=Normal POV=
[Monday, 4/23/2018; 6:50 am]
[Berk High School]

The rest of the vacation was quiet after the sleepover at Syrus and Alicia's home. Thursday was a rest day to recuperate from Wednesday's adventures. Friday was the sleepover at Trayden's house, but Hayden didn't take part despite Trayden's best attempts to convince Hayden to join them. Hayden said he wasn't feeling well and didn't want to end up getting worse while there and have to leave anyway. Hayden stayed at the Jorgenson House, cleaning up his room, doing some laundry and resting. In truth; he was a bit embarrassed about what happened on Thursday morning when he woke up in Trayden's arms, and everyone else saw it. Hayden remembered asking Trayden to stay with him, but it wasn't a good feeling that everyone was standing in the doorway of his room and watching them. Felicia had opened the curtain to give Hayden his pill, and everyone saw the position Trayden and Hayden were in.

Trayden had his back against the wall and left arm out for Hayden to sleep on. Hayden was on his right side, facing Trayden and Trayden's right arm was around Hayden's midsection and holding him securely. Both males looked pretty comfortable and content that way and Trayden was sure that one or a few of the friends had snapped pictures of the scene. For Trayden; he didn't mind being caught by them since he was sure Syrus and Alicia informed them all that Trayden liked Hayden as more than a friend. But knowing Hayden was gay now; so it rose the question if Hayden would develop feelings for Trayden since the two were ridiculously close and it showed in high definition color. Trayden is also the only one who knew for sure that Hayden felt safe and trusted him fully.

That was a good feeling for Trayden; to know that Hayden latched on to him because he gave off a relaxing, calm aura that helped Hayden to relax and calm down. And Trayden didn't mind at all; it was helping Hayden feel a bit better. Trayden's arrival into Hayden's life was getting Hayden more talkative, to open up, trust, smile, and have a good time. Plus, Hayden let Trayden into help during a panic attack. The friends were finally all able to see that Trayden did engage Hayden much more than they did, and now Trayden knew that he was right in his assumption because Hayden confirmed that Trayden took an active role in Hayden's life. The group of friends could see now that they needed to find something to get Hayden to jump in and talk with them.

Right now, the most significant topic was the talent show, and that seemed to be something that had everyone involved because it needed all participants to plan out. So, this was something that had Hayden talking more, but with vacation over now; things could change. Hayden generally seemed more like the guy they first met at the end of October 2017 in school no matter who he was around. It was Monday morning, back to school for the rest of the year; there likely wouldn't be any more days off except for the weekends. So as they did every morning upon arrival, the friends met at the breezeway to hang out a bit and chat before the first period.

"Morning," Katie greeted with a yawn as she came up with Bryan and Alyssa.

"Hey," Rylee waved.

"Sup?" Tyler replied.

Evan came up to hug and kiss Rylee; he also brought her an iced coffee from Dragon Donuts; the best coffee and donut shop on Barbarchi Isle. It had breakfast sandwiches too, but Dragon Donuts sounded easier to use. "Hey, babe. Hi, everyone else," Evan said.

"Thanks," Rylee kissed his cheek and hugged him as she took a sip.

"We're here," Ford informed as he walked next to Hailey, holding her hand. Devon was beside them.

"Yo," Trayden made himself known upon arriving. Mindy walked towards the group next; then finally Syrus, Alicia, and Hayden. Alicia went to hug and kiss Tyler as Syrus reminded himself that he needed to get used to his little sister dating his best friend.

"Alright, so now that vacation is over…How are we gonna handle talent show practice?" Katie decided to ask.

"We'll have to find times to all meetup," Alicia said.

"Easier said than done," Bryan informed. "I start working tonight. I'll be doing 3-9 pm shifts about five days a week,"

"I also work from about 3 pm to 7 pm," Ford put a finger up.

"I'm in the middle of looking for a job," Mindy confessed.

"Parents want me to have a Summer job, so I'm in the clear for now," Alyssa said.

"Same. Parents want us to focus on school," Tyler mentioned as Rylee nodded.

"I have an interview for a job tomorrow after school at 3:30 pm," Katie jumped in.

"Parents told me I'm good until I graduate as long as I keep my grades up," Trayden smiled.

"Us too," Syrus nodded, referring to himself and Alicia. Hayden was probably the only person who didn't answer, but it was assumed he didn't work and wouldn't until he had his depression under control.

"I have no ideas on how we'll meet for practice for the talent show," Alicia shrugged. The rest shook their heads too, having no thoughts on how to make this work.

"How about you, Hayden?" Trayden asked calmly. "You know how we can make this work?"

"Not really, but I'll think of something," Hayden got off the wall and started heading inside.

"Where ya going?" Syrus asked.

"Do I have to run everything I do by you?" Hayden narrowed his eyes a bit. "You're not my effing keeper, so back off," he moved inside the building where C-Hall was, walking down it until he reached the bathroom on the corner of C and D.

"Weird…" Alicia frowned. "It's not like Hayden to get snappy,"

"I mean, he's not wrong…" Devon stated. "The guy doesn't have to tell you everything he does,"

"We're only watching him because our parents said to," Syrus huffed.

"That means watch his emotions, not question everything he does or where he goes," Trayden rolled his eyes.

"Says the guy with a major crush on our cousin who inserts himself every available chance there is," Alicia muttered.

"Seriously, don't you think you're moving in a bit too hot with him? I mean, come on; you slept in his room, in his bed on Wednesday night," Syrus remarked.

Trayden chuckled a little, putting his bag on his shoulder and heading for the C-Hall doors. "Typical that you accuse me of things when you don't know what happened because you were all sleeping. And I'm not going to grace you with the truth either. I may have a crush on Hayden, but I'm just being a good friend, or have you so soon forgotten that I'm the one he keeps turning to for comfort. I'm not letting my feelings get in the way. I insert myself because I'm someone Hayden trusts and feels safe with, so if that helps him and means I'm moving in too hot; then yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing." Trayden informed.

The man shook his head, almost disappointed in his friends for how they were acting. "If I didn't know any better; I'd say you were jealous that Hayden is closer to me than he is anyone else. Except for his Godfather," Trayden added before walking through the door and heading for the Language Arts room, appearing to meet Hayden by the door and opening it to let him in first before following.

"Are we jealous?" Alicia looked at Syrus now.

"I had to admit it…But I think so. Hayden's closer to Trayden because Tray established himself as someone who won't let Hayden get hurt, and offers comfort to Hayden when he's upset. We talk to Hayden, tell him it'll be alright…But we don't go to the lengths Trayden does to make Hayden feel safe and that things will be okay," Syrus mumbled. The warning bell rang. "Let's just get to class," he sighed.

. . .

[11:35 am]

After gym class, the friends made their way to lunch, but Hayden didn't appear to be among them once they got settled in their seats. Even so; Hayden likely went to the bathroom or nurse's office. Trayden wasn't saying much to any of them; not out of anger, just that he didn't want to argue with them about earlier. Yes, he likes Hayden a lot, but that had no bearing on why he was close to Hayden. Trayden's involvement in Hayden's life now was to help him get past everything in any way that Hayden would allow Trayden to do. If all that Hayden needed was a hug to get through a hard moment; Trayden was happy to do that, not because he had a crush on Hayden, but because Trayden was a good friend like that. While

Trayden ate his sandwich quietly and eyes closed, the others figured they should probably apologize to him for the way they acted before the first period. Syrus and Alicia more than the others because they were on Trayden's case, being overprotective of Hayden when they shouldn't be trying to shelter him, or Hayden would never trust anyone.

"Trayden," Alicia said.

Trayden opened his eyes, arching a brow at her. "We wanted to apologize for earlier,"

"Why? You were just protective over Hayden," Trayden stated calmly.

"Because sheltering and protecting him is going to do the opposite of the overall goal to get him to trust others and open up," Syrus mentioned.

"There's nothing wrong with protecting your family and friends, but you don't have to do it from those who aren't a threat," Trayden remarked, closing his eyes again. "You don't need to protect Hayden from me; I'm on your side," he added.

"We know; that's why we're sorry," Alicia replied gently.

"Look," Trayden set his sandwich down and looked at the Jorgenson siblings firmly. "What happened Wednesday night into Thursday morning; finding me in his bed and holding him is because Hayden asked me to stay with me him," he said.

"He did?" Mindy asked.

Trayden nodded. "Around 1 am; Hayden woke up from a nightmare, and I was still up, so I went to calm him down. He fell back to sleep against me, and when I tried to move; he asked me to stay. I didn't question why, I just assumed it was helping him sleep, so I stayed,"

"It's like you're a security blanket to him," Devon interjected.

"At the moment; I'm whatever Hayden needs me to be for him. That's just the kind of friend I am, feelings aside. I'd do the same for any of you," Trayden informed. "For Hayden's case, though; he's been through a lot of shit that makes it hard for him to trust others and open up,"

"But why does he cling to you when we're all here for him?" Hailey wondered.

"Because I'm the first person who was able to save and protect him from someone who was hurting him. I saved him from Olivia, not just by showing up and stopping it, but I also made sure she wouldn't do it again. I stopped her from hitting him, and I called the police while not letting her get near him. Hayden hasn't had that kind of security since entering the system in July 2017. Abused in multiple homes, the sexual abuse in Olivia's…When is the last time he had someone to protect him?" Trayden explained.

"Probably…I mean, aside from us now; his parents before they died," Alyssa replied.

"Exactly. And Gabriel was serving overseas, trying to get back. So when the abuser found Hayden and continued to actions; how was he to feel safe? I knew something was wrong, so I decided to follow them and found out what was going on. I told Hayden he needed to tell me the truth for me to help him, so he did. I didn't let Olivia hurt him again, so Hayden now clings to me as someone that will be here to protect and comfort him. When he starts feelings upset, scared, nervous; I step in, and he relaxes a bit. I've shown him he can trust me, not just told him that he could. Words are only as effective as the actions shown. If you speak, but can't prove; the words are meaningless," Trayden said.

"That's why you told us to watch you on Wednesday, wasn't it?" Ford asked.

Trayden nodded. "Hayden didn't believe he could sing anymore, so I told him I believed in him and had cut off his sight to the rest of you, making him think he was alone with just me and he did it. No different then when he had to confess what Olivia had done; he wouldn't do that in front of anyone but me either. I held him the day I discovered Olivia as a lying, sexual, abuser. It's not enough to tell him everything is okay and he's safe; you have to show him. That day; he needed someone to hold him so he'd feel secure," he stated.

"We get it now. You're…Good at this kind of stuff," Rylee said.

"My mom is a psychiatrist, and my dad is a cop…Helping people is just what I'm good at; it runs in the family. I'm sympathetic, but a protective person. The biggest thing I'm trying to do with Hayden is have him trust others and open up so that maybe he'll talk to his counselor and start working through everything. He knows he can talk to me, but I'm not a professional; I can only do so much. Even if I help make him feel better and he's healing a little; these things he's been through needs to be worked through, not just pushed down with another distraction," Trayden mentioned calmly.

"That's good, though," Katie smiled. "That you're trying to get him to talk. You're probably helping more than you think since how that's what Hayden ultimately needs to get past stuff,"

"He's coming in now," Alicia informed them. Hayden reached the table and sat down next to Trayden.

"There you are," Trayden smiled.

"Hey, sorry," Hayden responded.

"What took ya? It's like 11:45," Evan chuckled.

"I was talking to Principal Mayden," Hayden said while getting out his water bottle and flavor packet for it; then he got his sandwich, peanut butter, and fluff. Hayden also had an orange as his extra food if he was feeling hungrier than usual.

"Did you…Get into trouble or something?" Bryan inquired.

"What? Gods no. I said I'd figure something out for the talent show practices and I was running it by her first," Hayden stated.

"Oh, what did you come up with?" Trayden questioned.

"We all have the same Study Hall period from 1:30 to 2:30 pm, so…We're gonna use that hour to rehearse. I got Miss. Mayden to agree to let us use the G-5 Music Room," Hayden informed while opening his sandwich.

"No way!" Tyler and Rylee exclaimed.

"How did you swing that?" Alyssa wondered.

"I told her the truth?" Hayden said, not sure why they'd think anything else. "I told her we were competing in the talent show but had no place to practice due to busy schedules after school. So…Asked if we could use a music room during Study Hall and…She said she was fine with it, and also glad to see me taking part in school functions with new friends…" he added.

"This is great! It will have all the instruments and stuff we need," Syrus grinned.

"Nice work, Hayden," Trayden beamed. "Is someone gonna be in there to watch us, teacher-wise?"

"No, just periodic checks from the teacher who has a class in G-3 during that hour," Hayden informed as he took a bite of his food.

"I can't believe we didn't think of that," Hailey giggled.

"So, what's the first thing we'll be doing?" Ford asked.

"First, we still need to pick a song. Following that will be putting everyone in their place for the show. After that, it will be getting the music sheets to the instrument players and practicing the song itself," Hayden clarified the order in which things needed to happen.

"So, it's gonna be you and Tray leading. Then Mindy, Hailey, and Alyssa as backup singers. Bryan drumming, Syrus on bass. Alicia and Katie dancing. Ford, Rylee, and Tyler on effects and lights?" Devon wondered.

"I can still play electric or acoustic if we need it while singing," Trayden offered.

"And me on the piano if necessary," Ford reminded.

"None of that can get established until the song is chosen; it decides where everyone is and what they are doing. Bryan and Syrus could also sing backup vocals depending on what song is picked, that's why we have to pick that first," Hayden said.

"We'll work it all out in the music room at 1:30," Syrus stated. "Don't wanna draw too much attention in lunch," he added.

"Good point," Tyler nodded.

"We'll just think about possible songs until Study Hall," Mindy smiled.

"So…How are you today, Hayden?" Trayden asked.

"I'm…Doing okay today," Hayden admitted.

"That's great," Ford exclaimed.

"Yeah; I think this is the happiest we've seen you since you started here," Hailey remarked with a smile.

"I'm…Looking forward to the talent show. I'm…Excited about it; is that bad?" Hayden questioned.

"What? No. Gods no, Hayden; it's awesome. You're looking forward to something that makes you feel happy; that's always a good thing," Trayden laughed a little. "Embrace it, hold onto it," he added.

"I-I am. I love singing; I guess it's just a good way to get out how you sometimes feel," Hayden shrugged.

"And that's fine, Hayden," Syrus said as Alicia nodded.

"We're glad you found something you like doing," Katie interjected. "Everyone has hobbies. I play the flute, and help my mom at the Hysteria Shelter sometimes; I love animals. I'm gonna be a Veterinarian like she is,"

"Law Enforcement like my dad for me," Bryan informed.

"Interior and Exterior Design," Rylee and Tyler said together.

"I do Yoga Instruction," Devon shrugged. "That's how Miya and I met," he smiled.

Undecided," Alicia mentioned.

"Personal Trainer," Syrus grinned.

"That's what I do. You ever need a job, come to see me, Sy," Evan assured. "I can get ya in where I work,"

"I'll bear that in mind," Syrus nodded.

"Law Enforcement," Alyssa revealed. "I like keeping my hometown safe,"

"Paramedic," Mindy said confidently.

"That's what my mom was; she loved it…" Hayden said softly.

"Certified Nursing Assistant," Hailey informed firmly.

"Veterinarian," Ford beamed.

"How about you, Tray?" Hayden wondered curiously.

"I've had several ideas, none have stuck to me yet," Trayden shrugged.

"Such as?" Devon questioned now.

"Military, Medical Field, Firefighter, Cop, Therapist, etc.," Trayden said, sounding very unsure still. "How about you, Hayden? What did you always want to be when you grew up?" he asked now.

"You want the child's dream or the adult one?" Hayden replied.

"Humor me; child's dream?" Trayden smiled.

"Do you promise not to laugh?" Hayden muttered.

"Boy Scout's honor," Trayden nodded to him.

Hayden took a breath. "Dragon Trainer…" he mumbled.

"Wait, what?" Alicia asked.

"I said; I wanted to be a Dragon Trainer…" Hayden repeated. A few people tried not to laugh, including Trayden.

"You…Know dragons don't exist right?" Syrus asked.

"Well, I didn't fucking know at 10, okay?...I mean, I did, but I guess still trying to enjoy my childhood…" Hayden looked down, almost embarrassed. "And you promised you wouldn't laugh!" he pouted at Trayden now.

"I wasn't laughing because it was funny; I think it's cute. We're all guilty of silly dreams as kids; I wanted to be a treasure hunter," Trayden confessed. Hayden giggled a little.

"You did?" Hayden looked at him.

"Yep," Trayden nodded. "So it's cool. Don't worry about it, but why dragon trainer?"

"I got into How To Train Your Dragon," Hayden admitted bashfully.

"And now I see why you named the cat Toothless," Alicia sighed.

"And it's fine," Trayden hinted. "Alright, so what's the adult dream?" he asked now. Hayden thought about it for a moment.

"I…Don't know anymore," Hayden confessed, looking down a bit sadly. "I must have gone through hundreds of ideas when it came to my future. Military, Medical, Cop, Firefighter, Singer, Artist…" he trailed off. "All things my parents suggested that they thought I'd be good at," he added. "But when they died…Everything…Died with them. Plans, dreams, hopes…Everything just disappeared from my life when they did. Even singing, as much as I love it; it hurts to do. Nothing feels right anymore, so…I don't know what I want to do because more than half the time; I don't even know who I am or why I'm still here. I wake up and do it I guess…"

It was mood swings, and everyone at the table knew that. But it was still hard to see Hayden go from all smiling and happy to utter misery again, and how fast it could happen. Talking about a future where Hayden thought he'd have his parents for a good long while was saddening to him; the future his parents wouldn't be around to see happen. It was understandable why this topic was difficult for Hayden; he was upset and depressed that he didn't know what he wanted to with his life anymore; he claimed not to identify himself, or why he was alive, so he just lived every day and took it however it came.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore…" Hayden admitted with his head down; he ended up pushing his food away and putting his head on his arms, sighing heavily.

"Hey…It's alright," Trayden tried with a hand on his shoulder, but shockingly enough; Hayden shrugged Trayden's hand off of him.

"I want to be left alone right now, please," Hayden said in a low tone. Hayden had to be upset to be rejecting Trayden's comfort, but; they'd respect him and back off and leave him be. The friends continued eating, occasionally peering over to check on Hayden, but for the remainder of lunch; he never lifted his head, talked, or ate his food. When the bell rang at 12:20 pm; Hayden was first to push his chair back, get up, grab his bag and briskly head for the exit of the cafeteria to get to History class.