"So. Care to explain what happened?"
Nick's arms were crossed. "I'm not the bad guy here. Jeff and I got into an argument, and Thad decided to dump orange juice on my head."
"What were you arguing about?"
He sighed. "I need you to believe me for this. And they can back me up. You know the plot of Freaky Friday?"
The Dean nodded. "Oh. I was wondering why Thad acted so off when I stopped him in the hallway yesterday."
"Yeah. That was actually Wes. Anyway, we gave their boyfriends free passes to basically cheat on them to keep up the act. I didn't think Jeff would actually use it. That's what we were fighting about."
There was a knock on the door. "Come in," the Dean said.
It was Sebastian. "I figured you would want all our perspectives on what happened, sir."
He nodded for him to sit down. "I do. Nick has already explained to me that you switched places."
"And he explained how he told Jeff to do whatever he needed to keep up the act, that he wouldn't get mad at him no matter what?"
"Not exactly in those words."
"And he explained how he went back on his word and got mad at Jeff for doing so, and repeatedly called him a 'whore?' That they weren't fighting, he was just yelling at him?"
The Dean looked Nick in the eye, who looked like he wished he were somewhere else. "No, he didn't."
"And, to be fair to them, Wes and Thad's idea was the on-"
"It was just Thad," Nick interrupted. "Wes didn't do anything."
Sebastian frowned. "Oh. I suppose you didn't see it when Wes handed him the pitcher of orange juice, did you? The whole thing was his idea."
"It was?" he whispered. He felt like he might cry. "Why?"
"Because, as I was saying, it was the only way to give Jeff time to recover himself and run." There was a knock on the door. "Oh, speak of the devil."
Sebastian got up and left, leaving the door open for Wes.
"Ah, Wesley. Come in," the Dean said.
Wes took Sebastian's recently vacated seat. "I figured you'd like to hear my side of the story, sir," he said quietly.
"I would. Is something wrong?" he asked, seeing the look on his face.
"May we talk in private?"
"What, you can't even be in the same room as me?" Nick asked flippantly, scowling.
He wasn't serious, but Wes was. "Yes. You disgust me."
Nick's face dropped. "What?"
"You heard me."
"Why? What did I do to you?" he said desperately.
"You know, you just think I don't."
Fear shot through Nick's eyes. In milliseconds, he had gone from upset to absolutely terrified. "Wes, I-"
"Just get out so we can talk, will you?"
He nodded mutely, getting up and standing outside. He shut the door, unable to hear anything Wes was saying.
Nick was about to have a breakdown. He'd really just said that to Jeff, the sweetest person he knew?
Wes's words kept running through his head.
'You didn't think I liked you that much, did you?'
He was mortified, but also angry. Why did Wes have to say that? Why did he have to humiliate him in the middle of the dining hall?
He wanted payback. He wanted to hurt Wes like he'd hurt him.
He needed to do something.
So he did.
