Fade Into You

Chapter 20

Faye's POV

As soon as I got home, I headed straight for Jake's room. I knew he was here—I'd called Toby and Mike on the way, and they told me he wasn't with them. Then I texted Madison, and she said she was hanging out with her friend Nicky at Tom's Pizzeria.

So yeah, he's definitely home. And there's no way I'm letting him off the hook this time. It's time to find out the real reason why he and Jonathan hate each other so much.

Without bothering to knock, I pushed open his bedroom door. He was sitting in front of his MacBook at the study table, a mess of notebooks and pens scattered around him.

"Ever heard of knocking?" he asked without even glancing at me.

I tossed my duffel bag onto the floor with a loud thud, making him glance at it briefly before returning to his screen. I crossed my arms and kicked the door shut behind me.

"We need to talk," I said, my tone firm.

"Go away. I'm busy."

My eyes narrowed. "Who's Sara?"

That made him freeze. Slowly, he turned to look at me for the first time.

"What did you just say?"

I shrugged, lips pressed into a flat line. 

"Who the hell is Sara?"

He stood up from his chair and took a few slow steps toward me.

"Who told you about her? Was it Jonathan?" he snapped.

"Don't answer my question with another question, Jake. Just tell me who she is and how she's involved with you and Jonathan. Is she the real reason you two can't stand each other? Why won't Jonathan tell me anything about her?"

He didn't answer. He stared at me for what felt like a full minute before finally looking away.

"She's no one important. Just drop it."

"No, don't feed me that crap, Jake. I want answers. Please, just tell me the truth. Why do you hate him so much, and how is this Sara girl connected to all of it?"

He let out a loud sigh, dragging a hand through his hair before dropping back into his chair.

"Damn it, Faye, I really don't want to talk about this."

I rolled my eyes. 

"Then I'll just ask Madison. Or does she not know either?"

His glare sharpened.

"Don't you dare bring this up around her. And don't even mention Sara's name when Madison's around," he warned, his voice low and threatening.

I couldn't help but chuckle. 

"That's what I thought. So talk, brother."

I sat down in the empty chair across from him, crossed one leg over the other, and leaned back with my arms folded.

"Well? What's the story?"

He looked away again, jaw tightening. I saw it—the flicker of something deeper. This wasn't just some old drama. It was personal.

"Do you remember when Jonathan used to come over all the time? Back when we were, like, fourteen? Sleepovers, weekends, game nights?"

I nodded slowly. Blurry images of Jake and Jonathan playing video games in the game room drifted through my memory. 

I remembered those moments clearly—mainly because the more Jonathan came over, the harder I fell for him.

"We were best friends," Jake said. "Practically inseparable. Then Sara came along and screwed it all up. Classic love triangle shit—something straight out of one of Mom's sappy TV shows. You probably don't remember her because we never mentioned her around you."

I blinked. 

"Why's that? What's so bad about me knowing some girl you two liked?"

He scoffed. 

"Because you'd tell Kaycee, and Kaycee would tell someone at school that we both liked the new girl."

I nearly choked on a laugh.

No wonder I didn't know anything. They were both crushing on the same girl back when they were freshmen. And I was still in eighth grade.

"Okay, carry on."

"Jonathan liked her first. They dated for a few months. I was happy for them, at first. But then I started liking her too. I'd text and call her when I knew Jonathan wasn't around—when he was with me and the boys. And she... she felt the same way. So we kept it quiet. Lowkey. Never let Jonathan find out."

Something twisted in my stomach. He betrayed his best friend. And the words I'd thrown at Jonathan earlier echoed in my mind, making my chest tighten.

Oh God. That's why Jonathan reacted the way he did. Someone had played with his feelings. He already knew what that pain felt like.

"Did he find out?" I asked softly.

Jake nodded. 

"He walked in on us. We were making out in his room—he'd gone to get snacks. It was so damn stupid, but I liked her, okay? And he wasn't exactly treating her right either. He'd flirt with other girls at school when Sara wasn't around. We had a huge argument that night. His dad had to break it up. He was furious. And I get it—I was his best friend, and I was sneaking around with his girlfriend. He hasn't forgiven me since."

Yeah, no shit. Walking in on your best friend making out with your girl? That's not something you bounce back from. And Sara? She sounded like the true definition of a slut.

"What happened to Sara?"

"She left," Jake said, his voice flat. "Disappeared. I think she didn't want people knowing she broke up our friendship."

"Selfish bitch," I muttered. Jake shot me a look.

"And why don't you want me to be with Jonathan?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Were you not listening? He cheated on her—what makes you think he won't do the same to you? That's why I don't want you dating him. He doesn't deserve you. He didn't deserve Sara either. I saved her from getting humiliated when she caught him one day."

As much as I wanted to argue, his words settled something in me. There was a protective edge to them—the kind of big brother instinct I didn't hear from him often.

Still, I couldn't stop thinking about Jonathan. How crushed he must've felt. A part of me felt sorry for him. But another part of me—well, that part was glad he finally knew what it felt like to be played with.

He deserved it. Right?

Then why do I feel like I want to kill both Sara and Jake for hurting him?