"So, you're trapped in the closet? Like, R. Kelly status?" Cole rolled his eyes and thought about hanging up the phone. Naomi was still making jokes and they were in a serious situation right now. Instead of doing that, he handed the phone over to Noah. Maybe he could have a serious conversation with her. He brought the phone to his ear.

"We just really need some help getting out of here. Some assistance would be awesome. This closet is cramped and I don't think my feet will stay awake the entire time."

"Fine," she sighed, and Noah could practically see the smile fading from her face. "We'll see what we can do. Don't call us, though. Someone could come back upstairs and hear you on the phone. We'll text you when we figure something out. In the mean time, don't pull out your Beretta."

"I don't get it," Noah said.

"Never mind. Talk to you soon." Naomi ended the call a moment later. Noah returned Cole's phone and let his head fall back against one of the dresses hanging in Mara's closet. This had been fun twenty minutes ago, but now it was old. He wanted to grab the babies and get out of there, not sit around and wait for someone to come to their rescue. Plus, the entire closet smelled of Britney Spears' perfume and he was considering going to the mall and destroy every bottle they had. He glanced at the other boy who was shaking his head and smiling.

"What's funny?"

"Nothing. It's just... this is the second time I've been stuck in a closet with a guy in the past year." He met Noah's eyes and let his smile fall.

"Who was the first guy?" Cole kept quiet, averting his gaze. It didn't take a detective to figure out who the first person was. "Brent," Noah said, a hint of spitefulness in his tone. Cole nodded, picking at his fingernails so that he wouldn't have to look back at Noah again. In the dim light, the boy's eyes seemed even harder and Cole wasn't up for the scrutinies that lie beneath them. He'd rather stare at the ground than talk about Brent with Noah.

"How did that end?" Noah asked.

"The closet? Well, it was a little while on after I met you, so... it ended with us calling it off."

"With you calling it off. But I meant how did you and Brent end?"

"He didn't tell you?"

"He stopped coming around to see Ian, so I didn't get to see him all that much. I guess he didn't want to risk getting into a fight. I only saw some stuff on Facebook about you being psychotic."

"Yeah, well, I guess I was..."

"Then how did it end? Why?" Noah insisted. Cole sighed and gave up prodding his hangnail. He shifted in the closet so that he could face the other comfortably. If it would make him drop the subject, Cole would tell him whatever he wanted to hear.

"You want to know why? After all these months?"

"I want to know why he was so much better than me. Why, even after you came over to my house, bloody and sobbing because he'd cheated on you, you still wanted to be with him." Noah needed to know this. For almost nine months, he'd wondered what Cole saw in Brent. He was attractive, but what was beneath the surface? Whatever it was, Noah couldn't see it.

"It's a long story."

"We've got nothing but time, Cole."

"Okay. Um... okay, I'll start at the beginning, I guess. You were my first, obviously. You introduced me to Ian, and when I was at his party, I met up with Brent. You weren't there because you were hanging out with some other friends that night. We got stuck playing that Seven Minutes in Heaven game. We ended up kissing, but he told me that he was seeing someone and that we shouldn't. I was fine with that. I didn't want to tread on someone else's territory and be that kind of person. Which is funny, because...

"So then we started talking on the phone for a few weeks. It wasn't how you talk to someone you've got a crush on. It was like we'd known each other for years. He got me. He got that I was alone, literally and figuratively. Naomi and Paul had their own things going on that summer, and I couldn't face talking to you knowing that I'd kissed him a few weeks after we'd had sex. And the worst part, was that my parents -," Cole cut himself off and took a deep breath. He hadn't told anyone other than Brent about this. It hurt too much to talk about. Noah sat still, fighting the urge to reach out and touch Cole. He couldn't continue to put the other boy's feelings first at the expense of his own.

"M - My parents were getting a divorce. Financially, we were okay, but emotionally? We were all screwed. My mom found out that my dad had slept with another woman years ago but kept it to himself. Every night, there'd be screaming. I'd lock myself in my room and wish that everyone could just be quiet. That everyone would just go away. And then one day, my dad did. He packed up all of his things and left. He didn't even say goodbye." Try as he might, Cole felt his eyes grow wet with sadness. He brushed them away and sniffed hard. His knees bounced and he stared at them, distracting himself from the painful memories.

"He didn't call or text or anything. Two weeks I went on without knowing where he was. If he was still alive or if he'd done something horrible. He finally called me and I hung up on him. I didn't want to talk to him. He'd hurt me so badly that I couldn't stand to hear his voice. I was sure things between him and my mom were over. She'd even started tossing his things in a box. She called it his trash. My mom and I didn't talk much either. I felt alone. Abandoned. When Brent came into my life, I was so fragile that it didn't take but a kiss for me to fall for him. That's why I didn't talk to you for a while. I couldn't hurt you like my parents had hurt me. And then ironically, I did exactly what my dad did.

"Brent did what my dad did, too. He lied. He cheated. He left. And I projected. I couldn't let him go, too. I felt like, if I let him leave me, then I would have absolutely no one in my corner. My mom didn't love me. My dad didn't love me. Nobody did. But Brent had loved me. He'd loved me and he'd told me. So, I couldn't let him get away. He pulled away, but I pulled harder. And wouldn't you know it, he was determined to get away from me. Even after we'd bonded about our absent dads. After bonding about being in the closet. He was done with me because he had Kelsey. I felt used. Just like my mom had.

"I know I shouldn't have, but I tried to prove to myself that love was real in all the wrong ways. I forced it when it should have come naturally. I ruined it with my anger and disappointment. I let myself believe that it didn't exist, and I'm so sorry, Noah. I'm so sorry that I ruined so many people around me. I'll never forgive myself for how I treated you. How I used you. I didn't know any better. I didn't know how to make everything okay. I didn't know -," Cole was cut short when Noah pulled him to his knees and wrapped his arms around him. He stifled a sob in the boy's shoulder, ashamed of everything he'd done.

"I'm so sorry, Noah. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Hush," Noah whispered, his throat hoarse. He squeezed Cole tight, a hand rubbing the other boy's back. Was everything magically okay between them? Not in the least bit. But he had an explanation. Months of waiting for some kind of reason and now he had it. That was all that mattered, at the moment. That was enough for him.

Naomi closed the door to her car and tapped on Laura's window. The blonde climbed out and followed Naomi back to her car. "What's going on?" she asked.

"We're going in there to save Cole and Noah."

"How?" Kacey asked, now at her other side. Instead of answering verbally, she opened her trunk and allowed them to look at her collection of clothing from years before. She'd planned on donating them over the weekend and figured one last time wouldn't hurt.

"We're going to dress like whores and steal the attention away so that they can escape." Kacey's eyes lit up with excitement.

"I love dressing up like a whore!"

"Shocker," Naomi teased, reaching for a jean miniskirt. "Go ahead and take whatever you want. Dress like the streetwalker we all have inside of us." Laura picked up a tube top skeptically and looked at Naomi.

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

"We're walking into a party filled with horny football players and bitchy sluts. We'll fit right in. All we need to do is draw their attention away from the inside of the house so that Cole and Noah can grab the babies and leave. Kendall and Paul are coming for backup in case the guys inside get handsy." Shrugging, Kacey snatched up a rainbow bikini top and a pair of hot pink short shorts.

"I'm gonna go change in the bushes," she said before running off.

"The car works just as... whatever, have fun in the bushes," Naomi called after her. Laura smiled and took Naomi's black leather dress and fishnets for herself. She headed back to her car and climbed inside, quickly undressing. She slapped Kendall on the shoulder and told him to keep his eyes in front of him. When she was done, she stood by Naomi's car and waited for her to finished getting dressed. Naomi hopped out, adjusting her tube top in the process. It was much too small for her which would have been uncomfortable in any other situation. Tonight, it worked perfectly. Even with his queasy stomach and all around under the weather night, Paul still snuck peeks at his girlfriend's peaks. Kacey hopped out of the bushes and struck a pose, excited to head inside.

"How do we look?" she asked as Kendall approached them. He looked the girls up and down with a smirk that instantly disappeared when he met Laura's narrowed eyes.

"I'm not gonna answer that," he said solemnly.

"Good boy," Laura smiled, pecking him on the cheek.

"Alright, everyone set?" Naomi looked around at the others to see if there was anything else they needed to do. When nobody said anything, she took a deep breath and began walking to Mara's front door. "Let's go save our boys."

The party inside seemed to be alive and well. Teenagers lounged around on the furniture, red cups in their hands filled undoubtedly with some kind of booze the older kids had snagged. Two people sat on the staircase, hands intertwined in each other's hair, their lips smacking in tandem as they made out. Naomi made a face and headed directly for the drinks. She grabbed a cup and filled it up. The others followed behind as they made their way out to the backyard. Young Dro's 'FDB' sounded from the radio and was coupled with the laughter of girls standing too close to their male friends. Laura turned to point at Naomi and Kacey.

"Bitch, you ugly, and bitch, you ugly, and both y'all hoes look scary," she sang. Naomi's laughter was cut short when Anthony strolled up to them, arms crossed over his bare chest. If he wasn't such a creep, Kacey would have loved to jump on that.

"I don't remember inviting three hookers and their pimps to the party," he said, looking the group up and down.

"Wow, did you come up with that before or after you became an Abercrombie reject?" Naomi shot back.

"Around the same time you became an Unloved Slut poster child."

"If only you lasted as long in bed as you do talking shit."

"How many times did you have to stuff your shirt before it fit?"

"How many socks do you stuff down your boxers so it hides your camel toe?"

"What the hell do you guys want?" He demanded. Naomi shrugged and looked at the others.

"We're just here to party, man. Are me and Laura not allowed to come over anymore?" Anthony glared at his teammate and shook his head.

"Since you two started hanging out with Cole and his Bitch Brigade? No, you're not."

"That sucks, I guess. Well, we're here, so I suggest you deal with it," Kendall shrugged, pushing past him and taking a seat at one of the tables. The others followed. Kacey glanced over her shoulder waiting for him to disappear before she whispered,

"We should get everyone in the pool and out of the house." Naomi took a sip from her cup and shrugged.

"How're we gonna get them to get in? Nobody looks dressed to go swimming but us." That was true. She and Naomi were both wearing very little to cover their chests while everyone else looked like they were planning on staying dry. Kacey figured, if she wanted to get people's attention, she'd go all out. Without another word, she walked to the glittering pool and undid her shorts. They dropped to her ankles, and she stepped out of them, leaving her in just her shoes, bikini top, and panties. Her shoes didn't stay on either. She didn't even have to look around to know that eyes were on her. She let down her hair from her ponytail and ran her fingers through it slowly.

She took a deep breath then dove into the pool. Naomi and the others waited for her to return, but when she did, Kacey was ready. She threw her wet bikini top at one of the boys by the sliding glass door. He caught it in surprise then held it high in the air. Kacey wiped her hair from her face and yelled out. "Topless swimming!" At first, everyone outside seemed hesitant. Laura spotted an equal amount of girls glaring and girls debating on whether or not to join in. She turned and kissed Kendall on the cheek.

"It's for the boys upstairs," she assured him. She quickly shed her dress and fishnets and dove into the pool. A moment later, her bra was at his feet. That was all it took for other boys to quickly take off their shirts and shoes to follow suit. Others from inside the house came outside when word got around that there were topless girls in the swimming pool.

"God bless titties," Naomi said, turning to look at Kendall. Instead, she saw him dive into the pool after his girlfriend, cheering loudly. She laughed and looked at Paul. He'd been silent since the phone call with the boys and she was determined to make him have at least a little bit of fun. What was a shirtless pool party if he wasn't smiling? She took him by the hand and stood him up. "C'mon, we're going in," she encouraged him.

"Naomi, please, I don't -,"

"Shush, we're getting in the pool." She dragged him to the edge of the staircase leading into the water, ignoring his attempts to pull away.

"Naomi."

"Just get in the pool, Paul," she laughed. He opened his mouth to protest but words didn't come out. Vomit did. "Shit," she cried, jumping back. Paul coughed before bending over and puking once more. There was a scream. Naomi spotted the girl who'd seen him throw up in the swimming pool. Unfortunately for others, they were too busy underwater, staring at all of the breasts. One boy surfaced in the middle of Paul's mess, completely unaware.

"Oh, that's gross," Naomi groaned. It took all of five seconds for the boy to release he had someone's vomit in his hair before he yelled and clambered up the stairs. He slipped and fell, crashing down to the cement.

"Gross, gross, gross," he exclaimed, trying to keep from throwing up as well. Everyone else noticed what was happening and escaped the floating chunks of digested food. Laura, Kendall, and Kacey had gotten out before anything had touched them but many others hadn't been so lucky. Once laughing teens now scrubbed themselves frantically, desperate to clean off. Anthony and Mara returned to the backyard as a wave of their attendants stormed away.

"Party foul," someone hissed as he passed Paul. Naomi dug her phone out of her pocket and typed furiously. She had to let Cole know that a lot of people were leaving and that they should get ready to make a break for it. Anthony stormed towards the group, his face red with anger.

"What the fuck did you do?" he yelled. The girls put their clothes back on, covering their chests.

"It was accident," Paul explained, wiping his mouth. Anthony glanced at the pool, his eyes wide when he saw what Paul had done. He turned to the group, his hands clenched at his sides.

Cole had spent more than ten minutes crying, guilt wracking his body in violent shudders. The entire time, Noah held him close, letting him get it all out. It didn't take a genius to point out that he was doing exactly what he told himself not to. He couldn't keep pampering Cole. This was different, though. They'd finally made a breakthrough. He knew why the boy had been such a mess. Why he was still a mess. That was the first step to getting over the past.

They'd gotten the text once he'd calmed down. He wiped his eyes and read the message, standing up from his sitting position. Noah hopped up and grabbed Robert's baby carrier. "Are we about to go?" he asked.

"Naomi said it was now or never. Paul puked in the pool and everyone's running back to their cars to leave."

"That's disgusting," Noah grimaced. Cole nodded and picked up Amber-Lynn. They headed to the staircase and peered down, making sure the only people who were near were running out of the door. He looked back at Noah.

"You ready to make a run for it?"

"I was born ready," he smiled, adjusting the handle of Robert's carrier in the crook of his arm. Cole took a breath and headed downstairs. As he reached for the doorknob, Mara turned around, a bottle of bleach in her hands. She stared at the two of them with her baby. Before either of them could open their mouths, Mara screamed.

"Anthony! Cole and Noah are stealing Amber-Lynn!"