"Whoa! What are you guys doing?" Hops questioned loudly again once he was through the bushes.
Jamal and Ula quickly pulled back, pretending to look confused. They thought no one was in the area.
"Huh, what are you talking about?" Ula pretended to ask.
"Yeah, what do you mean? And why are you even here?" Jamal chimed in.
"Well, I was looking through the woods, because Tilden noticed both of you guys were gone, and asked me to find you both. Now, second of all, were you guys just making out?"
"It's not what it looks like. I just found Ula here and you've must have been seeing things, cause that's not what happened." Jamal added.
"I just saw you kiss her, dude. Imagine Brat's and Fonda's reaction to this!" Hops laughed.
Jamal snapped and got up quickly, his right arm instantly on fire. He couldn't let that happen, and no one was going to treat either him or Ula like that.
"You will say nothing of this. Or else." he muttered to him, "Trust me."
"Or what?"
Jamal almost punched him in the face after that, if Ula didn't grab his left arm in time. The avoided punch created a strong enough wind to make Hops slide a few feet.
"Don't hurt him. It's okay." Ula quietly told him, "It's okay."
Slowly, the flames on his arm died down. Taking a deep breath, he looked deeply into Hops's eyes.
"Don't say a word. Please. For this one time." he stated.
Hops thought for a moment. Jamal knew that he could blackmail him at anytime and he didn't know what would occur if it happened.
"I'll let it slide this one time, and I won't say anything. But, just know I'll use it against you if the time comes." he said walking closer, up to Jamal's ear, "So be careful with what you do with me and enjoy your new weakness, Jamal."
He smiled and walked away and past the thickets, laughing. Once he left, Jamal cursed himself out loud. How did he let this happen, he pondered.
"Don't worry, Jamal. It'll be fine. I promise." Ula quietly said, lips touching his cheek briefly.
"Man! I can't believe it came to that. But I guess I know what happens now." he was forced to say, "I'm going to make sure that this doesn't happen again."
He looked at her, and grabbed her hand. She looked down and blushed. And so, they walked back, towards the Academy, to await what happens next.