A/N: Question: Does anyone know the EXACT age difference between Tyler and Jeremy?

I'm leaning towards 3 years.

Unexpected
Chapter 3: Collage Of Insanity

Jeremy

It's when everyone leaves that Elena walks into my room to apologize. At least, that's what I thought. Pfft.

I'm sitting at my desk, trying to ignore her as I continue on with my drawing. Adding background and more life to the picture. Adding feeling to the eyes and body. Giving life to its posture, how it's facing, how it stares at its audience.

It's been a while since Elena's walked in; she's sitting on the edge of my bed, unwilling to strike up a conversation. Nor, give me what it is that I deserve: an apology.

She was out of line and she knows it. That's what she was doing here.

"So you're just not going to talk to me, then?" she asks.

Apparently she didn't.

I turn in my chair to face her, more than a little peeved, "You walked in here, Elena! Into my room! I assumed YOU wanted to talk. So I was waiting for youto say something."

"Well you didn't have to ignore me!"

"I'm sorry I was busy." I wasn't sorry at all.

We stared each other down a bit, too pissed to say anything. The both of us fuming, me, still not knowing what her deal was.

Elena broke the silence, "I don't like him."

I ask, "Alan?"

"Yes."

I scoffed, "I kind of figured. Why?"

"Just a feeling," she breathes out.

Just a feeling? A motherfucking feeling? That made no sense whatsoever!

"A feeling?" I asked. "A feeling, Elena? You're gonna have to do better than that." I folded my arms across my chest, pensive look set into my facial features. Lips pursed.

"I don't know how to explain it any other way, Jere," she says. Did she honestly think that would be the end of it.

"Then until then, you and I don't have a reason to be speaking to each other, do we?"

She looked hurt. Better be, too. I went through all that trouble to make her feel that way.

"Really, Jeremy?" she asks. "This is stupid."

"What's stupid, is you giving my boyfriend the third degree when you have no valid reason to." I paused then, thinking about what I had just said. And then it hit me, "Unless you do. Do you know something I don't, Elena?"

She looked away from me, defeated, her eyes retreating to the floor beneath us, "No, I don't."

I pointed towards the door, "Then please, leave. I have homework to finish."

She left without another word. The door shutting with a resounding 'click'.

I was silently fuming, "Ugh!" I let out. Stupid sister! Ugh!

I flopped down on the bed, small squeaks echoing in the semi-empty room, face landing in the pillow. I screamed into the pillow, burrowing my face deeper to keep my sounds from being heard. The last thing I needed was for Aunt Jenna to come into my room asking me what was wrong.

If she were to have done it, though, I would have answered, "Ask the bitch from across the hall!" with so much frustration and rage, I'm sure my voice would have cracked more than once.

Calming down, I turned onto my back and stared at the vacant ceiling. I thought about how empty it was. How it was void of any emotion or feeling or character.

It reminded me of the old me. The one who would get high and drunk and party well passed his curfew and give his aunt so much crap just because he could do it. Who'd used drugs and booze to escape the emotions he was feeling. The pain and the hurt he'd felt when his parents died, and the fact that they would never know who he truly was: their gay son.

But that was the past, and I was determined to be rid of it. Not completely, though, the past is what shapes the present and the potential future. My emotions are back now, ready to be felt, to be shown, and never wanting to return back into the darkness.

I thought of the drawing I had been drawing earlier and leapt off my bed. I grabbed the drawing, and a roll of clear tape.

Standing atop of the bed, I reached for the ceiling and taped the drawing to it.

Tossing the roll of tape to the side, I flopped down on the bed and stared at my handiwork. I small smile appeared on my lips.

It was perfect. Another thought came to mind, and I quickly got off the bed, grabbed the tape and set about looking for some more drawings. Determined for my room to look like the new Jeremy. The real Jeremy.

I wasn't sure if Jenna would approve, but fuck it, it was awesome. It wasn't just my ceiling, it was all the walls in my room, well most of it. I ran out drawings, so I started using photographs. Of my mom and dad, Elena and me, and Jenna. Family pictures I'd collected so far.

I ran out of stuff to put up. I figured, I'd get to fill it up eventually, but it was just a bummer that it wasn't done yet, even after staying up well past midnight to get this far.

I was busy admiring the disoriented mess of a collage when my phone went off on the nightstand. Who could that be, this late?

Stomping over to the nightstand near the bed, I picked up my phone and read over the lighted screen.

SMS message from: Tyler Lockwood
"U up?"

I replied, "Yeah, y?" it wasn't long before I got my answer.

I jumped when something tapped on the window. I looked towards the window and there was Tyler, crouched in front of it, pleading eyes begging to be let in. OK, not begging, but you know what I mean.

At the sight of him, my stomach gurgled, like it would if I was hungry. And that was weird because i'd just eaten dinner a few hours ago. I ignored it.

I'd forgotten when exactly Tyler picked up the habit of climbing trough my window past midnight, but I'd come to welcome it. Tyler was good company now that we were friends, and it was mostly only when he needed someone to talk to. Someone other than Matt.

"Let me in, Jere," he said. He didn't even ask.

I smiled, feeling a joke coming on, "This is like a scene out of SCREAM. How do how do I know your aren't a killer with a mask and a knife?"

He rolled his eyes. "A. I don't have a full body cape anywhere on me. B. Do I look like I have a mask and/or a knife on me?"

I stared at him incredulously.

"OK, I could totally have a knife," he says. I laughed and opened the window to let him in. He sat on the bed and waited for me. "And C. I'm not your boyfriend."

That sounded a bit bitter. It made me feel... I don't know...

I closed the window and sat next to Tyler on the bed. He looked around, staring at my masterpiece.

He smiled. "What happened here?"

"A mixture of boredom, insomnia, and a smidge of insanity," I said. "Jenna's gonna kill me, I think."

He laughed again. Stop doing that, it does things to me, man.

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind. She seems cool enough."

"I hope so. I really like it."

He lies on his back and stares at the most crucial part of the collage, the centerpiece, if you will. The one that started this crazy thing. I kind of made it the focal point.

"It's really cool, Jere," he says. "It's awesome. Whatever she says, don't take them down."

I lay next to him. "I promise."

"Good." I don't know if it was just me, or what, but he sounded really happy for my answer.

What. The. Hell.

"Not that I'm not enjoying your company, 'cause I am," I said as I continued to stare at the, now, not so empty ceiling above us. "But what are you doing here, Ty? What's wrong?"

He sighed. "Nothing anymore."

What. The. Fuck.

"Can I stay here? With you?" he asks. "I'll tell you in the morning. Right now, I could just use some sleep."

"Yeah. That's fine." I looked to him and asked, "You promise?"

"Yeah," he looks at me too, "I promise."

I'm staring into his eyes, and that's the last thing I remember. Besides sleeping really, really well.

I awoke the sight of Tyler's sleeping face, and it's really fucking pretty. We're closer than I remember, and our hands are brushing against one another, and it feels kind of nice.

His hand is pretty warm against my own, and his breath his hot against my face.

It took me a while to figure out that I was staring. And that wasn't good. What if he woke up to the sight of me creeping? That would have been really hard to explain.

Even worse? I was sporting wood.

Yeah, big 'ol woody in the morning, right next to your hot straight best friend, who is probably the cause of your hard-on. Good going JEREMY!

"YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND, ASSHOLE!" I reminded myself.

Getting up off the bed, careful not to disturb Tyler, I made for the door. Destination: bathroom.

I closed the door with a silent 'click' and made a beeline for the bathroom down the hall.

I reached for the doorknob only for it to be yanked open from the other side, revealing Elena in a towel, body and atop her annoying little head.

So not in the mood for bitchy sister this morning. So I said nothing, avoided eye contact and stepped to the side to let her pass.

She did the same and waltz passed me, scuttling to her door and disappearing into the dark confines of her room.

Good riddance.

Clicking the door shut, locking for good measure, I stepped into the bathroom and walked over to the sink. Brushed my teeth and stripped down.

I had a problem 'downstairs' and a shower would kill two birds with one stone. Bad odor and a hard-on from hell.

I made sure to speed up my shower, I didn't want Tyler to be gone by the time I got out. He said he'd tell me what was up with him last night. I was determined to get answers today.

It was bad enough for him to be crawling through my window in the middle of the night. It was worth talking about. Must be pretty serious.

It was hard though. What with the masturbation and all. But I pulled through, and thinking of him was a BIG help. I'd seen him half naked enough times to let my imagination run wild.

Strangest thing; I didn't feel guilty about it. Maybe I should be worried about that. Meh.

I dried off, wrapped myself in the towel and made for my room. Then I realized that I'd have to change in there, with Tyler in there. If he was still in there.

Fuck. "Let's get this over with," I muttered to myself.

I walked in, shut the door quickly, as quietly as possible, and tip-toed my way to the dresser at the farthest wall from the bed.

I noticed that Tyler was still asleep. Thank God.

I grabbed a pair of boxer briefs, slipped the towel off and desperately tried to pull up the undergarments to cover my nether regions. It's not easy when one is trying to be quick AND quiet. I turned to find Tyler still sleeping.

Tyler woke up as I finished getting dressed.

I was gathering my school stuff when he said, "Morning." He seemed to be In a good mood. And I told him exactly that.

"Had good company last night." he smiled and I blushed. And there was that feeling in my stomach again. I was probably hungry. It was morning.

He stretched and yawned and made for the window. "I'll see you at school."

He was already climbing down the tree when I poked my head out the window.

"You promised you'd tell me why you came over." He didn't think I forgot did he?

"Didn't want to be alone," he shrugged.

I frowned. "You're never alone, Ty."

He thought it over and nodded like he understood.

"See you at school."

He stopped me from retreating back into my room, "Hey, Jere."

I poked my head out again. "Yeah."

He smiled as he said it. "Thanks for the show." He smiled, turned on one heel and stalked off.

I paled, blinked, and slammed the window shut.

What. The. Fuck!

A/N: I hoped you liked it. Drop a review if you liked.

p.s. Do NOT hesitate to let me know if you see any grammatical errors. AT ALL!

-passion