There was a lot of stuff happening this week that Teddy was forced to keep up with. Teddy was used to living in his own bubble and keeping his eyes forward until the next day, when he would do the exact same thing. But, every single morning, Howl was following him around trying to get advice from him. Apparently, Fisher was even more pissed at him than he expected and now, he wanted to do right by him. Howl told him the entire story, from start to finish, and was even hounding Teddy with questions the entire week.

"I've never had a boyfriend before. Besides, I don't even think Fisher likes me enough to let me be his boyfriend." Howl went on and on as they walked through the halls.

Teddy silently begged mercy to whatever god would listen to his prayers as they rounded the corner of the school hallways. He wasn't even listening all that much, until that particular confession caught Teddy's attention. "Wait.. You've never had a boyfriend before? That's gotta be a fucking lie, Howl."

"I'm serious!" Howl pressed, growing a bit bouncier now that Teddy was paying attention. He was acting just like Zoe, going on and on like this. "I've flirted with guys, I've made out with guys, slept with some, but I've never been in a committed relationship."

Teddy sighed and shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you, Howl. I don't know how to date guys anymore than you do."

When Teddy and Howl made it to Teddy's classroom, Howl grabbed his arm before he could escape. "I'll meet you here after class. Mine is only two doors down."

"Awesome." Teddy forced a smile and slipped his arm out of Howl's grip. He didn't understand why he had to be stopped for that. That was something that could easily be said in passing, in Teddy's opinion.

Teddy and Howl had always been the first ones to acknowledge each other in a crowd but, they were never close. As of lately, though, Howl was almost his best friend. With this whole Fisher thing, he wouldn't leave Teddy alone but, even before that, they somehow connected via Zoe's influence. Teddy wasn't used to always having company around him all the time, though. Having Zoe on his tail multiple times a day was enough for him. Now, with this new crisis Howl was in, he was constantly being followed around.

It was exhausting.

Surprisingly, though, when Zoe came trotting into the library again, Teddy was relieved. He hadn't even taken a moment to appreciate the fact that she was wearing jeans again. Since there was suddenly so much snow outside, she really had no choice unless she wanted to suffer. Zoe still wore heels though, which surprisingly looked good with her skinny jeans and fancy sweater. She still looked just as bright and preppy as usual.

Actually, she didn't. Zoe actually looked rather annoyed as she typed frantically on her phone. She hadn't even looked up since she walked into the library. Teddy noticed that earlier this week as well. She was on her phone more and more every day. Either, her friends were growing a bit too clingy or, she had upcoming work she had to focus on. Still, Teddy had lots to say to her after Howl had chatted his ear off so much this morning.

"Oh my god, Zoe... Have you talked to Howl at all?" Teddy groaned, a bit of amusement still lacing his low voice.

Zoe stopped in her tracks as her eyes snapped up from her phone. "No. Why? Is he upset with me?"

"What? No." Teddy's eyebrows furrowed. He tried to search his brain for whatever part of Howl's endless rambling would indicate that Howl was upset with Zoe. "Over the party thing? No. He's not even thinking about that, he's so consumed by his anxiety over Fisher."

"Oh, thank god." Zoe let out a big sigh of relief as she continued to her chair. "I mean, that's not good for Howl but, you know..."

Teddy got comfortable beside Zoe as he watched her dig hurriedly through her bag. "Howl has been following me around all day, Zo. He's in total panic mode. I swear, it's a nightmare. And, I don't think he has even talked to Fisher yet because, he's so-"

Teddy was cut off by Zoe's phone vibrating on the table they were sat at. Zoe rushed to answer it, greeting someone named Mr. Graham. Teddy recognized that name from somewhere. Zoe rambled on the phone with Mr. Graham about dates and times of certain events that were meant to take place around Christmas. When Zoe finally found what she needed in her bag, she held her phone between her shoulder and her ear as she opened up some kind of day planner.

"I was told it was Saturday night at 9:30." Zoe firmly spoke as her slender finger trailed down one page. Teddy sat back and smirked as he realized this is what her business voice sounded like. "Five? They're moving it all the way back to five? I'll still be at a fitting at five, Mr. Graham."

Teddy waited patiently for Zoe to be done on the phone, trying to focus on his own work as she rambled on and on beside him. It was distracting trying to count numbers when Zoe was listing names of fancy restaurants, hotels, and naming people he didn't recognize but sounded important. Teddy stole a glance at her planner as she scribbled something with a glitter gel pen. It was a name and an address of some sort, all of which in a familiar, bubbly handwriting.

"No. No, no, no! Mr. Graham!" Zoe panicked, sitting up straighter and straighter in her seat as her hands reached out into nothingness. "Crap!"

"Shit!" Teddy cursed under his breath, correcting Zoe's censored curse for his own amusement. Zoe still shot him a playful glare, which made Teddy triumphantly smirk.

Zoe turned her attention away from Teddy and grabbed her phone from her shoulder and stared at the screen. It seemed Mr. Graham had prematurely hung up on Zoe. She muttered under her breath as she searched for another number in her contacts. Teddy was subconsciously staring as Zoe held her phone to her ear and started scribbling notes again. She got no answer and instantly growled, visibly and audibly frustrated as she looked for another number.

"What's going on?" Teddy reluctantly asked. "Work?"

"Yes." Zoe held her phone to her ear with a pout on her face. "It's this whole big Christmas thing that my parents do every year and they want to start rebranding me for the new year so, I have fittings and meetings and business dinners with- Yes! Hello!" Zoe shouted when she finally got someone on the phone again.

"Rebranding you?" Teddy's face contorted in confusion as he stared at Zoe, although, her attention was elsewhere.

Teddy was shocked, even if he knew he shouldn't be. He heard enough about her parents to believe rebranding was probably the exact word they used. Teddy was still offended, though. Zoe wasn't a new model of her parents expensive cars. She wasn't a product that they should be selling. She was just a normal girl trying to have normal friends and a normal life. Although, her parents probably thought of her as a sellable product because they probably made money off of her. That annoyed Teddy the most.

From what Teddy understood, her parents weren't all that affectionate either. He heard her talking to Kenneth when her parents wouldn't come and see her cheer that night and she claimed they were in Beijing, when they were really, probably, in New York. Zoe was probably always being neglected like this. The last time Teddy heard Zoe getting attention from her parents was after those videos went viral and they just yelled at her. They didn't care about her. They just cared about making money off of her.

"It's me, Zoe Yang. Uh-huh.." Zoe played with her glitter gel pen, her eyes glazed over. "No, I know, that's why I called." She paused to listen. "Well, I was just on the phone with Mr. Graham and he told me differently." Pause. "Okay. Okay. So, five is correct, then? Perfect! Thank you!"

Zoe hung up and muttered another censored curse under her breath. Teddy used the uncensored version but she paid no attention to him. She sounded so calm and sweet on the phone and then got upset right after, which was almost amusing to Teddy. She even had to play the part of perfect little princess on the phone. Although, that part was dumb and frustrating to him, it was still funny to watch her get frustrated.

Zoe was never angry. She cried a lot but she was never angry. It was entertaining to see her manicured nails aggressively tap against her phone.

"God, these things look freaking disgusting." Zoe stopped her typing to examine said nails. She sighed and started typing again. "Remind me to call my nail tech before I leave for Los Angelos."

"Leave?" Teddy asked. He hadn't exactly let that part process but, when she said she had fittings, meetings, and business dinners, that probably meant she wasn't going to be here for Christmas. "When?"

"Couple weeks from now." Zoe answered, holding her phone to her ear with one hand as she stared at her nails on her other. "Hi, Kenneth. Are you with mom? She's not answering my calls and, apparently, everybody is adjusting their plans and-" Pause. "Well, I'll talk to dad, too, since you're with him."

Teddy sighed and returned his attention back to his work. If he paid too close attention to this, it'd drive him crazy. He didn't like Zoe's parents. He used to have really good ones before his life went to shit and it angered him that Zoe probably never got to experience good parents. She was a product of their empire, not their daughter. She was sitting here making endless, frustrating calls like she was an adult and she wasn't. It was all bullshit.

Her parents should be doing this if they wanted Zoe to have such a fruitful career so badly because, Teddy was sure Zoe didn't give two shits.

Zoe was eventually hung up on again, her head falling to slam against the table as she groaned. Teddy stared at her, wondering if she was actually upset or just a bit frustrated. He didn't even care about telling Zoe about Howl anymore. She worried too much about over peoples problems and it seemed she had enough on her plate. She had put herself in Howl and Fisher's business too much already.

Teddy watched Zoe's head roll so she was laid on her cheek, her hand raising as she glared at her manicured nails again. "These are so ugly, Teddy."

Teddy glanced at her hand but couldn't see her nails. He wasn't convinced she was actually upset about her nails, anyways but, he played along. "You should get them painted with Christmas colors."

A faint smile pulled at Zoe's lips as she dropped her hand to lock eyes with Teddy. "Should I?" Teddy nodded. "Okay."

Teddy's eyes fell to his textbook again but, he didn't read a single word as he let his thoughts run free for a moment. When his eyes shifted to Zoe again, her eyes were closed, eyelashes resting on her pale cheeks. Maybe that's why Zoe was fast asleep the last time they were in the library together, she was so busy keeping up with everyone and making plans for Christmas that she was losing sleep. Or, she was just so stressed and frustrated that she just passed out here and there.

"You're here earlier than usual." Teddy said as he pulled out his phone to check the time. "Didn't you eat?"

"No. I'm dieting." Zoe sleepily muttered.

"Dieting? Dieting doesn't mean not eating, Zoe." Teddy retorted.

Zoe's phone vibrated again and she shot up to answer it. Her hand ran through her long, bleach blonde locks as she greeted the person on the phone. Teddy's eyes stayed glued to her hair as it all gathered behind her until she swept it all to one side. Her hair always looked so angelic when it all trickled into place like that. It looked so soft and healthy. Teddy had to resist the sudden urge to reach out and touch it again.

Zoe suddenly got up and grabbed her things in a hurry. She pulled her phone away and covered it just for a moment to talk to Teddy. "This is going to be a long call.. I'll talk to you later."

Teddy simply nodded and waved once at her before she hurriedly slipped away. That weird, unsettling feeling of loneliness returned and Teddy couldn't help but feel bitter about it. Zoe had forced her way into Teddy's life so much that he actually noticed when she was gone now. He liked it better when he didn't even notice when she was around. Missing her was even more frustrating that being annoyed with her presence.

It made Teddy shiver with disgust and discomfort as he realized he had gotten used to be around other humans. He felt dirty in his own skin with that feeling lingering around inside him. Being alone was so simple and easy and familiar. He was so far out of his comfort zone now that Zoe was a part of his life. And is not like Howl made the feeling any better. He was trying just a attached as her. Soon, Teddy feared he might start missing Howl's company as well.

More shivers....

Teddy, luckily, didn't see Zoe for the rest of the day. She would occasionally pop up at his locker for a quick chat on any other day but, she was overwhelmingly busy. He couldn't help but look around in the hallways and steal glances in her classrooms when he passed by between classes. She wasn't anywhere to be seen. She wasn't even with her pile of friends. He assumed she left early to focus on work but hoped she hadn't hopped on a plane without saying anything, like she usually did.

It wasn't until he stepped outside to leave school for the day that he found Zoe hiding outside as she rambled on the phone. When she spotted Teddy, her eyebrows shot up with intrigue as she cupped her hand over her phone.

"Are you leaving school early?" Zoe asked.

Teddy snorted a laugh. "No, Bozo. School is over."

"What?" She pulled her phone away from her ear to check the time. Just as she did, the bell rung through the school. "Oh, shoot!"

"Oh, shit!" Teddy mockingly corrected her again, flashing Zoe a big, cocky smile when she glared at him again.

Teddy continued onwards to go home, Zoe skipping to catch up with him so she didn't get trampled by all the students hurriedly funneling out from every door of the building. She was still on the phone as she discussed wardrobe stuff with whoever was on the other end. Teddy didn't say anything as he listened, continuously amused by Zoe's business voice and the kind of things she had to think about when she was working.

"No, no, no! We said no kitten heels. We exclusively specified no kitten heels." Zoe was using her firm, business voice again and it made Teddy smile.

Teddy could tell she was trying to be gentle and sweet but still get her point across. The complicated combination was entertaining. Although, she was so focused on her phone call that she wasn't even watching where she was waking. Just like on his birthday, Teddy gently pulled her away from the curb when she nearly stepped right off of it and into the street. Zoe was too busy to even acknowledge him as he took her place on the outside of the sidewalk, for her own safety, of course.

"I swear, I didn't make that mistake. I double checked." Zoe paused as she stared at nothing, her legs moving in autopilot. "Let me put you on hold so, I can check the email."

Teddy glanced at Zoe as she pulled her phone from her ear and searched her phone for said email. When she found it, she furiously scanned every single word until she loudly gasped, her hand cupping over her mouth. Teddy curiously leant towards Zoe to see her phone screen. There was a whole list of clothing items and, at the very bottom, emphasized by parentheses and exclamation points, were the words- ON KITTEN HEELS. Teddy instantly burst out in laughter, laughing so hard, in fact, that he doubled over to grip his stomach.

"Stop it!" Zoe whined and slapped the back of Teddy's head. He flinched but kept laughing as he stumbled forward to follow Zoe up the sidewalk. Zoe resumed her call with her face in her hand. "Yes, that was my mistake. I'm very sorry. Yes, I know, I know. I apologize."

When they finally reached his apartment, Teddy gently tapped Zoe's arm to let her know he was about to split. Zoe turned in a circle as Teddy dipped out behind her, catching his arm just before he reached the steps the led down to the alleyway. Teddy turned around and was taken aback by the desperation in Zoe's eyes as she tugged him away from his house.

"What?" Teddy cried in confusion as he leant away from the blonde.

Zoe tilted her phone so she wasn't talking into it. "Come with me. I need your help." Zoe whimpered and whined.

"What? No! I have to go to work in like twenty minutes."

"Please, Teddy!" Zoe whined, her foot stomping her high heel into the snow coating the sidewalk. "I need your help! Please, please, pleeeaaase! I'm gonna cry! Please, Teddy! I have so much to do, I can't! Pleeeaaase!"

"Alright, fine!" Teddy caved just so she would stop whining and crying like a four year old.

Zoe's pout remained but got a bit lighter as she continued to cling to his arm. He sighed and led her carefully across the street to her house, waiting as she typed in the code at her gate. Teddy couldn't help but look over his shoulder to see if Zoe's friends were walking home already. They usually weren't too far behind or in front of him on the journey home. But, Zoe also said that Chuck was going to start picking everyone up in his car when it started snowing. Had they already drove by and seen them together.

Luckily, when Teddy and Zoe passed her gate and started up her driveway, he felt a little less anxious about it. Her fences were brick so they would only be able to see Teddy if they saw through the openings in her metal gate. Teddy felt even better when they were actually in her house and nobody could them at all. He didn't know why he was worried about it but, it weirded him out. It's not like anybody would understand their relationship, nor would they encourage it.

"Okay. That's fine. You can't fix it. So now, who do I call that can fix it?" Zoe asked as she kicked off her heels. Teddy found it amusing when he watched her instantly shrink a few inches. "Hinata? Perfect. Thank you."

Zoe hung up, dialed another number, and ran her hands through her hair to toss it aside again as she stepped into her living room. She looked like she was on a mission with quick, but soft, steps.

Teddy sighed but followed her. "Zoe, I have to go to work. I really can't follow you around while you're on the phone all day."

Zoe looked over her shoulder with a pout. "I just need you for one little thing and then you can leave. Please, Teddy, I could really use the help."

Teddy's jaw clenched and relaxed as he debated what he should be doing in this sort of situation. Not too long ago, Teddy would've refused to ever go into Zoe's house and wouldn't even give her a second thought if she was this stressed out. Unfortunately, there was some switch in his brain that had flipped and he was stuck in the constant state of... compliancy. When she needed someone to watch where she was walking for her, he was there. When she asked him to come over, he agreed. When she needed help with something, he somehow couldn't say no.

"Fine, but, if it takes more than ten minutes, I'm out of here." Teddy declared.

"Oh, Teddy, thank you so much." Zoe happily squealed and grabbed his arm to drag him to the couch.

Zoe sat on the couch, wedging her phone between her ear and she shoulder as she suddenly started speaking a foreign language into her phone. Teddy's eyes went wide as he stared at Zoe in pure shock. She was rambling on and on like a cassette tape on double speed. She was obviously fluent. Teddy wasn't good at deciphering between different foreign languages but it sounded Japanese. And Zoe was Japanese so he could only assume that was it.

"Hey, Bozo.." Teddy spoke with concern as she grabbed and unlocked an iPad that was on the coffee table. She temporarily froze to lock eyes with him. "I think your language switch broke. Is there someway to fix that? You're freaking me out."

Zoe chuckled and said something quickly in Japanese before she put the call on hold and set her phone down. "I'm talking to my Japanese stylists. She always helps my parents and I when we visit for events and whatnot. She's suppose to be styling me for our Japanese event this Christmas but... I totally messed up my outfits. Anyways, this is what I need your help with."

After Zoe logged in to her email on the iPad, she got comfortable against the couch with her legs crossed under her. Teddy also relaxed back against the couch and took the iPad when Zoe handed it to him.

"You see all of these emails with my mothers name in them?" Teddy nodded. He didn't know Zoe's mother's first name but he recognized Yang and assumed Rin was her name since that was all he was seeing. "I need you to connect the IPad to the TV so I can't see them on a bigger screen and send the photos to the printer. Please and thank you."

"Wait a minute, Bozo.." Teddy scoffed and turned to Zoe. "There's like fifteen emails, and the first one has ten photos. I don't have time for that. I have to go make money."

"Oh, come on, please!" Zoe reached for her phone again. She didn't continue her call but held it to her chest, indicating she was about to. "I'll pay you!"

Teddy's eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed as he stared at Zoe. He didn't know how he felt about taking Zoe's money but he knew she had enough of it already. Also, he wouldn't feel so bad about missing work if he was still getting paid.

"How much?" Teddy questioned.

"50 an hour." Zoe carelessly blurted.

Teddy's eyes went wide. "An hour? How long do you want me here?"

"As long as you're willing." Zoe shook her phone, obviously anxious to get back to her call. "Do we have a deal?"

Teddy almost talked himself into debating it but, it felt too good to pass up. "Sure." He shrugged.

"Oh, thank you!" Zoe cried with relief and resumed her call, her Japanese coming in full effect again.

-

"Collins! That's your third strike! Get off the ice!" Coach Landry yelled from the penalty box, banging his fist on the plexiglass to get Brett's attention.

Brett turned and threw his heavily padded arms up. "But, Coach-"

"Nuh-uh!" Landry shook his head and waved his hand towards himself. "Come on! Now!"

Brett growled and angrily kicked himself forward, leaving his teammmates to help Robinson up after checking him into the wall. Landry obnoxiously smacked on his gum, his arms folded over his chest, as Brett made his way across the ice. Brett angrily forced his helmet off his head and threw it into the penalty box before he stepped into it as well. Landry didn't flinch or give Brett a reaction as he threw his mini temper tantrum.

"What's the big fuckin' deal, anyways? You get checked in hockey! How else are they gonna learn to deal with it?" Brett defended as he slumped on to the bench.

Landry shook his head, his eyes on his players as he gestured for them to start up the play again. "This is just practice, Collins. There's nobody here but your teammates and, frankly, I don't want you jeopardizing their conditions just because you've been going through some shit at home."

"I'm not going through shit at home! Don't fuckin' assume shit!" Brett barked back.

Landry looked back at Brett, meeting his heated, angry glare. The kid was sweating like a pig. It was dripping down his face and everything. Landry wasn't even surprised by Brett's aggressive attitude. He was always a little rough around the edges. Although, Landry had never seen Brett like this. He had been like this for a couple weeks now and it was starting to effect the team. Brett was on thin ice with everyone right now.

"You gonna talk to me like that, Collins? Really?" Landry asked, his voice calm but an intimidating fire in his eyes. Brett's jaw clenched as he dropped his head into his hands. "You're getting aggressive with the team, you're getting aggressive with me, and don't even think I haven't seen all the school work you haven't done in the past two weeks, Collins."

"I know, I know, I know..." Brett seethed through gritted teeth as he ran his hands up and down his face, wiping his sweat back into his hair as he sighed. He kept his fingers linked behind his neck as he stared at the floor. "I'm sorry, Coach. I'm sorry. Just let me back on the ice."

"Nope. I'm sending you home. Get out." Coach Landry coldly declared.

Brett looked up, his face contorted with outrage. Landry wasn't looking at him though as he watched his players skate around the ice and pass the puck between one another.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Brett stood up and grabbed Landry's shoulder, forcing him to look at him. "I'm fine, Coach! Let me back on the ice! I won't hurt anybody if everybody wants to be pussies about it!"

Landry jerked his shoulder out of Brett's grip and turned back to the ice rink. "Go, Collins. Nobody wants you here when you're like this. Get your head straight and then, maybe, I'll let you play with the big kids again."

Get your head straight.

Brett clenched his jaw so tight that his teeth nearly shattered as his brain started to short circuit. Red mist was already clouding his vision as he grabbed his helmet and stomped out of the ice box. Landry could hear Brett throw his helmet again somewhere near the locker rooms as he barked a curse. He simply shook his head and cupped his hands around his mouth to yell over all the ice skates in the rink when Malcom missed a shot with a textbook mistake.

Howl slowly rose from his seat all the way at the top of the bleachers and slowly walked through them. He kept his arms wrapped around himself as he trudged through the building to find the locker rooms. It wasn't that hard to find the locker rooms with Brett pounding on shit and yelling curses left and right. Howl just had to follow the noise. It didn't even look like Coach Landry cared and none of the team could probably hear since they were busy practicing.

When Howl made it to the locker rooms, though, a spark of panic ignited through his whole body as Brett started pounding on a locker. The familiar, aggressive jingly of metal against metal echoing all around the locker room made Howl instantly shut down. He leant back against the wall outside the locker room and closed his eyes to take a few long breaths. Brett pounded on the locker again and Howl flinched, his tense muscles seizing with fear.

When everything was silent again, Howl felt his muscles relax. He hated the sound of rattling lockers more than anything. It was almost enough to make Howl up and leave. Unfortunately, Howl was on a mission. This was probably his most important mission since the ninth grade. So, Howl bravely took a step into the locker room and walked as quietly as he could until he found Brett sat shirtless on a bench with his head in his hands, all of his hockey gear shed and scattered everywhere.

Howl stuck his hands in the back pockets of his jeans as he leant against a brick pillar. "Lookin' rough, Collins."

Brett raised his head, his bloodshot eyes that had dark bags hanging from them meeting Howl's. Brett didn't say a word as the red mist returned. He simply got up and grabbed his hockey stick as he charged at Howl, all of his muscles flexed and the expression on his face full of more anger and hatred than Howl had ever seen before.

"Whoa! Whoa! Wait a min-" Howl skipped backwards in a panic but, his pleas for mercy weren't heard as Brett pulled back his hockey stick with both hands.

Howl cried out in pain when Brett managed to hit him right across his ribs. He was stunned from the amount of pain shooting through his body as he gripped his stomach. It felt like Brett broke skin, or broke something. If not, his strike was fast enough to spark up searing fire beneath Howl's skin. Unfortunately, Brett wasn't finished as he pulled his hockey stick back to hit him again. He struck Howl in the back this time, sending him to the ground with an angry growl. Howl writhed on the floor in pain, his eyes squeezed shit and teeth gritted as he tried to breathe through the pain.

Brett threw his hockey stick aside and smiled as he felt a bit of power return to him again. That felt good, taking Howl down like that. He had a lot of anger and frustration building up since that big fight in the gymnasium. Day after day, it was just getting harder and harder to keep under control. This was the first time that Howl had conveniently showed up and Brett was happy. Well, of course, he wasn't happy. He was the polar opposite of happy. But, at least, beating the ever-living shit out of Howl would make him happy again.

"Oh, Emmitt..." Brett rolled his shoulders and clapped his hands together to rub them together, a big, devilish grin on his face. "God, I've missed you! This is so perfect that you're here right now!"

Howl rolled off his back and on to his hands and knees, moaning and groaning the entire time as he held onto his shattered rib cage. "Brett.. Hold on, man.. Give me a fair chance."

"Not a fucking chance, Emmitt." Brett laughed.

Brett showed no mercy in throwing his leg into Howl's stomach, kicking him so hard that Howl actually slid back a foot or so. Tears broke through Howl's eyes that were squeezed shut as he quietly suffered through the pain. Brett didn't waste any time in grabbing Howl by his shirt and forcing him to his feet, slamming him back against the lockers when he had no stability. Howl flinched and ducked his head as the clattering metal rang torturously in his ears. This was it, all over again.

Without hesitation, Brett threw his fist repeatedly into Howl's face, his other hand finding it's way around Howl's throat. Being chocked, being punched in the face, and enduring the pain of likely shattered ribs was all so dizzying that Howl couldn't focus on one particular pain at a time. He was in pain from head to toe. All he could do was blindly reach for Brett's wrist but, his fingers were too weak to do anything about it. Luckily, when Brett spotted blood, he was satisfied with what he did to Howl's face.

"I've got to admit, Emmitt. You've really done it." Brett's voice was high and cheery but there was just enough crack in his voice for Howl to know he was breaking at the seams. "You got your revenge. You did it. You broke me. I'm broken..."

Howl fought through the pain in his face, back, and ribs as he rose his head to meet Brett's stare. His bloodshot eyes looked even worse when they were this close. And, the fact that he was starting to cry made them even redder and gloomier. Howl didn't say a word or move a muscle as he stared Brett dead in his eyes. He didn't care about the pain, he didn't care about the lockers, he didn't care about the intense fear. It was just him and Brett.

"My friends look at me funny, you know.." Brett calmly began, tears pouring from his eyes. "They know. They've put the puzzle pieces together. After three years, it was bound to happen. I almost had a girlfriend, there, for a second, before your little boy toy got in the mix. That was really the cherry on top of the fucking cake. That was what did it for everyone. That's how they figured it out. That's how the entire school figured it out..."

Fisher was quick to pop into Howl's head and he suddenly feared Brett might go for him next, if he was going to continue with this mental breakdown of his. This wasn't Fisher's burden to bare, though. That's why Howl was here. He was here for Fisher.

"Everybody was thinking it but I tried to convince everyone that there was no way I would ever be gay. I tried so hard, Emmitt. And then, that little fucking guppy-" Brett seethed as he tightened his hold on Howl's throat, causing him to force back cries of pain. "got in the mix! Of fucking course! Once he attacked me, it was apparent to everybody in the entire fucking school that he was jealous. And what's the one reason that he would be jealous? Because I was caught, repeatedly, with you! How was I suppose to convince anybody that they had the wrong idea after that!?"

Howl gulped and blinked away his tears of pain. He dared to open his mouth and whisper, "You're fighting it too hard, Brett. It's okay to be gay, you know. It's the 21st century, after all.."

Brett used his grip on Howl's neck to pull him off the lockers just to shove him into them again, causing the metal clattering of the lockers to ring painfully in Howl's ears. Again, Howl forced back the anxiety the best he could. Any minute now, he feared Brett would open up one of these lockers and trap him inside again. He could already hear all the pounding and rattling echoing over and over again in his head. It made his heart race and his body shake, even more than it already was from the pain radiating through his body.

"I can't, Emmitt! Don't act like you know shit!" Brett raged, somehow getting Howl to cower enough for him to tower over him. After all, it was hard to stand with the amount of pain he was fighting. "I couldn't survive a day in the life I want, as a gay man.. Nobody can."

"You mean, the football and the hockey? Because all jocks are straight or something?" Howl smugly chuckled.

"You don't get it!" Brett slammed his fist against the lockers this time. Howl flinched again. "My parents are total Jesus freaks, Emmitt. They'd kill me. Do you know how my dads friends talk about gay sports players? It's brutal! My team, who already thinks I'm gay thanks to you, shield themselves in this very locker room when I'm around, like I'm some kind of dick-crazed monster!"

"Yeah. That sucks, doesn't it?" Howl groaned. "You don't remember when people did that to me in middle school? You don't remember how much you tormented me like that?"

"And I learned my lesson! You got your payback!"

Howl shook his head and slowly sunk down the length of the locker until he was sat on the floor, Brett's hand disappearing from around his neck as he stayed stood up. Howl looked up at Brett, his eyes fluttering and struggling to stay open as he took slow, labored breaths. "You say that every time, Brett, and the funny thing is... I think it might be true this time.. I'm done, Brett."

Brett and Howl sat in silence as Brett let those words process. He slowly stepped back from the lockers and lowered to the bench behind him, his eyes staring into nothingness as his mind ran wild. Three years of this. Three years of Howl popping up out of the blue to seduce Brett into a world he feared. Three years of constantly looking over his shoulder. Three years of constantly acting straighter to convince everyone around him that there wasn't a slither of gay within him. Three years of constant anxiety attacks and mental breakdowns.

Now, Howl had finally declared it was over.

At first, Brett felt free. His muscles were able to relax in the first time in three years. And then, it all returned again. If not Howl, then who else? Brett spent years trying to convince himself and everyone around him that he wasn't gay but, deep down, he knew. After all the times he actually gave in to Howl's seduction, it was clear to him that it wasn't Howl's fault. It was inside Brett this entire time and it would be there forever. So, if he didn't have Howl to focus all of this sexual tension on, who else would he have?

It's not like Brett had ever had sex with a girl. He had multiple girlfriends in three years and never got passed the making out part. He tried to touch them but, it didn't work. He wasn't turned on, at all, by the female body. In middle school, he was, which is why he was so convinced that Howl had broken him. What was he suppose to do now? Forget about everything and live his life as a gay man, force himself to be straight, or keep living in constant hell with Howl for as long as he could? None of those options were good enough for Brett. Everything sucked.

Brett's bloodshot eyes flickered down to Howl when he spotted movement. Howl cried from the agonizing pain as he lowered his knees until his legs were laying straight across the floor. He carefully moved to lift up his shirt and check for any visibly injuries. Already, there was a giant red spot across his ribs. His skin was dark so, spots didn't show up that easily. This one, though, was deep in color and big as hell. It was bad. Howl could only imagine his back looked pretty similar.

While Howl's shirt was up, he used the black fabric to wipe away the blood he felt dripping from a throbbing patch of his cheek. The blood didn't show up on the black fabric, which was good since he had to go home at some point and didn't want his moms upset at him for being injured again. At this point, they had accepted that Howl was a troublemaker, but still scolded him when he came home with a black eye. With black clothes, he could easily hide any blood that dropped from him by the time he got home.

"Again." Brett whispered as he stared down at Howl.

Howl lifted his head a bit too quickly and dropped his shirt, one eye shut as he sharply inhaled to endure the pain. "What?"

"Let's do it again. One more time." Brett gulped, his hands shaking as they fidgeted between his open legs.

Howl's eyebrows furrowed as he held Brett's stare. There was an unfamiliar amount of desperation in Brett's eyes. In three years, Brett had never asked to be put in his own personal hell. Now, even Howl was wondering if he had actually broken Brett. Was this the key all along? All he had to do was tell Brett that he was done playing this game and Brett was putty in his hands? Even so, Howl couldn't do it. First of all, he came here to end this dumb game. Second, he was in no condition, physically, to have sex.

"No way, man.." Howl laughed as his head gently fall back against the locker he was sat in front of. "I've got a couple friends you could call but, I already said I'm d-"

Before Howl could finish that thought, Brett grabbed two fistfuls of Howl's shirt and forced him to his feet. Brett slammed his lips against Howl's in a blind rush. Howl's eyes went wide as he cried out in pain, accidentally giving Brett an opportunity to sneak his tongue between his lips. Even when Howl tried to push against Brett's naked, damp chest, Brett simply grabbed the back of Howl's neck to keep them glued together. Howl was so shocked, he hardly knew what to do.

Finally, after a hard enough shove, Howl managed to get enough space between them for him to block Brett's mouth with his hand. "What the fuck's the matter with you?"

Brett's head thrashed side to side, unwilling to separate from Howl in order to speak. Luckily, he still got free. "I want to fuck you." Brett admitted, his eyes trailing down however much of Howl's height that wasn't being wedged against the lockers by his own body.

Howl gulped as he heavily planted in the silence. He came here to end this game. That was his only goal. Unfortunately, old habits die hard. "Fine. But, not here and not now."

"Come on.." Brett groaned and leant in even closer, shocking Howl even more.

"Not now!" Howl shoved Brett off of him and breathed through the pain. "You really think you can fuck me right after bashing my ribcage in, you fucking psycho?"

Brett stared down Howl as he fought the urge to take Howl despite his refusal. He didn't care if the bastard said no. He was horny and he was frustrated. If it wasn't so easy for the hockey team to walk in on them right now, Brett wouldn't be so hesitant. He didn't really care about anything else, not even Howl's injuries. And, if they weren't going to fuck, Brett didn't want to be anywhere near Howl. So, he was quick to start collecting his things.

"Don't make me wait." Brett coldly warned Howl as he slung his duffle bag over his bare shoulder and stormed out of the locker room.

-

Teddy forcibly blinked his eyes a few times, even rubbing them, to get some life into them before they focused back on Zoe's giant TV. Even Zoe was having trouble keeping her eyes open as she sat lazily at the coffee table with Teddy, her hand buried in her messy hair to keep her head up. After so many hours, both of them had resorted to grunts and moans to signify if they liked or hated the photo that flicked across the screen.

"That suit is not worth that much money..." Teddy grumbled.

Blown up on Zoe's TV was a candid photo of her mother strutting down the streets of New York in a silk, baby blue, woman's suit. Her hair was short, blonde, make up simple, heels skinny and tall. The price was directly below the image in a bold black font. The items she was wearing was also listed under the price but Zoe's mother wasn't big on jewelry so the list was short.

Zoe simply shrugged and sighed. "It's an old photo. That style was trending when she wore it."

"It's not you." Teddy countered.

"None of these are me." Zoe let her head slip off of her hand until it hit the coffee table. "I can't pull off a suit. I have way too much of a baby face to wear suits."

Teddy let his eyes fall back to his lap where he held the iPad that all the photos were on. Since the iPad was mirrored to the TV, when he scrolled through the photos on the iPad, it was all happening on the TV as well. Teddy searched for the one suit that they had both agreed on and blew that one up on the TV.

"You liked this one." Teddy pointed out.

Zoe raised her head to the TV, her arms still laid out across the coffee table. He turned his attention to her and felt a smile scratch at the corner of his lips. Zoe, apparently, had a pair of glasses hidden away somewhere in this house and whipped them out when her contacts started to bug her. Teddy didn't know she wore contacts and had never seen her in glasses. He couldn't help but stare. She looked like a total nerd and he found it unfairly adorable. As if she wasn't pretty enough.

Zoe pushed said glasses up her nose and frowned. "It's black. And, I know my mother said I could wear black next year but, it's the least original one. She'd probably laugh at me if I told her this is the one I picked."

"Traditional can be good sometimes, Zo. It's better than the one with all the asymmetrical ruffles and shit." Teddy cringed as he remembered the picture of Zoe's mother in that horrendous suit. She only wore it for a magazine cover, which made it unwearable fashion or whatever Zoe called it but, he still didn't like it.

"My mother is not traditional." Zoe bent her long, skinny arms to push herself up from the coffee table. "Obviously, or she wouldn't be so dedicated to never wearing a stupid skirt."

Teddy didn't comment on that as he watched Zoe run her fingers through her messy hair and stomp across the living room to get to the kitchen. When she pulled out a pitcher of filtered water from the fridge and set it on the counter to grab a glass, she spotted the time on the little screen of her oven. Zoe instantly gasped and turned to look across the foyer and into the living room, where Teddy was sat on the ground in front of her coffee table.

"Teddy! It's almost 9 o'clock! Didn't you have to go to work?" Zoe exclaimed across the house.

Teddy chuckled as he scrolled through the photos. "You mean 6 whole ass hours ago? Yes."

Zoe groaned and filled her glass of filtered water. "I'm so sorry, Teddy! I'll grab my wallet and see how much cash I have, otherwise, you can run to an ATM with me."

"No, Zoe. I don't want your money." Teddy clicked on a photo and raised his head to see it blown up on the TV. "What about this one? I liked this one."

Zoe frustratedly growled at herself for being so selfish with Teddy's time but hurried across the house to stand beside him and look at the TV. He pulled up a photo of her mother in a red suit that had a Japanese dragon embroidered up on of the legs of the suit pants. Teddy liked it because it looked badass, which he reminded Zoe was her main goal when she originally planned to start rebranding herself but, Zoe just didn't like it. It was too badass. She wasn't edgy enough to pull that off.

"I could never, Teddy. My thing is pink, remember? People are gonna think I'm trying to hard if I wear something like that." Zoe bitterly muttered as she skipped back into the kitchen.

"Exactly, Zoe. People are going to think you're trying too hard no matter what you wear because you never wear anything that's not sunshine and rainbows." Teddy said as he put the iPad aside and pushed himself off the floor. He sauntered across the foyer and into the kitchen as Zoe stared into her fridge. "I say, you go big or you go home. It's a risk/reward situation."

Zoe looked up from her fridge to see Teddy's thick arms crossed over the top of the door. Her eyes lingered on his biceps for a moment too long before they flickered up to meet his. "I don't want to go big and I don't want to go home. I'm perfectly fine where I am."

Zoe forced the door shut, causing Teddy arms to fall limp, before she turned and started towards her cupboards. Teddy took his turn looking in her fridge since he was so hungry. He wasn't even surprised when he found little to nothing in her fridge. There were some fruits in plastic cartons, veggies in bags, and lots of liquids, most of which were diet based. Teddy sighed, shut the fridge, and joined Zoe at her big pantry. Again, there was little see and most of them were diet snacks.

"Oh my god, Zoe... Why do you live like you're on The Biggest Loser?" Teddy grimaced.

Zoe shut her pantry and turned to glare at Teddy through her glasses. "Don't judge me. You know exactly why I live like this."

Teddy's eyebrows furrowed as he stared down at the little blonde. His eyes shamelessly wondered her figure from head to toe a few times as he closely examined her figure. She was skinny. Skinnier than usual even. It made him worry. Zoe was fragile enough as it was. If she lost anymore weight, she'd be pummeled by the wind. How was she suppose to survive winter with no meat on her bones? She had finally started wearing jeans and even that wasn't enough to protect her poor little body.

"I'm ordering a pizza." Teddy mumbled and departed from Zoe as he pulled his phone from his pocket.

"I can't eat pizza!" Zoe exclaimed.

"Good, because, it's for me." Teddy cockily flashed Zoe a smile over his shoulder as he sauntered back into the living room.

Just as Teddy sat down on the couch, his eyes grew as he saw Zoe launching herself in the air and in his direction. Teddy didn't even manage to get a word out before Zoe collapsed on the couch and laid her head in his lap. His mouth silently opened and shut as he stared down at her, completely caught off guard by her closeness. The way her blonde hair cascaded all around her in his lap was distracting as well. And her puppy-dog eyes and bright, giddy smile. His heart was racing.

"Thanks for being here with me." Zoe whispered and curled her bottom lip into her mouth, obviously too shy to speak any louder but not shy enough to tear her eyes from Teddy's. "You're a lot of help and I don't feel lonely with you around."

Any words that were about to form in Teddy's head were gone again as he processed her words. He could barely breathe, his mouth was suddenly very dry, and his heart was thumping against his chest like crazy. Zoe was in his lap. Her head, at least. She was laying on him so comfortably and casually and, dare he say, adorably. Teddy couldn't tell if he was swooning or having a heart attack but something definitely didn't feel normal. One, or all, of his organs were definitely out of place.

Luckily, the pizza place answered and Zoe got up again to grab her water, which she forgot in the kitchen. Teddy let out a long, quiet, exhausted sigh and he let his muscles relax again. He felt so much better when Zoe wasn't touching him. Still, he was reeling and imagined he would be reeling for the rest of the night over that simple, innocent, adorable act of hers. Zoe was a curse and Teddy was suffering but, plot twist, he was a masochist.

-

{ As always, sorry for any typos. I had trouble focusing when I was editing this so I'm sure I skipped over some typos and grammar stuff. Hopefully, I didn't miss any plot stuff. I'm just tired y'all. I've been trying so hard to keep up with posting on three of my stories and it's a lot of brain work...

Who wants to give my brain a break and leave some suggestions for what you want to see in future chapters? You can suggest stuff for Teddy/Zoe, Howl/Fisher, Vanessa/Abigail, or any other pairing or scenes or really anything that you'd like to see!

Thanks for reading! Y'all are the shit and ily! }