Sebastian wasn't seen for a week. After the scandal of him kissing a guy came out, he just sort of disappeared. Valentine's Day had passed with me continuously calling and texting him. At one point, I even had my friends blowing up his phone and spamming him, yet still, no answer was received. I was worried, but I also wanted to give him space.

But now that a week has passed, and his face wasn't shown on another school day, it was time I did something. Rather than going home at the end of the day, I decide to head to Sebastian's house. I need to make sure he's okay.

I just know that when he comes back, things will be so different. There's a lot more homophobic people in our town than I thought. After Sebastian had left, his teammate, Joe, had started spewing a whole bunch of nonsense. I could see the disgust in his face as his lips curled, baring his teeth slightly. There was a sort of crazed anger in his eyes, something I didn't think would fade away soon. I had watched him as he had marched back over to his friends, talking animatedly and shaking his head.

Even now, a week later, people are still talking. I'm constantly feeling eyes on me and it honestly makes my skin crawl. People have come up and started apologizing to me about Sebastian being gay. Little do they know, I had already known. Not only that, but people are starting to hate Sebastian because he has been 'lying' to me this whole time.

"I can't believe it, still." Jenny's voice pulls me from my thoughts. I shake my head, blinking, before I turn to her and give a small smile. Jenny rolls her eyes with a playful smile. "That Sebastian is gay."

"Oh, Jenny," I sigh, mood dropping further than it had already been. At this point, I have no mood because it's so low. "Please stop, I can't have you talking about him too."

Jenny raises her hands in that 'I surrender' pose. She juts her bottom lip out and shakes her head. "I'm sorry, I'm just saying...why didn't you tell me?"

I raise an eyebrow and give her a deadpan look. Jenny gives me a sheepish smile as she realizes why I'm looking at her like that. I open my mouth to scold her when I feel a presence behind me. As Jenny looks at the person, she tenses, her smile dropping as fast as kids drop their attitude for candy. Giving her a funny look, I turn to see it's Micah who's standing behind me. She's giving Jenny a weary look as if she'll jump over the table at her.

"Hey." I greet, giving her the same funny look as I did Jenny. "Are you here to eat with us?"

Micah immediately shakes her head, making me pout at the force of her denial. "Nah, I just wanted to ask if you've gotten to talk to Sebastian?"

Her question brings me back to the problem at hand. "No," I answer, shaking my head and slumping my shoulders. "He still hasn't answered. I'm going after school today so I can speak to him."

Micah nods and give me an approving smile. "Good. I know he needs someone right now, even if he seems like he wants nobody. Sebastian is definitely hurting, I mean, this can't be good for him at all."

I nod, agreeing with her words. Jenny interrupts me as I open my mouth to speak. Both Micah and I turn to look at her. "I know I'm the last person who should be talking about this, but maybe Sebastian is a little relieved?"

Micah and I glance at each other before looking at Jenny incredulously. "Jenny, Sebastian was just forcefully outed by this stupid jerk."

Jenny nods. "Yes, I'm aware, but think about it. Sebastian no longer has to hide in the closet. The door is open and he's free to come out. I mean, he has to be a little relieved that he doesn't have to hide anymore."

Her words give me a new resolve. It's actually really logical that Sebastian might be a little happy. I mean, of course he'd be upset at being betrayed by Cody, but maybe he's also relieved that he doesn't have to keep such a large secret. Though it's not my secret to tell, even I struggled to keep it buried. Naturally, Sebastian would have a harder time hiding his feelings. I just wish everyone was accepting and not so close minded.

"That makes sense." Micah speaks first. I turn to see her nodding, her arms crossed. She looks down at me. "Find me after school. I'll drive you, okay?"

"Yeah, sounds good." Micah walks away after I confirm with her.

I sigh and shoved my head into my palm. My thumb and forefinger start rubbing at my temples, a headache formed from all this trouble. I can basically feel the gray hairs forming from all this stress I'm feeling.

"So," Jenny whispers. I look up to see her moved closer to me. "Do you think Micah has forgiven me? I mean, I'm feeling like such a bitch now after you and Greg chewed me out..."

I press my lips into a thin line. "Micah doesn't care, Jenny. That's the thing you don't understand about her. She's cool as a cucumber and she could care less about what you think of her. She just won't stand for it when it's blatantly said to her face."

"So," she starts again, her chin clutch between her fingers. "That's a yes?"

* * *

"What are you gonna say to him?" Micah asks as we sit in her car. She glances at me before starting the engine.

I shrug and run a hand through my hair, tugging lightly. "I won't say anything. I'll just be there for him. Sebastian can be a bit sensitive. I know he's going to need a good cry, so I'll be his shoulder."

Micah glances over at me with a small smile. The rest of the ride is filled with nothing but silence. Some songs playing on the radio with the occasional ad popping up. Every so often, I point Micah to the right direction since she had come to Sebastian's neighborhood only once. It doesn't take long before she's stopped in front of his house.

"Good luck, Em," Micah says, giving me a reassuring smile.

I return the gesture before I unbuckled myself and get out. With a final wave, Micah drives off. Turning towards the large place, I sigh, noticing that Sebastian isn't home alone. I believe the other car in the driveway is his mother's. The small silver car fits her nicely, I think. Walking up the pathway, I come to the door and knock, ringing the doorbell after.

It takes five minutes for someone to answer. Just as I was about to knock again, the door opens to reveal Sebastian's mother. Her eyes look troubled, but she's quick to plaster a smile on her face. The fake smile can't hide the fact that she looks as if she aged ten years. Her usually neat hair is a bit of a mess, thrown into a sloppy bun. She looks like she's just woken up and threw some clothes together if the green pants and bright pink shirt is anything to go by.

"Emie!" She exclaims. "Honey, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at school?"

I furrow my eyebrows, looking at her in concern. "The school day is over, Missus Caldwell. I'm here to see Sebastian. I've been so worried about him, you know? Since it's been a week."

She looks at me blankly before slowly nodding and letting me in. "He's been sick, that's all. I decided to stay home and take care of him. I know I look a bit of a mess."

"You look fine." I immediately say, not wanting to agree. She only looks a little tired. "I'm gonna go see Sebastian now."

She only nods and waves me off. With a final smile to her, I head towards the stairs. Sebastian's house looks spotless. I almost feel like it's a show house and not somewhere people actually sleep. There are no signs that a family lives here other than the family photos and furniture. Even then, this place is like a vacation home.

I step of the stairs and head towards Sebastian's room. With a knock, I wait for an answer but get nothing. What's up with everyone and their delayed answers? Deciding not to wait, I twist the knob and push the door open, happy it's unlocked.

"Sebastian?" I call out, stepping into his room. His dark curtains cancel out the sun so it's pretty dark in here. A lump in resting on the bed, covered by covers. By the slight movements, I know it's Sebastian.

"Hey." I start walking towards his bed. Once there, I kick my shoes off and set my bag down. "Are you sleeping?"

No answer. I set my knee onto the bed lightly, hearing the bed squeak. Wincing, I lean over Sebastian and slowly pull the cover back. When I see his face, I also see that he's actually awake. Frowning, I lean back.

"Sebastian, please answer me." I sigh, my voice saddening. "I know you're hurting, but please turn and look at me."

I say nothing for the next couple of minutes, waiting for him patiently. If I give him time, he'll come through, and he does. Sebastian turns toward me and it's just light enough for me to see a large bruise on cheek. Not only that, but he has a split lip and a black eye. His nose is also a little tinted, though I'm not able to really see what's wrong from the lack of light. I can only see the dark tints to his face.

I open my mouth to speak, but Sebastian shakes his head. His eyes well with tears and he reaches out for me. I move slowly, cautiously, and wrap my arms around him. He hugs me tightly and immediately his body starts shaking with his cries.

My Sebastian is broken.

*Hello, hello. Thanks for being here for another chapter. The themes are a little heavier here and next chapter. Can you guess what happened to Sebastian? How do you guys feel about this? Let me know with a comment and please don't forget to vote. Thanks so much for reading.*