=Normal POV=
[Monday, 5/14/2018; 11:30 am]
[Berk High School]

Hayden didn't talk to anyone while he was recovering in Gabriel's care. Hayden stayed in Archian City the entire time and only left minimal updates that he was doing okay. Even Trayden didn't get many conversations with Hayden; a few hi, hello, how are you, but that was it. Hayden, sadly, was still struggling with his feelings about Trayden. Hayden didn't know if he was latching on because Trayden saved him, and was so helpful or if Hayden was beginning to develop something for him. Hayden recovered well, had slight scars, but otherwise, good as new. The pain was gone, he had back his appetite, and could move freely once more. The doctor cleared Hayden to return school on the 14th, which is today. The appointment was at 10:30 am, so Gabriel brought Hayden back to Berk for his appointment, and then it was back to school for the rest of the day from lunch hour and beyond.

Hayden was still on his anti-depressants, but the wouldn't change any time soon as long as he was refusing to talk about what he'd been through with his psychiatrist. Hayden tried during the week he was with Gabriel, but nothing happened because he tensed up and closed himself off trying to talk about the night his parents died. Hayden did get all his work done, so now he just needed to turn it in upon arriving, which was happening at the moment as Gabriel pulled up to Berk High.

"Here ya go, laddie," Gabriel offered a smile. "This is the note for you to return, and your folder binder of makeup work," he chuckled some.

"Do I have to go back?" Hayden asked.

"Come on; Junior Year is almost over," Gabriel tried. "Couple more weeks. Now, go on. I got an open house to go to and two other showings today. I'll let ya know how it goes after your final bell of the day," he said. Hayden sighed as he opened the truck door, getting his backpack on one shoulder; then grabbing the documents that his Godfather was holding. "See ya later, kiddo. Try to have a good rest of the day,"

"No promises…" Hayden muttered as he closed the door and headed for the main office. Hayden signed himself in and handed over the document for him returning to school, and why he was late.

"Welcome back, Mr. Haddock," Nadine smiled.

"Thanks…" Hayden replied.

"Well, head right on to lunch. And…During your Study Hall; here is a pass that will let you be in the hallways while you turn in your missed/makeup work. Once you do that, you're free to head to the Music Room, G-5 for your talent show practice. That pass will make sure the hall officer doesn't write you up," Nadine informed. Hayden nodded as he stuffed the paper in his pocket and turned around to get to the cafeteria. Hayden opened the door and walked in, spotting the group of friends right away.

"Hayden!" Alicia and Syrus exclaimed quickly.

"Hi," Hayden lifted his hand, waving a little.

"You look much better than you did," Hailey smiled.

"Feel better than I did…" Hayden replied.

"Come, sit with us," Katie patted the seat between her and Trayden. Hayden moved in and sat down, setting his bag under the table.

"All healed?" Ford wondered. Hayden nodded to him.

"Welcome back," Trayden smiled. Hayden felt a fluttering in his stomach.

"Thanks," Hayden responded. "Sorry I haven't been around much to help with the talent show prep…"

"Don't even worry about it," Syrus waved it off.

"You can't help Appendicitis, man," Tyler laughed.

"It can happen to anyone," Bryan added.

"Yeah, we've been practicing while you were out," Alyssa nodded.

"You…Have?" Hayden asked.

"Yeah, we're hoping you could take a listen today in practice. Let us know where we can improve?" Mindy smiled.

"Um, yeah, sure," Hayden said now. "How far have you gotten?" he inquired.

"We've got our singing parts down according to what you and Tray will be singing as leads," Katie informed calmly.

"Yep. Tray sang the things you two would, and we'd come in where we're supposed to," Alyssa mentioned.

"We're getting there with the music, but just doesn't sound right when Sy, Trayden and I try to do our parts together," Bryan admitted.

"How's the dancing?" Hayden wondered.

"Eh, could use some work or…Straight up the direction of what we're supposed to be doing?" Hailey shrugged.

"We'll work on it in the room," Hayden got out his sandwich and started eating it.

"When are we, uh, working on the stage fright thing?" Trayden inquired now.

"Only way to do that is just sucking it up and do it. Start small, work your way up to the big crowd," Hayden informed calmly.

"So?" Rylee pushed.

"Start small; yourself; then maybe your parents, friends, classroom, lunchroom, and finally, stage. By the time you hit the classroom, you're usually fine," Hayden stated.

"When did you get over yours?" Devon asked.

"Me? Never had it. I don't mind singing in front of people. Never used to be scared of anything…Parents called me fearless…" Hayden looked down a bit. Then he sarcastically laughed a little. "Yeah…Now look at me; someone approaches me wrong or says something specific and I lock myself in a proverbial box to shut out the world…"

"Hayden, everyone is scared of something until they overcome it. Perhaps, at the time, you just hadn't found anything you were scared of," Trayden told him. "Besides, fear makes you stronger,"

"You think so?" Hayden arched a brow at Trayden. "I feared nothing; now I fear everything, Trayden. Every little thing about life scares me,"

"So overcome everything. Hayden, you say everything in life scares you…But that's just it; this is YOUR life. Don't let fear control you, rise above it, and take back what is yours. That's why you're scared, Hayden," Trayden faced him now. "Your life was perfect. Good school, home life, acceptance, everything you could ever want. It was your life then because you were happy. And then in the blink of an eye, everything changed. Everything spiraled out of control, and you couldn't stop it. And so much has happened now; you feel like no matter what you do, it won't ever go back,"

"It won't, Trayden. It will never be like it was," Hayden looked down, closing his eyes.

"I know that. I know it can never be how it was. The things that have happened cannot be undone. But who is to say that you have to keep acting like you're on your own? Yes, before; it was only you, and you couldn't stop the things that came your way. There was enough happening that you lost control and fear took over; it's now running your life, and you're sitting back, afraid, and letting it control you. I get it; you had everything you could ever want and need in life, but something ripped that away. The security, the control…The happiness,"

"And the reason you are the way you are now is that all of those things were taken from you. You're afraid to talk because you don't want to be judged for what you've been through. You're scared to let people in because you don't want to get close and end up losing them. You fear the unknown; the what could happen next. Your terrified to be alone because it means there's no one there to protect you. But, you're so scared now that you keep yourself sealed up in an attempt to protect yourself from being hurt physically and mentally. But Hayden, listen to me," Trayden said as Hayden looked up at him now. "You aren't alone anymore,"

"He's right," Ford nodded.

"You have your aunt and uncle; your cousins, Godfather, all of us. We're not going anywhere, in case you haven't noticed…Despite you being all shutdown and shit when we met you; we've fought to stay here in your life. Gabriel fought to get home for you. You don't have to keep trying to do this by yourself. You don't have to be afraid because whatever else comes your way; we'll fight with you, we'll fight for you. Take back control, Hayden. Take back your life and see what difference it can make when you do," Trayden said confidently and with a smile.

There were tears in Hayden's eyes as he launched forward and hugged Trayden tightly, surprising him entirely. Hayden had his arms around Trayden's back; his face against Trayden's chest. Trayden blinked a few times, as shocked as the other friends. Finally, Trayden shook it off and embraced Hayden back.

"Good going, Tray…Got all the girls teary-eyed with that," Katie whimpered a bit. Trayden just shrugged with a smile as if saying silently; he needed to hear it.

"Alright…Ssh, come on…" Trayden whispered. "It's okay," Hayden let go and wiped his eyes. "I promise things will get better when you take back what is yours, Hayden. You are in charge; you have the power to take back control. The only thing holding you back is you. Don't be scared to fight back, and always know that you have me to fight beside you or for you, if you feel like you can't do it or need a little help," he reminded.

"Um, excuse me?" Alicia muttered.

"We're here too!" Syrus added.

"Oh, fine," Trayden sighed dramatically. "I know they aren't me, but you have them too," he said.

"Hey!" the friends complained. Hayden smiled a little; then laughed, covering his mouth while doing it and giggling a little bit.

"What? Not everyone can be as awesome as me. I get it, don't worry. I don't mind being the only one" Trayden shrugged.

"I don't know how you do it, but you always take me from tears to smiles…" Hayden stated.

"I told you; I'm just that amazing. Much better than all these…Average folk who could only hope and dream they were as awesome as me," Trayden winked.

"Dick!" the males scolded.

"Asshole!" the girls snapped at him.

"See, just look at all the jealousy radiating," Trayden told Hayden, who laughed again. Trayden smiles, glad that he helped cause this.

"Well, not to make the situation worse here…But I have to say this; there is no one else in the world quite like you, Tray…" Hayden looked at him, still smiling as Trayden looked back at Hayden, little surprised by the words. "You are one of a kind," he added, a faint blush on his cheeks.

"Happy to be of assistance, and always at your service," Trayden chuckled. "It's good to see that smile, Hayden," he mentioned. "Try not to lose it anymore," he smiled. "It suits you much better than a frown, and I think it's cute," he added. The others gasped a little, eyes widened. Was Trayden actively flirting with Hayden?

The redness on Hayden's face increased at the obvious flirt and compliment. Hayden looked off to the side a bit, clearing his throat a little. "Yeah well…Not to inflate that ego of yours anymore, but the only reason this smile exists is that by some black magic you must possess; I can't seem to stay or be upset with you around me. And you're pretty good looking yourself," Hayden's eyes met Trayden's. The friends couldn't believe it. Neither could Trayden. Was Hayden flirting back?!

"Then I give my word always to be around when you need or want me there, and to keep that smile on your pretty little-freckled face," Trayden gave a light bow with his head. Hayden blushed again, feeling his heart race in his chest. It was beating so loud that he could hear it in his ears, and he could feel it pulsate through his body. "Come on, lunch is almost over; you should eat,"

"Okay…" Hayden replied, nodding once and trying to calm himself down as he turned to finish his lunch. It was a bit quiet at the table now. The others didn't like that Trayden was claiming he was some fantastic friend to Hayden when all of them were there for him too. Trayden could feel the tension, and he figured out that once again; they were taking it personally and getting jealous that he was closer to Hayden regardless of the fact it had been explained on several other occasions why that was. Honestly, it bothered Trayden a lot that his friends didn't appear to be able to see when he was joking around anymore.

This is why Trayden was closer to Hayden, because Trayden knew how to have fun and lighten the mood. The others would go quiet and watch while Trayden did all the work to help Hayden. Anybody could have said the things Trayden did; they'd discussed Hayden's fear plenty of times and agreed to work together to help Hayden realize and get past it. But, when the time came to help; they sat back and did nothing. Trayden was getting tired of the jealousy, so he was gonna say something and let them think on it. At 12:15 pm Trayden hid his phone and texted the others.

The bell rang as Trayden got up after finishing typing the message. "Come on, Hayden. Let's get to History," Trayden invited. Hayden nodded, heading out with Trayden quickly as the others were surprised to see the two leave so fast. On the way out the door; Trayden looked back at them, hurt by their actions. Instead of saying anything; he finally pressed the send button and disappeared with Hayden. The two were gone in the mass of students switching classes. The friends all got the message at the same time, quickly reading over it.

12:20 pm
I didn't say all that 'I'm awesome, and better' stuff to be an ass or make you feel like you don't matter. I'm sorry if I did; that wasn't the intention. I only did it to make Hayden smile. Gotta lighten the sad mood with something happy, couple jokes to ease the tension. Figured you would know I was kidding since we've been friends for years. That kind'a sucks if you thought I was and getting jealous again; I'm a little hurt by it.

I thought we were past this after last time. And I've explained why I'm closer to Hayden than the rest of you. You don't take an active role despite the several times I've told you how to help. You all seize up and go quiet when Hayden needs comfort the most; it's like you suddenly don't know what to say when all Hayden needs is a little reminding that he's not alone and we're here for him. You understand and see when he starts getting upset, but you sit back and let him feel that way instead of jumping up and taking action. So, again; sorry if I made you feel inferior or whatever.

But to be entirely honest…It bothers the shit out of me that you're acting this way. So, when you're done being jealous and fucking wanna remember I'm your friend and know I wouldn't dare say I'm better than any of you other than a joking manner; you hit me up. Until then, leave me alone, and I'll help Hayden by myself.

Oh, but on a serious note…None of you can pull off what I did because you can't get away with flirting since you don't have feelings for him as I do.

Sadly, no one had time to reply or discuss the matter. They needed to get to class, and hopefully fix up this situation later. Devon and Evan left the school, Bryan went to C-Hall, and then the rest of the friends made their journey to History.

. . .

[1:30 pm]

In the music room after History ended at 1:25 pm; the friends prepared to start their talent show practice. Hayden's mood seemed to be alright, and the friends knew they needed to apologize to Trayden. However, finding the time to do that was going to be a bit difficult because they didn't want to do it in front of Hayden. It's clear Trayden sent the text message, so he wouldn't bring Hayden into it and let him stay in his happy mood.

"Alright, let's get this started," Hayden said after closing the door to the music room. The friends could see that Trayden did not look amused at all. "Let's hear how we're doing with the singers," he stated. Katie, Alyssa, Mindy stepped up, holding their papers. Hayden turned to Trayden. "Ready?"

"My throat is bothering me a bit; I'll, uh, I'll just stick to the guitar and give my voice a rest, so I don't make it worse or lose it," Trayden said softly.

"No problem. I'll take care of the singing for the lead," Hayden nodded. Trayden grabbed the electric guitar off its stand and located the sheets he'd need and started just tapping the places his hands needed to be to play it later on. Hayden set up the dock station and plugged in his phone, finding the karaoke version. From there it was Hayden singing his parts and the girls coming in where they were supposed to.

"So, how'd we do," Mindy asked.

"Good! It's coming along. Work on keeping your pitches steady, towards the end; it starts to shift a bit. Consistency is key," Hayden informed.

"We will," Alyssa nodded.

"Alright, now, music…Let's see what you got individually," Hayden moved towards Syrus. For 15 minutes, Hayden worked with Bryan, Syrus, and Trayden on each instrument. And then for ten more, he had them play their parts together in sync.

"Wow, it sounds better than it did," Bryan smiled.

"And now dancers," Hayden motioned for Ford, Hailey, Alicia, and Trayden. "Show me what you have so far, and I'll watch to see where we need to fix or adjust," he reset the music to the song and watch both pairs do their part. Around 2:15 pm, Hayden took care of the dancing situation, showing the two pairs how to stay in step with the music and some other moves they could do to spice it up a bit. "Not bad," he nodded. "Looks great all around. We gotta work on doing it all together," he added.

"Do we have time to give it a shot before the end of the day?" Hailey asked.

Hayden checked the clock on the wall. "Fifteen minutes…Yeah, we got time for one," he confirmed. "Everyone into place," he said, moving to his location as if they were on stage. Trayden stayed to the right of Hayden, while Syrus was on the left. Bryan stayed behind Hayden on the drums. Katie, Alyssa, and Mindy were also on the right, but that is where their place would be during the show since Trayden would be up next to Hayden to sing and play. The dancing couples positioned themselves as inner right and left. "Let's give it a go. Stick to the beat, follow your parts and don't worry about anyone else on stage but yourself," he instructed.

Five minutes later, their first round at trying to do it together failed in a few ways. "We'll have to work on staying in sync, but that's something for tomorrow and the rest of the week. Don't you worry, we'll be good. The next biggest thing, though, is handling crowds. We gotta tackle that or all this extra stuff won't matter. But still, good work. I'm glad you guys were practicing while I was out,"

"We figured we might fall too far behind if we didn't," Alyssa informed.

"Probably would," Ford chuckled.

"Alright, we'll pick this up tomorrow," Hayden smiled some as they began to clean up the room and leave it how they entered an hour before. The bell rang as they all headed out and to the student lot or buses. Trayden seemed to get away from the others the fastest; the friends knew why, of course. Hayden seemed a bit confused, but he could text Trayden about it later. "See ya in the morning," Hayden waved and got on his bus, number twenty-four.

"We'll talk later about this thing involving Tray," Bryan mentioned. The friends nodded in agreement; then split off to leave for the day and get home.