"Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends." – Proverbs 17:9

The following week at school was tough for everyone. Even Blaine, as self-controlled and rational as he was, couldn't help but succumb to an emotional breakdown after hearing Cole stoically break the news to their father.

Mr. Anderson took it hard. Cole's punishment included being grounded for a month, being prohibited from surfing until Christmas, and not allowed to have his phone or computer unless it was absolutely necessary for schoolwork.

Even though Cole obeyed his father's instructions to a T, that also meant he distanced himself from everyone. He no longer hung out with the gang or ate with them during lunch, and even when he came home from school, he didn't eat with Blaine or their father at the dining room table. He holed himself up in his bedroom as much as possible.

Some part of Blaine felt like Cole deserved a harsher punishment, but another part of him wished there would be no punishment at all. If anything, Cole's guilty conscience—coupled with Alana's cold shoulder treatment—would be punishment enough.

Blaine wrestled with his battling emotions of sympathy and frustration until Jake suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Hey, man," Jake said quietly. "You haven't touched your lunch."

Blaine smiled, but it vanished just as quickly as it had come. "Yeah...I haven't really been hungry lately."

"None of us have had an appetite," Jake said with a weary smile. "Not since...well..."

"Cole's confession?"

Jake nodded and averted his eyes. That was usually the gang's reaction when one of them mentioned Cole—complete and total awkwardness. Blaine himself felt embarrassed whenever the subject came up at home or school. It was as if he felt responsible somehow for Cole's actions.

"Is Cole still coming?" Jake asked, referring to the funeral that was scheduled for Taylor on Sunday.

Blaine nodded. "My dad is too. I guess he figures no drama will happen as long as he comes with us."

"Good thinking." The ghost of a smile flickered across Jake's face.

Both guys lapsed into silence, and Blaine perked up his ears when he heard a group passing by their table and chatting about the funeral. It seemed like Alana's popularity had been momentarily masked by the news about Taylor.

"Well," Blaine said with a loud sigh, trying to get his mind away from such depressing topics, "what's the matter with you today? I thought you and Maya were on cloud nine since you got back together."

"Oh, we are," Jake said, his smile softening. "Until Cole's confession, that is."

Blaine frowned. It always came back to that. "Aw, man, I'm sorry he put a damper on your relationship."

"Dude, it's not your fault."

Blaine sighed again.

"Hey." Jake leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table. "I know you act like your brother's keeper, but Cole is old enough to make his own decisions and suffer his own consequences. You had nothing to do with this."

Blaine scooted his lunch farther away. "I keep trying to tell myself that, but it's not working. I just can't get over how Cole kept this secret from all of us. Maybe if I had been more observant—"

Jake shook his head. "Stop blaming yourself, man."

Blaine drew in a deep breath. Easier said than done, he thought miserably. He knew that Cole's actions shouldn't have affected him this much—after all, this was Cole's problem, not his—but Jake was right: Blaine did feel like his brother's keeper. It had always been that way.

"Thanks," Blaine said quietly. "I needed to hear that, you know."

"Glad I could give you some advice." Jake smiled. "Usually you're the one handing out advice, but I guess I'm stealing your position."

Blaine chuckled. "I've been meaning to ask you, how is your mom doing? I know she was getting ready for chemotherapy, but you haven't talked about her since."

Jake stabbed some of his chili with a fork. "Yeah," he said. "About that...I haven't exactly told anyone else yet."

"Dude." Blaine leaned forward and looked him straight in the eye. "If Cole's situation has taught us anything, it's to never keep secrets from each other. Especially big ones."

Jake swallowed. "I know. But I hate when people feel sorry for me. As soon as word gets out that my mom has cancer, everyone will give me cheap sympathy, and I don't want that."

"Okay," Blaine agreed. "I understand. But the more people who know, the more people can be praying for you. Have you ever thought of it that way?"

"No," he admitted grudgingly.

"Then at least let me pray for you."

Jake nodded and dropped his fork. The guys bowed their heads as Blaine began praying, and when they were finished, it was like a breath of fresh air had come between them.

"You're a great friend, Blaine," Jake said. "Don't let this Cole business keep you down."

"I'll try." He offered a genuine smile. "In the meantime, I'll keep praying for your mom."

"And I'll keep praying for Cole," Jake added.

"Deal."

While the gang was still trying to cope with "the Cole problem," as some called it, it was clear that Alana was taking it harder than anyone else—even Blaine. The fact that she had trusted Cole and willingly took their relationship to the next step based on that trust made his deception unbearable. She was almost glad that Cole avoided the gang. That way, she wouldn't have to see him, talk to him, or even think about him. She hoped the phrase out of sight, out of mind would apply to her in this situation, but she quickly found out that it didn't.

Instead of growing increasingly frustrated with Cole, Alana realized her initial anger was ebbing away. She still held firmly to the belief that it was all Cole's fault, but at the same time, she knew she was obligated to talk things through with him. He didn't deserve to be shunned from the group, let alone from his girlfriend.

Alana let her thoughts drift away from the lunchtime conversation and turned her attention towards looking for Cole. Nobody knew where he went during break and lunch, but she had a feeling he wouldn't leave campus. He always showed up to his classes on time and prepared.

No longer feeling hungry, Alana stood up and threw her remaining food away in the trash. "I'm gonna use the bathroom before class starts," she told the gang. "See you later."

Only Koa and Maya acknowledged her, which didn't bother Alana in the least. She saw Blaine and Jake carrying on a serious conversation. She hoped Jake would be able to cheer Blaine up somehow. Like herself, Blaine had been hit hard by Cole's confession.

After hoisting her backpack over her shoulders, Alana turned and headed across the quad. Her heart fluttered a little with adrenaline. Now where would Cole go?

She searched in the breezeway, the major hallways, and in the grassy area near the parking lot at the front of the school, but all to no avail. She checked the time and realized she only had five minutes left. Since her next class was near the field, she looped back in that direction.

The day had grown rather warm, and as Alana strode across the field, she pulled a few sweaty tendrils of hair behind her ears. Perspiration dotted her forehead. She spotted a large tree next to the bleachers and decided a quick rest wouldn't hurt. Her class was within sight, and it wouldn't take long to reach it once the bell rang.

Suddenly, when she walked past the bleachers, a random shadow blocked the sun for a moment. She paused in her tracks and looked up. There, at the top of the bleachers, was a curly mop of blonde hair.

Alana immediately felt jittery with anticipation. Now that she had found Cole, what would she say? A thousand scenarios popped into her head, and all of them ended in failure. Her mouth suddenly felt very, very dry.

She reluctantly circled around to the front of the bleachers and stared up at the lone figure sitting on the top row. She placed her hands on her hips.

The figure straightened. She heard a faint clunk as he dropped his sandwich onto the metal. "Alana," he said, his voice sounding distant but obviously very surprised.

"So this is where you've been spending all your time?" she answered.

He didn't reply. She slowly climbed the steps to the top row, where she took a seat. However, she made sure to keep a respectful distance between them, leaving a few feet of space.

Cole slowly picked up his sandwich and rolled it back and forth in his hands. "Listen, Alana...I'm really sorry. I feel so, so horrible, and I know that I'll never be able to make this up to you."

She rolled her lips into her mouth, shaking her head ever so slightly. "Don't you think it's a little late for an apology?" she pointed out.

He sighed. "Yeah. I know. And I have no excuse."

"Look, Cole..." She shifted so that she could face him straight on. "I know this past week has been hard for everyone, especially you. But I'm getting tired of this pessimistic attitude. Aren't you?"

He stared silently at his shoes.

Alana was about to launch into the second part of her speech—the part where she invited him back to the gang, rather than making things worse by isolating himself—but she found she couldn't do it. Since when had this become her responsibility? Cole should have given the most thought to this, not her! He should be the one to set things right again.

"Are you even listening to me?" she asked quietly, jerking Cole's attention away from his shoes and towards her face. "You should see yourself right now. I've been waiting for you to come back—we all have—and when I finally go looking for you, it's like I'm carrying on a one-sided conversation."

She paused, but Cole was still at a loss for words. Her anger flared. "Fine," she said bitterly. "I wanted to make things right again, but maybe we're too far gone for that."

The bell rang. Alana immediately stood up, ready to head to class, but Cole remained motionless. Her mind, which was so fine-tuned to a schedule, took his inactivity as a personal offence. They had the same class together, but apparently she would be walking by herself, as usual. She thought ahead to the homework she would have to do later today, the afternoon surf sesh with the team, and then an hour of grueling training with Coach Alvarez. I don't have time for this, she realized. Lately she hadn't had time for anything, really.

"I have to go," she said wearily. "I have to get to class. Then," she added, gaining speed, "I have to go surf with the team, train with Alvarez, finish up homework, eat dinner, and wake up and do it all over again—but this time, I'll have a photoshoot to cram in, plus the most important surf competition of the season on Saturday." She took a deep breath. "Cole, I don't know what your take is on all of this, but I honestly can't handle it right now. I have way too much to worry about, and if our relationship is going to continue to look like this"—she waved her hand in the space between them—"then we should probably end it right now."

He buried his face in his hands. Alana felt like she deserved some sort of response, but once again, his silence only succeeded in infuriating her. "I guess it's over, then," she said coolly. "It's been over."

Then she stormed down the bleachers and towards the classroom. She felt tears spring into her eyes and angrily wiped them away. She would not show emotion over a stupid breakup.

"Gosh," she mumbled under her breath, giving a sardonic laugh, "why did I ever think Cole was so special? I should have realized his change as a believer was too good to be true. Now look where it got me."

When she took her usual seat in class, she masked her emotions with a placid smile. Her classmates were none the wiser. However, anger still boiled beneath her surface, and when the final bell rang and Cole still hadn't made his appearance, she felt a sudden swoop of despair.

"Oh, God," she muttered. Had she been too harsh? Had she actually succeeded in pushing Cole farther away? She dejectedly slipped lower in her seat. The very thing she thought would solve all her problems had turned around and made them a hundred times more complicated. All of her responsibilities, all of the things on her mental checklist, didn't compare in the least to this overwhelming feeling of failure.