When Jake woke the following morning, he sat up but instantly lied back down due to the intense pain in his abs from the punch. Groaning in pain, he pulls his shirt up to reveal an angry red six-pack. There's a knock on the door and he scrambles to pull his shirt down.

"Who is it?"

"Your dad." Jake sits up as the door opens, his father walking in.

"Hey, Jake. You want to tell me what happened?"

"No, not really."

"You know you can trust me, right?"

"I know. It's just complicated, okay?" Tom nods and gives him a concerned look before walking out of the room. 

"Don't forget to get ready for school!" Jake shakes his head, annoyed but amused, and gets out of bed, heading to the bathroom. He looks in the mirror and staring back at him is an angry purple surrounding his left eye. Touching it gingerly, he winces in pain.

You know, it's actually pretty cool. Getting a battle wound from fighting with none other than Mason Reichard, he thinks to himself with a grin. His enthusiasm restored, he headed back to his room and changes into a yellow shirt and some blue jeans. He pulled on his shoes and grabbed his backpack, being more careful with his bruised body. As he headed out to the kitchen, he realized that if he stretched his arms out too far or breathed too hard it would hurt his abdomen, do he decided to keep his arms bent when grabbing for things and to take short, quick breaths. He had a quick breakfast and finished getting ready, grabbing his lunchbox from his mom before heading out to the bus. He exchanges nothing with his mom but the lunchbox and a quick goodbye, not wanting to get into the fight from last night. Jake slid beside Mark and Evan who instantly stared at his eye.

"That's awesome, bro!" Evan calls out, thumping him on the back.

"You look so cool!" Mark agreed, a huge grin on his face. The trio chat about Jake's "epic" black eye the entire way to school and his fight with Mason. When they arrive, they pass Mason who is with his croonies and his arm in a sling. Mason just gives him a menacing glare and Jake retaliates with a smug grin, tilting up his head proudly to let the purple around his eye glint in the sunlight to let Mason know that he was proud of it, not ashamed. He heads to class and sees everyone pointing at him and his black eye, but he holds his head high, giving each one of them a smirk and a slight nod. 

After school is finally over, he heads out to the busses but stops when he sees a new sheet of paper posted on the locker room door. The football team. He rushes over and moves his finger down the roster, reading each name in turn but only truly stopping at his friends' names.

Drew Holloway - running back. Colton Regnier - tight end. Carson Leavel - right back. Jake Holland - Wide Reciever. His heart leapt in joy at his name, but he kept reading to see if he knew anyone else on the team. There were a few names that he recognized, but couldn't put a face to like Aaron Jones and Cameron Phelps. As he kept reading, he recognized two more names. They were right next to each other and both gave him butterflies, but each for a different reason. Mason Reichard - line back. Ryan Adams - quarterback. Mason's name made Jake feel like his stomach was being attacked by a swarm of metallic butterflies, but Ryan's turned it into a gentle group, fluttering around in his belly. A warm hand lands on his shoulder and he jerks around, putting his hands up in fists like he was ready to fight.

"Woah, it's just me," a gentle voice tells him. He smiles when he sees Ryan's familiar face, his green eyes concerned. "How'd it go with the dinner last night?"

"Well, I still haven't really talked with my parents. I told my dad's best friend, Haz, what happened though. He seemed to appreciate the thought of a fight," Jake laughed. 

"I don't mean to pry and I'm sure you get asked this a lot, but is it cool getting to be the son of someone as famous as your dad? And to get to hang out with such famous people?" Ryan asks tentively.

"You're good. It is sort of cool, getting to meet celebrities that I've admired my whole life. It gets annoying sometimes, though. People know me as 'Tom Holland's son' not as me, as Jake." Ryan nods, his face contorted and his tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth. It's sort of a cute face if he's being honest. "You okay, man?"

Ryan flushes bright red. "Yeah, sorry. That's what I do when I'm thinking."

"Don't apologize, it's cute," Jake laughs. Ryan's ears follow suit with his face, each turning an even brighter red. For some reason, Jake finds himself blushing along side the blonde. The two see each other's tomato-red faces and burst out laughing, their bodies trembling. Soon Jake can't breathe, his abs hurt again from the excessive laughter. Ryan reaches his arms around Jake and pulls him into a hug. He's uncomfortable at first, but soon he leans in and squeezes him back. They stay in the embrace until it begins to feel awkward and they pull back, both laughing nervously.

"Well, congrats on making it on the team," Ryan says, nervously scratching his upper neck.

"You too," Jake replies with a small smile. He has to have missed his bus by now, so he begins walking home, butterflies filling his stomach from the hug. 

What is happening to me?