HEEEEYYYYYYY. Hi. I'm back! Sorry for the long long long wait. You can thank school. Anyway, I have two new chapters! Gabilliam/Rydon fans, I have a little something for you here :

Encounter

"So where are we going?" asked William, as he and Sierra walked down the side-walk, licking soft-serve ice-cream cones.

"The sports field," replied Sierra, licking a stray vanilla drop trickling down the side of her cone.

"Why?"

"I dunno. Its my happy place. I go there when I'm happy, sad, or just bored."

William licked a bit of his ice-cream. "Really? What do you do there?"

"Oh, you know, just sit on the bleachers and read or watch joggers or just space out."

"Ah. Very productive."

Sierra elbowed him. "Just be thankful I saved you from complete boredom. If it weren't for me, you'd be at home, watching Gossip Girl reruns."

William frowned. "But I like Gossip Girl."

"Yeah, but I don't think you'd want to watch that heart-breaking Chuck and Blair scene again and again..."

William nudged her back and grinned. "Alright fine. Thanks for the ice cream by the way."

They arrived at the field and made their way up to the middle of the bleachers. They popped the last bit of ice-cream cone into their mouths and watched as the sun set behind the trees. The field was bathed in orange from the dusk glow of the sun. A flock of birds flew in arrow formation across the sky.

"So how's school been treating you?" asked Sierra after a few moments of silence.

"Better than before," admitted William "You know, ever since I joined the glee club, I felt more...free. Like I could wear whatever I want and do whatever I want and not care about what other people thought of me."

It was true. Around a week after he joined the glee club, Sierra noticed many changes in William. He started wearing clothes more fitted to his nature, like vests, ties, collared shirts, v-necks and even skinny jeans. He looked happier and livelier, not scared like he used to be. Of course, people still gave him looks, but recently, whenever he noticed these looks, he'd just turn the other cheek and keep walking.

"I'm so proud of you," said Sierra, giving him an encouraging smile "I should probably congratulate Brendon when we get to school tomorrow."

"I noticed something else..." said William quietly.

"What is it?"

"Your brother."

Sierra blinked. "Gabe?"

"Yeah," said William, fingering with the little curl resting on his forehead "He...he's different..."

Sierra cocked an eyebrow. "Different? I mean sure he's weird and embarrassing and sometimes scary, but in what way?"

"I dunno...I don't think he's ever...you know...been mean to me...like he's never beaten me up and called me names and stuff..."

Sierra rolled her eyes. "Probably thinks he's too good for the lower members of the student body. Asshole."

William shook his head. "No. It's not that. I don't know how to explain it. I just figured after the way he looked at me when he bumped into me last week..." He couldn't put it into words. He knew there was something in the way Gabe looked at him at that moment. He looked...stunned.

Sierra straightened her jacket. "I know what you're thinking. And it's never going to happen."

William frowned. "Why? What do you think I'm thinking?"

"William, Gabe is not gay. I am 100% sure of that. He's been homophobic ever since the 7th grade. Even though it doesn't seem like he bullies gay people, he sends out his minions to do the dirty work for him. If he comes out, people are going to question him, especially the people in his group."

"Oh," said William, turning away and looking into the distance. Why was he looking at me like that then?

Sierra frowned. "You don't...happen to like him...do you?"

William looked at her and shook his head. "No. No. I don't." At least, thats what he thought, though his heart wasn't 100% sure of that answer.

Sierra shrugged and leaned back, folding her hands behind her head. "Well, if you did, I wouldn't really have that much of a problem. Just be ready to get your heart broken when he refuses."

~~/~~

"Oh jeez, Gabe, look at the time!" scolded Travis, looking at his watch "We were supposed to be here 30 minutes ago. It's getting dark already!"

"Hey, come on!" protested Gabe, putting on his sweatbands "I was busy!"

"Yeah, watching Gossip Girl reruns," said Travis "Like, what the hell are you doing, watching chick shows?"

"Hey," said Gabe defensively "You gotta admit, Leighton Meester is smoking hot."

"True," agreed Travis "But I can just google her up. You, on the other hand, decide to watch the entire show."

"Shut up." They reached the inside of the field. The jogging track ringed the entire field, the sand littered with hundreds of footprints. A cool wind blew, rustling through the trees.

"Alright," said Gabe, rolling his shoulders "Let's jog!"

They started at the same time, jogging together at the same pace. Travis had his earphones on, lost in his own little world of rap and r&b. Gabe, because he was too busy finding out whether Blair's baby was Chuck's or not, only brought himself, dressed in jogging attire.

Gabe jogged ahead. Gabe always finished the round before Travis did, being tall and freakishly slim. He decided to space out and get lost in his own thoughts. It wasn't long before the sound of Travis's music and his humming were lost behind him.

Gabe began to think about school. Ugh. School. Why did he even go to that place? What was the point? He hated learning. He just wanted to hang out with his friends and vandalize shops and stuff. If it were up to him, he would've ditched school a long time ago. But he knew he couldn't do that. His dad would murder him. He remembered the only time he dared to skip school. His dad found out and became a dragon before his very eyes. Not literally, but you get the point. Gabe knew that guys his age don't take their parents seriously anymore, but his father had a way of making him feel like a mouse in the eyesight of a very, very large cat.

Then he remembered that boy he bumped into. Who was that? At first, he thought it was a girl so the only thought he had at that moment was, dude I SO call dibs on that chick.Then he realized it was a guy and suddenly he felt awkward. But still. Why did he look like that? He'd been with several girls, all of them hot. But he had this...this...aura of intense beauty that he'd never seen in other girls before. He remembered feeling like he'd been struck by lightning and suddenly woken up to choirs of angels singing.

Gabe caught and mentally slapped himself. Gabriel Eduardo Way,he snapped at himself, you are not gay. You are homophobic. You've been that way since the 7th grade, and you will stay that way till the day youdie.

He kept repeating it to himself, until he was totally convinced that he had no feelings whatsoever for that guy. He smirked a little and focused on jogging.

He rounded the corner, nearing his starting point. He happened to glance up at the bleachers to his right. He was surprised to see his sister sitting on the bleachers, next to this guy. Actually, it was no surprise that Sierra was there. He always saw her there, spacing out like the bird-brain she was. But that guy she was with...

He focused on the guy sitting next to her and his eyes widened. It was him. Gabe started slowing down until he came to a complete stop right next to the bleachers. Even far away, he still looked mesmerizing. Sure he was clad in just a simple navy blue v-neck and jeans and had a leather jacket on, but they just enhanced his features all the more. The smoothness of his skin, the paleness of his neck, the softness of his bright brown wavy hair, and the intensity of his hazel eyes.

He didn't even flinch when the guy's eyes met his. They looked at him with a mix of surprise and curiosity. Gabe willed himself to move, but his body remained still.

Suddenly, something collided heavily with him and he found himself toppling to the ground. He tasted sand and dirt. He heard a groan behind him and felt something smack him on the back of his head.

"Man, what is wrong with you?" demanded Travis irritably "Why were you just standing there?"

Gabe sat up and shook his head, waking up from the daze. "Sorry man, I spaced out."

Travis shook his head and helped Gabe up. "See, this is what happens when you watch too much of those drama series."

As they walked out of the field, Gabe stole one last look at the bleachers. His eyes met the guy's, which now looked concerned, and slightly amused.

And suddenly, he didn't feel so convinced of himself anymore.

~~/~~

"And he just fell flat on his face!" said Sierra, after describing what had transpired the day before. Her friends raised their eyebrows.

"So he was just staring at you guys?" asked Cassadee.

"Yeah, and when we tried to get his attention, he just looked like this." Sierra bugged her eyes out and let her mouth hang open. Her friends laughed.

"Weird," said Alex "You sure he wasn't looking at William?"

Sierra shrugged. "Why would he be? He's homophobic."

"You never know," said Brian "Some people could be hypocrites."

"Anyways, moving on," said Christofer, brushing off the topic "You guys up for a game of lazertag later? A friend of mine owns this Lazertag place downtown and he gave us free coupons for 5 games."

"I'm game," said Brian. He leaned back in his chair and smirked cockily. "I happen to be a Lazertag champ."

Alex snorted. "I think you meant "used to be a Lazertag champ.""

Brian scowled. "You just wait till I kick your butt when we play."

"Oh wow," said Alex sarcastically "I'm terrified. Please have mercy."

"Stop it, Alex," chided Cassadee "I'm game."

"Me too," agreed Sierra.

"Awesome," said Christofer. He looked at Jordan. "You comin' with?"

Jordan shook his head. "Nah...I'm booked this weekend."

Cassadee raised her eyebrows. "You are?"

Jordan gave her a sly smile. "Yeah...I am."

Cassadee looked suspicious. "What would you be doing on a weekend?"

"I've got things..."

Everyone exchanged looks. That's exactly what Christofer said a week ago, until they found out that he was doing mini-gigs in the mall. Whatever Jordan was planning to do, they hoped it was good.

"Well, sucks for you," said Christofer "We'll be having fun without you."

Jordan shrugged. "No worries. I'll be enjoying myself too." He smirked at them one more time. Everyone else looked at each other, mystified. What was Jordan up to?

~~/~~

Brendon gawked at his textbook, pencil poised in mid-air. After weeks of learning coordinate geometry, he still didn't get it. How could he? Everything was points and measurements and numbers and letters. The very thought made his head throb.

The library was dead silent, save for the sound of pages turning, keyboards clacking and pencils scratching. Brendon looked up at Ryan. Calm as ever. Not at all struggling to compute for the angle between two segments.

Brendon knew he should ask for help, but he was too proud. He didn't want Ryan to give him that smirk that said You poor thing.That smirk that pulled at the corners of his mouth slightly and made his eyes twinkle...

Brendon caught himself. What the hell was I saying? Meh, I was probably thinking of some other person...He looked down at his textbook so Ryan wouldn't catch him.

Unfortunately, Ryan noticed. He put down his pencil and laced his fingers together. "Do you need help?"

Brendon looked up. There it was. That smirk. "No."

"You sure? It never hurts to ask."

"I'm fine."

Ryan looked down at Brendon's text book. "Really? Cause you haven't even answered the first number yet."

Brendon looked down and saw the empty answer space. He huffed. "Fine."

Ryan got up and walked behind Brendon. He took the pencil from his hand and leaned over. "Alright. So first you find the slope of each line. Then you plug it in the formula..."

Brendon tried hard to listen, really he did. But it still didn't make any sense. Suddenly, he found himself spacing out, Ryan's words getting lost in his consciousness. His eyes suddenly strayed to Ryan. The closeness of their bodies would've been weird if he were with someone else. But he didn't mind. He'd always been his close to Ryan. They were best friends after all.

He looked up at Ryan's face. He'd always wondered why Ryan wasn't taken yet. He'd heard the countless stories the girls in the glee club told about Ryan and how girls couldn't get enough of him. So why wasn't he making a move? His good looks would be wasted on...

"Are you even listening?" said Ryan, breaking into his reverie.

Brendon blinked. "What?"

Ryan gave him a look. "I am not going to repeat this lesson again."

"No! No! I get it. You get the slopes and then...you plug it into the formula thing...and then you..." He looked at his calculator to make a wild guess. "press shift tan to get the angle?"

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Hm. Okay, you got it. Now try it." He handed the pencil back to Brendon.

Brendon looked back down at his textbook and tried to remember what he'd said. After a few minutes of solving, he put down his pencil. "Is it 37 degrees?"

Ryan looked at his answer. "Yep. Good job."

Brendon let out a cry of joy, earning loud shushes in return. Ryan hit him lightly with his pencil to scold him. Brendon rubbed the injured spot, pouting.

His phone suddenly began to vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and read the message. It was about that soiree tonight. He and Ryan were supposed to go together.

"What's that about?" asked Ryan.

"The soiree tonight. You're coming with me right?" Brendon looked up expectantly. He knew they were going to have an awesome time together, meeting a few people, possibly having a few drinks...

"Actually...I can't," said Ryan. Brendon's face fell.

"But...but you promised!"

Ryan sighed. "I know. But...my grandfather suffered a stroke yesterday and I have to stay with him in the hospital. So...yeah."

Brendon's eyes were downcast. He'd been waiting for tonight for a long time. This was the only time he got to spend with Ryan. He's almost always not available to hang out and at school, everything seems so...professional.

Ryan saw the disappointed look on his best friend's face and felt bad. He leaned over and looked him straight in the eye. "Hey."

Brendon looked up, his eyes still in puppy-dog state.

"It's okay. You'll be fine without me."

"It's not the same."

"It doesn't matter. I mean, come on, you handle the glee club without me sometimes."

"That's because I got close to them when you were there. I can't be comfortable around people without you, Ry."

Ryan shook his head, not in a disapproving manner. In fact, he was slightly amused. "Do you hear yourself, Bren? You sound like you're 6. I can't always be around you know. You gotta learn to do things on your own sometimes. Okay?"

Brendon allowed himself a small smile. "Okay."

"And hey. You might meet some pretty ladies while you're at it."

Brendon's smile widened. "Yeah I will. But you won't."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "I already told you I'm not interested. Besides...I've got someone else in mind." He looked at Brendon with a mischievous glint in his eye.

Before Brendon could ask, Ryan got up and slung his bag on his shoulder. "Come on, let's go home."

~~/~~

The sun was beginning to set. Jordan looked at his watch. 5:30. He came too late. People would be leaving the park by now. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

He took a seat on the nearest bench and propped the guitar on his knee. A few pigeons gathered at his feet, pecking at the small pebbles embedded on the pavement. Jordan knew he was risking at lot by doing this. He knew if Christofer found out, he'd react. Whether he'd praise him and let him join his mini-gigs, or be furious and never speak to him again, he didn't know.

All he knew was that he'd finally get the attention he'd wanted his whole life.

He took a deep breath and began to strum. The sun was beginning to disappear behind the trees. He decided that he'd stay here all evening if he had to.

"You go for seconds and days, I live for moments to say," he sang

"That I may never get a second chance, don't throw it away

Living for dollars and dimes, they'll all diminish in time

Let the motion come crashin' like a plane from the sky

It was a long ride down the east coast

In a city you can't keep, could you keep up on your feet

And I was struck down by the west coast

It was a quarter to three, but I don't do sleep..."

Suddenly, he heard coins clatter in his guitar case. He looked up and saw a young girl looking down at him, smiling.

"Why'd you stop?" she asked "You have a nice voice."

Jordan smiled and kept strumming. "Follow the freeway, break the routine

Cause everything is second to your dreams

This is the green light, take what you need

And break out of this hospital scene

I'm running through a stop sign

Cutting out the break lights

I don't wanna slow, slow, slow, slow, down, down

I'm running through a stop sign

Living so it feels right

I don't wanna slow, slow, slow, down, down"

By that time, the coins in his guitar case grew into a small pile. One girl became several people. They were all pleasantly listening to him, smiling and nodding along. Jordan felt exhilarated. Was this what Chris felt like whenever he played in the mall? It was amazing. All these people, finally appreciating him, not calling him names. He wished this could go on forever.

He strummed his last chord and the audience clapped. He caught a lot of them whispering and nodding approvingly. He even saw some girls giggling and pointing at him, not in a mocking way. He was definitely doing this again tomorrow.

He scooped up the earnings and pocketed them. He packed up his guitar and straightened up to leave, when he looked up and saw...

"Jordan?" said Christofer, surprised.

Jordan's insides clenched. "Oh. Hey Chris..."

"What are you doing out here?"

"Oh you know...just playing guitar..." He held up his guitar. "What are you doing here."

"I went to pick up the groceries." Christofer gazed at the dispersing crowd behind Jordan. "Did you have a gig or something?"

"Huh? Oh no. I was just playing and they...happened to watch me." Jordan looked at his watch. "Whoops. Gotta go. Mom's probably looking for me."

Jordan strode past Christofer, hoping he'd get away before he started reacting. Christofer, on the other hand, did nothing but continue to stare at the thinning crowd, hoping it wasn't what he thought it was.

~~/~~

Brendon sat in a corner of the garden, twirling the cup of spiked Coke in his hand. Despite the colorful lights and the loud mainstream music and the dozens of people drinking, dancing and making conversation, he felt miserable. He never understood the line "alone in a crowded room" until now.

He wished Ryan were here. He wished his grandfather didn't have that stroke, so he'd be here, scolding Brendon for spiking his coke and then taking a swig. He hated everyone here. The party was mostly composed of the jocks, cheerleaders, and bratty rich kids. The people who bullied his glee club members.

Brendon decided that he had enough. He was having an awful time, and the alcohol was not doing anything to help. He got up and walked to the gate, texting his driver to come fetch him.

On his way to the exit, he felt someone collide with him and something wet blossoming on his favorite polo shirt. He looked down and saw a gigantic red Kool-Aid stain on the front.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" said the culprit. He looked up, ready to snap, then stopped himself. It was a girl, quite short, with blazing red hair and olive eyes. The lights hanging from the trees made her pale skin fill with color and the lip gloss on her thin lips shine.

"Um..it's okay," said Brendon. The girl handed him a napkin and he dabbed at his shirt, removing what he could on it. Afterwards, he threw it away and held out his hand. "I'm Brendon."

"Hayley," responded the girl. "I still feel awful about the shirt. It looked expensive."

It was, thought Brendon then decided to keep his mouth shut to be polite. "It's alright. Lovely dress by the way."

Hayley ran her hands through her skirt. "Thanks. It's been a while since I've worn a dress."

Brendon studied her for a bit. How come he's never seen her before? He'd been with his batch mates for almost 10 years, and not once did he ever see her face. "Are you new?"

"Yeah. I just moved in with my sister Cassadee and our cousin Jordan."

"You know...I have a friend named Sierra. I think she's friends with them."

"Yeah. They have this group of friends, apparently, called The Brat Pack or something." Hayley rolled her eyes. "Funny how they managed to get a group while I barely talk to anyone in school."

Brendon shrugged. "Don't feel bad. I've only had one real friend in my entire life." The friend who decided not to show up when I needed him the most.

His eyes strayed to her dress again and he saw something glinting next to her collar. It was a small golden pin of a bird in flight, the ring attached at the tips of its wings. Like the pin Katniss Everdeen had.

"Where did you get that?" he asked, pointing at the pin.

Hayley looked at the pin admiringly. "Some store that sells amazing book merchandise. I got this because I'm a huge Hunger Games fan."

Brendon's eyes widened. He loved the Hunger Games. That was the only book he and Ryan would talk about for hours on end, well, aside from Harry Potter. "So am I!"

Hayley's mouth split into a huge grin. "Oh my god! Finally I'm not alone! Okay, important question: Team Peeta or Team Gale."

"Peeta," said Brendon right away "No doubt about it."

Hayley rolled his eyes. "Please. Peeta's a sissy."

"Excuse me! Peeta has been nothing but sweet and caring to Katniss. They go together perfectly!"

"Yeah but Gale can make traps and catch game. What can Peeta do? Make cakes?"

"Fine. Here's my important question: Potter or Twilight?"

"Potter!"

Brendon's eyes lit up. "Oh my god! A potterhead!"

"Yeah! Harry Potter is my life! Although I'd prefer Hermione with Harry if you ask me."

"But she and Ron are perfect!"

"Yeah but come on. Compare Ron to Harry. Outmatched!"

Even though Hayley was contradicting everything Brendon said, he could help but enjoy this conversation. She was really open and never ran out of things to say. Not to mention she was exceedingly pretty, and the way her face becomes more animated when she talks made her even more striking. Plus, something was familiar about this conversation. He was so comfortable, it was like he shared the same conversation with someone else before, someone close to him.

Either way, Ryan was right. He could meet people without him. And, right now, he'd made a new friend.