Chapter 5- World Upside Down

Jay did his best to keep his walk straight as he moved into the junkyard.

As soon as Cole was fully out of sight, however, Jay gave in to the whirlwind of feelings within him. He gave a victorious shout, pumping a fist in the air before sinking onto the ground. He laid back upon it, facing the stars.

"Wow." The single word captured everything. The ups, the downs, and the unrest in between.

All in all, the Djinn's wish had worked. Had it been unnecessarily rough? Yes. But had he taken a ride home with Cole and actually held a proper conversation?

Also yes.

"Jay?"

The sound of his father's voice jolted him into the present. Jay quickly sat up, wobbling a bit before managing to stand. He gave his father a small smile, brushing dirt from the back of his head. "Oh. Hey dad! I'm um. I'm home. It's not too late, right?"

"I was just heading out to pick you up. How did you get here?"

"I got a ride from, uh, this. . . Kai's friend." Somehow, saying Cole's name aloud had become an impossibility.

"Oh, well. You should have let me know! But I'm glad you're home. How did everything go?" His father flashed him a knowing smile, elbowing him on the side as they walked together. "That look in your eyes is familiar. I remember looking the same way when I finally gathered up the courage to talk to your mother! So? Are you gonna spill the beans?"

"Er. . ." A deep blush coated Jay's cheeks. His eyes shifted down. "Nothing happened I just, I had fun that's all. It was a good time."

"Sure, sure. Was it Nya? I've always liked the girl."

"It was not." Jay flinched at the suggestion, fingers fidgeting as he searched for a way out of the conversation. "It really was nothing, Dad."

"Hmm. . . Well, I suppose I'll drop it. For now. You need to head off to bed, we're waking up early tomorrow! Taking a trip to the city to sell some things."

"Sure, alright." The prospect of an early Saturday morning was unpleasant. He knew his mind had no intention of sleeping. But it handed him a great excuse to hide out in his room, instead of dancing around conversations of his love life.

Not that he had a love life. It had been one ride. One. Cole would probably go on through the weekend without sparing him a second thought. There was no love life.

Before rushing to his room, Jay retrieved the teapot from its hiding spot. He didn't plan on making another wish, but he felt an urge to thank the Djinn for how things had turned out. Despite all he'd read, maybe this one wasn't so bad after all.

Nadakhan's body took shape from the fireless smoke, flashing a pompous smile down at Jay. "Oh, are you ready for your second wish now? Hmm, let me guess things didn't quite turn out the way you'd hoped? And you'd like to re-do it all?"

"No," Jay shook his head, too joyous to notice the Djinn's sinister tone. "Well, I mean, things could have gone better but. . . Thank you! He actually gave me a ride. I mean it was mostly due to Nya but. . . Still. And he remembered me. I can't believe he remembered me."

"Ah." The Djinn frowned. "Then what is your second wish? To spend more time alongside him?"

"I don't have one yet. I just wanted to thank you."

"Well you shouldn't have." The Djinn said. "I am here to grant wishes, not to be your friend."

"I mean, there's nothing wrong with being friends, right?" Jay chuckled, and the Djinn cast him a menacing glare. ". . . Or not. Or not. I just thought it would be nice to say thank you. Sorry for having manners."

Jay tried to keep silent, but unspoken words bubbled in his throat until he had no other choice but to speak. "And I just. . . well I don't want to rant to Nya about this, because she'll just push and then, Lloyd, well Lloyd's nice but if I tell him and not Nya, then it'll be a mess, but I have to tell someone, you know?"

"Why not wish for some company?"

"At this hour? I don't think anyone would be too happy to be summoned into a tiny trailer. Besides. I don't want to talk to a stranger."

"I am very much a stranger." Nadakhan pointed out. "You do not know me."

"Yeah but. . . " Jay shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, you're so. . . far removed from everything, you know? So it's like. . . Having a magic friend you can carry around everywhere. Also, come on. You've been trapped in that teapot for eons. You can't tell me you didn't get a little lonely."

"I prefer solitude to endless, wishless mutterings."

"Fine then." Jay pouted, twisting the teapot and resealing the Djinn inside.

He juggled it from one hand to another, before ultimately tossing it into his backpack.

Jay moved up to his bed, turning on his side. His mind was all but quiet, keeping sleep stubbornly at bay. But for once, Jay's late night thoughts weren't filled with negativity, and he found that he didn't mind them much at all.

This year was gearing up to be different. And maybe that wouldn't be so bad.

At the first red light, Cole's eyes traveled to his phone.

Without unlocking it, he was able to see all he needed to. A missed call from his dad. And 7 unopened text messages. Also from his dad.

He could call back. He should call back. It was what a good son would do. His father was clearly worried. Cole was never out very late. And he was excellent about giving his dad updates.

But the moment he called, would be the moment the perfectly good night would end. All would snap back to the usual grind of responsibilities and challenges. Cole wasn't ready to give up the momentary freedom just yet.

So he pushed the phone away from him, and focused on the drive.

The pain in his nose had dulled now, dimming back into nothing more than a stubborn ache in the back of his thoughts. Since they were too busy focused on the guy who'd done it.

Cole still couldn't believe he'd forgotten about Jay.

After the first nose-breaking incident, the two of them had hung a couple of times. Cole didn't remember anything in specific, just the general feeling that he'd enjoyed Jay's company very, very much.

Life had somehow managed to keep them apart, but they'd wound up in each other's paths nonetheless.

And Jay's company was still as pleasant as ever.

Granted, they hadn't exactly had a long, deep conversation about anything in particular but. . . There was something extremely pleasant about Jay's absolutely genuine attitude. Unlike Cole's, his feelings weren't deeply hidden between a hundred or so layers of pretend perfection.

He wanted nothing more than to know more about the ever-so-expressive Jay Walker.

With this realization, he pulled up to his house. The lights in the living room stood out even against the thick curtains. With a steely breath to prepare himself for whatever was to come, Cole hopped out of the truck.

House keys jangled uselessly from his hand. There was no need from them, as his father was already waiting by the open door, arms crossed over his chest. His face was tightened into a look that was even more disapproving than usual. A look that Cole found amusing. But now was no time to laugh.

"Heyy dad." Cole said, voice was numbed by the weight of the broken nose. His father picked up on the off-sounding syllables instantly. His look of disappointment twisting into one of bewilderment. "I'm home. Sorry I didn't call you back. I figured it would be better if I just hurried home."

"What happened to you?" His father stepped forward, every movement grand and dramatic. He took Cole's face in his hands, inspecting the broken nose. "What were you doing?"

"It's nothing. We can get it fixed up no problem."

"That is not what I asked, Cole!" His father scoffed, then shook his head, muttering to himself intelligibly. "Have you put some ice on it? It looks a bit swollen. . . Just, just come in."

Cole was half dragged inside. His father dropped him off in the living room, ordering him to sit while he retrieved an ice pack. Once he returned, he placed the pack in Cole's hand, them moved Cole's hand so the soothing coolness was pressed against his skin.

"I did put some ice on it. It must have gotten worse while I drove here. But really, it's not that bad."

"Not that bad. . . Ha! Cole, you know you have to take care of yourself!" His father shook his head, placing a hand against his forehead. Again, it was difficult to keep a straight face. "So are you going to tell me what happened or will I be forced to ask a third time?"

Cole shrugged, hoping to lead his father into a rant that would result in the man forgetting the question altogether. But his father remained silent, watching patiently. "I just fell. Accident."

"Fell from where?"

"Just. . ." Cole groaned. He hated lying, and he knew he wasn't going to. He'd never been able to keep up with lies. "Just fell onto a stage."

"Stage." His father shook his head. "Would you stop giving me short answers and explain the whole thing, please?"

"We had a little concert in Kai's backyard. No big deal. And I fell. Also no big deal. That's it. That's why I was late home, and I'm sorry about that. Now I'll love to get some sleep if that's-"

Cole had been attempting to slyly make his way out of the living room, but his father placed a hand on his shoulder, preventing him from going too far. Cole turned around to face his father again reluctantly.

"A concert? And I didn't know about this?"

"It wasn't anything big." Cole did his best to look innocent. "Now please Dad, I'm tired."

"Wasn't anything big? Ha! I doubt it. If there's anything I've managed to teach you, is to always, always go big! I wish I had been there to see it. But well. I suppose I would have been a bit out of place."

"A bit."

"Bring your friends over some time. I would love to hear you three perform. I bet I could give you some pointers. I was in a band when I was younger as well, you know. I've got some experience you kids could use." His father smiled and gave a nod, more to himself than to Cole. "You could even listen to some of our old songs! I'm sure they'd serve as inspiration. I would have asked you to bring them earlier, but I wasn't sure your friends were up to par to perform. But if they've done so already!"

And just like that, Spin Harmony was out of Cole's hands.

"So, be honest. How do I look?"

Jay's eyes traveled up. Cole stood in front of him, a thick bandage stuck over his nose. He smiled, and Jay's heartbeat rose. "You look like someone broke your nose."

"Taking the easy answer, huh?" Cole said, shaking his head. "Well, I'm sure I still look stunningly handsome."

Jay gulped, lowering his eyes. He wished Cole didn't have to joke with words that hit so close to the truth. Thankfully, the bell rang before Jay could say anything that would send him into an early grave due to embarrassment. Cole walked off to his own desk, leaving Jay jittery with nervous energy.

Through the first half of the day, Cole kept throwing small comments and questions in Jay's direction. It was both amazing and nerve wrecking. For the most part, Jay couldn't do much more than nod like an idiot. He found that it was useless to try and use one's brain when Cole was flashing that ridiculously charming smile of his.

And during lunch, the impossible happened.

Instead of heading off to their usual, overly filled table, Cole, Kai, and Zane slid into the empty seats where Jay sat. He looked up from his phone with a smile, expecting to see his friends. Instead, the expression froze on his face, turning into one of fearful confusion.

"Hey," Cole said, and Jay blinked.

Nya and Lloyd arrived just in time to save Jay's skin, sitting on either side of him. Nya raised an eyebrow at her brother. "So what's with this?"

"What do you mean? Can't I sit with my sister?" Kai said, talking through a mouthful of food. Nya grimaced at the sight.

"You just usually don't."

"Cole wanted to change things up." Kai shrugged. Nya's eyes flickered to Jay, who was intently staring at the unappetizing lunch before him.

"I wanted to thank you, for helping us out Friday. You did a great job." Cole said, and Zane nodded enthusiastically beside him.

"Oh!" Nya smiled. "It wasn't just me. They helped too."

She signaled over to Jay and Lloyd. Jay looked up, and Lloyd held out a hand to shake Cole's, eyes glinting mischievously. "We haven't officially met, but I've heard lots about you. I'm Lloyd."

"Good things right?" Cole chuckled. "Well it's nice to meet you."

"And I am Zane." Instead of offering his hand to shake, Zane gave a courteous nod. "I do not think I have officially met any of you. But I have seen you through the years."

With introductions thankfully out of the way, Jay lowered his eyes again. He was extremely aware of every one of his movements. Logically, he knew Cole could have cared less about Jay's actions, but the teen's mind was convinced his crush judging his every move.

Cole was the first to speak again, as he snapped open a bag of salted chips. "So, I was wondering if you guys wanted to hang out? It feels kind of weird that you three helped us set up our first concert, and aside from Nya, I barely know you, you know?"

"I'm down for anything!" Lloyd beamed.

"That could be cool. It's not like we do much." Nya said, eager to jump at any opportunity that would put Jay and Cole together.

"I do stuff." Jay said, voice cracking as he struggled to speak up. "Sometimes. I don't know if. . . I'd have to ask my parents. Sometimes I help them with . . . things."

"Well I'm sure we can figure something out," The determination in Cole's attitude made Jay's stomach flutter.

He bit his lip, trying to keep his mind from spinning off into wild theories. He does not like you, he just wants to say thank you! It's a perfectly normal response. Stop overthinking.

"Definitely." Nya nodded. She slipped her phone out of her pocket expertly, mind already working on the perfect plan. Jay was both grateful and annoyed. "Why don't you and Zane give me your numbers? I'll make us a group chat."

"Good call!" Cole seemed just as eager as Nya. It was dizzying.

Numbers were exchanged. Jay stared at his phone in sheer disbelief, looking at the contact that now said Cole. Last Monday, Cole had barely had any idea that Jay existed. And now?

Now he had Cole's number.