The Fluke

31 - Jules

"You aren't going to let me win, are you?" Tessa glares at me from under her sunglasses as she stands across the lawn next to Slade.

I grin at her and squeeze the bean bag in my hands. One point is all that stands between me and victory. We'd pulled out the corn hole when the Spencer and Luke left and haven't stopped playing since. We're tied one game all, and this toss could secure the win for us. I drop my hand holding the bean bag and begin to swing it back and forth, a tactic that has been proving to work well for me.

"You got this, Jules," Nate, my teammate, encourages from beside me.

One final swing back, then I release the bean bag and hold my breath as it flies across the grass, plops down above the hole and slides right in.

"Nice one!" Nate high fives me.

At that moment, Spencer and Luke return from their run. Luke's hair is wet with sweat and his shirt clings to his chest. He looks uptight, the tension rolling off his impressive frame in droves. Spencer, on the other hand, looks amped up and like he could run another five miles. As they approach, Tessa lets out a whistle.

"Damn, Spence, you're looking a little hot," she calls out and fans her hand to her face. He rolls his eyes at her just before he whips his shirt over his head, kicks off his shoes, cannonballs into the pool at her feet and does his best to soak her. She jumps out of the way, giggling. "Missed me!"

"Hey," Luke greets me with a brief smile before following suit and dropping into the pool to cool off.

"Hey, guys," I say, still beaming from my corn hole victory but a growing pit of concern settles in my belly. "How was the run?"

"Brutal," Luke responds, coming up for air. "But worth it."

I watch as he swims across the pool to where I've sat down and dropped my legs in. He slides his hands around my ankles under the water and comes to stand between my knees. "Hi there," he says, his voice low.

"Hey, yourself," I reply, feeling my cheeks flush.

Spencer interrupts our moment by swimming up beside us. "So, I hear we need to talk about Gavin," he says to me, getting straight to business.

Tessa and Luke exchange a look at the same time Luke's gentle grip on my ankles beneath the surface morphs into a tighter one. It's the first indicator I receive that Spencer's question has ruffled Luke's feathers, and the only warning that Spencer knows there's something to talk about.

"Guys," Tessa hollers, grabbing Nate and Slade's attention. "Let's go make a late lunch for these guys. There's stuff for sandwiches." She rounds them up and heads inside, flashing a reassuring look my way over her shoulder.

I notice the shift the Luke's demeanour as he becomes more alert and protective. "Yeah, we do," I say to Spencer, placing my hand on Luke's arm to reassure him.

Spencer's face darkens, and his tone becomes serious. "Luke filled me in on what's been happening with Gavin. I can't believe he had the audacity to do that." He pulls his body out of the water and sits on the edge of the pool next to me. He glances at Luke and keeps his eyes trained on him as he speaks next. "This bastard told me when we were like 6 miles from the house, so I had time to think about a lot on the way back." He looks over at me then, his voice laced with disappointment now. "I can't believe you didn't come straight to me with this, Jules."

I nod, understanding the weight of Spencer's disappointment. "I know, Spence, and I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner." I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what's to come. "The thing is, I didn't know how to tell you without causing a rift between you and Gavin. I didn't want to be the reason you stopped being friends." I look over at Luke, who's still holding onto my ankle, and he gives me a supportive squeeze.

Spencer leans back on his elbows, his eyes back on Luke now. "I get that, I really do. But this isn't just about Gavin anymore. It's about you, and Luke, and what Gavin's been trying to do." He turns to face me, his expression softening. "I'm here for you, Jules. Whatever you need. Gavin is someone you have always felt comfortable around and someone I have never worried about you spending time with, but maybe I've given him too much credit."

I feel a lump form in my throat and tears prick at the corners of my eyes. I'm overwhelmed with a sense of guilt by the shifts rapidly happening around Gavin's relationships, but more so by the support of my friends and my brother, and I'm grateful for them. "Thank you, Spencer," I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

Tessa appears with a tray of sandwiches and we all grab one and sit around the pool. The mood is heavy, but we try to lighten it with small talk. As we eat, I feel Luke's hand on my thigh, and I know he's there for me too.

After lunch, Spencer pulls me aside and wraps me in a hug. "I want to help you and Luke. Let me know what you need from me, okay?"

I nod, feeling a surge of gratitude for his offer. "I will, Spence. Thank you."

He loosens his hold on me and looks down at me with a weird look on his face. "What?" I ask.

"Just worried about you, I guess." He shrugs and drops his arms.

He looks conflicted, torn between wanting to protect his sister and not wanting to infringe on my independence. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I won't let anything happen to her," Luke says from behind me. "I'll keep her out of harm's way."

Spencer nods, seemingly reassured by Luke's words. "Okay, but we still need to figure out what to do about Gavin. I don't want him anywhere near her."

"I agree," I chime in, feeling a sense of relief that Luke is taking the lead on this. "But I don't want to be treated like a child, either, you guys."

"Of course not," Luke says, his voice gentle as he turns to look at me. "We'll handle this together, okay?"

I nod, grateful for his support. This is a new relationship, but he's already proving to be someone I can rely on.

As the day wears on, I feel the weight of the situation lingering, despite our attempts to keep ourselves distracted. With the support of my friends, I do feel stronger, more capable of facing whatever comes next. But as the day cools and the sun begins to drop in the sky, I find myself continuously brought back to Spencer's weird mood right after we talked about Gavin.

Just as I gathered the nerves to approach him and ask him if there's something more I should know about Gavin, Spencer's phone rings. I can tell from the way his face lights up that it's someone he's excited to talk to. He listens for a few moments before he starts nodding and grinning even wider before turning to finish the call in private.

"That was my friend Jake," he says to us when he ends the call. "He's having a party tonight at his place not too far from here and he wants us all to come." He looks at each of us in turn with the happiest expression he's worn since he and Luke returned from their run. "What do you say? Are we up for a little adventure?"

Tessa, Slade and Nate nod enthusiastically, but Luke seems hesitant. "What kind of party is it?" he asks.

Spencer shrugs. "I don't know, man. Jake's always throwing crazy parties. Could be anything."

Luke looks like he's about to say something else, but I speak up first. "I think it sounds like fun. We could all use a little break from reality, don't you think?"

He considers for a moment before nodding. "Okay, I'm in."