{Hiya hello! Nothing much to say in this beginigninginign note, I saved it for Healing Cody's XD Pay no attention to my wonderful spelling of beginning. I literally can't spell that word for the life of me. I can't spell at all, actually xD VOTE AND COMMENT RAWR *kiss*}

Picture: Xzavier Resse 

Mason's POV:

I wake up warm. "'Zavier?" I mumble, my eyes not yet opened.

"Werg?" He mumbles, burying his face deeper into my chest and wrapping his arms around me tighter.

"What time is it?" I mumble, snuggling deeper against him, not thinking properly.

He groans. "How in the bloody hell should I know?" Xzavier mumbles. I mumble an apology, nuzzling my head against his bare chest.

"I don't like you," he groans, and I can hear the pout in his voice. "My bum hurts!"

I giggle slightly. "Sorry. Kind of. It was worth it."

"No!" He cries, gently smacking my back. "It wasn't worth it! You better carry me around all day, mister. I will not be able to walk."

"Wouldn't that be a little too obvious?" I ask, rolling my eyes, but smile nonetheless.

Xzavier buries his face into my back. "Stupid twat..." He grumbles, wincing again as he shifts. "Seriously, was that thing even real?"

"I think so," I say, nodding. "Did it feel real?"

"I think so... But then again, I've never had sex before, so..." He blushes slightly, looking away with a shrug.

I don't answer, just cuddle closer to him. The word sex just seems to be too much for me at the moment, and I begin to tremble slightly. Stop it, I command myself. It's Xzavier. It's just Xzavier.

"Are you okay?" Xzavier asks in concern, panic slowly rising in his voice. "Did I do something wrong? Oh, God, did I push you to have sex? Oh, fuck, I'm so sorry, Mason. Jesus Christ, I'm sorry. I'm so-"

"Xzavier," I say quietly. "It isn't your fault. Just... Just promise me something, okay?" He nods, looking like I could tell him to jump from a cliff and he wouldn't have second thoughts. "Don't get involved, alright? I've handled everything. I'm fine. Just don't get involved."

His eyebrows pull together, and I can see the confusion in his eyes. "Involved? Involved in what?"

I shake my head, giving up and burying my face in his chest again, his skin warm against my cheek. "Never mind," I mumble.

It takes a moment, but I guess what I said clicks in Xzavier's mind, 'cause he let's out an 'oooh.' "I won't. Not unless you want me to, that is."

"I don't," I tell him.

I look over at the clock on the wall, groaning. "I need to go," I say. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

He nods, leaning over to kiss me. "I love you," he says softly, and I know he means it, 'cause there is so much love in his eyes when ours lock.

I look into his eyes for a moment, entranced by the truth in them. "I love you, too," I finally say after a moment, my own words shocking me.

I mean, sure, I've said it before, but I was delirious. Lonely, and scared, and... Not me. But now...

My boyfriend smiles at me, and I'm shocked to see tears in his eyes. "You mean it," he whispers, his smile widening.

I nod. "I-I do. I mean it, I mean, I... Yeah," I say. I kiss him again before hurriedly dressing and rushing out of the house, bewildered.

~~~

The next day at school, I feel an arm sling around my shoulder, and when I turn, I see Christian grinning at me. "'Sup, buddy?" He asks, his smile faltering for half a second before it's back up.

I hesitate, before leaning into his touch. "Hey," I say softly.

His whole demeanor melts from cool to one that I can't quite place. "Hey," he whispers back, and I can hear the slightest hint of pain in his voice, the mask of happiness he's wearing cracking the slightest bit.

"What's wrong?" I demand, pulling him into an empty classroom and locking the door.

"I miss you," he chokes out, turning away from me. But not quick enough so that I don't see the tears forming in his eyes. He takes a deep breath, swallowing. "I'm sorry, I just miss hanging out with you is all..."

I wrap my arms around him, gently kissing his forehead. "I miss you, too," I admit in a mumble.

And that's all it takes for him to break down, burying his face into my chest. Christian barely ever cries, even with what happened to us, so to see this side of him, it's heartbreaking. I rub circles on his back, about to cry myself. I stop myself, though, for Christian's sake. "It's okay," I whisper in his ear, stroking his hair. "It's okay."

"No," he whimpers. "It won't be. Xzavier is going to be with you for a really long time, and I'll just have to be stuck watching, playing a happy friend when really I'm dying on the inside. Because the person I love is with another guy."

I let out a tiny whimper, almost inaudible, kissing the top of his head. The bell rings, but I don't move. "It's okay," I whimper, the lie clear in my voice. Christian doesn't say anything as he pulls out my arms, his eyes red and puffy, tears still flowing down his face.

I brush away his tears. "Do you wanna do something?" I ask softly, going back to my old self. "We can skip o-or something, and go back to my house. It's n-not exactly nice there, but..."

"You know I like your house," Chris says softly, smiling a bit as he buries his face back into my chest, hiccuping and sniffling. "And... If you want to... I don't want you to get into trouble, though."

"What trouble can I get into?" I ask, though being caught by the police and having them realize who I am sends shivers down my spine. "I'll be fine. Let's g-go."

I take Christian's hand and lead him out of the side door of the school, and we dash to his truck. He slides into the front seat, giving me a weary look. "Are you sure? What will Xzavier think?" I can tell by the way his voice hiccups slightly, and the dash of anger that crosses his face how much he hates Xzavier, but he keeps calm as he starts the engine.

"It doesn't matter," I say softly, a small smile coming to my face as I think of him. "He knows we're good friends."

Christian glares at the steering wheel for a second before he takes a calming breath and nods. "Yeah, whatever," he mumbles, backing out of the parking lot and to my house.

When we get to my house, I hop out of the car, grabbing his hand and bringing him into the living room, sitting on my one couch. "Sorry," I mumble, embarrassed about the lack of, well, everything.

Chris just smiles, carefully sitting next to me. "I like it," he declares, smiling at me. "It's cozy."

"Thanks," I say with a slight chuckle. I rest my head on his chest casually, closing my eyes. "It's so strange..." I mumble.

"What is?" He asks, stroking my hair softly.

"Only a year or two ago..." I shake my head. "It was just so different."

Christian nods, and I can feel him shudder the slightest bit. "Yeah... I know... Fuck, I can't believe that actually happened. I mean, it felt like a dream. Or, more like a nightmare... You only see that kind of shit in movies, you know?"

I nod in agreement. "He kept warning me... They all did..." I shake my head. "I was just too stupid to believe them."

"My brother tried to warn me... He said As- Kyle said he was bad news and that I was going to get hurt, but... I loved him. He seemed so nice, when, in reality, he was an asshole to me all the time..."

"Looking back on it," I mumble, nodding slowly. "Looking back on it, he was an ass. I didn't realize it, but..."

Chris whimpers the slightest bit, but covers it up as a cough. "Yeah... Well, he's in jail for life and then some, so..."

I snuggle against him. "I know," I assure. "It's just... He was really smart... He is really smart..."

"They know that, though, and they'll keep him locked up tight." Christian gently turns me in his arms, his eyes locking with mine. "Mason, I really need to tell you something... I know I've said it before, but..." He looks away, taking a shaky breath, but doesn't go on.

"What is it?" I whisper.

He frowns even deeper, turning to face me again. "I love you," he chokes out, biting his lip so hard, I can see it bleed a bit. "I love you so fucking much, Mason..."

I wrap my arms around his neck and press my forehead against his, trying not to sob. "I know," I whisper back. "I- I'm sorry..." Chris just stares back at me with sad, broken eyes, and I can tell he trying his hardest not to break down.

Even though I know it's wrong, and I really shouldn't do this, I press my lips against his, rubbing slow circles on his arm. He kisses me back slowly, sobbing into the kiss as he holds me tightly. I start to cry a little bit, too, straddling him on the couch and kissing him softly.

"I love you," he cries, wrapping his arms around my neck. "I love you so much..."

"I love you, too," I whimper, my hands cupping his face.

After a minute or so, Christian pulls away, looking deeply into my eyes with his hands clamped on my shoulders. "We shouldn't have done that," he whispers. "You're dating Xzavier..."

"I know. He can't find out about this," I beg. "Please. I- Christian, please, I love him..."

He closes his eyes tightly, tears leaking down his face. "We can't be friends," he finally tells me, cracking his eyes back open. "We can't be friends, Mason."

"Why?" I ask in panic. "Why not?"

"Because," Chris chokes out, pushing me off of him and scooting to the far end of the couch, knees to his chest. "I can't watch my best friend and the love of my life together- I just can't do it. I'm sorry if it seems selfish, but... I can't do it, Mason..."

"Please," I whimper. "I can't lose you... Not after everything that happened..."

The brunette buries his face into his hand, silently crying. "I'm so sorry... But I can't do it... I would break down in front of him, and I... I can't... I'm so fucking sorry..."

"Christian..." I wrap my arms around him and cry into his shoulder, refusing to let him go.

The door creaks open, and when I look up, I see Xzavier standing there, watching us with wide eyes. "What the hell...?"

I shake my head, my mouth open wide as I sob, holding onto Christian like my life depends on it. At one point, it did.

Christian wraps one arm around me, but forces the tears to stop as he stares at Xzavier. "Why aren't you in school?" He asks, sounding more like a father than a best friend.

"I was worried..." Xzavier says slowly, walking over to the couch and gently grabbing my arm. "Are you okay, Mason?"

I hug his arm like a leech, shaking my head and pulling him against me, sobbing into his chest. I try to speak, but I can't remember how. "Hey, it's alright, Mason. Breathe, okay? Breathe." Xzavier gently strokes my hair, kissing the top of my head.

I think I eventually fall asleep, because the next thing I know, I wake up on top of Xzavier, Christian no where in sight. "X... Zavier?" I mumble, hugging him tighter.

He smiles softly at me, kissing my cheek. "Had a nice nap?" He asks, resting his head on my shoulder. I nod silently, cuddling back against him. I want to ask where Christian is, but if I think about him for too long, I might start crying again, so I push the thought from my mind. "Are you feelin' hungry? Do you want to go out to eat?"

I shrug, nodding. "Sure," I say with a scratchy voice.

"Any place in particular?" My boyfriend asks, standing from the couch and taking me with him.

I shake my head, my hand clamped around his. "No, I don't care," I whisper as to not hurt my voice, clutching his hand tightly, like he might leave me if I let go for even a second.

"Alright," he says, pulling me out the door and to his car, silently driving to a restaurant. Once we're sat down and have ordered our food, he looks at me. "Do you want to tell me why you were crying?" I think for a moment, before shaking my head, my fingers still locked with his. "Alright... That's fine. But know that no matter what you tell me, I won't tell anybody or make fun of you or anything, okay?"

I nod, though my throat goes dry as I think about what he might do if he found out what happened. I scoot closer to him nervously, feeling cold with Christian's absence. When the food arrives, Xzavier picks at his plate, looking lost in thought as he nibbles on a fry.

I don't say anything, afraid of what might slip out. By the time we're finished eating, I'm not ready to go back to being alone in my cold, empty house. I hang onto my boyfriend's arm nervously, keeping close to him despite the stares. "Do you want to come over? My mum's baking some cookies. They're quite lovely, actually."

I nod quickly. "Yeah," I say, forcing myself to calm down a little bit. "Yeah. Thanks."

He smiles at me, and we take the short drive to his home. "Mum! Mason's here!"

Mrs. Reese walks out of the kitchen, a bowl of cookie dough in her hands. "'Ello, boys. How are you two? Shouldn't you be in school?"

Xzavier shrugs. "Probably. But it's one day, and I have the last few periods free, so it doesn't matter."

His mother rolls her eyes, but smiles nonetheless. "Alright, then. Do you guys want some cookies?" Xzavier turns to me with a raised eyebrow, smiling slightly.

I shrug again, nodding. "Sure," I say quietly, nervously stepping closer to Xzavier while Mrs. Reese stares at me. The woman smiles warmly, holding out the spoon covered in cookie dough.

"You shouldn't really eat it 'cause it has raw eggs, but it's definitely the best part." She hands me the spoon before retreating to the kitchen.

"Come on, then," Xzavier says, pulling after his mom and grabbing a cookie for me and him.

I sit down at the table next to my boyfriend, a little closer than necessary. But he just smiles, wrapping an arm around me as he nibbles on a cookie. "So, Mason, how are you?" Mrs. Reese asks, putting another batch of cookies into the oven.

"I'm okay," I lie obviously. "How are you?"

"Lovely, thank you for asking." She smiles at me before turning to Xzavier. "Take the cookies out when the buzzer dings. I'll be back in an hour. Have fun boys! It was nice seeing you again, Mason."

"Thanks," I mumble, resting my head on Xavier's shoulder. She leaves the room, leaving my boyfriend and I alone.

"Now that she's gone, how are you really?" He asks, turning to me with so much concern in his eyes as he places a delicate hand on my arm.

I shrug. "Tired," I say vaguely. "Can I... Can I stay here tonight?"

My boyfriend nods, pulling me to my feet and to his room, where he lays us down on the bed. "Of course. You're welcome to stay whenever you need to."

"I love you," I whisper truthfully, hugging him tightly.

"I love you more," he whispers back, pulling the covers over us and burying his face into my chest.

I kiss the top of his head, stroking his hair. "Thanks."

"For what? Loving you?" Xzavier asks while yawning, snuggling close to me. "No big deal, it's easy."

"It doesn't seem like it," I admit in a mumble, rubbing his back.

"You're a loveable person," he tells me, looking up at me with a slight smile. "You're sweet and nice when you want to be, not to mention you love me back. And, best of all, you're hot. As hell. And a great kisser."

I roll my eyes, forcing myself not to blush. "Yeah. Hot. Sure."

He nods, poking my cheek. "As hot as they come," he tells me, laughing slightly. "You are very good looking, Mason. Even when I hated you I was turned on by you."

"You hated me?" I ask curiously, though I'm not really surprised.

"At one point. But it was never very strong," he admits. "You were a real dick to me for no reason, and not only did that make me mad, but it made me really sad, 'cause I didn't have any friends to begin with, and then you kept being an asshole to me, and..." He shrugs, sighing softly. "Well, that's the past..."

I kiss his cheek, nodding and brushing hair out of his face. "Yeah," I whisper. "It's in the past."

"Mason?" The curly-haired boy asks softly, peeking at me.

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you hate me so much?" He whimpers, and I can see fear in his eyes. "I hadn't even talked to you, and you hated me..."

My eyes widen. I sit up with him, kissing him softly. "Calm down," I whisper gently. "Calm down, Xzavier."

"I didn't say a single word- Hell, I didn't even know you until then... And you hated me..." Xzavier says, looking extremely upset, his whole body drooping.

"I was just scared," I say quickly, not watching my mouth. "I was scared and I didn't want you to hurt me. Xzavier, you were- You are -perfect, and it scared me, and I'm sorry. Don't be sad, please don't be sad." I frown deeply, kissing his face repeatedly.

He nods slowly, kissing me back. "It's fine... And I would never hurt you," he says gently. "Hell, I wouldn't hurt a bug. It's just not me."

I hug him tightly. "I'm sorry," I whisper in agony. "I shouldn't have been such an asshole."

"Just... Don't hate me again, and it'll be fine, okay?" Xzavier takes my hands gently, chin resting on my shoulder. "I love you, Mason."

"I love you, too. I could never hate you."

At the moment, I'm being honest.

~~~

*sigh* I mean, as the author, I should be all like YAY, GUYS, SHIP THEM! But I'm on the sidelines, watching Xzavier and Mason, waving a flag that says 'MasonxChristian' *snickers*

I'm a weird person, I seriously can't *sigh*

Anyway, I'm half deliousanl from hardly any sleep, so if this authors note makes zero sense (like most of the rest) then you know why

Anyway, let's just chat. I wish I could sit down with every single one of you and just chit chat (I'm always here if you wanna talk. Most of you know that), but obviously that's impossible. SO WE SHALL DO IT ON HERE!

OOH, CAN WE PLAY A QUICK GAME OF TWENTY QUESTIONS? WITH ONLY FIVE QUESTIONS SO NO ONE DIES OF BOREDOM?!

Lez go

Question One: What's your favorite character from any of our books (Including Runaway, Every Rose Has Its Thorn, and our personal books)?

Mine has to be Aaron :3 Aaron is just so fucking cute, I love him so much. And I have a major crush on December, too :3 AND THERE'S A CHARACTER IN THE LATER BOOKS THAT IS SO FUCKING CUTE AND IS LITERALLY JUST LIKE ZAYNE XD

Question Two: What's your favorite food?

Mine's mashed potatoes :3

Question Three: How old are y'all?

I'm fifteen :3 I'll be sixteen in November :)

Question Four: Do you guys have any pets? If so, what kind?

I have a Siamese cat, and a Purple Nose Pitbull :3

LAST QUESTION: Who's your celebrity/YouTube crush?

My celebrity crush has got to be Nick Robinson (aka, the actor who plays Gio XD), and my YouTube crush is Markiplier, my baby *squeal* And everyone who has been here long enough knows my real life crush. I'm pretty sure. Considering my crush is the co-author XD

THIS IS WAY TOO LONG, WTF

VOTE AND COMMENT

XO,

ALYSSAAAA <3