Weeks passed, and the tension between Jake and Cody had reached its boiling point. The rivalry, once fueled by competition, was now driven by obsession. Every time Jake thought he had a moment alone with Abby, Cody would appear, swaggering in like he owned the place. Both men were losing sleep, distracted by thoughts of her. Abby was always at the center—her laugh, her smile, the way she could make each man feel like they were the only one in the world.
But there was something off about it all. Neither man could shake the feeling that Abby was hiding something.
One night, the tension finally snapped.
Jake walked into the diner, soaked from a sudden downpour, only to find Cody already there, leaning against the counter and laughing with Abby. A fire ignited in Jake's chest. This wasn't just coincidence anymore. Cody was doing this on purpose—showing up everywhere Jake did, like he was trying to stake his claim.
"Hey Abby," Jake called out, trying to keep his voice steady. "Can we talk?"
Before she could respond, Cody turned, his grin smug as ever. "What's the matter, trucker? You upset she's spendin' time with a real man?"
Jake's fists clenched. He wasn't in the mood for Cody's jabs tonight. "I'm not here to deal with you, Cody. I'm talkin' to her."
But Cody wasn't backing down. "Funny, I don't recall you bein' the one she's lookin' at. Ain't that right, Abby?"
Abby shifted uncomfortably between them, her eyes darting back and forth as the heat in the room rose. "Guys, this isn't—"
"I'm done with this!" Jake interrupted, stepping closer. "What the hell is goin' on here, Abby? You've been stringing us both along for weeks. What are you playin' at?"
Cody chuckled, standing up to his full height, clearly ready for a fight. "Maybe she just knows what she wants, and it ain't you."
Jake snapped. He lunged forward, grabbing Cody by the collar of his jacket. "You think this is a joke? You think this is just some game to you?"
Cody shoved him back, the chair scraping across the floor. "Get your hands off me, trucker. You don't know what you're gettin' into."
The two men collided, fists flying. Jake landed a hard punch to Cody's jaw, sending him stumbling back, but Cody was quick to recover, driving his fist into Jake's gut. They grappled, knocking over chairs and tables as they wrestled, each of them fueled by weeks of pent-up rage.
Abby screamed, trying to break them apart. "Stop it! Stop it, both of you!" Her voice cracked, desperation in every word.
Jake shoved Cody back against the counter, breathing hard, his knuckles bloodied. "This ends tonight, Abby. No more games. You need to tell us what's really going on."
Cody wiped the blood from his lip, his eyes dark and furious. "Yeah, enough of this. You've been messin' with both of us. Why? What's your deal?"
Abby took a step back, her eyes wide, hands trembling. She had been able to control the situation for so long, but now, everything was falling apart. The moment of reckoning had come.
"Jake, Cody," she began, her voice shaky but growing firmer with each word. "You need to hear me out. I never wanted this to happen. I didn't want to hurt either of you, but I should've been honest from the start."
Jake's head pounded, his anger still simmering just beneath the surface. "What are you talkin' about?"
Abby took a deep breath. "I've been hiding something from you both. I didn't know how to tell you. I'm transgender."
The words hung in the air, heavy and raw.
Jake blinked, the confusion hitting him like a freight train. "What?"
Cody stepped forward, his face twisted in disbelief. "What the hell are you talkin' about?"
Abby's voice steadied, though her hands still shook. "I wasn't born the way you see me now. I've been living with this secret for a long time, and I was scared—scared of what you'd think, scared of losing both of you."
The shock settled over the room like a blanket. Neither man spoke, their brains struggling to process what they had just heard. Jake's mind raced, trying to reconcile the Abby he thought he knew with the truth he had just learned.
Cody was the first to break the silence. "You mean to tell me we've been fightin' over you, and you ain't even…?"
Abby cut him off sharply. "I'm still me. I'm still the same person you both chased after. This doesn't change who I am."
But Jake couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal. "You should've told us," he muttered, his voice hollow. "You should've told us from the start."
Abby's eyes filled with tears, but she stood her ground. "I know. And I'm sorry. But I didn't know how. I didn't think you'd understand."
Cody shook his head, still in shock. "So what was all this for? What were we even fightin' for?"
Abby's voice softened. "You were fighting for an idea of me, not the real me."
Jake's anger flared again, but this time it wasn't directed at Cody. It was the weight of the weeks spent obsessing over something that had never been what he thought it was. "So what now?" he asked, the words heavy in his mouth.
Abby's silence was answer enough. There was no going back from this. The rivalry, the obsession—it was all built on something neither Jake nor Cody had truly understood. And now, the truth had blown their worlds apart.
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