The air froze around them. Fred stopped dead, his face registering shock.

"What the hell did you just say?" he asked, his voice sharp but steady.

Her eyes fluttered open, locking with his.

"You heard me" Rainnie panted, trying to catch her breath.

They stared at each other for what felt like forever, neither willing to look away.

"You've got to be kidding" he said, his eyes darkening as he pulled out fast from inside her.

A low moan escaped her instantly.

He stood, climbing out of the bathtub.

"Do I look like I'm kidding?!" Rainnie shouted, jumping up.

He didn't look back as he walked out of the bathroom, naked.

She watched him go, then rolled her eyes and sank back into the warm water.

"Mothêrfucker" she muttered, letting the warmth of the water wrap around her.

*

Backyard 

Fred sat on the bench, a Maltese puppy on his lap, his hand running over its fur as he stared off into nothing.

Heath was on the basketball court, tossing the ball into the hoop. The ball went in clean.

He paused, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and grabbed the ball again. This time, he turned and flung it straight at Fred. The Maltese puppy jumped off his lap just in time.

The ball slammed into Fred's chest, making him flinch and snap out of his thoughts.

"Are you crazy?" he growled, hand going to his chest as he stared at the ball on the ground, then at Heath.

Heath smirked and jogged over, sitting down beside him. He glanced at him, then looked forward, acting casual.

The puppy batted at the ball with its paws.

"What's up?" Heath asked, noticing Fred's blank stare.

"Nothing much" Fred muttered flatly.

Heath tilted his head, studying him closely.

Why's he so off? He wondered.

"Or Rainnie didn't satisfy your cøçk?" Heath teased, but Fred's expression didn't change.

"Hey!" Heath called louder, not comfortable with the mood.

"Lower your voice" Fred snapped.

"First time seeing you like this" Heath said, then fell quiet.

Nyssa curled up on her bed in a tight mini gown, glasses on, as she read a textbook. She had been at it for hours and wasn't planning to stop.

She grabbed a pen from the notebook beside her, scribbled a few notes, set it down, and went back to reading.

Her phone buzzed again and she only rolled her eyes, ignoring it.

The door swung open, making her jump. She quickly turned to the sound.

Zara stepped in, followed by Sun.

"Apologize," Zara said, halting in the center of the room with Sun, her gaze pinning Nyssa in place.

Sun nudged Zara, but Zara didn't look at her.

This is awkward, Sun thought, glancing at Nyssa.

Nyssa stared back. The silence stretched, thick and uncomfortable.

Sun took a deep breath before speaking.

"I'll go first" she started.

"Not guilty of slapping you, but I don't like holding grudges. So... I'm sorry. So sorry" Sun said in a calm tone.

Nyssa parted her lips, unsure of what to say next.

"Your turn" Zara said dryly.

Nyssa's eyes flicked from Zara to Sun, caught between confusion and hesitation.

She took in her lip.

"I'm sorry too" Nyssa muttered.

"Oh... okay" Sun forced a small smile.

Zara was the first to leave the room.

"I should go too" Sun murmured, slipping out as well, leaving the door open.

Nyssa turned away, burying her face in her textbook due to embarrassment.

Later, her head lifted and she hopped off the bed.

She walked quickly to the door, her breasts bouncing with each step.

Sun appeared again, making Nyssa stop in her tracks.

"I was about to close the door" Sun said softly, not meeting her eyes.

"Me too" Nyssa muttered.

The room went quiet.Nyssa broke the silence first. 

"I'll do it" She shut the door gently, then bolted back to the bed, flopping onto it.

Her phone rang again. She gasped dramatically, covering her face with her hands.

"This isn't funny" she muttered.

UNIT 9

In the kitchen, Rainnie stood at the stove, flipping fried eggs in a pan. She wore Fred's sleeveless top that barely reached mid-thigh, leaving her pale legs exposed.

Her hair was piled messily at the back of her head, and she had AirPods in, talking on the phone.

"Bye, Dad" she said as the call ended from the other end.

She slid the eggs onto a big plate and put a pot of water on the stove to boil.

Fred stepped into the kitchen at that time. Rainnie saw him and she sighed loudly, making sure he heard. 

"Because of what happened, you don't wanna talk to me anymore?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He ignored her and opened the fridge, scanning the shelves.

Biting her lip, Rainnie left the stove and walked over to him.

Finding nothing to cook, he grabbed a soda and shut the fridge.

As he turned, Rainnie wrapped her arms around him immediately, resting her head on his chest.

A frown settled on his face.

"Bestie... I hate it when you're mad at me" she murmured.

"Get off" Fred snapped angrily, balling his fist.

"Should I... abort the baby then? Is that what you want?" she smirked, lifting her head to look at him.

He stared back, a dark smirk forming.

"And you think I believed you were pregnant?"

Rainnie blinked, caught off guard.

10PM

A Building*

Tavian sat on a stool in his tattoo suite. The air smelled faintly of soap and metal.

A mirror on the wall reflected him as he tattooed his left arm. Shirtless, his muscles and abs were on display.

Piano music played softly from his laptop that sat on the couch, giving the room a chill vibe.

Mackenzie hovered near the corner, brewing coffee quietly, humming under his breath so as not to disturb Tavian.

He glanced at him, cleared his throat, and called out, 

"We don't have any customers. Aren't you bored?"

"Time?" Tavian asked in his deep, even voice.

Mackenzie quickly pulled out his phone, and checked it.

"10:10 PM" he announced, slipping the phone back in his pocket.

Tavian closed his eyes briefly, exhaling lightly .

Mackenzie shook his head and smiled. 

What a weirdo, he thought.

Tavian's phone rang beside the laptop.

"I'll get it" Mackenzie said, running over.

He grabbed the phone, glanced at the caller ID.

"Unknown" it read. But Mackenzie recognized the number immediately.

"It's your dad" he said, turning to Tavian.

No response came from Tavian. He stayed still, eyes closed, not even a twitch.

Mackenzie walked over, answered the call, and put it on speaker. He stopped beside Tavian.

"Be in Annapolis by tomorrow morning" the voice said.

The line went dead and Mackenzie stepped back.

A few minutes later, Tavian's eyes fluttered open. He caught his reflection in the mirror, staring at himself, jaw tight.

★

Nyssa stood at the bathroom sink, brushing her teeth while watching herself in the mirror.

She spit out the foam, rinsed, and started again.

Her phone rang so loud from the bedroom. She groaned and rinsed her mouth quickly.

When will this damn phone stop ringing?

She splashed water on her face, fingertips brushing the dark circles under her eyes. She'd stayed up reading until 2 AM, what her life.

A Minute Later...

"Hey" Nyssa said, sitting on the edge of her bed.

A sigh came from Alba on the other end. She didn't say a word, making the silence stretch.

Nyssa hissed.

"Talk, or I'm hanging up right now" she said firmly.

"Mom... got into an accident yesterday" Alba finally blurted.