The moonlight sliced through the blinds, casting a glow across Rodney's room as he lay in a tangled mess of sheets. His body was twisting and turning as if fighting off an invisible threat. In Rodney's dream, an accusatory Parker stood before him—red hair disheveled, his glasses fogged and his shirt stained. In one hand Parker held a can of beer, swinging it back and forth as he scolded him.

"Look what you did to me, Rodney," Dream-Parker slurred, as he stumbled forward. "I was happy being with you in our little world... but you had to ruin it. You had to force me out, you couldn't just be happy being us."

"No... Parker I.." Rodney tried to reach out, to explain, to apologize, but the right words seemed out of reach. Parker pulled away from him and Rodney tumbled backward into the darkness.

With a start, Rodney awoke, trapped in his tangled mass of sheets. Beads of sweat clung to his skin, his pajamas glued to his back. He pulled himself free from his blankets and sat up, his mind replaying the dream for him as he stared into the dark corners of his room.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry," he whispered into the darkness, he could feel his cheeks burning as the tears started to stream down his face. "I'll keep your secret safe, Parker. No matter what."

-----

Rodney shuffled through the crowded halls of SDCI like a zombie, still exhausted from the nightmares the night before. Locker doors slammed shut, echoing through the halls causing him to snap back to reality for a few moments before slipping back into autopilot.

"Hey, Rodney!" Luke called out, sidling up next to him with Steven in tow. "You know how you were asking about Parker the other day? Well, I was talking to Steven and he hasn't heard anything from him either. Weird right?"

"uh yeah, weird," Rodney managed, not fully taking in what Luke had said. "But like you said... um, you know that thing about the cat." As Rodney tried to wrack his sleep-deprived brain for the information, Luka and Steven shot each other concerned looks.

Derek appeared seemingly out of nowhere, slinging an arm around Rodney's shoulders. He hid his worry about Rodney's current state under his usual charismatic smile.

"Sorry to cut in but I need to borrow Rodney," Derek chimed in. "Marcy is looking for him, apparently he grabbed her lunch this morning." Derek began to lead Rodney away from the pair.

"Oh yeah, no worries," Steven said as he watched them go. "Oh, but we were thinking about walking over to Parker's after school to check on him. If you want to come, Rod,"

"Can't," Rodney interjected too quickly, his mind racing for a plausible excuse. "Dentist appointment. Then chores. My mom's been on my case about them."

"Can't you put off the chores until Saturday dude?" Luke asked, Rodney could see the confusion on his face.

"You know how my mom gets, if I don't them I risk getting grounded for the next month," Rodney lied, feeling guilty. He could feel the weight of their stares, the unspoken questions hanging between them.

"Alright then," Steven said, though his tone suggested he wasn't entirely convinced. "We'll let you know if we find anything out."

"Thanks," Rodney replied keeping his gaze firmly on the floor, Derek guided Rodney down the hall away from them. As Rodney went, he could hear Luke and Steven wondering aloud if he was okay.

"It's ok," Derek said as they turned the corner, "I didn't sleep much last night either. I had no idea Parker was going through that, I can only imagine what you are feeling. Maybe you should try to get your mind off it, do something fun and distracting tonight."

"Thank Derek, I'll think about it," Rodney said with a forced smile. Could he really go out and have fun knowing what he put Parker through?

-----

Rodney's fingers hesitated above the glowing screen of his phone, he had decided to take Derek's advice even though he wasn't sure he was ready. He inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself before he typed out the message to Ally.

"Hey, up for some strikes and spares tonight? Bowling could be fun 😊" he hoped hanging out with her, would distract him from thoughts of Parker. He also kind of hoped this would be more like a date than just two friends hanging out.

He waited, every passing second felt like an eternity until those three bounce dots appeared at the bottom of his screen. Finally, her reply popped up and he realized just how silly it was of him to ask her of all people.

"Sorry, Rodney, I'm checking on Parker with Luke and Steven tonight. Raincheck?" Ally's text read, punctuated by a little umbrella emoji.

"Sure, no worries," Rodney replied, praying she wouldn't tell Steven and Luke about him inviting her to bowl and catching him in his lie. He tossed the phone into his backpack, letting out a sigh. As he swung the bag onto his back, he wondered how he could ever make it up to Parker for invading his privacy, he hoped keeping his secret would be enough.

-----

Out in the parking lot, Ally stuffed her phone in her jeans pocket, her expression a mix of concern and relief. She glanced over at Steven, who was halfway through a sub, he had claimed he was so worried about Parker that he couldn't eat at lunch.

"Steven," she started, gripping the straps of her backpack tightly. "What's wrong with me? Why am I being so weird around Rodney? It's like I want to hang out, but when we do, I get this knot in my stomach. Like he'll say or do something really nice and a part of me feels like he doesn't really mean it."

"Because of Matt?" he asked, crumbs escaping the corner of his mouth.

"Maybe... I don't know. It's just awkward between us now," she admitted, kicking an old can across the ashvault.

"Look, Ally," Steven said, wrapping up his sub and fixing her with a steady gaze. "Matt was a jerk, we all know that. But you can't let that mess with every guy that comes your way."

"Maybe," she murmured, half-listening as she lined up another kick at the can, could Matt still have some kind of weird hold on her? Rodney was nothing like him, so why did she still see glimpses of him in Rodney sometimes?

Stolen story; please report.

"Ally," Steven pressed on, following closely behind her, "you're gonna hurt Rodney if you keep stringing him along until you figure this out. Just tell him you need some time before you can be with him if that is what you really want."

"Time," she echoed, pondering the word like a puzzle piece that didn't quite fit. Ally looked up at Steven, who had retrieved a pushpop from his bag. She wanted to trust her feelings and trust Rodney, but her feelings had chosen Matt so how could she fully trust them?

"Right," she finally said, mustering a nod even though her blue eyes still mirrored her uncertainty. "I'll talk to him."

"Good," Steven affirmed as he bit the hard candy. "Now can you stop taking your frustrations out on that can?" he laughed.

A brief chuckle escaped Ally's lips. It wasn't a good joke but Steven was trying and she truly appreciated that. But as she turned back to look out toward the horizon, the blue sky seemed less vibrant than before.

-----

The sunlight filtered through the worn blinds of Popeyes as Ally and Steven made their way inside. The familiar scent of fried chicken mingled with her vanilla perfume.

"Luke says they are on their way here," Steven said, phone in hand. "Parker has something he wants to tell us all together."

Ally leaned in to see the glowing screen, hoping Luke may have hinted at what exactly Parker was planning on telling them. Her fingers traced the edge of the table, the plastic cool and smooth under her touch.

"Finally, we'll get to the bottom of where Parker has been all summer," Steven muttered.

"Did he stay away because of me?" Ally blurted out, her voice barely above a whisper. Her memories of ignoring Parker's warning about Matt filled her mind.

"Ally, not everything is about you," Steven said, his brow furrowing. "Besides we shouldn't jump to conclusions, okay?"

"Right, sorry," she murmured, chastising herself internally for thinking Parker would stop coming to school just because she didn't listen to him.

The bell above the door jingled, announcing Parker and Luke's arrival. Parker's red hair was a messy halo around his head, and green eyes that usually sparkled with curiosity now seemed dimmer, and wearier. He slid into the booth opposite them, a hesitant half-smile on his face.

"Hey," Parker greeted, his voice rough like gravel.

"The man of the hour has arrived," Luke responded, clapping him on the back.

"Good to see you, Parker," Steven added, giving him an encouraging nod.

"Thanks, guys," Parker replied, his smile becoming more genuine. "I, uh, I've got something I've been meaning to tell you. I just didn't know how."

They all leaned in, the nearly empty restaurant felt like the perfect location to exchange secrets. Ally held her breath, afraid of what might come next.

"So over the summer, I was at this camp. It uh, well it wasn't like a summer camp or anything. It was a special camp... well, for drinking," Parker admitted, his gaze dropping to his hands. "I completed the program but I still have to go to meetings and stuff. I figured I tell you all before the rumors at school get crazy."

"Wow," Steven exclaimed, admiration lacing his words. "That's really brave, Parker. Thank you for sharing it with us."

"Seriously, dude, we're here for you," Luke chimed in, his usual teasing demeanor replaced by genuine caring.

Ally's heart sank. How had she never noticed? She'd seen him drink at parties, sure, but it was always just Parker being Parker. The reality of his struggle crashed into her like a wave.

"Thank you," Parker said, visibly relieved by their support but still trembling slightly.

"Of course," Ally finally spoke up, her voice stronger than she felt. "We're your friends. We stick together."

A comfortable silence settled over the group as they digested the news. Ally watched Parker's every move, the way he picked at the label on her soda bottle, the set of his shoulders—a mix of tension and release. She made a silent vow to keep a closer eye on him, to protect him from whatever temptation came his way.

"Let's order you some food," Luke suggested, breaking the quiet. "Celebratory meal for Parker's return on me."

"Sounds good," Parker agreed, the light returning to his eyes bit by bit.

As they chatted about mundane things—school, homework, the latest viral video—Ally's eyes kept drifting back to Parker. There was an unmistakable pull, a desire to understand and to help heal the wounds she couldn't see but knew were there. The friends talked until Steven's curfew before heading their separate ways, everyone agreeing to meet up before school the next to get Parker back into the groove of things. As Ally headed out into the night she vowed to help Parker no matter what.

-----

Parker strolled through the school hallways as if he had never left, his red hair freshly cut for his first day back. His presence was like a gravitational pull, with half his grade orbiting around him, drawn by a mix of concern and curiosity. He seemed to slip back into the rhythm of school life with ease, laughing at jokes, throwing casual one-liners, and even tackling all the assignments he missed.

"Hey, you've been pretty solid this week," Ally remarked as they walked out of their last class on Friday, a sense of pride swelling in her chest for him.

"Thanks, Ally. Feels good to be back," Parker replied, as he strolled alongside her.

"Let's do something fun to celebrate. Want to come over tonight, we just got a new ping pong table?" she offered, hoping to keep the mood light.

"Sounds awesome!" Parker grinned actually excited for a Friday night out. "Will it just be the two of us?"

"Well, I was thinking Steven and Luke could join us. And I'll ask Rodney too." She hesitated for a second, aware that she had almost forgotten about Rodney at the moment. She wanted Rodney there, but she hadn't had the chance to have the conversation about their relationship status with him yet.

"Rodney, huh? That should be fun," Parker said, an unreadable expression crossing his features for a moment before he moved on.

-----

After Ally texted out the invites the pair made their way to the small downtown core of Strathroy, where the Ally's favorite thrift store was. She and Parker wandered through Get Thrifted, searching for new outfits for the party, while reconnecting with each other.

"Hey, Parker..." Ally began, her voice tinged with hesitation as they sifted through racks of clothes, "Can I ask you something personal?"

"Shoot," Parker said, holding up a shirt against himself in the mirror.

"Why did you start drinking?" The words tumbled out awkwardly from her lips, she had been holding it in ever since she found out about his addiction.

Parker put the shirt back as he tried to find the right words to explain it to him. "I guess... it's hard to explain. It's like I was living two lives, you know? On the outside, everything was cool, but inside, I was screaming just to be me. But being me... I thought it would make everyone hate me." His voice was soft, almost as though he was still afraid of the truth.

"That must have been so hard," Ally whispered, feeling a bit confused by his explanation but wanting to be supportive.

"It was terrifying," he confirmed with a half-smile.

"So then when did you know you needed to get help?"

Parker paused, looking at a t-shirt with a guitar printed on it before speaking. "I met someone who saw the real me. And for a while, it was incredible—scary, but incredible. But then I screwed it all up."

"Are you sure you screwed it up? Maybe if you explained what you were going through they would understand," she said gently, hoping her friend could still have that special person in his life.

"Maybe. I realized if I ever wanted a shot at something real again, I had to work on myself first." His gaze met hers, and Ally could see the resolve etched in those emerald depths.

"Hey, you know we love you," she said, nudging his shoulder playfully. "And tonight is all about just having fun. No heavy stuff or drama."

"I really like the sound of that," he said with a grateful nod, deciding to buy the shirt and flashing a genuine smile. "Ally, you truly are a great friend. I'm sorry about the whole Matt thing, Steven filled me in on it."

"Hey it's ok, you were right from the beginning. I should have listened," she said, not really wanting to get into it at the moment. "Let's head out, can't keep our guests waiting."

Their conversation drifted to lighter topics as they made their way out of the store but Ally wondered if she should do what Parker was doing and work on herself before getting into another relationship. She thought about Rodney, how important he was to her, and how when they finally made it official she didn't want anything to screw it up.

"Let's grab some snacks for tonight," Parker suggested, as they walked.

"Lead the way," Ally replied, following him toward Food Basics, her mind already racing with plans to keep things light that night.