Oliver got to work early the next day. It was still raining from the night before, which wasn't super typical compared to the scattered showers Orlando usually got. It matched his mood.

He'd been going over his time with Nora and his conversation was Levi all through the night, trying to figure out what he was supposed to do.

It was the opposite of cool that Levi was lying to Nora. He wasn't going to stand for it. That was Edward Cullen level shit and he didn't want Nora to be his Bella Swan. She was way too awesome for that—not that any girl deserved that, level of awesomeness aside.

Then again, he wanted to be on good terms with Nora. He didn't think sabotaging their relationship was going to go well. And that's not who he wanted to be anyway. He was way more enthralled with the knight in shining armor roles. He wanted to be that sort of guy—and not just act like one on stage.

So it seemed to him that the best thing to do was going to be to confront Levi and get him to be honest for her sake. Which was going to be the last thing Levi was going to want to do. It wasn't exactly how Oliver wanted to spend his morning after a night of restless sleep, but hey, it was for Nora.

He spent the rest of his time waiting with a lopsided smile, thinking about her hand in his and the sound of her laugh.

Which of course is when Levi rounded the corner.

"Hey, Levi," Oliver called, keeping pace with him.

Levi cringed and increased his speed. "Go away."

"You look awful. Didn't you sleep last night?" Oliver tried not to think about what he could have been doing last night. It made him want to punch him. "Or maybe the simmering stink of your deceit kept you awake."

"I have to get to costuming."

Oliver grabbed his arm. "That can wait."

Levi shook out of his grip. The Cast Members in the utilidor started giving them looks. They weren't exactly being professional and most everyone knew who Oliver was, at the very least. He didn't exactly want to have this conversation where everyone could hear.

So he opened the first door they came across, not knowing what it was for, finding out that it was a pretty small custodial closet before shoving Levi inside.

"Seriously?" Levi huffed. "A closet?"

"We need to talk and I didn't want everyone hearing what we had to say."

"Because stuffing me in a closet is less questionable and not going to get anyone talking at all."

"You get used to the rumors."

Levi cringed, as if he was so much better than high school gossip.

Baby.

"I don't have time for this." Levi made for the handle. Pulled. Pulled again. Jiggled.

"Let me see it," Oliver said, swatting him away as he tried.

Locked.

"Was this part of your master plan of intimidating me?" Levi asked tiredly.

"You're right, I should have brought my angry eyes instead." God, he was being stupid. "I think we have bigger problems than worrying about why I was staking out in the hallway waiting for you."

"Right. Because why not talk about how you're showing red flags towards everyone you talk to?"

Oliver smacked the door and yelled, "Hey! We're locked in!"

"You know that's not going to work. Too much noise out there."

Oliver took out his phone. No bars, as usual. Not that he expected anything underground. "My signal's dead down here."

Levi grunted, shoving his own useless phone down into his pocket. "Great. Now we're both going to be late and we can't even call for help. It's not like anyone is going to be looking for us in a closet in Frontierland."

Oliver jiggled the handle again, as if that would help. "It's not my fault you got so worked up that I wanted to have a private conversation with you."

Levi sighed. "Why would I want to talk to you?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask one of my millions of fans?"

Levi went to the wall, kicking it. "Not everyone likes you."

"Clearly."

"Fine. Let's talk it out. Why do you hate me?" Oliver asked. "I can start with why I'm not exactly your biggest fan, if that would help. Spoiler alert—you're a liar."

"Why do you have to even be around Nora?" Levi muttered.

"What, do you have some sort of dibs on her? Do you think that's how relationships work?"

"No, but you've had, what, one conversation with her and now you think you should get engaged?" Levi crossed his arms. "From what you said last time, you don't even care about her. You're just trying to be around her to get back at me."

"Do you really think that little of me?" Levi's look said it all for him. Oliver scoffed. "If you've been paying such close attention to me, maybe you'll know I've never had a girlfriend."

Levi's eyebrows scrunched. "I thought you and Cassidy—"

"Nope."

"Megan?"

"No."

"Rachel?"

"Definitely not." Because that's what everyone thought. If a girl was within a mile of him, people just assumed they'd dated. If a girl smiled at him, it was assumed they were hooking up any chance they got. And forget about if they actually ever had a conversation, or starred in a production together, or any other number of mundane activities that shouldn't make anyone bat an eye in his direction, but sprouted rumors upon rumors.

As if he'd had time for a girl during high school—he'd been too busy studying and doing all sorts of activities to get scholarships, not to mention helping raise a toddler.

No. He was done with all the obligations. Done with all the people assuming they knew him just because they saw all his videos, or his plays, or his games. He was more than numbers of views, words on a script, and sports statistics.

"Why are you even here?" Levi asked, clearly annoyed. "You could have gone to Harvard and quadruple majored in whatever it is someone like you would quadruple major in."

"Do you have any idea how much pressure there is when you're that good at everything? With everyone always looking at you, expecting you to be at every single social event, every single academic and sport event, because they think you're something you're not?" Oliver balled his hands into fists. "I'm an actor. Sure, I'm smart. Sure, I was the good little church going kid. Sure, I'm good at things. But what does that matter? Why should my life be nothing but being perfect for everyone else, living up to their weird expectations of me?"

"Wow. Your life sounds so hard."

Oliver wanted to strangle him. How was he supposed to articulate how he barely slept when he was in high school, that he'd had to go to physical therapy on the weekends and all through the summer because of football injuries, icing during study sessions and holding Sarah in one arm, a textbook in the other? How was he supposed to articulate what it felt like to try to memorize an entire play within the span of a few days, then show up to school the next morning for practice acting refreshed, fellow teammates and cheerleaders and the cast following him around like stray puppies, asking him question after question about every single aspect of his life, of how he's going to lead them into the beautiful future?

And then Sundays hadn't even been a break because he was obligated to go to church. And he did believe in God, and he believed it was supposed to be the right thing to do, but how the church they'd attended had gone about everything in all the wrong ways, making life harder for him, not easier—and not because they had the audacity to ask him to love people. No. It was because, just like all other people, they asked him to spend time he didn't have serving.

His parents had seemed to think he was just as invincible and perfect as everyone else, and why wouldn't they? As soon as Sarah had been born, she'd become the center of his universe. And they weren't neglectful parents, but they were past their prime, somehow thinking that Oliver didn't have as much on his plate as them, their prodigal child who doted on his sister like he was her own father, and how could he say no to her adorable, innocent little face?

Oliver didn't say any of that. Because how could he? He was too tired. He was so, so tired. "What do you want, Levi?"

"I want to go back to life without you in it. Things were going fine before you ruined it."

"I forgot you were like this," Oliver steamed. "Avoid, avoid, avoid. No wonder you're not telling her the truth."

"Do you know anything about me? Have we had even one conversation until auditions?"

"No. I can't imagine why," Oliver snapped.

Levi flinched, then squared his shoulders. "Do you even know why I was mute?"

"You didn't bother telling me."

"Because of you," Levi said. "Because you bullied me."

Oliver's throat closed. He didn't remember a time when Levi had spoken during those first few years of elementary school. He didn't think that was true.

"For some reason, you had to pick on me. I had to go to therapy for years because of you."

The tiredness he'd been avoiding since becoming a Cast Member crept back in full force, the pressure suffocating. "...I didn't mean for that to happen." It wasn't an apology. He deserved an apology. But how was he supposed to say sorry for that? As if the word would mean anything. "I didn't want that to happen."

"Well, it happened." Levi's voice cracked.

Oliver sat down on the floor. "I'm sorry."

And what would that sound like, coming from the guy who always acted like some hotshot who was too cool to be around the likes of Levi? He'd looked down on him, even. The kid who always sat alone. That didn't even try to make friends. For some people, being friendly was easy. Reaching out wasn't a chore, but part of their DNA. For others, it was obvious torture. And maybe Levi wouldn't have had such a bad experience with it his entire life if Oliver hadn't screwed that up.

Sorry really wasn't going to cut it.

Levi said nothing. Not that he was expecting anything.

All he knew was he couldn't change what had happened. He could only do stuff in the present. And it wasn't too late for them. 

"I was a stupid kid. That's not an excuse. And I don't know what to do to make it up to you."

"Leave Nora alone."

Oliver looked up at him. "I'm not going to let you lie to her."

"Do you think I want to?"

Oliver spread his arms wide. "I don't know you at all, clearly. And it's not like I deserve your life story. I just know she doesn't deserve to be left out in the dark." He adjusted so he was sitting cross legged. "So, what is it, Levi? Are you scared you'll get written up if she knows? Did the story of Tom scare you?"

"Obviously that scared me, but by the time I made the decision to not tell her, I was already too deep. And...maybe you know what it's like hanging out with her even a little bit. Like...you know her for an hour, but it's like you've known her for years."

Yeah. That was exactly how it felt. Oliver had never had that much fun with someone, ever. Well, except Sarah, but that was a bit different. Not to mention Nora understood his love for Disney. Shared it, even. "And you're too scared to tell her now."

Levi slid down the opposite wall, hands rubbing his face. "I'm not talking about this to you."

Which he understood. "You need to tell her though."

He swallowed. "I know."

"I don't know her, Levi. I'd like to, but clearly it's not a good time. And I don't know what's between you two, and..." I think she has a crush on you as Jack, but she doesn't know it's you, he thought, biting it down. It didn't seem like it was any of Levi's business, even if it was about him and he was clearly present during his own meet and greets with Nora. Not that it was Oliver's business. But he was too curious. "...What is between you two?"

Levi peeked from between his fingers, critical.

Oliver held up his hands. "Fine. I know. We're not exactly friends."

They sat in silence. They were definitely late, but there wasn't anything they could do.

"...Levi?"

He was staring at his phone, as if they'd miraculously get signal if he kept staring. "What?"

"Can we hang out sometime?"

"You have to be joking."

"No, I mean it. I actually want to be friends with you."

"It's probably some trick to get time with Nora or tell her I'm Jack."

"No. I'd love time with Nora, but I'm going to give up on that." At least for the time being. Depending on what Nora wanted to do in the future, if he actually got to talk to her again. "I seriously want an actual friend."

"What, do you not have any?"

Oliver closed his eyes, trying to suppress his irritation. "The thing about being famous is people don't want to know you for you, they want to know you for your popularity."

"Sounds awful, being surrounded by people who love you."

He sighed, lowering his voice. "You asked why I'm here. I started getting offers for full scholarships flooding in. I didn't care. I was burnt out. I needed...something."

"So you chose to work for the most exhausting place on earth?"

"I know that doesn't make much sense. It's long hours in the hot humidity of Florida, surrounded by sometimes screaming guests. I'm still getting fawned over." Oliver leaned back. "But it's not me. It's Gaston. I can leave all the swooning here in the park and go home and no one bothers me about what I'm going to do with my life anymore. I don't have to think about it. At least not right now."

He got to act and put on the persona he'd been so good at honing over the years, but instead it was to touch the hearts of guests, of children, and make people's days magical. And, unlike Oliver, the guests remembered him and wanted to see him again. Not that he needed that sort of validation, but at least his presence meant something this way. At least he wasn't putting the persona on as a way of holding himself together anymore.

It was freeing.

He expected Levi felt the same way, but he didn't ask. It felt too personal to share.

"What do you want to do next?" Levi asked.

It was common knowledge people didn't stay face characters forever. Gaston and Jack Sparrow never aged. Actors did.

"I don't know. I'll probably go to school. Maybe I'll get to be a VIP Cast Member for a bit, see how I am at that. If I do, they'd probably pay for my school." Oliver rubbed his hands together. "I just wasn't ready to decide what I was going to be for the rest of my life. And now that all the other kids in our class have gone on to do whatever it is they're doing, they've forgotten all about me. I'm fine with that."

"So they weren't really your friends, then."

"The grass isn't always greener."

Levi exhaled. "Fine. We can hang out. Sometime. Without Nora around."

Oliver nodded. He did want to make up for being a jerk as a kid, but that's not why he wanted to be Levi's friend. "You know, besides lying to Nora, you're a pretty all right guy."

"Wow. If Gaston likes me, I must be a pretty amazing person."

"Oliver," he corrected, because he wasn't Gaston. "And I'd like to find out."

A custodial Cast Member opened the door, staring at them sitting in the musty dark. They both scrambled up, shoving each other aside to get through the door to head to their respective lands without another glance, already braced for getting yelled at.

But Oliver would see him again soon. He checked his phone on his sprint, pressing save on Levi's contact information.

Okay! Now what do you think of Oliver? Trust him? No?

Question of the Chapter: What is your favorite Disney fact? Tidbit? History? Etc.?

-Flips