Original A/N: Finally! So sorry for the wait, had to edit this twice once uploaded. Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, gave ideas and all that good stuff. This chapter is dedicated to Precious, Suzy and Christine.

Nina plays Mick/Fabian plays Mara/Patricia plays Jerome/Amber plays Fabian/Mick plays Patricia/Mara plays Alfie/Jerome plays Amber/Alfie plays Nina

I don't own HOA

Updated A/N: Man, these kids say 'shut up' a lot.

After taking a wrong turn, Patricia ended up in the laundry room. She did a double take, and -once she made sure she wasn't hallucinating and he was actually there- pushed Alfie playfully.

"What was that?" He questioned her from where he sat on the floor. It was the same spot he found her in the previous year, when she was having nightmares.

"Oh, I thought you were hiding." Patricia explained. "I was tagging you."

"I am hiding." Alfie told her matter-of-factly. Then, in a mumble: "And Jerome's not even looking for me." It didn't make sense to him. If Jerome wanted to know what was bothering him so badly, why hadn't he stuck around?

"Actually, he is." Patricia told him. "He's looked practically everywhere. I guess he didn't think to look in the laundry room, it's basically driving him nuts." Then, after a beat, she said: "Stay in here."

Alfie laughed. For the first time all day. He teased: "You're brutal, Trixie."

"I know I am." She smirked with pride. Then she got serious. "Why are you sad? You're scaring me."

That marked the second time Alfie had had someone say that to him. If anything, it only made him feel worse.

He didn't want anyone to worry about him, but the truth was he'd scared himself. After what he'd said to Amber, he just couldn't face her. Even when they were together it was like he was on mute. She didn't make it any easier by showing no emotions about the situation.

Alfie felt like he had the same problem around other people too, staying almost completely silent. Not even Jerome knew his story lately. Alfie was actually quite content with that, and that thought scared him too.

Patricia sat down across from Alfie. "So, are you gonna… tell me about it?" She asked this in an almost mocking tone.

He laughed in reply, even though on the inside he was far from doing that. She barely blinked while waiting for him to respond. Finally, he gave into her gaze. "I said something really terrible yesterday. Like, something you couldn't even imagine me saying in...my entire life, and I don't know how to take it back."

After a pause, Patricia spoke. "What your telling me is -and correct me if I'm wrong here and something is more shocking- you're… over Amber?" She barely believed the words as they left her own lips.

Alfie groaned at the sound of Amber's name and then hesitantly admitted: "No."

"Of course not." Patricia replied. He thought she sounded angry, but decided it must just be him. He was a bit angry himself.

"Alright, no offense here, but… how are you helping?"

"Sorry, Alfie." Patricia told him. She opened her mouth and then closed it, as if she decided not to say what she was thinking.

She went with another question instead. "What did you say to her?" She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Alfie and Amber had fought, even though it did explain the silence.

She came to her own conclusion, since Alfie wasn't exactly opening up to her. Not like she wanted, anyway. "You insulted her," Patricia went on, baffled. It was tough to fathom. "How?"

Alfie didn't exactly know how to answer. All he knew was he felt as low as what he'd said.

His answer came out as a question. He couldn't help but be unsure of what to say, even though the fight had played on repeat in his head since it took place. "Basically by telling her she insulted me." Patricia looked as if she understood that perfectly. She wasn't going to judge Alfie.

After a slow moment of silence, she said: "Yeah, unrequited love is pretty insulting,"

"What if it's not unrequited?" Alfie countered, still trying to figure out why he'd always refused to believe that it was. Guilt drowned out his determination with what he said next: "What if I just didn't give her a chance to speak? I missed my chance…"

Patricia swallowed a sigh and decided to ignore the strange sinking feeling inside her.

The way she saw it, this wasn't about her. It was about cheering him up. She told Alfie: "You only missed your chance if you give up completely." She went on: "Here's what I think you should do. Wait and see if Amber comes to talk to you, but if she doesn't, you speak up. Tell her all of what you feel, not just the... angsty part." Patricia laughed at her own advice, wondering if her laugh sounded anywhere near as sarcastic to Alfie as it did to her. She hoped not.

"Easier said than done." Alfie replied, but he had a smile on his face. He told her: "Thanks." Even though he wasn't looking forward to the conversation -afraid it wouldn't turn out anything like the way he imagined it- some of the weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Now, do me a favor?" Patricia asked.

"What?" Alfie asked, sounding somewhat like his normal self again.

"Get out of my spot," she joked. "and start this excuse for a party already."

Alfie raised his eyebrows and stood up along with Patricia, following her out of the laundry room. "I wish I could, but that's Mara's job. She's the party animal now."

"How can you stand it?" Nina -acting as Mick- asked Jason as she came to stand next to him, propping her foot up behind her so she could lean on the wall.

He blinked, not understanding the question. Or at least, pretending not to. "Stand what?"

She eyed the cuddling couple across the room broodingly, then said: "That… thing, Stan."

In all honesty, Jason hadn't expected to hear that coming from Nina or Mick. They usually made it their mission to stay out of other people's problems, as far as he knew. Not that he was admitting he had a problem, or even thought so.

"He's actually a nice guy." Jason said of Stan.

Nina looked like she doubted that, but that's not what she said. "Doesn't that make it worse?"

Jason got quiet for awhile, but his frustration soon broke his silence. "Why is everyone so convinced that I'm jealous of their relationship?"

"Because it's all over your face." Her reply came without hesitation. Jason didn't respond, looking quite annoyed with his student. She didn't seem to care about that.

"You can't bottle up your emotions."

Mick was the last person Jason expected to say something like that, but so far Nina's impression of him had been -well- good enough to keep her having a top score on the project. "I try not to, it's unhealthy. See what I'm doing here?"

After she asked that, Jason looked down and saw that Nina had a box of chocolate in her hand. She was enjoying every last piece despite the scowl on her face. Which is why he couldn't help the way his question came out: "Stuffing your face with chocolate?" Talk about unhealthy.

"Hey!" Startled, Jason and Nina turned their heads in the direction of Mick's voice. Apparently he didn't like that too much. Patricia wouldn't, and he thought she would react worse. Maybe plot revenge. "What are you doing?"

"Expressing my anger." Nina answered, not sounding threatened.

"I'm expressing my anger!" Mick told her, taking back the box that was rightfully his. He quickly discovered that that was all he took, and there was no chocolate left. He practically whined: "Patricia gave me those!"

"I know." Nina replied, breaking character along with Mick. "Sorry, I just thought this is how you'd react if Jerome kept it up with the flirting. Maybe by some twisted logic you figured if you can't have her, you might as well have all the stuff she gets." She knew her explanation sounded ridiculous, but Mick thought it wasn't a long shot from the way he was acting lately: Euphoric yet heartbroken all the time.

Nina could've sworn she saw Mick's eye twitch before he spoke next, in a sharp whisper: "Fabian told you?" He didn't have to specify what.

"Actually no," Nina answered. "when you said her name just now you blushed." To him, it was as if Nina said he made it obvious.

"Oh," Mick answered, sighing. "well, she's gonna remain nameless from now on." Then he realized something, before Nina had a chance to comment on that statement. "Wait, if you only just find out now, why would you steal the chocolate from me before?"

Nina gave up. "Okay, you caught me." As she told him this, Jason couldn't help but laugh.

While Mick let out an infuriated outburst. "Liar."

"She wasn't lying when she said you were blushing." Jason told him.

"Jealous." Mick said, unable to think of a comeback.

Jason sighed, and so did Nina. "Mick, I think you're missing the point I'm trying to make here. You're gonna have to tell Patricia sometime."

Mick looked at her as if he had something to say, but stopped himself from speaking his mind -at least- when it came to what he was really thinking. "How did you manage to steal a box that was right next to me?"

"You're really into your poetry." Nina explained.

"Patricia writes poetry?" Jason asked, making Nina's eyes go just as wide as his with surprise.

"Wait, that's why you write poetry?" Mick doubted she saw the complexity of her own question. Of course Patricia was the reason he wrote poetry. His act had nothing to do with it.

When Jerome finally found Alfie -or rather, when Alfie gave up hiding- they decided not to talk. Jerome had figured out that Amber was reciprocating the silent treatment -shocking as that was- and, regardless, Alfie had a relieved smile on his face as he sat in the kitchen.

Jerome walked in there slowly, copying the awkward foot-dragging motion he'd witnessed Amber using lately. He ignored Alfie, since as far as he knew Amber was ignoring everyone. With the exception of Nina, every now and then. He figured he needed the points, so he stuck to his act. Even if Amber was in a slump, and he still couldn't believe Alfie had something to do with it. Sticking to his act was the only way Jerome could get away with what he was about to do.

He found the sugar and poured a small spoonful of it into his hand. He didn't know it yet, but Alfie's questioning -and almost frightened- glace was already set on him, as he placed his sugar-filled palm under the faucet and turned it on for a quick second, before turning it off again. With the opposite hand, Jerome dabbed some of the mixture onto his lips. Then he washed off what was left in his palm.

At this point, Alfie couldn't even manage words to ask what that was about, but his facial expression said enough all on its own. "What? My lips are chapped." Jerome replied, amazed he'd actually been listening when Amber talked beauty secrets, and wondering where he could find Vaseline.

Alfie's stomach turned, since he knew an answer like that could only come from one person. He slowly nodded, although he was sure that image would haunt him, even if it was funny when he stopped to think about it. He tried to laugh, but he couldn't because all that really did was make him think about Amber. He exited the kitchen -with no comment, just an eyebrow raise -as Mara entered.

Jerome couldn't help but mentally curse himself at that point, wondering how it was possible that she always caught him at such awkward moments. Although, she didn't speak to him as if she was trying to avoid an awkward moment.

"Hey, Sugar Lips." Her greeting was casual, as if she'd always called him that. He would've caught the humor had he not been so stunned to hear that coming out of her mouth.

"You know, you shouldn't really be talking to me." Jerome told her reluctantly. "Amber and Alfie aren't exactly speaking to each other right now."

Mara nodded in reply, looking sad and sighing. Slowly, she spoke up. Two words more shocking than her greeting: "I know."

After saying that, she left the room again, because that was the only reason she came in to begin with. Jerome had completely missed the point, and was totally lost.

"Patricia spends her Saturdays in solitude?" Nina asked when met up with Mick in his secret place the following morning. He blinked back an unintentional glare, that she caught.

Seeing that Patricia had somehow become both his favorite and least favorite topic, Nina tried to retract her last comment. "You're not gonna whine every time I say her name now, are you?" When she asked this, she sounded worried.

Mick gave her a questioning look. "You mean the way Alfie does every time someone mentions Amber? No."

"He does that now? Why?" Nina knew something was up with Alfie, she just couldn't figure out what.

"Patricia says they had some kind of fight. She's the only one he opened up to about it." He hadn't asked for more details, because Patricia seemed like she really didn't want to get into it when she told him.

"Oh." Nina nodded slowly. She didn't even know that Amber had had a fight. She knew something was wrong, but Amber denied it.

"So, you know all of Patricia's secrets?" This upset Nina a bit, because Mick made it seem as if he had plenty of his own secrets, but she only knew one of them. Something bothered her more than that, though. She couldn't help but ask about it. "Why didn't you tell me you liked her?"

Because it was hard enough for me to admit to my best friend. Because I didn't wait there to be anything to admit in the first place. Mick kept his thoughts quiet, and let a page in his poetry book do all the talking for him.

Nina gladly took the book from him, eager to see what his poetry was like, and read:

Emerald Eyes don't let your heart fester

Just because you fell in love with the King and the Jester

Emerald Eyes don't cry like no other because you fell in love with the Jester and the King.

As we put this book to a close on this heartbroken fairytale to us it's not the end but perhaps it's just the beginning

So either speak up or move on, but keep the faith

For someday when can say 'finally…'

"Whoa, that is one serious run-on sentence." Nina told him. He seemed hurt, even though she hadn't meant that as criticism.

"It's a poem, it doesn't need grammar. Besides, it's supposed to be like that. I'm rambling, I'm-"

"In love?" Nina interrupted, unable to stop herself from asking.

Mick wasn't going to answer one way or the other. She figured that was because he didn't know.

"Are you saying that you won't tell Patricia how you feel about her because she likes Jerome… and Alfie?"

"At least that's what it seems like to me." Mick replied. "I hope she figures everything out and can be with one of them. She deserves to be happy."

She sighed and tried to draw Mick's attention away from his piano playing, so he could focus on the true meaning of the poem. "I know you don't want to hear this," Nina began, which made him convinced that she was right. It would be disrespectful to tune her out, though, so he listened. "but it sounds like the one you think she deserves is you. It's like you're asking her to make a choice in this poem."

By the look on Mick's face, Nina felt like he was telling her she was crazy. He insisted: "Patricia doesn't see me that way."

"She doesn't even know you like her." Nina reminded him, thinking he was being unreasonable.

"I don't want her to know." Venom laced his tone, but the apologetic expression he wore told Nina he hadn't meant for his answer to come out that way.

For awhile, she sort of strayed from the subject, going back to the poem itself. " What does it mean to 'cry like no other'?"

Mick hadn't thought about it, not in depth. When he'd sat down to write, he just let what he was feeling pour out of him.

"I guess, to cry like no other person. I think everyone knows what that's like. Sometimes, when you're hurt, you feel like no one can relate. Like the pain is worse than anything you've ever felt, and you'll never stop hurting."

Nina shuddered. It was frightening to hear Mick talk that way. She advised: "You know, that's probably how you're gonna feel if you don't say something to Patricia. I really think you should."

"You say that because the whole house knew you and Fabian would end up a couple." Although that was meant as more of a compliment -even though he was a little peeved- Mick said this as if there was no hope for him and Patricia.

"Love's not easy." Nina replied. "For any of us. And, besides, why do you say that like Fabian and I are the perfect couple?"

"Because you make it seem that way." Mick answered flatly. Nina was tired of him changing the subject.

"Look, at least if you know whether or not you have a chance with Patricia, you can deal with whatever the answer is." Nina went on. "It beats being clueless and heartbroken." She smiled at him encouragingly, and he tried to return the smile.

"You're right." Mick said. He paused before finishing his thought. "I do run from drama, don't I?"

Nina heaved a sorrowful sigh. "Yeah, but the thing about drama is- no matter how much you run- it always catches up with you."

"Have you talked to Alfie yet?" Amber rolled her eyes at Jerome's question. He made the situation sound simple, and he was the one who was being graded on seeing her side of the story.

"He doesn't want to talk to me." Amber answered.

"So, what, you're gonna ignore him for the rest of your life?" He figured that much, she'd been doing that for nearly two days.

"I just… don't wanna make him madder." Amber explained.

"He's not the one who's mad Amber, I am."

"Well, I don't see why. It's not like you're the one who completely ignored someone who loves you." The fact that -according to him- Amber had that statement so incredibly backwards only made it hurt Jerome more. That's why he was making such a fuss. She knew Alfie loved her, and she knew what she was doing was wrong. If that was the case, why didn't she fix it? Her words were fuel for the fire, and only made him angrier.

"You see how bad that sounds? Why don't you do something about it?"

She looked at him as if he'd just turned on her, and talked back topping his volume. "If I knew what to say I would've said it already!"

"Shut. Up." Jerome and Amber both turned to look at Patricia, who was clearly just as mad as Jerome, if not more. Mick was at her side as she went on talking, which didn't surprise Jerome in the least. "It's Saturday, and it's sunny outside. Why are you two yelling at each other instead of just working out your problems?"

"I have to agree with Patricia on this one." Mick told them.

"You have to agree with Patricia on everything." Jerome corrected automatically, making her eye both boys questioningly.

Jerome didn't notice though, he was too busy thinking about how Patricia had a valid point. Not that his and Amber's mood was linked to the weather, or that they meant to ruin the nice day by bickering. He did have things to resolve, instead of wasting time with pointless arguments.

Which is why he surprised himself, saying: "Patricia, I need to talk to you."

She blinked, thinking she missed something. "Uh, okay." As she answered, Amber looked over at Mick. His eyes were on the living room floor while Patricia and Jerome walked out of the room.

Jerome and Patricia ended up outside her bedroom door, after lights out.

"What's going on?" Patricia asked, noticing that Jerome looked like he had no clue what to do with himself.

He began: "I wanted to… apologize to you." As he said this, Amber showed up, being pulled in the direction of the attic by Mara.

The blonde whined: "What are we doing here?" By that, it was obvious she was up there against her will.

"It's a surprise." Mara told her, in a rather suspicious voice.

"Something tells me she won't like this surprise." Patricia said to Jerome, glad she could stall the conversation they were about to have.

"Is this one of your pranks?" Jerome asked her.

"No, but maybe it's one of Mara's. She is the crafty one."

Nina walked out of the bathroom, with a questioning look on her face. Jerome and Patricia guessed that was because Joy had shown up with her camera rolling, and Amber was still trying to get away from Mara.

Nina had a different reason for looking confused, though. "Does anybody else hear Alfie protesting?"

"No." Patricia answered. "You have really good ears."

This response overlapped with Jerome asking: "Protesting what?"

He got his answer when Alfie appeared at the top of the stairs, being escorted by Fabian and Mick. "Seriously, why won't you guys tell me anything? Where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there." Mick answered, with an evil sort of smile on his face.

The three by Patricia's door looked at each other. They didn't have to say it, they knew they must have missed something.

Alfie and Amber, on the other hand, knew exactly what was going on. They just realized a few seconds too late.

One moment they were in front of the attic, and the next they were locked inside of it.

While Mara explained that they weren't allowed out until they talked everything over, Fabian walked over to the others.

"Mick's brilliant sometimes, isn't he?"

"This was his idea?" Jerome asked.

"I'm not surprised." Patricia answered. She didn't exactly agree with his method, she wanted Amber and Alfie to talk things out when they were ready, but she said what she did next anyway. "He's a genius."

Nina walked off with Fabian, talking too low for anyone else to hear. "Isn't that sort of hypocritical? Mick wants them to talk about their true feelings, but-"

"Give him time, Nina." His answer showed he had faith in his best friend. They smiled at eat other, relieved that something was on its way to being fixed. Or, at least, they hoped so.

"Jerome, what were you saying?" Patricia asked, once everyone else had gone. She didn't think she would be the one to remind him. She didn't want to be the one to do that. She didn't think there was anything for him to be sorry for.

He took a deep, silent breath before he spoke. "The other day, when I flirted with you…" It was a terrible start -he could tell just by the look on her face- but he had to say something. "It's not that I didn't mean it," He really didn't know if he did: "It's just… I did it to… make someone else mad." He thought he sounded pathetic.

"I don't believe you." Patricia replied bluntly. Apparently, she agreed. That didn't surprise him. He was trying to be calm about the whole thing, but she took it more as being emotionless.

He knew that, but he didn't know what she was thinking. Of course, the only one he can be deep and emotional with is Mara.

"I'm sorry, I really am." He didn't know how else to say it.

"Jerome, I mean I really don't believe you. If you were so sorry, you wouldn't lie to me." Patricia answered, with fiery eyes.

"I swear, I'm not lying."

"No? You're lying to me right now!" Before he could argue, Patricia added: "I get it. You don't know how you feel about me -if you even feel anything about me- but it doesn't make it any less confusing to say that someone else does."

"But it's true!" Jerome didn't know why he said that, even though it was. It wasn't making him look any better.

One glare from Patricia shut him up immediately, but he found out that he wasn't the only reason behind that glare through what she said next: "All this time you guys have been trying to explain something to me and then you won't say anything. It's like everyone in this house is afraid of saying how they feel." The way she saw it, most of her friends came close to opening up, but they stopped themselves when they realized how intently she was actually listening.

"Well-" Jerome started, but Patricia cut him off.

"Well, I'm not afraid anymore." That quiver that sent shivers down Jerome's spine crept into her voice again. "I'm hurt and conflicted. The two people I care about won't accept that there's nothing to hide, and there's no evidence to change my mind." Patricia felt there was no reason to talk in circles, just like there was no reason for Jerome to lie to her.

He couldn't quite grasp that, though. He was still trying to figure out who the two people she cared about were. If she meant that in the way he thought she did, and he was one of those two people, then it was obvious why she was so upset.

If she was on the brink of tears, she wasn't going to let him see. Her bedroom door was right in front of her, and she walked in while he was still trying to figure out exactly what she meant.

"Wait," Jerome called out, his head still spinning. "we have to talk about this!" Patricia quickly opened the door just enough so that could see part of her face.

"We're not the ones locked up in the attic together. I'm done talking."

She slammed the door and wondered what to do. She didn't even feel right about fighting with Jerome. A fight wasn't what she was asking for. She was asking for honesty.

Patricia found herself staring at pages of her own poetry, the ones she tore from the 'J' section. Which meant she was looking at one of the latest poems she'd written about Jerome, not even two weeks after Nina first arrived.

Pounding at the walls

Trying to break them down

Don't know where to turn or how fast you hit the ground

Help

You won't say you need me

But you can't get up now

It's overwhelming

But you won't admit to anything

You wait out the day and the silence is agony

Who asked your opinion anyway?

You've begun to fade and you're still wondering

You're still wondering

Your own pain is only hiding under that of others

And even though it hurts, you won't even say it bothers

Pounding at the walls

Trying to break them down

No one hears your crying

Your sharp tongue drowns the tears out

And all that's

Left at

The end of all

Your dark days

Are the

Words you

So cleverly forgot to say

And the damage

That was made

Your walk is a crawl

Not a stride

And the smile

On your face might be a lie and I'm not asking

Why

I know you won't tell me

But I wanna make you happy

It's so frustrating

Trying to be what you know you're not

You tried to laugh it off but you got caught, backed up

Into your own trap and can't get out

You've lost your way, but you won't turn back

No, you won't turn back

So tired you can't sleep and you're blaming the world

Stopped trying to fly and you're barely trying at all now

Pounding at the walls trying to break them down

No one hears your crying

'Cause you won't let them find out

And all that's

Left at

The end of all

Your dark days

Are the

Words you

So cleverly forgot to say

And the damage

That was made

Maybe you're just as scared as I am

Maybe you knew it all along

Maybe you're just as scared as I am

But I wish you'd prove me wrong

Beneath the surface I see an hero

Please help me remember that we're not alone

Beneath the surface I see an angel

Please help me make this place feel like home…

Thanks for reading, please review!

Just in case anyone was wondering, I wrote Beneath the Surface as a song, after House of Confrontation & House of Alarms premiered. It was always meant to be from Patricia to Jerome, I just changed the ending to fit the chapter. My friend Precious helped me write Mick's poem.

Any ideas? I could REALLY use them. I'll update ASAP!