"Oh, hey," Sydney got up quickly. "We were just-"

"That wasn't what it looked like," Jake said at the same time, but neither one of them was buying it.

"I can't believe you!" Gabi looked shocked and angrier than any of them had ever seen her. "Really, Jake? Sydney, you're my best friend!"

"Gabi, we weren't-" Sydney started.

"Why would you do that to me, Jake?" Cody demanded, also clearly upset. "To get back at me for starting a fight? Was it worth it? Was it really necessary to use Sydney, too, for one of your games?"

"I swear, man," Jake stood up to. "We really were not doing anything. She fell, and…" Jake stopped at the look on Gabi's face. Her brown eyes were the symbol of pain itself, tender and broken and dull. Her chin quivered and her lip trembled. "Gabi, I-"

"No," she shook her head, and pulled the ring from her finger. She stepped towards Jake and took his hands in hers. It would have been a romantic sign in any other situation.

"Please don't do this," Jake shook his head, his eyes wide now too. Everything was forgotten, him needing space and her taking care of him too much, it was all gone. Because underneath it all, he really did love her.

"All of those promises really did mean nothing, didn't they?" Gabi whispered, her voice shaking. "You really never loved me, it was all a lie wasn't it?"

"No, of course not," Jake said quickly, but her mind was made up. She dropped his ring into his hands and took a final look at his face, which was as broken as she felt.

"Thanks for making me feel good for a little while," she said to Jake, not even bothering to wipe the tears away from her cheeks. "You're a really good liar."

And with that, she walked out the door, closing it gently behind her.

"Now you've used both of them," Cody shouted as Jake watched the door, as if not believing what had just happened. "Are you happy, Jake? You stomped all over her heart, and now you've gone and made Sydney part of your game, and you know what? That's not cool with me."

"I didn't touch Sydney," Jake said, coming back to his senses. "I swear to God, she fell on me."

"Oh, okay," Cody rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I really believe tha-"

Cody stopped at the slight, familiar and warm pressure on his arm and he looked down to see Sydney with her blue eyes innocent and wide.

"Cody," she said softly. "Me and Jake weren't doing what you think, I promise you."

A shadow of relief crossed his face, but then it was replaced with doubt.

"Look Cody," she continued. "I know we're not having a great relationship right now, but I swear I'd never lie to you. You know me, I'm honest…I promise you we weren't."

"You promise?" he repeated, not daring to believe her just yet.

"With all my heart."

Cody nodded, and then looked down at her hand which was still resting on his arm. He opened his mouth to speak.

"Sydney, I'm sorry."

"I'm so sorry."

They both spoke at the same time, and then a smile crossed Cody's lips.

"You are?" he asked. "What for?"

"For not communicating with you last night when we made up. You thought I was still mad, and I wasn't so this is all my fault."

"No, it's mine," Cody found her in his arms, and she felt her heart soar once more, the feeling of being free washing over her.

"No, it's mine," she giggled, and Cody leaned down to press his lips to hers. The same sparks that exploded the first time they kissed washed over the both of them, all fighting forgotten. They were once more living in the moment.

"She's gone," Jake said blankly, and Cody dragged his lips away from Sydney's.

"I guess I should apologize to you, also," Cody said to Jake.

He turned to Cody.

"For?"

"That," Cody nodded up at the black eye, and Jake shrugged it off.

"Sorry for your lip," he said. "And I'm sorry you think I'm using Gabi, because I'm not."

Cody nodded, but it was clear to both of them he didn't truly believe that. There were more important things to think about, however.

"Where do you think Gabi went?" Sydney asked anxiously. Sure, they were fighting. But the fact that Gabi thought that Sydney would ever get with Jake, her best friend's boyfriend, killed her.

"I'll ask her," Jake pulled out his phone and dialed her number. Sydney and Cody watched skeptically.

"What?" Jake asked, the phone to his ear.

"You seriously think she's going to pick up?" Cody asked disbelievingly.

"Why shouldn't she?" Jake looked confused. Sydney face palmed, and even Cody rolled his eyes.

"Jake," Sydney said slowly. "Think about this a second. In Gabi's mind, she just walked into the house after a giant fight with you and I, then saw us…being romantic. She's not going to be happy with either one of us right now."

Jake lowered his phone.

"Then you call her, Cody."

Cody complied and dialed her number. It rang several times before going to voicemail. Instead, he sent her a text, asking where she was.

"Well, there's not much else we can do," Cody lowered his phone. "And frankly, Sydney, I want to have some time with you to heal everything up, okay?"

Sydney glanced at Cody's anxious face, representing everything that meant anything to her. Their relationship, tucked under that their friendship, both of their hearts, this trip…Too much was at stake to say no.

But then there was Gabi, who thought she was being cheated on by her boyfriend with her best friend, somewhere out there in the darkness, heartbroken and utterly alone.

Would she be an awful friend, leaving Gabi out there? But she couldn't put communication with Cody on hold, not again. She bit her lip, weighing the options.

"Just go, Syd," Jake sighed. "Work it out with Cody, I'll find Gabi."

"But, what if-" Sydney started, as Cody's phone buzzed.

"She says she's "at the place where it all started". Whatever that means…"

They were all silent for a moment, until Jake spoke up.

"I know where she is. I'll go, Sydney, you and Cody go talk or whatever."

"But what if she doesn't listen to you, Jake?" Cody spoke up.

"Worst that could happen is I get another one of these," Jake gestured to his bruised eye as he slipped sneakers on and opened the door, leaving Cody and Sydney alone together.

Except, thought Jake, that wasn't the worst that could happen. The worst that could happen would be her telling him that she wasn't interested in being with him anymore, that she hated him.

Which she very well should, he mused as he walked along the empty street with her ring jingling in his pocket. He crossed his fingers, hoping against hope, that she'd take that very ring back.

oOo

"First I feel like I should give you a proper apology," Cody mumbled into Sydney's cheek as she lay beside him in her bed. Rain had started to pour outside in a gentle stream, and the sound was comforting. The dim lights of the room mingling with the sweet smell of Sydney's hair and the smooth touch of her skin against his were truly making his heart feel so much better.

"Okay," she said, sleepily. She was in one of his t shirts and her own lacy shorts, her head on his chest with his arms around her.

"I am so sorry for not listening to you and hurting you," Cody traced patterns on the small sliver of her skin visible between her top and shorts. "You are my world, Sydney. I feel so bad."

"It's okay," she gave him her beautiful, sunny smile, the one that tore at his heart and he couldn't stand it anymore. He reached down and found her lips under his, then started to kiss her with the most intensity and feeling he ever had. She kissed back mirroring his fire, and they only pulled away for a moment to breath before diving back in.

oOo

Jake trekked up the giant hill, the same one only weeks ago he and Gabi had first kissed at the waterfall. It had started to rain, and mud slid under his feet, pushing him back as he fought. The lashing rain and wind blew into his eyes so he could hardly see and bit his skin, but it was worth it. Because he knew that at the top of this hill was Gabi.

He fought through, and eventually got to the top. Sure enough, there she was. Looking much far away then she actually was because of the rain blowing around, but there. Gabi was sitting by the rocks, staring down into the rising water with her head in her hands.

"Gabi," he called breathlessly, but his voice was only taken by the wind. So he ran, all the way to the rocks by the water, which were a lot more slippery than he accounted for. He slipped on the slick grass and fell, sprawling out next to her.

She glanced at him, looking not even a little surprise as he sat up and reached out to her in the pounding rain as thunder cracked overhead.

"You're going to get sick out here," he yelled. She just stared at him, her brown eyes wet with what clearly wasn't rainwater. He reached out to take her in his arms, and when she didn't push him away she took it as a good sign.

But as he held her, he realized it would have been better if she had pushed him away. Because that would have meant she still felt something for him. The way she remained limp in his arms, not even bothering to move, proved that she was empty.

"Please," he squeezed her tighter and spoke into her soaked skin, his lips on her ear. "Please, please don't give up on me yet, baby."

She still was unmoving, like a rag doll or a corpse he was trying desperately to bring back to life. After a few minutes of this, he released her, his heart breaking.

"What do I need to do to make this better?"

Finally, she looked up to meet his eyes with her own, which were very red.

"There is absolutely, positively nothing you can do to make this better," she said, a hint of disbelief in her otherwise empty voice. "Just leave me alone, okay?"

"I can't do that," he whispered, shaking his blonde head as more rain beat down on them.

"And why the hell not?" she was feeling something now, pure anger at the boy sitting only two feet next to her. She studied his face for a few moments, before standing up. She started to walk away, but Jake grabbed her hand and pulled her down on top of him.

"Stop," she pushed him away, hard, but he didn't let go.

"Just listen to me," he said, his voice soft but still loud enough for her to hear over the beating rain, which was pelting them repeatedly. "For two seconds."

"How could you do this to me?" Gabi resigned, letting herself fall back down into the earth as she started to weep once more. Mud was smeared across her sopping wet clothes, her makeup was running, and her hair a mess. "I know I was just a-a toy or whatever to you, but still, I have feelings, Jake. I mean, you're a wonderful actor to trick me like you did, but do you really not care at all? Couldn't you just have some human decency and leave me alone? You got me, okay? You win, I honestly, really loved you. Isn't that enough? Can't you just go?"

She sobbed into the slick grass, her tears mingling with the night's dew and rainwater all around. Thunder pounded again.

"I never cheated on you," Jake said, leaning down so she could hear him. "Sydney fell on me, and I know you probably don't believe me because right now I'm the biggest asshole on the entire planet to you, but you know Sydney would never, ever do that to you."

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