Later that day, Brandon and Nick are lounging on the patio underneath the clear blue skies. Yet there are no relaxing vibes in the air; the situation is pressing down on them, creating a depressing atmosphere in the air.

From his lounge chair, Nick turns to his friend. “Did Joey forgive me?”

Brandon shakes his head from his own lounge chair. “He doesn’t seem like he would anytime soon.”

He lets out a heavy sigh, staring ahead the neighbour’s two-story house. “What could I do to have him forgive me?”

“Bring Maxi back.”

Nick turns back to him. “I can’t do that.”

“Make him see again,” he suggests with a shrug. He then gazes away from him.

Nick’s eyes immediately light up. He peers down at the palm of his hand, then quickly closes it and reopens it.

A flame immediately springs into view, flapping in the wind.

“I can heal him…,” Nick states with hope.

Brandon is now staring at the neighbour’s house. “Really? You can?” he asks mindlessly.

“Yeah!” Nick raises his hand up toward him, guiding the fire to engulf his hand. “Fire healing!”

Brandon mutters blankly, “Fire healing—” His eyes immediately fly open as what he heard processes in his mind. “Fire?!” He darts his eyes at Nick’s blazing hand. “How the heck can you heal with fire?” he shouts incredulously. “You’ll make him kill you!”

“No, I can heal with fire,” Nick objects calmly. “See—?” He then places his flaring hand over Brandon’s eyes.

Brandon straightens up, completely shocked at the sensation. Instead of feeling the expected burning, searing sensation, he feels the texture of the flames without the temperature: light, fluttering, and soothing. “Whoa, what the—?”

Nick then pulls his hand away from him, revealing his now closed eyes. “See?”

Brandon flutters his eyes open, peering down at the ground. “Whoa…” He gazes up at the patio.

Everything he sees is now crystal clear with sharp, clear-cut edges, easily defining the lines of each object.

“Everything’s all in…HD!” His eyebrows shoot up in surprise, taking in the vibrancy of the colours he is experiencing. “Wow, my sight is great!” He whirls back to his friend. “You really can heal!”

“Yeah.” Nick gives him an innocent smile.

“This-this might work!” He begins sliding himself from his long lounge chair. “We gotta heal up Joey!” He jumps to his feet and spins to face him. “Let’s go!”

---

A few moments later, Brandon and Nick are in front of Joseph’s bedroom’s closed door.

“Joey?” Brandon calls out at the door.

“What?” Joseph’s muffled voice is heard snapping from the other side of the door.

“Um--” Brandon flicks his eyes at his friend. “--can Nicky and I come in—?”

“No.”

With a huff, Brandon goes against Joseph’s wishes and opens the door. He spots Joseph sitting on the edge of his bed with his lifeless eyes aimed at the white closet.

He ambles into the room with Nick following him inside. “Joey—”

“WHAT DID I JUST SAY—?”

“Joey,” Brandon cuts in, halting in front of him. “Nicky can heal you.”

Nick silently stands next to his friend.

“Or can he?” Joseph asks in a mocking tone, tilting his head from side to side.

“Yes, he can.” He crosses his arms. “He can make you see again.”

“Are you sure?” Joseph narrows his eyes at Brandon’s torso. “Or he is going to take away my hearing too?”

“Joey—!” Brandon snaps.

“I don’t trust him,” he continues on, crossing his arms. “I don’t trust him after what he did to me.”

Brandon holds his hand out toward his friend. “But what if he can actual heal you—?”

Nick turns to Brandon. “Actually, I don’t think I wanna heal him.”

Brandon whirls to Nick with a surprised expression. “Wait, what? Why?”

“I don’t want to heal someone with an attitude like that.” Nick throws Joseph a cold glare.

“But Nicky—!”

“See, I told you he wouldn’t heal me,” Joseph snarks.

Brandon spins to the blind man. “Joey, if only you would cooperate he would!”

“He’ll never cooperate,” Nick shoots back flatly.

Brandon turns back to his friend. “Yes, he will!”

“I am not going to have Ritch do anything on me, for me, do anything that has to do with me,” Joseph proclaims sternly, rising to his feet. He begins wagging his right index finger in the air, the hand closest to Nick. “I don’t want him in my room, I don’t want him in my presence, I don’t want him in this house!” He then thrusts his hand through the air in fury, slamming it against Nick’s face.

Nick instantly steps back, his eyes widen at the unexpected blow. Yet in a split second, his eyes narrow at his roommate with rage sweeping across his face. He then lunges at him, throwing him onto the bed with himself on top, and begins slamming punches at him.

Brandon drops his jaw at the scene in pure shock. “Guys!” he bellows at them. “Guys! Stop!”
Joseph is now fighting back, plummeting his roommate with punches as he grabs the back collar of his shirt with his other hand.

Brandon stares at the scene of his roommates beating up on each other in an aghast expression. “That’s it,” he forces out, “I’m done.” He then quickly turns around and retreats from the bedroom.

---

Rolling down the residential streets of Del Mar is Brandon’s silver Jeep. Brandon is behind the wheel, staring ahead at the room with his mind filled with thoughts of distress:

“How on earth am I gonna get them to get along with each other?” he mutters his thoughts out loud. “I-I shouldn’t think about this now, I’m getting a headache. I need to relax, I need to go somewhere that’s calm…” He catches something in the corner of his eye. He takes a quick glance at his passenger’s seat, spotting a black jacket thrown on it.

“Hey, Kalle left his jacket here when I drove him to practice…” His eyes then light up as he faces the road again. “I know…I can go to the Conway Mansion.”

Notes

E.19 "Calculating The Aftermath"
Part 3/10
Episode 19/20