A/N: Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it. Also thanks to all the people who reviewed the last chapter. Cookies to you all! Reviews make my day!

Disclamier: I wish I did own RENT, but sadly I don't

Chapter 2

It rained all the next day and with his ankle still healing, Collins was forced to spend the time indoors. He felt like he was some weird science experiment the way his parents were following his movements. After breakfast they had sat down as a family to play a few card games.

Collins managed to tolerate his parents for a little over two hours, but he couldn't take them anymore. He made some excuses about elevating his ankle and went back to his room. Once the door was shut, he allowed all the stress and worry to drain out of him. He fell face first into his bed and used the pillow to muffle his scream.

After his release, he sat upright on his bed and placed the pillow under his leg and pulled out his latest book. It was Plato's The Republic, and soon he was engrossed in the pages and oblivious to the outside world.

Collins was brought back to the real world when he heard some yelling outside of the cabin. It was still raining and Angel was outside, absolutely soaked and carrying what appeared to be a bag of fresh fruit from the local store. Behind Angel, a tall boy along with two girls were following Angel and seemed to be making fun of him. The boy shoved Angel from behind and Collins watched him stumble to the ground.

"C'mon. Get up, faggot."

"Hey, Kyle. I bet he likes it when you touch him like that."

"Did anyone ever tell you being a fag isn't normal?"

Collins then understood why his father was so upset. His stomach suddenly felt like it was rising up to his throat. He sat stunned on the bed, wondering if Angel or his family had known Collins' secret. Just then, Angel pulled himself up from the ground and pushed Kyle back. Collins tried to stifle a laugh as he watched Kyle fall to the ground. Not only was Angel strong, but he was also fast and by the time the two girls had helped Kyle off the ground, Angel was out of sight.

Collins awoke early in the morning since he went to bed early last night. He threw his long legs over the side of the bed and tested out his ankle. It wasn't quite back to normal, but his mom figured he only twisted it. The swelling had gone down and he could stand, but he just limped a little bit. He went into the kitchen and grabbed a muffin that his mom had made yesterday and left a note for his parents, then headed out the door.

Collins started following the main path he had seen Angel use the day before not knowing were it led. After following the curving road and seeing what he figured to be over half the cabins, he found a lake. The sand was still wet from the rain yesterday and squeezed between his toes and got in his sandals. Towering poplars, maples and evergreens surrounded the other three sides of the lake. In the middle of the lake was a floating dock that had a small set of stairs that were partially in the water on the side closest to Collins. He started to walk in the water up to his calf. Overlooking the water, Collins realized he wasn't alone. Someone's head popped out of the water. He slowly watched as the form started to walk towards the shore and was delighted when he recognized it was Angel.

"Hey, Collins. I was just taking a morning swim."

"I noticed, although I suppose it would have to be early in the morning if you wanted to avoid Kyle."

Angel's eyes seemed to darken at the mention of the name and Collins began to regret bringing him up.

"Yeah, well, we can't all be assholes, but Kyle does his best."

Collins couldn't help but laugh and soon Angel was laughing with him.

"I suppose you saw us yesterday?"

"Yeah. I heard everything."

"Well, most people can definitely tell I'm gay and they get upset over it."

"I take it your mom's cool with it?"

"She's totally cool about it. When I came out to her, she said she still loves and supports me regardless. We're a close family. As long as my sister and I are happy, my mom's happy."

Collins just nodded his head. He could remember a long time ago when he had felt that close to his parents, but that was more than two years ago. He felt he had to distance himself to protect his secret, even though it hurt his parents, but the truth would hurt them even more.

Angel moved to a bush and picked up a pair of sandals and a plain blue t- shirt. He had not dried himself off first, which made his shirt plaster to his chest. Collins licked his lips as he remembered what lay underneath. 'Don't think about it, just control yourself. If you can't do that then turn around and leave,' Collins thought. He was concentrating so hard on trying to get the image of Angel partially nude out of his mind, he barely heard Angel ask him a question.

"Do you want to hang out together today?"

Angel seemed so hesitant to ask Collins, as if he was used to people saying no. He started to chew on his bottom lip as he looked at Collins and waited for a response.

"Considering you saved me, I would love to."

"I hardly saved you. All you did was hurt your ankle, and that would not have happened if I hadn't surprised you."

"I can see it now, 'Teen dies at cabin resort, eaten alive by bugs after a terrible fall.'"

Angel eyes lit up as he started giggling. It really was a crazy thought, but Collins loved the sound of Angel's laugh. Maybe the next two weeks wouldn't be as bad as he thought.