AN: This entire chapter is the Cutter/Stephen make-up. Seriously, the whole thing. Be warned, more "adult" themes are discussed here, but just go with it; I think I handled it tastefully. Also, Chapter 18 will be the last chapter of Primeval High, so be aware; this story is coming to an end. Please enjoy and review.

Chapter 17

Nick Cutter rolled out of his bed on the second day of his suspension before his alarm clock even went off. He was wired thinking about Jenny Brown-Lewis. He rushed through his morning routine, eager to get to her house and see her again. As he walked into the kitchen, his mother reminded him that he needed to leave the house soon, but Cutter didn't care, he just wanted to see Jenny.

But when he thought about how he was going to spend the time between the start and end of school, he stopped. He was worried about running into Stephen; he still didn't know exactly what he was going to say to him yet. Cutter pushed those thoughts out of his mind and focused on seeing Jenny.

After Cutter left his house and met Jenny at hers they walked hand in hand to school, even though Cutter wasn't allowed to step onto the campus. As the couple got closer, Cutter looked around warily.

"Lets take one of these side streets to get there," He suggested suddenly, trying to hide his nervousness. Unfortunately for him, Jenny knew him better than he thought.

"You're just worried we'll see Stephen and Helen, aren't you?" She asked, giving him a scrutinizing look. Cutter nodded, embarrassed at how quickly she saw through him.

"Fine," She said casually. Cutter looked up in surprise. She smiled at him. "But I want you to talk to him today," She ordered, "no excuses."

Cutter beamed at her, "That's fine." he told her, "I just want to be able to approach him on my time."

They took a side street Cutter knew and continued heading towards the school. As they rounded the corner that would take them to the side of the school, the couple stopped dead. Apparently Stephen and Helen had the same idea to use the back ways, but they were currently using it to say goodbye, passionately. Cutter made to move back slowly, but Jenny stood her ground and cleared her throat loudly. The embracing couple broke apart suddenly and turned to face her.

Stephen's eyes widened as he saw Cutter holding Jenny's hand, while Helen's eyes narrowed in suspicion. The two pairs stood there, staring at each other. Cutter took a deep breath and made the first move.

"We need to talk. Alone." He stated simply, staring directly at Stephen and determinedly not looking at Helen. Stephen nodded, surprising Cutter.

"Yeah, you're right." He said with more than a hint of hostility. He turned to Helen, "I'll see you after school." he told her before pulling her into another deep embrace. Cutter and Jenny both looked away, trying not to be embarrassed. When they broke apart and Helen walked off, Jenny turned to Cutter.

"Don't hit him again." She whispered as she gave him a light kiss before walking off towards the school. When both women had left, Stephen looked at Cutter and laughed.

"You really showed me up there." he said, shaking his head as he walked up to Cutter.

Cutter frowned in confusion, "What do you mean?" he asked, still frowning.

Stephen just laughed again. "I'm sitting here trying to get my tongue as far into Helen's mouth as I can, and you just give Jenny that little good-bye peck. You were classy, I was trashy. Well played."

Cutter looked at Stephen in astonishment, amazed at his seamless transition from yesterday's anger to casual jokes. Cutter decided to follow his lead.

"Truthfully," He admitted, "Jenny took the lead there. I would have been fine trying to out-trash you, but she's got more class than that." Stephen shook his head and sat down against one of the brick walls.

"I don't feel like going anywhere in particular to do this, and as long as we're not yelling again, here's as good a place as any."

Cutter nodded and took a seat on the ground against the opposite wall. They stared at each other for a moment. Cutter broke the silence first.

"I shouldn't have hit you." he said, looking directly at Stephen, "You were right, it wasn't a very mature response and I'm sorry."

To Cutter's surprise, Stephen shrugged. "I almost deserved it." He said, rubbing his face gently, "I mean, it didn't detract from my good looks too badly, so I'll survive. After all, I'm still better looking than you are."

Cutter scoffed, easily falling back into one of their old arguments. "Please," he retorted, "the only person who finds you remotely attractive is Annie, and you're her idol anyways."

Stephen just flashed him a smirk, "That was before, now, I've been punched in the face and people can tell. It gives me a more badass appearance. So really, I should thank you."

Cutter grinned, "I think it's starting to fade, come here, I'll touch it up for you."

Stephen's laughter was contagious and soon Cutter joined in, enjoying the feeling of letting go of his emotions. They laughed loudly for a few minutes, each enjoying the release. Finally, as the laughter died down, Stephen stared at Cutter with a serious expression.

"Why did you get so defensive over Helen if you cared about Jenny instead?" He asked suddenly.

Cutter sobered up. "I don't give a damn about Helen," he said sharply, "I care about you. I know she's going to hurt you."

Stephen shook his head, "You said that yesterday and I don't believe it." Cutter sighed.

"Think about it," he said firmly, "everyone knows we've been best friends since we were kids. What do you think people will say when they see you, my best friend, dating Helen, my ex who I've had a rocky past with? People are going to hate you, they'll think you caused us to split."

Stephen looked suddenly ashamed. "I might have." he said in a quiet voice. "There's something you don't know." Stephen stopped, gathering himself. Cutter waited patiently, knowing that rushing Stephen would only set him back further.

After taking a deep breath, Stephen spoke again. "While you were out of town at your uncle's funeral, I slept with Helen." As he finished his announcement, Stephen buried his head in his hands.

"I know," Cutter said casually. Stephen looked up immediately, the shock evident in his eyes.

"How- how do you know?" He asked incredulously.

Cutter grinned at him, "She texted me and told me what you did. She used you to try and make me jealous, just like she's doing now. I broke up with her for good immediately afterwards."

Stephen slumped against the wall in a gesture of defeat. "That bitch." he muttered angrily. "Jesus, Nick. I'm so sorry for, for everything. For yesterday, for then, just for being an complete idiot."

Cutter looked at his best friend, slumped against the wall, alternating between anger at himself and Helen, and shame for how he'd behaved. Cutter smiled to himself, all of the anger he'd felt the day before evaporated, Stephen had been just as wronged as he had, actually even more so. Cutter gave Stephen a genuine smile.

"Don't worry about it." He told him casually, "Adolescence is all about making stupid mistakes. Besides, you actually helped me break a hold on me she'd had for too long. You did me a favor. You're my best friend, and I'm not going to flush away a lifetime of friendship over someone like Helen Carpenter." Cutter couldn't resist one last jab. "Sleep with Jenny, though," he added, "and I will kill you with my bare hands."

Stephen laughed, meeting Cutter's eyes, "You said yourself Jenny was classier that Helen, so she wouldn't sleep with me to get you back. She'll just have to resist my natural charm and good looks."

Cutter held up his fist in a mock threat, "Are you sure you don't want me to add to your facial injuries?" he asked, grinning so Stephen knew he was joking, "I'm sure you could pick up women with a broken nose, and I'd be happy to help."

The two laughed again and an amicable silence fell between them. Cutter looked at Stephen casually.

"So, sleeping with Helen," he began, "How was that?"

Stephen looked thoughtful for a moment. "Intimidating." He said after a moment. "You know I do alright with women, but she had way more experience than even I do."

Cutter shrugged, "That doesn't really surprise me." he said honestly.

After a few more moments of silence, Stephen spoke up again.

"What do we do now?" He asked. Cutter looked around.

"Well," he began, "we could sit here for the rest of the day, or we could join the others in the park."

Stephen began standing up. "Park sounds good to me," he said smiling, "I don't know if I could spend all day looking at just you."

Cutter laughed as he stood up as well, "Could be worse," he replied, "you could have to stare at someone who's happy about getting punched in the face."

As Stephen laughed, Cutter realized they were both standing up and looking at each other. Without speaking, they both walked forward and grabbed each other in a tight hug. After a moment, they both let go at the same time and began walking to the park to meet up with the other guys to be ridiculed over how long they couldn't last without each other.