"How was dinner?" Mom asked from the living room as I walked through the door.

"Good," I said after a pause. "I think."

I waited for her response but when there wasn't any, I made my way upstairs to study. In my bedroom, I stared at my phone, finger hovering over Kayley's number to tell her all about my discoveries for the night. Eventually, I decided against it because she definitely had other things to worry about. In the end, I got started on an essay.

By March, the reality of things had firmly settled in and the library became packed after school with students. Usually, it was just Kayley and I working our way through homework and revision for upcoming exams, until Dennis joined us one night to help with Biology. And before I knew it, Jarred, Tyler and finally Reid decided to hang around too. It was even Reid's idea for us to move our group study sessions to the Coast café.

"Endosymbiosis is the theory that eukaryotic cells evolved from prokaryotes," said Dennis as he went over his notes with Kayley in the corner. "Like mitochondria, for example."

"Okay, but did you end up going out with that girl?" Kayley pressed. "Michaela?"

I glanced over at them, taking a sip of coffee as I tried and failed to focus on my passage analysis for Shakespeare's King Lear. Dennis caught my eye and looked away awkwardly.

"Rachel," he corrected. "And no, I didn't."

"You heartbreaker!" Kayley scolded and then looked down at the time displayed on her phone, sighing. "Oh my God, Jarred, we're late for our reservation. I told you to remind me when it's half-past! Are we ready to go?"

"Sure," he replied and closed the lid of his laptop. "Let's go."

Kayley got to her feet, hand automatically moving to her stomach where the small bump was hidden under her fluffy sweater. Catching my eye, she dropped her hand and paled, remembering that she had yet to make the big reveal to the rest of the boys - like me, Jarred had been sworn to secrecy. As they got ready to leave, he went around the table, fist-bumping everyone before helping Kayley gather her books.

The couple left the café and outside, I saw Jarred pull Kayley in to kiss her cheek, opening the car door for her as he dumped their books in the backseat. She said something and he laughed, nodding as he got into the car. Then, his black Jeep pulled away.

I smiled to myself, knowing that if there was one thing that had gone right this year, it was Kayley and Jarred's relationship.

"You alright?" Reid asked, green eyes meeting mine. He was rarely distracted but must've seen the range of emotions cross my face.

"Of course," I replied with a smile. "I'm just... glad that she'll be okay. I worry about her - we've never been separated before but college is a whole new story. I don't think I'll be going to LA. So I'm glad that she has him."

Reid gave me a long, appraising look, shifting in his seat. "I know exactly how that feels. And you don't have to worry - JD doesn't get enough credit for how smart and how intuitive he is."

"Ugh," said Tyler. "Why doesn't anyone give me credit for how smart and intuitive I am."

"Spit it out, then." Reid twirled the pen in his hands without looking up from his Calculus papers. "You've been dying to say something for the past two hours, Tyler."

Tyler slammed his textbooks shut, folding his hands on top of them. Dennis turned down his music but didn't take off his headphones as I looked between the boys.

"I'll give it up, you know." Tyler met Reid's gaze but his voice wasn't quite as steady. "One word from any of you boys - and I'll give up the acting thing. We were all supposed to play together. The first time the four of us walked onto a soccer field, we swore to play together."

Reid finally gave him his full attention and shared a look with Dennis, uncertain. "Not that you need it but you already have my blessing, man. You have all of ours."

"I take my promises seriously," Tyler insisted. He let out a frustrated breath, shifting forward in his seat. "I need to know that you mean it, Reid. I've talked to Jarred and Dennis is on board. My dad is probably going to disown me. I just - I need to know. I need to hear you say it before I fully commit myself to it."

"You know, Tyler." Reid seemed to be suppressing a smile. "And if you're ever in doubt, the record shows that I've supported every single one of your crazy ideas."

Tyler sat back as if a genuine weight had been lifted from his shoulders, nodding to reassure himself that this was real. He was on the edge of an emotional outburst but just then, the bell jingled and somebody strolled in.

Reid's gaze shifted and turned incredulous. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

Chase Anderson sauntered over, hands raised in surrender when he noticed the cold reception. Then, he looked at me. "I just want to talk. Lex?"

"Me?" I asked in surprise, pointing at myself.

Reid gritted his teeth, green eyes flashing and it was like flipping a switch whenever anything concerned Chase Anderson. "Lex, you don't have to go anywhere with him."

Chase looked at me for support and after a few moments of silence, my chair scraped against the ground as I stood up. At once, I felt Reid's hand on around my wrist – but his touch wasn't as harsh as the look on his face.

I gave him a reassuring smile which was a lot more composed than what I felt. There was a tense pause but he released me slowly and I followed Chase outside. The door shut behind us and I pulled the collar of my sweater up to shield myself from the cold. It was dark but the parking lot was illuminated with streetlights and behind me, I knew the boys were watching.

"I'm leaving," said Chase flatly.

I frowned, crossing my arms. "Leaving where?"

"My mom was put into rehab last week." He looked down at his shoes. "She's abusive and an alcoholic. I'm eighteen, on my own now and I'm leaving Florida tomorrow."

My gaze softened. "Where will you go?"

"Anywhere." He shook his head with a brittle laugh. "It sounds crazy but I have a full tank of gas and I'll see where the road takes me. I can't wait another three months for graduation."

I nodded slowly. "And your dad?"

"Rotting in prison." He kicked at the rubble, hands shoved into his pockets. "Demetrius Castellan was his partner before he exposed him for embezzlement. After my father was jailed, Demetrius made sure my mom and I had nothing. The Castellan family can burn in hell, for all I care."

A CEO exposed by Demetrius Castellan and charged for embezzlement... Chase's father's company had been the one to start an entire domino effect. After Demetrius buried that company in the ground, Patterson and Greene lost an all-important investor and as a result, landed into the hands of Castellan Corporations. That kind of news shook the business world and I knew that a quick Google search would confirm my suspicions.

I said nothing but Chase went on.

"It doesn't quite justify my hatred for Reid, I know." He paused, looking at me knowingly before he swallowed hard, trying to get this story out. "But I've spent two years blaming him for Savannah. I told myself that she never would've gotten in that car if it weren't for him. I told her that she needed to put herself first - to put us first - for once. She didn't listen. She rarely does."

There was a fond, miserable smile on his face now and I found my heart breaking for Chase Anderson, knowing that this was only part of the pain he had endured.

"It's not his fault," Chase admitted finally. "It's nobody's fault. It's just another case of the universe fucking me over. It really messed me up this time."

Reid had lied when he insinuated that his father had something to do with Savannah's accident. But somehow, for his sake maybe, I knew I wanted to help Chase too.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked and then corrected myself when I realised how harsh it sounded. "I know you're not a bad person, but we barely know each other."

Chase just shrugged. "I'm here to make things right."

Suddenly, the air didn't feel so cold anymore.

"You want to call it even," I realised with a jolt. "You want to finally put an end to this feud."

Chase smiled crookedly; a genuine one. "Can you help me?"

"I don't know if he'll listen."

Chase released a breath that he had been holding. "That's okay."

When I went back inside, Tyler and Dennis were snapping at each other in hushed voices but fell silent when I came to a stop next to our table. The intensity of Reid's gaze made me nervous and I couldn't help but wonder if he trusted me.

"This is your last chance," I said quietly. "If you want to call a truce with Chase."

I watched as a range of emotions crossed Reid's face; his initial shock, followed by exhaustion. He was struggling with himself, wanting to set aside his pride but finding it to be an impossible task. Just as I felt his resolve fading and I let myself hope, something caused the stubborn set of his mouth to return.

Outside, Chase stood under the lamppost, rubbing his hands together in the cold.

"I can't," said Reid and his voice seemed a little unsteady. "Not after the shit he got Lee into. Not after Savannah. And certainly not after four years of him trying to sabotage every single good thing in my life. I can't do that, Lex."

"Chase has found the courage to take the first step," I found myself saying. "It's only fair that you meet him in the middle."

The silence was long and I could see both Tyler and Dennis were equally anticipating Reid's response. A minute passed before he lifted his chin, levelling his gaze at me.

"I want him to live with everything he's done, just like I am."

-

A/N: I can almost see the finish line from here! 8 more chapters. See you in a few months and as always, thank you for reading xx