LUCA DIDN'T SEEM PLEASED at all with the pairing, but Mateo ignored his complaints. They had entered the forest after Jay and Sahar, but he was dead set on arriving at the final spot before them. Though Jay had stated explicitly multiple times that he didn't need to be there, Mateo knew that wasn't what he truly meant. Besides, if he wasn't there, how was he going to check if everything was going well?

"Shouldn't you be searching for that girlfriend of yours instead of your close friend?" Luca said, seeming to have given up protesting.

"Gabriela," Mateo corrected him, before continuing," and she wouldn't like me heading towards her and disrupting the whole test. Me focusing on my friends at times doesn't mean she's still not the love of my life."

"Cheesy," Luca said.

"Aren't you cheesy with your girlfriend?" Mateo said amusedly," if not, she deserves better."

"Shut up, Martinez," Luca snarled," you don't know anything about me."

"Yeah," Mateo said as he ducked under a branch," that happens when you don't tell me anything. I know she's French though."

"She's mine, so don't think about her," Luca said, seeming to be done with the conversation after that.

"Really?" Mateo said," I thought we as men got over the whole possession thing when we collectively realized it was wrong."

"Don't pretend to be all smart," Luca scowled. He shook his head, looking away for a moment. "She makes me a better person. So yeah, she's mine, because I'd be lost without her."

Mateo saw about a thousand things wrong with that sentence, but before he could even tell Luca that a loud gasp left his lips, one he tried to muffle with his hands at the last second. He had finally found Jay and Sahar, the messy shortcut through the bushes and trees beside the road having helped after all.

"What if I yell his name now just to fuck with you?" Luca said.

"I will actually kill you if you disrupt their romantic mood," Mateo smiled at him.

That got Luca to listen, Mateo's attention back to Jay and Sahar. Their voices were carrying in the silence of the forest, their laughter getting tangled in the leaves above them. Mateo quietly got closer, until it became clearer what they were saying. Right at that moment he made eye contact with Imani, who was sitting opposite him in the bushes, looking like she was positively dead inside.

The guys beside her looked more excited for their roles, one already crouching closer, and Mateo wildly gestured at them in an attempt to get them to stop. Imani didn't seem to really understand much of it, frowning at him as she mouthed some words. He mouthed some back and Luca looked at him, eyebrow raised.

"You can read lips?" he said.

"No," Mateo said, before focusing back on Imani's reply.

"So," Sahar said, interrupting his thought process," are you going to go back to Athena next week as well?"

"Next week already?" Jay blinked.

Mateo decided to just run around, turning and quietly making his way through the bushes, before practically jumping across the road a few feet behind them so they wouldn't see him. He ran back to the front then, determined to stop Imani and the guys from scaring them before they passed. Imani watched him with a confused frown, Luca pretending he wasn't there as he closed his eyes.

"We've been here for about two months now," Sahar said," my mother told the principal she's transferring me back and hoping that whatever reform he did worked."

"And?" Jay said, a half-smile tugging at his lips," did it?"

"It did not," Sahar said happily," I just got some new protest buddies." She looked at Jay. "But are you coming with? I'd like for us to still be in the same school, especially when we've gotten so much closer."

Jay seemed to have a hard time thinking about it, finally shaking his head.

"I don't know," he said," you know I have some drama with my father, so I have no idea what it'll be like in the future. Preferably I'd stay here, but I'd like to be with you as well, so I'm torn."

Mateo jumped on the back of the guy who had gotten closer to the bush, stopping him from scaring Jay just in time, the both of them tumbling backwards. They rolled for quite a bit, Mateo's hand on the guy's mouth to keep him from shouting. The rustling caused Jay to look up, frowning at the bushes. Adrenaline coursed through Mateo and he grabbed a branch, pulling hard to stop him and the guy mid-movement. When the sounds stopped Jay just shrugged it off, focusing back on Sahar.

"Don't base your decision on me, Jae-Soo," she said, smiling as she tucked a lock of hair behind his ear. "I can always just drive to you, so don't worry about that. If it isn't the best choice for you, you shouldn't make it."

"You're an angel," Jay blurted.

She looked surprised, a wide smile appearing on her face not much later. With a giggle she swatted him on the shoulder, shaking her head. Mateo did the same, smiling fondly as he looked at the whole scenario. It was only then he realized that he was still holding the guy in chokehold, letting him go with an apologetic grin.

"No need to compliment me," Sahar said," I'm already charmed."

"No," he said honestly," but you are."

"Okay," Mateo whispered as he slowly moved back to Imani, the guy he had tackled following behind with a bewildered expression. "I'm going so I can stop the next ghosts from scaring them too, because I feel a confession coming."

"Good luck," Imani nodded.

Mateo nodded solemnly at her, before wildly gesturing at Luca to come along. He mouthed something back, but Mateo just pretended to zip his mouth shut. Despite Luca's murder intent being clearly visible he still followed, crossing over halfway through.

"I don't know," Jay said softly," when I'm with you I just feel safe. Like no matter what happens, you'll always be there to smile and hug me."

"I am a good hugger," Sahar said, flashing him a cheeky grin. She continued on, more serious this time. "But I feel the same, Jae-Soo. I have a tendency to fly away in my thoughts at times, but you always pull me back to earth."

Jay moved his hand, hesitatingly at first but more sure after as he interlaced his fingers with Sahar. She looked surprised, but quickly replaced that with a bright smile as she squeezed in his hand.

"I have something to ask you," he said.

"I think I see the next ghosts," Luca said.

"Glad to see you finally decided to just participate," Mateo smiled at him, before his eyes widened as he noticed the situation.

Jay and Sahar were walking along the road, the tree branches interlaced above them like shadow-soaked hands, Alina sitting on one of them. She was hard to see as she sat there in her all black outfit and with her sheet of dark hair, but Mateo prided himself on his good eyesight. Sure, his life may have been falling apart at times, but at least he had that.

Alina was lying sprawled out on the branch, watching the two as a predator it's prey. Though he wasn't sure yet how to stop her from jumping, Alina's presence did mean good news as well, because it meant Gabriela was here. He grinned at that, ready to scare her, before realizing Jay had stopped walking and was taking a deep breath.

They were just a couple feet away from Alina and Mateo rushed there, planning to climb the tree if necessary. Alina noticed him quickly, a smile appearing on her face once she did. He wondered if he should shout, but she fluidly jumped a few branches downwards, climbing to the back so they were closer. The dark wrapped itself completely around her now, but her eyes were still visible, dusted gold drowning in black.

"What are you doing here, Martinez?" she said, her voice muffled by the wind.

"Get down," Mateo mouthed at her," he's planning to confess."

"Confess?" Alina repeated, eyes widening in excitement.

"Whatever you're planning," Mateo whispered back," don't do it."

"You're no fun," Alina sulked.

"We both know that's a lie," Mateo said," I am fun. Surely your brother must have told you that."

Even though there were few people who actually knew Alina, he was one of them. Her older brother had been a close friend of his, right before he got addicted to heroin and sent to rehab. He was doing better now, but Mateo knew their parents were too busy tripping from whatever they were on today to actually care about it.

"I'll make you a deal then," Alina said, smiling widely at him," I have some pills in my pocket, if you pop them I'll stop. You'd be super funny when you're high off ecstasy, I just know that already."

"When did you switch to pills, Alina?" he frowned," does your brother know?"

"Oh, shut up about Levi," Alina said, turning her head away," he isn't even here, so he can't say shit."

"Come down," Mateo urged her," we need to talk. You know I got you, always."

"Because I'm Levi's sister?" she said, absent-mindedly holding up a hand," I'm always someone else, am I not? A crackhead like my parents, a pitiful sister to my brother, nothing to anyone else."

Mateo didn't even blink, instead immediately climbing up the tree. Alina seemed taken aback by it, but she didn't move, sitting perfectly still until he stood one branch beneath her, extending his hand.

"Let's go," he said.

She hesitated, but gave her hand, face undecipherable. He was just about to quietly get them both down when he noticed Gabriela staring at him on his right, lookin positively confused. Excitement at seeing her filled him and he took one step back, only to lose his footing and tumble down.

Alina fell with him, a soundless laugh leaving her lips, but right before they hit the floor Mateo grabbed a branch and pulled with all his might. The wind flew Alina along, but he still had her wrist, causing her to stop just several feet above the ground as they swung there. Only then did he let her go and she landed on her feet perfectly, Mateo jumping after.

"I take it back," Alina laughed at him," you are fun."

He wanted to smile, but all his amusement died once he saw her. The turtleneck she was wearing had ripped at the neck when one branch had hooked itself in it, her sleeves having rolled up as well, and the skin beneath it was completely covered in bruises. Only when she realized what he was looking at did she pale, immediately grabbing the wisp of fabric which used to cover her neck.

"Alina," Mateo said," who -"

"Sahar, I like you. Do you want to be my girlfriend?"