The two moms were left confused after the sudden outburst. They both grabbed their phones and started texting each other.

On Ginny’s phone, she saw Katia’s message: “Is Jillian okay?”

Meanwhile, on Katia’s phone, she got Ginny’s text: “Did Jillian do something rude?”

They both chuckled softly as the messages popped up almost simultaneously. Ginny then tried calling Katia, but her line was busy as she tried to call her. She couldn’t help but laugh at how in sync they were.

“Can you call me again?” Ginny texted.

Ginny answered right when her phone buzzed. “Hey, long time no hear!” she greeted, a hint of laughter in her voice.

“Hi stranger!” Katia chuckled on the other end.

“So, let’s hear it. You said they were hitting it off, right?” Ginny inquired eagerly.

“Yeah, they seemed to be really into each other. I mean, they could barely take their eyes off one another. I thought it was going great. But when I asked Jason about it, he just said it was fine and went to his room.”

“Are you serious? Jillian pulled the same thing,” Ginny added.

Katia let out a disappointed sigh. “I wonder what happened between here and there.”

Ginny wasn’t worried too much as she walked downstairs and laid back on the couch. “Oh, it’s probably nothing serious. They’re still figuring things out, you know? Bound to have a few tiffs along the way. Maybe just sorting out their safe word or something,” she teased, hearing her friend gasp on the other end.

“Ginny! Oh my god, you’re so bad!” Katia chuckled, her voice brimming with affection.

“Don’t worry, Kat. By tomorrow, they’ll have kissed and made up. Trust me,” Ginny reassured her confidently.

“Junebug, I will tell you right now – men are trash,” Jillian grumbled, frustration clear as she vigorously brushed her little sister’s long red hair. “Sure, they might seem like Greek gods on the outside, all chiseled and smelling like se-.... good, but trust me, inside? Trash.”

June winced a bit as her hair got tangled in the comb.

“Oh, let’s just try to avoid each other, blah blah blah,” Jillian said, mocking Jason’s words. “Who the hell says shit like that?” Frustration coursing through her as she angrily braided June’s hair overly tight, making the teen feel like a battered Barbie doll, getting a facelift by an unruly toddler.

Laying on his bed, Jason stared at the ceiling, feeling restless and annoyed. He grabbed his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found Marco’s name. After a few rings, Marco’s voice answered in an over the top stereotypical Hispanic accent.

“Hola, Como Estas, wha chu wan homes?” Jason couldn’t help but grin.

“Yeah, I wanted to order some tacos, but hold the salmonella this time.”

Both of them shared a laugh before Marco switched to clear, well-spoken English. “So, you’re back from vacation already? Couldn’t handle it or what?”

“Nah, still out here in Colorado.”

“Oh, then why’re you calling me?” Marco then feigned shock. “You missed my charming voice that much?”

“Haha, yeah, Marco, I needed to hear that soothing white washed Latin accent before my nap,” Jason shot back, a wide grin on his face.

“Seriously, what’s up dude?” Marco asked, curious why he was being called out of the blue. Jason let out a big sigh, preparing himself.

“Remember that time I got way too drunk and told you about my old highschool bully?”

Marco chuckled a bit. “Yeah, how could I forget? You went on for hours about how she messed up your life and everything was her fault or something along those lines. I made a mental note never to let you near tequila again.”

They shared another laugh before Jason continued, “Whelp, guess who I bumped into on my first fuckin day back.”

There was a pause before Marco spoke again.

“No way! You actually ran into her the minute you got back? Haha, classic. Did you give her a piece of your mind?” There was only silence for several moments.

“You chickened out, didn’t you?” Marco teased.

“Not… really... I just... instantly regretted it,” Jason admitted, prompting another round of laughter from his friend.

“Oh shit, haha, what happened?”

Jason recounted the events of the previous night, how Jillian had found him in the study, and attempted a poorly executed apology, which he promptly shut down with extreme prejudice.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“Damn, dude,” Marco said, like he was shaking his head.

“But that’s not even the part I feel bad about...” Jason trailed off, covering his eyes with his hand, really not wanting to repeat what he said.

“What?! Come on, you can’t leave me hanging like that. We Cubans live for this soap opera shit,” Marco urged him to continue.

“Well, she’s really skinny, so I might’ve said something about her… throwing up dinner...,” Jason finally admitted.

Marco stayed silent for a moment.

“Okay, but did you tell her she looked like she was going to throw up, or suggest she should? Come on, homie, ya gotta be more specific than that.” Marco pressed for more details.

Jason sighed yet again, rubbing his eyes. If there was one person he could be honest with and get a straight answer from, it was Marco. They’d been friends since day one at TDSS, even though they worked in different departments. They met during a break and became instant friends.

“Ugh, I really don’t want to fuckin repeat it, dude,” Jason complained.

“Well, now you’ve gotta. C’mon, I won’t bust your balls too hard,” Marco prodded.

Jason took a deep breath before finally letting it all out. “I said... Why don’t you... go throw up my mom’s cooking, you ungrateful trash...” The words hung heavy in the air, followed by an even longer silence. “Marco… hello?” Jason spoke up, wondering if he was still there.

Eventually, Marco responded, “Hold up dude, I’m looking up the treatment for tenth-degree burns.”

“It’s not funny dude. The look she gave me after I said that…it was fucking gut wrenching. And today I found out she actually has anorexia.” He muttered the last bit.

“Dios mío, Santa María,” Marco exclaimed in shock. “Dude, that’s fucked? I know you have issues with women and all, and yeah, this girl bullied you in school, but… fuck man, that’s brutal, even for you.”

Marco wasn’t exactly making Jason feel any better. Not that he expected him to do so. He let out a frustrated groan.

“I knoowwwww! I already apologized, and I told you I feel fucking terrible. Wait, what do you mean issues’ with women?”

“ Seriously... How long have we been friends, Jason?”

Jason paused for a moment, counting in his head. “About four years. Why?”

“And how many times have I tried to set you up?”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Um... I don’t know who’s counting.”

There was a brief pause after his response.

“Sorry, had to open my notes app. One hundred and seven times, almost every damn weekend, dude. And how many of those have actually gone anywhere?” Marco asked.

“Well, it’s probably...” Jason began, only to be interrupted by Marco practically yelling into the phone.

“Fucking none, zilch, nada, zero! You. Have. Issues. With. Women! The defense rests, your Honor.”

“Dude, come on! Just because I don’t want to date some random slut you found me. It doesn’t mean I hate women,” Jason shot back, exasperated. Silence hung heavy for a moment before Marco spoke again.

“Dude. . . I’ve tried to set you up with my cousin more than once. Does your foot naturally gravitate toward your mouth, or do you just like the flavor?” Marco jabbed, causing Jason to feel bad.

“Bro, I didn’t mean...” Jason began to apologize before Marco cut him off.

“I know, I know. I’m just making a point. You keep shutting yourself off from any chance at a relationship or even simple hookups. But we are getting off topic. I’m guessing you had a reason for calling me, other than to vent?”

Jason took yet another deep breath. “Yeah... I just... I told her we should avoid each other from now on. Then we didn’t part on the best of terms this morning. I just feel all mixed up, and I’m not sure where to go from here... Any advice would be appreciated.”

Marco seemed genuinely surprised at the request. “I see...well, let me think.”

Marco and Jason chatted for another hour or so. Not all of it was advice, but some of it was, and Jason tried to take what his much, “Much” more experienced friend had to say to heart. Though he wasn’t really sure, he could do most of what Marco suggested.

At the Lins’ home, Jillian quickly scrolled through her contacts and tapped on Mika’s name. June had escaped with her life while Jillian was searching through her old collection of make-up. She’d had enough of being her sister’s emotional dumping ground and dress-up doll. So Jillian defaulted to the next best thing: Her best friend Mika. Jillian heard a sleepy voice pick up on the other end.

“Mika’s Needle Works, no tribal, barbed wire or dick tattoos. How can I help you?” the woman answered, sounding worn out.

Jillian couldn’t help but laugh and tease her. “Is that really how you answer your shop phone?”

There was a moment of silence before Mika replied, “Oh shit... this is my personal phone, isn’t it? Ugh, I drank too much last night,” she groaned.

“Well, get ready for a round two because we’re going all out tonight,” Jillian declared. “I need to blow off some steam. And if I have to stay sober for much longer, I swear I’m gonna fuckin lose it.” she went on, ready to drown any thoughts of Jason in a sea of booze.

“Oh yeah? Well, I assume you’re paying then?” Mika quipped, fully aware that Jillian was broke. The question hung in the air, allowing Mika to stew in her own words. Eventually, she relented with a heavy sigh. It was as if she could visualize Jillian pouting with big, sad puppy-dog eyes.

“Ugh, fine, but you owe me another shift, girl. That’s almost two weeks’ worth of work you owe me now,” Mika said, succumbing to the imaginary, sad puppy eyes.

“Deal, I really need it tonight. You wouldn’t believe the morning I’ve had,” Jillian groaned into the phone.

“Oh no, not happening. I just woke up and my head’s pounding. You can bitch about it to me tonight, but right now, I’m gonna go curl up with the toilet with the lights off,” Mika said, making a small gagging noise as she dry heaved.

“Aww, but...” Jillian began, but Mika cut her off abruptly.

“Nope! Ow, goddamnit...” Her head throbbed from her own outburst. “We’ll talk tonight. Bye, Jill.”

She hung up, with a final groan of pain. Jillian glared at her phone, then huffed and flopped onto her bed. Resting her head on the pillow, she let out a heavy sigh. With her mind finally left to wander, it inevitably drifted to the one place she didn’t want it to go: a handsome face, deep green eyes, rugged jawline, and a harsh scowl: Jason’s stupid face.

She recalled the different expressions he wore, and the image of his form standing over her, breathless and drenched in sweat from his morning run. Her whole body shivered as she remembered that damn intoxicating scent.

“Ughhhh, it’s not fair!” she groaned, burying her face in her pillow as she replayed their last conversation in her mind. Even though they’d agreed to stay out of each other’s way, she couldn’t help but hope to see him at least once more. Spending time with him hadn’t been entirely awful… the hurtful comments and arguments aside, maybe even enjoyable…”That massage was something else,” she muttered, biting her pillow.

She leaned into the softness of the oversized shirt she’d stolen. Inhaling deeply, she wrinkled her nose at the scent of musty fabric mixed with a hint of detergent. With a sigh, she hugged her pillow tighter.

“Should’ve grabbed one from his bag.”

Those thoughts followed her as she started to drift off, feeling the fatigue from the sleepless night before creeping in. Falling asleep to thoughts of Jason seemed like a twisted joke. After high school, she never imagined they’d cross paths again, let alone end up here—older, but only one of them having their act together in her mind, and it certainly wasn’t her.