Watching them get out of the car, Theo knew that there was no possible way to avoid seeing them without being rude. He quickly turned and glanced back at Mrs. Dunbar, who was watching the situation closely. She gave Theo a half-smile, likely trying to reassure him. Mr. Dunbar was just one man, after all, what could he possibly do to Theo at this point? In truth, Theo was more worried for Liam and his mother than he was for himself. To Mr. Dunbar, Theo was merely the help, but Mrs. Dunbar and Liam had to live with the man.

Part of Theo boiled with anger, but he tried not to let it show. Things were finally looking up for Liam since Hayden finally agreed to drop her lie and release Liam from any commitments. For the first time it seemed that Theo and Liam could be together, save for the possible resistance from Theo's "new" father. However, Theo could tell from the things he heard that Mr. Dunbar would have several problems with him and Liam being together. In addition, with Mr. Dunbar controlling Mrs. Dunabr's business, he knew that she was powerless to stop his potential reign of terror.

Theo could tell that Liam was avoiding eye contact, and, for better or for worse, Theo did not try to change that. As the two of them approached Theo he tried to see if he could sneak off. "And who might you be?" Mr. Dunbar said in a gruff but not totally unwelcoming tone. It almost seemed as if the man was simply put off that he had to acknowledge Theo at all.

Mr. Dunbar was a very intimidating man, and Theo was rarely intimidated. In fact, he reminded Theo a lot of Mr. Talbot, but there was even something more chilling about Mr. Dunbar. Mr. Talbot was an angry and unhappy man, who took his unchecked emotions out on others. However, Mr. Dunbar seemed just cold, with no reasoning or logic. This made Theo afraid of what this man could be capable, of. Rushing, but not running, over to them, Mrs. Dunbar came to Theo's rescue. "Honey this is Theo. Remember I told you about him?"

The man nodded, but none of them were convinced that he actually remembered or if he was just trying to shut her up. "Oh right, the lawn boy," he replied, confirming that he did listen to some things his wife told him. "Take our lacrosse bags to the shed."

"Honey, Theo is not on the job right now," Mrs. Dunbar replied, trying to diffuse the tension between all of them. It was clear she had become a master at navigating her husband's abrasiveness. "He was just stopping by to tell me that he may need some time off in the coming weeks. Something about a big swim competition coming up. We all really think he is going to be a winner." Theo was slightly impressed with how quickly she lied to her husband, and he also took note of how she knew he was on the swim team. Liam must have told her, and oddly enough that comforted Theo in this moment.

"If he's taking time off then he will need all the money he can get," Mr. Dunbar pulled out a ten dollar bill from his pocket and practically threw it at Theo. "It's too damn hot outside and I am tired of just standing here. The boy can take the damn bags." Despite Mrs. Dunbar trying to protest again, Theo took the money and assured her it was alright. While he headed to the car, Theo heard Liam make some kind of excuse to return the car as well.

Once Liam's parent's were inside, Theo looked up at him with sympathy in his eyes, "So that's your dad huh?"

Liam nodded and sighed, almost continuously looking back at the front door of the house to make sure his parents were inside. "Theo, while he's here, we can't-"

But Theo cut him off, "I know. The only thing I like more than hanging out with you is you being safe. I won't jeopardize that. Besides, apparently, I am taking some time off." However, they both already knew that, it just needed to be said out-loud. "What about school? Or you could even come to my place? I just don't want us drifting apart."

"We can be friends at school," Liam sighed. They both knew rumors could spread like wildfire, and reputation was important. All it would take is the wrong classmate to innocently tell their parents that they saw Theo kiss Liam before that parent tells Mr. Dunbar and all hell breaks loose. On the other hand, being friends, although still not ideal for Mr. Dunbar, was a safer compromise. "We still have to be very careful. But you will not catch me dead in Brett Talbot's house. Your mother's house though, is doable. Maybe we could even meet at Lydia or Scott's. Or with Corey and Mason!"

"Brett isn't that bad, I promise. I actually think you two have a lot in common and that's why you're rivals," Theo confessed. In truth, Theo and Brett were starting to get close, like real brothers, and he wanted Liam and him to get along. "And you're right. There are trust worthy people who love us and will help us." As much as the secret lovers plan was a bit interesting and exciting, it did not relieve the pit in Theo's stomach. Both of them were going through intense family issues, and he worried what would happen to them if they did not have each other. Selfishly, Theo needed Liam as his outlet from his own family drama. It sucks to have a boyfriend and not feel their support, for whatever reason.

Liam huffed a bit, "Fine, I will try to accept Brett, but I make no promises. Besides, Mason seems to like him." Looking back at the door again, Liam turned to Theo. "I have to go in, but I will see you at school tomorrow, and I'll text you, ok?"

Theo nodded in return with a genuine smile, before watching Liam run back in the house. Secrecy and lies were normal for Liam, as he'd been doing it for a while. Whether it be with Hayden or other family and social issues, Liam's world was filled with it. Theo, on the other hand, was new to it, and he did not enjoy it much. On the bus ride home, Theo thought of his own issues, and it was getting harder and harder for him to have the energy to focus on helping Liam. Of course, he wanted to help Liam, and he would continue doing so, but for the first time, he was in trouble, and Liam can't be here.

Jackson's words from swim practice rattled around in his head, and he had no release. He could not burden Liam with his problems, and even Corey was going through his own drama with Mason. There did not seem to be much room left Theo's feelings anymore. The worst part was; it wasn't anyone's fault. That didn't change the fact that Theo had no one else to turn too. As he got off the bus and walked to the Talbot house, he was a bit relieved to see that the Talbot's car was not in the driveway. They must have been off at a weekend trip to the beach house. The last thing Theo needed was to see Mr. or Mrs. Talbot right now.

When he walked into the large house, he could hear footsteps in the kitchen. He walked in and saw Erica polishing some of the dishes while listening to her music. Anytime the Talbot's were away, Erica was able to bend the rules a little bit. Due to the high volume of her headphones, Theo could hear that she was listening to rock music, which was his favorite genre as well. She jumped slightly when she noticed Theo, not hearing him due to her headphones, but she pulled them out and smiled. "Brett and Lori are pretty relaxed when their parents are gone. They don't snitch, and I know you won't. You've always been a scaredy cat Raeken." She teased him, and there was a bit of the old Erica back. She must have felt a bit of pressure lifted with the Talbot's away too, "Is there anything I can get you?"

"Cut the crap Erica, I am not having you wait on me when they're not here," Theo snapped back, maybe a bit too harshly, luckily Erica could take it. Besides, he broke into a small chuckle due to her scaredy cat comment.

As Theo sat down at the kitchen counter, Erica leaned on it and smiled at him, mostly with genuine affection. "I am not asking if you need anything as a maid. I am asking if you need anything as a friend." Theo returned the smile, feeling content with at least one ally in this world. As far as allies go, Erica was a pretty damn good one. He spent the next couple of minutes detailing everything with Hayden and everything with Liam's father. At a certain point she shook her head and cut him off, "Theo shut up. You've spent the past five minutes talking about Liam, what do you need? What are you going through?"

Theo was stunned at the question. Before he could even think to put his true feelings into words he heard a voice say, "He is going through the realization that life on the other side isn't pretty either." They both turned and saw Brett standing, leaning against the door way. Lori walked in soon after. "It's starting to hit you that maybe you bit off more than you can chew by entering into this family, and into this life," Brett continued before walking over and standing next to Erica.

Meanwhile, Lori joined them in the kitchen and sat down next to Theo, "Just know that it isn't your fault. Our father is a cruel man. The only way to get through this is to survive it."

Theo's eyes began to weld up in tears at their comments. All of his anxiety was hitting him at once. His life had dramatically changed in a short period of time, and he never properly processed it, nor has he grieved the innocence that he lost. Before he knew it, the tears were streaming down his face as he contemplated what the future was going to look like. Lori hugged on to him for support. Although her support was welcome, it only made him cry more as it allowed him to be even more vulnerable with himself. "Listen," Brett interrupted as he looked at his crying brother. Theo was expecting some toxic masculinity bullshit from Brett, and he really could not handle it tonight, but as always Brett surprised him. "If you wanna do that, we can do this all night and we will be here for you. Cry as much as you need too, but don't lose faith. We will be here for you to cry your heart out whenever you need."

Theo wiped away the tears; an effort that seemed futile as the streams were never ending. However, through the blurriness of his tears he looked at Brett and forced a smile. Theo could already feel himself relaxing a bit after that necessary release of emotion. Brett walked over to the top cabinet and unlocked a combination lock, which begged the question of why the lock was even there. Perhaps Brett just secretly knew the combination, but in any case, he pulled out some kind of liquor that Theo didn't recognize as Erica took the hint and got out four glasses. "If we are going to have a crying night, here is some help," Brett continued as he poured four glasses. He picked his up and raised it for a toast, "To us. The four of us are in this together, and we will survive this. We will survive them."

Theo, Lori, and Erica all happily raised their glasses for the toast and each took a drink before breaking out into smiles. Theo began to wonder if he was looking for solace in the wrong place. In his mind, he had determined that Liam, Corey, and even Lydia and Cora were the family he chose, and they were (understandably) too preoccupied to deal with his issues right now. However, it was not until right now that he realized he had a family who chose him right here, and perhaps he needed to let them in more too. For all of their sakes.