-Jax-

I didn't believe even for a second that Nic's father would leave him alone after the party. That man was only acting cooperative just to get what he wanted. That party probably was important to him, but not important enough that he'd give up the control over the son he'd manipulated for almost eighteen years. He was not giving that up. Not now when Nic was about to start college. I had my concerns since Nic actually believed the man, but that was why he had me. I'd take care of him. I wasn't going to let that man reel Nic back in. He would try, that was for sure.

I didn't say anything to Nic about it because he was already hurt over his dad's assholery, and we were supposed to have a fun date night at home. His dad would show his true colors eventually, and by that time, I hoped Nic had distanced himself from him enough to not really care anymore.

We started watching a movie while we ate, enjoying our little date. I did my best to keep Nic's mood as high as possible and divert his thoughts away from his family issues by giving him all the attention he wanted. He needed a lot of it, but I didn't blame him. I assumed he wanted to be reminded he still had people who cared about him.

Turned out that I wasn't the only person reminding him of that.

Nic's phone started ringing, and at first, his expression dropped, but when he saw the caller ID, he cheered up.

"Jess! What's up?" he answered the phone. I couldn't quite hear what she was saying, only a few words here and there, but I understood she was asking him to hang out with them. "Oh, uh, actually, Jax and I are watching a movie."

"We can finish it later," I said with a shrug. "If you want to go."

"Are you sure?" he asked me. "They're going to the river. To swim."

"Oh..." I said, immediately feeling anxious.

"I mean we don't have to swim," Nic said. "We can bring music and drinks and stuff."

I let out a breath and nodded. "As long as no one tries to make me swim."

"I'll make sure of that," he said, kissed my check, and turned his attention back to Jess. "What time are you guys going?"

We agreed to meet with Nic's friends at the river in an hour. I had my doubts about going, but I kept them to myself. It was a nice, warm day, and everyone else was going to swim. And if they had the guts, they would try to convince me to join them.

As we were grabbing sodas, I secretly pulled up my sleeve when Nic wasn't watching. The familiar, negative feelings emerged when I saw my scars. It was going to get really annoying if Nic's friends tried to convince me to swim. I couldn't even remember the last time I swam...

Ugh... It's not that big of a deal...

So what if they wanted to make me swim? Sure, it would be annoying, but nothing I couldn't handle. And they wouldn't even try to annoy me, Jax the Snake. They would ask once and leave it at that, so why was I making such a big deal out of this?

I sighed. I knew why. And it had a lot to do with me wishing I didn't have the scars so I could swim in public, but that was too much to admit.

"Do you mind if I swim for a bit?" Nic asked, and I pulled my sleeve back down.

"Of course not," I said.

"Cool. I'll go grab a towel. I can swim in normal shorts, right? I don't have my swimming gear here," Nic said.

"Of course you can."

"It's either that or underwear, so..." he trailed off with a smirk.

"Right," I said and faked a laugh.

I didn't even own swimming gear...

Nic stopped to watch me, then stepped in front of me, taking my hand in his. "Is this... okay with you? I mean, I don't mind staying at home with you, so if you don't want to go–"

"We should go. We don't go out too often, and never with your friends," I said, even though staying at home was tempting. "It's a nice day, too, and we have the entire weekend to watch movies."

He nodded slowly. "True, true."

"Should we get going then?" I asked.

"Sure," he said.

I wasn't even sure why I was insisting on going out with his friends. Especially when their activities would most likely make me feel things on the negative side. But I guess it wasn't about me. I wanted to do this for Nic, who could definitely use a fun night out. Something else to think about. And I hoped his friends knew how to cheer him up since I was still new in his life.

When Nic and I arrived at the river, the place was pretty crowded. Jess, Daniel, Allan, and Cecilia were thankfully waiting for us in the parking lot since it would've been hard to find them by the river.

"Hey!" Nic greeted them, grabbing our bag from the backseat.

I waved at them, then glanced around. Ew. People. But I also noticed that we were about half a mile away from Nic's home. In the fancy area. Surrounded by rich people. And all the rich kids from our school. And then it dawned on me that my entire party for tonight was full of rich kids. Daniel was Nic's brother, Jess and Allan were his mansion-next-door neighbors, and Cecilia... Well, there was still hope she was a normal mortal like me.

Great...

But I wasn't sure if I liked the idea of Nic so close to his home. I doubted his father would come looking for him here, but I was trying so hard to keep Nic's mind off him, and now we were basically in his backyard. He did seem cheerful when we joined his friend group, though.

"Let's go find a spot for us," Jessica suggested with an excited smile, so we grabbed our bags and headed to the crowd.

I was probably just imagining things, but it did look a lot like people were staring at us. At me, in particular. To be honest, I would've stared at myself, too. I was so in the wrong crowd, and Nic made things worse by putting his arm around my shoulders. But it was just my insecurities speaking, right?

No, they're definitely staring...

And talking.

"I still can't believe the Gabriel is dating Jax..."

I was doing this for Nic. I was doing this for Nic. I was doing this for Nic...

"Look! There's a nice spot!" Jess suddenly said, and I really wanted to hug the girl since she was pointing at an empty spot way over back where an old, tall bridge hovered over the river.

"But the road is right there. It's not that peaceful," Cecilia said.

"You rather stay with the screaming kids over here?" Jess asked.

"Oh! No. That's even less peaceful," Cecilia agreed.

"Thought so," Jess said, but then she glanced at me shortly before heading toward the bridge.

Was she doing this for me? Nah, I was just imagining things. But it sure eased up my mind. All this staring was getting on my nerves.

The beach was not as tidy near the bridge as it was down the stream, but no one complained about the rocks in the water or the fallen leaves on the sand. I assumed this spot wasn't part of the public beach, so there was no maintenance, either. The tall rock bridge was also standing right in front of the sun, casting a big shadow, and the current seemed stronger below it as the water made its way past the big rocks and boulders. Not the best place to swim, no, but perfect for someone like me who didn't like people and needed to wear a full set of clothes.

"Is the water deep here? I'm... not a very good swimmer," Cecilia said, taking off her shirt while her boyfriend stared at the bikini-covered tits.

"We should be able to stand in it," Daniel said, while Allan was too mesmerized to speak. "It floods easily, but since it's been so dry lately, it should be fine."

"Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on you," Jess said, and followed her example by taking off her top, gaining a short glance from Daniel.

Now I wasn't quite sure about the dynamics in this group, and Nic only told me that Allan and Cecilia were dating, but as I kept an eye on Daniel and Jess just for my own amusement, it was clear there was something going on between Nic's brother and his ex-girlfriend. I mean, I couldn't blame Jessica for switching one Gabriel to another. The Gabriel boys were hot, and from what I'd learned so far, Daniel was basically just a younger, blonder version of Nic. With a more balanced and less restless nature. Which wasn't doing anything for me. I needed my guy a bit spicier than that, and Nic had enough spice.

Especially when he kissed me...

Daniel had brought a massive blanket for us to sit on, and we spread it over the sand, between the rocks, leaving half of it in the shadows. Jess had brought a Bluetooth speaker, so she sat down to put it on, while Cecilia fished out a big bottle of sunscreen from her bag.

"Don't forget to put this on," she said once she had coated herself in it, offering the bottle to Allan. "All of you. Skin cancer is no joke."

"Yeah, yeah..." Daniel muttered.

Here we go...

One by one, each of them got into their swimming suits and put on sunscreen, except for me, obviously. I watched as the bottle made its slow round among them, and finally, it reached me.

"Jax?" Cecilia said, trying to give the bottle to me.

"I don't need it," I said, gesturing at my hoodie and sweatpants. "I'll just stay in the shadows."

"Why? Aren't you going to swim?" she asked, and everyone gave me more or less curious looks.

"Not this time," I only said.

"Oh," Cecilia said, taking her bottle bag. "But aren't you hot?"

"Yes," Nic said with a grin. "Very hot."

"No, I mean, aren't you hot in your clothes? You even have gloves on! It's really hot out here," Cecilia said. "Like, the sun is hot."

"Yes, I get it, but I'll be fine," I said.

"He always wears hoodies and gloves," Allan said. "It's just his style."

"Thank you," I said, appreciating his effort.

"But why?" Cecilia asked.

Ugh, this girl...

"It's just my style," I said calmly.

"It's a weird style during summer," Cecilia noted.

"Hey! Who needs something to drink?" Nic asked, grabbing the bag of sodas we'd brought and planted it in the middle of us.

The topic changed, thank fucking god, but they were still giving my clothes curious looks. They were wondering, and I had the feeling this topic would be brought up again and again unless I'd give them a good reason or an explanation to stop asking.

I turned my attention to my fingerless leather gloves. They were enough to hide the scarring since the backs of my fingers had only a few fading marks on them. If I took them off, everyone could see the reddish, scaly marks on the back of my hands. But I guess it was the gloves that were bothering people the most about my attire, especially in this weather. I was pretty hot, I had to admit...

Would it be so bad to let these people know about the scars? I didn't really care about them, so if they wanted to be dicks about my scars, it would be easier to just forget it. But I could see myself liking them, so... If they turned out to be dicks later, it would hurt more.

I let out a sigh and peered at Nic. He immediately noticed it and looked at me.

"Sorry about that," he whispered, making sure the others weren't listening.

I shook my head. "Do you think I can tell them?" I muttered back.

He gave it a thought, then glanced at Cecilia. "I don't think any of them will make fun of you, but someone may have a ton of way too intrusive questions... And I must warn you, Allan can't keep anything a secret, so he'll tell the whole school about it."

I wrinkled my nose. "That's... I guess... I guess that's fine. It's not really a secret, anyway. I just don't want to be stared at. But I doubt anyone will want to try me this time. I'm still Jax the Snake. Just a bit softer now, I guess..."

"That you are," Nic said, giving me a kiss. "But you don't have to tell my friends just yet."

"They'll just keep asking about my clothes if I don't tell them..."

"I can tell them to back off," Nic suggested. "But I really don't think they'll be assholes about it."

"Assholes about what?" Allan asked.

All eyes were back on me. I rolled my eyes with a sigh.

"If you want to know, I was in a house fire as a kid," I said. Well, more like blurted it out since I didn't want to think too much about it.

It was... surprisingly odd to say it out loud. It was even odder when they all looked at me with wide, shocked eyes. I wasn't sure why I was surprised, though. Of course they'd be shocked to hear something like that. I guess I'd expected them to get all disgusted right away, even though I hadn't even mentioned my scars yet.

"That's why I like to keep a lot of clothes on," I added when no one said anything.

"Oh my God, really? That's horrible!" Jessica said, then suddenly inhaled sharply, then stopped to hold it in. After a moment, she let the air out slowly. "Wait... Chase Jackson... You're not... Chase... Chase Miller, are you?"

"That is me," I admitted quietly.

"Chase Who?" Allan asked.

"Oh..." Daniel muttered, recognizing the name as well, but then tensed up and stared at me with even wider eyes. "Oh, fuck."

"Fuck what?" Nic asked.

"You and our, uh..." Daniel began slowly, pointing at me, but trailed off. "Uhm... I mean, yeah, I remember seeing you... A few times..."

With Kenneth, no doubt. Getting bullied by him and his friends, no doubt.

"I should've said nothing..." I muttered.

"I'm confused," Cecilia said with a frown. "What does a house fire have to do with your clothes?"

I let out a weary sigh while Jess elbowed Cecilia.

"Because I hate when people stare at my burn marks," I said as calmly as I could, even though I regretted ever saying anything.

"Are they that bad?" Cecilia asked. I guess she was the only one who hadn't seen them in the past. "Can we see them?"

"Cecilia!" Jess hissed at her. "Shut up already!"

"It's fine," I said. I actually preferred Cecilia's blunt questions over the reactions of the others, who were politely trying to fake that they weren't dying to see my scars.

I took off my glove and pulled the sleeve up to reveal them.

"Oh wow," Cecilia breathed out, leaning closer. "That looks so bad! Can I touch it?"

"Cecilia!"

"What?"

"It's fine, it's fine..." I said, waving my hand.

Cecilia traced her fingers slowly across my wrist with a fascinated expression on her face. The rest looked like they really wanted to touch my skin as well, but were too afraid to ask.

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

"Nope. I mean, not anymore."

"It's so... bumpy," Cecilia concluded, then turned to look at Nic. "Did you know about this?"

"Well, I am his boyfriend," Nic said, putting his arm around my shoulders.

"Oh, so you've had sex then?" she asked without a blink, and I facepalmed at her.

"Cecilia please shut uppp!" Jessica groaned.

"What?"

I laughed. These people... Oh my fucking God...

"I'm just curious about how it works," Cecilia said, turning her attention back to my hand.

"What works?" I asked, fearing for her answer.

"Gay sex."

And there it was...

"For – the love of God – If you do not – shut the fuck up – I will strangle you!" Jessica hissed between her breaths.

"I'm just curious!" Cecilia said, unfazed by her friend's slowly increasing madness.

"I'm actually glad I brought this up, after all. This is entertaining," I said.

Nic laughed loudly at my words, leaning against me. "It fucking is, oh my God..."

"This is why I like you," Allan said with a tender smile on his lips when he put his arm around his girlfriend. "You're so funny."

"I wasn't trying to be funny," Cecilia said.

I pulled my sleeve back down, but I didn't put my glove back on. Instead, I got rid of the other one, too. This went surprisingly well, although as the conversation moved on, and the rest of them got ready to go swim, they did take swift glances of my hands. I guess they were more curious than anything.

To my surprise, Jessica stayed behind while Daniel, Allan, and Cecilia made their way to the river. She waited until they were out of hearing distance, then turned to me.

"I'm sorry about Cecilia. She's a bit..."

"I don't mind. I prefer her over people who try to pretend they don't want to stare at me," I said.

She nodded slowly. "Is it true that... No, never mind..."

"Just ask away," I said.

"Is it true that... You're the only one who... survived?" she asked.

I nodded.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"I have great parents now. People who let me be me," I said.

"Gay?"

"Among other things," I said.

"Like wearing female clothes? You rocked your outfit the other night, by the way," she said.

"Thanks," I said, glancing at Nic. "It was... nice. But also intimidating."

"You? Scared of something? No way!" she said and giggled.

I snorted in amusement. "Yeah..."

Her laugh faded away, and she took a moment before she said anything. "I wouldn't have recognized you as Chase Miller. Not in a million years. We thought you moved away."

"I changed everything about myself," I said. "Even I don't recognize myself from the old pictures."

"Was it because of what happened? I remember people being mean to you because of your injuries," she asked carefully.

"You mean what my brother did to him?" Nic asked in a dark voice.

"It's whatever," I said sternly. "We're supposed to have a fun day today."

"Yeah, of course," Jessica said apologetically. "So you don't want to swim with us?"

"Maybe next time. Now I just... I don't know. Try to get used to this, I guess," I said, showing her my bare hands. "It's... not easy for me."

"It's not?"

"It makes me anxious," I said. "Bad memories."

"I see," Jess said. "I should probably stop ruining the mood now."

"I don't mind questions," I said with a shrug.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said, smiled and stood up.

Nic and I watched as she made her way to the rest of them, then he turned to me.

"It went well, right?"

"Yeah. And sadly, I'm starting to like your friends," I said, leaning against his side.

"Why is it a sad thing?" he asked with a chuckle.

"It ruins my reputation," I said, wrinkling my nose. "And there's a lot of people seeing me being nice to people. They'll soon think I've become soft. And they even may try to be friends with me, and then I have to be nice to even more people."

Nic was laughing lightly by the time I stopped speaking. "If you want, I can let you bash my head on the wall in front of everyone."

I let out a dramatic sigh. "I guess my head-bashing days are over."

"That is sad indeed," he said, kissing my temple.

"Don't you want to go swimming?" I asked him.

"Maybe later. Now I just want to hang out with my brave boyfriend," he said, hugging me tightly.

"Brave?"

"Yeah," he said, touching my bare hand. "I'm proud of you."

"I only took my gloves off..."

"And I know it's a big step to let people see your scars," he said quietly.

"It is quite... It's taking a lot," I admitted, peering at the closest group of strangers, but they weren't close enough to see any details.

Nic took my hand in his and pressed his lips against the scars. "And that is why I'm proud of you, because you're so strong," he said with a gentle smile.

"Yeah, yeah," I said, and snorted in amusement. "But... to be fair... it's thanks to you."

Because without him, I wouldn't have had the courage to reveal my scars to anyone. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have even considered it. Like I'd even have any friends to show them to if it wasn't for him...

"Nah, I didn't do much," he said with a shrug.

"You did enough," I said, and kissed his cheek. "But I swear to god, if people at school try to annoy me, I may start bashing heads again."

He laughed and hugged me. "I'll help if that happens."

"Great," I said with a chuckle.

To be fair, I wasn't sure if I cared that much anymore.