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Jake doesn't go to school the next day. 

Brian turns up at school very early; excited to see him, excited to tell him everything. But no matter how long he waits, even when Willie shows up, Jake doesn't. Brian feels alarmed when the bell rings for the classes. 

Maybe he's late? Brian waits patiently. But even though the teacher shows up, Jake doesn't. The class ends, Jake's chair remains empty. 

Brian stands in front of Willie. "Where's Flynn?" He demands. 

Willie makes a face. "He won't come today."

"Why?"

"He has some work."

"What work?"

"I don't know."

Brian's temple jumps. "You know he has some work, but you don't know what it is?" 

Willie sniffs. "He didn't tell me anything and just left! What can I do about that?"

"Call him."

Willie stares. "Now?"

"Right now."

Willie huffs in annoyance and dials Jake's number. Jake doesn't pick up. 

"Call again."

"Dude, it's so early in the morning. Who wakes up this early if they don't have school?" Willie tries to reason. 

Brian glares at him for a moment, then looks away. "Give me his number."

He sits down back on his seat, staring at Jake's number. He presses the call button. Jake doesn't pick up. Brian sighs. "Where are you, Flynn?" He mutters, watching the empty seat in front of him. "Why doesn't anything go right with you?"

Brian keeps calling Jake between every class but that moron won't pick up. Then suddenly, just before the last class, it says the phone is off. Brian gets restless. He doesn't know why but he has a very bad feeling about it. 

"Roberts!" He snaps at Willie after school ends. 

Willie rolls his eyes and comes closer. "What now?"

"Flynn's phone's turned off," Brian says. 

"What? Really?"

Brian dials Jake's number again and gives it to Willie who puts it over his ear to confirm it. "Strange. Why'd he turn off the phone? How many times did you-- what the..." Willie stares at the screen. "You called him fifty times? Are you insane?"

Brian snatches his phone back. 

"Bro," Willie shakes his head. "Are you sure he didn't block you? I would."

Brian blinks at the possibility. He thinks about it. Then says, "Give me his address."

"What will you do with his address?" Willie asks with caution. "And I don't think I should tell you that. Jake won't like it."

Brian steps closer to him. "Do I look like I want to ask you that twice?" He asks dangerously.

Willie gulps and spills. Without wasting a second, Brian leaves. 

Jake stays in a one room flat that's on a rooftop. Brian presses the doorbell for 2 minutes straight but there's no response. He starts banging on the door but nobody opens it.

What the hell? Jake isn't home? Belated, Brian spots the lock hanging from the door. 

"Damn it!" He curses. 

"Oy!" Willie calls, reaching the roof with his sister right behind him. 

"Why are you here!?" Brian snaps. 

"Excuse me," says Winter. "Jake's our friend, okay? We don't want you to fight again and break each other's faces."

"Where's he, by the way?" Willie asks, looking around. 

"He isn't here. His door's locked," says Brian.

Willie frowns anxiously. "He isn't home and his phone's switched off... Wait!" He looks at Winter. "He took days off from work, right? And he told me he needs to go 'home'. Did he.... go back to his dad's home!?" 

"Why'd he do that? He ran away," she says.

"That's what I'm talking about. But apparently, by home he didn't mean this home. There's only one other home left. And if he actually went to his dad's and he's still there, does it mean they made up?"

"That'd mean.... He isn't coming back?" Winter concludes, also anxious now.

"Excuse. Me." Brian says.

The twins look at him who has gone very still. 

"What do you mean that he isn't coming back? Where's his dad's home? What's that about running away?"

The siblings eye each other for a moment and then Willie clears his throat. 

"So the thing is...." Willie begins. "Jake and his dad don't get along well. His dad wanted him to quit school and join company or something, then one thing led to another, and he ran away from his dad's home. He changed everything; city, school, number. But he received some kind of message yesterday after school, I guess. And he left at once, telling us that he was going home."

"Now his home meant his dad's home, apparently, which we didn't know. And he's there today too. That's why we're guessing that maybe he isn't coming back because if he makes up with his dad, he has no reason to," says Winter.

"But why'd he turn his phone off?" Willie wonders.

"Do you think...." Winter begins in a small voice. "Do you think that he didn't actually forgive me for yesterday's... incident? I did find it odd how randomly he said it's okay. Is it because of me that he left? That's why he also turned off his phone? He cut off all his previous contacts before, too. Doing this to only the two of us wouldn't be a problem."

Pure horror clouds his mind as Brian listens to Winter. He shakes his head at once. "I'll just find him," he says, decided. "Where's his dad's home?"

The twins don't say anything. 

"WELL?" he booms. 

"We don't know," replies Willie. "We don't even know which city he's from."

Motherf-- "Damn it!" Brian curses again and storms away. 

He dials Jake's number again: off. Where will he find where his dad's home is? School? Yes. He must've submitted his transfer certificate, filled up a form with details. 

Hopeful, Brian goes back to school. But the doors are all closed for the day. 

"DAMN this shit!" He growls. "Damn you, Flynn. Damn..." 

Is it possible that Jake will actually change schools in the middle of a semester? Yes it is. But why would he... Is he so upset over what happened yesterday? Why? He watched Brian kiss Gia before too. Or is it true that he has feelings for Winter Roberts? No, he doesn't. Winter told Brian that she and Jake had cleared things between them. Neither has feelings for the other. 

"It's me, isn't it?" He mumbles. "It's because I was too cruel."

He remembers when Jake said Brian was being too cruel. He remembers Jake kept asking him about his feelings. He can vividly recall yesterday when they were both on the washroom floor. He couldn't help what he did. Every time he lays his eyes on Jake, he feels this urge to touch him and he's held himself back many times. He just couldn't do it yesterday.

But that's not the main thing. It's what he said afterwards. He told Jake that he was having fun. Just before that, Jake had told him he was being too cruel. From day one, they fought because Jake has a whole bunch of self respect in him. But to Brian, he let go so much of it. He repeatedly asked Brian to confirm their mutual feelings. But Brian just had to be a coward at that moment. 

Now Jake's gone. Where did he go? How will Brian find him, bring him back? Today's the last day before the weekend. Brian won't have his hands on Jake's papers before Monday. That's two days away. Brian can't adjust his breathing even now because of the possibility of never seeing Jake again. What will he do for two days...

He finds himself standing in front of Jake's rooftop place again eventually and he stands there, staring at the lock, until a sob escapes his mouth. He lets himself break down and falls on his knees. 

One more minute. That's all he needs. One more minute and he'll tell Jake he likes him, he'll hold Jake to him, and he'll never let go. Just one more chance. 

"Chase??" 

Brian looks up in disbelief and blinks. His vision is blurry with freshly unshed tears and it's also already dark. 

Jake comes and stands in front of him. "What're you doing here?" He asks. "And what are you doing, actually?"

Brian grabs his hand and pulls him down at once.

"HEY!" Jake protests. "WHAT--"

Brian hugs him. Please god, please let it be real. He holds Jake close, holds him strong, and he lets himself cry.

Jake goes still when the tears touch his shoulders. Within a minute, Brian is such a sobbing, wailing mess that Jake doesn't have anything else to do but pat his back to calm him down.

"It's okay," he mumbles. "It's okay. Though I don't know what the hell it is but.... It's okay." He keeps patting the crying boy's back who keeps ruining Jake's shirt and holds onto him for dear life.