𝐂𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 • Jake Webber & Johnnie Guilbert

- 007

okay i know i'm not doing much johnnie and mandi content so let me know what you guys wanna see from them because i'm actually unsure lol

Maria's music blew up even more after the music video was out. Jake had watched it once, not wanting to see some particular scenes again. Maria's newly found following was practically begging for new music. She was gonna release some, but she wanted to get used to it first, all of the new followers, people recognising her in public. People in the past had only really recognised her from Mandi's videos, with very few recognising her from her own channel.

However, today in particular, many people recognised Maria. They asked about her music, merch, if she was quitting YouTube. Mandi, Maria, Jake and Johnnie had naturally merged into a group of four. They finally found their peace in a small coffee shop, where everyone inside either didn't recognise them, or were too immersed in their work or conversations to notice them.

"God, Maria, you're getting noticed like crazy," Johnnie said.

"It's kind of stressful," Maria said. She itched her arm, drawing Jake's attention to it. He noticed five small scars at the top of her forearm. Four of which were scratches, one the shape of a circle, maybe some sort of burn. The placement and angle of them instantly told him what they were.

"You'll get used to it," Mandi said. Jake looked away from Maria's arm, but he still thought about why they could be there. Did they have something to do with why she left? He didn't wanna think about them, about her hurting. It also felt pretty invasive, she didn't want him to see them, why had he looked?

He put it to the back of his mind. They were old scars, nothing he needed to know about. He instead joined in on the conversation between his three friends, when Maria suddenly began to look behind Johnnie and Mandi with a surprised expression on her face. Jake couldn't tell if it was positive or negative.

"Oh my god," Maria said. Everyone turned to look where she was looking to see a guy, not facing them. He was about 5'11, and had a punk look to him.

"Maria, no," Mandi said. It soon clicked in Johnnie's head who it could've been, and he looked at Jake with a worried expression. Jake still couldn't tell what was going on.

Maria got up and walked towards the guys, Mandi grabbing her wrist. "I'm just gonna say hi," Maria insisted, "It's been seven years, I think I deserve to catch up with him."

"But he-"

"Don't, Mandi. Not here. All of that was seven years ago, I'm over it."

"Whatever."

Mandi let go of Maria's wrist, sighing.

"Is that her ex?" Johnnie asked.

Mandi leaned her head on his shoulder, making his heart drop slightly. "Mhm. Adam. I'm not gonna, like, go into detail about them, because that'd be disrespectful, but they were awful. When she moved in with me, they were broken up, but they did get back together for a few months. They were so toxic. Not just him, her too. I don't like the person she is with him."

"Well maybe they won't get back together," Jake said.

"They always do, Jake. Look at them." The three looked over at Maria and Adam, his hand already on her shoulder. They spoke for a few more minutes, then pulled out their phones. After that, Maria walked back over to the table, a big smile on her face.

They pretended like nothing had happened, not wanting to cause a scene in the cafe.

The second they got through the door of their apartment, Mandi turned to Maria.

"Did you give him your new number?"

"Um-"

"Maria!"

"We've changed! We're both more mature now."

"He was twenty and you were seventeen! He should've been more mature seven years ago!"

"I really don't see the issue you have with this age gap, Mandi. I'm twenty-four now, he's twenty-seven."

"It's not about the age anymore, it's about what he did to you when you were together."

"Why are you going in on him? What about what I did to him?!"

"You were a child!"

"Seventeen isn't a child."

"Fifteen is. That's how old you were when you came here, when you met him in person. You were a child. You may not be now, but that dynamic doesn't just go away when you become an adult."

"There isn't any dynamic, Mandi. We're friends."

"You don't just go back to someone like that and stay 'friends'."

"How would you know? You're twenty-six and you've never had a real relationship, how are you gonna criticise me about one that doesn't even fucking exist anymore?"

"Because you abused each other!"

Maria didn't like that. It was the truth. The couple never hit each other, but they were certainly verbally abusive, both of them. But she didn't wanna see that. She stormed into her bedroom and Mandi just flopped onto the couch, figuring she'd gone to bed. About ten minutes later, Maria came out of her room with a bag.

"Where are you going?" Mandi asked.

"Where do you think?" She asked. She slammed the door behind her before Mandi could protest.

"Fuck."

Maria knocked on Adam's door, having already texted him that she was coming over. He pulled her into the house, asking her what happened. She didn't wanna tell him that her and Mandi had argued over him, so she just said it was 'petty girl stuff'.

"I missed you," Adam said.

"Don't," Maria said.

"Why not, Maria? You said it yourself, we've changed. Come on, baby, why don't we get back together? Like the good old days?"

The look in his eyes paused with the sweet tone in his voice were enough for Maria to accept the kiss Adam pressed against her lips, only leading to more, ths things that wound be hard to come back from.