Well what do you know, a new chapter! I'm surprised as well, to say the least. I'm sorry this chapter isn't long, but it is longer than the previous ones for sure. I'm going to work on lengthening the chapters so they'll at least measure up to the first story. Also, if there are any tense confusion in this chapter, I'm sorry. I just finished reading a first person series, and my being a third person writer, I got mixed up.

So, with that said and done, please read on!

-SawyerSeville19


Alvin closed his locker door, revealing his younger brother standing at his right. He was briefly startled by the presence but recovered and faced him. Alvin looked into his gray eyes before shifting his gaze and looking down the hall. He visibly paled at the sight of the person entering the building.

Simon saw Alvin's face lose its tan color and his pupils dilate. "What is it?" he asked. Getting no answer, Simon began to turn and see for himself what has momentarily shocked his brother, but Alvin reacted faster.

Grabbing his brother's shoulder, Alvin made him look back at him saying, "It's nothing." Simon arched an eyebrow, not convinced. But naturally, he let it slide. Alvin was still distracted, his gaze shifting from Simon to the person who just walked into the main office. "So," Alvin said, finally giving Simon his attention. "What do you want?"

Simon let out a breath and ran his hand over his hair. "Alvin-" the bell signaling class to start cuts him off. Alvin, who normally doesn't care about punctuality, didn't move. Simon watched the students walk past them, heading towards their classes.

Alvin kept his gaze fixated on the people walking and was relieved when he didn't see Ricky. He had felt his heart stop, literally, when he saw him walk into the building. The knowledge that he was in his school filled Alvin with dread. He had no sanctuary aside from his home now.

Simon spoke up after a minute, "I'll talk to you at lunch?" Alvin met his gaze, hesitating to agree with his brother's suggestion. "Please?" Alvin swallowed and found himself nodding.

"Alright, I'll meet you outside at the bench we normally sit at," Alvin said. Simon smiled and nodded. With that, both brothers turned and walked to their classes.


Ricky was handed his schedule and smiled at the attendance woman. "Thank you," he said, shifting his backpack onto his shoulder and looking over his schedule.

"Oh, we can't forget this," the woman said, handing Ricky a lock and his combination. "You're at locker 314B. Now hurry up, before you're too late to your first class." She shooed him away playfully. Ricky smiled once more, nodded and left the office.

Walking down the hall, he watched the locker numbers, waiting for his to come up. 312B...313B... 314B, here he is. He opened the locker and put his backpack into it. He looked over his schedule. Geometry...He opened his backpack and pulled out a new notebook and two pencils before closing his locker. He looked at his lock before turning it over and removing the combination from the back. He turned the dial around three times, unlocking it, and then attached it to his locker. He locked it and headed to his first class.


Alvin tapped his pencil on his notebook impatiently. He had way too much on his mind, and he couldn't decided what to think about first. There was the fact that Ricky was now in his school, walking the same exact halls as he was. And there was Simon, and what he was going to have to say to his brother come lunch time. He didn't know what to think about first.

He looked at the clock, he had two more class periods until lunch, and for all he knew, Ricky may end up in one of his classes by then. He sighed, he just didn't know what to do.

The door to the class opened and naturally, everyone turned to see who was coming in. Alvin's blue eyes widened, and he blushed when he saw Ricky come in. Hazel eyes met blue ones before Alvin looked down at his paper.

Ricky smiled when he saw Alvin. He looked around for any open desks when the teacher asked his name. "Ricky Michaelson." She checked her roll sheet and marked him present.

"Try not to be late to anymore classes," she instructed. "Have a seat." The class looked back ahead while Ricky took a seat two away from Alvin on the right.

This can't be happening! Alvin thought as he struggled to concentrate on the numbers and shapes that made up the subject of Geometry. This can not be happening! He could feel Ricky's gaze on him, watching him intently.

It's like the world wanted to punish him. He didn't know why though. He could only hope that things wouldn't get any worse...


The bell signaling class was over went off thirty-five minutes later. Alvin practically ran out of class and directly into his female counterpart. "Sorry Britt," he apologized distractedly.

Brittany took a step back and looked him over. "What's got you on the run, Alvin?" she asked. Alvin straightened up and looked around.

"Nothing, I just...have to use the bathroom," he lied poorly. Brittany raised an eyebrow. She saw Ricky walk out behind Alvin, and stifled a smile. She watched him reach out to him. When their gazes locked, Brittany gave him a subtle shake of her head, saying not yet. Ricky lowered his hand and nodded, turned and looked for where his next class would be.

Brittany let out a breath, grabbing Alvin's attention.

"Well, since you need to use the bathroom so badly, you better go before the second bell rings, right?" Alvin looked at her before nodding and walking away.

Alvin walked into the bathroom and breathed out a sigh. He went over to the sink and turned the faucet on warm. He cupped his hands under the running water and brought them to his face, wetting it. After repeating the action two more times he turned the water off and grabbed some paper towels and patted his face dry. He heard the bell go off and threw the paper away. He stood in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection.

What have you gotten yourself into, Seville? He asked himself, feeling multiple emotions pile themselves onto him as the reality of the situation fully hit him. He felt the urge to cry as his mind played back the night of the party, as he realized that his actions were unforgivable. He was still working through his summer actions, and now has to work with more recent actions, such as what happened just last Friday…

He leaned against one of the stalls and ran his hand over his face. He had so many questions to answer alongside dealing with what had happened. Like, why was Ricky able to do what he had been so sure only Simon could do? Not only that, but he had done it twice. Why was he weak around Ricky? What was going on?

Alvin straightened up, checked the time, and left the bathroom to go to class. Just as he opened the door, he froze when he saw Ricky just about to enter the bathroom.

Ricky blinked at first and smiled. Alvin snapped his jaw shut and looked around.

Ricky took in Alvin's appearance and raised an amused eyebrow. "Small world, isn't it?" Alvin refocused his eyes on Ricky as he squeezed past him and went into the bathroom. Alvin turned and followed him in, not sure why he was compelled to do so.

"Yeah, very small," Alvin agreed. He resisted the urge to ask, "What are you doing here?" Ricky folded his arms over his chest and faced Alvin, a small smile on his face. "What?"

"I thought you'd be a bit happier to see me," Ricky said casually, tossing his short bangs out of his left eye with a swift move of his head. Alvin blushed and looked away.

Even if I could afford to be happy, I don't think I could manage to… Alvin sighed and looked at him. "I have some things going on; my mind has been preoccupied the past few weeks…" Ricky nodded and walked over to him, leaving less than a foot long gap between them.

"Anything I can do to help…distract…you?" he asked lowly, looking at Alvin through long eyelashes. Alvin swallowed, his blush deepening. He took a step back.

"Uh… N-No… I think I can handle it…" He bumped into one of the sinks as he continued backing up. Ricky smiled.

"I'm glad to see you again, Alvin. You have no idea what it means to me, being so close to you," he said gently. Alvin nodded.

"I-I sh-should…" he motioned to the door. "Class…" he said. Ricky smiled and nodded. Alvin turned and hurried out of the bathroom.

Ricky's smile faded as he looked into the mirror. He ran his hand through his bangs, fixing them. Alvin was way too nervous and hesitant around him. He's hiding something, Ricky thought. His smile returned. He loved trying to figure Alvin out. Maybe there'll be more excitement than I thought.


During Lunch, Alvin got his food and made his way absently to the bench he agreed to meet Simon at. He sat down and looked at his food. Vegetarian pizza, ranch, cherry pie (because it's red), grapes, and some other stuff he didn't process as his mind drifted back to his encounter with Ricky.

He stared at his food for a minute before picking up some of his grapes and eating them one by one. It was at this time Simon arrived.

He set his tray down and sat in front of Alvin. "Hey Alvin," Simon began, hoping to ease any tension between them before diving into the real conversation he hoped to have.

Alvin looked at Simon before averting his gaze to the side. Simon took notice instantly and tried not to be disappointed. He should know by now nothing with Alvin ever comes easily.

"Well, how was class?" he asked, trying to make it easier for Alvin to open up. Alvin shrugged. "Alvin, please?"

Blue eyes looked into gray ones.

"Please, Alvin, don't push me away anymore," Simon said earnestly. Alvin lowered his gaze back to his food.

The older of the two let out a breath and scanned the yard. He was glad he couldn't find Ricky, and wondered how long his absence was going to last. Finally, he looked back at Simon. "I'm not trying to, Simon," he said.

Simon blinked and sat back slightly, as though appalled by his brother's words. "Not trying to?" he asked softly. "How can you honestly tell me that, Alvin?" Alvin blinked. "This whole time you've deliberately pushed me away to keep whatever was going on to yourself."

Alvin remained silent. It was true. But how could he tell Simon something like this without having some serious repercussions afterward? He could lose everything he has with Simon, including his trust. On both brotherly and relationship levels. He just couldn't risk it. He refused to.

But then, there was the possibility of Simon somehow finding out on his own. And Alvin was sure that would be far worse in the end than how it would end if he simply told him.

"Alvin," Simon broke into his brother's thoughts. Alvin looked at him. "I need you to focus right now, please? I'm trying to help you. I want to understand what's going on."

Alvin nodded, looking around absently. His eyes widened when he saw Ricky coming over with a tray of food.

Simon followed Alvin's gaze and looked over at Ricky. He furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Alvin and then back at the other boy. Ricky approached the table with a smile.

"Is it alright if I join you guys?" he asked. Simon smiled.

"We were having a personal conversation," he answered. Both look to Alvin, who was ripping his pizza into several small pieces. Simon and Ricky both raised their eyebrows, Simon in confusion, Ricky in amusement.

Ricky directed his attention to Simon, "Did Alvin tell you we went to Music Camp together?" Simon looked at Ricky. Alvin felt his heartbeat speed up.

"No, he didn't. What's your name?" Simon asked.

"Ricky. I just started school here today," Ricky said, sitting down beside Simon on his left. Simon was curious as to why Alvin never mentioned Ricky. He always tells him when he makes a new friend, especially one who shares an interest in music.

Simon looked over at Alvin, who seems to have gone from thoughtful to nervous. He looked at Ricky, "So, you know each other well? Because he's never mentioned you."

Ricky's expression faltered slightly, but he recovered quickly enough that Simon couldn't place the emotion that had flashed through his hazel eyes. "Well, we know each other to an extent. About as well as you can get to know someone over a period of a few months, that is."

Alvin didn't know what Ricky was up to, not bringing anything up to Simon. All he knew was that he wasn't ready to relax until he knew where Ricky was heading with being here and talking to Simon so casually.

He had mentioned to Ricky during camp that he was extremely close to Simon, and that he told him just about everything. So maybe the fact that he hadn't mentioned him to Simon seems weird to him somehow, and slightly insulting, considering everything that happened during camp.

"Really?" Ricky asked smiling despite the hurt only Alvin could recognize in his voice. "He's told me about you. How smart you are, how close you two are. You know… the basics."

Simon smiled and looked over at Alvin, who was eating his pie. He could faintly see the shaking his hand was doing as he held the spoon in his hand. He looked at Ricky as he continued talking.

"I'm just curious as to why Alvin's so quiet right now," he said. Alvin looked up at Ricky, and then over at his brother.

"I already told both of you, I have some stuff on my mind," he said defensively. He shot Ricky a firm look before going back to his pie. He would love to just get up and leave, but he wasn't going to until either one of the two across from him left first. There was no way he was going to leave them alone together.

For the next five minutes Simon and Ricky talked about common things such as: music instruments, some of their current classes, and other things Alvin decided were safe for them to converse about.

Throughout that time, they ate, so when Ricky was finished, he excused himself. Alvin watched him stand; Ricky winked at him and left, taking his empty tray with him.

"He seems nice," Simon said with a smile and looked at Alvin. Alvin shrugged and continued to prod at his pie with his fork. "Why didn't you mention him before?"

"It didn't cross my mind," he answered. He ate a piece of his pizza, keeping his eyes downcast.

"Alvin," Simon pushed his tray aside and rested his forearms on the table, leaning forward slightly. "Are you going to talk to me?"

Alvin sighed and sat up straighter, looking at his brother. "I really don't think… you should give me that option, Simon," he said softly. Simon straightened up as well, but remained leaning towards his brother.

"You don't think I should give you the option of talking to me or not?" Simon asked clearly surprised by what his brother said.

Alvin shook his head. "No. If you want me to talk to you, I need for you to be more insistent." This was true. Alvin wanted to talk to Simon, but he wasn't pressured enough to talk. He was pressured more to keep it to himself. It was now he realized he was going to need Simon to be more persistent in his wanting to know what's going on.

Simon was torn by this statement. He wanted to have Alvin talk to him, he really did. He was only insisting as often because he could feel and see the effects of having something on his mind so clearly. But he wasn't sure about not giving Alvin an option. He didn't like the idea of pressuring him so harshly.

There was silence between the two until the bell went off. Their eyes met before Alvin broke the contact and looked away, standing with his tray and leaving the bench.

Simon sighed. He didn't think either of them benefited at all from this talk.


That's the chapter! Please review for me and tell me what you think! Review! ^-^