A stack of books are placed inside a cardboard box, alongside a few framed certifications and awards. The flaps of the box are then folded shut before being covered with clear packing tape.

"Can we take that as well?" a man asked, gesturing towards the box.

"Yeah, it can go... thanks." Thomas replied, stepping out of the way.

Standing near the entry of the addition that was once his own private studio in his parent's yard, Thomas watched as all of his belongings were loaded onto a truck. Only a few items were left behind near the corner of the empty space. He grabbed a trash bag from the doorway and made his way towards the front of the main house, where the trash bins sat near a curb. Taking the lid off, he placed the black bag inside, before covering it entirely.

"Thomas...?"

He looked up slowly to where he heard his name being called, almost in shock as he was sure he was mistaken at the voice he heard, only to find that he wasn't at all.

"Alan..."

Thomas stared blankly at Alan as he stood a few feet in front of him, his signature glasses nowhere to be found. His hair was styled handsomely away from his face as he wore a long-sleeve dark green sweatshirt, cuffed denim jeans and white converse.

There was a moment of silence as they stared at each other. This was the first time he had seen Alan since their very last encounter at homecoming seven months ago. The end of the school year had just wrapped up last week, but Thomas had not stepped foot on school grounds after homecoming, considering he was expelled.

After the incident during the homecoming, where he was pretty much exposed to the entire school, Thomas was escorted to the principal's office, alongside someone he never thought he would see again in his lifetime: Jonathan Cruz.

He recalled their interaction as they waited outside the principal's office in two cushioned chairs. Their parents, Thomas and Jonathan's separately, were in the office, talking with the principal in very heated discourse.

"Pretty nice high school... would've been nice to attend it if I had stayed in the area." Jonathan stated passively as he gazed around the administrative office, which also had a large window to peer out into the hallways of the school.

"How... in the hell... did you do this?" Thomas asked, having been silent since he stepped foot off that stage.

"Oh, I can't take all the credit for this master plan. It was sick as hell the way they came up with everything." Jonathan said with a smirk.

"Who did this?" Thomas forced out between clenched teeth and a glare.

"I can't tell you that. It was part of our agreement." Jonathan spoke calmly, that same smirk never leaving his face as he settled back into his seat, arms crossed.

"What did they promise you? You can't believe you won't get out of this unscathed." Thomas threatened, eyeing him closely.

"Unscathed? HA! You fuckwit, I've already been screwed! I have been since you shoved my ass down the stairs and broke my arm. You ruined my entire sports career. My arm was never the same. It took a good two years of fucking therapy to finally get my mental state back to normal, so that my grades finally improved. I can at least attend a decent state school for college once I graduate, as I'm more focused now. My family moved to a different fucking state to make sure I lived a normal damn life. So, when an opportunity to return the damn favor you gave me came up, I fucking took it. The punishment I'll get is to never step foot on these school grounds again, and a good yelling from my parents." Jonathan spoke harshly, returning the glare back in Thomas's direction. "You, however? Well... now you'll see how it feels to be outcasted and shamed."

Outcasted and shamed he was. After being suspended from school for 2 weeks, while he waited his actual punishment based on the evidence presented in the recording, he returned to school only to be met with complete isolation. No one wanted anything to do with him. The friends he once had ignored him in the hallways, passed by him as if he didn't exist. Whispers were heard behind his back as many of his classmates stared at him in suspicion and disappointment. After 3 days of this, the anxiety grew within him, unable to truly stay comfortable in his own skin. If this is what it felt like to be hated by society due to your own sexuality, then even he had to admit that what happened to Alan was the worst thing he could've ever done to him.

It wasn't until someone he least expected to actually tell him why everyone treated him in such a fashion did he finally understand the truth about himself.

"You know people aren't mad at you for being gay, right?" Claire, the girl he took to homecoming as a facade, mentioned to him during lunch one day. He was sitting outside on a bench alone, and she saw him as she passed by with a group of friends. At first, she wasn't going to bother with him, but she felt compelled to give him the time of day as a way of not only revenge, but catharsis.

Thomas looked up at her in confusion, not expecting her to even acknowledge him. "What... what do you mean? I didn't... I didn't even-"

"Well, you fucking lied to me about your sexuality, which... I'm over it." she stated in a bitter tone, before continuing. "But, honestly? People are pissed at you because of what you did. You pushed someone down the fucking stairs and broke their arm? Yet, you manipulated that same person to out someone's sexuality years ago? But, you claimed to have loved this person at the same time? No one cares if you're gay, Thomas. What they do care about is that you're a fucking sociopath. No one trusts you. I sure as fuck don't, and I hope that person that you claimed to love never has to interact with you ever again, for their own sake."

As she walked away, Thomas stared down at his lunch tray, the food having been barely touched, not able to truly function as he covered his face with his hands. At that point, he realized that he was completely unstable, and everything that had led up to that point was indeed entirely his own fault.

It was 2 days later that he found that he was completely expelled from school for the rest of the year. This would cause him to be delayed for half the school year, meaning he would not finish on time for a proper graduation in two years. In order for that to happen, he would need to take summer courses from here on out. But that wasn't possible either, considering he had a mental breakdown. He was then immediately enrolled in therapy, which he had been doing ever since.

Returning back to the present, Thomas slowly placed his hands into the pockets of his gray sweatpants, as he stared back at Alan. "Visiting Nicolette?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Leaving her place..." Alan said, keeping his distance. However, his eyes shifted slightly as he noticed several men carrying boxes to a truck.

"Yes, I'm leaving..." Thomas stated calmly. He watched Alan's eyes quickly shift back to stare at him in surprise. Yet, Alan remained silent. Thomas sighed, before continuing. "Considering the circumstances of what happened... my parents felt it best that I be in a... safer environment. So, I'm being sent to a boarding school... in the U.K." He watched as Alan's green eyes widened in disbelief.

"The U.K.? As in... the United Kingdom?" Alan asked, shocked.

"Specifically Britain, yes. I'll finish my last 2 years there, then figure out college later." he answered, casually.

"Why Britain?" Alan asked, genuinely puzzled by the location.

"I'm quite surprised you're asking. I figured you would be pleased regardless." Thomas replied, his tone relaxed and calm, a hint of playfulness wrapped in it.

Alan looked away, a slight frown appearing on his face as his eyebrows knitted in the middle.

"I have an uncle there, near Cambridge. Ex-military and once he completed his tour, he decided to move there. He offered to 'keep an eye on me,' whatever that means..." Thomas added calmly, seeing Alan nod in return.

The silence came again, the air between then barely being felt as the conversation died once again. Alan's hands slowly began to form into fists, his gaze moving towards Thomas's face. He opened his mouth to speak, only to see Thomas raise his hand in protest.

"Save it, Alan." Thomas spoke, a weary smile on his face. "Let me just say this, and we can go about our day as if we didn't even come across each other..."

Alan blinked, not expecting such a reaction.

Standing where he was, Thomas looked Alan in the eyes, not helping but to soften at the unsettled and confused look on his face. "I'm... sorry."

Alan's eyes stayed locked on the other's, making sure this wasn't some kind of joke.

"You are clearly not believing me when I say this, and I don't blame you." Thomas spoke with a shrug. "But, I truly mean it. What I did to you... well, not just you... the entire ordeal... from years ago to present. I'm very sorry."

"Why?" Alan finally asked, his face a mixture of emotions.

"Because... I'm coming to terms with the fact that what I did was horribly wrong. Well, and many months of therapy has helped with that..." Thomas added with a small laugh. "And I'll admit that the aftermath of what happened after homecoming... really made me see... just how hard it was for you... I guess the saying of 'when it happens to you' is true."

Alan wasn't aware of the treatment Thomas received after the incident, considering he didn't see him again at school. He wasn't sure how to process this, his eyes shifting away in uncertainty.

"I'm not asking for you to forgive me, Alan. Far from it. I just wanted to do this while I could, because I truly doubt that we ever see each other again." Thomas stated with a sigh.

Alan showed a weak smile as he looked over at Thomas one final time. "You're right, we probably won't."

"Then, at least I got my chance." Thomas replied, returning the gesture.

"I guess... well... good luck, Thomas." Alan firmly stated, his expression as calm as he could keep it, but his eyes showed more; hurt, anger, sorrow, relief and hope. He then walked away, not turning back as he did so.

Thomas watched him leave, a pained expression of remorse and guilt on his face as he saw Alan reach the end of the cul-de-sac that they once shared together, disappearing behind trees and bushes as memories of their childhood flooding back like scenes from a movie.

Goodbye, Allie.

-

I had been working on this bonus chapter for quite some time. While I know most of you probably want to see more Alan and Daniel interactions (don't worry, I have a couple of drafts for those two in the works, both serious and naughty *wink*), I wanted to wrap up one character's story, which was Thomas.

A lot of people commented that Thoams being exposed also "outed" him, which yes, that's true. But, I wanted to clear up that him being outed was the main reason for people's disapproval during the homecoming event. That is not true. Quite the opposite, as not many people care about his sexuality (Except Claire, as she had a crush on him and was quite hurt by his lie). It was what he did that really made people upset. Keep in mind, Thomas gave the image of a "model" student. He was liked by all, trusted and considered very attractive. The only ones who knew his true nature were Alan, Nicolette and Joanathan Cruz.

He was under the idea that what he was doing was fine and good for all. But, he was clearly mentally unstable and didn't rcongize how his behavior actually hurt many people, including the ones he truly cared about. His story is pretty much done, as I don't think I can really use him anymore in the future. But at least him and Alan have some sense of closure, and Alan can move on with his life in peace. 

I do plan to write a few more bonus chapters for this story, but I will eventually move on to other works, new and old. Thanks so much for all the likes, follows and comments (I know I suck at replying to them, but I hope to get better moving forward). Take care and be on the lookout for my updates very soon!