The next morning, Jake and Devon were called into father Bryce's office. After sitting there for 15 minutes, he walks in and pulls his chair towards his desk, folding his hands out in front of him
"Sister Francis told me you got into a fight yesterday. Is that correct?" Father Bryce addressed Jake, who was biting his nails
"How the hell does she know?" Jake furrowed his eyebrows
"Language, Mr wheeler." Father Bryce warned
"I'm just saying!" Jake yelled
"In all fairness, James started it. He made fun of my dead mother, Jake's alcoholic father, and bullied me in class. How are we the ones getting in trouble?" Devon half shouted
"He told me you threw the first punch." Father Bryce blankly stared at Jake
"Yeah, because he's a prick." Jake rubbed his head
"He's got a point." Devon muttered
"Where do you fit into all of this, Mr Evans?" Father Bryce asked, patiently waiting for an answer
"He was hurting Jake, I wasn't about to sit back and let it happen." Devon said, holding back a smile once he catches his boyfriend grinning
"Because of you two, James can't compete in his wrestling tournament on Saturday." Father Bryce calmly stated
"Oh, boo fucking hoo." Jake growled, listening to Devon giggle beside him
"Mr wheeler, that's quite enough." Father Bryce instructed
"What are you going to do, call my parents? Oh right, they're dead. Try calling my aunt, uncle, and cousin. Oh wait, you can't do that either. Do you know why? They're all dead!" Jake snapped
"Look, I understand that you're upset.." Father Bryce began
"No, you don't understand. Have you ever watched someone you love fly through a car window? That gives you major PTSD, childhood trauma. I watched both of my parents die and there was nothing I could do about it. I'm the one who's been bullied for being different, for being gay, and for being an orphan. You have no idea how I feel." Jake teared up
"Can we please leave?" Devon asked, refusing to take his eyes off Jake
"I will figure out a punishment for the two of you. Now get out of my office." Father Bryce heavily sighed
Once the door closes, Jake breaks down in Devon's embrace, letting the warmth of his hug swarm around in his mind.
"Is that why you're afraid of thunderstorms?" Devon whispered, feeling his head move from his shoulder
"I didn't mean to freak you out." Jake sniffled
"No, you didn't freak me out." Devon kissed his cheek
"You gave James brain damage, right?" Jake asked
"Possibly." Devon cackled
"Good, I'm proud of you." Jake held him close
Meanwhile, Lexy was in math class when she felt a hand tickling her neck. Turning around, she sees Nadine waving at her with a goofy look on her face.
"So you and Trevor switched seats, huh?" Lexy questioned
"Actually, he transfered to a different class." Nadine giggled
"I have never been more proud of you." Lexy squealed
"Nadine, pay attention before I put you in another one of those special classes." Sister Mary huffed
"I'm sorry, sister Mary. Can I please go to the bathroom?" Nadine said
"I don't care where you go, just get out of my sight." Sister Mary snapped
"Will do." Nadine hung her head before grabbing her stuff and disappearing
"I'm going to find her." Lexy packed up her supplies
"Miss cross, if you leave now, don't bother coming back." Sister Mary threatened
"With an attitude like that, it's no wonder you're single." Lexy said before closing the door and chasing after Nadine
Looking around the halls, Lexy hears humming coming from the bathroom and she opens the door, checking to see if the coast is clear before walking in. Turning the corner, Nadine was sitting on the bathroom floor with her head buried in her knees. Lexy approaches her and sits down, quietly humming a song from her favorite movie Annie.
"How'd you know I liked that movie?" Nadine dryly chuckled
"I caught you watching it yesterday when you checked to see if I was asleep. News flash, I wasn't." Lexy said
"It was the only movie that gave me comfort as a kid. I grew up in a house with a junkie of a mother and a neglectful father, it wasn't fun." Nadine pushed her glasses up
"Well, now you have me. You'll never have to worry about being alone ever again. Let's go to the cafeteria and drown ourselves in pudding." Lexy said, grabbing Nadine's arm after the door swings open, revealing the priest
"Actually, we're going to take a little trip. Follow me, ladies." Father Bryce snapped his fingers
A few minutes after arriving in his office, they both take a seat and give each other nervous glances before looking at father Bryce.
"Yeaterday, I went to a meeting and realized that I forgot to lock the door, so I came back to do it. When I came back, the door was already locked. I didn't have my keys and the last student I spoke to was you, Nadine. Is there something you'd like to confess?" Father Bryce calmly states
"I'm sorry for taking your keys, but Lexy has nothing to do with this." Nadine apologized, quickly throwing the keys on the desk
"On the contrary, she does. You were both in my office yesterday looking through my computer. I don't know what you were looking for, but it must've been really important if you broke into my office. Did you forget I had cameras in here?" Father Bryce asked
"We're sorry, it won't happen again." Lexy whispered
"I'm a reasonable person, so I'll let you off with a warning. The next time I find you two in my office, you'll be facing suspension." Father Bryce dismissed them
They grab their bags and close the door behind them. On their way back to their dorm room, Nadine noticed that Lexy's hands were shaking a bit, so she slowly reached out and grabbed ahold of it, giving it a tiny squeeze to let her know that everything will be alright.
"You didn't have to take the fall for me, Nadine." Lexy started off
"It's what friends do." Nadine giggled
"I've just been having trouble this past year. Between my ex boyfriend and my dad dying, it's been tough trying to move forward." Lexy sighs
"I understand what that's like. My mom died from an overdose when I was 12 and I haven't been the same since. Times are hard, but I've learned it's better to laugh about the good old days instead of crying about the most excruciating ones." Nadine nudged her
"I promised myself I wouldn't get attached to anyone else and yet, here I am talking to you about the harships in my life." Lexy laughed to herself
"I have a stash of Oreos in my room. Maybe we can put on a movie and overindulge in some cookies?" Nadine asked
"That'd be great." Lexy shook her head
Meanwhile, Jake was in his dorm room sound asleep when the door creaks open, scaring him awake. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he held back a scream once he saw Devon standing in front of him.
"I didn't mean to scare you, I just wanted to check up on you." Devon sat beside him
"I'm actually glad you're here, I've been meaning to talk to you." Jake twiddled his thumbs
"About what?" Devon asked
"I've been distant since this whole Chucky thing happened. I didn't mean to push your hand away on the bus, I was just lost in thought. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Devon. I don't want to lose what we have." Jake rambled
"I know this is totally off topic, but do you remember junior's 9th birthday party?" Devon asked
"His parents made him invite me, I didn't even want to go. Why?" Jake shook his head
"It happened a few weeks after my dad passed away, nothing could put a smile on my face. All of a sudden, I saw this curly haired kid running around the backyard with junior's cake and I started laughing." Devon giggled
"I didn't get very far though. I got tackled by one of junior's goons and I had to throw the cake in his face to avoid getting my butt kicked." Jake reminisced
"Then a food fight broke out and you hid underneath the table." Devon rolled his eyes
"You followed me and gave me a piece of cake, told me you weren't in the mood for it. I could never forget those beautiful brown eyes and that smile." Jake blushed
"You kept poking me to see if I was a real person." Devon plucked him
"Yeah, and you kept putting your fingers in my hair." Jake shook his head
"Your curls were so cute, how could I not touch them?" Devon shrugged
"Listen, I love you and I'm sorry for not saying it more often. The truth is I've been afraid to say it out loud, I've never actually been in love before." Jake softly whispered
"It's okay. We got all the time in the world to prove our love to one another, no rush." Devon grinned, leaning forward to plant a soft kiss on his forehead
"You want to stay over and watch scream queens? Jamie Lee Curtis is in it." Jake begged, lying back down
"She's an icon, I'll watch anything she's a part of." Devon snuggled up against him
A few hours after scream queens ended, it got dark outside and Devon didn't feel like going back to his room. Jake laid his head on his boyfriend's chest and tried not to fall asleep once he felt his hands run through his curls
"If you keep playing around with my hair, I'm going to fall asleep." Jake murmured
"I can't help it. Besides, I wouldn't mind if you fell asleep for a bit. You don't really sleep at night." Devon says
"It's hard to sleep when you're not next to me." Jake whined
"I wish it could be like this all the time." Devon whispered
"Screw father Bryce and the rules of this school. I care about you and I want nothing more than to be with you every second of everyday. There's so many things I love about you that I can't really explain." Jake rambled
"Try me." Devon smiled
"I love it when you wear my hoodies to bed and I love the way you smile at me when I start rambling on about the weirdest things." Jake says
"Keep going." Devon chuckled lightly
"I love our late night conversations, our movie nights where we cover each other up with blankets and cuddle. I love the way you hold me close whenever I get scared during a horror movie or the way you laugh when I accidentally trip going up the stairs." Jake snorted
"You are a klutz." Devon giggled
"I love the way you hold my hand when I get anxious and I love the way you give me kisses on my forehead while I'm falling asleep." Jake says
"In conclusion, you've always been into me?" Devon asked, watching him smile before nodding
"Was it not obvious before? Keep up, Dev." Jake shoved him
"You've had my heart since the day we met underneath that picnic table." Devon stroked his cheek
"I love you Devon Evans." Jake mumbled before falling asleep in his arms
"I love you more Jake Wheeler." Devon whispered, giving him a kiss on the head before turning off the TV and snuggling up against him
The next morning, Lexy woke up to the sound of her roommate screaming. Ripping the covers off her body, she jumps out of bed and runs to her bedside. Calling out her name, she shook her until she jerked awake from her nightmare. She began to hyperventilate, which soon led to her having a nervous breakdown in Lexy's arms.
"It's okay, I'm right here." Lexy encouraged, stroking her curly red hair to calm her down
"It was like watching my mom die all over again. She was foaming at the mouth and her heart stopped beating after a while. She wouldn't wake up, I called out for her and everything. She just wouldn't wake up." Nadine cried, tightening her hold on Lexy's arm
"It was just a nightmare, everything's alright now." Lexy shushed her
"My dad didn't make anything better. He said I was the aftermath of a one night stand and getting my mother pregnant was the worst thing he's ever done. He wanted her to get an abortion but she refused. He called me a mistake for being born." Nadine's cries simmered
"I know this sounds rude and I shouldn't wish ill upon anyone, but I kinda hope your dad gets hit by a car." Lexy said, holding back a smile once her roommate starts laughing
"Thank you for calming me down." Nadine laid her head on her chest
"Not a problem. We still have some leftover Oreos from last night. Do you want them?" Lexy asked
"It's a tempting offer that I can't turn down." Nadine nodded
"Let's get dressed and meet up with the boys." Lexy hugged her before handing her the cookies
Jake and Devon were sitting by the lockers trying to figure out a word puzzle when Lexy and Nadine come into view. Getting up off the floor, their attention turns straight to Nadine, who's face was red from all the crying she did earlier this morning.
"Are you okay?" Devon asked
"Yeah, it's been a rough morning." Nadine half smiled
"Did you two get called into father Bryce's office yesterday?" Jake asked, watching them exchange a glance before nodding
"Yeah, but we can't go back there. It's too risky and he's a man of his word. If he catches us, we'll either get suspended or placed in another facility." Nadine sighed
"Okay, so what's the plan here?" Jake asked
"I have a bunch of cell phones that I stole from my parents. I don't know if they work, but we can try." Nadine smiled
"You stole from your parents?" Devon asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise
"I'm a klepto, I don't know why that's such a shock to you two." Nadine rolled her eyes
"I'm not surprised by your addiction to stealing, but you stole from your parents? That's risky on a whole other level. If we did that, we'd go back into the system." Devon ranted
"Oh please. Pam and Larry would love nothing more than to put me back into the orphanage." Jake clenched his jaw
"Well, I don't think mine would give a shit. I haven't seen her in six months, meaning she's not mother material. Seriously, who leaves a kid alone in a house for that long? I could be lying in a ditch and she probably wouldn't notice." Devon rambled
"Well, that's one thing our mom's have in common. Neither of them give two shits about us." Lexy groaned
"Let's meet up later on and dig up more info on the ray family bloodline before we jump into anything too crazy. Agreed?" Nadine asked
"Agreed." They said