Vance is passed out on the couch when I come home from school. Wow, he must be really tired. It had to have been awful in juvie. I sit down in front of the couch, opening my phone to tell Matthias that Vance is here, in case he didn't know and somehow broke in. Matthias texts back, saying that he knows that Vance is there and is gonna be back in about half an hour. Okay. I should tell Jiara. My hands shake as I type a message to her, contemplating what would sound best. I press send and mentally cross my fingers that she'll buy it. Girls aren't my thing, normally. But somehow, Jiara really is. Almost too much. There's no denying it anymore, but there's suppressing it. She's taken.
Jiara came over to see Vance again. We're both waiting in front of the couch for him to wake up, or for Matthias to come home. Whichever one happens first.
Matthias comes back almost right after Vance wakes up. I run to the door and grab his arm, pulling him inside. "Vance is up!" I exclaim. His mouth spreads into a wide grin. Vance stumbles out of the living room. He still looks tired even after his nap. "What's good?" Vance mumbles, resting his head on my shoulder. I support him with my arms, leading him back to the living room. Poor guy. "How's your stomach, Alexei?" He asks, lifting my shirt enough to see the scar left by the knife. "It's fine. Vance—please rest. You've gone through enough in the past year—heck, even week— and I think you deserve a break. Matthias leads Vance to his bedroom to rest. I follow close behind.
"We'll celebrate your return when you're better, Vance. Have a party or something," Matthias tells him. Vance nods. "Just gimme a few hours. I don't feel as bad as I look," he says. "Take your time," I tell him. "You deserve this."
Jiara, Matthias, and I all spent the night at Matthias's place. It was so late that we decided it would be the most logical option. "My parents were gonna kill me anyway," Jiara comments. "I don't care." I laugh a bit at her remark. God, she's so pretty when she acts all carefree like that. I think I'm starting to fall in love.