Estella and I couldn't stop texting each other. In class. Outside of school. Anywhere and everywhere. Texting her, talking to her and being around her was the highlight of my day. In French class, it was hard to sit next to her without touching or kissing in some way. Occasionally, I would brush my leg against hers.

        We walked in the hallway, holding hands as I walked her to class. "Wanna go on a drive today?" she asked me as we passed other students.

        "I would love to," I said, "but I'm hanging out with Tyler and Oliver today."

        Oliver texted me last night for us to meet up at his house. I appreciated it since I hadn't been around them much since they hung out with Brice.

        Estella smiled. "I'm glad things are okay with them."

        "Me, too."

        Then we saw them. Brice, Oliver and Tyler were walking in the opposite direction as us, heading our way. My pace slowed down, and Estella's did as well once she spotted them. Brice frowned as his eyes locked in on us. A part of me was tempted to let go of Estella's hand, but I held on tighter. Brice's eyes moved to our interlocked hands, and his jaw tensed up before he looked away, passing us. Oliver glanced back at me with a small smile.

        We stopped at Estella's class, and she sighed. "I hate this," she said. "I don't like this tension between you and Brice. You should be with your friends."

        I shrugged. "I made my bed. Now, I have to lay in it."

        The more time passed, the more I realized that what I did was wrong. I should have been honest with Brice from the start, and I was an asshole for being with Estella the day after they broke up. At the same time, if I didn't do this, they probably would have gotten back together, and I wouldn't have Estella now. I wished I didn't have to choose between my friend or Estella, but I couldn't help but smile as we stood in front of her class.

        "Maybe we can hang out tomorrow," she said. "I can come over to your house?"

        We spent time together at my house often. Her father was around, and he didn't know about us, so it only made sense. Before I was so afraid of anyone coming to my house, but I didn't care anymore. I was comfortable with Estella being a part of my world—every part of it.

        "I'll love that." I brought my lips down to hers, and she wrapped her arms around me. I could kiss her forever, as I held onto her, not wanting to let go. Unfortunately, I had to make it to my own class, so I pulled away. "I have to go."

        She pouted. "Okay." We released each other. "I'll see you later."

        "Definitely," I said. "Bye."

        I turned to leave. "Bye," she responded, and I waved before looking forward to head to my class.

        The rest of the day was as usual. It was awkward walking past my old table, trying to avoid eye contact with Brice. We sat with Estella's friends and Sabrina. It got easier sitting with all girls as time passed.

        After school, I made it over to the Galbraith's residence, and Diem let me into the house. When I made it to the backyard, Tyler and Oliver were already there. They grinned when they saw me, and I smiled back.

        "Hey," I said before Oliver pulled me into a hug, patting my back.

        "Nice to see you, man," he said.

        Tyler stepped forward. "It's a relief to be in your presence again."

        "Thanks," I said before something hit me. "Brice isn't going to be here, right?"

        "Hell no," Oliver replied. "That'll be too awkward. We hang out with Brice a lot, not only at lunch. It's time we do the same with you, even if he can't be here." Oliver chuckled. "I guess Tyler and I have to be like a kid whose parents are divorced. We have to go back and forth."

        "I can't wrap my head around the reasoning for you claiming Brice's girlfriend," Tyler stated.

        Oliver frowned. "Tyler."

       "I apologize," he said. "My curiosity is piqued."

        "He's right," I admitted. "What I did was kind of fucked up, but I don't regret dating Estella."

        "So, it's official," Oliver said. "You two are dating." I nodded. "Is it worth losing your friend?"

        "I wish I could have both," I said. "Because I'm not breaking up with her. I may be a shitty friend for it, but that's final."

        Oliver grinned. "You are a shitty friend." He smacked my arm. "But you're our friend. Your beef with Brice isn't going to change that. We just have to bounce back and forth for a bit."

        "This is undesirable," Tyler said. "The dynamic of our group is shifting. Jax and Brice should be able to occupy the same space. We should all reconcile."

        "That's not likely right now," Oliver told him. "Brice needs some time to cool off."

        "Yeah," I said. "I don't know if he'll ever forgive me, but we'll see."

        "You and Estella are kind of a cute couple," Oliver said. "I know Brice would be pissed at me for saying that, but you guys are. You look good together."

        "It's all inconsistent," Tyler said. "Jax is no longer present at lunch. We have to exclude Brice to spend time with him, and this is a form of betrayal. These changes leave an unsettling feeling in me."

        "It'll be okay, Tyler." Oliver clasped a hand on his shoulder. "We'll make this work."

        I moved closer to the two. "What's up with you guys? We haven't talked in a while."

        "Nothing much," Oliver said. "Other than the fact that Sadaf and I can't text or chat online anymore."

        "I'm sorry," I said. "I know you really like her."

        He shrugged. "We can still talk in class, but that's about it. It's okay. She's a great girl. She'll make someone else happy."

        "You'll be happy, too," I said. "You'll find another great girl."

        "I guess." He didn't sound convincing. "I guess I'll just—"

        "What's up?" Our heads snapped in the direction of the voice, and I froze.

        Brice.

        He glared at me. "What the hell is he doing here?"

        "What are you doing here?" I asked.

        "Diem let me in."

        This was my time with Tyler and Oliver, not his.

        "I called him," Tyler said, and Oliver and I frowned at him.

        "Tyler," Oliver said through gritted teeth before focusing on Brice.

        Brice scoffed. "So, this is what we've come to? You guys shutting me out to accommodate Velasco."

        Oliver came forward. "Brice, c'mon. We hang out with you at lunch. We hang out outside of school. Jax is our friend, too. You know you wouldn't want to hang out with him."

        Brice shook his head. "Why do you even want to be friends with him?" Brice took a step forward. "He has no loyalty to anyone but himself."

        "I'm sorry, Brice," I said. "I really am."

        "You never acted like it," he said. "You stole my girlfriend, and you acted like you didn't give a damn."

        I was a jerk, I admitted, but it was my way of coping. Being desensitized. Now, that was changing as I experienced the full effect of my actions.

        "All I can do is apologize."

        "Break up with her," Brice said.

        "What?"

        "Break up with Estella," he repeated. "Then I'll know you're sorry. I'll know you're not choosing a girl over me."

         I was sorry, but I wasn't that sorry.

        "I can't do that," I said. "I'm not breaking up with her."

        "Exactly what I thought," he said. "No loyalties."

        "I'm sorry I got with her the day after you two broke up," I said. "But you don't know how much I like her."

        "I like her, too," he said.

        "Not like I do," I pointed out, and he chuckled humorlessly. "Let's be honest. I like her more. Always have."

        "How would you know how I feel?" he asked.

        "I knew Estella first," I said. "We have more in common. We spent more time together before you two dated. She was just any other girl to you in the beginning. If I didn't like her, I never would have done this. You're my friend, and I hate how this happened, but I won't take back being with her. I know you can't be happy for us, but I'm happy. I would be happier if we could get past this, but I haven't been this happy in a while. Can we please end this tension?"

        "No." He shook his head. "I don't trust you. You never talked to me, and that hurts. You kept it all in, and then you swooped in, making your move the instant you had a chance. You chose a girl over me."

        I ran my hand through my hair. "I don't know what to say."

        "I hate seeing you two together," he said. "It reminds me of the betrayal from both you and Estella. She was supposed to care about me. You were supposed to have my back. You both broke that, and that doesn't go away."

        "Brice," Oliver said. "Please. Let's move on. Let him earn your trust back."

        "Please, Brice," Tyler said. "With your own words, we are your boys. Boys don't do this to each other."

        "Exactly," he said while looking at me. "They don't."

        "Reprimand him all you want," Tyler went on. "Let's close this chapter. Four boys. Nothing less. These alterations disrupt the setup of our group."

        "This is all on Velasco," Brice said. "It isn't only about Estella. It's about you stabbing me in the back despite being my 'boy.' I'm done with him. You want to be with Estella? Go ahead. I hope it's worth it."

        He turned to leave. "Brice," Oliver called out, but he was gone. "Fuck." Oliver tousled his curls. "Tyler, why did you do that?"

        "Brice belongs with us," he replied. "So does Jax. It completes the group. The group stays together."

        "Now, Brice is pissed," Oliver said, "at us. He doesn't need any more reasons to be pissed."

        "There's no remorse in me," Tyler said. "The boys stick together."

        "I'm gonna go," I said, but Oliver grabbed my arm.

        "Don't," he said. "We called you here to hang out, so we're hanging out."

        I hesitated, but I decided to stay. We went inside to hang out in Oliver's man cave. Oliver played a game while Tyler and I played pool. If Brice were here, he would have been playing the game with Oliver. Despite everything that transpired with Brice, I was glad to be with the boys. I wished Brice was here, but it would take time, if he ever forgave me. Regardless, I wasn't breaking up with Estella.

        A couple hours later, I went home to do some homework. I was tempted to call Estella, and right when I was about to, I received a call.

        It was Santiago.

        A part of me wanted to ignore him. They hadn't contacted me since I yelled at them. They didn't deserve my time, but despite my better judgement, I picked up.

        "Hello," I answered.

        "Hold on," he said. "Let me connect Diego."

        I waited as he put my other brother on the line. "Hey," Diego said.

        "What do you guys want?" I cut to the chase. "I have things to do."

        "Listen, Jax," Santiago started. "We're sorry, okay? You were right. We've been shitty brothers. We haven't been there for you."

        "It doesn't matter how busy our lives are," Diego said. "You're our brother. We should always make time for you."

        "You've left me," I said, "all by myself with them. Did you know Mama moved out?"

        "We heard," Santiago said.

        "I'm alone with him," I said. "He's drinking more than usual, and we ignore each other. It's hell here."

        If it wasn't for Estella, I would have lost it. I needed her now more than ever.

        "We wish we could help you," Santiago said.

        "Wanna move in with one of us?" Diego suggested.

        Before Estella, I would have been quick to take their offer. Now, I couldn't leave Creek Rowe. My friends were here. I had Estella. I couldn't give that up.

        "It's okay," I said. "I'm staying. I just have to put up with it. It'll be easier if I had my brothers."

        "You do," Diego said. "We'll make it up to you. We'll make time each week to talk. We'll visit soon. We'll do what we need to do to be here for you. To be your brothers."

        "That's all I want," I said. "I want my brothers. I want to feel less alone when it comes to my family."

        "We'll make it work," Santiago assured me. "Things are going to change, Jax."

        "That's what we need," I said. "A change."

        We needed to do something about our father's alcoholism. We needed to do something about our mother's mental health. And we needed to do something about our relationship to each other. We needed to do something. Things couldn't stay the same.

        "Thank you for calling," I said.

        "We should have done this a long time ago," Santiago said, and we continued talking.

        We eventually moved on to talk about me and my brothers' lives. I told them about Estella and Brice, and they listened, adding their own stories in. I hadn't talked to my brothers like this in a while, and I couldn't be happier.

        Things were still shitty with me and Brice but having Estella and my brothers by my side made it a little easier.

        I made a mistake. I just hoped it wouldn't cause me my friend in the long haul.

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* Sorry for the late update. My week has been hectic. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. 😊