=Normal POV=
[Wednesday, 4/18/2018; 9:00 pm]
[Berk; Jorgenson Home]
Not a lot happened after Trayden somehow again got Hayden to settle down and start to have fun with them seemingly. It still looked like Hayden was closest to Trayden and Gabriel, and semi-close with the Jorgenson Family members. The others, though, could see that they did need to engage more in talking to Hayden. Not only did Trayden get Hayden to calm; he, with some word magic, got Hayden to sing. More on that; Trayden knew specific things about Hayden, like the fact Hayden enjoyed computer and card games over console ones. Also, that Hayden loved bacon and beef pizza. Somehow, someway, Trayden got Hayden to have fun at this sleepover, and the night wasn't even over yet. It was most shocking that Hayden agreed to help the friends prepare for the upcoming talent show, but there would be a lot of work involved since it was only six weeks away.
Hayden had three pieces of pizza, finished his water, and had a soda. While the friends watched TV or indulged in more gaming; Hayden was on his computer, organizing photos to make room for more music. However, Hayden would poke his head over to see what everyone else was doing. The friends continued discussing their act for the talent show.
"It's gotta be a song you girls can sing, and we can play," Bryan informed.
"And keep it under five minutes," Rylee added.
"Well, this is impossible to figure out since our singers have stage fright and we never hear them without the music playing them," Syrus rolled his eyes.
"Why don't you get your ass on stage and sing then?!" Alyssa, Mindy, and Hailey glared.
"I'm the bass player," Syrus remarked.
"We have Tray for that! Or Alicia, she knows too," the friends shouted back. Hayden couldn't help but laughed a little; this was pretty humorous to him.
"Is that you cackling over there in the corner?" Trayden asked.
"Can't help it; this is hilarious to listen to," Hayden shrugged.
"This is harder than we thought," Katie mumbled.
"No, it's not. And Syrus has a point; you can't figure out what song to do without knowing what pitches you can hit and is it will sound smooth together," Hayden turned in his chair, facing them now. "Some people only do high, others do low. And some can hit both sides of the spectrum,"
"Like you?" Hailey inquired.
"Well, I started singing in Kindergarten. I was like…Seven. I sang songs in a range I could do at that time. Being able to do both took practice and training. Not to mention how much harder it got after puberty since my voice deepened on it's own; it's been this as the norm since I was about fifteen. Hitting high notes at 14, that was challenging," Hayden mentioned calmly.
"Puberty hit you late?" Evan asked. "I only ask because you said at fourteen it got harder to hit high notes,"
"No big deal if you did, just wondering? I hit it at twelve," Devon said.
"The average is 12," Miya informed. "But the range is ages 9 to 14," she shrugged.
"13 for me," Ford put his hand up.
"12," Tyler stated.
"Ty and I both hit ours at the same time. I swear our parents nearly killed us," Rylee chuckled.
"12," Syrus mentioned.
"11," Bryan chimed in.
"13," Evan interjected.
"11," Hailey added in.
"Same," Mindy nodded.
"I was 13," Miya smiled. "But it's normal for girls to be between 8 and 14 years of age. The average is age 11,"
"12," Alyssa said.
"11," Alicia piped up.
"13," Katie mentioned. "Of course, these were ages of the first period. Never mind all the rest that started a little before,"
"Yeah, guys don't bleed as you do," Tyler rolled his eyes.
"We get it worse than you do!" Alyssa huffed.
"We have to bleed every month. Your shit stops after three to four years," Mindy muttered.
"Oh, boo-hoo…You bleed for like five days with some minor cramps. We have it worse," Devon remarked.
"How so?!" the girls screeched.
"You don't get random erections," Bryan added in. "That more often than not usually require a release to get to go down,"
"Don't even use masturbation as an excuse; you guys do that shit for fun," Mindy said.
"So do you, girls! You ain't innocent either!" Tyler jumped in.
"You don't have to carry a baby for nine months," Hailey argued.
"You don't get that baby without us anyway!" the men shouted back.
"Don't put me in that class, guys. I'm gay; I don't have to worry about getting someone pregnant," Trayden chuckled.
"Okay, Trayden and other homosexuals aside…" Evan stated.
"Are you as entertained by this as I am?" Trayden leaned over towards Hayden.
"More than I should be," Hayden admitted. "How did this go from singing to puberty?"
"Because you mentioned it when you talked about your voice changing," Miya giggled a bit.
"Anyway…Back to where this started…Did you hit puberty late, Hayden?" Evan redirected the question to where it began.
"Yes, I hit mine at like, 13 1/2…" Hayden mumbled. "Stopped somewhere in foster care, I think…Not entirely sure. Honestly never paid much attention through the last year…"
"You had other things going on, Hayden," Miya assured. "Males typically stop growing around eighteen, but can grow up until their twenties, as a final growth spurt," she informed. "You could also still be going through puberty since you hit it so late. It can last two to five years,"
"Oh, wonderful," Hayden muttered.
"I'm sure you're fine," Miya smiled. "I've been through your medical records when they came to me; you're where you should be for height and weight. A bit under the average, but still within in a healthy spot,"
"I suppose that's a little comforting," Hayden stated.
"So, come on then. Agree with us that males have it worse than girls," Bryan said.
"Hayden, tell the boys they are wrong," Alicia sighed.
"I'm gonna have to agree with them," Hayden shrugged. "Sorry, but you don't have to deal with some of the things we do," he added.
"Name three," Alyssa challenged.
"Well, as stated…Random erections as one. Two, waking up every morning with a boner. And three, cumming in your sleep," Trayden informed now.
"At least if you girls get turned on; you can hide it whereas guys pitch a tent and harder to put down," Tyler remarked.
"Stop staring at us, and you wouldn't have to get turned on," Alyssa crossed her arms over her chest.
"I mean…Not for nothing, but you girls parade around in some pretty provocative clothing," Hayden said.
"How so?" Hailey asked.
"Shirts that don't cover your stomachs and deep V-necks that show your boobs while the shirt itself is entirely too tight or white, which shows your bra. You wear skirts too short, like just enough to cover your asses, and even then; you barely wear anything under that since you prefer your underwear to be up your butt-crack. You parade around like a sex doll, what do you think will happen? How do you expect a male to react?" Hayden explained. "You complain about constantly getting hit on; it's kind of your own fault with how you present yourselves,"
"He's got a point," Rylee shrugged. "Some girls in the school walk around basically asking to get hit on and fucked,"
"I said all that because I've seen how some of you dress, not the others. I hardly notice them," Hayden sat back in his chair.
"Oh, so you admit to eyeing us up?" Mindy inquired.
"Don't get it twisted; I have no interest in any of you despite the clothing you wear which is very inviting. I notice you, girls, because we're always together in class, lunch…Our group of friends," Hayden mentioned calmly.
"You can say all that stuff about it being inviting but have no interest?" Hailey asked.
"For starters; I'm an observer. I'm good at sitting back and gathering information by just watching. Secondly; a good friend doesn't step past their boundaries. You, Hailey, are dating Ford. Alyssa is with Bryan. Rylee is with Evan. Katie has her boyfriend. Pretty sure Alicia and Tyler have crushes on one another, as do Syrus and Mindy," Hayden shrugged a little.
"Ho-How did you know that!?" Mindy blushed.
"Just stated I'm an observer," Hayden reminded. "And thirdly on that list of why I have no interest…I'm not attracted to women; I'm gay," he revealed.
"Y-You are?" Alyssa blinked as Hayden nodded. "But…Wait…What about Olivia being your girlfriend?"
Hayden tensed a bit, turning his head. "I don't want to talk about it," he turned back to his computer.
"Hayden," Devon tried.
"Devon, lay off," Trayden said.
"You know something, don't you?" Hailey huffed.
"I will neither confirm or deny that," Trayden remarked. "Hayden said he didn't want to talk about it, so lay off," Trayden now moved next to Hayden, keeping his face on Hayden's right side where they couldn't see him talking. "You don't have to talk unless you want to. I know it's not easy, and if you decide to and want me there like last time; all you have to do is ask. But these are you're friends too, Hayden, and they just want to help,"
Hayden sighed heavily. "Olivia was never my girlfriend," Hayden closed his eyes and lowered head. "She was my foster sister from the last house I stayed in before coming here,"
"Why did she…Say otherwise? And why didn't you say something?" Ford asked cautiously as none of them were sure just how much Hayden would reveal.
"A week after being in that foster home; Olivia started sneaking into my room at night and demanding sexual acts from me. She pushed me back, and I hit my head on the floor; it got me dizzy and she…" Hayden stopped, beginning to shake again.
"Do you want me to tell them?" Trayden asked. Hayden managed a nod as Trayden stood up more. "She raped him until he came inside her, and told him that if he fought her again; she'd call rape on him. And any time he fought her; she would just force herself on him again after beating him,"
"That's awful!" Hailey and Mindy screeched.
"Did Child Services remove him, seeing all the abuse?" Bryan questioned now.
"No…I got so depressed and sick of everything that I tried to hang myself…Olivia's parents came home, who had always been nice to me, and her father cut me down…I was admitted a second time, and stayed in Archian Psych for two weeks before getting brought here…" Hayden kept his head down on his arms.
"Oliva returned to the school to keep doing what she was at the house…She played the girlfriend card to gain entrance to the school, and then she basically re-threatened Hayden, using his fear to be hurt against him, to make him do what she wanted. I caught them in February, boy's locker room bathroom. That's…What Syrus and Alicia got called away for, and why the police were called. Syrus, Alicia, my dad, Principal Mayden, Miya, Silas and Felicia have known since the beginning of February. And we've stayed quiet because Hayden asked that we did," Trayden explained calmly.
"I mean…We had a feeling something wasn't right, and she was taking him away for something sexually-related, but…" Alyssa trailed off.
"I tried so hard not to give her what she wanted…" Hayden was about to cry again.
"Hayden, stop. Listen to me, alright?" Trayden knelt down as Hayden looked at him. "It was not your fault, and you did nothing wrong. It was the body's reaction to fear; you reacted because you were scared of what she'd do to you,"
"He's right Hayden. Despite what some people out there believe, a man can be raped by another man or a woman. She forced you to do those things, and made you believe you would be held accountable on a rape charge if you didn't do what she wanted. Just because your body reacted, doesn't mean you liked it," Miya added gently.
"I told you that day in the gym; enough stimulation can get a man hard. None of that was your fault, nor your choice. It was fear, and that is it," Trayden offered, rubbing Hayden's back a little.
"Tell me that bitch got locked up," Evan asked.
"Awaiting trial on house arrest," Trayden informed. "My recording got thrown out because it was obtained illegally, but Hayden's testimony that he gave me with my dad recording is still good, accompanied by his history of being in abusive foster homes. Her history of coming to the school to see Hayden is accepted, being seen on the office and cafeteria cameras of dragging him away is allowed in as evidence too. And the incident of Hayden's mental status after the first time when the gym teacher found Hayden is also accepted in. Olivia pleaded not guilty, so it went to trial," he explained.
"When's the next trial date? We want to be there for Hayden," Mindy said.
"Trial is set for after Junior Year ends, so it doesn't interfere with Hayden's classes," Syrus mentioned now. Trayden got Hayden a water bottle and let him drink some to try and calm down. Hayden ended up moving onto his bed; knees were drawn up to his chest.
"We're hoping it doesn't take long to convict her," Alicia sighed.
"It shouldn't," Rylee said. "Right?"
"Not sure, these cases are tricky because a lot of people believe that a man can't be raped," Miya muttered. "However…She can't get out of a first degree statutory rape charge because Hayden was still 17 at the time and Olivia is well over 18. Even if she doesn't serve time; she'll never be allowed near or to contact Hayden again,"
"I'm sure she'll serve time; this was extremely repetitive," Trayden said firmly.
"Quite right," Miya nodded in agreement. "But…I think it would be best to get off this topic, for now," she added, motioning that Hayden was starting to panic and get worked up.
"So…You're gay?" Syrus asked.
"Did you…Figure that out recently?" Bryan wondered. Hayden lifted his head a little, shaking it no.
"I was 14; then pondered and questioned things until I was 15 when I accepted it. Gabriel has known since then; he helped me figure it out. And…I told my parents little before my 17th birthday. Took them a couple days to settle and accept it, but everything was fine after that," Hayden replied in a quiet voice.
"How did you…Know?" Alyssa inquired.
"One of…My friends kissed me, and I liked it but was still confused. The guy and I stayed friends while I figured things out; he told me he liked me and would wait for me as long as it took," Hayden informed.
"Did you…Get with him a year later at 15?" Tyler questioned. Hayden shook his head again.
"No; I realized I was gay and accepted it, but I still didn't know if I liked him back. We just kind of hung out as friends. I told him I had feelings for him in January 2017; he said we'd get together officially once I told my parents I was gay. So, I came out to them and told the guy…He turned around and said he didn't like me anymore," Hayden laid his head on his knees, still looking at the others though.
"That's cold…He waits three years for you, then abandons you?" Hailey frowned.
"What did you do after he rejected you?" Devon asked.
"I stopped talking to him; he tried to call and text me for weeks, but I ignored him. I was miserable, even asked my parents to transfer me out of Archian Prep so I wouldn't have to see him anymore. They were thinking about it, and…Then everything else happened," Hayden muttered.
"Did he give up trying to get in contact with you?" Trayden questioned.
"Who was he?" Rylee wondered now.
Hayden closed his eyes tightly, shaking his head. "Hey…You can tell us," Trayden assured.
"You'll get ticked off when you find out who…" Hayden said, shaking more and keeping his head down. Trayden wouldn't push Hayden right now; he could see that Hayden didn't want to say it, at least not in front of the others. "Alright…That's enough about this," Trayden said as Hayden looked over, surprised. "It's like 9:30 at night and we still don't have anything planned for the talent show," he said, trying to direct the conversation away from this topic because he could see Hayden was becoming increasingly closer to a panic attack. "Do you have any suggestions, Hayden?"
"Me?" Hayden asked.
"Yeah, you were saying before all this started that we…Have to know our pitch range to pick a song to sing. What…Do you think we should do to figure that out? How did you do it?" Hailey said, catching onto what Trayden was doing.
"I just…Started singing songs from different people, and used a program on my computer that measures how close your notes are to the ones of the original," Hayden replied, lifting his head a little. The others were beginning to see why Hayden and Trayden were a bit closer. Trayden engaged Hayden in things that interested Hayden; to keep his mind distracted from all the sad stuff.
"Do you still have the program? Maybe…Hailey, Mindy, and I could figure out where our pitches match and find the best song that way?" Alyssa offered.
"I think I do…" Hayden nodded, slowly releasing his legs and moving back towards his computer to save what he was doing; then start looking for the program in his files. After much silence and clicking through things. "Yeah, still have it. If it wasn't on this desktop; it would have been back at my house on the computer in the music room," he finally said. "It…Might take a while to test a bunch or artists like I did…So do you three know who you feel you sound most like?"
"Well, I don't know artist-wise…But I sing with lower tones," Mindy admitted.
"Higher," Alyssa informed.
"Medium to high," Hailey said.
Hayden thought for a moment, searching through his female artists. "Well, I've got some that on my personal opinion I think you could come close too based on what you've told me. But the ultimate test is singing. So step up, pick your artist, and sing," he instructed. "Also…Only pick something you know you won't have to strain your voice to do," he added.
"What do you mean, don't you have to strain your vocal cords to train them?" Alyssa blinked.
"No. In fact, that is the worst thing you can do. You could mess up your voice for good or need surgery to fix it. Trust me, bad idea. Don't ever strain your voice to hit a note; there are ways to learn them without killing your voice to do it. And don't attempt something you don't have the breath for," Hayden mentioned.
"Breath for?" a few asked, confused.
"Like…Okay, for example. Celine Dion's To Love You More; she holds that final note for over a minute without faltering. What I meant was don't try to do long notes if you can't. Ya know? It will mess up the rest of your performance because you'll be out of breath," Hayden explained.
"Oh! That makes much more sense now. So…Out of curiosity here…Can you hold that note?" Rylee wondered.
"I used to be able to before the voice change happened," Hayden mentioned. "Okay, I should be more specific. I can still hold in length-wise, but not pitch. At least I don't think so; it's been a while," he added.
"When's the last time you did it?" Devon questioned.
"Pfft…I don't know. 11, maybe 12. Also used to be able to do All By Myself by Celine too. English and Spanish versions," Hayden smiled a little.
"That's impressive. Very few people can hit those notes, and I've only heard of females doing it," Miya informed.
"Alright, come on. We're wasting time covering big things. Who wants to go first?" Trayden looked at Alyssa, Hailey, and Mindy.
"I think Katie, Rylee, Alicia, plus the boys should all take a whack at it. Never know who might have a hidden talent," Hayden insisted. "That's my stipulation to helping. Everyone has to try. I mean, except for Devon, Evan, and Miya since they won't be taking part," he said.
"Well, I suppose that's fair," Alicia shrugged. "Alright," she nodded.
"That means you too, Tray," Hayden chuckled.
"Very well," Trayden sighed.
"Let's get started," Hayden turned back to his computer. This sleepover was turning out pretty alright in Hayden's opinion, despite the small little moments he had; he was having a decent time. Hayden liked that they were asking him for help, and that he could. Honestly, he felt like he had friends for the first time since this year began for him and he met the others. Hayden felt accepted, loved, and safe.
