First Punch ➟ Kellic

F I N A L E

Jake and I stand there for a long time, still digesting everything. I can't believe we're alive...but even through the shock, it feels like I can finally breathe. I've been so scared for so long. Every second of everyday I've been waiting for the moment where our lives catch up to us. It finally happened...and we got through it. We're okay.

"We should get out of here," I suggest, waiting for Jake to end the hug when he's ready.

"Yeah," he agrees, not dropping his tight hold on me. "Let's go. We have to wake everyone up."

I nod, kissing his shoulder. I nuzzle into his neck, my mind still not fully understanding how we made it out of that alive.

"I love you," I remind him.

He sighs, kissing the side of my head and replying, "I love you too."

I lift my head from his shoulder, looking at him and trying to figure out how he's taking all of this.

"Are you okay?" I ask, not reading anything on his face.

"We're alive," he says, holding me even tighter. "That's all that matters to me right now."

I nod, looking over at Carter's lifeless body only a few feet away from us. Still though, not a single emotion registers.

"Are you?" Jake asks, sounding nervous as he rubs my back lightly.

"Um..." I mumble, making eye contact again. "I think so." I'm not lying when I say that he's all I need. I'm still hurt by how easily Carter betrayed me though.

"I know how much he meant to you," Jake adds, running his fingers through my hair soothingly.

I just shrug, looking over at Carter again. "Yeah...he was my closest thing to family for most of my life...but...he wouldn't drop his vendetta even though he knew how in love with you I am. It wasn't hard to choose you over him. Over all of them. You dropped everything for me," I admit. "So what if I had to drop everything for you?" I look at my incredible boyfriend again, the eye contact feeling as electric as ever. "You're so worth it, Jake."

He smiles a little, tucking some hair behind my ear before leaning in. Our lips connect in a deep, reassuring kiss. Everything's gonna be okay. As long as we're together...as long as we have each other...we can make it through this.

After a few more minutes of hugging, we decide we should make our escape while it's still dark. I don't want to risk the Triads coming back to finish us off...or for the cops to show up and throw us in prison.

Jake covers Martina's body in a sheet, ensuring that Mateo doesn't get that image burned into his memory. I don't know how he and Lucas slept through everything, but there's no way the entire motel did. We gotta go. We both figure Jake should be the one to wake up Mateo and break the news, meaning I'm on packing duty.

I grab all of our bags, waking Lucas and awkwardly explaining that we have to leave. I'm still so uncomfortable around him. I'm not sure whether we'll ever be all that close.

We meet out front shortly after, me handing Jake his bag as I asses Mateo's wellbeing. He's silently crying, his cheeks red and gaze glued to the ground. Overall though...he looks like he'll survive this. He has to. We all have to.

"Mateo..." I start. "We did everything we-" Jake shoots me a look and I cut off my apology. He'd already said everything for me. Mateo just needs time to grieve now.

"Um...Is the room under your name?" I nervous ask the brothers.

"No," Jake mumbles, looking kind of sad as he ends the response.

"It's all under my mom's," Mateo's choked up voice replies.

My expression fades to concern and sympathy, but on the inside I'm relieved. We might get out of this scot-free. If they never knew we were here...then they can't pin us to this.