Jeff's sisters were thrilled to see Nick again, but they quickly noticed something was wrong.
"Okay, what's going on with you two?" Sarah asked Jeff, having caught him alone.
"Nothing," Jeff answered.
"Nothing, my ass. Something's up, and it's not something good."
Jeff sighed, speaking softly. "Look, it's fine, alright? If something were going on, that something would be completely under control."
Sarah nodded, satisfied with his answer.
As if on cue, Nick's phone rang. Jeff immediately turned to see him pale and pick up.
"Hello?" There was a pause. "I'm sorry, tomorrow? Like, tomorrow-tomorrow?"
Jeff bit his lip.
"Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine. See you tomorrow."
The phone call ended and Nick slowly lowered his phone, shaking his head. "This is a terrible idea."
"Nick, you're going to be fine," Jeff said.
"No, this is an awful, terrible idea."
"It's a good idea, Nick, you just-"
Nick walked over to him, grabbing the front of his blazer. "Jeff, you don't get it. We're going to lose. I'm going to lose, and I'm going to go back to them." He let go of him and turned around, shaking his head again. Jeff could tell he was trying to hide tears.
"You're not going back to them," Jeff said. "We're not going to lose."
Nick whipped back around. "We're going to lose, Jeff! We're going to lose, and I'm dead! They're going to hate me even more!"
"Nick." Jeff walked over to him, taking his hand. "Look at me when I say this. You're going to be okay. We're going to win. No matter what happens, in the end of all of this, we'll have won and they'll have lost."
Blinking back tears, Nick hugged him. Jeff rubbed circles in his back, feeling his uneven and fast heartbeat. "You're going to be okay because I'm not going to let you not be."
YOU ARE READING
Back To Our Roots, Book One
FanfictionThad hasn't had the easiest life. It doesn't help that he's been called a 'she' for most of it. After attempting to end it, he enrolls in Dalton Academy. Meeting an old friend whose life he saved without knowing it, his old friend's boyfriend who i...
