Aaaaaaaaaand welcome to the second last chapter, in which Koda loses what little mind he had and Matt plays hero :D I can't believe this is almost over lol it's kind of sad :'(

PirateGrrl: I know, I probably wouldn't trust him either e.e; :D I'm glad I threw them two together lol

SatisfyAnEmptyInside: Pancakes! XD They'll be happy…eventually…I think

Carpentar: I agree about Brian :D As for Koda breaking too much at the end…maybe he might deserve a happy ending but I sure as hell ain't gonna give him one :D Sorry :P As fun as he is, he's still a possessive psycho. Also, what's your signed in pen namey thing?

Losing Grip: Adrian is officially gone, so don't worry too much. Yay for Kate lol

Kaiser Chiefette: Thank you very much :D

Esquirella: lol point taken. He gets eviler :P

Spawn of Hell: XD Jealousy's the worst thing, if it gets out of hand…which it is. No, me neither x.x;

cherise: lol no, it didn't mean anything. They just walked to the dining room together is all. Here's a nice long chapter to bring the love back :D

Becks-007: I'm glad they're finally sorted them two :D No he isn't

: Lol okay, you can kill Koda :) After this chapter he won't be around anyway lol I know they hurt e.e;

xanthofile: I know, they need some good straight jackes x.x lol I like that idea :D

Genuine: I'm sorry :P But where there's a will, there's a way XD

rainbowhuggles: Vegemite's okay, I don't love it and I don't hate it. lol I'm 17. That seems to happen to a lot of girls :P Pervert guys eh. I know, the strawberry thing is a thing between me and Jules :P Everything she owns smells like strawberry e.e; lol :D

Miss Lucy: It's something I will never understand :D Being a girl would have many okay points. I just don't know what they are lmao

paledaisy78: I'm sorry e.e; We all knew it couldn't go on forever lol XP Okay, this is going to sound really stupid, but what is im? Lmao I'm hopeless x.x; No I don't think I'll do a sequel. If I did, I'd probably ruin it e.e;

Brett: Haha you spelt your name wrong. Sorry e.e; That was a shitty excuse for a review :( Hurry up and get your arse back here. I miss you like crazy

knowbuddynose: Thank you you've never seen him, ever? O.o; I assure you, it shall be happyish :D I'm thinking about getting a kitty XD

Pugz: Of course! :D

NoelleLove: Yes only two more chapters

Koda was not a morning person. Unless of course it was the weekend. Which it wasn't. Nevertheless, he still had to drag himself out of bed before 7. Of course, the sight of Jamie wandering around the room shirtless helped with the whole waking up thing.

"Have you seen my shirt?"

"Why bother? You look better without it." Koda drawled, already lighting a cigarette. Jamie gave him a foul look and disappeared into the bathroom. A few seconds later he emerged with the offending shirt draped over his arm.

"Left it in there." He explained sheepishly. Koda rolled his eyes and took a long thoughtful drag. "Hey James, what're you gonna do when the rest of the school finds out about Brian?"

Jamie automatically tensed at Brian's name. "What about him?"

Koda shrugged flippantly. "That he's gay and has the hots for you. What's more, used to fuck you."

Jamie looked at the other boy suspiciously. "Why would they find out?"

"I'm not saying they will." Koda answered brightly, pushing his dreadlocks out of the way. "Just warning you what'll happen if they do. I mean, you know what this place's like. It's a fucking zoo. They'll tear him apart, you know that. I can get away with being a fag, coz they know I won't put up with their shit. They know to leave me alone. Can't really say the same for Bri. He's too fricken'…spineless. And just because it's you he happens to be into sure as hell ain't gonna save him, no matter how popular you are."

Jamie knew all that. He knew how cruel people could be. He wasn't an idiot, he knew exactly what would happen if it leaked out. The exact same thing had happened to Koda when he 'came out' in grade 9. But unlike Brian, Koda wasn't afraid to dish it straight back out. Eventually they just learnt to leave him alone.

Jamie finished buttoning his shirt. "Lucky they're not gonna find out then, hey?"

Koda slid out of his bed, his usual catlike smirk unfurling on his face. "Yeah. Lucky."

"You know," Bree said at breakfast, "with the amount of milk this place uses, we should just grow our own cows."

Matt poured some juice thoughtfully. "Now there's an idea. Cow trees. In season from March to September. Lovely plump cows, full of milk for hungry boarders."

Bree half-scowled half-giggled. "I didn't mean like that. I meant, like, breeding. We have horses, why not cows?"

Kate, forever cheerful and especially now that she'd convinced Matt to 'give it a go' heartily agreed. "I heartily agree! Does that even make sense? What do you think, lil' Bri? And might I say, you look simply dashing today." She added for no particular reason. Brian swallowed his last mouthful of toast.

"Erm, sure. Cows, whatever."

He was too busy watching Koda and Jamie arrive to notice much else. He still couldn't really believe it, Jamie had actually told him he loved him. Of course, he immediately thought the other boy was lying. But something, probably something that really needed to be shot, told him he wasn't. And then he'd actually hit him. Okay it was just a sissy slap but still. He'd never ever thought he'd ever strike Jamie. But then, he'd never ever thought things would turn out this way. It was for the best, he knew that. Everyone said it. Yet something still gnawed at him, telling him he was making a huge mistake. Maybe he was, but he couldn't take it anymore. He just couldn't trust him. How could he, after everything that had happened? How could Jamie just expect everything to be alright again? How could he think three words would make up for everything? Because they couldn't. And Brian was sick of that. He was sick of always getting hurt, sick of being the one getting played all the time, sick of the one getting jerked around like a yoyo, sick of crying. Honestly, he wanted to be able to trust Jamie, he really did. Except he just…couldn't. He'd done it before and look where it had gotten him. Total humiliation. And it would happen again. It was inevitable. Something would go wrong. It always did. Maybe next time it would be Koda's fault, maybe it'd be someone else's, maybe no one else's fault but Jamie's. Either way, it'd collapse eventually. Jamie had a way of screwing things up. And Brian didn't want to have to go through that all over again.

"Bri?" Bree poked him worriedly. "I've been calling you for the past five minutes. Are you okay?"

Brian nodded. No, he wasn't okay. He was torn. "I'm fine. What'd you want me for?"

"Just the sugar, but never mind. Kate got it." The brunette returned to her cereal with great gusto.

"You smell good." Kate informed Matt cheerfully, giving his arm an exaggerated sniff. Matt looked like he wanted to lock her up in a straight jacket, but nodded anyway. She announced she needed more juice (even though there was a jug sitting right there), kissed Matt on the cheek and bounced off. Brian was surprised.

"When did that happen?"

"Oh shut up." Matt snapped.

Bree waved her spoon around, flicking milk everywhere. "He's still very touchy about it." She said ever-so-smugly.

Brian smiled.

"Isn't it sweet though, Brian?" Bree continued, winking at him. "Isn't it so romantic?"
"Oh yeah." Brian agreed. "It makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside."

"GAH!" Matt stood up rather abruptly and practically marched out of the dining room. Bree collapsed in a fit of giggles. Kate returned, juice safely in hands, frowning down at Matt's empty chair.

"Where'd he go?"

Bree chuckled. "Men's business."
Having no idea what Bree was talking about, Kate made a noncommittal noise and sat back down, just as Brian stood.

"I better go too. See you in LOTE Kate." He left, taking a piece of toast with him and ignoring the desperate urge to look at Jamie, who was also forcing himself to look the other way.

"So now that you're finally with your dream guy, is life complete?" Bree smiled, finally finishing off her bowl. Kate beamed.

"Hell yeah. Took its time, too. What a year eh. And it's not over even over."

"I know." Bree agreed. "Talk about a soap opera."

The redhead groaned. "Tell me about it. All we need now is threesomes and murders."

They eyed each other cautiously. Finally, Bree cleared her throat.
"Why don't we just skip the first thing and go straight to the murdering?"

Kate kicked her legs up onto Matt's empty chair. "Sounds good to me! Who're we killing?"

"Sorry about teasing you." Brian checked his LOTE book, making sure he'd actually done his homework for once. "You know we're only kidding, right?"
Matt gave him a withering look. "Bri, if I didn't think you were kidding, you wouldn't be standing."

Matt was quite proud of his amazing ability to kick major arse. Brian zipped up his bag. "Good, erm, because, y'know…I think it's great you're going out. She's a really nice girl."

"In her own weird way. But thanks. I think. You might have just doomed us. No offence, but you're not exactly the best person to be giving out relationship advice." Matt cracked a grin and did up his own bag. Now there was nothing left to do but wait for the bell.

"I know." Brian sat down on his bed. He scratched his knee through his pants. "I um, before dinner last night, I kind of talked to Jamie."

Matt also sat, interested. "What'd he say? Want me to kick his arse?"
"No." Brian almost smiled at his friend's never-ending eagerness to kick Jamie's arse. He fiddled with his tie, his eyes on his thighs (a/n: rhyme time XD). "He, uh, he told me he loved me."

Matt's jaw dropped. "What?!" He cleaned his ears frantically. "Dude did I just hear you right?"

"Yeah." Brian sighed miserably. Matt shook his head, stunned. "Geez. What ever happened to him not knowing what love was and the whole dancing around him naked thing?"

Brian smiled thinly. "Yeah I know."

"So what'd you say?"

Brian shrugged bitterly. "That he could go to hell. And I slapped him. And um, told him I can't trust him."

Matt's eyes bugged. "You slapped him? Fuck, man. Should've just strangled him." He paused. "So you're not gonna give it another shot? Do it properly this time? Officially move on from the 'just physical' bullshit?"

"It's not worth it." Brian grimaced.

'Yes it fucking is!' The inner voice snapped.

Matt seemed surprised. "But you still love him? But you're not gonna…you guys are so weird."

The bell rang and they both swung their bags over their shoulder.

"See you at morning tea." They said in unison, parting ways.

It was in LOTE that things started going wrong. Tebbany was up front going over their homework and Brian was correcting all his wrong answers when the girl on the other side of him tugged his shirt sleeve.

"Uh…yeah?" He glanced at her confusedly. He couldn't remember her name. Cammy, Cathy, something like that. She leant in closer and asked, in a whisper, "Are you gay?"

Brian's eyes widened. "W-Why?"

Cammy/Cathy glanced around and leant in even closer. "Did you like, sleep with Jamie Freeman?"

Brian nearly had a heart attack. He nearly leapt out of his chair. "W-What?!"
"Coz somebody told me so this morning."

Brian nearly vaulted out of his seat again when Tebbany rapped her ruler against his desk.

"Hey I have a rule about not talking when I'm talking, okay? I know, it's asking a lot from this class, but try to pay attention, por favor?"

Brian was more than glad for the interruption. Kate asked him what was going on and he said nothing in a very shaky voice. But from there, it didn't get any better. Halfway through the double lesson the girl sitting next to Cammy/Cathy (both had been having a serious whisper conversation, looking back at Brian every five seconds) raised her hand. Tebbany looked irritated but stopped. "Yes, Georgia?"

Georgia looked almost nervous. "Is Jamie, like, gay?"

Tebbany watched the girl suspiciously, her eyes narrowed just slightly, her arms folded across her chest like normal. "Why do you ask that?"

The whole class had stopped, listening to the conversation at hand. Brian felt sick. He didn't like the way this day was going. He wanted to run. George shrugged. "Coz there's like this rumor goin' around that he was like, goin' out with that Brian dude over there."

Everyone turned in their seat to stare at Brian. His face was on fire. He was mortified, horrified, terrified. Kate murmured "uh-oh" under her breath. Tebbany glanced at Brian, her casual expression not faltering.

"I'm not in a habit of discussing my son's private life to anyone else except him." She said slowly. "However I have heard nothing about this. The last time I checked, Jamie wasn't gay. You should know that George, you dated him yourself only last year. As far as I know, Jamie and Brian are strictly friends. If even that. Any other questions regarding my son's private life are banned in this class as of now. Now get back to work."

The students returned to their books, sneaking Brian weird looks every now and then.

"Thanks." He mouthed to Tebbany. She gave him a warm reassuring smile and he tried to concentrate on his sheet. Inside, his stomach was on a rollercoaster.

"That was so weird." Kate muttered as the class filed out. "It was just…how do you think they found out?"

"I don't know. Did you tell anyone?"

"No! God, no, of course not! And I know Matt wouldn't and Bree wouldn't have either." She paused. "Do you think Jamie did it?"
Brian scowled. "With him, who knows. Probably." He added, almost wincing. 'Didn't take you long to screw up again, did it?' He thought sourly.

"Hey you two!" Nat dragged them eagerly. "Bri is it true? Everyone reckons you were screwin' around with Freeman."

"So I've heard." Brian mumbled, feeling everyone's eyes on them as they passed. Kate turned to Nat. "You can't tell anyone!"

Nat laughed. "Get fucked, it's true? Shit man, I gotta pay more attention to what my bandmates get up to. What's the point in telling anyone? Everyone already knows. That type of news spreads fast." And he disappeared again.

"Here." Brian growled, shoving his bag at Kate. "I'm gonna find Jamie."

He didn't have to search far. He bumped straight into him as he was leaving his tutor's empty office.

Jamie let a string of cusses fly before realising who'd knocked into him. "Hola."

Brian shoved him back into the empty room. "You! What the hell did you do that for?!"

Jamie almost tripped over. "What the fuck?"

"You fucking arsehole!" Brian spat, his hands flying around energetically. "What'd you have to go and geez, you are so fucking dead!"

Jamie was completely lost "What the hell are you on about?"

Brian stared incredulously. "You don't know?"

Jamie shook his head, puzzled.

Brain still stared. "You mean…you didn't start the rumors?"

Jamie had no idea what the blonde was talking about. "What rumors?"

"You really haven't heard? How could you not have heard?"

"B," Jamie was getting impatient, "what rumors?"

"Us, you idiot! Us! Everyone's talking about it!"

Jamie was floored. "…what?"
"They all know, Jamie!"

He shook his head again. "That's ridiculous. How could they know?"

"I thought you told them." Brian muttered, anger draining away. Jamie was confused as hell and obviously had nothing to do with the rumors.

"Why would I do that?" He'd rather die than hurt Brian again. Couldn't Brian see that?

"Because you're twisted and cruel." Brian said in a thick, awkward voice. Jamie's mind flicked back to the conversation he'd had with Koda that morning. Koda. Fucking hell.

"Koda." He hissed, clenching his fists. Brian threw up his arms.

"Why am I not surprised?!"

"I'm gonna kill that stupid little fuck!" He snarled, storming out. Brian was hot on his heels.

Jamie knew Koda wold be in the room. He'd said he was going to work on an English essay or something. At the door, he turned to an equally furious Brian.

"Brian I know you wanna break his neck and all, but it'd be better if I went alone."

Brian snorted. "No fucking way. He'll just try to sweet talk his way out of it and you're dumb enough to believe him."

"Bri," Jamie snapped, "get lost now."

Brian scowled, whipped around and stormed back up the hallway. Jamie went in the room, slamming the door to announce his arrival. Koda was sprawled out on his bed, reading his book for English. He dropped it onto the floor and smirked.

"Hey."

"What the bloody hell have you done?!" Jamie practically yelled. Koda tilted his head quizzically. "What're you on about?"

"You know exactly what I'm on about." Jamie snapped, fuming. Koda shrugged innocently.

"Oh. That. Must've just slipped out somewhere. Sorry."

Jamie glared at him. He wanted to go over there and rip the other boy's head off. "How much of my life are you trying to screw up, Koda?! You say you're my best friend but then you go and pull shit like this!"

Koda snorted. "What about me, huh? You say you're my best friend but you put me through all this shit!"

"What shit? I don't put you through anything."

"Like hell you don't!" Koda flew to his feet, enraged. "All I ever hear is Brian this and Brian that, Brian's doing this, Brian doesn't love me boo fucking hoo! I don't give a fuck about Brian! I couldn't care if he jumped off a fucking cliff! You weren't even meant to like guys!"

Jamie's nostrils flared. "Would you get over that already!"

"No I will not!" Koda yelled. "I've wanted you from the fucking moment we met and you know it! And when you finally decide to give guys a go, you go that fucking dickhead! I told you he was a waste of time but you never listened! What the fuck has he got that I haven't?!"
Jamie shook his head angrily. "Just coz you can't get what you want, you have to fuck it up for everyone else. You're a fucking real piece of work, Koda."

Before he could even blink, he was shoved back against the door, Koda's mouth pressed hard against his. Once he realised what was happening he shoved Koda away, now twice as pissed off. "Don't touch me!"

"You've been saying that for too fucking long." Koda snarled, grabbing the other boy again.

"Koda – " He was cut short, Koda's tongue forcing its way into his mouth. He struggled, trying to push the other boy away. Koda's teeth suddenly clamped down on Jamie's bottom lip, tearing through the delicate flesh. Jamie tore his head away, the back of it smacking against the door, sending a few wave of pain through him. Blood soaked onto his tongue, bitter and warm.

"Fuck off Koda! Just fuck off!" He tried to grab the doorknob but Koda seized his wrist and swung him around, back into the room. Jamie stumbled backward, his legs hitting the bedside table.

"Koda!" All traces of malice were gone from his voice, replaced by pure fear. "Cut it out, you're scaring the shit out of me!"
Koda ignored his friend's confused pleas. He advanced upon the other boy, grabbing him by the waist and yanking him forward.

"Fuck off!" Jamie cried out when Koda snatched his left wrist, twisting it slightly.

"Shut up!" Koda snarled, snatching the other brown hand trying to push him away. By now, Jamie was terrified. What the hell was Koda doing, why was he being like this, why the fuck didn't let Brian come in?

"Koda stop it!"

Koda kissed him harshly, forcing his mouth open, trying to shut the other boy up. He'd waited too damn long for this, he'd put up with all the bullshit about Brian, he'd put up with everything. It was his turn. Jamie tried to pull away but with the way Koda was twisted his arm, he couldn't really move without serious pain.

Koda's mouth skimmed down his neck, licking and nipping hard enough to bruise. "Koda please, cut it out!" Jamie, trying to pull his left arm free, lost his balance. They fell back onto the narrow bed, Jamie still fighting to get the other boy off and god, why wasn't anyone coming in, couldn't they hear the yelling, why was Koda doing this?!

"Kodes!"

Koda straddled his hips, panting. He had both of Jamie's wrists pinned above the other boy's head. Why the hell couldn't he just stay still? Why'd he have to fight him?

"Stop it just fucking stop it!"

"Or what?" He grinned, feral and sly. "You'll scream? Be my guest."

He released Jamie's hands, trying to open his shirt. Jamie's fist swung dangerously close to his face, he jerked his head out of the way irritably and the buttons tore, exposing the slim olive torso.

"Fuck off!" Jamie was near tears, angry tears, upset tears, humiliated tears, confused, scared, terrified. This wasn't like Koda. He'd never hurt him so why the fuck was he doing this? He struggled, tried to push but Koda was too strong and too determined. His hands roved everywhere, pinching, grabbing, too rough and careless.

"Stop it!"

Suddenly, Koda's nails ripped down the side of his face, drawing blood.

"Shut the fuck up." Koda hissed. "Stop your fucking squirming!"

His mouth crashed down on Jamie's again, violent and demanding. He shifted until he was laying on top of the other boy, pinning Jamie's arms beneath him.

"What the hell are you doing this for?!" Jamie's voice was harsh and frantic, his eyes burning. One of Koda's hands tangled in his hair, fingernails digging into his scalp.

"I said shut up." He growled, not in the mood for Jamie's bitching. He rocked his hips against the other boy's and Jamie snarled, battling against his friend. He couldn't move his arms, dammit, what the hell did Koda think he was doing…

"Koda I'm sorry alright, just please, stop it!"

"SHUT UP!" Koda roared, getting sick of hearing those words. He bit down on Jamie's neck as a warning. Jamie cried out in pain, squirming madly.

"Stop your bloody moving!" Koda snapped. "You're just making it worse!"

At once, Jamie stopped. He simply lay there, eyes shut tight, arms going numb, forcing himself not to move. His heat was racing, he was terrified, why was Koda doing this?

"That's better." Koda murmured, flipping his leg over so that he had one over either side of the dark-haired boy. "That's better." He repeated, moving against him. His free hand moved down, fumbled with Jamie's zip. Jamie gritted his teeth, his nostrils flared. Koda forced his hand inside. Jamie took a deep breath. And brang his knee up. Hard. It caught Koda off guard, slamming straight between his legs.

"SHIT!" Koda grabbed himself, tears coming to his eyes, pain tearing through him. Jamie kicked him off and he crashed to the floor. Jamie bolted to the doo, yanked it open and slammed it shut behind him. He leant against it, clutching his sore wrist to him, breathing heavily. Everything was a horrible blue, Koda, Jesus, fuck, what was he doing? He ached in so many places, his skin crawled and why the fuck hadn't anyone heard? He done up his zip and wiped the blood away from the scratches on his cheek.

He took off in no particular direction. He needed to get away. He needed to think he needed to do too many things. Unconsciously, he headed for Brian's room. Everyone on the way gave him strange looks but he didn't even notice. A few doors down from Matt's and Brian's, he had to stop. He slid down the wall and sat, heaving.

Matt reached the door whistling a jaunty tune. A jaunty tune was just what he needed after watching Brian freak out during morning tear. He'd also heard the rumors and, being Brian's closest friend and roommate, had been asked a bunch of questions. He'd lied, said he doubted Brian and Jamie had even spoken to each other before. It was almost the end of morning tea and he just needed to grab the book he'd forgotten. He paused when he noticed Jamie slumped against the wall.

"Freeman? You alright?"

"Fine."

Matt shrugged. "Okay." He slid his key into the lock and sighed, remembering his conscience. He left the key in the knob and walked over to the other boy, kneeling down in front of him.

"You sure? Shit man, you look horrible. What the fuck happened?" He added, noticing the multiple bruises beginning to form along his neck, the bloodied scratch on his face, his swollen lip, the way he was holding his arm. Jamie glanced away. Aside from Brian, Matt was the last person he wanted to see right now.

"Nothing."

"Yeah, like hell. You just can't help yourself, can you? You've just got to get into fights all the damn time. Who was it anyway?"

He shrugged. His throat was dry. "Koda." It was almost a whisper.

Matt looked shocked. "Dekostanzi? Dude that guy practically worships the ground you walk on! Why the hell would he try to kill you?"

Jamie snorted softly, glaring at the floor. "You don't want to know what he tried to do."

Matt just stared at him, not understanding. Suddenly, it hit him and he nearly fell over.

"What?! Are you serious? That's fucked up!" Koda had always had a nasty streak, yes, he'd always had one hell of a temper, yes, but he'd also always adored Jamie.

"No shit."

They were silent for a few seconds before Matt stood. "We have to tell Moncrieff."

"No!" Jamie's head snapped up. "Don't, not now, please, don't I don't want, no, don't please – "

Frowning, Matt knelt back down. "Alright, alright, calm down. So you're just gonna let him get away with it? Coz that's serious shit, Freeman. There's no way in hell he should get away with it."

Jamie shook his head. He felt so exhausted. "I just, I…for now. No. I just want to sleep." He added, groaning. The bell rang and Matt chewed his lip. He glanced around, mulling things over.

"Okay." He said finally, standing back up. "Come on." He extended his hand and Jamie looked at it warily.

"What?"
"You said you needed to sleep. You can blow off third and fourth period, get your mind back in order. Are you sure you don't want to tell Moncrieff?"

Jamie still looked suspicious, but took the offered hand. Matt pulled him to his feet.

"No. I…not now." He repeated.

Matt sighed. "Alright. It's your call, but I really think you should tell him. Like I said, this is big shit. Come on, you can crash here." He added, going back to the door. He opened it and Jamie followed him in, wondering why Matt was being so…nice. He glanced at the two beds nervously. Matt's. Brian's. Of course, he took Brian's.

Matt grabbed the book he was after and hesitated at the door. "I'll make sure Bri doesn't come in. The door's locked, Koda won't be able to…he can't get in, alright?"
"I know that." Jamie snapped, despising the pitying look in the blonde's eyes. Matt rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, you're welcome." He left, locking the door behind him.

Jamie slipped under the sheets, burying his head in the pillow, enveloping himself in the smell of Brian until he calmed down enough to sleep.

After bio, Brian started in the direction of their room. Matt stopped him, asking him where he was going.

"Um…to the room?" Brian offered confusedly. "I can't be bothered holding my bag all lunch."

"Yeah, me too. I'll take 'em both."

Brian handed his bag over cautiously. "Well…if you're sure."
"Course! I'll meet you in the dining room, k?"

"Yeah sure." Brian wandered off, still suspicious about why Koda and Jamie hadn't been in class.

Matt unlocked the door and threw the bags in. Jamie was still asleep and mumbled a very annoyed "fuck off" when Matt tried to wake him.

"Don't be an arse all your life Freeman." Matt growled, poking his arm. Jamie sighed and sat up.

"What?"

"Lunch. You know, that wacky ritual we do every day involving food and cutlery? Go, eat. Now."

"Yes sir." Jamie muttered, saluting. He sulked out and Matt sighed.

"The things I do."

Koda had spent the entire third and fourth period doing his English essay, wondering when Jamie was going to get back. If he was going to get back.

Matt didn't bother knocking.

"What do you want?" Koda drawled, eyeing the other boy disgustedly.

"Get out."

Koda arched an eyebrow. "This is my room. You can't kick me out of my own room."

"I'm not kicking you out of the room. I'm kicking you out of the school."

"Really now?" Koda murmured, smirking. "And how do you plan to do that?"

"Like this. Get the fuck out."

Koda snickered and stood, wandering over. "Uh-huh. On what grounds?"

"Jamie."

Koda paused, backing up a bit. "What about him?"
Matt rolled his eyes. "Gee, I wonder. You know what Moncrieff's like. He doesn't tolerate that kind of shit."

"So you're threatening me? With Moncrieff? Pfft, the guy's a fucking pushover – "

"It'll go a lot higher than just Moncrieff." Matt interrupted coldly. "I don't know what the hell you thought you were doing, but I know what it looks like. Believe me, it'll go a lot higher than just bloody Moncrieff."
Koda shook his head slowly. "You son of a bitch. When the fuck did you become his lawyer anyway? Last time I checked, you hated the guy."

"It's got nothing to do with how I feel about him. It's getting you out of here. Everyone's getting real sick of you and your shit. I doubt anyone would miss you." Matt scowled.

"Ouch." Koda moaned in mock-dismay. Matt growled. "Just get out. I don't care what excuse you have to make. I'm swinging by at the end of lunch. If you're still here, I'm going to Moncrieff. And the best thing is, he likes me a helluva lot more than he likes you. He'll always believe my word over yours."

Koda opened his mouth but Matt didn't stick around to find out what he was going to say. He left, feeling mighty accomplished.

Lunch was uneventful. Things were calm, collected, normal. Kate and Bree talked about clothes, Brian said nothing the entire time (something which was becoming almost normal) and Matt, feeling kind of patriotic, barely held back from boasting about his little adventure with Koda.

"Parent teacher meetings in a few days." Bree said gravely. "Bri have you spoken to your mum yet?"

Brian shook his head and glanced over where Jamie was sitting. He frowned. "What happened to him?" His voice was laced with concern.

Matt didn't think telling him the truth was such a great idea. "Who knows? Probably just got into a fight, not like it's the first time or anything."

"Definitely not the first." Kate agreed. "Ugh, my parents are going to hate me after these stupid meetings. I can already hear my teachers: 'Kate's a horrible girl' and 'Kate never does her homework' and Kate this and Kate that."

"Well," Bree said logically, "if you actually did your homework, they wouldn't have to say you didn't."

Kate threw up her hands. "You're all against me!"

'I guess I better ring my darling mother.' Brian thought, dreading it. He decided to call her the next day, and resumed watching Jamie.

At the end of lunch, Matt made up an excuse and quickly headed for 26. He opened the door, and smirked. It was completely empty. Koda's bed was stripped, all his stuff gone.

"He left."

Matt jumped at Jamie's voice, stating the obvious. The blonde nodded. "Yeah, looks like it. Good riddance."

Jamie frowned. "I guess. Look," he rubbed the back of his neck, "thanks. For…y'know. Thanks."

Matt waved it off. "Anytime. But you owe me big time."

Jamie rolled his eyes. "Typical. What do you want?"

Matt faced him seriously. "Fix whatever you've fucked up with Brian."

Jamie blinked and Matt pushed past him, hurrying to catch up with Bree. He sighed and glanced back at the empty room.

Tebbany scanned the sheet, picked up the phone and dialed the appropriate number. It rang seven times before it clicked.

"Hello?" Elizabeth sounded out of breath, as if she'd run to answer it. Tebbany leant forward in her chair.

"Hola, this is Tebbany Freeman, Brian's LOTE teacher."

"Oh." A pause. "Is he in trouble?"

"No, no. Well, not really. I just wanted to confirm our meeting."

"Oh, okay, yes it's fine." Another pause. "You live next door, don't you?"
Tebbany smiled. "Yes I do. When I'm not here, that is. Is Danny causing much trouble? Being too noisy?"

"No, no. Danny. Is that your son? The one who goes to school with Brian?"

"That's Jamie. Danny is my older son."

"Oh." Elizabeth frowned. "How," she hesitated, "how close is he to Brian?"
Tebbany leant back and crossed her legs. "I assumed you knew."

"That they're…" She trailed off, swallowing audibly.

"Yes." Tebbany said slowly. "Are you okay with that?"

"Are you?"

Tebbany didn't miss the confusion in the other woman's voice. "Of course I am. It is their choice, isn't it? As long as they are happy, I can't see why there should be a problem with it."

"But other people pick on…people like that."

Tebbany smiled. "Sometimes they do, yes. But I don't think being gay is something Brian can change. It's just who he is. As his mother, you're just going to have to accept that, love him and support him in every little way you can. That's the fun of being a mother."

Erm. Yes. I don't know where that idea came from but anyway…eh. I haven't even thought about what's going to happen next chapter lmao. I need to learn how to plan things better e.e; Anyway, I'd love if you'd review :D

Dirty Angel Toes