CHASE HOME

"Whoa!" Courtney cries out, jumping back to avoid being hit by the opening door.

"Sorry!" Don calls. He grabs the doorknob to stop the front door from opening the rest of the way. "I didn't expect you to be standing right there."

"I was just on my way out," Courtney says as Don comes into the house, a paper grocery bag in each hand.

"And I was just on my way in," he replies, nodding his chin towards the grocery bags. "Apparently that was where we ran into a problem."

Courtney laughs. "Yeah, guess so."

"So where are you headed?" he asks casually.

"Alex's. There's some stuff I need to talk to him about. I've been stalling on it for too long."

Don cocks his head with concern. "Sounds serious."

"It is." She releases a weighty sigh. "Some stuff happened at the party the other night ... I'm worried about him. And about Lauren. Something went down between them."

"Something bad?"

"I don't know. Dad, did Alex ... Did he tell you anything that time you went to talk to him?"

Don shakes his head. "No, not especially. I did most of the talking."

"All right ..." She clasps her keys tightly in the palm of her left hand, bringing her other fist up to her mouth as she deliberates. "I think I figured out why he's been so weird with Lauren."

Don's expression urges her to go on.

"I think he's gay, Dad. I mean--" She pauses, waiting for the surprise to register in his expression. It doesn't.

"That's what I was thinking," Don says. "I knew I couldn't force it out of him, but I tried to encourage him to come and talk with me if he ever wanted to."

"It makes sense," she continues. "The way he's gone so back and forth over Lauren -- the way he's been so isolated these last couple months. It all fits."

"So do you think he told Lauren? Is that what happened at the party?"

"Maybe. She was totally in shock that night, but the next morning she told me I should go talk to Alex to find out what was going on. Why else would she have said that?"

"You should go talk to him," Don says, stepping aside to give her a clear exit path.

"Yeah. Lauren is such a mess over this ... I need to figure out what's going on."

"Court," he interjects before she can take more than two steps. "I know Lauren's probably gotten hurt here, and she shouldn't have. But don't be too rough on Alex."

Lips pursed, Courtney nods. "I just want to make sure that everyone is okay."

"They will be," he says assuringly, closing the door as she steps outside.

She walks briskly to her car, hopping in and buckling up as quickly as she can. She turns the key and hears the engine jump to life, and in a matter of moments she is on her way. But as she drives through the crisp autumn day, Don's words of assurance grow dimmer and dimmer. She finds herself grappling for some faint hope that this will all turn out nicely.

One . Two . Three . Four . Five . Six . Seven

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