Thanks for the reviews!

Dancewithme02- I know what you mean, about Sean disappearing and being out of character, but there is actually a reason for that- or what Marco thinks is the reason (he's right too.)

That said, I realize that I'm really down playing Marco's relationship with the other guys as well as Ellie's with the other girls, which hit me very hard after the last chapter. So I'm trying to remedy that by bringing them and their life's drama back in. Maybe not this chapter, but eventually.

By the way, I suck at song writing. So you're forwarned.

Chapter Six; Bad news

After that their lives returned mostly to normal. Thought the arrival of Ellie in the Del Rosi household had rocked them somewhat, everyone adjusted quickly. In fact, only one full day after she had moved in (a Thursday) she was to be found hanging out with Sean, while Marco practised with the band, Downtown Sasquatch.

It wasn't going too horribly; Craig had been working hard a variety of new lyrics and the others were attempting to put music to his words. As backwards as the process was, it was working.

The boys had won the T.O. Hot Sounds contest earlier in the year, and now were moving on to the finals. Craig had explained that he'd been talking to 'some people' and that he thought it would be best to have a pre-planned song made out, not one he'd make up a couple minutes before the contest.

"Okay," Craig said, placing away his last lyrics and pulling out another, more rumpled one. He looked slightly nervous. "Let's try this one."

'Cosmic blur (cosmic blur)

Confusing me

Never ever letting me be

What is love

Is it you, is it her

I gotta escape (gotta escape)

This cosmic blurBlack, lots of black

Little bit of jealous green

Some red for anger

I just wanna screamThought I could have

Best of both worlds, love, sex

Didn't realize I

Was making such a mess'Cosmic blur (cosmic blur)

Confusing me

Never ever letting me be

What is love

Is it you, is it her

I gotta escape (gotta escape)

This cosmic blurNow I know that

I truly love neither of you

Took this whole time

For me to get a clueI hurt you

I hurt her

And now I'm lost in my own cosmic blur

Trapped in hell

Cosmic blur'

"What do you think?" Craig asked nervously. There was a brief silence, before Jimmy let out a low whistle. Marco laughed rather nervously.

"Ash definitely won't like it," Jimmy cautioned, but there was a gleam in his eye. "But it's nice…very nice." He was definitely grinning wickedly now.

"All the more reason to do it," Spinner joked. Craig rubbed his hair nervously.

"Why wouldn't Ash like it?" he asked, almost hopefully.

"Well, it's about you getting over her," Marco pointed out. "Realizing that you never really liked either girl."

"It's also about me still being stuck in hell over it!" Craig said defensively.

"We know," Jimmy said with a snigger. Craig glared at him. Jimmy calmed down. "But Ash probably won't see it that way."

"Yeah…but…I think we should do this one," Craig said. "I want to sing the truth. The truth is, I'm over her, and Manny."

"But she's not going to like that," Marco said again.

"But why?"

"Because she wants you to suffer over it. She wants you to realize you love her unconditionally and suffer because she doesn't love you."

"Why? It's not as if she still likes me-is it?" Craig said. For somebody who had gotten over the whole deal, he sounded awfully hopeful. Marco shot him a sympathetic look.

"Probably not. But she wants you to suffer continuously for it. She doesn't want you to move on."

"Well, I for one am glad you stopped acting like such a pansy over it," Spinner said. Marco coughed pointedly and Spinner shot him a glance. "No offence."

"It was rather offensive," Marco muttered, but no one even glanced his way.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Craig asked defensively.

"Just that you've been moping around for week about her and it's about time you got over it," Spinner said blindly. "This is you- oh, Ashley, I'm sorry, really, I just wanted to do the right thing, but I couldn't figure out if you or her was 'right', Oh Ashley, please don't hit me, ow, ow, Ashley!"

Jimmy got a rather strained look, remembering when he had briefly considered going back out with Ashley and Spinner had mad much the same comment. He was perfectly happy with Hazel, honestly, but Ashley had still been a friend to him. Maybe they weren't meant for each other, but they had been then, and now it still hurt him to hear Spinner ragging on her.

"Spin, shut up," he muttered. Spinner shot him a confused look.

"What Spinner is trying to say," Marco hastened to break in. "Is that we're glad you sorted out your feelings and realized that Ash- as nice a person as she is- isn't for you." He was talking to Craig, but looking at Jimmy, who seemed surprised.

"The real question is, so either of you have the guts to perform this song?" Craig shot at Spinner and Jimmy.

"What?" they gasped in unison.

"You are both dating someone from Ash's band," Marco said carelessly.

"So what? You and Ellie are like, nearly best friends, and you and Ashley hang out. And you're dating Paige's brother. You're such a girl," Spinner shot at him. Marco glared.

"No offence," he said again.

"I am not a girl. I wish people would stop making remarks like that. I am not a girl, I do not want to be a girl, I do not wish for a sex change, I just happen to like guys? Okay?" Marco snapped.

"Sorry," Spinner said, in a tone that suggested he wasn't. Marco was upset and confused. He had thought Spinner had gotten over his issues. And maybe he had. But maybe it was just habit for him to stay stuff like that without thinking about it.

"But still, doesn't change the fact that you have some kind of connection with almost everyone in the band," Jimmy said calmly, with a smile.

Marco was silent. The argument had brought up memories he would have liked to forget.

When it was discovered that Craig had been cheating on Ashley, Ellie had violently rebuked Marco for continuing to hang out with him. If he had any respect for women, she had said, he would have dropped Craig and the others' friendship like hot coals. After that, she had hung out exclusively with Ashley or Sean, even going as far as calling Marco and the rest of the band 'posers.' The remark had hit him particularly hard as she would have never said that before.

He thought that maybe that was why she seemed to be spending excess amounts of time with him lately. It hurt him to think that she felt like she had to, to make up for their fight, but another part of him maintained that she did it because she had truly missed him. He hoped that was the case.

After that, Marco had watched Ellie, one of his only true friends, drift horribly away. He realized later that she had been drifting away for a while, since their 'break up,' hanging out more with Ashley and Sean, especially since Sean and her had began dating. They had hung out occasionally, but he found himself often hanging with the band instead. And then they had fought, an he had been left feeling strangely deserted without her.

Sean, of course, had been drifting apart for much longer than Ellie had. Ever since he had started hanging with Jay, he'd ignored, shunned, and insulted the group he used to hang out with. Marco couldn't help but think that Sean's jealousy over his and Ellie's repaired friendship had something to do with his sudden homophobia.

But Sean was also threatened, or so Marco thought. He was threatened because he didn't want to be the one to come running back to them once he'd realized how unfriendly Jay could be. It threatened him that anyone might think that he was weak; that he had ran back to them. But Marco wished he wouldn't be so violent in pushing them away.

Maybe he was jealous.

Maybe he was threatened.

Maybe he was both.

"Marco," Craig said, waving a hand in front of his eyes. "Marco!" he repeated, when Marco scarcely stirred.

"Sorry," Marco said, jerking back to. "I was just- thinking."

"'Bout?" Craig prompted.

"Sean," Marco said, and immediately wished he hadn't.

"That prude? What's up with that?" Jimmy asked fiercely.

"I was just thinking that before all this happened, he hung out with us a lot. I mean, we used to play ball and all that. Well, Jimmy, you guys had a lot of ups and downs, but I guess- I was just wondering if- never mind."

"No, what is it? Why are you thinking about that-" Spinner said called Sean something very rude that caused Jimmy to snicker sinisterly.

"You know how before, he was kinda….indifferent to us? When he and Jay first started hanging out? Like we weren't important enough to be thought about. But now, when he and Jay are no longer friends, he's totally hostile. I think it's because he doesn't want it to look like he's running back to us."

"And that makes it okay?" Spinner asked fiercely.

"No. But I thought maybe…if we made the first move…"

"No, no way," Jimmy said, and Spinner began protesting colourfully as well. But Craig looked thoughtful.

"Sean was my first real friend when I moved back here. He searched all over for me with Joey when I tried to run away."

"So that excuses what he's done, is that it?" Jimmy demanded.

"No, I guess it doesn't. But I know how Sean's mind works. I think Marco's right. I'll talk to him with you…if you like." Craig offered Marco. Marco smiled a teeny bit.

Jimmy and Spinner both made motions as if to protest, but Craig made an arm movement and they fell silent. As they began to try different melodies to the song, Marco felt as if some bit of him had been restored. And that was enough.

At that same time, Ellie and Sean were sitting in the Del Rosi living room. Sean looked awkward being there; it was odd to be sitting in the living room of a person you never spoke to any more with a girlfriend you couldn't touch without feeling odd, because it wasn't your house, nor hers.

But Ellie seemed to be enjoying herself; she was excitingly telling him that he father had promised to phone today to tell her when his plane would be coming in. Sean smile; a true, genuine smile. He loved to see Ellie happy. She smiled up at him and they fell into a subtle silence.

"You know what I like about you?" Ellie asked suddenly.

"So I want to?" Sean joked. Ellie ignored him.

"I like that nothing I do could surprise you. I mean I'm never too out there for you. Everyone else was devastated when they found out I cut; you were understanding. Everyone else makes a big deal of how I dress, who I am. Sometimes they're admiring, sometimes they're mean. But you just accept it. You aren't freaked out by anything I do."

Sean looked at her, his trademark mask in place. The one that made it hard to tell if he was sad, or impressed, or upset, or happy. But Ellie could see, by the look in his eye, that he was considering.

"I like that you let me be me," Sean said suddenly, after a brief pause. "I can still be bad-boy Sean, and you still like me. With Emma- I mean, Emma was cool," Sean assured her. "But she turned me into someone else. And it was a good someone, but it wasn't me. With you, I can be a good person, keep my grades up, whatever- but I can still be Sean- me." Ellie smiled and grasped his hand.

He gently slid up her arm warmer, giving her time to stop him. She didn't. Once again, he examined all her inflictions; what once were scratches, now were scaring. Very gently, he kissed each and every one.

"You're the only person I could wear bare arms around. That's another reason I like you. It doesn't make me feel sorry for me. It's just part of me, and you know it." Sean kissed her wrist gently, feeling the pulse beneath her skin.

"I think I- I-" Sean sighed and started over. "I think I l-" Ellie's cell phone rang.

Ellie sighed a great sigh and tore her tortured eyes from Sean, reaching into her pocket.

"Hey, Ellie, it's Anne," the voice on the other end said.

"Anne…" Ellie said, feeling rude.

"Anne Smith. Your case worker."

"Oh. Yeah, sorry. Um…what's going on?" Ellie asked awkwardly.

"I have some bad news, honey," Anne said hesitantly. Ellie frowned. She didn't like being called honey. And she really didn't like bad news.

"What is it?"

"Well, we found your mother," Anne said gently.

"And?" Ellie asked rudely.

"Well, Ellie…dear…"

"What? What is it?"

"Your mother…well, your mother's dead."

"What?" Ellie gasped into the phone, tightening her grip on it. Her knuckles turned deathly white.

"She was drinking, and then tried to keep driving. I'm so sorry Ellie."

"Mom? My Mom is…dead?" Ellie asked softly, tears in her eyes. It was well and good to pretend to disown her mother, even better to take out a restraining order on her. But it was a different thing entirely when she died. "Mom-" she broke down silently.

"Ellie, honey, are you all right?" Anne asked.

"What do you think?" Ellie asked, trying to keep her quiet voice in line even as tears poured down her cheeks. Sean's hand was working frantically across her cheeks, trying to stop the flow.

"What about Dad?" Ellie choked.

"He doesn't know. We thought- well, we thought it should be up to you if we told him- or if you did.

"I'll tell him," Ellie said levelly. And then she hung up.

Sean didn't even ask. He just held her silently and stroked her tears.

After awhile, he gently pulled her into his arms and carried her lean frame up the stairs and into her makeshift room. Wrapping the blankets around her, he noticed that one arm warmer was still rolled up. He stroked her hair softly until she fell asleep, but stayed longer, examining how even in her sleep, she looked tortured.

And later he explained in short terms what had happened to the Del Rosi adults and walked out.

After practising with the band, Marco and Dylan had gone to the park. What they were doing there, Marco wasn't really sure, but he let Dylan discretely hold his hand as they walked in content silence. He glanced over at Dylan, who was ogling at some girl playing street hockey.

"Did you see that move? That girl's a natural!" he gushed, and Marco just smiled and shook his head. Dylan stopped to examine the game, giving Marco a chance to examine Dylan.

He always wondered what Dylan saw in him. He was short and skinny, Italian, knew nothing of sports. But Dylan…well, Dylan was an entirely different story.

His muscles bulged over capable arms and legs, while his upper torso was lean and fit. Long lean legs set in a casual stance, with the fabric pulling slightly in all the right places, made Marco blush slightly. His skin wasn't too tan, nor too pale, and contrasted, as well as blended, perfectly with his hair. Golden locks, with underlying darker tones,

Dylan's hair amazed Marco, as did his other features. It always seemed slightly wind teased, the wavy locks falling slightly into his eyes. Marco had even memorized his face structure; when he smiled it relaxed into a softer look, but often, it had a sharp and masculine look to it, with his strait, thin nose, shadowing eyebrows, and defined structure. And his eyes! Well, Marco knew from experience that one could get lost in their cerulean depths.

What Dylan saw in him? Well, that would always be a mystery.

"Marco," Dylan said, sitting down and casually stretching out on the bench. "Sit down." Marco did, thinking as he did that he loved the way Dylan said his name. It sounded so bouncy, so pleasantly infatuated, that it surprised Marco every time he heard it.

"I got my acceptance letter today," Dylan told him.

"That's great!" Marco told him, but secretly, he was worried. Dylan had enrolled to the University of Toronto and even though it was relatively close by, Marco couldn't help but worry about how often they would see each other after that.

"Well…" Dylan said hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"Well I decided to go. But see, I actually got accepted…to the University of British Columbia."