Regret

Chapter Thirty Four- Jake Isn't A Psychic

A/N: Finally updated. I honestly hate filler chapters because I end up writing them and then deleting them like 3 times before I'm happy with one, so yes this is a bit of a filler. I took your advice and made it longer though :)

"Pass me those?" Caleb asked, nodding at the Twizzlers beside me on the bed. I snagged one out of the packet before throwing it in his direction. He caught it with one hand and placed them on his desk before twirling back in his chair and continuing to do work.

I was waiting for him to finish working on his history project while I flicked through TikTok. TikTok has become my guilty pleasure recently, and I couldn't help but find myself lost in the cooking videos that always popped up on my for you page. I was either stuck on foodtok or booktok, but I had no complaints.

"How long you got left?" The cherry flavour danced along my tongue as I bit into the chewy vine, waiting for him to answer.

He was hunched over his computer, tapping away at the keys as he finished his paper due in for tomorrow. "I'm just correcting my spellings, and then I'm done." He mumbled, so I continued to mindlessly scroll through my phone.

I couldn't even go to Xander to pass the time because he wasn't here, and neither was the rest of his family.

A few minutes passed by when Caleb broke the silence that we found ourselves in. "You look like a model in that position." He said. I hadn't even noticed that he had stopped typing and was now facing my direction in his chair.

"Hmm?"

"When you lie on your front with your feet in the air like that. It makes you look like one of those models they use on billboards or adverts." I glanced down at the old t-shirt I was wearing that I had for years. It was way too big for me, and I only wore it today because I decided to jog from my house to here.

It felt amazing to get back on track with my running, but taking a few weeks off was a bad idea because my legs were already sore, and I still had to jog back home. Maybe I could convince Caleb to drop me off?

My hair was falling out of its ponytail with strands at the front sticking up in all directions, and my face was probably still red from the run. I know I didn't look terrible, but I definitely didn't look model worthy.

"You're just saying that because you're my best friend and are obliged to tell me these things." I rolled my eyes with a laugh and shuffled, so I was no longer lying on my stomach. I crossed my legs in front of me and rested my back against the headboard for support to lean back.

I leaned over his bedside table to plug my phone on charge before giving my best friend my full attention. We had some catching up to do, and this was the first time since I've been back from visiting Josh, where it's just been the two of us.

"Always so modest." He commented before jumping off the chair and joining me on the bed. His movements mimicked mine as he sat opposite me, but he didn't have a headboard to lean against.

"How have you been, Caleb?" I asked, getting straight into it. I had noticed that he's been a bit down lately, and I've been waiting for some privacy for us to discuss it.

He looked surprised at my sudden question and nodded his head slowly, but it wasn't convincing in the slightest. "I'm doing good. I mean, I think I'm good." He added the last part with less determination, and I could see straight through his lies.

He couldn't even convince himself.

"And you and Jake, you guys are good?" I knew they weren't. I think everyone in the friend group had picked up on the tension between Caleb and Jake over lunch today, and it was clear that this had been going on for more than one day.