Sunday 8th September

Herc pov

"Are you sure you wanna try and find her, Peggs?"

She gave me a look "If Laf was missing, would you try to find him?"

"Yeah"

"If laf was missing and you knew you had to go through extreme danger and suffering just to get to him and you didn't even know if you could find him, would you try?"

I looked at Laf and smiled "Yes"

"See. I want to find her no matter what happens"

"Well, if you're sure, what are we doing here? Let's go!"

"Go where? We don't even know where she is"

"Oh" I sat down on the sofa next to Peggy.

I couldn't just sit there though. I paced around the room a few times, trying to think of a solution, before sitting down on the sofa again. I got up to check the note again, in case I'd missed anything.

I read through it again and put it down, sighing.

'Wait a minute'  I turned it over 'Jackpot!'

"Hey, Peggs, take a look at this"

"What is it?" She got up and walked over to me "What does FJ FK QEB PZELLH YXPBJBKQ mean?"

(A/N: If you've worked it out don't say in the comments cuz it will make me feel less smart)

"Uh...I dunno, sorry Peggs"

"At least we have something"

"I'll get Alex to look at it"

"Why can't I look at it?" Laf pouted from behind me.

"Uh...I mean...you can, but you might...not...want to?"

 "I shalt work it out!" Laf stood up heroically

"Hun, don't get too down if you can't work it out, ok?"

"I won't need to because I will work it out!"

"I-I'm sure you will, Laf, but can Alex look at it first?"

He pouted "Fine"

I turned to Peggy "I'll figure this out"

                                                                                  <🐢>

Alex pov

'OMGOMG OK, SO I THINK I KISSED JOHN BUT I DON'T KNOW AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH DOES HE LIKE ME? NO I'M NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR HIM. BUT WE KISSED! YEAH, I KNOW WE KISSED! BUT THAT MEANS HE LIKES ME! NOT NECESSAIRILY! SHUT UP BRAIN!'

Yeah, my brain was gonna freaking explode. I had been hiding in my room for a few hours freaking out (cuz freaking out is my ok) (A/N: I need to stop), when someone knocked at my bedroom door.

I opened it slowly. It was John. Oh shit.

"Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Johnnnnn" I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Alexxxxxxx" He stared at the floor.

Damn, we were awkward. At the time I had thought it was because he didn't like me.

"Umm...I-I was j-just wondering...Uh if y-you...remember...uh..." He stuttered

"You remember too?!"

"Yeah!"

"Ohmigod!"

"Wow!"

"What should we do?"

"We should totally go today and get a discount!"

"Wh-? Y-? Huh?"

"You remember Sam told us if we went back today, we'd get a beer discount!"

"O-oh...I thought you meant something else"

"What?"

He looked at me with bright, curious eyes. I couldn't tell him if he didn't remember. He'd probably think I was disgusting or something.

"Uh...nothing"

I thought I saw his face fall for a second.

John pov

I was testing him to see how much he remembered, maybe that wasn't the best method, but it was all I could think of. I was kicking myself after, which is quite difficult when you're lying on your bed with your face stuffed into a pillow to hide your tears.

"Idiotidiotidiot! Why are you stupid?! Why did you think he would like you?! He's probably thinking; Ew, John! Why would John say that to me?! Ew!! God! He's such a loser!!" I muttered to myself.

I felt myself drift towards the bathroom. "Idiot! Loser! Geek! Or whatever!"

Taunting voices bounced around my head and echoed in my ears. "The world doesn't need you"

I closed the bathroom door. I slid the bolt across. My hands drifted towards Laf's allergy pills. My brain was numb. I knew what I was doing but at the same time, I had no control over it.

I grabbed the bottle and tried to turn the lid. It was stuck. I pushed the lid down and tried to push it but I couldn't. I looked at the instructions and frantically tried to open the bottle.

"Stupid childproof caps!"

I sat down on the floor with my head in my hands. "What the heck am I doing?"

I put the bottle down. I sat on the edge of the bath.

"You're so useless. You can't even kill yourself right"

Someone knocked on the door "John? Can I-"

"No, you can't come in!"

'I'll just wait it out here until I'm ready to leave' I thought to myself 'I'm just Jacky who you don't know, Jacky flying solo, Jacky in the bathroom by himself'

Alex pov

'He doesn't like you' 

I was lying on my bed feeling sorry for myself when Herc called and asked me to come to the Schuylers' dorm and bring John.

I knocked on the door. "John? Can I-"

"No, you can't come in!" He snapped

I heard a little sob and I thought I heard him whisper "All by himself"

"John? Are you ok"

He didn't reply.

I knocked four times. "John?"

John pov

'Knock knock knock knock. He's gonna start to shout soon'.

Alex pov

"John?" I knocked again

John pov

'Knock knock knock knock. Aw hell yeah, I'll be out soon.'

Alex pov

"John?!"  

John pov

'Knock knock knock knock. Why did he leave me here alone? Here in this teenage battlezone.'

Alex pov

I tried to open the door handle but it just clanged every time I pushed it.

John pov

'Clang clang clang clang. I feel the pressure blowing up.'

"John!"

'Bang bang bang bang. My heart rate is slowing up'

Splash splash splash splash! I threw some water on my face and I was in a better place.

Alex pov

I heard the taps. 'He's probably fine'

I went over to the Schuyler's.

John pov

I turned to open the up door but I couldn't hear knocking anymore.

I placed my hands on the sides of the sink and looked in the mirror.

"Well, there's no denying. I'm j-just..." My voice broke.

I backed against the wall, crying. 

I wiped my eyes and looked in the mirror. They were red and puffy and my hair was a mess.

"Well, I'll just blame it on weed" I muttered and went to my room.

Alex had texted me, telling me to go over to the Schuyler's so I wandered across the campus.

Alex pov

Angelica and I stared at the puzzle for an hour or two, trying to figure it out, before Eliza told us to take a break.

"C' mon guys! Your brain works better in short bursts and plus you've already been looking at it for an hour"

"Fine!" Angie threw her arms up and walked off but I stayed.

Eliza glared at me. "Alex!"

"Five more minutes?" I pleaded.

"Fine! But no more"

I looked back at it. I had tried every single method I could think of. I had tried all the most complicated ones, which would be the most likely, wouldn't it?

I mean, Maria was smart and she knew loads of codes. And plus, she wouldn't want Reynolds to figure it out. And she could have guessed that they'd give it to me so there would be no doubt in her mind that I'd work it out. Surely.

"Can I look at it?" Laf bounced up to me.

"Umm... Not right now, Laf"

Don't get me wrong, Laf had a good mind, he just...wasn't really very mathematical or algebraic.

"Oh...ok"

"Hey! Why doesn't Laf have a go whilst you take a break?" Eliza cooed

"Wai- Bu-"

"Shhhh. I know I know" She practically forced me out of my chair and put me on the couch.

I know I'm light, but Eliza is one strong woman.

"He's just wasting our time!" I hissed to her.

"Hey! Why don't you be a little more open-minded! You never know, he might figure it out!"

"Doubt it" I muttered.

"H-hey guys..." Laf stood up

"Yeah"

"I think I solved it"

I took a sip of coffee. "That's likely..."

Herc jumped up and went over to him.

"Are you sure, honey cuz you might just have-" Angie soothed

"No...He's right!" Herc screeched and hugged Laf.

I choked on my coffee "Wh-? I..huh?"

Eliza nudged me "You're so jealous"

"Wh-? No, I am NOT!"

"Oh, you are!"

"What's the code, Laf"

"Basically, you-"

"OMG JOHN WHAT HAPPENED!"

John stood in the doorway. His eye was black and he had a cut on his face.

"Would you believe me if I said I fell down the stairs?"

"Who was it?!" Laf warned

"Jefferson"

"Why?!" Eliza snarled, rolling up her sleeves.

"I was...uh...crying and he...saw...and..." John started sniffing again.

I raced up and hugged him tightly. I led him to the sofa and we cuddled together. I stroked his hair and whispered compliments into his ear. 

"Shhhh. It's ok to cry"

"Why were you crying?" Peggy babbled. I shot her a deathly look.

"We have to go...and do...something," Herc said, shoving everyone out of the room except me and John.

"I'm sorry" He whispered

"For what?"

"You having to sit here with me, you'd probably prefer to be with the others"

"What?! No! I like you, John"

He looked at me, confused.

"Not like that...Well...I..." I sighed.

"I've been thinking about you, too" John smiled "Since we...uh...kissed...apparently"

"You remember?" My eyes lit up

"Well, no, but Laf told me"

"He told me, too"

"I don't think we kissed"

"What?" My heart stopped

"That would be weird, right?"

"Uh...yeah...I guess"

"We were drunk, right?"

"Yeah"

"I have to...uh"

"Oh" I let him pull away.

He left the room. I sighed.