"Hey." Bryce repeats himself forgetting what he already said.

"You already said that."

"I did?" They both laugh.

"I'm Hunter." He puts his hand out.

"Bryce. I'm…" Bryce feels himself getting weirdly flustered as he shakes his hand.

"Bryce. I like the name."

"Thanks." He just realizes he's been smiling a lot and tones it down.

"I've gotta get going, but I'm sure I'll see ya around." He walks off and Bryce just looks back to watch him walk away.

"Yeah…" Bryce's body finally relaxes. "Damn."

JENSEN HOUSEHOLD…

Bryce has been standing outside the house for nearly ten minutes now. Something in him can't get the courage to knock on the door. His mind is going every which way. He's thinking about what Lainie could possibly want to talk about. He knows it's got something to do with Clay… but is she mad at him? Does she blame him for what happened to Clay? Could this be some weird intervention? Every bad way this could go runs through his head over and over again.

Then the door just opens and Lainie is standing there smiling.

"I was gonna give you five more minutes, but you look like you need a hug." She steps out and gives Bryce a big hug, something that relaxes Bryce and lets him finally take a breath.

"Sorry." She steps back and Bryce is getting teary eyes. "I"m so so sorry."

"What?" She looks confused and grabs Bryce's hands. "What are you sorry for?"

"Clay. I'm so sorry for what's happened."

"No. Stop it." She looks Bryce right in the eyes. "Clay is a grown-ass man at this point. What he does is his fault. I don't want you thinking for one second that any of this has to do with you."

"Then why did you want to see me?"

"I just wanted to see how you're doing."

"Oh…" Bryce starts to laugh.

"You good."

"Yeah!" He starts laughing harder.

"Come on in." She invites him in once he starts to calm down. "So… what's going on with you?" She asks as they sit down together.

"Well, I've really just been working on things day by day. If I can make it through one I can make it through another."

"That's great Bryce. It's really great. And how was the first day of school?"

"Surprisingly good. It's nice to have a close group of friends that I know have my back."

"I'm so happy for you Bryce. I love seeing how much you've grown."

"Thanks… I just wish that... you know…"

"Yeah. It's been rough around here lately."

"Do you mind if I ask what exactly happened?"

"We don't really know much. He just changed overnight. He stopped acting like himself. He started fighting with us over every little thing. Then he just stopped listening to us altogether. We rarely see him anymore. He comes and goes as he pleases."

"It's hard not to think that is my fault. Would this have happened if I were here?"

"Maybe it wouldn't have, but maybe it would've. This really comes down to me, Matt, and Clay. We're his parents and we should've attacked it head on right away, but we were scared to say or do anything. We thought we would push him in the wrong direction."

"I understand." He doesn't really know what he can say to make things better, is there anything he can say to make things better?

"I'm just hoping it's a phase that will eventually pass and not completely ruin his future."

"Yeah. I completely agree."

"Hey." The front door swings open and Clay stands there looking a bit shocked.

"Hey." Bryce instantly feels his heart start to race.

"Hey sweetie. Bryce just came over to say hi to us."

"Okay." He just looks at them with dead eyes before he just walks into the kitchen and grabs a water bottle from the fridge before walking away.

"You good?" Lainie puts her hand on Bryce's leg.

"Not really, but I think I will be."

"Good."

"I should get going though. I have a strict curfew."

"I understand. Thanks for coming to see me."

"Thanks for everything." They hug.

"Feel free to come by whenever. You're always welcome. Matt will be upset that he missed you."

"Thanks. I miss you guys all the time."

"We do too." They walk to the front door. "Bryce…" They make eye contact. "Don't worry about Clay. Just focus on yourself." It's weird for him to hear, but he understands it and knows it's the best thing for him.

"I know." They hug once more before Bryce leaves.