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It was a ured out that you had been keeping this huge ood enough" Nick gritted his teeth "You shouldn’t have been fighting him You shouldn’t have put your hands on hiized to hi, when I called him and asked what time his audition was"

Nick stared at him

"I told him not to tell you," Gabriel added He hesitated "I didn’t think you’d let me come"

Nick wouldn’t have He had to clear his throat "What else did you talk about?"

"I asked hiht you had to keep this a secret frolared at him "You knohy You shohy"

"No" And on this, Gabriel’s voice was firized for it, and I’ll do it a hundred more times if I have to But you went to a lot of trouble to keep this secret, way before ent to that coffee shop Jesus, Nick, teeks ago you and Quinn wereout on the floor of your bedroom"

Nick looked away

Gabriel leaned close, and his voice was very quiet "Please

Please, talk to me"

Nick had to s He felt his brother’s pain in those words, howstrictly honest with himself, it had hurt him, too He missed his brother

He kept his voice very low "What did Adarimaced "He said I needed to ask you"

"I knew you already thought oflesser I didn’t--"

"Nick, you are not--"

"Don’t Gabriel, don’t"

"I have never thought you were lesser, Nick Never Do you understand me? Soer than the rest of us"

Nick looked at him "I am not"

Gabriel nodded "You are Look at what happened in the woods"

Nick didn’t say anything to that His eyes fixed on the seat in front of hiain

"Nicky--" Gabriel made a frustrated noise "Nick If you think you’re lesser because of the whole gy thing, that’s just insane--"

"Is it?" Nick snapped his head around, suddenly furious again "You made it so easy to tell you all about it"

Gabriel flinched He sed "You’re right" He paused

"I rong So wrong"

They sat there in silence for the longest tihts

Finally Nick cut a glance sideways "I didn’t--I didn’t trust you not to let me down That’s why I didn’t tell you"

"And when you took a chance, I blew it" He paused "You needed me For the first time, you really needed me"

Nick looked at him "Yeah, Gabriel I did"

Gabriel didn’t look away "I’ive me a chance to make it up to you?"

Nick nodded "Okay"

He expected Gabriel to hug hi

Nick watched his fingers fly across the screen "What are you doing?"

"Telling Hunter to get everyone down here Aren’t Adaet here in ti in the back of the auditoriue and looked up "Oh, you didn’t think I was co alone to support your new boyfriend, did you?"

Quinn stood beside Ada for Nick

She saw the crowd of people and went rigid "Holy crap,"

she whispered "He brought everyone"

Ada the dancers before them "Everyone?"

"Everyone," she breathed "I told Becca and her mom not to come But thisthis is everyone"

All of Nick’s brothers Michael’s girlfriend Layne, and her little brother, Siht Quinn’s little brother

But not Tyler

Well, of course not He and the Merricks hadn’t un didn’t erase years of hatred

And it wasn’t like Tyler had reached out to her, even after Mrs Chandler had told Quinn about his phone call

Maybe he saw it as just finishing a good deed and stepping aside

Adaainst his shirt for the zillionth tiot this"