What if? (P2) || Jake/Reader || Draft

Snooping

"I guess we're just going to have to hold off on figuring out what's going on with our parents. There's no sense in trying when they're all down." Spider suggests.

"I wonder if Max might say anything." Lo'ak seems to think out loud that time. "Hes never been as strict as the other adults are with us. Hes the fun one."

"Maybe.. but I still say we give it some time. Tommi has the right idea. Our moms are upset enough.. this doesn't help any."

Lo'ak sighs just as Trudy walks up beside them.
   "Hey kids. You two doing okay?"

"As okay as we can be." Spider answers first.

"What do you say we take a ride in my Samson for the day? Lo'ak, your mom gave me the go ahead."

"Really?" His ears perk up a bit. "I'd love to."

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'Just go easy on them, Trude. You know Lo'ak's always first to puke when you go too fast.'

'I got you, don't worry. Just keeping at least one out of your hair for the time being.'

'I appreciate it. It'll do him some good.'

The day tends to drain on for you, and it honestly feels troubling enough just trying to keep yourself together.

Sure the exercise will help them sleep tonight, and the boys will get a thrill riding with Trudy — but it doesn't make up for the pounding feeling at the bottom of your heart that sickens you every time you remember.

Many, many times hes dove in like that.. and every time hes come back up with ease.

So what the hell happened exactly?

That's the question on everyone's minds, even if for different reasons.

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Spider elects to stay with his parents for the night as everyone returns — strongly needing the company rather than spending his night worrying about Niikeym.
    Especially since Da'mik and the others are piling in with you and Jake tonight.

Norm comes to stand at the sink, helping brush out Spiders hair before putting it in for a nighttime-braid.

Feels like hes five all over again, and for once, he isn't complaining.

"I've gotta go wrap up some projects with Max and then I'll be right back, okay? Trudy should be in at any minute. Your old books and comics are on my desk if you want to poke through any of them."

"Got it."

Norm heads out and suddenly the world feels so quiet without the added noise of everyone and everything.

Kind of... eerie.

Maybe now is the best time to focus on reading, cause who knows when it will be this quiet again.
   
He slips on a pair of baggy shorts for the night, and heads over to Norms desk as he flips through stacks of paper and books trying to find one in particular.

Spider still doesn't have his six-foot-two stature at this point, though. He has to climb and figure out how to reach things.
   He was a late bloomer the first go around, too. Skinny as ever at thirteen, but bulked up enough by the time he turned sixteen.

"Shit." He groans as he accidentally pulls the wrong book, and everything goes down like an awful Jenga tower.

He pauses for a moment after the initial crash, expecting someone to come rushing in — but it seems nobody else has heard it.