Hello Beautiful humans. I thought I'd give you all a treat, so here is an early update. Don't forget to check out chapter 15 if you haven't. 

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Levi's P.O.V

"What are you doing here?" Jace asked. Looking very angry, might I add.

"I wanted to talk to you and couldn't wait." Amari tried to get closer, but Jace stepped back, which halted Amari's movement.

"How did you know I was here?"

"I went to your house, and you weren't there. Your mom told me you were here."

Jace sighed, turning his back to us. He looked very distressed. I left Amari's side and walked closer to Jace, putting my hand on his shoulder.

"Just listen to him, okay? I'm sure things will work out."

Jace looked at me like I had just kicked his puppy.

"Listen to him? Are you serious? He doesn't care about you or me, for that matter, because if he did, he would have told me. He knows Levi. He knows when you hurt, I hurt. So he hurt me. So why should I listen to him?" Jace yelled.

I looked back at Amari; his eyes were glossed with tears. It broke my heart to see them like this. I gave Amari a glance nudging my head for him to speak.

"Bambi pl-"

"Don't call me that. You don't get to call me that."

"Jace, please, I'm sorry. I admitted it okay. I was wrong, and I am so sorry to both of you. I should've told you, Levi, I knew what was happening, and I knew that Kayden knew, and I didn't want to hurt you even more I-"

I stopped listening to what he said. My heartbeat was louder than his voice. He knew…

"Wait, wait, wait back up for a second. Kayden knew?" Jace asked.

"What? Um, did I say that?" Amari looked nervous, like he wasn't supposed to reveal that. But he did, and my heart broke even more.

"He knew," I said in disbelief as my body went numb. My legs barely had any strength to carry me, so I found the nearest seat to collapse on.

I felt two bodies sitting beside me, hugging me from both sides. Alex and Leo held on to me, rubbing my back. I had forgotten they were there for a second.

"Amari, you better tell us everything, or I swear to god you will never see me again." Jace threatened.

"Fine, but just don't make a big deal out of it, please."

"I'll do my best, now spill."

"Yes, Kayden knew. He knew you had feelings for him." Amari looked at me with sad eyes. "I wanted to tell you, Levi, I did, but I thought this way it would hurt less I'm sorry."

He was right because now my heart clenched with so much pain it felt like it was about to explode. My stomach dropped and twisted.

"So, when he got close to me. When he held my hand. When he kissed my cheek and when he came and asked me to hang out with him and his girlfriend for all of it. He knew?"

"At first, he found your reactions cute, which made him happy. He used to tell me every time you did something he found cute, and I would tease him about it." He smiled briefly. "Suddenly, one day, he came and told me that Sophie asked him out. At first, he wasn't sure, but he kept saying, 'I don't like her like that,' and that was the end of it."

Amari was pacing at first, then stopped and sat on the couch near him. After that, we were all quiet for a while. Jace was leaning against the wall, his face seemed calm, but I knew he was fuming. Alex and Leo were still next to me, holding me close, but I could feel the anger bouncing off Leo's body.

"Yesterday morning, he came to me and told me that he would accept Sophie and ask her out. I got angry and told him he shouldn't have acted that way with you, that it wasn't fair to you, but…." Amari looked at me as if secretly asking me if I wanted to hear what was about to come. I nodded. Let's get it all out of the way, and I'm already hurting. What more is it going to do?

"But, he said he knew he shouldn't have gotten closer and felt bad. He said he liked you as a friend and nothing more and wanted to keep your relationship the same. That way, you'll give up on him, and then you'll continue to be just friends."

"That fucking asshole." Leo's voice came out cold and heavy. His hand squeezed my shoulder firmly as if to stop himself from getting up and destroying something.

Yet I felt numb, and my body and brain were numb. Hell, I don't even know if my heart is beating all right. So yeah, I seriously shouldn't have listened to my pink-haired friend on that damn bus.

"Levi," Amari's voice was gentle as he walked closer and crouched before me, holding my clenched hands. "I care about you so much, and I just didn't want you to hurt. I thought if you just saw it like it was Kayden not knowing and him simply just getting a girlfriend would hurt you less. Please don't ever think for a minute you don't mean anything to me. I still haven't forgotten the time you saved me from an angry Jace when he found out a girl hugged me." He smiled, and I laughed.

"You seriously saved my ass multiple times, and our relationship grew because you were there." He cupped my cheeks and wiped the stray tears away.

"Thank you. Thank you for trying to protect me." I hugged him, and I felt his strong arms pulling me closer, calming my stammering heart. However, my tears had a completely different plan, like I had let go of the dam I was holding. My tears were gushing, and I was unable to stop them again.

Few minutes of me crying and soaking poor Amari's shirt. I heard Jace shift from his seat.

"Why didn't you tell me then? Why say all these things?" Jace spoke. His voice cracked a bit. You could hear his heartbreak.

Amari let go of me with a pat on the cheek. He got up and turned towards Jace. Amari got closer until he was one step away from touching him.

"Because I knew you'd come and tell him. As you said, seeing him hurt hurts you too, and I couldn't bear the thought of you hurting. But it seemed I came at this wrong and hurt you even worse, and I am so sorry, Bambi. I wish I could take it all back." Amari's hand reached out to touch Jace's. Jace's hand twitched at the soft touch but didn't back away.

Amari's other hand touched Jace's cheek, caressing the soft skin gently. It was Jace's favourite gesture. He leaned into his touch, closing his eyes. You could tell the happiness radiating off of both of them as they felt the connection again.

"Bambi," Amari whispered as he leaned his forehead against Jace. "I should've handled this better. I didn't mean what I said. I panicked and said the first thing that came to mind. I love you so much, and the thought of losing you is unbearable."

Jace's hands wrapped around Amari's neck, hugging him. Amari's shoulders dropped as if the world's weight had lifted and the tension released from his body. His arms sneaked around Jace's waist, pulling him even closer, so close they almost became one.

"You're an idiot, you know? If you'd spoken to me, I would've listened. I may be emotional and dramatic, but I'm not stupid. I would've thought it through." Jace told Amari.

"Would you have tho?" Leo asked, breaking the bubble around them.

Jace sent an angry look towards Leo. "Yes, I would have. But hurting my baby munchkin is the last thing I want to do."

Awww, wait. The fuck did he just call me? The disgust on my face made everyone except Alex boom with laughter.

"Alright, today was a long ass day. Why don't we wrap it up and go to bed." I said as I got up from the couch. "You, mister, need to go back home. I'm not about to have you two do anything unholy in this house, especially while I'm present." I pointed at Amari. It made Jace pout, but they complied non the less. Amari took Jace with him to the door to say goodbye. On the other hand, I stayed to deal with the aftermath of the Leo/Alex incident.

"Are you two okay?" I asked. Both looked at me, surprised at my question.

"Yeah, we're fine. It was a game that meant nothing." Leo replied.

"But-"

"No, but don't make something out of nothing." Leo seemed harsher than usual. His whole demeanour changed. It was strange.

I looked back at Alex, and he was quiet, not his usual quiet though. His head was hung low, his shoulders were tense and limp, and his jaw was clenched. This is not going to end well, is it?

"Alex…" I got closer to Alex and sat back next to him. Holding his hand in an attempt to release his clenched fist.

"I'm fine, Levi. Just like Leo said, it meant nothing." Alex got up to leave the living room, but not before pumping up against Leo.

I could tell Leo felt guilty and wanted to go after him. So I reached out and stopped him.

"Don't. Both your emotions are high now. If things get worse, you'll both say or do things you'll regret." I smiled at him. "I know how much he means to you, but he needs time to think. You do too."

"Yeah, you're right." He sighed. "What a day, huh?"

I laughed, "yeah, what a fucking day. Let's just hope it ends in peace."

Jace returned to the living room smiling ear to ear. His lips were swollen and red—these perverts.

"Alright, Jace, you're sleeping with Leo in the spare room, and Alex is with me," I told them.

Leo's eyes met mine with plea, he and Alex always slept in the same room together, but I didn't think it would be good for them this time.

"What, why? We always sleep together. Are you trying to get rid of me?" Jace asked.

"Yes, I don't want to sleep beside you while you're beaming with happiness." I stuck my tongue at him. "I'm sleeping with Lexi today. Good night to you both." I said before going up the stairs to look for Alex.

"Lexi?" I called out.

"Here." I heard his voice coming from my room. Well, that makes it easier.

"Hello, sunshine." I found him sitting on my bed, hugging his bag.

"Sorry, I know you usually sleep with Jace, but I can't be near Leo right now." Alex's voice was hoarse and vulnerable.

"It's okay, and I knew that would be the case. I already told them both you'll be sleeping with me tonight." I sat next to him silently.

With Alex, you have to be careful not to push. If you push too hard, he'll close off; when he does, it's impossible to get him to open up again. So I let him go at his own pace. It doesn't take long for me to feel his head leaning against my shoulder.

"It didn't mean nothing to me." He spoke softly.

"I know." I enveloped Alex in a tight hug. "Do you want to talk or just go to sleep?"

"It's been a long day, especially for you. We can talk later. Let's just sleep. I don't want to think anymore." Alex said as he lay down on the bed.

"Alright, I'm going to wash up, and I'll be back. Try to get some sleep. Good night Lex."

"Good night Le." He replied.

I got inside the shower and turned it on. The hot water was stinging my skin, but I welcomed the feeling. I closed my eyes and relaxed under the calming stream of water running down my body. Today was an absolute disaster. How did we all manage to get hurt on the same day? Well, Jace fixed his problem. I know Alex and Leo are going to be okay. They're inseparable. That leaves me. I have six more months before graduating high school. Six more months of seeing Kayden. Six more months of this pulsating pain in my chest.

"I really need to make some changes." I sighed.

If only I-

No stop, regrets and ifs are not going to help. Wondering what would've happened if I'd done things differently will not solve anything. I shut off the water and left to get dressed. Wiping the foggy steam away from the mirror, I could see how cluttered I looked. After staring at myself for a while, I knew what I needed to do.

I got dressed and left the bathroom, reaching out for my phone and turning it on. The phone starts buzzing, and all the notifications start popping up on the screen. One catches my eye—a message from Kayden. I hesitate whether to open it or not. My finger hovered over the app until I decided just to open it.

Kayden 🤤

Hey Levi, I hope you're feeling okay. I'm worried since you left so suddenly. I was excited to come to this party with you. I planned a great night for us and for you to get to know Sophie. I think we'd make a great group of friends together. Let's talk on Monday. See you later.

Received 8:09 PM

A great group of friends, huh? What the hell happened? Why did it take a 180 turn in less than 24 hours?

My phone suddenly starts ringing, which I silence quickly in the hope of not waking up Alex. I look back to find him still sound asleep. I looked back at my phone, and my heart dropped.

Kayden 🤤

Calling…

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Do you think Levi is going to answer or not?? or if he should answer?

Hope you enjoyed don't forget to like and comment, and I will see you all in the next one. 

Izzy out.