Chapter Two: Jagged Little Pill

Noel snuck back out of Mike's window around dawn. He made his way down the side of the house, remembering the night he had had with Mike. Their bodies played together flawlessly, intertwining and extracting themselves from their shadows, dancing behind them on the wall. Though he hated admitting it, he had certain growing feelings for the younger teen. Struggle as he might to push them down and bottle them up, they always managed to bubble back up to the surface. But no one at school could know that he had these feelings for another boy. It would destroy his reputation. And besides, it would completely destroy his relationship with Jenna. He had witnessed the price first hand of keeping secrets from her.

There was magnetism to Mike Montgomery, however. When he flashes his toothy grin at Noel, his insides melt. He began walking along the roadside, taking in the fresh morning air and the silence that accompanied this time of day – a strange tranquility blanket over the normally tumultuous Rosewood. How this town had spun so far out of control he couldn't say, but he knew that it wasn't his place to correct it.

He toyed with the cell phone in his pocket, at first wanting to send Mike something dirty for him to wake up to. Then he visualized Mike snuggled deep within his blankets, one arm curled under his pillow, and decided he shouldn't disturb him.

One person would be awake, however. He unlocked the screen and started typing. After a few minutes he received a message that just said, "The men's room at the Brew. 8."

Speedy delivery, he thought. Today is already shaping up to be amazing. He gave a nod to the sun, just now cresting the buildings of downtown, and his signature smile broke out across his face. Now, how to spend the next two hours?


Wren got off work, the pockets on his lab coat sagging more than usual. Luckily for him, his reputation was clean as it could get around the hospital, so no one gave him a second glance as he slipped out a side door and took the longer walk around the building to the parking lot. Checking his watch, he knew he was going to be late meeting Wesley, and Wesley did not exactly love being kept waiting.

Ducking into his car, he double checked the mostly vacant parking lot before emptying the contents of his pockets into the glove box. He quickly maneuvered the car out of the parking lot and sped down the highway.

Wesley was waiting for him at their usual rendezvous point, and Wren could see the agitation plainly from a quarter mile down the road. Their spot was a deserted stretch of unused highway, beneath a gigantic willow tree. Wesley disappeared beneath the branches as Wren pulled his car to a stop.

Knowing he incurred Wesley's anger with each passing moment he sat in the vehicle, but he held back for a moment. What would Ezra think about this? He wondered. How horrible would I look to him if he knew what I was doing out here with his little brother? He hoped Ezra's interview had gone well, but neither had texted during the course of the night. Wren was still upset about Ezra shutting him down about taking their relationship to a better level, and he assumed Ezra was upset about Wren's near constant pressure.

Parting the curtain of leaves, he saw Wesley standing near the base of the tree, his arms crossed over his chest. "About goddamned time," he murmured.

"I have a job, sometimes I get caught up in it." Wren said as evenly as he could muster. "Maybe it's something you can try someday."

"I like how you act as if you had any of the power here. Remember, I have the power to undo your precious little relationship with my queer brother. Now, hand it over, I have clients already waiting for this shit."

As Wren handed the drugs to the younger man, he reflected on how the two had first met. It was in passing, when Wren had seen Ezra at the market, but at that point, Wesley seemed like a sweet, genuine younger brother. How could Wren have known what horrid demeanor lurked beneath the façade of that smiling face with the wide eyes? And how, since then, have things turned so dark, gotten so off course from what Wren wanted his life to be. The only thing that managed to balance the scales was Ezra, and already Wren felt him slipping away from him, however slightly.

"Here," he said, handing the bottles over. "We're going to have to revisit our arrangement at some point. I can't keep doing this without losing my job. I've already committed several felonies by 'helping' you out this way."

"Well, that's the question, isn't it?" Wesley asked, placing all but one of the bottles in various pockets on his jacket. The last he tossed from hand to hand, somehow managing to make the process threatening as he took a few steps towards the doctor. "You can either be successful at your job, or you can have the happy home life. It looks like you're going to have a choice to make, because I have the ability now to end all of it for you. Remember that before you try making another threat."

He shoved Wren with a shoulder and pushed his way out of the willow tree. Wren heard his car start and pull off down the road.

Wren sat down among the fallen leaves, feeling the crinkle beneath his legs. He placed his head in his hands, wondered what he'd done so wrong to deserve all of this, and began to cry. After about twenty minutes, he stood up, brushed himself off, and prepared himself to face Ezra.


Mike woke up with that fuzzy feeling one gets after a night of amazing, spontaneous, completely satisfying sex. He basked in the few slats of morning sunlight that fell through his blinds for a few minutes before he heard the muffled sounds of people having a very heated debate. His mother never came by the house anymore, so he doubted it was her having it out for whatever reason with his dad, which left Aria. And she could be shouting about something with just about anyone from town. His sister had an in with everyone around Rosewood, it seemed.

Curious, he rose from the bed and pulled on a pair of boxer briefs. Tilting his head, he followed the echoed whispers, and found they were coming from Aria's room. This could be good, he thought. With school still a few weeks away, he could stand a little excitement from his sister.

Sneaking out into the hallway, Mike moved down towards Aria's room. Hopefully his father was at the university already, preparing syllabi for the upcoming semester, and wouldn't catch Mike spying on his sister. His father already had some cause for alarm when it came to this kind of behavior from Mike, and he really didn't want any sort of punishment being brought down on him. The only thing that could be taken away from his at this point was lacrosse, and he'd be damned before letting that happen.

Still, the urge to pry into the lives of others pulled him closer to her door, and he thought he could now recognize the second voice. It definitely sounded like Mr. Fitz.

He pressed his ear up to the door and heard Aria say, "I don't know Ezra, maybe you should ask Emily about this."

"Emily?"

"She went through the same thing with her mom, sort of. Of course, her mom is way more compassionate, and, ya know, warm blooded than yours is."

What the hell? Mike thought.

"I really shouldn't even be telling you about any of this," Ezra continued. "It's just that I had to tell someone and you are the person I trust most right now to keep a secret."

"Listen, it's not like it's less appropriate than our relationship was. You're both grown men now, you should be able to love who you want. Look at Mike."

At me? Mike pressed his ear harder against the door. Was Mr. Fitz dating a man from around town? He grinned. This guy just couldn't keep the scandal away, could he? He knew that he had no room to talk, given his current situation, but it was interesting nonetheless. Momentarily forgetting about Toby and Noel, he allowed himself to wonder what it might be like to be with Mr. Fitz. He totally understood Aria's attraction to him.

Movement on the other side of the door forced Mike to jump back a little too abruptly. He banged against the wall on the far side of the hallway when he saw the knob turning on the door. As quietly and swiftly as he could, he maneuvered a few steps down the hall, feigning a yawn and acting like he was just on his way to the bathroom, when Aria poked her head out.

"Mike!" she squeaked in that desperate voice she dons occasionally. "What are you doing out here?"

"Going to shower," he said. "Why, you've got someone in there?"

"No!" she said too fast, and Mike knew he would have caught the lie even if he wasn't sure Ezra was hiding behind the door. Come on, he thought, I can see you between the hinges. "No one in here. Why don't you get on with that shower?"

The door slammed shut.

Whatever, Mike thought. None of my business, I guess. He decided that since he'd rather not be caught in a lie, he would go ahead and take that shower. The water heated up the bathroom, steaming up the mirror, and while he lathered up his body he considered the options for Mr. Fitz's mystery man.


Noel arrived right on time at The Brew. Dodging the glares of the baristas behind the counter – even Emily Fields, who's stare was a little more icy than the rest – he made his way to the bathrooms. Why she cared about him dating Jenna he may never know, or care. That whole clique had been giving him the evil eye since that party at his parent's cabin, and he was over it. Their opinions of who he chose to socialize with didn't affect him in the slightest. Plus, he'd been fucking Aria's brother for over a month, and he had that secret over all of them. What would they think about that?

Pushing the door open, he searched the room for anyone he wasn't expecting. Finding the coast to be clear, he went to the last stall and rapped on the metal door with one hand while digging in his pocket with the other, grabbing at the wadded bills tucked away in there.

The stall door opened inward, revealing Wesley. They didn't speak a word. Noel handed over the cash, took the small plastic bag Wesley handed him, gave a quick nod, and turned away.