as actually being engaged and probably wasn't brag-worthy, but I also knew how much it annoyed her and how flustered Tyler got each time I brought it up. However, before I got the chance to act on the temptations, an unfamiliar voice was calling out from the crowd of people loud enough to turn everyone's heads.

"Zoe! Come over here and take a picture with your brother!" I blinked, looking to Zoe with confusion written across my features. She'd never mentioned a little brother before. Then again, she didn't really talk about her family much at all.

"You have a brother?" Tyler asked, tilting his head to the side and staring at her nearly as curiously as I felt. She shrugged her shoulders, not looking very impressed as she glared in the direction of the voice. Her mother still wasn't distinguishable through the walls of people, but she seemed to have a general idea of where she might be.

"He's a year younger than me and goes to some fancy boarding school. He only comes home for big events." She explained, the description managing to catch my interest even further. I wonder what he's like. How come she went to public school while he went there? Was he has loveable and overly bubbly as Zoe?

"Can we meet him?" I asked without thinking, blushing as her expression changed like I'd just asked something utterly ludicrous. She shrugged her shoulders afterward though, seeming pretty indifferent on the matter.

"You'll regret it." She muttered, turning on her heel and gesturing for us to follow. I swung my leg out, intending to eagerly follow after her, when another voice rang out from behind us.

"Troye! Tyler!" I froze, sighing softly in annoyance over my mother. She sounded emotional and excited, the reason I'd hoped to avoid her until it wore off. She tended to take things too dramatically, so an actually dramatic moment like my graduation was probably going to be insane. However, it was too late now, considering I couldn't just duck away from her, so I turned around to face her instead.

She continued to barrel forward, ending up throwing her arms around my torso and squeezing the living daylights out of me. I groaned loudly, trying to puff my chest out in an effort to get her off of me. Of course it didn't work, only making Tyler and Zoe giggle further as they leaned on each other, momentarily ignoring the calls of Zoe's parents.

It wasn't until I heard a quiet sniffle that I realized just how serious of trouble I was in. Is she really going to take it that far? Crying? She's going to drench my shirt if I don't try and stop her soon. I planned to speak up and discourage her emotional state when she beat me to it, mumbling into my shirt, purposely loud enough for Tyler to hear. "I got the most beautiful footage of when you walked off the stage and hugged, you can just see the love in your eyes."

"Mom. Our friend is right here." I muttered, blushing as she drew away and started to blink away the tears gathering in her eyes. She turned to Zoe then, narrowing her eyes in an almost hostile glare.

"Yeah, and I'm shocked she's not crying too." She snapped, sounding a bit too harsh to be comfortable. I laughed it off though, playfully punching her shoulder before slinging my arm around them.

"You're hopeless." I laughed, giving Zoe an apologetic smile only when I knew she wasn't watching. Instead her focus had turned to Tyler, my eyes widening as she leapt forward out of my grip and grabbed his hand.

"Come on, let's go get some posed pictures!" She squealed excitedly, likely knowing Tyler was too kindhearted to protest. He did look back over his shoulder at me as she dragged him away, the glint in his eye more demanding than anything he could have said. If I don't go with him and make sure my mother stays in line he is not going to be happy with me.

"I guess we'll meet him some other time." I muttered, giving Zoe another awkward smile.

"That's fine, have fun taking your romantic photos with your husband." She laughed, the sentence sounding genuinely sweet until she reached the teasing last word. I groaned, turning and bounding after her before they got lost in the crowd.

By the time I reached them she already had him in some weird pose hugging a tree as she snapped photos, a smirk finding my face as I studied the awkward shaky smile on his face. I decided enough torture was enough, sighing as I cleared my throat and watched both of them turn to face me. They both looked extremely relieved, likely for opposite reasons.

"Finally! Okay, go stand over there and hug him under the tree. We'll start out tame." I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to see what happened after we surpassed the 'tame' poses, but I decided to cross that bridge once we came to it. I walked across the neatly trimmed grass, not expecting it when Tyler practically pounced into my arms, snuggling into my chest. I blushed, knowing it'd be caught on camera but too caught up in the moment to really dwell on the consequences.

"Why the smile?" I whispered, hoping she wouldn't yell at me for breaking pose. His eyes flickered up to meet with mine, the blue barely visible at this angle through his thick lashes. That didn't matter though, I'd much rather he stayed clinging to me like this instead.

"I keep remembering at random intervals that we're moving in together tomorrow and it's all I can do to keep from bursting out into song every time." I felt giddy after hearing his explanation, resisting the strongest urge to just lean down and kiss him senseless. While I didn't care about what the people from our school thought about our sexuality, I still wasn't sure if I was ready to make out with anyone in the middle of a crowd of people this big. And I knew I wouldn't be able to stop at just a chaste cute kiss, so I was left with no kiss at all, instead just staring down at him and relishing in the way his fingers felt through my shirt as they clutched at handfuls of fabric on my back.

I lost track of time as I continued to act out every pose my mother threw at us, just going along with it and wondering in the back of my mind when it'd finally be over. It wasn't until my father's voice spoke up directly beside us that I jumped backward and actually took the time to study our surroundings. The crowd had seriously thinned out, to the point you could distinguish each individual family still here rather than just one huge crowd. My father spoke again then, but this time I actually went out of my way to listen.

"Laurelle, honey, I think that's enough pictures." He laughed, stepping away from us and into the line of the camera when she still insisted on ignoring him. That was definitely a bad mood, her eyes shooting daggers as they flickered up from the screen of the camera.

"Enough pictures?! Don't you want to remember this day forever? It's such an important milestone of their lives and-"

"Don't you want to tell them about their graduating present?" He cut her off, everyone's eyes going wide in reaction. They hadn't mentioned a graduating present before now. I just assumed they would help us buy furniture and call it even. Please tell me they didn't get us something stupid and are expecting us to buy all our own furniture, because then we might be living with just a bed for longer than I thought. 

Whatever it was, my mother seemed very excited to share, dropping her camera and letting it hand loosely from the strap around her neck. She bounced over to where Shaun stood then, hugging him tightly.

"You're right! Where did Jackie go?" I didn't wait to hear his response, stepping forward between them and giving each of them a harsh glare.

"It's just stuff for our apartment, right? That's what we need most." I subtly reminded them, praying they hadn't already bought something stupid. I loved them, but they weren't always very smart with their money. They seemed appalled by my question though, which gave me a bit of hope as they both dismissively shook their head in unison.

"Nah, that stuff is just because we love you. We had to get you something big for graduating." I quirked my eyebrows again now, not even expecting them to get the furniture and something else. I was almost concerned. What else could be considered big?

"I'm worried." I said honestly, looking back and forth between us. Matching suspicious smiles found their faces as they turned to face Tyler. My heart started to race then, mind jumping to conclusions and mouth speaking before I'd even thought it through.  "Please tell me it's not a ring, you can't propose to him for me." Tyler let out a quiet squeak next to me, eyes going comically wide when I turned to address the noise. I decided to let him off without question, instead turning back to my parents with an expectant expression for their answer.

"No! We'll leave that to you." My mother insisted, her voice wavering and far from believable. I groaned, lifting a hand to run it through my hair.

"Please tell me you didn't." I said quietly, knowing Tyler would hear anyway. He was standing right beside me, and likely pretty invested in the conversation. She opened her mouth to speak up but my father clamped a hand over it, answering for himself instead.

"We didn't. She wanted to though, she even had one picked out, but I refused to help pay for it." I shot her a cold glare, watching the way she cowered into his side with a guilty expression. She was quick to recover though, batting her eyelashes a moment later with a surprisingly smooth smile.

"Will you at least take me with you when you do go ring shopping?" She asked, completely disregarding Tyler standing next to me. I glanced in his direction without turning my head, beaming inside when I noticed his usual nervous stance. His feet were turned in and his hands distractedly playing with the hem of his shirt as he stared downward. I can't wait for the day I finally do propose, to see his face.

But should I agree to let my mother help? It'd be nice to have a second opinion, but who's to say she'd even take it seriously. What if she just chose the ring she liked best? Ugh, it'd break her heart if I said no though. 

"Maybe. Now stop embarrassing Tyler, he looks like he's about to faint." I answered gruffly, not missing Tyler's thankful sigh as he squirmed further into my side. She nodded her head, albeit a bit sullenly like I actually had rejected her.

"Fine. Shaun go find Jackie and the other nuisances." She sighed out, pouting as she walked over to lean against the same tree from our photoshoot earlier. I ignored her dramatic exit, instead turning to Tyler and taking his hands in mine. He grinned up at me, lifting a curious eyebrow to ask for the meaning of the show of affection. I just shook my head though, knowing there wasn't really one in particular.

My father returned a few minutes later with Jackie and all of my siblings in tow, stomping proudly ahead of them until he reached our side. My mother was quick to jump out of her pout then, bounding over to stand by the group of us before suddenly urging a piece of paper into my hands. I cursed quietly, managing to get a paper cut with her impatient methods. She seemed oblivious.

"We got you this. Jackie helped." She insisted, shoving it forward again when I didn't immediately take it from her. This time I snatched it before she got the chance to cut me, glaring as I flipped it over in my hands.

"An envelope?" I questioned, wondering what could possibly be inside.

"Open it, smartass." She snapped, completely misunderstanding my curiosity. 

"Okay, okay, sheesh." I muttered, ripping it open carelessly. I pulled the piece of paper out, furrowing my brows as I scanned it. Tyler stood higher on the tips of his feet, resting his chin on my shoulder and reading it with me. My jaw unhinged as it started to sink in just what the fancy scrawl on the paper meant, my heart racing as my head snapped back upward, staring at my parents in disbelief. 

"Well?" My mother urged, grinning wildly and making urgent hand gestures like she simply couldn't wait to hear some sort of reaction. Jackie stood off behind them a few steps, but her expression was identical to theirs, just a little bit more subtle.

"This is a deed. Did you buy us a fucking house?" I asked, realizing Tyler hadn't figured that out before I said it by the sharp intake of breath beside me. My mother laughed aloud, shaking her head and waving her hands in dismissal.

"Oh no, you have an apartment. We got you a restaurant." 

"An entire restaurant?" Tyler spluttered next to me, blunt nails digging into my arm with how roughly he was suddenly clinging onto it. 

"No, it's a portion of the deed, we still own half of it. I figured the whole would be a bit much. Plus we probably know a bit more about running it than you do, but if you catch on quick maybe we'll give you the rest for your next birthday." She explained casually, like she hadn't just gifted us part-ownership of a fucking restaurant. As crazy as it was and as much as I wanted to hit her for being so over-the-top, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy with it. Tyler would have a job he actually enjoyed and we'd have something to fall back on if we ever really needed money, we could just sell our share back.

"I don't know what to say." I said honestly, kicking at the dirt by my feet.

"Tyler and Jackie can work there, you can too if you want." She suggested, my heart racing even further as I realized that was a possibility too. We could give Jackie a job where she wasn't treated badly and overworked. The more I thought about it the more I fell in love with the idea, thinking about every possibility and option. I wonder if it's close to our apartment, surely it is.

"Where's it at?"

"It's a little seafood one, by a beach." She explained casually, grin growing wider for only a second before she forced it back smaller. I was confused by her actions, unsure why she was suddenly holding back, but I didn't dwell on it.

A seafood restaurant by the beach, there was one of those by our apartment but I didn't think it was for sale- Oh. She means that seafood restaurant. The one Tyler and I first went to, the one he noticed was for sale. I never told her about that, that was such a weird coincidence. Then again, I hadn't told her about Tyler wanting to work in the food industry either, had I?

"I never told you about this." I accused, eyes narrowing into a glare as I studied her. Everyone else seemed oblivious to why this mattered, staring at me in confusion.

"About what?" She laughed, shaking her head like I was sprouting nonsense. It didn't make sense, I hadn't told anyone these things. The only person that could have possibly known is my grandmother, but why would she tell my mother? It didn't make sense. Something wasn't adding up.

"Our first day together being at this restaurant, or Tyler wanting to work in the food industry." I accused, watching her face pale slightly. It regained it's color just as fast though, her shoulders shrugging noncommittally as she sighed loudly.

"Your grandmother told me about it. She said you mentioned the place being for sale to her. You did, didn't you?" She asked, staring at me with an unfamiliar tint to her smile. Sure, this was the only believable reason she could have said, but it still didn't seem believable.

I continued to stare at her, my mind wandering as I tried to figure out what to believe and what to debate further. My grandmother said she'd been trying to figure out for years if my mother could read minds and had no results, it wouldn't make sense if she could. But how else would she know? "Troye, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I didn't realize she told you." I lied through my teeth, deciding to brush over it. She smiled widely, turning to my father and hugging him happily. I couldn't shake the nagging curiosity though, knowing I'd continue to wonder forever. At the same time, if she's managed to hide it this long, maybe she just really doesn't want people to know. It just doesn't make sense, why didn't she comfort me if she knew what I was going through?

Maybe my grandmother actually did tell her, maybe I'm reading too much into it. This is an important moment, I should celebrate it and stop thinking so much.  "Thank-you, Mom and Dad and Jackie. It means a lot to me." 

"You're welcome!" They shouted in unison, a few seconds of pure silence following as they all slowly turned their focus to the man standing next to me. I hadn't even looked at him since reading the deed, deciding I'd better see why he caught their attention this time. I wasn't expecting to see him so pale he could be mistaken for a ghost.

"Tyler! Are you okay?"

"They gave us half of a fucking restaurant." He spoke slowly, like he was still trying to figure out how to say the words. I started to smile then, realizing there was nothing seriously wrong. He was just shocked.

"He's a little in shock, he'll be fine. He's not used to the rich parent life." I laughed, waving my hand to dismiss their concerns. I did step between him and the crowd though, blocking his reactions from their line of sight as I leaned down to comfort him. "Tyler, babe, aren't you excited? We don't have to worry about finding you a job. My parents will probably even let you cook right away rather than waiting tables."

"Your parents are crazy." He whispered, finally loosening his death grip on my arm. It was so tight it had gone numb, which is why I hadn't been so concerned until realizing just now.

"Ty, that's not nice to say to people that are expecting a thank-you." I growled through my teeth, glaring at him. He blushed, nodding his head and peeking out from around my shoulder.

"Th-Thank-you guys." He stuttered out, my heart clenching at how adorably nervous he sounded right now.

"You're welcome! Anything for a member of the family!" My mother beamed, stepping forward and completely disregarding the way I'd put space between them. She just stepped around me, pulling him in for a quick hug. I made sure to listen carefully though, catching it when she started to whisper in his ear. "Just for future reference though, are you into normal gold or white gold for-"

"Mom. I'm buying the ring." I insisted, my voice coming out unintentionally gruff and territorial as I stepped between them again. She sighed, rolling her eyes and holding her hands up in surrender as she stepped back.

"Fine." She didn't sound very happy about it, but she did seem serious this time. I nodded my head, looking back to Tyler and finding his complexion a complete contrast to before. I started to laugh, lifting a hand to brush my fingertips lightly over his flushed cheek.

"Look at him, you've turned him into a human tomato." I said quietly, leaning forward to brush his lips to mine. He was still relatively unresponsive, mind likely running crazy with thoughts of owning businesses and marriage. It definitely seemed like a pretty picture-perfect future where we stood now. I couldn't wait to start it with him.

I turned to look back to my parents once we separated, turning quickly and pausing when my eyes fell on someone else entirely. They widened as I concentrated on the form. Caspar was walking away, hands tucked in his pockets and eyes trained firmly on the ground. He looked so sad, unlike everyone else here celebrating the end of their high school careers. I knew I shouldn't after all he's done, but I couldn't help but worry. Is he okay? I had to know for sure. "Excuse me, I'll be right back."

"Okay?" Their confirmation sounded more like a question, but I was determined and didn't have the time to stick around and explain my actions. Instead I jogged after the retreating frame, gasping for air when I finally caught up with him. I was still a few steps behind, and we'd just walked around a corner out of everyone else's sight, but he still refused to acknowledge my presence. I decided the only way to get him to would be to actually speak up and give him no choice. I took a deep breath, unprepared for how he may react to me reaching out.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked, freezing in my tracks at the same time as him before I got any closer. He turned around slowly, eyes dark and burning with annoyance. He stood there speechless for a few seconds, eyes raking over me and narrowed into the most hostile glare I'd ever seen. 

"Why?" He asked finally, arching a single eyebrow.

"Because you look upset." I explained, knowing I was stating the obvious but doing it anyway for his sake. I didn't dare call him out on how stupid the question actually was, knowing that'd eliminate the very small chance I had already of him talking to me openly.

"Like you care, weirdo." He spat, starting to turn back around. I panicked, desperate to say something that would keep him from leaving. He was obviously upset, the hurt clear in his features.

"I appreciate it, you know. How you left us alone after the dance." I practically shouted, grinning inwardly when he turned back around like I'd hoped.

"It's not because I care." He explained, shuffling in the spot awkwardly. I nodded my head, giving him a genuine smile when I looked back up.

"I know, but I do." I said, watching his features soften slightly. I took a deep breath, trying my hardest to zone in and concentrate on his thoughts. I still wasn't standing very close to him, but I was very determined. The seconds of silence turned into a minute before he cleared his throat, staring at me curiously as he started to back away. The whole silently staring at him thing probably was pretty creepy in hindsight.

"I've gotta go, my father's expecting me home soon." He explained, continuing to stare at me for a few more seconds before shaking his head and turning around. He started further down the alleyway between the two buildings, but I didn't let him get far before I jogged forward and grabbed his wrist. "What the hell? Get off me!" Before I even took the time to read his thoughts something else caught my eye, the dark purple littering his arm.

"Are those bruises?" I asked, watching him shake his hand and squeeze his eyes shut.

"Yeah, from sports-related stuff, you wouldn't understand." He muttered, sounding even more hostile as he attempted to rip his arm from my grip. I closed my eyes, completely ignoring his struggle as I started to focus all of my attention on reading his mind. Come on, it has to work this time, it's important.

What's this kid's problem? I knew he was weird, but what is he trying to pull? Does he have some kind of creepy crush on me? I thought he was banging Tyler. 

I winced, making a face at the disgusting thoughts before trying to dig deeper. My grandma said I could read thoughts even if he wasn't thinking them if I just learned how to control it better. I could sift through what I didn't want to hear individual thoughts and memories, just like she had with Lily.

I wonder when the new episode of- No.

I'm thinking about having lasagna for supper- No.

Why didn't he show up? He promised me he was going to stay sober today and come to my graduation. What kind of father is he? Now Troye's seeing the bruises, what do I tell him? What if he doesn't believe they're from sports?

"I'm sorry." I gasped when he finally tore his arm from my grip, my eyes full of sympathy as I looked at his bruised arm in a whole new light. I couldn't believe it. Caspar was so tough, I didn't think he'd take shit from anyone, let alone his father. How long has it been going on? Why didn't he tell anyone?

"About what!? Can't you just leave me alone! What's your problem? Do you have some creepy stalker crush on me?" He shouted, shoving me backward harshly. I landed on my butt but I quickly scrambled back to my feet, gulping nervously as I took notice of just how angry he looked with me.

"No, I just can't stand to see someone who's hurting walk back to the person that hurt them." I spat, the words coming out almost angry sounding with how nervous I was. He shook his head, face bent up in a mixture of confusion and anger.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, hands balling into fists at his sides.

"Those bruises aren't from sports, are they?" I asked, not expecting the sudden slew of images that flew threw my mind as my words sparked stronger thoughts inside of him. They were all injuries, ones that made my stomach flip in disgust at the thought of someone inflicting them on him, someone he was meant to rely on. I sighed as the final one left my mind, a prominent scar on his shoulder. "Neither is the scar on your shoulder."

"You can't even see my shoulder. Stop making up lies." He spat, sinking backward until he was pressed up entirely against the wall of the building. I took a step forward, ducking when he suddenly kicked a rock up at me. I cursed when it hit the edge of my elbow, clutching it and whimpering quietly. I was beginning to debate if coming alone was such a great idea after all when the sound of approaching footsteps had relief washing over me.

"What's going on? Troye, are you okay?" I smiled despite myself at all the concern clear in Tyler's voice, melting back against his chest when he protectively hugged me from behind. The embrace was short-lived however, considering we immediately separated when Caspar started to make gagging noises at the show of affection.

"Great, look who's joined the party. Can I go now?" He asked, rolling his eyes and stepping away from the wall. Tyler walked around to stand beside me, puffing his chest up and biting his lip harshly.

"Yeah, be my guest, get out of here r-"

"Tyler, no." I whispered, before he could dismiss Caspar without my permission. He turned to me in confusion, my mind struggling to find words to explain things to him without alerting Caspar of too much. "He needs our help."

"What?" Tyler asked, tilting his head to the side and continuing to stare at me in confusion. I sighed loudly, followed by Caspar's disgruntled groan.

"No, I don't! I don't need anyone's help!" He shouted, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. I shook my head, turning to Tyler and trying to keep from seeing Caspar's reaction. I didn't want to see his face when I said this next thing.

"His father's abusing him." I said, grabbing Tyler's hands and squeezing them tightly. I was very thankful he was here now, considering I had no idea what I'd do if he wasn't. How was I supposed to deal with this?

Tyler didn't seem nearly as shocked or heartbroken as I'd expected. He looked almost angry as he turned back to Caspar, glaring at him.

"You told me he stopped." He spat, my eyes going wide. He knew? Why didn't he tell anyone? Why didn't he tell me?

"You knew?" I whispered, looking back and forth between the two of them. Caspar looked mortified now, like he wanted to sink back into the wall and disappear from our view forever. I doubted it was an easy thing to talk about on his own will, much less to be confronted this way.

"Well, yeah, but I didn't think it was serious. He was just a bit pushy with him when I went over as a kid. When I asked about it Caspar said it stopped and then he... Then he stopped having me over." Tyler muttered, staring down at the ground as regret started to cloud his features like things were just now making sense to him. Of course he stopped having him over after that, he didn't want him questioning any further. Shit, now I feel even worse.

"I don't know what you guys are talking about, stop acting like you know everything-"

"I read your mind, I do know everything." I cut off, my heart racing as the confession rang in my own ears. I had to tell him though. If I didn't give him something of mine to hold onto he'd never let me talk with him about his secrets. Tyer squeezed my hand even tighter, to the point it was almost painful, but I didn't mind. In fact, I liked it, the constant tension keeping me grounded instead of letting me fly away into freak out land.

Caspar didn't seem to realize just how big of a conquest this was for me, giving me a weird look before laughing and shaking his head.

"Liar." He accused, my eyes snapping shut as I concentrated on proving myself. He had to believe me.

"You're thinking about the Harries twins now, wondering if they were the ones that told me about it because they're the only ones who know." I opened my eyes, meeting his confused and slightly terrified gaze. He shrunk back further, shaking his head as he slumped against the brick wall. I decided to try again, his resolve visibly cracking each time I made a statement too uncanny to be a lie. "You're thinking about your mother, where she is now after leaving your father."

"No, I'm not." He growled, beginning to sound angry with me. I shook my head, taking a deep breath as I closed my eyes for the third and hopefully final time. He had to believe me after this. He had to let me help him.

"You're thinking about how weird I am and how you wished you'd taken the back exit so I never saw you walking away." I opened my eyes again, studying his reaction closely as Tyler clung closer to me. He opened his mouth to speak before snapping his jaw back shut, shaking his head furiously as tears started to build in his eyes. I couldn't tell what emotion he was feeling, traces of all them flickering across his features. I stepped forward, away from Tyler and closer to him, stretching a hand outward. "I know, Caspar, and I want to help you. I won't tell anyone about you if you don't tell anyone about me. I can help you through this."

"No." He muttered, his voice barely recognizable with how small and meek it sounded. He reached a hand up to angrily wipe the tears from his cheeks, staring at me in confused disbelief. It changed then, his expression darkening as he turned and started to back away again. He waited until he was a good ten steps from me before replying. "I never asked for your help and I don't need it!" He took off sprinting as soon as he'd finished replying, a soft sigh leaving my lips as he turned the corner out of sight. Tyler walked up behind me to press a chaste comforting kiss to the back of my neck, wrapping his arms around my stomach from behind and squeezing.

"What do we do?"

"There's nothing we can do. If he doesn't want our help, we can't force it on him." I explained, debating with myself if this really was the right choice. It probably wasn't. The logical thing would be to get him help whether he wanted it or not, I just knew how shattered I would have been if someone told the world about my problems and forced me to face them when I was younger. I would have been heartbroken and angry, possibly hurting even badly than when I'd been dealing with them on my own.

"Can't we tell someone?" I shook my head, turning around to hug him tightly to my chest. It was times like these I was even more thankful for Tyler than usual. Something about having him near just made all the dark fade away, like he was my own personal beacon of light. No matter how bad things got I could always rely on him to be there.

"We could. It'd only make him bitter though. Imagine the self-hatred he'd feel if he thought it was his fault his father was thrown behind bars."

"We can't just leave him." He whispered, genuine concern showing in his voice despite all that Caspar had done. I sighed, running a hand over his back and kissing the top of his head distractedly.

"We'll keep an eye out for him for now. If things get any worse we will definitely get help."

A/n: ONE CHAPTER LEFT AFTER THIS BUT IT'S KINDA THE EPILOGUE BUT IM JUST GONNA CALL IT A NORMAL CHAPTER IDK DIDKDIDKDIDK IDK IM SO EXCITED WHEN SHOULD I POST IT ANYTIME IS GOOD WITH ME MANS DO YOU WANT IT RIGHT NOW?????!?!?