Disclaimer: I do not own any of the songs used in this story. Songs for this chapter include Numb by Linkin Park, In Love with A Boy by Kaya Stewart, and Wanted by Hunter Hayes.

Doug is walking by the school's music room when he hears someone playing the guitar and singing softly. He pokes his head inside the open door and sees Carlos sitting on a stool, an old and battered guitar across his lap. He is surprised; he didn't know the white-haired boy could play the guitar.

So focused on his playing, Carlos doesn't notice he has company. He strums the guitar expertly and sings the chorus of the song he sings whenever he thinks of Cruella:

I've become so numb, I can't feel you there

Become so tired, so much more aware

I'm becoming this, all I want to do

Is be more like me and be less like you

Doug feels like he is intruding on a private moment, so he quickly knocks on the door. Carlos' head snaps up, and he stops playing instantly. He blushes. He's embarrassed because nobody knows that he's musically talented. It's his stress relief from school and life in general. When he was on the Isle of the Lost, he used to play in his treehouse, which was his sanctuary from his mother.

"Hey, Doug, what's up?" he asks shyly.

"Sorry for interrupting you. I heard music playing and was curious. You're good," he says, trying to make his friend feel more comfortable. He knows Carlos is embarrassed.

"Thanks, but I'm not that good. I've only had a few lessons," the white-haired boy says, trying to downplay his talents.

"Well, you sounded good to me," he says, and then he has a thought. "Do you play the piano too?"

"A little bit. I'm trying to teach myself to play it. Why?"

Doug smiles brightly. "I need your help. I want to surprise Evie for our one year anniversary."

Carlos is shocked. "Has it been a year already?"

The bespectacled boy laughs. "Yeah, we started dating right after Ben's coronation, and he's been king for almost a year now."

Remembering seeing signs for the upcoming celebration of Ben's one year reign, Carlos nods. "What do you need my help with?"

"I want to surprise Evie with a song. I found the perfect song, but I don't play the piano. Will you play as I sing to her?" Doug turns pleading eyes on his friend.

Carlos groans. He's nervous to play in front of people. He's kept this secret from his friends for a few years now. His cousin, Diego, taught how to play the guitar on the island. Now, his friends will discover his secret. However, this is a surprise for Evie. He knows the blue-haired girl will love this romantic gesture from her boyfriend. He'd do anything to make the purple-haired girl happy. She was his first friend ever, and he loves her like a sister.

"Ok, I'll do it," he says resignedly. "What song do you want to sing? I need to learn it fast. When is your anniversary?"

"Two weeks," Doug says. "Is that enough time to learn the song? It's Wanted by Hunter Hayes; it's the perfect song for Evie."

"I should be able to learn it in time. I'll find the sheet music for it and start practicing."

"Thank you so much. I really appreciate it," he says gratefully. Carlos is doing him a big favor.

"You're welcome. You're my friend, and I'd do anything for Evie," the white-haired boy says sincerely.

"Let me know when you're ready to practice."

"I will. Give me a couple days to learn the song, and then we can practice together."

"Thanks again. I owe you one," Doug says as he leaves the music room. He's meeting Evie for a study date.

The white-haired boy sighs when he's alone. He can't believe he just agreed to play the piano in front of people. He goes over to his laptop and googles the sheet music for Doug's song. He reads it over. Thankfully, the song doesn't look that hard to learn. Also, the lyrics are sweet. He understands why Doug chose this song.

Looking around the empty music room, Carlos wishes he had somebody who would sing a love song to him. He blushes as he thinks of his secret crush singing to him. It's never going to happen though. He knows Ben doesn't like him the same way he likes him. He's accepted they are only going to be friends and that is enough for him.

He needs a way to release his feelings, so he picks up the guitar again and starts playing this song he heard on the radio. He feels as though he wrote the song. It sums up his emotions perfectly.

I'm in love with a boy

I'm in love with a boy

And I see him everyday

I'm in love with a boy

But I'll never say his name

I'm in love with the way

I'm in love with his face

I can see right through

I'm in love with the way

The way I'm in love with you

Carlos sighs as he keeps strumming the guitar. Unrequited love hurts a lot; he thinks sadly and sings the next stanza.

It's just the way he moves

And boy do I approve

He's got that attitude

That I dig

If he comes near

And I am standing here

Do I just disappear

He feels invisible sometimes. He doesn't think anybody really sees him, not the real him anyway. He quietly sings the remainder of the song.

I'm in love with a boy

I'm in love with a boy

I'm in love with a boy

But I'll never say his name

Standing up, he puts the guitar away and walks to the library to print out the sheet music for Doug's song. As he walks, he puts his feelings away. He doesn't have time to pine over his unattainable crush. He needs to learn a new song, so he can help his friend. With new determination, he holds his head up and heads confidently to the library. He can do this.

A few days later, the white-haired boy texts Doug to say that he's ready to practice. After playing the song repeatedly, Carlos feels like he knows it by heart. The bespectacled boy meets him in the music room, and the two boys start practicing. They find the right key for Doug to sing in, and they work out their timing. After their first successful run-through, Doug yells in excitement.

"Yes! We can do this. You are awesome!"

Carlos blushes. "You sound good. Evie is going to love it."

He smiles shyly. "Do you really think so?"

"Yes, I do. She loves all this mushy stuff," he says, smirking.

"Ok, let's practice again. I want it to be perfect."

"It will be. Don't worry," the white-haired boy says reassuringly.

Meanwhile, Jay, Mal, Evie, and Ben have noticed that Carlos has been very busy lately. He's taken to disappearing in the evenings. He claims to be going to the library to do his homework, but Ben looked for him there and couldn't find him. The young king is hurt that Carlos has lied to him. He also misses spending time with his friend. He wants to know where his friend is going.

Jay suggests that Carlos might have a boyfriend that he's sneaking around with. Evie and Mal laugh. They want their friend to be happy, but they're also going to pester the white-haired boy until he tells them who the lucky boy is. However, Ben isn't very happy about Jay's theory. He doesn't like the idea of Carlos having a boyfriend, but he doesn't know why he's so unhappy.

It's the day of Doug and Evie's anniversary. Doug and Carlos have worked tirelessly to perfect the song. They are ready to perform. The bespectacled boy has asked his girlfriend to meet him in the courtyard after classes are over. The two boys and several of their friends loaded the piano onto a rolling platform and moved it to the courtyard. Curious students are milling around, wondering what event is about to take place.

Finally, Evie walks to the courtyard, stopping in front of the make-shift stage. Jay, Mal, and Ben come too. The purple-haired girl sees Doug standing in front of a microphone and Carlos sitting at the piano. She's completely surprised.

Doug smiles at her. "Happy Anniversary, Evie! I wanted to show you how much I love you, and Carlos has kindly agreed to help me. I hope you like it."

Evie looks at her best friend, who's blushing but smiling at her. He starts playing the piano, his fingers smoothly pressing the keys.

Jay, Mal, and Ben are staring at Carlos. They are shocked that he knows how to play the piano and by how good he is. They wonder why he kept his musical talent a secret.

Doug starts singing as he looks at his blue-haired girlfriend, who is staring at him too.

You know I'd fall apart without you

I don't know how you do what you do

'Cause everything that don't make sense about me

Makes sense when I'm with you

The young king is still looking at Carlos; he's barely paying attention to Doug. His focus is entirely on the cute, freckle-faced boy. 'He looks so sexy,' he thinks. His eyes widen in surprise as he has an epiphany. He has a crush on the white-haired teenager. That's why he's missed him like crazy during the last two weeks and why he was so determined to find out where he was disappearing to. His crush also explains his jealousy over Carlos' theoretical boyfriend. Now, he doesn't know what to do. He needs time to accept his feelings for his friend and decide what to do about them.

Doug soon finishes singing as Evie looks at him with tears in her eyes.

And I just wanna wrap you up

Wanna kiss your lips

I wanna make you feel wanted

And I wanna call you mine

Wanna hold your hand forever

And never let you forget it

Yeah, I wanna make you feel wanted

Baby, I wanna make you feel wanted

You'll always be wanted

Doug jumps off the stage, and Evie runs into his arms. She's crying as she holds him tightly. "I love you. That was so beautiful. Thank you!"

Carlos smiles at them as he softly plays the last notes. Then, he looks over at his friends. Jay and Mal are watching the couple, but Ben is staring at him. He can't read the look in those emerald eyes.

The sound of applause from the crowd of students breaks Ben and Carlos out of their locked gazes. Carlos steps down off the stage and walks over to his friends. Evie sees him coming and lets go of her boyfriend to run to him. She throws her arms around him. "Carlos! That was amazing! Thank you for helping Doug."

The white-haired boy hugs her back. "You're welcome, Evie. I'm glad you like it."

Jay impatiently nudged them apart. "Dude, since when could you play the piano?"

Mal jumped in too. "Why'd you keep it a secret?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "I haven't been playing long. I've been teaching myself how to play the piano."

"That's awesome, C, but why didn't you tell us?" the blue-haired girl asks.

"Music helps me relax. When things get to be too much, I go to the music room and play. It's a form of stress relief, I guess," Carlos explained.

Ben nods. He's been quiet, letting the other three teenagers interrogate Carlos. He understands his desire to keep this a secret. It was something just for him.

Mal asks, "How did Doug find out?"

"I was walking past the music room and heard somebody playing the guitar. I poked my head in and saw Carlos," the bespectacled boy says.

"You play the guitar too?" Ben asks. He wants to know everything about his crush.

"Yeah, my cousin taught me a few years ago," the white-haired boy says self-consciously. He doesn't like talking about himself.

Evie notices he is uncomfortable. She tries to change the subject. "Doug, you were incredible. I can't believe you kept this a secret from me."

Doug puts his arm around her. "Thanks. You deserve the best. Speaking of which, do you want to know your second surprise?"

Evie squeals in excitement. "Yes! Tell me, please."

He chuckles. "We have reservations for dinner in town."

"I have to go get ready! Mal, come with me."

The purple-haired grumbles but she follows Evie back to their dorm room. The boys watch as they leave. Evie is talking enthusiastically about what she's going to wear and Mal nodding along.

Doug turns to Carlos. "Thanks again for helping me surprise Evie. I couldn't have done it without you."

The white-haired boy blushes. "You would have found somebody else to play the piano."

"It wouldn't have meant as much to Evie if it was a stranger. She loved it because of the two of us."

"He's right, bro. You made it better," Jay says as he puts his arm around Carlos' shoulders. "Let's go play video games."

The freckle-faced teenager smiles. "Do you guys want to come too?"

Doug shakes his head. "I can't. I should get ready for dinner too."

Carlos looks at the king with a hopeful smile. "Ben?"

He doesn't want to disappoint his friend but he needs to be alone right now to process his new feelings. "Sorry, but I can't today. Maybe next time though."

"Your loss, dudes. C'mon C, let's go," the tall, dark-haired teenager says, leading Carlos back to the dorms.

Carlos waves over his shoulder. He's disappointed that Ben won't be joining him. He's missed the young king because he's been so busy the last two weeks, practicing with Doug.

Ben has to bite his lip in order to suppress a growl as he watches Jay and Carlos walk away. Jay still has his arm around him. The brunette teenager feels jealous and possessive, which he has never felt before now. Somehow the white-haired boy has managed to inspire those feelings in him. He needs time to think.