Metanoia |BxB|

Chapter Nineteen

QUIN

After Lydia leaves, Jasper closes off worse that he ever has before. He wouldn't come out of his room except for meals, and he'd answer in single syllables.

He wouldn't talk about school or his friends. He refused to acknowledge the presence of his Prints. Or lack thereof.

When they drove Jasper back up to school, he hugged them both and offered them forced smiles before reassuring them that he was fine. And that was that.

Jasper didn't call or text. Lydia wasn't speaking to him and so she couldn't offer any information as to how he was doing. Quinn was stuck in a cycle of calling his son and being ignored.

"Jasper Darcelle McKormic, if you don't call your mother back by tonight I'm telling your father to put a hold on your prescription. We're worried sick about you." Chloe hangs up with force and crosses her arms as she looks out through the kitchen windows at the back yard.

"We shouldn't threaten our son." he mumbles and looks down at the latest batch of research from the Block Pills.

"I haven't heard from him in weeks, Quin." she responds. "I'm worried sick. Those pills aren't tested all the way yet, and if our son is going to be a guinea pig, I'm checking in on him every chance I get."

"He's going through a tough time right now. A lot of things are changing."

"That doesn't give him the excuse to shut out his mother like this."

"He's always been a closed off person, Chlo."

"He'd at least humor me and answer my calls." she mutters darkly and looks down at her cell phone. "Do you think there's something wrong?"

"I'm sure he'd come to us if he needed to."

"That boy is more of a mystery than anything else in my world."

"He'll call." he offers a small smile.

"Don't think I don't see that you're worried too." she says softly and crosses her arms with a worried frown.

"I'm always worried." he sighs and chuckles. "He's an enigma."

BLAIR

The pills hit a reset button in their lives.

One day everything is fine and happy, and the next it's like they're back in August. Blair avoids being around Jasper, and Declan follows his lead with a confused frown and limited questions.

They avoid eye contact and don't speak. Track Training makes things easier and Blair throws himself into practices and regiments in hopes of maybe forgetting what happened.

Jasper has meals with Tessa, Dianna, and Spencer in their usual corner and Blair reverts to the high top table he and Declan used to share.

After a week, Declan demands answers and since he's not sure that Jasper wants people knowing about the pills, he advises Declan to look for answers somewhere else.

Two days later, Declan shows up at Blair's room with sad eyes and a tight hug. That's when Blair finally lets himself be sad and angry. He cries and crumbles in the middle of his room and his roommates at least have the decency to leave as Declan pats his pack and tries to comfort him.

"I'm sorry, man. This sucks." he offers once Blair's tears dry on his cheeks.

"I don't get it." Blair confesses and turns to look at Declan. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Declan whispers and they don't talk for a long time. They just stare at the carpet and sit together.

Eventually, Declan leaves the room and comes back two minutes later with Spencer who's holding a plastic bag and a sheepish smile.