STATIC; JR [2]

2.2

The front door to Andy's house was locked when we arrived, but that wasn't unusual. Sam and I lingered a little ways down the concrete path that brought you to the door, and watched with the same blank expression as Jake turned the knob. He dropped his hand when he realised that it wasn't going to open, and he looked to me with a sheepish frown, because I had been right.

"I told you so." I waited for Sam to snicker at my remark, but his face didn't change, and no noise erupted from within him. Even Jake's features faltered, transforming into something that resembled confusion.

The constantly bubbly boy stood beside me with a deep frown etched onto his lips, the almost foreign crease in his forehead making an appearance. Without meeting either of our gazes, he spoke in a distant voice. "When a girl wants to talk to you about your relationship, it's never a good thing, right?" When neither Jake nor I responded, he picked his head up and an expectant look crossed over him.

Jake shook his own head, stalking off toward the garden that sat against the wall of the house. "Focus." He muttered, causing Sam to lurch forward. He hesitated, then moved his eyes to me.

I sighed, cocking my head to one side. "I don't know, Sam. Maybe." I said it quietly, like I was trying to soften the blow. His entire face fell, and any previously hopeful emotion that resided behind his eyes vanished, and it was all because of me.

Jake turned to us, barely. I could see the amusement on his profile, and if I noticed it, Sam would have, too. "If it's a bad thing, then don't ever say it to me." The blond said, causing me to let out a shallow breath. He wasn't being very helpful, and judging from the lack of sympathy in his words, he knew it.

Sam shoved his hands into the pockets on his jacket, aiming a lousy kick to the ground before narrowing his stare on Jake. "Dude, she's gonna break it off with me, and there's nothing I can do about it!" His exclamation was sad, and I felt guilty even though I had no part in their relationship.

This time, Jake didn't turn at all, and he spoke with almost no enthusiasm. A shrug rolled off his shoulders as he poked around with the rocks in the garden. "Probably." Sam's stare drifted away from the warranted anger to negative disbelief. I was also surprised at my boyfriend's reply, and I wasn't pleased to see how he was treating our friend. I reached down, ignoring Sam's incredulous retorts as I closed my fingers around a small pebble. With no hesitation or proper aim, I threw it at Jake's back. It was a weak hit, nothing that would have physically hurt him. All of us were being so violent today.

He spun around instantly, his arm twisted in what looked to be an uncomfortable way as he tried to touch the spot on his lower back. "Hey!" He cried, his eyes darting between me and Sam. He figured out quickly that it was me who'd thrown the stone, and the knitting of his eyebrows gave it away. "Both of you, just stop. We can talk about this later. Mia is not the priority, Andy is." The small sting of his words didn't last long, as the burn Sam and I felt was replaced with the numbness that only made itself known when we thought about Andy.

"I know." Sam and I spoke in unison, mirroring the same defeat. "Sorry." This came from me, because I was the one who had something to apologise for. Sam hadn't been the one to throw the rock, so he had nothing to be sorry about.

The mood around us lifted fast, and within the next thirty seconds, we were brainstorming on how to get inside. Jake looked to me, quirking an eyebrow. "You don't have a key stashed somewhere at your place, do you?" He asked me, also bringing Sam's attention my way.

"Dad has one, but it's for emergencies." I said, disappointment clouding my features.

Sam bit his lip, obviously confused. "Edith, this is an emergency." He deadpanned.