Ankoku spent the rest of the evening studying for his math exam the following morning. He had already been up for hours studying and he didn't have enough time to sleep in today. All because of Mina.

If he hadn’t agreed to help her tonight, none of this would have happened.

He glanced over at his clock and sighed. 7:30. Time for breakfast. Ankoku picked up his phone from where it lay on the table beside his bed and opened his messages. There were a few missed calls from Jack, but he ignored all of them.

Ankoku closed his eyes as he sipped on his orange juice.

How the hell did it end up like this?

Ankoku took a deep breath as he tried to figure out why the events leading up to this night kept occurring. Maybe it was karma, Ankoku guessed, or maybe the universe really wanted him dead. Either way, he had no idea why it seemed to have worked out this way.

"It doesn't make sense," he mumbled to himself. He was so focused on his thoughts, he jumped when his phone suddenly buzzed. He groaned as he checked his messages.

'Where tf are YOU?!?' texts read.

Ankoku quickly typed out a response. 'I'm eating breakfast.'

'That's not good enough. You're always eating breakfast!' Jack replied almost immediately. 'I'm picking you up at 7:45 sharp. Meet me outside.'

Ankoku rolled his eyes but agreed nonetheless.

Jack was always impatient. He was always trying to get ahead so he could prove his superiority to me . He always had a plan for everything, and sometimes even if it didn't work out perfectly, he'd be happy anyway. Ankoku thought that this was just how his mind worked. It gave him a sense of control, as well as the ability to control himself.

Jack was always like that, even when they were young.

Jack's attitude always annoyed Ankoku, even though he tried to hide it behind a cool, composed facade.

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They had met each other shortly after Jack started kindergarten. Both of them had been homeschooled since birth until they got older, and they had always gotten along great because they were both quiet kids. Even though Ankoku was a senior and Jack was a freshman, they still managed to remain friends through every year they went to school together.

Their relationship grew steadily stronger throughout high school and into adulthood. Now Ankoku was an adult living by himself, while Jack had moved out of their house to live with his girlfriend, Kiyoko. As far as Ankoku knew, they had broken up six months ago and had never spoken since, not even on the phone.

I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

Ankoku finished his cereal and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He took a shower and changed into clothes before getting ready to go meet Jack outside their apartment building. He made sure to check himself in the mirror before he grabbed his keys and headed downstairs.

As expected, Jack sat on the bench outside of the building with his hands laced together. Ankoku approached him and took a seat next to him. "Ready?" Jack asked, his voice muffled from where his mouth was buried in his scarf. Ankoku nodded and they both got up to exit the apartment building.

"Sorry," Jack told him. "We're gonna be late."

"It's fine," Ankoku replied.

"Did you hear about what happened yesterday? One of the guards was found dead on campus."

Ankoku frowned at the thought. "I didn't hear anything about that."

"Yeah," Jack shrugged. "Some people say that a pack from the woods got hold of him. They took him to my house, but he was gone by then. Someone says the police haven't released his body yet."

Ankoku nodded absentmindedly. They walked in silence for the remainder of the journey to school.

"Hey!" Jack shouted abruptly. Ankoku jumped at the sudden noise and looked over at him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he replied simply.

"So where did you run off to last night?" Jack asked as soon as they arrived at school. "And why did you run to your room instead of telling me you were leaving?" He sighed. "It's not like you to leave me hanging."

Ankoku rolled his eyes. It was no secret that he didn't like being around Jack lately. The moment they stepped foot in his apartment he noticed a change in the boy. His attitude towards him became colder. At least that's what Jack always said, anyway.

"I had a headache, okay? I just didn't feel good. That's all."

"Uh huh." Jack smirked at him. "Sure." He turned around and began walking towards his class.

"You seem kinda excited today," Ankoku commented.

Jack shrugged. "Oh, yeah. Well, we got invited to the dance party, remember? We're probably going to get wasted by the time we head there."

Ankoku scoffed, raising his brow. "Really? That sounds fun."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I don't think anyone is going to ask you either. Unless…?" He glanced at him slyly, making Ankoku roll his eyes.

"No, nothing's happening between us. Stop that."

He laughed. "Alright, whatever you say, buddy!"

Jack continued laughing the whole way to first period.