'You're what?!'

'You're crazy!'

Nate flinched as Shane and Jason yelled at his proposal. 'Look…I just thought…'

'You weren't thinking!'

'Yeah, that's what you were thinking!'

Shane looked at Jason with a "what are talking about?" look on his face. 'What?' he whispered angrily. Jason shrugged, looking innocent.

'Look, guys, I just want a try at being normal. I miss it.' Nate said, fiddling with his hair.

'Nathan, it doesn't matter!' Nate looked up as Shane used his full name. 'You're never gonna be normal!'

'I just wanted to try.' Nate said, sighing angrily. 'If you really don't want me to do it, then I won't. It's no big deal.' He said sadly, sprinting away.

Shane glanced at Jason. 'Well done.' Jason said, raising his eyebrows. 'Hey, Nate, wait up!' he said, running after him.

'Shit.' Shane whispered, rubbing his forehead.

Jason opened the door to Nick's room, seeing him curled up on the bed, pouting. 'Hey Nate.'

Nate looked at him and then resumed to his stare at the wall. 'What do you want?'

'Look, I just don't think it would work. It would just all end in tears.' Jason said, perching on the end of Nate's bed.

'But that's the whole point.' Nate said, sitting up. 'I want to take chances, I want to be Nate, not just "that guy from Connect 3", I want to be able to do homework and study sessions and moan about teachers behind their backs, I wanna just be normal, even if it doesn't last.' Nate put his head in his hands. 'It doesn't matter anymore anyway. I'm not that keen on it now.'

Jason raised his eyebrows just like he had at Shane. 'Yes you are, Nate. I can see how much you want this.'

Nate looked up. 'You can?'

'Yeah. I thought you were just thinking about it, but I'm starting to think you should.'

'Really?'

'Yeah. I mean, we shouldn't be holding you back. Shane just doesn't want to be without you for so long. He doesn't admit it, but I know he likes to spend time with us.' Nate smiled. 'And you going to public school will jeopardise his chances of that being as regular as it is now.'

'Jeopardise?' Jason nodded proudly. 'Big word.' Nate grinned, laughing slightly.

Shane had rung Mitchie to ask for her advice, and she'd said to just go and speak to him. He stopped outside Nick's room and heard voices. He pressed his ear against the door.

'…I want to be Nate, not just "that guy from Connect 3"…' Shane frowned. '…I wanna just be normal, even if it doesn't last…' Shane bit his lip, sighing. '…It doesn't matter anymore anyway. I'm not that keen on it now.' He looked up, suddenly feeling so bad about earlier it was untrue. He wanted to burst in and tell Nate that he didn't mind him going away to public school, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

'…Shane just doesn't want to be without you for so long. He doesn't admit it, but I know he likes to spend time with us…' Shane nodded to himself, smiling slightly. '…And you going to public school will jeopardise his chances of that being as regular as it is now…' Shane slid down the door, still pressed against it.

'Jeopardise? Big word.' Shane grinned, but was hiding his emotions. He didn't want Nate to leave; he was his best friend. He was like his brother.

As it says in the summary, it is NatexOC, not NatexShane. Never gonna happen in my stories. Please Review!