friends | jorbyn ✓

four

JONAH'S PARENTS HAD only been divorced for exactly thirteen months, three weeks and four days when timothy made an announcement jonah never wanted to hear.
jonah and corbyn were coming back from their last day of school when he said it.
"her name is harper, harper sutherland. she's got a daughter a little younger than you two, her name is aspen."
"how much younger?"
"one year younger."
"she's ten?"
timothy nodded.
"well, how long have you been 'seeing' harper?" corbyn asked quietly.
"7 months now."
jonah huffed.
"i don't have to call her mom, right?"
"jonah!" corbyn hissed, eyes wide.
"no, jonah, i'm not expecting you to call harper your mother. but you are going to respect her. including you, corbyn, you're over enough to encounter her at a point in time."
"oh, of course."
jonah stayed silent, scowling at the back of the passenger side seat.
corbyn frowned, fiddling with his fingers in his lap.
"um, can jonah come over?"
"yeah, yeah, that's fine." timothy seemed upset and distant the whole drive to the bessons'. it upset corbyn, the deafening silence and obvious tension.
when they made it to corbyn's house, corbyn sighed.
"bye, thank you."
he slid out of the car, waiting for jonah to follow.
the two walked silently to corbyn's old treehouse.
"are you okay?" corbyn asked when he was tired of the silence.
"no, he just pushed my mom aside and tried to reassign her title to some, some random lady he found."
"he wants to be happy again, jonah."
jonah crossed his arms, laying his head in corbyn's lap.
"he is happy, he's been happy for a while."
"because he's been seeing harper or whoever. i'm sure she doesn't wanna steal your dad from you, but she wants to be happy too. don't you want to be happy, jonah?"
"i am happy."
"happier, then."
"if i was happier i'd blow up."
corbyn shrugged, running his hands through jonah's dark hair.
"everyone has room for more happiness."
the next week, timothy decided it was time for harper to meet jonah and corbyn.
jonah was sitting on the steps when corbyn came around, nerves on high alert.
"corbyn," he whispered loudly from the stairs. when corbyn sat on the step below him, he reached down for his hand.
"what if she hates me? or what if aspen doesn't like me?"
"you'll be just fine."
"boys? harp and aspen are on their way."
jonah's eyes widened, getting up. he smoothed his hair back down, despite it being near perfect.
"oh okay."
corbyn gave him a reassuring smile as he hopped down the few stairs.
jonah slowly followed, thinking of every negative possibility that could've occurred that day.
"chill out, jonah, it's summer, you should be having fun," corbyn whispered.
"i know–" a knock sounded at the door and timothy rushed through the living room to open the door.
he swooped the woman who could only be harper into his arms, pressing his lips to hers.
the woman squealed, pushing her blonde hair over her shoulders. a girl stood behind her, with the same blonde hair, except slightly darker.
harper looked past timothy, directly at jonah and corbyn.
"you must be jonah." she handed the little girl– aspen– over to jonah's father and approached the two boys.
"and you're corbyn, corbyn with a y, right?" corbyn nodded excitedly.
"yeah, corbyn with a y."
she smiled.
"i've heard so much about you two, i'm harper."
jonah smiled nervously.
"hi, harper."
"oh, how rude, this is my daughter, aspen. she's usually nice enough to introduce herself."
aspen grinned at jonah and corbyn, but more at corbyn than jonah.
at dinner, harper kept a smile on her face.
"so, jonah, corbyn, you excited to start middle school after summer?"
"yeah," the two said in sync, drawing laughter from everyone at the table.
"what grade is aspen starting?" jonah asked.
"fifth, my big girl."
"my birthday is this summer. i'm having a pool party."
"hmm. that's nice."
when dinner wrapped up, harper hugged both corbyn and jonah.
"i hope to see you both soon."
"bye-bye corbyn, bye jonah," aspen said as she followed her mom out the door.
~
harper and aspen had been moved in for seven months when the second worst announcement of jonah's existence was made.
"harper and i are getting married."
"what? when?" aspen had asked, practically bouncing in her seat.
"a few days after jonah's thirteenth birthday."
jonah was fine with them living there, but marriage? that was just erasing his mom entirely.
"oh?" corbyn asked.
they were all sitting outside, after dinner. a chill night, as aspen liked to call it.
"yes, we're both very excited."
when jonah remained silent, corbyn placed his hand over his as he had plenty of times before.
"that's good," jonah managed without sounding angry. "so good."
the night ended when corbyn got up to go home.
"bye-bye, corbyn," aspen said in the same tone she always had.
when corbyn was a safe distance away from the house and aspen was inside, timothy turned to jonah.
"i think aspen has a crush on corbyn."
jonah laughed a bit, but nevertheless, a twinge of jealousy sparked in his chest.

—

a jealous jonah? all i can say is yes tbfh.