The morning was always a grumpy time for Ally and Kane, who both rolled over from their beds and headed for the bathroom, shoving and pushing each other, Kane peeing right next to Ally who cursed at him, attempting to brush her teeth in peace. While she did that, he nonchalantly stripped nude and stepped inside the shower, and she waited against the sink for him to finish.

She didn't even wait for him to leave before she took off her clothes and stepped in the shower after him, letting him brush his teeth while she showered. When their siblings strange bathroom routine was finished, Jay eyed them peculiarly before stepping inside after them, closing the door behind him for a few moments of peace.

The only person he ever lived with before was his mother; he never had any siblings but seeing the way Ally and Kane bickered but seemed awfully comfortable around each other, being at each other's throats but caring for one another at the same time, it did make him envy what they had. Of course he was friends with Kane and lived with them but it wasn't the same, being a guest rather than family. When he left the bathroom, he noticed that the atmosphere had changed.

The cackles had ceased, the footsteps were heavy and Kane voice was low and sharp. It seemed as if he was talking about something in the kitchen with Ally, and Ally was enraged as well, hissing back. It was only when Jay reached the kitchen with a small towel in his hand, still drying the corners of his wet strands, that he noticed the way Ally's eyes were glinting from the tears that had been there seconds prior.

When Jay walked in, they both glanced elsewhere and the silence returned, causing Jay to only furrow his brows as they were clearly hiding something from him. Although he didn't want to ask, he was afraid that it was something with Jasper's father or even Mike, and cleared his throat.

"What's going on?"

Both of them flinched as his voice even though they knew he had been there. They seemed on edge, Kane ready to pounce on anyone that irritated him and Ally barely able to contain the curses stuck to her throat. Neither of them turned back to face him, practically ignoring him for a second before he heard Kane sigh and say, "Nothing, Jay. Are you hungry?" His tone was terribly dry, and he tilted his head, eyeing Ally who drank from a coffee she had just made, avoiding his gaze. "I can make you a bowl of cereal."

"You both are scaring me," Jay breathed shakily, noticing that they both rapidly turned to him and noticed that his shoulders were trembling as well. "Does it have anything to do with—"

"No," Kane said calmly, forcing a smile and stepping towards him. He had never meant to scare Jay and hadn't realized that was the effect that could happen if he didn't talk about it with him. "No, no, it has nothing to do with your situation."

"Then what is it?"

Kane glanced towards Ally before returning his eyes on Jay. "Nothing, it's really nothing."

Jay shook his head. "It's not nothing," he also turned to Ally and noticed that she was avoiding his gaze again, as if she knew if she did look at him, she would burst into flames. "Why are you guys mad at me? What did I do?"

"We're not mad at you Jay," Kane forced a chuckle and smiled. "Why would you think that? You didn't do anything."

"Then what are you guys hiding from me? Am I being kicked out?" The worry caused his voice to tremble, glancing between the two of them.

Ally was the one who spoke this time. "No, you're not."

Jay's hands clenched, attempting to his the fact that his fingers started to quiver as well. "Are Mike and Tessa getting a divorce because of me?"

"What?" Kane furrowed his brows, rapidly shaking his head. "Jay, no. Stop worrying so much, it has nothing to—"

"Then just tell me what's going on."

Kane again glanced towards Ally and she eventually exhaled a long sigh, shrugged her shoulders and turning away from them, leaning onto the counter with her hands. Kane finally nodded his head, meeting Jay's eyes and started. "You know how Jasper and I used to see each other?"

"Yes?"

"Well, this one time," Kane gulped, feeling his chest start to sting by merely speaking about it, "after a party, Jasper came to me the next morning and showed me a picture on his phone. Someone had taken a picture of us while doing stuff, and was threatening him with it. He asked me to find out who it was."

Jay raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"And..." Kane scratched the side of his neck, as he had been continuously ever since Ally told him. "I never did find out who it was but..." he had no idea how to say it. He hadn't really said it yet, and he was unsure how to explain to Jay how it even made him feel.

It was Ally that took the lead, reaching for her phone and scrolling to the social media post before handing over the phone. When Jay saw the picture, he gasped, noticing how many shares it had and all the comments underneath the picture. Even parents he recognized had commented, and it was a picture of Kane and Jasper both in Jasper's bed with their lips pressed against each other and their bodies enveloped in each other's arms.

Oddly enough, for a split second Jay wondered how Kane would be with him if they would ever get together. Maybe he had an aggressive tune to him, enjoying the roughness as he pinned him onto the bed. Or maybe he was a bit gentle, asking him if it was already of lower his hands from his stomach to the region that was aching for touch. It was only for a split second, but it was enough to cause his cheeks to fill with red as he returned the phone to Ally's hands.

Kane chuckled but it was a delirious chuckle, as if he was stuck in a state of mind of disbelief, and uncertainty of what to do next. When both Ally and Jay faced him, he seemed to be seconds away from melting, and that was when Ally suggested, "We can stay home from school today."

"There's no way I'm going to go into hiding after this," Kane shouted, his hand waving violently. "That's what whoever did this wants! I'm not ashamed of liking men, that's who I am."

"I'm not saying you should be ashamed of that," Ally whispered quietly, warily stepping towards him. "I think it's best to let it die down. They might not straight up tease you but the stares might stress you out."

"I'm not hiding from school," he retorted.

Jay cleared his throat, shrugging his shoulders and glancing towards Ally before adding his own suggestion. "I can stay with you, if you'd li—"

"For the hundredth time," Kane spat, stepping towards Kay with his shoulders broadened, "I'm not skipping school."

"Okay," Jay instantly backed away, turning away from his menacing glare. "Alright, I'm sorry."

"No," Kane sighed, noticing the way he had made Jay flinched. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I just have no idea who would do this to me and it's really messing with my head."

"Then take the day to think it through." Ally forced a smile, comfortingly patting his shoulder and she cooed, "you're really hostile and you might go after the wrong person. Take a day to yourself, I'm begging." They both noticed that Kane's rigid jaw had softened, his eyes no longer in a glare and his mind started debating whether or not they were right. Eventually, he sighed and slowly nodded his head, letting a long sigh escape his lips. Ally patted his shoulder, notice that their broadened shaped had eased. "I'll stick by Jay for the day."

"Umm," Jay seemed wary about that, furrowing his brows for a moment, "I don't really like that idea—"

"Ally, if you do anything to him, I swear."

"I won't do anything to him, Kane." She grabbed her bag from the kitchen table and began making her way to the front door, "I'll make sure he's fine for the whole day and we'll come home together. After that, we can talk on what we'll do."

Even though Kane was reluctant of letting this happen, he waved a hand at the both of them when they headed out of the home and towards Ally's car. The moment they left, Kane felt his entire body fall into a sudden state of confusion, unsure whether he should feel embarrassed or saddened or even angry. He was definitely furious that his secret had been shared to the entire school population and the city without his consent as he had been the one to initiate it, but he was unsure why he felt embarrassed. Liking men was never something he tried to hide, even though it resulted in him not exactly sharing it. There were still the few that judged or eyed him differently due to it, but it never upset him.

Then why was he upset right now?

He scrolled through his social media again, looking at the comments. There were laughing comments, parents that disapproved, even old coaches that mentioned that they never knew Jasper was this way. It was disturbing how many had a negative opinion towards a picture of them, but it wasn't that that made him feel embarrassed. At that point, he wasn't really sure what he felt or how he needed to feel, and when tears startled to fill his eyes, he decided that resting was most likely the best option or else he would lose his mind.

Before he could reach his bedroom, he heard a few knocks on his door that shortly lead to pounding. They were harsh, equipped with brute strength that Kane was frightened before even stepping to the door.

But when he pulled it open, the familiar face made his legs suddenly feel numb. He had even forgotten that there were tears threatening to fall onto his cheeks, his mind completely drawing a blank as he observed all the features he had craved and begged to see again for several weeks.

He was speechless, even the air locked inside his throat as his gaped mouth hung open, and he felt all his muscles fall rigid against his will. The eyes glazed on his physique, eyeing from his socks to his attire before returning to his gaze again. But they didn't seem friendly, while here to take care of something quickly before his departure.

And Kane had not been prepared for this, not even if it had been weeks.

"What the fuck did you do?"