The door creaked open.
"Ah…" David sighed. "Home sweet home," he called out, kicking off his shoes.
Jake glanced up from the couch. "Hey, Dad. Welcome back."
"Yeah, thanks," David replied, scanning the room. "Where's Sarah?"
"Oh, she's in the bedroom," Jake said without looking up, still glued to his phone. She hasn't come out for a while, he noted silently.
"Alright then. I'll head up to my room," David said, sounding relieved.
As he reached the stairs, he paused.
"Hope you two got to know each other better?" he asked, glancing back at Jake.
Jake smirked faintly. "Oh yeah... one could say she got to know me a little too well."
"Okay… that's good," David said, though confusion lingered on his face. "You don't have anything against her, do you?"
Jake finally looked up, meeting his father's eyes.
"Well, Dad… I don't."
David exhaled, visibly relieved. "Oh thank God. I was starting to think—"
"But," Jake cut in, his tone shifting. His eyes grew serious.
"Be careful around her."
David froze mid-step, brows furrowed.
"What? What do you mean by that?"
Jake gave a half-smile and waved it off. "Nah… it's nothing, Dad. Your wife's waiting upstairs, remember?"
David blinked, still processing, then nodded. "Right… yeah. Catch you later," he said as he headed up, confusion still shadowing his face.
Jake's mind raced. I've got my suspicions… what was she wearing, and why barge into my room dressed like that?
He shook his head, trying to push the thought away. But deep down, something about Sarah didn't sit right with him—something he couldn't quite put his finger on.
Jake's phone buzzed beside him, dragging him out of thought.
Jimmy.
He picked up instantly. "Yo, what's up?"
Jimmy's voice was low. Panicked.
"Jake—I need your help. I need you to come over—ASA now!"
Jake jumped to his feet. "Jimmy! What's going on? Talk to me!"
"I… I can't explain. Just pull up!"
There was a rustling sound in the background—something crashing—then the line went dead.
"Shit! Jimmy?! Hello?!"
Jake grabbed his motorcycle keys, tried calling back, and bolted out the door.
Jake froze as he stepped outside.
Standing at the edge of the driveway, with a bag of chips and grinning awkwardly, was Jimmy.
"Dude," Jake called out, confused and breathless. "What the hell? You nearly gave me a heart attack."
Jimmy shrugged with a sheepish laugh. "Sorry, man. Had to get you to come open the door."
"Then you could've just knocked the fuckin' door" Jake barked.
"Nah!" Jimmy exclaimed. "What's the fun in that?" He said as he approached Jake.
"You know what?" Jake sighed, "Fuck you, man."
Jimmy chuckled, throwing an arm around Jake's shoulder. "Love you too, man."
Jake rolled his eyes. "Just shut up and get inside."
They walked in.
"I swear, Jimmy… if you ever pull that kind of stunt again—"
"WHOA! I haven't been in this house in forever!" Jimmy cut in, dropping onto the couch like he owned the place.
Jake stared at him, unamused.
Jimmy glanced up, grinning. "Oh—were you saying something?"
Jake raised a brow. "Nah… I wasn't," he muttered, walking over to the chair beside the couch and sinking into it. He leaned back, eyeing Jimmy. "So…?"
Jimmy glanced at him innocently. "What?"
Jake narrowed his eyes. "Dude, why the hell are you in my house? You never just comeover."
Jimmy shrugged, completely unfazed. "Can't a guy miss his best friend?"
Jake didn't blink. "Cut the crap."
Jimmy sighed and sat upright, his usual smirk fading. "Well… I was just worried about you," he said, voice more serious than Jake expected.
Jake blinked, caught off guard. "Excuse me?"
Shit—the news hasn't gotten to him? Jimmy thought, masking the tension in his face. He shrugged again, but this time it wasn't playful. "I dunno, man. You've been weird lately."
"Weird?" Jake scoffed. "What do you mean?"
Jimmy leaned forward slightly. "Back at the reunion—you were off. It was like you were there, but… not really there. I know when something's messing with you."
Jake looked away for a second, jaw tightening.
"Talk to me, bro," Jimmy said, softer this time. "What's going on?"
Jake stood up and sighed, running a hand through his hair. Then he dropped back into the chair.
"Okay… here's the thing—my dad got married again."
Jimmy's eyes widened. "What?! Yo, that's amazing!" He leaned forward, grinning. "Why am I just hearing this? Who's the lucky woman? What's she like? Is she hot? Tell me everything!"
He fired off the questions in rapid succession, his excitement bouncing off the walls.
Jake just stared at him, deadpan. "She's young, only four years older than me and I think---"
"Hold up, hold up, hold up!" Jimmy stroke his chin. His excitement flipped instantly into a mock shock. He stared at Jake, putting the pieces together . "Oh, oh, oh---i see what's going on here."
Jake sighed, "You probably don't... Just shut up and let me expla---"
"You're in love with your stepmother!" Jimmy jumped to his feet, pointing at Jake like he had just solved a mystery case.