Speed Bumps ✔

7 || What happened, Jake?

Come Monday, and the school is buzzing with gossip, the return of Jake Jayson spreads like wildfire. It's amazing how the students can invest so much time in keeping up with scandalous gossip yet, when it comes to the actual reason why we're at school –no one gives a damn. Rumours soon begin to follow, every student curious to know why Jake looks like he faced world war one and lost his battle.

In my opinion, that seems more believable than what actually happened.

In class, I'm sitting silently at the back when he walks in, accompanied by Nash. The teacher stops writing on the whiteboard to let him in, all pitiful smiles and worried eyes, just like the rest of the class. Including me. This pattern continues for every class. My eyebrows raise in shock as I notice for the first time a bandage wrapped tightly around Jake's forehead. Another white strip covers the length of his arm.

Just how bad was his injury?

During lunch break, I get my food from my locker, the smell of butter chicken luring me away from class. Mum packed the leftovers Aunt Shiva gave us to take home as my lunch, and I'd been thinking about eating it the whole day. Lunchbox in hand, I'm about to enter the library when I bump into Jake of all people leaning against the staircase railing outside the library.

"Carey!" Jake's smile is huge when he notices me, his dimple accentuating. Though it's Nash who catches my eye first. He's back to his usual stoicism, barely acknowledging with a bob of his head.

"Hey Jake, nice to see you're back," I smile back, rocking on my feet.

"You as well," Jake runs a hand through his hair resignedly, though his easy demeanour doesn't dim. "Honestly, I go away for two days, and the whole school thinks I'm dead."

"It was five days," Nash mutters, his voice devoid of any emotion other than irritation.

"I wasn't including the weekends!"

Nash raises a slender brow, daring to be proven wrong. Jake merely shakes his head, glancing back at me. I have to stifle my laugh at the two's behaviour – it's still so strange to me to find such polar opposites to be such good friends. Kinda reminds me of Felix and Oscar.

"You know, after all you've been through, it's no wonder people are worried," my voice turns sombre when I address Jake flatly.

The blond frowns at me. "What are you talking about?"

My expression of confusion mirrors his. "You're injured. I know that you got beaten up and pretty badly too."

The crease between Jake's brows deepens and the expression looks completely foreign on him –so much so, I almost miss Nash stiffening next to his friend.

"Carey, how do you know this?" Jake's voice sounds odd, almost unnatural coming from him.

Cold. Deadly. Quiet. Like Nash's.

Jake takes a step forward, and I cross my arms, looking at Nash.

"You didn't tell him?" I say in accusation.

Nash scratches the back of his neck. "No. Clearly, I didn't"

"What's going on?" Jake looks between us with worry. "Am I being killed?"

Both of us look at him in disbelief.

"No," I deadpan at the same time Nash says, "Don't be stupid."

The boy casts me a look when we end up answering in unison. I don't back down from his gaze, keeping my eyes locked with his dark ones.

"I'm the one who saw you lying on the sidewalk unconscious," I clarify with Jake though the expression on Nash's face says I should do the opposite. "And then I called your friend over here to come pick you up."