fair/unfair

21.

unedited, as per use. you guys weren't actually expecting quality content were you?

       They're back at Jane's again, this time without Blake.

        Reid told his friends about their bizarre trip to South Carolina, how Blake had left him at the fireworks stand for over two hours and when he finally returned, he'd hauled ass out of dodge like he'd stolen something.

        "Maybe he did," Grace said around half a burger she was trying to stuff in her mouth. Reid wrinkled his nose, half-disgusted and half-impressed if she actually managed to do it.

        "He definitely did," he said. He broke a fry in half so he could dip the entire thing in his ketchup, and tossed it in his mouth. "It's just a question of what—and why he needed to go all the way down to South just to get it. You don't think it has anything to do with the prank, do you?"

       "Nah." Jax returned to the table, dumping an entire tray of chili cheese fries onto the table, and then showering the rest of the free space with ketchup packets. "You got the fireworks, remember? Grace and I got the car. What else do we need? Just a coincidence, man."

        Reid flicked a stray packet off his sandwich as Jax climbed over Grace to the inside spot of the booth. "I don't know. Whatever. Fuck it."

        "Fuck it!" Grace yelled, voice muffled around her abnormally large bite.

        Jax stared at her, jaw dropped, all at once wistful and kind of in love. "You've got a big ass mouth."

       Grace flipped him off, swallowing before she replied. "At least I've got something big."

       "Ouch." Jax placed a hand against his heart. "Comin' for my manhood like that?"

       "What manhood? I'm more man than you."

       "What, no—" Jax started to protest.

        "Jackson, we were playing Resident Evil last night and you gripped by hand so tight I thought you were going to break it."

       "The scary son of a bitch chased after me with a shovel, Grace. I was fucking terrified."

        "Baby." She reached across and snatched, not one, but a whole handful of cheese fries much to Jax's chagrin. This time, Reid truly was disgusted as she shoved the whole thing in her mouth and then licked her hand clean.

       "Barbarians," he mumbled.

       Both Jax and Grace's middle fingers turned up.

       Reid gave them a smirk before turning his attention down to his phone, placed in his lap under the table. He was texting Mal—or at least he was a half hour ago. The asshole stopped texting back after he told him he was at Jane's. He had half a mind to text one of the Foxes to tell him to text him back, but then he'd seem like a clingy boyfriend. Ramona and Nick barely tolerated him as it was.

       He kept going back to that word. Boyfriend. Is that what they were? Is that what Bobbie was gonna ask before he interrupted her, hastily saying yes? God, what had he said yes to?

       Normally, he wouldn't care about these kinds of things. With Mason, it had taken them months to define the relationship for the sole reason that Reid kept putting it off and ignoring Mason whenever he tried to bring it up. But with Mal...