A/N: Sorry this took so long. School was ass this semester. Consider this a belated Christmas gift, lol.

Anyways, frank discussions of sex ahead. Nothing that warrants a rating change, but it gets a little crude and candid.

Also, before we get back to the story, I just want to vent my frustration about the users who have been shitposting and spamming the fandom lately on here. I've reported them numerous times to no avail, so I just wanted to ask my few readers on here to help with reporting efforts. Hopefully the site administration will take notice, because it's getting very frustrating (and a little discouraging, too).

Now that I've said that, let's proceed…

Chapter 3: Getaway

Sydni sighed a breath of relief when Jonesy and Nikki approached her at the intersection.

"I'm so glad you guys are still here."

"Yeah, yeah—the Jonesmeister and his babe to the rescue," Jonesy said. He appeared agitated, likely from having his backseat romp interrupted.

"C'mon, Bambi," Nikki said, calmer in comparison. "Let's take you home."

Sydni replied with a small smile of gratitude and followed the couple to the car. She opened the door and got in the backseat, as did Nikki.

"You're not gonna sit in the front, babe?" Jonesy asked.

"No, I'm staying back here to keep Bambi company."

With his unamused expression visible in the rearview mirror, he snarked, "Do I look like a Lyft driver?"

"Of course not. You're not even getting paid." In a faux, posh accent, she retorted, "Now take us home, chauffeur."

His eyes rolled. "Fine."

"So," Nikki started, dropping the silly accent and grabbing Sydni's attention, "what happened? How come you didn't ride back with Alejandro?"

She sighed. "Well, things were going fine enough when we got to his car. We made out a little bit and it was amazing… until he told me that his parents weren't home so we could take it to his bedroom."

"Ugh, that's so sleazy."

"I know. And it gets worse… I kinda blurted out that I'm a virgin to him, but I didn't know how else to get the message across. Then he offered to just take me home instead, but I said no. I just feel weird about the whole thing."

"Oof, I know he's blue-balling tonight," Jonesy interjected.

"Do blue balls hurt as much as feeling like a boxer's punching you in the uterus every month? Didn't think so." Nikki rolled her eyes and continued, "Anyways, Bambi, you did what you felt was right. Guys really need to stop assuming that girls are trying to fuck on the first date."

"But there are girls who smash on the first date, though."

"Yeah, but not all girls, Jones. Not all guys even have sex on the first date."

"Okay, true."

Amid their repartee, Sydni couldn't stop her mind from reeling. Her thoughts always spun out of control and sucked her in like a tornado. The situation with Alejandro and its aftermath only made her predisposition to overthink worse.

Then a question paralyzed her mind with anxiety, and, when the couple stopped bantering, she asked it aloud in a hushed voice: "Am I… Am I wrong for not sleeping with him?" Sydni asked.

"Of course not," Nikki said. "Listen, before I got with Casanova over there, I lost my virginity to a guy I was seeing because I felt like I should, and now it's something on my ongoing list of life regrets."

She never pegged Nikki as the type to feel pressured to lose her virginity, but, then again, she realized that the pressure to bend to a guy's whim was inescapable.

However, she could only reply, "Oh, wow."

"Yeah. So don't be like me. Sleep with someone on your own terms, not because you feel like it's gonna make them happy. Do it if you feel like it's gonna make you happy."

"Damn, babe, I should have you add that to my dating guide," Jonesy said. "Speaking of which, did you ever publish that on your blog, Syd?"

Heat rose in her cheeks upon being called out. "See, what had happened was… I didn't."

"I knew it, 'cause no one's been talking 'bout it. But it's okay, though. This whole convo made me realize I gotta add some stuff about sex in there, I guess."

Nikki smirked. "Wow, working on a revised edition so soon?"

"I gotta give the people more content. It's my duty."

"Sure. Anyways, Bambi, don't beat yourself up over that sleazeball. If you wanted to sleep with him, you would've, but you didn't for a reason."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she replied in a lovelorn tone.

"Well," Nikki said as the car came to a halt, "looks like it's time for me to go."

"Alright. I guess I should get up front since you're leaving," Sydni said, getting out the car with her.

As Sydni got in the passenger seat, Nikki walked up to Jonesy's open window, leaning over to give him a kiss goodnight. With a grin, she said, "Love you, asshole."

He chuckled. "Love you too, jackass."

After that, she departed. Jonesy and Sydni remained parked, waiting until Nikki made it inside her home. They proceeded to take off in awkward silence.

Sydni stared out the window, watching suburbia blur as the car passed it by. After a while, the trees, the cars, and the homes all looked the same.

Jonesy cleared his throat, and the action grabbed her attention.

She glanced at his face curiously, wondering if he would break the silence by speaking first or just keep his focus on the road.

Luckily, it was the former. "So, on some real shit, sorry things didn't go well with Alejandro."

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

"Nah, but I should've warned you."

"Warned me about what?"

"He used to be a lowkey hoe before he got with Heather. He didn't have a new chick on his arm everyday or anything, but he's definitely told me some stuff."

"I figured as much." She chuckled, but it was empty. With a frown, she admitted, "God, I can't believe I thought he'd see me any differently." Jonesy remained silent, so she began to think aloud. "It sucks, because I liked him and his vibe… But I know that guys love sex, and I know how they feel about girls who don't have it." Her tone turned hollow. She couldn't even convince herself with her next statements. "Shit, I don't know. Maybe it's finally time for me to lose my virginity. I know it's a big deal—at least for girls—but, if it's causing all this trouble, maybe I should just get it out of the way."

He sighed. "For the record, you're right about guys loving sex. Do I think about sleeping with Nikki? Hell yeah. All the time. In every position ever. But, even though I really wanna, I'd feel like shit if I knew she was only doing it to make me happy. Like, I'd rather have both of us be into it than just me. That's no fun. I might as well be jacking off. But I guess shit's different 'cause I care about Nikki. You and Alejandro only went out on one date."

She half-smiled. "It's nice to know that you consider her feelings."

"I mean, I know I dick around and we don't always see eye-to-eye, but I love her. Like, a whole lot. That's my girl, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know."

"But, back to the whole blue-ball fiasco, it's probably best not to sleep with the dude if you're only doing it for him. I'm pretty sure it goes against guy code to say that, but, still, if he was really into you, he'd still want you, regardless of what you can do to him. Trust me."

As the car came to a full stop once more, arriving in front of her home, she regarded him with fondness. Her interactions with him usually ended in annoyance from his actions or insecurity from him teasing her, so this conversation refreshed her.

"Thanks for the advice, Jonesy."

"No prob. Y'know, I know we don't always click, but, if you ever need me, I got your back."

Perhaps he read her tornadic thoughts. For that, she gave him a warm smile and a brief hug. "I really appreciate that."

"You're a hugger like princess, huh?" he asked when she let go, referring to Caitlin.

"I guess I am."

Before Sydni knew it, the upper-right corner of her laptop said 3:00am.

She and this hour were acquaintances. She always overthought when the world was pitch-black, only illuminated by her LED screen and backlit keyboard.

A blank document sat before her, with the cursor blinking from inactivity. It taunted her, eventually forcing her to draft her torrent of thoughts instead of confining them to her head.

Now, a title filled her screen:

Pros and Cons of Losing My Virginity

She sighed and asked herself, Where do I begin? I guess I can start with the pros. For starters, I guess it'll cause less conflict.

Her lips fell into a frown as she typed. After all, her inability to have sex with Jake is what fractured their relationship. She loved him, but, every time he wanted more, she could never push herself enough to let go. She could never relinquish the reins on her virginity. The thought of being touched intimately, while nice as a concept, frightened her in reality.

She couldn't verbalize why she wouldn't loosen up with Jake. They'd known each other for so long, yet she tensed up around him like a complete stranger whenever the word sex hung in the air.

Perhaps it was the pressure to perform so perfectly, and she was no actress nor expert. The thought of arching her back to the high heavens, moaning on cue, pretending no pain existed between her thighs, telling him to never stop even though she desperately wished for it all to be over—it all seemed so… performative. More importantly, it felt fake.

She wanted to make Jake happy, but not at the expense of letting him in her body when she didn't feel that way. She'd offered him room in her mind and handed over her heart because she wanted to, but, even though her body was on lockdown, why weren't two out of three enough?

However, since he wanted it and wasn't getting it from her, he turned to someone who was willing to give him body, even if that girl didn't truly know him or carve out her heart for him.

By the end of winter break, she lived with a heavy mind, heartless chest, and hollow body. She wondered why kisses and touches would never be enough. More importantly, she wondered if it was worth it. She saw peers sacrifice their bodies for babies at an early age, heard rumors about who gave who an STD, and felt the heartache of girls being played while giving themselves away. She thought she'd be protecting herself from this and the performativity of it all by not sleeping with him.

By no means did she think she was immune to infidelity, but it never crossed her mind until it hit her in the face.

Her eyes stung.

Think of pros, think of pros, think of pros… Okay, maybe me and Alejandro might be able to connect in a different way?

She couldn't convince herself of it. She could only picture the most nerve-wracking first time imaginable. Both her and Jake were at least virgins when they were together. According to Jonesy, Alejandro was a bonafide hoe with hella experience. Her mind wouldn't be able to relax since she knew of the history preceding him.

Despite how suave and soothing (and knowledgeable of her "whole-ass" virgin status) he was, she knew he'd expect her to live up to past lovers. She'd be doubting every move she made and hating herself in the process.

The "what-ifs" would plague her the whole time.

What if he doesn't find me sexy enough?

What if I'm too awkward?

What if I'm not enough?

What if he knows I'm only doing it for him?

She stopped typing, leaving the cursor hanging as the last question hung heavy in her mind.

Kissing him was for both their gratification, but sex would only be for his. Her heart, her mind, her everything wouldn't be into it. She'd bent herself in every direction for everybody, but she wouldn't let her body be his property. She at least cared for herself that much.

Alejandro's the guy she wanted to spend the season with. She wanted to learn about his oh-so-fascinating life during hazy summer nights. Yet she had strong visions of being with a guy down to hold her hand, kiss her, and take her on fun dates—not take her in his room while his parents were gone. If parting her legs for him was her only option, then she'd abandon her visions.

She just didn't roll like that.

The next day, Jude, Jonesy, Nikki, and Sydni gathered at the Big Squeeze, all giving each other curious looks.

"What's with the 911 text Jen and Cait sent? And where's Wyatt?" Jude asked, feeling out of the loop.

"I have no idea, but something's telling me this might be about Wyatt," Sydni said. After all, Jen and Caitlin texted them in a new, separate group chat.

"Hmm, something's fishy," Jonesy said before sipping on his soda.

"Fishier than the fish sticks I had for breakfast?" Jude asked.

"Fishier than that, dude."

Nikki rested her elbow on the table, then rested her chin inside her palm. "I would ask how long this is gonna take, but let's face it: I don't care about being late to work. They can take all the time they need."

"A girl after my own heart," Jonesy flirted.

"Do you even have a job today?" Sydni asked him.

"I do, thanks for asking." With smugness, he set down his drink and crossed his arms. "It's at Candid Candles."

"Huh, there really is a store for everything in this mall."

"I really think we have too many stores," Nikki said.

"Well, I don't," he said. "I've got endless opportunities to be employed."

"And endless opportunities to be fired."

Sydni placed a hand on her chin, musing, "Y'all really have a different economy up here."

Before anyone could say anything else, Jen and Caitlin showed up, looking bewildered.

Caitlin took her seat at the table, neglecting opening the Big Squeeze. Her emerald eyes went wide as she said, "You guys'll never believe what happened last night."

"We saw Wyatt on a date last night," Jen said, "with Marlowe."

Jonesy spat his drink across the table. "What?!"

"Marlowe Marlowe?" Sydni asked. "As in his ex Marlowe?"

"That's the one," Jen said.

"Duuuuuude, that's wild," Jude said. "I thought they broke up, like, months ago."

"They did," Jen replied. "But they must've gotten back together between breaking up and now."

"I'm not denying that they may be back together," Nikki started, "but what if they were just going out as friends? Didn't he mention something about wanting to get their band back together?"

"Nikki, that restaurant's crazy expensive. Unless I'm going again with Cait, I'd only want a date to take me there."

"What's the place called?" Jonesy asked.

"Solato e Dolce."

"Wow, that name just called me broke. How can Wyatt afford to eat there? Dude flips burgers in his spare time."

"He's consistently employed, not to mention he's better with money than you are, that's for sure," Nikki said.

He frowned. "Touché."

"Plus, he helped her out her seat, kissed her, held hands with her, and everything. It was way more than platonic," Caitlin said.

"Why'd he hide it from us, though?" Jude asked.

"That's what me and Jen are trying to figure out. Were we judgmental or something when they were together?"

"Hell no," Nikki said. "If anything, we were judgemental of all the times he wanted Serena back. Marlowe was never the issue."

"Which makes it even more confusing why he wouldn't tell us about this. Are we not trustworthy enough to know what's going on? Ugh, why can't guys communicate?" Jen asked before putting her head on the table and groaning.

"What's wrong with her?" Jonesy asked, looking perplexed.

"Nick's been bailing on her without explanation," Caitlin said while rubbing Jen's head in consolation.

"Yikes. So, anyways, what are we gonna do about Wyatt? How are we gonna bust him out?"

"Knowing us, we're probably gonna grill the hell out of him later," Nikki said.

"Well, flame on, baby."

It would have been so much easier to send him a text.

"I don't think we can do this." Send. Done.

But, alas, Sydni realized that not everything could be done via phone. Even though it was easy to talk to Alejandro through screens at the beginning of their non-relationship, she had to push herself to be brave and talk to him face-to-face. She had to muster up the confidence to tell this boy she really liked all summer that this might not work out between them. So, while on her break, she decided to make the trek to Albatross and Finch.

Her heartbeat slammed against her ribcage with every step, hoping to flee her chest, so she told herself, Calm down, hoe.

Of course, her body never listened.

Then again, she barely listened to the small, rational voice in her head—the voice that told her she'd only be talking to him for a couple minutes at maximum and it would be over with sooner than she thought.

Minutes later, the store was within her line of sight and so was Alejandro.

Oh God, there he is. I can do this. I can do this. It's fine.

She took a deep breath, but it suppressed nothing. Her heartbeat continued to thump defiantly. The mortification of being virgin territory returned.

The recognition dawned on his face as she approached. "Sydni."

I can't do this shit.

She turned in the other direction and began speed-walking away.

"Sydni, wait!"

She heard footsteps clamoring after her. Before she knew it, a hand touched her shoulder, stopping her in place.

She gave in to his touch, turning around and facing him.

"Why are you running away from me?"

"Because— You know what? That's not important. Listen," she said, making skittish eye contact with him, "let's just forget last night ever happened, because, if you're only interested in sleeping with me, I'm not that girl. Like, I'm so far from that girl that it's not even funny. There's so many down-ass bitches out here, but I'm not one of them, you know? And—don't get me wrong—I really like you, Alejandro, but I don't think this is gonna work out. So, there."

Her eyes darted to the floor, finding linoleum way less intimidating than his face as he processed her soliloquy.

"Oh," he said. "Okay."

She looked at him, surprised by his brevity. "'Okay'?" she parroted.

"Yeah, 'okay' as in 'I understand.' Perhaps I came on too strong, but I never intended to run you off, morenita."

"I know, but I still don't feel so comfortable after what happened last night."

"I see."

She made a noise of acknowledgment, then said, "I guess I should go now."

"Alright then. Goodbye, Sydni."

"Bye, Alejandro."

Now done with his shift at Burger McFlipsters, Wyatt made his way to the food court, with his guitar case slung over his shoulder. Hopefully, the gang wouldn't mind if he tweaked the chord progression of one of his songs. It had been on his mind all day, and he wanted to finish the track before the upcoming talent showcase he'd signed up for.

Once he got to the table, however, the gang's eyes seared his dark-brown skin.

With slow footsteps, he sat his guitar case on the table and took his seat, feeling their eyes follow him with every move.

He supposed his song would have to wait.

"Guys… what's going on?"

"I don't know," Jen said, leaning forward and squinting her eyes at him. "You tell us."

He furrowed his brows. "Tell you what?"

"That you're dating Marlowe again!" Caitlin interjected.

A chill ran along his spine, freezing him in place. Oh no. No, no, no, no, no…

"W-What?" Despite this being the day he feared, he still attempted to deflect. "Where'd you hear that rumor from?"

"Cait and I saw you two at Solato e Dolce last night, Wyatt."

He groaned. "And here I thought I was safe going somewhere you guys can't afford."

"I can afford it on daddy's credit card," Caitlin interjected.

"Aw, man." He frowned and, in a monotone voice, confirmed, "I guess there's no use in hiding it anymore—me and Marlowe are going out again."

"Why would you keep it from us, though?" Jen asked.

"Yeah," Caitlin continued, "because we wouldn't have judged you guys for getting back together. A lot of people get back with their ex. I got back with Benj… even though we broke up again."

"And I got back with Starr," Jude added.

Jonesy threw his arm over Nikki's shoulders, saying, "And you already know about me and shorty right here."

"Well," Wyatt said, scratching the back of his neck, "it kind of started with us just writing songs after we broke up and the band got put on hold. We still worked really well together musically… And then, before we knew it, we started talking about why we didn't work out. And it kinda was because we didn't go outside our comfort zone together. We kept doing the same things all the time. Practicing with our band, watching movies, practicing some more, watching more movies. We fell into this… this routine, and it didn't help that everyone knew about it. Her friends knew. The band knew. You guys knew. Everybody knew." He paused, trying to gather his words. "But I still really liked her, and she still really liked me, so we decided to keep it a secret because it was different for us. And, to be honest—aside from lying to you guys—it was really fun. I see why people like having secret relationships; it's kinda exciting."

"So, all the times we saw you guys together…?" Jen asked.

He shrugged. "We were just pretending to be exes."

And there it was: the full truth.

"Wow," Caitlin said, "you really had me fooled. Maybe you should think about being an actor or something. Acting and doing music is very J. Lo."

"I can't believe you hooked up with your ex, dude; that's a power move. I didn't know you had it in you," Jonesy said before pausing, stumbling upon a realization. "Wait a second: this means I've been right this whole time about Wyatt bailing on us for a hot chick! I knew my hot chick theory was right! I should make all of you pay me an inconvenience fee for telling me I was wrong." He extended his arm, opening his palm for a sudden payout. "C'mon, pay up."

"Anyways," Jen said, brushing her stepbrother's gloating aside, "what are you gonna do now that we know about you and Marlowe? Are you guys gonna stay together? Doesn't this compromise the secrecy of your relationship?"

"Well, we've been talking about going public again, and we decided to stay together no matter what happens. We're just gonna try and keep doing new things to keep us out of that run we were in before. We even talked about maybe getting the band back together, so I guess it's time to make all that happen. We could only stay secret but for so long."

"That's true," Jude said, about to go on one of his tangents. "Like, it's all fun and games makin' out in back service hallways until ya keep having to run from the rent-a-cop. Sometimes, ya just wanna make out without all the hassle of being secret."

"Are you talking about the time you snuck around with Melinda Wilson?" Wyatt asked.

"Exactamundo, my friend."

"Huh. Anyways, I guess that's kinda accurate, only it's not like Marlowe didn't want to be seen with me out of embarrassment. We just wanted to try something different. But, like I said, I guess it's time for me and her to be public again. I'm ready whenever she is."

"Aww, I just love when people reconnect," Caitlin said, starry-eyed and swept up in her love of love itself (per usual). Once she snapped out of her brief reverie, she smiled at him and added, "It's gonna be so nice having her around again. She's my favorite out of all your girlfriends."

A smile crept upon his face. Her enthusiasm was contagious. "Yeah, she's my favorite, too."

"So," Jen started, "how does it feel to have everything out in the open?"

"Honestly? It feels good. It's like a weight's lifted off my shoulders now that I don't have to hide it anymore. I feel lighter."

"Sounds like me after a couple chili dogs," Jonesy noted.

Despite Jonesy's remark rooted in toilet humor—which made Wyatt roll his eyes—he remained unbothered and freed by his conversation with his friends. Though them discovering his secret made him incredibly uneasy, he now remained excited for where the future would take him and Marlowe.

He hoped it would be somewhere wonderful…

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the story, y'all! I found myself stuck on how to end the story, so this will suffice for now. However, the next one is gonna be so much fun to write. All I'm going to say is… it's a girls night out and a guys night in.

Anyways, here's the soundtrack for this story:

"Take Me" by Aly & AJ (from Ten Years – EP)
"400 Lux" by Lorde (from Pure Heroine)
"Anything" by SZA (from CTRL) [Explicit]
"Speed" by Kali Uchis (from Por Vida)
"Valentine (What's It Gonna Be)" by Rina Sawayama
"Casanova" by Allie X (from COLLXTION II) [Explicit]
"Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac (from Rumours)

Happy holidays!