I Want to Face...

Wyn looked up at Oliver and agreed. "Yeah, I still have some things I want to work on," Wyn replied as he stood to head back to the gym. Wyn walked at a casual pace with a smile on his face. It wasn't a forced smile nor was it over the top. The smile was relaxed and comfortable. For the first time in a while, Wyn felt good to be alive and looked towards the future. Wyn agreed that eating lunch alone was rather depressing and boring, but he didn't have anyone to sit with. While he was welcomed to sit at some tables, Wyn was always kept out of the conversation. Wyn was tired of being ignored and alone.

They got back to the gym and Wyn disappeared into the locker room to get his stuff. He wasn't going to do anything crazy since he just ate, but he wanted to move. Getting the drawstring bag out of the locker, Wyn came back out and headed to the straps. He nodded to Oliver to follow as he moved with a pep in his step. It took a few minutes for Wyn to situate himself again, setting up the speaker and his notebook. After making a few quick notes, Wyn stated to Oliver, "It's called Aerial Straps."

Wyn began to warm up again before doing anything crazy. Doing the same warm up he did before, but just shorter. Wyn decided to warm up with his sweatshirt on to speed up the process. Sweat started building as Wyn went through the warm up. After 8 minutes, Wyn removed his sweatshirt and trained in his singlet, seemingly oblivious to Oliver's presence.
 
They ventured back to the gym, just like that time Oliver had followed Wyn without him knowing the thought of going home didn't even cross Oliver's mind and he just happily took of his shoes and jacket again and got comfortable on the floor so he could watch Wyn warm up again.

It was something oddly captivating about watching Wyn warm-especially when he wasn't wearing his sweatshirt because you could actually see his muscles at work. Maybe people just went to gyms to check people out and it was all just some big conspiracy cover-up that people actually enjoyed exercising. It was an absolutely stupid thought but honestly, if someone told him that Oliver would have thought it made more sense than actually enjoying the feeling of your lounges being on fire and your face being beat red as your hair got all wet and gross in sweat in a way that was much less attractive than Wyn was, while also being out in public.

"what was the routine you did the other day?" Oliver asked, using language he knew Octavia used when describing dance, routine seemed like it made more sense than choreography, but he supposed choreography would have worked as well, "was it for anything? Octavia dances, like other than cheer she does Jazz, and her dance studio puts on performances and stuff every term,"
 
Wyn stopped for a moment as he thought back to the first time they met. "Well the song is called Glory Bound. I guess you can call it that. No, it's not for anything," Wyn stated as he turned away for a moment, " I haven't performed in a long time​". His voice grew soft as he thought about the two years since he's been on stage. It felt like a lifetime and for him it was something that he didn't want to think about a lot. He missed performing and being on stage. He missed being able to connect with an audience through his unique form of art. Two years he'd been off the stage and he wondered if he still remembered what it was like to perform a full show. Wyn held onto the straps as his body relaxed he leaned against one of them and started to think. He tuned out with his back to Oliver.

"Wyn, you're on in 5. When Alice leaves and does her final bows you need to be running out," a voice called out. Dressed in full costume and make up, Wyn smiled as he jumped around and shook out the pre-show nerves. This was his first time doing a solo performance and it was terrifying. His father gave him a good luck pat on the shoulder as he peeked through the flaps of the tent to the rings in the center.

"Wasn't that amazing! Our horses are highly trained and have performed at every show since we've gone on the road! But that's not the same for our next act. Performing his first solo act, high above your heads, please welcome Wyn William!" With the introduction done, the lights dimmed and a spotlight shone on Wyn climbing up a long white rope suspended from the highest point in the tent.
 
"Oh, you stopped performing?" Oliver asked, not really realising the change of tone until it was very apparent that Wyn wasn't really there anymore. He just seemed to have zoned out completely. Oliver wasn't completely stupid or oblivious to people's feelings so he figured that maybe there was some reason as to why Wyn stopped performing. Maybe it was the same reason why he was so secretive about all of this. He didn't want people from school to know clearly, and he had said he could refuse to answer any questions Oliver asked.

Oliver wondered what could have happened, it was hard because he couldn't even the imagine the context Aerial Straps were used to perform. But maybe he had gotten hurt or something, and now was scared to do it again, it sounded cliché but it tended to be the usual reason as to why people stopped performing. At least in movies and whatnot. The only hobby Oliver had that you could perform was his bass guitar, and while he was decent at it he wasn't really good enough to do something like that, not that he really wanted to.

"Hey, you okay?" Oliver said as he stood and stepped over to Wyn, he placed a hand on the other's back, it was unexpectedly damp from all the sweating, "Sorry I know you said you didn't want to answer something, I won't push on the subject if you don't want to talk about it, don't worry."
 
Wyn jumped at the touch as he was brought back to the real world. His heart skipped a beat as he composed himself and turned back to Oliver. "I think I'm done for today," he stated with a sad smile. There were things on his mind that he needed to deal with and the gym wasn't the place to do it. Unwrapping his hands, Wyn moved towards the rigging to take his straps down. He was quiet now. His mind was racing as he remembered his time in the spotlight. The atmosphere changed as Wyn packed up his stuff. He was exhausted mentally not physically. Despite this, his body was aching. Putting on a fake smile, Wyn turned to Oliver and stated, "I'm going to change and head home. You should do the same. Our parents will be wondering why we skipped school." Wyn disappeared into the locker room and placed a heavy head on the cold metal. He breathed in and out for 10 second each just like the therapist told him to do when things got hard.

There was a pain in Wyn's chest that he seemed to forget when he was with Oliver, but that memory brought the pain front and center. He struggled to breathe and clenched his teeth as he closed his eyes. Wyn remembered this pain well. It followed him where ever he went. At times it would ebb and flow, but it could also hit like a train. This pain was triggered by his parent's deaths and it reminded him that he was alive while they weren't. For now, Wyn was able to push the pain away and put up a facade. The last thing he wanted was someone worrying about him.

Wyn walked out of the gym with his backpack on. He didn't bother to change his clothes, deciding that he'd just go home and take a shower. As he walked, Wyn's mind raced and the pain grew. Biting the inside of his lower lip, Wyn moved through the winding streets until he reached his house. Lauren wasn't home, which wasn't a surprise. Wyn walked into the empty house and threw his stuff to the side. As if a shadow, Wyn moved through the motions of a human; first taking a shower then changing his clothes. The entire time, Wyn didn't feel real. His actions were just a movie he was watching. His body felt numb, yet heavy. Wyn went into his room and felt the pain overwhelm him. His chest was so tight that his body trembled. He leaned against the wall of his room as he clenched his shirt. There was nothing that would make the pain go away. There was nothing that would stop the destructive thoughts and memories.

Lauren came home early that day because the school called her. Despite getting a text from Wyn, she was really worried. She called Joe at the gym, but told her that him and a friend left an hour ago. Lauren wasn't sure who this friend was, but she knew something was up. Wyn normally stayed well into the evening training or doing homework at the gym. She tried to stay positive as she pulled into the driveway. Opening the door she called out in a neutral tone, "Wyn I'm home. Things were a bit slow in the office so I came home early. Wanna get something to eat?" When Lauren didn't hear anything she began to panic. "Wyn," she called out again trying to keep her voice even. She first checked the bathroom and found that it was still warm so Wyn must've taken a shower recently. Then she went into his room and found him slumped against the wall. "WYN!" she exclaimed as she fell to her knees. She shook him gently, but he didn't respond. His eyes were blank and his breathing shallow. Lauren was afraid that he tried something again and was reaching for her cell phone to call 911.

As Lauren dialed with trembling fingers, Wyn moved and said, "I'm fine. Just tired. I must've dozed off after training." He smiled to her and reassured her that everything was alright. She was skeptical, but knew that things weren't alright. "We're going to Dr. Lameski. I'm not having a repeat..." Wyn looked at Lauren which shut her up. She knew that bringing up his suicide attempt wasn't something that she was supposed to do, but at the same time she was frantic. "I'm going to call him now," she stated as she stood and dialed the doctor's number. She talked on the phone for a bit as Wyn got up and tried to convince her that everything was fine. In the end Lauren and Wyn drove to Dr. Lameski's office and Wyn had a long talk with the doctor. Wyn reassured him that everything was fine and he was just tired from working out. After an hour session, Wyn reappeared with Dr. Lameski behind him. Lauren and Dr. Lameski talked in his office as Wyn waited in the front seating area. The front desk woman was told to make sure Wyn didn't leave or try anything, so between typing and inputting information she'd glance up at the teen. Lauren reappeared from the office and the two took a trip to the pharmacy to pick up new anti-depression meds before heading home. Wyn was forced to take them as Lauren watched before he was allowed to disappear in his room.

Lauren called the school and told them that Wyn would be staying home Friday and not to worry about things. Those at the school who needed to know were informed of Wyn's set back and excused his absence and skipping. Lauren worked from home Friday to keep an eye on Wyn since he was under a 24/7 watch. Wyn slept most of Friday and was woken up by Lauren to go to group later in the afternoon, early evening.

Wyn walked into the large basement of the church to find chairs in a circle. Wyn was told to take a seat as a few others did the same. An older man was the facilitator and welcomed everyone promptly at 4:30. There were people of all ages, but most were between 15 and 26. Wyn didn't recognize any of the other participants and realized that this group serviced many surrounding towns. Wyn was allowed to just listen for the session, but encouraged to participate. In the end, he didn't say a word. Others shared their stories and talked about the problems they were facing. Every now and then Wyn would listen in, but for the most part he was quiet. He didn't want to talk about his problems or what he was going through. There was no reason for him to share, or so he thought. After group Lauren came to pick him up. He held a short conversation, but kept a pleasant expression. He needed her to stop worrying so much. He couldn't deal with the fact that he caused so much trouble for Lauren. He blamed himself for making Lauren's life harder and for imposing. He knew she did her best and for her sake he decided to put on a better front.

Wyn was back in school Monday. A few of his classmates asked him what happened and he told them that he had a family thing to take care of on Thursday, which was why he left early, and got bad food poisoning Friday. People believed him which was great because everyone backed off. The only person who might be a problem was Oliver. Wyn avoided Oliver in world history, but couldn't during lunch. After getting his food from the cafeteria kitchen, he took a seat at an empty table. Before long, Wyn saw Oliver approach.
 
Something suddenly seemed very wrong with Wyn. Wrong enough that it was apparent that whatever nice time they had had was over. Oliver was honestly reluctant to leave, both for his own sake, and Wyn's. He kind of wanted to stay and make sure he was okay. Because what if he wasn't. Alex hadn't been okay. Alex hadn't been okay and Oliver had done nothing.

At the end, Oliver left. He was suddenly reminded of why he didn't want to have friends anymore. If you didn't have friends they couldn't leave you. And he couldn't be at fault for it either. It was horribly selfish but the light sense of panic that grabbed a hold of him compelled him to leave. He just couldn't stay.

Things didn't get better when he came home. He was torn between missing Wyn, because he felt fine around him, and wanting nothing more to do with him just in case something bad happened. On top of that, his parents were waiting when he was home. They had of course been notified by the school that he had skipped again. And it wasn't just the end of his final class this time, but almost the entire day. And so the yelling began. They, of course, didn't start by doing it, their voices were filled with an irritated concern that Oliver hated and that caused him to yell. Which then led to them yelling. It wasn't even just about the skipping school but the skipping therapy as well. The fact that he had to start going again, that it would make him feel better even if Oliver knew it wouldn't. He told then he'd refuse, that he'd just sit there and not talk if he had to. And so they brought up group therapy. Oliver had gone to Group a couple of times, when he was younger he had gone to share with other kids his age who suffered from mental illnesses. Then he had gone after Alexander, just a couple of times. But he hated it and refused.

By the end of it all Oliver just stormed off, and when to go lay in bed, silently, the entire evening. Fighting with his parents always made him miss Alexander because he was the one person he could talk to about it who wouldn't tell him to just blindly listen to them. He also found himself looking forward to the next day, not because of school but because of Wyn. Because he could at least provide a moment when things were different.

Wyn wasn't there the next day. It was weird how someone he barely knew not being there could make him feel so deflated, but maybe it also wasn't. That day he actually called his mother by the time the last couple of classes rolled around, to ask if it was okay if he went home because he wasn't feeling well. And while she seemed a little reluctant she was clearly sympathetic enough to let him. He spent the entire weekend doing nothing as usual. Just laying in bed, laying about in the house, and pretending to watch some TV so it would actually look like he was doing something.

Come Monday he was actually scared to go to school, scared that Wyn wouldn't be there again but he was. He completely ignored him in world history it seemed. But Oliver found him again at lunch and Oliver wasn't going to miss out on an opportunity to talk to him. His impulses took charge and without even thinking he walked u to him and sat down across from him, slamming his tray down a little too hard, but with a grin on his face, a grin that hopefully masked the fact that he looked tired.

"Hey New Kid, I was looking for you Friday," he said in a fairly chipper tone, "I thought you were maybe avoiding me or something until I realised you probably weren't actually at school at all,"
 
Wyn was expecting Oliver to approach him at lunch, but he didn't expect Oliver to slam his tray down. With a smile, Wyn replied, "Yeah, I got sick and didn't come to school on Friday." Wyn wondered if Oliver would believe his lie. Most everyone else believed the lies he told, but Oliver knew more about the situation than most. For lunch, Wyn had a salad and an apple. It was the 'healthy' option the school offered and since he didn't really feel like eating much, a salad seemed a good idea. Oliver didn't need to know anything about his life or what he was dealing with. Oliver probably had enough he was going through. It was obvious that Oliver had a strained relationship with his parents, which probably meant his home life wasn't that great. Then there was the friends situation. Wyn often wondered why Oliver didn't hang out with his friends if he had them. Wyn always assumed that people in high school would hang out with a friend group no matter what.

For the most part, Wyn was doing much better after a few days of rest. His psyche wasn't healed in the least, but he was able to compose himself. The meds were helping a bit as well, but it was just a band-aid placed over a gunshot wound. Wyn decided that he needed to keep himself in check or people would worry and he couldn't have that. "I feel a lot better now though," Wyn stated which wasn't a complete lie. He felt more put together than last week.
 
Oliver wasn't sure about the whole sick thing. It just felt too perfectly timed. Wyn had not seemed physically sick the day before, and sure it could have been food poisoning or something like that, but Oliver had seen his mood completely change the day before and it'd be stupid to not even consider it being due to that. But even if that was the case Wyn clearly didn't want anyone to think that was the reason. Including Oliver. Which was understandable, he supposed, because Oliver didn't really want Wyn to know how shitty his own weekend had been either and he decided not to press and decided to ignore the scared thoughts of 'what if something is wrong and you aren't doing enough about it again' that made him scared of being friends with Wyn.

"Well I'm glad you're feeling better, now I have someone to have lunch with," he joked, Wyn obviously didn't know but he had people to eat lunch with, people he deep down missed and wanted to have lunch with but just couldn't. Said friends seemed to have something else completely in mind though, because suddenly two people were standing before them.

"Hey Ollie," Tess, a short pale girl with a cute brown bob cut and dressed in a proper looking blouse and skirt, said. Her voice sounded kind of careful, as if she wasn't sure if approaching him was okay or not. They hadn't gone up to him in the cafeteria in ages and Oliver wondered if it was the fact that he was sitting with Wyn or the fact that he had talked to Daníel last Thursday.
"Hey," he said dryly, trying to make it clear that he wanted them to go away.
"We thought we'd demand an update to the whole backpack stealing thing," Daníel said, with way more confidence, talking as if they had never stopped.
"I didn't steal anything, Wyn wanted me to get it for him before we left," Oliver explained.
"Ollie you know you shouldn't di--" Tess started but Daníel interrupted her attempt to lecture him, or show concern, it felt like both to Oliver so he was glad he did. But less happy that he turned his attention towards Wyn.
"Is Ollie making you ditch class? You don't have to listen to him, I know he tries to look like a total bad boy but he's totally a softie,"
 
Wyn wasn't prepared for other students to join him and Oliver. He assumed that Oliver was a loner after their meetings, but it seemed that he welcomed company from time to time. As the other two students joined Oliver at the table, Wyn smiled at them. He wasn't sure what to make of the situation as the three started talking amongst themselves. For a moment, Wyn felt like he did at the beginning of the year, alone. He was used to being on the outside of a friend group, living on the fringes of the group as a secondary thought. Wyn was surprised when he was addressed by the guy. "No, it was my decision to ditch. Oliver just helped get my backpack since I forgot it," Explaining the situation was strange. Wyn didn't know how to approach the subject of skipping school. It was easier with just Oliver since they experienced that together.

Wyn smiled and kept a pleasant aura as the group talked. He tried his best to keep up with the conversation, but to be honest he was drowning. His people skills suffered tremendously after his parent's deaths. At times Wyn forgot how to interact with other humans that and 'normal' humans were harder to understand that circus folk. Sometimes, Wyn wondered if he should stop trying and just be content on the fringes of friend groups.

As the conversation continued, Wyn picked at his salad. He ate about half of it before digging into the apple. He wasn't going to finish the salad, but he could finish the apple. Seeing Oliver talk with the other two made him wonder if should even offer the other portion of his salad. It was a simple Caesar Salad with a few croutons. Wyn ate a little more than half of the salad. For some reason his appetite was diminishing. Just a few years ago, Wyn would've easily finished two of those salads, but now he struggled to eat half of one. Despite this, Wyn kept training hard. Wyn understood the importance of eating good and enough to fuel the body, but Wyn couldn't force himself to eat. Staring down at his food Wyn wondered why he couldn't eat as much any more.
 
"Oh wow, It wasn't Oliver's fault? unbelievable," Daníel laughed as both of them sat down for a bit, neither had their trays there so it seemed like they weren't intending on staying for too long, or maybe they were just expecting to be sent away by Oliver within a couple of minutes. It would explain why Tess looked so nervous about being there. They both continued to chat a little though. Oliver did his best to talk as little as possible, answering his two friends as shortly as possible.

"So hows that world history thing going," "well," "We talked right away about how you would love an assignment like this, Ollie, what kind of character are you making," "a German soldier," "oh that actually sounds pretty cool, we should let each other read each other's finished assignments, it could be good for spotting mistakes too," "my mom has already offered to do that,"

It wasn't just that talking to them like this still made him feel like something huge was missing from the group dynamic. A fourth voice that didn't speak up, and wasn't and couldn't be filled up by Wyn. But he was also terrified that they'd mention Alex in front of Wyn. Wyn didn't know and Oliver wanted to keep it that way.

Eventually, Daníel and Tess seemed to get the hint. Wyn wasn't talking at all really, keeping his focus on the food he wasn't eating. Oliver clearly didn't want them there and the longer they a stayed the more his mood went from cold and avoidant to something closer to sad and lacking of energy. So Tess and Daníel exchanged a look before standing, Tess reached over to squeeze Oliver's shoulder a little and then told her to text them if he wanted to hang out sometime and then they were off.

Oliver was quiet for a moment. He didn't really know what to say, he had clearly tried to make Wyn believe he didn't have any close friends, because currently he was scared of having close friends. But it was probably quite clear now that there were people out there for Oliver to hang out with, "Sorry about that, they don't usually come to sit with me," he said, he wasn't sure if he felt sorry about the somewhat false image he had painted or for putting Wyn on the spot and possibly making Wyn nervous. It was clear that he wasn't completely comfortable with social interaction for whatever reason.
 
Wyn felt bad when Oliver's friends left. He felt like they left because he was there and wondered if something happened. From what Wyn gathered, the group was rather close, but something happened and they drifted. Wyn saw this happen a few times when someone would leave the circus voluntarily. There were always those who were friendly and civil, but the underlining tension could be felt by anyone who listened to the conversation. Oliver was obviously hostile and the others were walking on egg shells. Wyn knew that asking questions wouldn't get anywhere and could possibly be more trouble than it's worth.

"It was nice that they did though. They seemed nice," Wyn stated as he thought about the next thing he could say. As he searched for something else to say, Wyn tapped his finger on the lunch table. He couldn't think of anything else to say so he just sat and smiled hoping that something would eventually come to mind.

Wyn glanced around the cafeteria and noticed the different groups sitting together. It was almost as definite as the movies described. High school was extremely segregated whether it was conscious or not. Wyn knew this happened, hell it happened in the circus, but not to this extent. Wyn noticed this more and more the longer he was at the school. Everyone sat with the same people and at the same table usually. Sometimes there'd be people who'd move around a bit, but it was nothing fancy. Most groups stuck together almost religiously. These groups not only ate lunch together, but also traveled through the school together and left the school together. Wyn wondered what they talked about. These groups seemed to be together for everything. While some groups obviously had a defining feature like band or art kids, some weren't that easily classified. Wyn wondered what they talked about.
 
"they are nice," Oliver said, somewhat flatly, "I just don't like that they interrupted without a warning," he shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal but at this point, he felt absolutely horrible. Memories of past lunches in the school cafeteria together, when things hadn't been tense and Oliver had held his boyfriends hand the entire meal because Alex didn't like eating in public. He wondered if he could call his parents and ask to go home again. Probably not after doing the same thing on Friday. He could always ditch but it would just lead to his parents being angry. Maybe he could ditch and just not ever go home and just stay outside until the cold weather gave him hypothermia, then someone would find him them next day and it'd just be some tragic accident.

He poked around a little in his food, not really feeling like eating and also trying to push his thoughts away. It was usually easier to not think about things like that around Wyn. He just needed to get talking with him, at least that was what Oliver figured. He tried to grasp for some subject, but he didn't actually know much about Wyn. He knew he liked Sudoku puzzles, which wasn't something you could really talk much about, and he knew about the aerial stuff of course. But he couldn't talk about that at school, that was really clear.

"are you not going to eat you salad?" Oliver asked somewhat bluntly but not in a mean or even concerned wat. Wyn hadn't finished his food last Thursday, and he had told him he often left his food half eaten. It was odd because even if Wyn was very lean Oliver knew enough about building muscle to know that you had to eat full meals to gain them, so it had to be at least a somewhat new behaviour.
 
"I'm not that hungry today," Wyn replied as he placed his fork down. For the last few days his appetite had decreased significantly. Lauren worried about him a lot and his appetite was a clear indicator that something was up. Despite this, she didn't say anything. She knew that Wyn was still struggling with things so unless it got to a dangerous level. Wyn knew that this slump would pass just like the others. His appetite would return and he'd be more stable, but for now Wyn was at a low point. The new meds were helping to keep him steady, but until his mood changed for the better Wyn wasn't up for eating much.

"What about you? Don't you normally eat everything on your plate and then some?" Wyn asked as he glanced at Oliver's plate. They both seemed to be 'rationing food' as Alice would say. Wyn wondered if Oliver's lack of appetite had something to do with him. Wyn knew that he was affecting Oliver and vice versa, but he couldn't determine if it was for better or for worse. For now, Wyn was collecting data. If it turned out that he was influencing Oliver for the worse, he'd cut off the relationship. Wyn knew that he had the ability to pull others into his depression and he couldn't do that to Oliver.

With a smile, Wyn waited for Oliver's response. He wondered if Oliver would tell him if something was up or would he just smother it like Wyn did. There were things that Wyn noticed about Oliver that reminded him of himself. Oliver seemed a bit impulsive and unpredictable at times, yet he was thoughtful and considerate. At the same time, Wyn and Oliver was so different in their upbringing that it felt impossible that they'd truly connect due to their different experiences and lack of cultural understanding.
 
"eh, not really feeling it either, I had kind of a shit weekend," Oliver said and glanced down at his food again. He wasn't going to elaborate. Wyn didn't need to know that the change in Wyn's mood had caused Oliver to worry that history was repeating itself, only with someone he didn't even know well enough to help even if he wanted to. Not that he hadn't wanted to help Alex. He had just thought things would be fine in the end, that was all. But he also didn't want Wyn to think this was who he was so he felt like being a little honest was a good way to go. Even people who weren't mentally I'll with dead boyfriends and who didn't think that accidentally getting run over by a truck tomorrow sounded like a pretty okay fate sometimes had off days. Hopefully, Wyn would only assume that that was the case and that there was nothing more to it.

"But if neither of us is going to eat I don't see why we have to sit here, I'll walk you to your next class instead," Oliver suggested as he stood and so they did just that. Oliver talked a little about the assignment as they walked, he hadn't actually worked on it by himself but he had a couple of ideas he still wanted to run over with him. Before they parted way they decided to meet to work on the assignment the next day.

Then Oliver decided to ditch the rest of the day. But his parents weren't too mad though, because they came home to him cleaning his room without anyone even telling him. He had decided that since Wyn was coming over he couldn't let it stay such a mess. Clothes were thrown into the hamper or into the closet that was a little too full, books were stacked on top of other books so they would fit in the shelf and he sorted through the mess on his desk. In the end it looked pretty okay, still a little messy, because that was just the way his room looked like and because he had chosen to keep some things lying about. Like the half read poetry book he had abandoned mid-through, that now laid intentionally thrown next to an open sketchbook with some art supplies next to it as if he hadn't abandoned the piece ages ago. It was a little embarrassing but he wanted Wyn to think he was interesting, because he was finding that he found Wyn interesting. And maybe showing of his hobbies could make him more interesting, even if he couldn't find the motivation to practice them at the moment.

By Thursday Wyn had come over two times to work on the assignment and they were almost done, the entry was definitely becoming longer than one page though. Since Oliver didn't feel like total shit around Wyn he actually managed to be creative and thus he took the opportunity to be that. And it helped that Wyn always was ready to look up some information or help him with what would happen in the entry.

"Mom and Dad probably won't be home until a little later today, but Octavia might be home, I think she said something said something about practice being cancelled due to the weather," Oliver said as he punched in the door code and stepped in from the rainy weather into the house. One thing Oliver had made sure, was that there wouldn't be a repeat of last times dinner. His parents had been in a good mood lately because Oliver had been in a good mood since Wyn was over, but there was still bickering and tension and Oliver just didn't want Wyn to see that, "She never gives a shit about any of my friends though so she probably won't bother us. Do you want me to get us something to drink? I'm cold, I think we have instant hot chocolate somewhere."
 
Wyn enjoyed the last few days. Things seemed to have calmed down since his last episode and for the most part things were good. Wyn spent more time at Oliver's house which helped Wyn though the week. Wyn found himself looking forward to spending time with Oliver more and more. It was a while since he had a friend and it felt great to just hang out with him. Wyn thought a lot about inviting Oliver to spend more time with him at the gym and potentially at his own home, but Wyn knew that his lies had put him in a tight spot. There was no way he could allow Oliver over without having his entire life turned upside down. Obviously, Oliver would be unhappy with the fact that Wyn lied to him and Wyn didn't want to ruin what he had.

Wyn was sitting at the desk in a relatively cleaned room. He had his laptop open with different windows and tabs based on the information they needed. Wyn also had a document open where he kept a log of the different sites and a 'work-in-progress' reference page. When Oliver made comments on his family coming home, Wyn nodded. He didn't really say anything in response since he was reading an article on the computer. As Oliver headed down stairs to make something hot, Wyn called down, "Sure. Whatever you have works." He wasn't much of a sweets person, but hot chocolate sounded good given the slight chill in the air.

Wyn was wearing his normal sweatshirt and jeans when he heard the door open and close with a thud. That must've been Octavia. It seemed that she was a bit of a princess in her own mind, but that didn't strike Wyn as unusual. She was the perfect Regina George type and it made Wyn laugh to think of the different movies he's watched and how accurate they actually are.
 
Octavia
Octavia wouldn't really describe herself as a curious person, but it seemed like when t came to her brother's new friend she was. She had decided this was for two reasons, the first was that Wyn was the new kid who didn't seem like he had made any close connections around school with anyone but Oliver, and Oliver was an odd choice, and simply because this was the first person Oliver was hanging out with regularly in a while.... And maybe also because her parents had told her to specifically not bother Wyn too much because Oliver needed friends right now. And that annoyed her. It wasn't like Alexander's death had affected him only, she had been upset too and the constant fighting in the house since Oliver had stopped even trying to get over what had happened really wasn't pleasant.

It was a combination of all of those things that had made her decide that today she was going to get an opportunity to talk a little to Wyn when she realised he was over and her brother was passing her to walk into the kitchen when she came home. He didn't greet her. It was a pretty spur of the moment decision and she didn't really think through what to do or say but talking to people certainly wasn't a problem to her so she just hurried upstairs and into Oliver's room where she suspected Wyn was.

Wyn was very much there. He was cute, something most girls had been excited about until it turned out he was shy or whatever it was that caused him not to talk much to people, and now people didn't really care much.

"Hey, Wyn" she said and plopped down on Oliver's bed, practically feeling as at home in his room as hers, even though Oliver didn't really want her in there anymore. Last time she had been there it had looked like a mess, it was better now, hopefully, it meant he was going to stop being a mopy asshole, but if their parents where right and he wasn't taking his medication he would probably shift over and be hyper and annoying, "are ya still working on that project? Shouldn't you be done soon, or are Oliver forcing you to do all the work? I wouldn't put it past him to do that t-b-h,"
 
Wyn didn't look at the person who walked into the room. He originally thought it was Oliver until the voice told him otherwise. Turning around almost immediately, Wyn tensed up, "Hi." He was not comfortable being alone with Octavia. Maybe it was something about her personality or the way she conflicted with Oliver. Putting on his usual smile, Wyn switched to his normal, school personality; pleasant, but otherwise shy. She was pretty average looking, but the amount of make-up on her face made it hard to estimate what she actually looked like underneath it. Wyn understood makeup rather well. As a performer he was required to put on makeup for almost every performance; even if it was just natural makeup. Wyn could maneuver a makeup box extremely well and could produce looks that emphasized his natural features or make him look like something out of a picture book. For the most part, Wyn thought most high school girls were bad at make up because they went overboard and tried to hide their natural features in favor of a more commonly accepted idea of beautiful. If given the chance, Wyn wouldn't object to doing Octavia's makeup, but at the same time he wasn't sure about engaging her at all.

"No, we both want to get a good grade so we've put some extra effort into this project to make it standout," Wyn stated as he adjusted himself in front of the screen. This movement wasn't a conscious decision, rather it was an unconscious movement that Wyn did naturally due to overly interested friends growing up. As he faced Octavia to talk to her, he wondered if Oliver knew she was on his bed. He seemed like the kind of guy who wouldn't want his sister in his room.

Since it seemed Octavia wasn't going to leave any time soon, Wyn decided to make small talk, "So you're a cheerleader." He wondered if this was a good decision, interacting with her.
 
When Wyn readjusted his position Octavia was attentive enough to realise and she got up from the bed, walked over and looked over his shoulder at the screen, expecting something he was hiding but it was literally just school work. She didn't get what he had to be so paranoid about, but now that she was there she took the chair that Oliver presumably was occupying. She also scooted it a little closer to Wyn, since he was there to talk to him and not read whatever Oliver was writing on for their assignment.

"yeah, I'm set to make captain of the squad next year, maybe," In reality, it was very uncertain, it hung a lot on performance this year and there were more people than her who had been talked about, and on top of it Octavia wasn't even sure if she wanted to be captain, because she wanted to focus on school. Contrary to what some people thought about her at first glance she was actually pretty studious and smart. She was convinced Oliver could be too because he wasn't stupid, to her it mostly just looked like he wasn't putting in the effort because they did share the same genes after all. But then again they were very different in a lot of ways, like how Oliver was the opposite of athletic and Octavia didn't have any mental disorders.

"What stuff do you like to do then?" she asked, "I would say Oliver talks a ton about you and that I already know but he barely speaks about anything with us, so you'll just have to tell me yourself,"
 
Wyn wasn't sure what Octavia was doing when she got up to look over his shoulder. It seemed like she was suspicious of him of something, but then decided that nothing was out of wack. When she took Oliver's seat and leaned close, Wyn moved back in his chair and wished he could disappear. There was something about how straightforward she was that made Wyn nervous. "That's cool. Captain is a big responsibility," Wyn replied as he tried to figure out what her goal was. She seemed to interested in him, but at the same time she was a bit pushy. Was she interested in him or just interested in annoying her brother by taking interest in Wyn. There were a lot of questions Wyn had about her body language as well as her words, but he couldn't ask any of them.

Deciding to stay pleasant, Wyn replied, "I don't do much. Just go to school and go home. I like doing sudoku puzzles." The puzzle things seemed to interest people so Wyn often mentioned that to keep people away from prying. Wyn wondered if she'd take the bait and ask more questions about sudoku and nothing else. For the most part, people found his hobby more interesting than it normally was. Wyn had a feeling that Oliver didn't talk much about his life to his family. Wyn didn't talk much about Oliver to Lauren. There was just enough information for Lauren to be content.

"Do you only do cheerleading? Your brother mentioned something about dance," Wyn stated remembering that Oliver brought Octavia's dancing up once when talking about his own aerial hobby.
 
"Oh yeah, I do Jazz too, as an extracurricular, it's fun," Octavia shrugged, normally she would probably brag just a little about being one of the best in her group. She saw no harm in bragging if it didn't hurt anyone's feelings and if it was true, which it was and she doubted Wyn even as much as knew anyone in her dance group, "But sudokus, huh? That can't be the only thing you do though, at least tell me some more stuff you like... Like, what kind of musi--"

"Octavia," Octavia turned around to see her brother in the doorway, two steaming mugs in his hands and a very disgruntled expression on his face.
"Oliver," Octavia just smiled at him.
"Get out," Oliver insisted, Olivia rolled her eyes.
"I was just keeping Wyn company while you were away, and now we're in the middle of a conversation so don't be rude," Oliver 's eyes flickered over to Wyn for a second, looking worried. He ignored Octavia temporary and angrily stalked up to the desk where he placed the two cups, it was hot chocolate, which their mother generally didn't allow them to have if it wasn't a weekend. She was all about healthy and balanced eating.

"Seriöst, Octavia, gå här i från, annars jag säger till mama och pappa att du stör oss när ve pluggar,¹ " Oliver still sounded angry as he switched other to the other language spoken in the home, which meant he didn't want Wyn to hear. Which meant Octavia sure as fuck wasn't switching over.
"Is that going to be your thing now? Tell them so they'll be mad at me for doing something that might upset you? I'm just talking to him, we're classmates too,"
"Men ni är inte kompisar. Och du brydde dig inte förns nu. Så gå.² " At this point, Oliver snatched her wrist and pulled her up from the chair. Octavia was definitely stronger than him but hadn't expected it so she stumbled of it.
"Jesus Christ you fucking psycho," Her parents always got pissed off if she called him things like that, but they weren't home right now and she honestly knew Oliver didn't really care when she called him that. At least he wouldn't back when they were younger and it was playful teasing and he'd get back at her by calling her a bimbo or something dumb like that.

"Leave," Oliver insisted and started to push her out.
"Okay fuck I get it," Octavia said angrily, stepped aside from Oliver to walk out by herself, before she left she turned towards Wyn, "Sorry Oliver's being such a bitch, it was nice talking to you," then she left and closed the door behind her. Honestly, she didn't care how things had turned out, it was Oliver's fault for being so pissy and she was content since she had gotten to talk a little with Wyn, which had been her goal, and honestly had annoyed Oliver more than she had expected.



Oliver​
Oliver stared at the door Octavia had just closed, he felt absolutely furious. But also terrified. He didn't know what Octavia had said while he wasn't there. Maybe it was self-centered to think that they would have spoken about him but he knew she had just come there to annoy him, because she was pissed of about all the fighting that had been going on in the house recently. So maybe she had mentioned Alexander, or his cyclothyima, or anything that would make Wyn decide he didn't want to be his friend anymore.

Oliver turned back to Wyn and sat down in the chair Octavia had been forced to leave. He didn't really look at wyn but instead the mug in front of him as he asked, "What did she want?"

Translation:
1. Seriously, Octavia, leave us alone, or I'll tell mom and dad you're bothering us while we're studying
2. But you're not even friends. And you didn't care until now. Leave.