Chapter 6: Losing Ground

Jake 👦🏼

I leaned against the kitchen counter. My coffee had gone cold a long time ago. The mug felt heavy in my hand. Mornings with Emily used to be my favorite. She’d tease my terrible brews, and we’d laugh over her code. Now, the kitchen felt hollow, even with her laughter spilling from her room. The door stood half-open, as it always did when it was just us. No locks were needed between us.

Emily and Sarah were geeking out over sci-fi trivia I couldn’t follow. Their voices intertwined, underscored by the hum of Emily’s laptop. That sound once meant us, coding side by side. Her elbow nudging mine when I botched a loop. Now, Sarah was her coding partner, and I was just ... here.

A week had passed since Sarah moved in to escape Vance’s stalking. I hadn’t expected her and Emily to connect so quickly. They were like binary stars—sprawled on the bed, grabbing coffee, whispering inside jokes I wasn’t privy to. Emily had always been my world. Her sarcastic grin and coffee-scented hoodies were the pulse of my day.

Sarah understood Emily’s nerdy side in ways I struggled with. She wasn’t humoring Emily’s coding rants like me. She was pitching in ideas and fixes. Something like that knight’s notation trick that left me feeling obsolete. I wasn’t angry at Sarah; she had enough to deal with. Emily taking her in was pure Emily. But it did not ease the sting. I felt like I was fading out of Emily’s orbit. She used to tug my sleeve and lean into me during Naruto marathons. Now, she barely noticed me.

That kiss from last week—the feel of her soft lips, her desperate gasp—played on repeat in my mind. I thought it meant something, with her hands in my hair, her warmth pulling me in. But she bolted afterward, and we hadn’t talked since. Was she caught up in Sarah’s orbit? Did I imagine the spark? I ran a hand through my hair. It didn’t help to shake off the ache in my heart.

My phone buzzed with a text message. It was from Jacob, my only friend from the football team.

“Vance is sniffing around for you. Watch out.”

My stomach tightened. After Vance’s stunt in the parking lot, I knew he was trouble. I stayed alert through the day. He didn’t show up during my lectures. At lunch, my football buddies gave me the cold shoulder. Their eyes darted around as if I were toxic. Vance was using his captain’s clout and his dad’s donor influence to isolate me. I had underestimated him. He wasn’t just a bully; he was also a scheming bastard.

I could leave early as practice was canceled for today. I thought of getting some chores done and headed to the supermarket. A Hummer followed my bike as I left campus.

A voice cut through the dusk as soon as I entered the parking lot. “Jake. We need to talk,” Vance called.

He was leaning against his Hummer. His eyes glinted under flickering lights. His football jacket screaming jock. The smell of booze clung to his breath as he stepped closer.

I squared my shoulders while keeping my hands loose. This was a time for confrontation. ‘Flow like water,’ I reminded myself.

“What’s up, Vance?” I asked.

“I heard you’re playing house with Sarah,” he sneered. “Back off, rookie. She’s mine.”

The memory of Sarah’s bruised arm and her fear in that lot flashed in my mind. No way would I let him near her. “Sarah’s not yours,” I said. “Leave her alone.”

His eyes narrowed. “You her hero now?” he taunted. “She’s using you, dumbass. She’s into girls—Emily, specifically. You’re just her cover.”

My jaw clenched. Emily’s name was a low blow. ‘Keep it cool,’ another reminder.

“That’s her business, not yours,” I said. “She’s free to be who she is.”

“You’re cool with that, huh?” He laughed. His tone turned venomous. “What’s it like, knowing she’s in Emily’s room? Are you into that like a pathetic loser?” He sneered. “Oh wait ... let me guess. You are also gay like her, right?”

‘Breathe in, breathe out. Let him bark,’ but it’s hard to keep my cool.

“Get your head out of the gutter,” I snapped. “She’s not into creeps like you.”

His face twisted, and he shoved me hard. I stumbled back and used the momentum to twist free from him. His fist swung. I ducked and tackled him down. My adrenaline surged in. We grappled together. He was bulky, and my elbows scraped raw against the gravel.

His punch grazed my cheek, a hard stinger. I hit back with a direct punch on his nose but missed by a bit. Blood trickled from my lip. His nose reddened. He removed his torn jacket and jumped at me. There were no tricks now. Our fists flew, fast and brutal.