(⁠ ⁠´⁠◡‿⁠ゝ⁠◡⁠'⁠)""

Thanks to all the drama, the break's already over and classes have started. Jake walks in on the middle of their homeroom teacher giving them their first quiz dates and instructions. 

"Why are you late!?" He snaps. "And what is this mess you're in?" 

Jake looks at the teacher with little patience who finally notices his bruised lip. 

"You fought again?" He asks, his pressure rising. 

"I really can't change sections?" Jake asks back. 

At that, the teacher coughs awkwardly. "Just sit down."

"I think I need to use the nurse's room," says Jake. "And dry my clothes. I'll take the dates from others." He doesn't even wait for the permission and walks out, muttering, "It's all your fault for not letting me change sections anyway."

After school ends, Jake doesn't go back to the classroom and just exits the school. 

"Oy! Not even going to collect your things?" Willie calls from behind. 

For a moment, Jake speeds up. But then stops. There's no use running away from the twins because he can't afford to lose the current job. He sighs and turns around. Sure enough, Winter's also there. 

"She told me what happened," says Willie, not looking too happy either. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Winter opens her mouth but Willie says, "Shut it. Not now. You literally made out with his future boyfriend in front of his nose. Made them fight. I'd just break your face if I were him."

Jake narrows his eyes at him. He's talking big without meaning it. But it's all for Jake. So he says, "It's okay, guys. Don't fight. Nothing's going to happen between me and Chase anyway. I'm done with him."

"You've been done with him since day one, nothing's new about that," says Willie. "We all know what's going on between you two. Winter was really wrong." 

Jake doesn't find it in himself to disagree. To be honest, he's actually pretty mad at her for doing that. "You know, Winter, I really want to know what happened though. You were the first one to assume scenes between me and Chase. How come you ended up in his arms?" 

"Jake--"

"And don't say it's the hormones," he says. "Do you... like him, by any chance?"

"NO!" she cries. "Honestly, he's not even my type! I swear I didn't initiate anything. He just suddenly kissed me. And I was so shocked I didn't know half the moment what was happening. And then......" She exhales hard. "I KNOW YOU TOLD ME NOT TO SAY IT, BUT IT WAS THE HORMONES. IT WAS MY FIRST KISS AND CHASE JUST HAD TO BE SO GOOD AT IT!" she shrieks. "Soon I forgot it was him and just went solely into the kissing part. I'M SORRY, JAKE!" And she starts crying. "I'm really sorry. I felt so bad when I saw your face there, so devastated when you gave me the cold shoulder. I thought I lost the only friend Willie and I ever had. And I swear it's all Chase's fault! He just has to be so irresistible and--"

"I don't think you're really helping here," mutters Willie. 

Winter wails, big fat tears falling down her eyes. "I'm sorry!!" She sobs. 

Jake watches her cry as he thinks about it. Brian's chasing Jake away. It's just so clear. Within a moment of their interaction, he starts looking at Jake's lips, starts licking them for god's sake, but he won't admit his feelings. What is this, late teenage drama? And Jake also knows about the irresistible part. He knows it too well because he let Brian get close to him in the washroom just a few hours ago, too. 

His thoughts are interrupted by Winter's loud sobs. "Alright, alright," he says loudly. "I get it. It's okay. You don't have to apologise to me, Winter. I just wanted to hear an explanation and you gave me it. So it's over."

"You're not mad at me then?" She asks.

Not anymore. "No."

She hugs him. "Thank you! I swear to all three of us, I'll stay at least 5 feet away from Chase from now on."

"Yeah don't swear on me," says her brother. "I don't trust you anym-- OW! GIRL, I ALMOST LOST A KIDNEY THERE!" 

Jake chuckles and lets them fight as he follows them to their house. His phone buzzes with a mail suddenly. He recognises the address and scowls. 

It's his dad. The mailing started 3 weeks after he left home. After moving out, the first thing he did was change his sim card. Then he deleted all his social media accounts. All this was because he didn't want his dad to find him. But he kept the mail accounts because those wouldn't get in his way and he has many necessary things with those accounts. But the result is Mr. Flynn's random mails at random times. 

Sometimes he rebukes Jake for leaving his aged father behind. Sometimes it's all taunts about how bad must Jake's life be now that he doesn't have a permanent roof over his head. And sometimes it's just threats about what he'll do to Jake if he finds him again. 

But today's mail is totally different. Jake stares at the screen for 60 seconds straight, unmoving.

"Jake?" Willie calls.

Jake looks blankly at his friends until his brain starts working again. "Guys, I need to take a day or two off of work."

"What? Why?"

"I need to go back home."

Meanwhile, Brian feels absolutely pathetic the rest of the day and also the night. He's hopelessly mad at himself for doing that thing to Jake and then telling him that he was just having fun. That reply was the most atrocious thing he could have ever done to a person. 

He wonders about what he's so afraid of. His feelings? No, his truth. The deadline of the limited freedom that Mr. Chase has given Brian is nearing. After that, it's work and upholding the family business and name until death. How can Brian let Jake get into his life at such a time? What if Brian gets very serious about him? What if it kills him to breakup afterwards? Watching Jake walk out of the washroom was so difficult today, how will Brian stand it if they date and Jake walks out of his life?

But most importantly, what if Jake actually gets serious about their relationship and then gets heartbroken later? Wouldn't that be more cruel? 

Who are you do decide for him? Brian feels his mind say. How do you know what Jake will do? Shouldn't he decide it for himself? 

Should he? Should Brian just confess his feelings to Jake and let him decide? What if he rejects him? Well, that'd be better than the uncertainty. And what if he still wants to be with Brian? Can Brian really be deserving of that? 

Guess he'll find out tomorrow. 

He's going to tell Jake everything.