Secrets [Trans Jake AU, Juke Fanfic]

~ Chapter 11: Cold. ~

Monday

One step onto the school ground and the young blonde boy was already fearing what awaited him. It could have been anything. The last time he was here he ran out of class to throw up. Not that great. He inhaled deeply and continued to the group of boys he noticed by the door. As he walked up to them he smiled brightly and waved, but the three of them gave him looks of sorrow. "Sup guys!" He beamed. When their troubled expressions fell upon his realization, his face dropped. "What's wrong?" The magenta-haired boy looked down and shoved his hands in his pockets. Meanwhile, the tallest boy and shortest boy gave each other a look, silently speaking to each other through their eyes. The hazel-eyed teen just stood in confusion and worry. "Guys?" He took a step forward to them.

"Uh. Hey, Jake," Liam said awkwardly, giving a forced smile. "Yeah, hey," Henry repeated, mimicking Liam's face. "Hi; why do you guys look so upset?" The blonde boy spoke once more, a slight bit of sourness in his tone. "There's a... Rumor... Spreading around. It's uh, about you," Drew mumbled, keeping his gaze to the ground. 

"Again? How bad is it?" 

"Depends on where you stand," Liam shrugged with a mellow tone in his voice.

Jake's stomach sank. That could mean so many things, but the first thing to come to Jake's mind scared him more than death itself. Another thing came to his mind at that thought. And the second thought cracked his heart. 

"I... I need to go." He muttered as his voice broke on the last line. He backed away from his friends and quickly ran to the garden behind the school. Upon stepping foot onto the paved path his feet froze at the fountain and he leaned over to look in the water. He saw his own hazel eyes staring back at him through the glass-like water. The cold liquid became rippled as droplets fell into the small man-made pond one by one, their speed steadily increasing. Jake reached out his hand to catch the water drops falling from the sky. He swore he saw a face in the droplets as they fell quicker and quicker with every second. His soft, fluffy, hair drooped down to his nose; almost entirely covering his glistening eyes. 

He was glad it was raining. 

He didn't have to hold back his tears. 

He didn't have to show the world how betrayed he felt. 

How broken his heart was.

---

After finally recollecting himself, Jake had made just enough time to spare before the first bell to go talk to his lemon-eyed friend. And he set off to do just that. He pushed himself off the decorative reservoir and began his search for the boy. Ironically, he bumped into the boy's childhood friend almost the second he stepped inside the building. 

"Watch it!-" The purple-haired teen yelped as the books he was holding soon became airborne. "Oh. It's you. Bit of advice, keep your eyes off the nice ladies in the hallway while your walking." The blonde grimaced at the shorter boy's comment. "Actually," He said, through gritted teeth, "I was looking for Luke. Have you seen him?" Zander rolled his eyes and bent over to pick up the, now drenched, books off the floor. "Oh, geez. Sorry about that, here, let me help-" The latter suggested, with mild guilt washing over him, bending down to help his peer. Zander just slapped his wet hand away when he reached for the book closest to him. "I don't need your pity, pretty boy," The shorter male snapped. Jake looked at him with shock as he picked himself up. "I'm really sorry, Zander. Maybe I could-" 

"You've done plenty." 

Zander straightened his back and glared at the hazel eyes ahead of him. He turned around in silence, still upset. Before walking away, he turned his head to his shoulder, just barely glaring at Jake. "He's on the West wing." He muttered, then stormed away. 

The blonde nodded and thanked the poor boy under his breath. Someone missed their beauty sleep. He joked to himself before making his way to the West wing.

---

With a book caressed in his arms, the tall chestnut-haired boy strolled down the hallway, a puzzled look covering his face. His head was still spinning from his dream that night. The flower field. The hug. Jake's concern. Jake's voice. Jake. And Daisy. Daisy. Daisy, Daisy, Daisy. His head repeated the name before it lost its meaning. Daisy was the kind-hearted, white-haired student that roamed the hallways with a bright smile. And, to Luke, she was Jake's girlfriend. A wall between him and the blonde boy. He slapped the side of his head. "Come on Luke, let bygones be bygones," He mumbled to himself. 

But his mind wouldn't let it go. 

He stopped in his tracks and held his book to his side. He reached into the small bag that dangled at his side and pulled out the wrinkled and slightly torn poem. He stood there reading it over and over and over until he had it memorized. Until it took over his mind. He shut out the dream and replaced it with the poem. His glossy lemon eyes danced over the stanzas. It was only when a small teardrop fell onto the paper that he snapped out of his trance. 

"Shit..." Luke's groggily voice muttered as he raised his wrist to wipe his tears. The tall boy shoved the paper back into his bag and continued on his way to his class. Not long after, though, he ran into the blonde boy from his dream. Luke froze with a faint smile. "Hey, Jake!" He chirped. "Don't 'hey Jake' me," The blonde growled. Luke's face dropped, along with his stomach. "Wh-... What?" He choked. 

"You promised you wouldn't tell anyone. Before you left you said that, you said you wouldn't tell anyone. You said it." Jake's voice trembled.

"Said what? What are you talking about?" 

"I'm talking about what I told you, Luke. About me. Before you left my house you promised, you- you swore that you wouldn't tell anyone."

"About you being- ...Trans?" Luke whispered the last word, careful no one would hear. 

"Oh, so now you worry about people hearing. Now you're being careful."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that you broke your promise! The whole school is spreading rumors about me being transgender! And who did I tell that to other than my own mother? You. You were the last person I told. And you're the only person who could ever tell anyone at this school about it."

"What?! No-! I would never!" 

"Then why did you?!" Jake stepped closer, curling his fingers to make a fist.

"I-I didn't, I swear it!" 

"Just like you swore that you wouldn't tell?!"

Luke froze. His eyes stared into Jake's. They were empty. His heart was broken. He was hurting. Luke didn't even know what he did wrong. But somehow this school found Jake's secret. And it's hurting the blonde more than any person could imagine. 

"Jake, you have to listen to me-" 

"No! I'm done listening to you, Luke. I... I trusted you. With the biggest thing in my life. Something more important to me than anything. And you took it and shattered it." Tears were streaming down the cheeks of the pained boy before Luke. 

Without thinking, the taller male reached out to grab Jake's wrist; an attempt to get him to listen. It backfired. "Don't touch me!" The boy yelled, pulling his hand away and taking two steps backward. "You know... I thought we had something. But maybe I should have thought about it longer."

And with that, the blonde walked away. He hugged himself as he cried into the sleeve of his jacket. Luke was paralyzed. His heart had been split in two. He hadn't even done anything wrong. Yet here he was. Heartbroken and feeling more alone than ever. It wasn't even just the fact that everything was misunderstood that hurt him the most. It was Jake's tone when he said his final sentence.

His soft, warm, kind voice had never sounded so cold.

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Word Count: 1367