𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐔𝐒|𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐒

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨

pope, i'm so sorry.

i swear, i didn't mean for any of that to happen.

please, text me back.

i love you.

Jaxon Ellis was panicking. No, panicking wasn't even the word. He was full on going insane. It had been mere hours since the altercation at the wreck, and even now he wasn't able to push Popes look of pure and utter betrayal out of his mind. The way his eyes widened in horror as he watched his boyfriend walk inside of the small restaurant, trying but failing miserably to hold back his friends from doing something stupid. Each time Jaxon thought about it he would bite on his cheek to the point where he would draw blood, spitting into the sink seconds later to relieve himself of the pain. It wasn't something Jaxon was proud of admitting, for everyone had always seen him as the tough type. However whenever he thought or was with Pope, his vulnerability showed more than ever.

Five minutes later, a text appeared.

pope:i didn't like what you did today.

i know, baby.

pope:then why did you do it? i thought we both agreed that we wouldn't be seen around each other when our friends were around.

tell me something i don't know, pope,

Jaxon chewed on the inside of his cheek before falling back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling above him. Never in his relationship had he ever been so reckless, yet here he was, apologizing for something that could've been easily avoided if he wasn't such a fucking pushover. God, Jaxon really did need to get new friends by the time summer was over. Well, maybe he would keep Jules around, for she was the only tolerable person out of the entire group. Jaxon rolled over on his side, staring at his phone with a longing look as he waited for Pope to text him back, if he even texted him back.

pope:i wish it didn't have to be like this, arguing over something that we shouldn't even be arguing about.

Jaxon couldn't take it anymore. He didn't care how risky it was, he needed to hear his boyfriend's voice. Walking over to his door and locking it to make sure nobody barged in (his mother had a horrible habit of doing that, it was quite annoying to say the least), he did against the wall and pressed his cracked phone to his ear.

"I'm still really mad at you." Popes voice came from the other line, yet Jaxon knew better. He could hear the slight smile in his tone, the way his lips twitched as he tried not to give in after one of their petty arguments.

"Mhm, yeah, totally. Look, it's been a really long day, and I-I just wanted to hear your voice and tell you how sorry I am for what happened today. My friends are fucking douchebags. You didn't deserve it."

"You don't deserve friends like them. Seriously, you always say you're gonna leave them and start fresh but you never do. Why?"

"Baby, you know it's not that simple," Jaxon stood up from his place on the wooden floor, beginning to pace back and forth as the topic of his friends sent a wave of stress through his body. "My parents would have a fucking aneurism, not to mention everyone on this side of the island would hate me. Not that I would really care, since I hate them just as much. I-I'm sorry, I'm like, totally rambling here. Let's talk about something else. How was your day, being a nerd and shit?"

"Wasn't all that bad," Pope giggled, Jaxon smiling widely at his favorite sound in the entire world. "Broke into an abandoned house, read a few books, the usual, the usual. Oh, and I'm surfing the surge."

"You're going to do what?"

"Surf the surge. John B convinced me to do it and while I think it's completely moronic and dangerous, it also sounds kind of fun."