Clare Edwards hung upside down, biting her lower lip in thought and staring at her chipped yellow nail polish. Her bouncy cinnamon curls cascaded down nearly to the floor as she rolled onto her stomach on her friend's bed. She released a sigh, raising her eyebrows expectantly in her friend's direction. She and Alli had made up quite easily after Clare and Jake's... not-so-great breakup. It was, needless to say, a mutual decision. In Clare's own words, it had been "A waste of time and emotions." Jake hadn't seemed too offended.

Alli popped her lips, then shrugged. "Clare, I have to be honest here... This theory of yours is really far-fetched."

"It is not!" Clare exclaimed, completely convinced she was right. She'd spent so much time thinking about this, and mustering up the courage to talk about it, of course she was sure. She had to be, or else she would look crazy. "Alli, it makes so much sense."

Alli simply stared at Clare with amazement. She could hardly believe what her friend was suggesting, this theory of hers. She wasn't even entirely sure why Clare was even pondering such things. "Okay, so let's just suppose I believe you. You're trying to tell me that two of your exes, your young, handsome, totally straight exes, are... together?"

"Exactly! Why is that so hard to believe?" Clare bit her lip again. "Not totally straight, by the way."

With a click of her tongue, Alli leaned back in her chair. "Clare Edwards, I've heard some pretty crazy things come out of your mouth, but..."

Clare rolled her eyes, sitting up and inching to the very edge of the bed, so enthused by the intensity of the discussion. "They have three classes together. They're always together in the halls. I mean, have you seen the way they look at each other? Alli, I swear I see them checking each other out regularly."

"And why are you making these observations?"

Clare's jaw dropped slightly. "B-because they're my exes! One is my step brother! And that's not it, Alli, it's not." Alli opened her mouth to speak, but Clare continued. "Jake's been so happy lately, and he's so nonchalant about our interactions! He acts like we never even had anything! I mean, I almost gave him my virginity! That's seriously something. But, anyway, recently he's been so... bubbly? That's not the right word, but you get my point. And he's almost never home."

Alli nodded along, slightly intrigued by how thought-out this was on Clare's part. Maybe she was onto something, after all. "Why isn't he ever at home?"

Clare folded her arms. "He thinks because he's eighteen he can do whatever he wants and doesn't have to tell anyone where he is. But he goes to Eli's all the time. And when he's not at Eli's, he's somewhere with Eli. Really, Alli, even outside school, they're attached at the hip."

"How do you know he goes to Eli's?"

"You know how we have those coffee meetups at the Dot?" Clare asked, and Alli nodded. "Well, Eli's house is on the way from mine, and I always see Jake's truck parked there. And by always, I mean, like, four out of five times."

Alli let a sigh slip past her gloss-coated lips, playing with her hair. "So, they're friends. Clare, really, just because they spend a lot of time together doesn't mean they're... gay for each other. Or whatever."

Clare hummed, suddenly feeling ashamed of her next piece of evidence. It wasn't as if she'd collected it on purpose, but still, it was inconsiderate to use. "Okay, but what about text messages? Constant text messages, containing various date ideas, compliments, and just general cute nothings?"

"Clare," Alli breathed, her eyes slightly wide, "How do you know about text messages they send each other?"

Sitting up straight, Clare's cheeks flushed a deep red. "Jake let me use his phone once, and while I was using it, a text or two came from Eli, and his phone automatically shows what the texts say, and... It was an accident. It's not like I went through his phone behind his back or anything."

Alli sighed again, not sure how to respond. "Why does this even matter to you, Clare? Even if Jake and Eli were together, and I'm not saying I agree that they are, it has nothing to do with you."

"But it's so strange!" Clare said, folding her hands in her lap with slight frustration. Alli was right, it shouldn't be so important to her, but it was. She just wanted to know. How could this have nothing to do with her? "They're nothing alike. They have nothing in common at all. They're unlikely friends as it is. Their only common denominator is me."

"So..." Alli glanced at her ceiling. "You're worried you turn boys gay?"

Laughing softly, Clare shook her head. "No, no, I know better than that..."

"Then, what is it?" Alli leaned forward in her chair, a sympathetic look etched across her small face. "Clare, you're not... jealous, are you?"

"J-jealous? Jealous? Of what?"

"I don't know! Whatever nice thing you think they have!" Alli shrugged her shoulders and arched her back, stretching and holding in yet another sigh. "If you're so sure, why don't you just talk to someone who actually knows them and hangs out with them? Ask Adam, or something."

Clare's eyes widened, as if she had just experienced the most fantastic idea. "Fiona! Fiona would know. She and Eli are so close now."

"If she and Eli are so close, why don't you suspect he's dating her, too?"

Clare shot Alli a cold glare. "It's not the same, Alli. It's just... the way they look at each other and laugh together and the way Jake says his name, and..." She looked up at Alli again, who was looking at her expectantly, one eyebrow raised. Clare sighed, defeated. "Fine. I guess I'm... a little jealous. But who could blame me, really? After I broke up with Jake, I thought Eli and I could try again. I still love him, Alli. I really do. But he just wanted to be friends. Meanwhile, he and Jake are somehow so infatuated with each other they can't be away from one another for twenty-four hours. I miss Eli. And the thought of Jake, of all people, being with him is tearing me apart. But I have to be sure, Alli. I want to know for sure."

Alli stood and walked over to the bed, sitting down beside Clare and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. She had been waiting for the confession—Clare's envy was all too apparent. "If you and Jake are okay, why don't you just talk to him about it?"

"Alli, are you joking?"

"Not at all. I mean, if you two are getting along okay, just have a casual conversation, and slip it in. Or with Eli, if you're friends. Either way, I don't think the best way to go about this is to sneak around and try to get information from everyone else."

Clare pressed her hands against her face, her eyes fluttering shut. "I'm horrible. This is horrible."

Pressing her lips together, Alli looked off, feeling conflicted as to what she should suggest. "Well... where is Jake tonight?"

"Home," Clare mused, then she pulled her hands from her face in shock. "Home alone. Alli, I know I sound crazy, but what if... What if he stayed home to have Eli over because no one else is there?"

"Only one way to find out..." Alli said in a sigh, hating herself for encouraging her friend.

"Come with me, please!" Clare began to beg, nearly pouting as she held her hands together as if praying. "Please, please, please!"

Rolling her eyes, Alli stood up. "Fine, but if we catch them doing the nasty, you owe me huge."

Clare stood as well, but stuck her tongue out and groaned with disgust. "Please refrain from suggesting that ever again."

"I told you he was here," Clare muttered, gesturing to Jake's truck as she unlocked the front door to her house. The excuse was a simple change of plans. Clare had some movie Alli didn't, and Clare's parents weren't home, so it was the perfect girly sleepover opportunity. The lie made her more nervous, and Clare quietly hoped she was completely wrong. But, all the same, this one investigation surely wouldn't make or break her theory if Eli wasn't there. Perhaps Jake had stayed home for purposes of solitude, or something like that. But that didn't mean he wasn't dating Eli. Clare shut the door quietly, hanging her jacket on the rack and dropping her overnight bag onto the couch. She turned to Alli, who looked as if she might be sick, but appeared incredibly bored at the same time. "Okay, he's upstairs. All we have to do is go to my room. We'll pass his on the way, and that will conclude our investigation. No lingering, loitering, or anything of the sort. We cannot get caught in this."

"You make it sound so official, like it's a big deal," Alli said, annoyance laced in her words. "Alright. Upstairs we go."

As they approached the stairs, Clare tried to flash Alli a nervous smile, which was a complete failure. "You first," she urged, and Alli obliged, mostly just to get it over with. They quietly climbed the stairs, Alli one step ahead of Clare, who was trying to swallow the anticipation building in her throat. She wanted oh, so desperately to be wrong. She wanted Jake to be alone. She wondered, then, if they had possibly made enough noise for him to hear, giving him enough time to hide anything—or anyone.

Alli breezed past Jake's door without a single thought. Clare, trailing a few feet behind her, walked a little more slowly, absorbing any sound. In front of Jake's door, she hesitated. It was open just a crack, just enough to hear the muffled noise on the other side. In a spark of courage, she knocked lightly on the door, staging an oblivious smile on her face. It took a few extra seconds for Jake to open the door. Clare instantly noted his appearance; hair disheveled, shirt crooked and wrinkled, slightly red in the face. She nearly bit her lip. All the signs were there. Someone was on the other side of the door. Jake looked so surprised to see her. "Clare... What are you doing here?"

"Alli and I wanted to have a Disney marathon, but her collection isn't as impressive as mine," Clare bluffed, amazed at how easily the lie flowed past her teeth. "I just wanted to let you know we're here. Are you... okay? You look a little..." Clare trailed off, adding a giggle to make herself a bit more convincing. She wanted to appear as innocent as possible.

Jake, however, looked painfully unimpressed. "A little what?"

"Ruffled up."

Jake smirked, folding his arms across his chest. "Well, I'm fine."

"Your hair's a mess." Clare said it so flatly that it startled them both. She decided she was done playing dumb. She was getting answers, whether he wanted to give them up or not. She lowered her voice to a whisper, her playful smile still shaping her full, pink lips. "Are you hosting a lady friend, perchance?"

With a scoff, Jake shifted on his feet. He was nervous. "And why is that your business?"

"I live here, too. I like to know who's in my house."

"And I like my privacy."

"So there is someone in there with you?"

"Why are you prodding me?" Jake asked, finally reaching frustration.

Clare took a step closer to him, a malicious gleam in her eyes. The envy she suffered from manifested in the form of a vindictive smirk, as she uttered the question, "Is it Eli?"

Much to her surprise, though, Jake looked anything but shocked. In fact, his face relaxed, and he let his arms fall to his sides. He let loose a sigh. "Are you jealous?"

"Of what?" Clare hissed, enraged that she hadn't fazed him in the slightest. Instead, now he was the one being malicious.

"I don't know. That I get to kiss him, and you don't? Or, that I get to hold him, and you don't? Or that I get to touch him, and you don't? Or, maybe, that I get to be with him, and you don't?" Jake said it all so calmly, but a smirk tugged at his lips. "Face it, Clare, you're just jealous. And now you know. So you can stop reading through my phone and stalking us."

Clare couldn't grasp a response. Jake had just confessed to everything she'd spent weeks thinking over. Jake and Eli were together. How could this happen? Jake didn't give her any time to piece together her reply. Instead, he began to slowly shut the door. He offered her a smile. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get back to touching my boyfriend."

This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This isn't happening. "I-I don't believe you!" Clare choked out, looking for any excuse at this point.

"No? Fine." Jake looked over his shoulder for a moment, his grin widening, and he allowed the door to gently swing open. Clare clenched her jaw to prevent it from dropping as her gaze fell on Eli, shirtless and breathless, using his fingers to try and fix his hair. He looked almost as if he didn't even know she was there, but he laughed when their eyes met.

"Shocked, Edwards?" He smiled, seeming almost pleased. "Are you happy now that your little obsession can finally be put to rest? Because I am."

Clare felt stinging tears welling up in her eyes. "So, did you do this on purpose? Get together and wave it in front of my nose to make me jealous? Is this because I broke up with you?"

Jake shook his head, sighing. "Clare, not everything is about you. Just because you're a common denominator doesn't mean you're the reason we're together. For your information, Miss Edwards, you're late on this news. Our friends know. This isn't about you. It has absolutely nothing to do with you. After you and I broke up, Eli and I got close. And I really, really like him. You have no part in any of that. Get over yourself." He grabbed onto the door, beginning to shut it again. "Now if you'll please excuse us."

The door shut in her face, and Clare stood, teary-eyed and mouth slightly agape. She couldn't help but hear the muffled laughter behind the door, which would soon become an assortment of soft moans. She drifted down the hallway to her bedroom like a ghost, finding Alli, who had only heard bits and pieces of the conversation. Clare tried to smile at her, but couldn't without releasing a tear onto her pale cheek. "You were right. I'm jealous."

"I'm sorry, Clare."

"You know the worst part?" Clare inquired, and Alli shook her head sympathetically. "I really did honestly believe this had something to do with me. But it doesn't. They really are together because they like each other. It seemed so impossible, and it's still a little hard to believe, but it's true. Jake and Eli... love each other."

Alli grabbed Clare's arm and pulled her to sit down beside her, then patted her shoulder. "So that's it, Clare. You should stop worrying about it now. It's got nothing to do with you. They're just... two crazy boys."

"One of whom I'm still in love with," Clare added, gnawing on her lower lip.

"Right..." Alli sighed. "But you know what?"

"What?"

"You'll get over it. I know you will. You're strong and smart and you've dealt with these two before. The only difference now is that instead of making out with you, they're making out... with each other." Alli smiled, as if what she was saying would actually help. Clare smiled back, weakly, and Alli felt reassured. She didn't want Clare to dwell on it. It wasn't like it was actually a problem for her.

Looking up, Clare scrunched her nose. "Yeah, and that's happening... right now."

"Um, what?"

"They're in there, um," Clare glanced around the room, nervous and awkward, "doing stuff."

Alli's eyes went wide and she stood up. "Oh my god, ew! Please tell me that means we're leaving!"

"Well..."

"Clare!"

"Yes, Alli! We're leaving!" Clare said as she gathered herself and stood to follow Alli out into the hallway, where they would be forced to listen to at least one of Eli's ecstatic moans before they finally left the house.