Author Note: HUGE TRIGGER WARNING regarding references of past physical and sexual abuse/trauma for the last segment of this chapter. I will mark the section with a "TW."

Tears and Fears

Violet awoke the next day having slept little the night before. The farmer could not decide if she was giddy or furious with Sebastian for kissing her cheek the night before. The brush of his soft lips against her skin felt warm and tender, but his intentions were borne from pure revenge. How dare he smirk like that and run off?! Violet had a perfectly reasonable explanation for the kiss and immediate departure, but Sebastian did it just to tease her! It was infuriating.

Then there was a third part of her that understood why Sebastian decided to make a point out of the situation. A voice in her head screamed that romantic relationships in general were a terrible idea, but Violet could not help but think it would be nice to have someone like Sebastian more… involved in her life. Maybe they could start slow and see where things lead in a natural progression.

But even that was not enough. The kiss, no matter how chaste, made Violet realize she wanted to kiss Sebastian and she wanted to do it properly the next time. But what did that make them? People did not necessarily have to be dating to kiss, but it was a nice precursor. But labeling a normal "hang out" as a date added extra pressure for something to happen.

"Dammit, this is why you kissed me, isn't it?" Violet thought aloud, cursing Sebastian for exacting revenge so simply. The anxiety regarding what to do next was torture.

The pastel-haired woman snatched her phone from her nightstand. *Bex… something happened.*

*Tell me you used protection. No estoy lista para ser la tía favorita.*

Violet huffed in annoyance. *He only kissed my cheek! Get your mind out of the gutter.*

*Y cuál es el problema, conejita?*

Violet bit her lip, trying to determine how to best describe her inner battle, but all she could think of was *I want to do more than that.*

*!* The phone vibrated in Violet's hand and she realized that Bex was calling her. Bracing herself, the farmer answered her best friend. "THEN GO GET YOU SOME! What is stopping you?!" Bex hollered into the phone.

"... I'm scared," Violet admitted softly. "I'm terrified that I might be happy for a while and then fuck it all up somehow and be a depressing husk of my former self." She heard Bex begin to form a rebuttal, but the woman continued. "Bex, when I saw all the old pictures of my parents together, I couldn't help but notice how happy they seemed." Violet felt the tears welling in her eyes and she fought to keep them at bay. "I never saw them like that - not even once," the farmer stated miserably. "And I can't help but wonder if things are just always going to go sour in my relationships, you know? Kyle and I -"

"Don't waste any more of your life thinking about that cabrón, conejita," Bex said firmly, yet soothingly. "Are you really going to let your first attempt at a relationship ruin any other chances you have?" Her best friend did not wait for her response. "When the character you lovingly crafted for our first campaign was brutally murdered by a horde of orcs while bravely defending the rest of the party, did you rage quit and decide the game wasn't worth playing anymore?"

Violet recalled chucking the cursed D20 out the window after she rolled a nat 1 during her saving throw. "No, chica!" Bex reminded her. "You made a new character and got right back in there next session."

"That character was rushed and kind of lazy. I was still heartbroken from the loss of my totally-not-gender-bent-Legolas."

"But you didn't let it stop you from playing with us!"

Bex did have a point. The gang played a lot of great sessions after that, even once that campaign ended. And while her badass elvish ranger Tauriel's death had been a tragic one, things turned out okay playing as Unrol, son of Bouldrumm. His intelligence was shit, but he could take a hit and dish out some serious damage once they got further along the story. Violet continued to enjoy playing tabletop RPGs, even after all that. "I suppose you're right…" the farmer conceded. "But that doesn't make me any less scared that things could go wrong."

"What if things go right?" Bex challenged Violet. "Have you stopped to consider that?"

Violet felt nervous even dreaming of that kind of future, as if it could somehow jinx her already slim chances at happiness. "I'll try…" she promised meekly.

As silence hung in the air between them, the pastel-haired woman decided she wanted some clarity on another part of her past while she had her best friend on the phone. "Bex, did you ask me out our junior year?"

There was a sigh on the other end of the call. "Oh, that? Why are you asking about that now?"

"So you did!" Violet realized in horror, mortified that she had been so oblivious to something so important to her best friend.

"Y eras ajena a mi confesión de amor, tonta!" Bex complained teasingly with a chuckle. "That's all en el pasado. Don't worry about it."

Violet could not help but feel a pang of regret for hurting her best friend, even if it was not her intention. "I just want to let you know that I'm sorry for being so insensitive, Bex."

"All was forgiven ages ago," Bex assured the farmer. "It was probably for the best, anyway. That way, you didn't have to turn me down and I could keep mi dignidad." She laughed loudly, "Besides, I'll manage to fill el vacío en mi corazón somehow…"

"I hear you helped Leah with ideas for an art festival," Violet testified, attempting a change of subject.

Bex dismissed the idea. "We talked about it briefly, but if she needs more information from an experienced organizer-in-chief, she's welcome to contact me again. Be sure to give esa hermosa pelirroja mi número, chica."

Violet chuckled to herself. It seemed her oldest friend was acting normally, so there was probably nothing to worry about. "Sure thing, Bex." She thought for a moment, then asked, "Hey, does Arturo still do commissions?"

Alex stood at his post, manning the ice cream stand just like he always did each day in the Summer. Saturdays were usually quieter, since Penny did not teach the kids and take them out to play outside the Museum on the weekends. To be honest, the ice cream business was not a busy one, despite the rising temperatures, but Alex was more than happy to collect a paycheck for just standing there and doing body weight exercises until Haley arrived.

This particular Saturday was important to Alex, however. Today was his birthday. Granny would inevitably make his favorite salmon dish for dinner and bake a swirled yogurt cake with chocolate icing. The athlete usually did not make a big deal about the anniversary of his birth, but Alex knew that with each passing year, achieving his dream would be more difficult. The brunet vowed that by this time next year, he would be ready for try-outs no matter what.

Haley showed up as usual to hang out with him while he worked, tossing a brightly patterned gift bag onto the counter. "Happy birthday, Alex," she wished him with a smile.

Alex returned the grin. "You shouldn't have, Haley," he insisted as he began digging into the bag to find out what was inside. His forest-green eyes widened in surprise when he pulled out the jersey. "It's a NuNu Nighthawks jersey!" he exclaimed with excitement. It was ink-black with white lettering and a band on the sleeves to match the stripe on the team's namesake. Alex held it up to his body to determine how well it would fit and nodded in approval. "Thanks, Haley!" he expressed appreciatively. "You're the best friend a guy could ask for!"

Haley shook her head good-naturedly. "You didn't even see the best part," she informed her companion. "Flip it around to the back."

The jock did so and his face broke into a toothy grin. "You had it personalized!" The jersey read "Mullner" in all capital letters, just like the pros. Alex ditched his dad's last name once he was legally permitted to change it on his own. Seeing it there on an authentic jersey brought out a wave of emotion that Alex had not expected to feel. "Aw, c'mere," he ordered, reaching over the ice cream counter to give Haley a hug.

"This is unlike you," the blonde observed, though she still accepted the hug. For a moment, she could have sworn she felt a few tears dampen her shoulder. When they broke away, it turned out to be true.

"You're crying!" Haley gasped. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?" she demanded, rummaging through her bag to find a tissue for him.

The athlete wiped his face on his letter jacket, but still accepted the tissue she offered anyway. "Nah, it's fine, Hay," he assured his friend. "I'm just really happy that I have people who believe in me this much."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Of course, I believe in you, dummy," she replied in feigned annoyance. "You do nothing but train to become a gridball pro!"

"You got me there." Alex acknowledged. He shed his letter jacket and t-shirt, briefly revealing his tanned, well-muscled upper body to don his new jersey. It fit like a glove. "So, you're gonna be sitting front-row at the 50-yard line for my first game, right?"

"Probably critiquing the cheerleaders on their sloppy stunts," she added, sipping on iced lemonade from her sunflower-themed travel cup. "Though if I'm that close to the field, I'm going to need some serious heels to scope out all the players."

"You gonna finally snag yourself a boyfriend?"

Haley's blue eyes flickered toward the brunet. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Alex shrugged. "You were the most popular girl in school, I figured you would have gone out with any guy you wanted." He leaned over to rest his forearms on the counter of his stand. "But you've stayed single for just as long as I have."

The blonde stared at her lemonade, watching the tiny shreds of pulp suspended in the sweet liquid. "Why… didn't we ever go out, Alex?" she asked quietly. "I thought you liked me."

The jock balked at the question. "You know I like you, Haley," Alex answered honestly. "But it's like you said, I'm working toward my dream and I used to think a girlfriend would just be a distraction." His eyes tried to meet hers, but she avoided his gaze. "I didn't even know you wanted to date me."

Haley's face settled into a frown. "People used to call us 'Barbie and Ken,' Alex," she retorted. "And people always assumed we were together anyway."

"You're my friend, of course we hang out." Alex stood up straight and tugged at the hair on the back of his head. "But who cares what other people say?"

"I do!" Haley snapped. "Peoples' opinions matter a lot! Everyone is constantly evaluating each other - who's worth being in their social circle, who's worth their effort, who's worth spending the rest of their life with..." Her jaw set firmly as she trailed off. Haley sighed heavily, then continued speaking. "I always thought that we would finally end up together if I just waited patiently enough for you."

"Look, if you wanted to take our relationship to another level, why didn't you say something?" he asked the blonde.

"The guy is supposed to initiate!" she insisted, motioning to her curvaceous body. "And girls like me shouldn't have a problem getting a guy to notice her, especially her best friend!"

Alex started to get annoyed. "Well how was I supposed to know the stupid rules to these guessing games?"

Haley's coral pink lips twitched, trying to hold back her anger and calm herself. "I-I'm telling you now then, aren't I?" she stated softly, wrapping her arms around body protectively.

The spiky-haired man exhaled, releasing the tension building in his body. "Haley, you're my best friend," Alex began, "and you're gorgeous, don't get me wrong. I just -"

"It's Maru, isn't it?" the woman interrupted, the bitterness in her voice palpable, even to Alex. "You used to think a girlfriend would be a distraction." Alex had not even noticed he phrased it that way himself, but Haley was smart. Way more than anyone ever gave a blonde credit.

Haley did not need words to know, Alex's silence gave her all the information she needed. "We used to make fun of kids like her back in school," the wavy-haired blonde mused aloud, taking a swig of her lemonade reminiscent of a drunk trying to drown his sorrows.

Alex grimaced guiltily. "Yeah, we were jerks back then," he acknowledged. "But I dunno Haley… Maru just makes me feel different," he shared with his best friend. "Not only does she believe in me, but she's really helping me any way she can to achieve my dream." The brunet's lips curved upward in a small smile. "And the way her eyes light up when she's talking about something she's really passionate about - which turns out to be a lot of things, actually," he chuckled upon reflection. "The way Maru talks to me and explains things I don't understand really makes me feel like I can do anything."

While Haley could tell her friend meant what he said and was genuinely happy for him on some level, the young woman could not help but feel heartbroken. "That's great, Alex…" The blonde did her best to fake a smile as she held back her tears. "Then don't let her go, okay?"

The jock, clad in his new jersey, shifted his weight from side-to-side. "I have to get past her dad first," Alex laughed nervously. "He seems like a hard ass."

"Good luck with that one," Haley giggled, but this time Alex could tell from the way her voice caught in her throat that something was wrong.

"Haley, are you -"

The woman interrupted him. "I have to get going now," she lied, gathering up her things. "I'm glad you like the jersey. Make sure you practice in it so you get used to wearing a real uniform." Before Alex could stop her, Haley trotted off down the road toward her house, shielding her face with her forearm so no one would see her tears.

Sebastian brushed his fingertips against the nicotine patch on his skin absently. It was weird when he opened the box this morning to find just one packet remaining. He had a feeling he was going to feel naked without wearing them for a while before he got used to being tobacco-free. Ugh, his mom was probably going to make a big deal about it if she found out. Sebastian hoped no one in his family was keeping track.

Still, Sebastian thought he should do something to mark the occasion. His obsidian eyes glanced across his room for ideas. The programmer spied the minis on the table across the room and cracked a smile. "It's been ages since I've hosted a game," he thought aloud. That would be a really chill way to celebrate without letting his family on what it was about.

The raven-haired man whipped out his phone to text Sam, who had ditched him today to watch Vincent. Jodi had requested a day off and Sam could not really deny his mother a break. *Hey, Sam. Wanna play Solarian Chronicles tomorrow?*

*Sure, fam! When should I get there?*

Sebastian thought for a moment. While he did not want to wake particularly early and he had a few bugs to work out on some troublesome lines of code before he could call it a day. *How about right after lunch? 1-ish?* While Sebastian did not eat lunch that early, he knew Sam was more on a regular schedule. If nothing else, he could have plenty of snacks out to satisfy his hunger when he eventually wanted to eat.

*I'll be there with the chips and Joja Cola!*

*Do you think Abigail wants to be our third?* Sebastian inquired, figuring she was probably there with him anyway.

From Sam's response, Sebastian's instinct seemed to be correct. *Nah, she doesn't like that it's "all talk and no action."* Sam replied with a laugh emoji. *What about V?*

Sebastian would be lying if he had not thought of inviting Violet to play with them. But he also had to consider the consequences of inviting her over. Last night, his desire to get a rise out of her overrode his usual anxiety. It was fun to rile her up. Besides, it was only fair after she did the same thing to him.

Though there was no guarantee Violet saw it that way and judging from the way she shouted after him last night. Just thinking of her scandalized tone of voice made him chuckle to himself. Sebastian sighed. Surely the farmer would not try and strangle him with a witness right there. He smirked to himself. Even if Violet was still a little mad about kissing her on the cheek, she would definitely make the game more interesting. "Sure, why not?" he thought aloud. *I'll ask her.*

While spending more time with her brother was not usually high on Violet's priority list, the farmer's desire to make something delicious that even Zach would enjoy took precedent. She supposed it was the least she could do for him, since he came all the way out to Stardew Valley to visit her. It seemed like Zach truly did not intend on trying to make her move back to the city, and Violet wanted to reward that behavior.

So, Violet did her best to provide a nice spread and invited her brother for a picnic on the beach. Even if they had not bonded in ages, the woman knew that her brother loved spending the evening watching the sunset on a sandy shore. "I made some bruschetta…" she informed her older brother with a sing-song voice. The pastel-haired woman knew her brother was weak to the roasted fare.

Zach glanced down the rims of his glasses to make eye contact. He flashed a self-satisfied smile, folding the large map in his hands and setting it down on the table. "I see you took the hint when I stocked your fridge with the right ingredients…" The blond changed into more appropriate attire to account for the sandy conditions and quickly packed a small cooler full of drinks. Zach had gross taste in beer, so Violet knew she would not be partaking in his contribution to the meal. Usually, her brother liked wine with his bruschetta, but the farmer had a feeling he could not find his usual favorites, even in Zuzu.

The siblings walked down toward the beach in relative silence, Violet humming a little tune to herself to break the awkward air between them. Zach noticed his sister's behavior and sniffed in amusement. "Well, I can tell you're at least happier here than you were while working at Joja Corp.," he shared with Violet. "You're back to some of your old annoying habits."

"What's wrong with humming?" Violet shot back in the same manner she did as when they were children. Zach was amused by the comparison, remembering how round his kid sister's cheeks used to get when she pouted. Violet was all grown up now. He could not protect her forever - even less so now that she lived so far away.

"Nothing really, kid," Zach responded with a teasing smile that suggested he had more on his mind than he said aloud. He did not really - but he knew the idea would pester Violet.

As the blond expected, she huffed with an irritated air about her, but did not say anything. Violet muttered under her breath about him for the rest of the walk to the beach and that was just fine with Zach.

His sister's mood lightened once they crossed the sturdy stone bridge across the river and made their first steps onto the beach. It was still relatively early in the evening, so the sun was not yet flirting with the horizon. Violet spread out the checkered beach blanket about halfway between the tree line and the water's edge and began to dole out the food.

Zach took a piece of bruschetta and chomped down onto the bread slathered in tomato, garlic, prosciutto, and parmesan. The toasted bread crackled as his teeth sliced through and the toppings made his mouth water even before he began chewing.

"Mmm…" he moaned with delight from the delicious flavor. "At least you can do something right, kid."

Violet chose to ignore the nagging from her brother. "I'm glad you like it," she declared sweetly, settling down on the blanket to admire the incoming waves and taking up a piece of her own. She smiled happily as she took a bite.

"So how are things going for you in the city?" Violet asked, trying to drum up a conversation.

Zach scoffed. "As good as they're going to get for a while, I suppose," he reported vaguely. Violet noticed he never got into much detail when he spoke about work. Then again, there were probably specific rules about client-lawyer confidentiality. "I'm doing enough to keep my head above water, but eventually I'm going to have to go on the offensive."

"Offensive?" Violet repeated questioningly. "What do you mean?"

Her brother grinned as he broke open a bottle of water. "Powerful people don't really like it when you start calling out their bullshit, Vi." Her brother chuckled, clearly recalling a particular case in his mind's eye. "Especially in the courtroom." His green eyes glanced at his younger sister. "I've made a few enemies in the city, let's just say that."

"Just… be safe, okay?" the farmer urged him earnestly, taking another bite of her meal so she would not have to say any more.

Zach smiled and wrapped his arm around his little sister's shoulders, pulling her close to his body to give her a noogie. "Eh, don't worry, kid. I'm playing chess while my opponents are all playing checkers!"

Violet swatted at him with her free hand. "I take it back; they can have you!" she growled as Zach tried to steal a bite of her bruschetta. "And get your own, there's plenty!"

"But it's more fun to take yours!" her older brother shot back, successfully stealing a bite from her slice.

Violet finally escaped her brother's grasp with at least a fragment of her dignity and most of her food. She sulked, tearing off the bit that his mouth came into contact and tossed it toward him. He caught the bread, but the toppings all scattered, smattering his shirt with bits of tomato and olive oil. "Serves you right!" she laughed, seeing the displeasure on his face.

Zach gathered up the crumbs and tossed them in the sand well away from their beach blanket for the seagulls, who descended upon the food like airborne rats.

The two rested quietly for a while, eating, and simply enjoying familial company. When she finished, Violet dared to ask her brother a question. "Zach… do you think mom and dad ever really loved each other?"

He exhaled noisily, taking a swig of his water as he hunkered down in the sand. "I assume at some point they did," he replied, closing his eyes as if trying to see something written on the back of his eyelids. "I vaguely remember a time when they didn't fight, but that was so damn long ago the rest of my memories make me question whether it was real…"

Violet laced her fingers in her lap, her mouth twitching with uncertainty. "Do you wonder if… we're both doomed, too?"

"Doomed?" Zach parroted back to his sister, temporarily propping himself up on his elbows. "I thought I was the dramatic one, kid." He lay back down on the blanket, his neck resting on his upturned palms. "You get attached right away like a puppy," the blond half-teased, half-observed. "As long as you pick someone who will treat you right, it'll probably work out for you just fine."

Violet hated to admit it, but she had a feeling her brother provided an accurate assessment of her behavior. While in the end it did not work out with Kyle, maybe there was some hope for her happiness. Still, he had not fully answered her question. "What about you?"

"Eh, if I find someone worthy of all this," he gestured to himself, "I might settle down someday, but for now I'm in no rush."

The farmer's lips turned upward in a weak smile. "You don't have to put on a brave face around me, Zach," Violet told her sibling quietly. "I know being alone is hard on you. You're way more of a people-person than I am."

"Isn't that what casual sex with strangers is for?" he joked, though Zach could tell it was not shaking his sister off the trail. She used to immediately shut down and call him a pig when he spoke this way, but now her big blue eyes bore right through him.

"Sure, it might provide some relief for a while," Violet admitted to her sibling. "But I hope you find someone who will stick around long enough to realize you're just a big marshmallow under all that hard candy coating."

"I sound delicious."

Violet heaved a sigh, shaking her head and giving her brother a shove on the shoulder. "You're impossible sometimes…" Here she was trying to be vulnerable and genuine with him, and Zach still would not lose the act. Oh, well. "Do you want to find some cool pieces of coral with me?" the farmer inquired as she rose to her feet and offered her brother a hand up. "There seemed to be more than usually lately."

Zach took his little sister's hand and pulled himself up. "I might for a bit until my stomach had digested enough for a good run." His green eyes scanned the shoreline. "This seems like a great place for it."

"Suit yourself, weirdo," Violet replied, folding up their picnic blanket and setting it atop the basket so the seagulls could not get in. "C'mon, I'll show you all the cool animals in the tide pools while we're at it!"

A knock came at the front door and the last thing Haley wanted was to talk to Alex right now. "Go away, Alex! I'm fine!" the blonde shouted from her spot on the couch. The red upholstery was damp with her tears from where she had lain.

"It's Leah, actually," a woman's voice corrected from the other side of the door. "And are you sure you're okay? It looked like you were crying…" the redhead asserted gently.

Haley blinked, her bloodshot eyes stinging uncomfortably. "Leah?" she echoed quietly. The blonde rose to her feet, smoothing her sundress and dabbing her eyes with a decorative pillow from the sofa. She ran her fingers through her hair to smooth it out and finally went to open the door.

Sure enough, the artists stood there, looking concerned. "I don't mean to pry," Leah assured the blonde. "I was heading to The Stardrop Saloon to meet with Elliott and I saw you rush into the house. Did something happen?"

Haley pondered the question for a moment. "You were right," the younger of the two stated slowly. "Alex never caught on that I like him because all he thinks about is gridball and now it's too late." Her lower lip quivered as she tried to hold back her tears. "So now I'm just a dumb blonde who peaked at high school prom and waited around for a guy who will never think of her as more than a friend like a fucking idiot!" she wept bitterly.

Leah stepped back slightly, not sure how to handle the sudden outburst. She reached a hand toward her neighbor cautiously. "You're not dumb or an idiot, Haley," the ginger crooned, rubbing the blonde's back soothingly. "Sometimes things just don't work out and it's not really anyone's fault."

The woman in the blue sundress latched onto the artist and sobbed into her shoulder. The ginger was a bit overwhelmed by the situation, but also realized that Haley needed some comfort and trying to pull away immediately would probably make things worse. Still, it was probably not best to stand in the doorway while Haley cried her eyes out.

"Haley, I think we should step inside the house if we're going to keep this up…"

Sniffling, the blonde nodded in agreement and peeled herself away from the taller woman. "Y-you're right, Leah," Haley admitted. Her lips still quivered as she fought back a fresh wave of emotion. "D-do you want to stick around and bake some cookies?" she asked pitifully, her eyes still welling with tears. "I don't want to be alone right now, and I think that will make me feel better…"

Leah disliked cookies. They were far too sweet for her palette, but Haley clearly wanted some company right now and leaving her in this vulnerable state would make the artists feel guilty the rest of the evening. "Sure," the sculptor agreed, entering the house and trying to re-acquaint herself to a proper kitchen. It had been so long she had got to use a real one. That was the one major downside of her river-side cottage.

Beaming, Haley directed Leah where to retrieve things from the cabinets, to which the blonde was too short to reach. "You're more useful in the kitchen than I thought you'd be," the blue-eyed woman tittered.

This time, Leah knew that Haley was trying to compliment her. "I guess being above average height has its advantages…" the artist agreed. Haley nodded, glad that Leah understood what she meant by her comment.

"Okay, so first things first," the sundress-wearer announced. "Aprons and hair ties!"

Leah sighed in resignation as she tied the bright pink fabric Haley placed in her hands around her waist. It was too late to back out now.

TW

After dinner with his grandparents, Alex decided to take a jog on the beach to clear his head. While it was clear Haley was upset, the jock did not think it was a good idea to barge into her house and demand to talk things out. Alex did not want to jeopardize their friendship any further.

Maybe they just needed some time apart to sort out their feelings. But then where did that leave him? Was his friendship with Haley worth risking if he ever intended to ask Maru out? Or did he really feel that way about Haley and just had not noticed because of his hyper-focus on gridball training? Either way, working off the anxious energy with some light exercise always worked wonders for him.

As he cruised along the coastline, Alex noticed Zach running toward him. He was shirtless, displaying his lean muscles as he moved. The local could tell that Zach was purely a runner, as he had a distinctly different build than him. Alex worked his body mainly for strength, at least until Maru intervened with his routine. The blond was built for speed and judging from the amount of sweat dripping from his body, a decent amount of endurance too. He would probably make a good wide receiver, Alex noted to himself. Though cross country was probably more his thing.

Zach decelerated as he approached Alex. "Hey, I didn't know you're a Nighthawks fan," the city-dweller greeted him, jogging in place. Alex was a little sore about the jersey since it led to an argument with Haley, so he did not respond. The blond took the hint and changed the subject. "Good time for a run, am I right?"

"I took you for the type to run in the morning," Alex told the visitor.

Zach shrugged, "I run whenever I can find the time. It's good exercise and you can do it just about anywhere - no equipment necessary."

Alex looked around, wondering why Zach was alone and not with Violet. "Where's your sister?" he asked curiously.

"Eh, we brought our dinner down here for a little beach picnic," the city dweller explained, finally allowing himself to cease movement and simply stand while speaking. "Afterward she went beachcombing and I needed something a bit faster-paced." His fern-green eyes scanned the shoreline. "I think she headed back to the farm a while ago, though."

He pulled the small towel down from around his neck and wiped his brow. "I've got a cooler full of drinks if you want to stick around and cool down for a bit." He scrutinized Alex up and down. "You look like you could use it."

It had been a long time since Alex had the chance to hang out with "one of the guys." And he was not having the best birthday a guy could have. What could it hurt? "Sure," Alex accepted the blond's hospitality. "Let me get the fire pit going first, though. It gets dark pretty fast once the sun goes down."

Once the flames were burning steadily, Zach and Alex sat in the sand with the fire pit between them and the ocean. The older of the two cracked open a beer and the two discussed the Nighthawks' last season and their chances of making it to the Star Bowl in the upcoming year.

The sun set over the horizon, yet with the fire going, neither of them seemed to notice how dark it was getting. Zach did notice, however, that Alex had not had a beer. He tossed him one. "Don't be shy, kid. Even if you are underage, I'm not gonna turn you in."

Alex caught the cold, slippery can, but immediately set it down beside him. "I'm legal, I just… don't want to drink."

This was unusual behavior for a man in his early twenties, but then Zach strung a few details together from his session with George and Evelyn. He straightened his posture and put down his beer, not caring when the sand shifted beneath the can and the liquid began to spill out. "Which parent was it?" Alex's eyes flickered in the lawyer's direction as the blond added, "The one that hit the bottle too hard…"

While the jock had never talked about it with anyone, Alex realized his grandparents must have said something to tip Zach off. He pulled his knees in closer to his body, the soft fabric of his shorts grounding him. "Dad would hit the bottle," he began. "And then he'd hit mom, or me, or… anything else that got in his way."

"And I assume the bastard never served any time for it?" his companion spat in a tone dripping with righteous anger.

Alex shook his head and rested his chin on his knees. "Nah, not even when the cops got called," the brunet answered bitterly. "They would just tell him to watch his temper next time and keep it down so not to disrupt the neighbors or they'd have to come back out."

"Fuckers."

"I don't ever wanna be like my father," Alex shared, his green eyes glazed over for a moment. "I know I take after mom, but I'm not gonna risk finding my father's ugly face staring back at me in a mirror one day."

Zach sat beside Alex for a while, with only the sound of the tide coming in to break the deafening silence. "I respect you for that, man," he finally expressed to the younger guy.

"I appreciate that." No other words came to mind for Alex.

"It's the worst when no one believes you," Zach stated so quietly, the aspiring pro athlete almost missed it.

He turned his head to face the older man. "You, too?"

"Not like you." The blond's head shook as he grit his teeth. "I had an 'internship' at a firm one summer when I was… fifteen," Zach supposed, purposefully avoiding eye contact. "Let's just say they expected some 'physical labor' from some of the younger ones." His jaw clenched firmly. "You'd be surprised how many normal-looking people in power these days are into that sick shit," he hissed with rage. "And it all gets swept under the rug..."

Alex had never had another man open up like that to him about something so raw and personal. "Does Violet know what happened?" Alex sincerely hoped it was not the farmer Zach was talking about when he mentioned people did not believe him.

Zach shot him a look that made Alex flinch instinctively. "No, I did my job as a big brother and kept my baby sister well away from those monsters," he snapped, a fearsome look behind his eyes. Alex held his arms up defensively.

The older man immediately deflated as he spied the look on Alex's face. "Fuck, I'm sorry, Alex." He covered his face in shame for scaring his new confidant. "I just… Violet can never find out, okay?" he begged the local man. "I don't… I don't want her to look at me differently." Zach's voice shook as he spoke. "People look at you different when they find out you're… tainted somehow."

Alex slowly reached out a hand to touch Zach's shoulder. "You're secret's safe with me, Zach."

"Same for yours, man," the blonde sniffed, wiping his face. Zach finally made friendly eye contact with the brunet. "Thanks for listening…"

Alex and Zach took solace floating in each other's orbits for a while, though they did not keep track of how long they watched the churning ocean. They simply allowed the soothing sounds of the tide and the presence of a kindred spirit to calm their inner demons until the moon rose high in the sky, signaling the need to head home.

"See you around."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

Author Note: You're probably sitting there thinking, "What the fuck, Shade? What happened to our light-hearted little romp in adorkable land?"

Yeah, I get that and don't worry. This story isn't going to dwell on these kind of shared trauma moments. But I had to acknowledge that not all friendships come from hanging out on Friday nights or growing up together. With the darker elements in the original "story" from Shane and Alex's heart events especially, I felt like it was appropriate for other characters to have their own breed of inner demon and forge bonds from those ugly moments in life.

It wasn't originally going to Zach with this aspect of his past, but frankly I'm tired of sexual trauma being a major key part of so many female characters' backstories. Besides, his inappropriate flirting and promiscuity seemed to be a strong response to his earliest experiences. It made the most sense as an author.

Anyway, next chapter won't end on such a heavy note, I swear!