Hey everyone! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas or enjoyed whatever holiday you may celebrate! I'm well aware that it's been over a year since my last update, so I understand if a few of you have lost interest in keeping up with this story. I apologize greatly. It's been another busy year for me and trust me, I think about this story a lot and the wonderful support you guys all give to me. I still jump for joy each time I get a notification that some reviewed/favorited/followed me or this story! I've been thinking long and hard about what direction I want to take this story in, which is one of the reasons why it's been taking me so long to continue on, but I've been doing my best and I hope you'll all stick with me through this! Getting positive feedback and rereading the reviews and messages I've received in response to this story is what really motivates me to keep going! Anyway, it's New Year's Eve! So I hope you all have a fun and safe holiday! And I hope even more that 2016 will be a phenomenal year! Happy New Year's Eve, everyone! Enjoy the new chapter!
"Hey man." Mo said as he approached Jake.
"Oh, hey! How was guy's night?" Jake asked as he went through his locker, choosing not to think much of the tone of Mo's voice.
"It was cool." Mo said tersely. "How was hanging with your family?"
"Oh, you know." Jake started, nonchalantly avoiding eye contact with Mo.
About the same as any other family night goes."
Mo nodded. "I'm sure. But isn't it kinda difficult to be with your family when you're here and your parents are out of town?"
Jake stopped what he was doing and looked at Mo, who did not look amused whatsoever. "What?"
"Yeah," Mo nodded and narrowed his eyes. "Eli told me that Clare said your parents weren't even around this weekend."
Jake felt an icy sensation of dread creep inside of him. "Fuck.."
Mo shook his head. "Not cool, man. If you didn't wanna hang out, all you had to do was say so. Not come up with some lame excuse. I thought we were cooler than that." He turned and walked away.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait. Mo, wait up a second." Jake ran ahead of Mo and stopped him. "Listen, I can explain."
"Yeah, I doubt it." Mo attempted to sidestep Jake, but the taller guy stepped in front of him again.
"Please, I promise I have a good explanation." Jake begged, still feeling apprehensive about telling Mo. But his friendship was in jeopardy and wasn't given much choice in the matter right now.
"Okay, then explain."
"Not here." Jake looked around for a private place to talk. "Let's go to the greenhouse, alright? I'll tell you everything."
"You mean you'll lie again." Mo said bitterly.
"I won't, I swear. Can we just go? Please?" Jake pleaded, extending his arm in the direction of the greenhouse. Mo hesitated for a moment before giving in and reluctantly went with Jake. Luckily the place was vacant so Jake didn't have to kick anyone out.
"Alright, we're here in your hideout. Now what was so important and top secret that you had to bail on me and lie about it?"
Jake sighed deeply and set his books on a nearby table, clenching the edge of it nervously. His heart was pounding out of his chest and he was scared shitless. He knew eventually he'd have to start coming out to people if his relationship with Drew was ever going to work out, but he simply wasn't ready.
"Okay, umm.. Look, can you promise me you won't freak out?" Jake requested.
"Freak out?" Mo grimaced. "Why would I freak ou- wait. No.." Mo's eyes widened. "You're.. you're not like.. dying are you?"
"What? No! No.. nothing like that."
Mo sighed. "Okay, then what's going on, man?" His tone calmed down from the anger he was exhibiting earlier, to Jake's relief.
"Alright." Jake took in a deep breath. "Fuck it. I'm just gonna say it. I was.. with Drew on Friday."
Mo furrowed his eyebrows. "Uh, what? Drew? As in Drew Torres?" Jake nodded. "I mean, I didn't know you guys were really that tight and him and I never really talked to him much when he went here, but, shit, you really thought I'd freak about that?"
"No, that's not all." He shook his head. "Drew and I.. yeah, we're friends, but.. it's kinda..." Jake struggled to figure out how to explain this. It was all so awkward. "It's more than that."
"More?" Mo repeated. "What, are you guys like brothers or something?"
"Oh god, gross, no!" Jake was hoping that he wouldn't have to outright say it, but it seemed that hinting wasn't getting anywhere. "Dude, Drew and I.. he's umm... he's my boyfriend."
"He's.." Mo chuckled. "He's your... what?"
"Boyfriend." Jake stated with a little more confidence this time.
Mo starts snickering. "Oh man, that's hysterical! You really had me going there for a minute!" However, he stops laughing when he notices Jake's not laughing with him and is instead holding a rather serious expression.
"Shit.. Holy shit. You aren't kidding, are you?" Mo is utterly shocked right now.
Jake shakes his head. "Not at all."
"Holy fuck.." Mo sits down on a crate. "Holy ..fuck!" He repeats. "Oh, and have I mentioned.. holy fuck!?"
Jake sighed, taking this as a bad sign. "I thought you said you wouldn't freak out."
"Yeah, that was before I knew my best friend actually likes dudes!"
"Hey, can you keep it down?" Jake looked around cautiously. "I'd rather the whole school didn't find out yet."
"Dude, this is.. Seriously? You're not fucking with me right now, are you?"
Jake folded his arms. "No, this is pretty fucking real."
"Wow.. I'm speechless, bro. I didn't see this coming." Mo's eyes widened to the point where Jake worried they'd pop out of his head.
"Yeah, me neither, to be honest."
"So, what was it, date night for you guys or something?"
"I wish.." Jake leaned against the frame of the entrance. "I was picking him up from the hospital."
"Hospital?" Mo's shock was replaced with genuine concern. "What happened?"
"He got jumped." Jake said with slight hesitation, as if the mere mention of it would cause it to happen again.
"Jumped? Really?" Mo rose to his feet and pounded a fist to the palm of his other hand. "You need me to handle anyone? Seriously, I got your back."
"Nah, that's okay." Jake laughed lightly. "But thanks though, I appreciate it. Things'll be alright." Jake's lip twitched a little as he said that last part. He wanted to believe that he truly thought that, but he wondered if it only came out of his mouth because it was what everyone else was saying. "You still called me your best friend, so I guess this doesn't change anything?"
"Shit no, man! You're still my boy. Well, not in that way. I mean, I'm not gonna lie, it's gonna take a while for me to get used to you being gay and uh, y'know.. " Mo rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "probably even longer to get used to you dating Drew Torres, but yeah, we're cool, man!"
Jake grinned. "Thanks, man! Can't tell you how much I needed to hear that."
Jake felt an enormous weight lifted off his shoulders. it was liberating to know he had the support of another friend and to have one less person to sneak around and lie to. Unfortunately, only about a few minutes afterward, Jake could feel that sinking feeling in his stomach again. The feeling was becoming too familiar for Jake's liking.
Drew had insisted that he get back on his feet and back to work immediately. Jake wasn't a fan of this idea. Not a fan at all. He wanted Drew to have ample time to heal from his wounds and to spend as much time out of the prospective crosshairs of his assailants as possible.
"You should just take it easy. You just got out of the hospital." Jake said, placing a hand on Drew's shoulder. "I'm sure they'll understand at work."
"It's not that." Drew said, standing up and letting Jake's hand fall against the couch. Drew paced back and forth a bit to demonstrate and ended it with a shrug. "I'm fine, Jake! I can walk and get around alright."
Jake smiled weakly, wishing that was his only concern.
"Besides," Drew said, sitting back down next to Jake. His hands planted firmly as his sides. "I can't just sit here all day long. My mind.. wanders too much. I go a little bit stir crazy."
"Know that feeling," Jake thought. The last thing he wanted to do was add more to Drew's plate. He decided that was something he'd deal with on his own.
"I figure throwing myself into work as soon as I can instead lazing away in bed would be good for me. I need to keep myself focused, keep my mind off all the bad shit." Drew explained. He placed a hand on Jake's knee. His face revealed his chagrin and a hint of uneasiness towards the whole plan.
However, it was a logic that Jake couldn't argue with. In fact, it seemed like Drew had been growing more as a person. Thinking more logically and less impulsively. It helped Jake breathe a little easier. Maybe Drew would be alright and Jake was being irrational. Drew shook Jake's knee to get his attention.
Jake looked up and Drew smiled at him. "I'm actually doing a lot better than you think, Jake. Honestly. I really haven't even been feeling that scared anymore. I don't think you or I have anything to worry about."
Those words again. Were they real or just lip service? Jake's tension faded a bit and managed a small grin. "You're right. I'm just.." Jake started, but then shook his head. "No, you're absolutely right." He broke into a full smile which made Drew do the same.
"Listen, I better get going. School tomorrow." Jake said, taking his time standing up from the couch. He didn't want to leave. Drew followed him as he slipped on his jacket and made his way to the door.
"Hey," Drew said, grabbing Jake's hand and pulling him close. Drew placed his hands on the sides of Jake's face and stared up into his eyes. "I know things still feel scary and fucked up, but I promise everything's going to be good now. I can feel it." Drew gently traces his fingers along Jake's temples and over his eyebrows soothingly. Jake closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation. "Trust me, okay?"
Jake opened his eyes again, looking down at his boyfriend. Staring down into his eyes, there definitely was something a bit more serene about him. He seemed stronger, more confident. Jake smiled, clasping his hands around Drew's. "I trust you."
Drew leaned into the taller man and kissed him. The kiss was deep and full of warmth. It lasted for a while and tasted sweeter, almost intoxicating. It felt like the world slowed down a bit, like everything calmed down and chaos ceased to exist. Jake swore he could feel Drew's heartbeat through the kiss.
Jake pulled Drew's body as close as he could to himself, forcing him to stand on the tips of his toes. Drew snaked his arms around Jake's back as well and the two continued their kiss for a few more moments. Their lips reluctantly broke contact, but their arms remained entangled, their foreheads resting against one another and their hot breath breezing against each other's face.
"I really need to get going," Jake whispered, slowly releasing his tight grasp setting Drew back down fully to the ground.
"Yeah, me too. Work tomorrow." Drew said, still a little out of breath.
Jake tried not let that reminder interfere with the ecstasy he just felt. "I love you." He said as he let himself out of the apartment.
"I love you too." Drew waved and walked to the door, peeking out as he watched his boyfriend travel down the hall and to the stairs.
Like always, he glanced out the window, waiting for Jake to walk out the front doors and head for his car and drive off into the distance. After he couldn't see Jake's tail lights anymore, he headed for the fridge and filled up a glass of water, then headed for the bathroom and took a couple more pain killers.
He crawled into bed, his mind and his body felt so liberated. He took in deep breaths like he hadn't been able to fully inhale in years. He wished Jake could've stuck around and gave him a massage, or made out with him. Sex would've also been nice.
Drew stared up at the ceiling and smiled. "They don't matter to me anymore." He said out loud, like he was having an epiphany. "They're nothing. They can't take what Jake and I have away from us. Nobody can."
The possibility of the gang's retaliation couldn't be farther off the radar of Drew's reality. Even if they did try to come back for them, he knew they'd be dealt with. That is, if they didn't already land themselves in jail first by getting caught trying to ruin someone else's life.
Drew reached over and grabbed a pillow and nuzzled his face against it. The pillow belonged to Jake. The pillow case being characteristically plaid, blue and white to be exact. Drew breathed in the scent of the pillow. It smelled just like Jake. He allowed the scent to soothe him and further deepen his calmness.
He held the pillow tight against himself, wishing it was actually his boyfriend. "Things'll be alright, Jake. You'll see." Drew whispered, his eyelids finally giving in to the weight of drowsiness.
Jake, on the other hand, wasn't having such an easy time getting to sleep. As soon as his mind started to relax, another paranoid thought crept in - each one more unwelcome than the last. He sat up on his bed, head resting against the wall. His body was exhausted, but his mind refused to calm down and allow him to rest. He could feel the bags forming under his eyes.
He reached for his phone from his nightstand, hoping to be able to call someone and that that would take his mind off of everything and tire him out. It was already nearly 3 AM. No one would be awake, especially not Drew.
"Goddammit." Jake cursed and tossed his phone back on the nightstand. His gaze bounced back and forth between the ceiling and the window. The window was better at keeping his attention.
The fact that the threat was still running amok out there made Jake sick to his stomach. He felt like he wouldn't be able to have a clear mind or be able to take a sigh of relief until they were dealt with. Whatever that meant. He just wanted them away from Drew, himself, everyone. Who knows what they're capable of?
What were these thoughts? Jake never had them before and he doesn't understand why they're coming up now. It was unsettling. Worst of all, he had no weed to stabilize his nerves.
These bouts of insomnia were becoming more frequent and more debilitating. Jake tried his best to hide it from everyone, but his eyes were developing a semi-permanent redness around them and his grades were beginning to deteriorate.
Being around his friends and especially around Drew, where he could personally know he was alright were becoming the only instances in which he truly felt alright, but once he had to call it a night and leave, that's when the horrible thoughts immediately rushed back. He knew he couldn't be around Drew 24/7, so what could he do?
Jake wasn't much of a religious person, but he prayed that one day this paranoia would eventually go away, along with all the threats and obstacles causing them.
But what if they didn't? What if they'll remain there until personally dealt with? Memories of Jake promising Fiona that he'll take it easy and not worry so much flashed back to him. His agreement to the sentiment that things would work out and to trust that the pieces will fall into place on their own and that the end result would be to Drew's and his own benefit.
Yet Jake couldn't shake the feeling that that wasn't good enough, that maybe Fiona was only saying that to make him feel better.
Maybe this really was something Jake had to rectify on his own. This was something far too crucial to leave up to chance.