Passing Nate's room with the door wide open, his bed remains untouched. The thought of him out there somewhere, maybe with Farrah, his bloodied hand still messed up, twists my stomach. He made it clear it wasn't my concern but that only makes it worse.

"Well, well, look who decided to grace us with her presence," Ollie quips, his smirk wide and annoying. Before I can react, Jake smacks him upside the head.

"What was that for?" Ollie rubs his head, scowling.

Jake grins, all charm. "Because you snore so fucking loud and kept me up for half the night. Seriously, someone from Argentina could probably hear how loud you snore." He hands me a glass of orange juice, his eyes searching mine. "How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty good," I lie, forcing down a sip.

The nightmares are relentless, but who's counting?

"Good," Jake nods, then suddenly says, "We're leaving in five minutes."

"Five—" I start, but Lydia sweeps in, her presence filling the room with maternal energy.

"Oh good, you're all up. How was last night?" Her keen eyes scan us, reading between unspoken lines.

"It was—" Jake begins.

"Utterly boring," Ollie interrupts, earning a sharp glance. "For real, if I knew it was going to be that lame, I'd have stayed in bed and caught up on my beauty sleep.”

"Beauty sleep?" Jake scoffs. "It's gonna take more than sleep to fix what's going on with your face, sunshine."

Lydia waves off their banter. "Well, I'm just glad everyone's in one piece. And Nate? Is he home?"

Jake's expression tightens. "He stayed at Farrah's. They're hitting the beach today he said."

The idea of Nate with Farrah constricts something in my chest.

I shouldn't care. But sometimes the truth cuts deeper than lies. Expecting everything to snap back to normal was pure fantasy.

Jake leans in close, his voice low and tinged with excitement. "You now have three minutes to get ready. Got a big day planned."

I arch an eyebrow. "Why the mystery?"

His grin is infectious, a sly smile that promises adventure. "It's no fun without a little mystery. Two minutes now."

"What am I getting myself into?"

"Today is the official start of our summer." His expression feigns innocence, but anticipation sparkles in his eyes. "No hang-ups, no dramas."

My lips curve despite themselves. Leave it to Jake to flip the script. “Alright, alright. I'm going.”

Lydia catches our exchange. "Where are you two off to?"

"We're heading out," Jake responds casually.

"What!? You're both ditching me too?" Ollie's head snaps up from the second bowl of cereal he poured himself.

"Sorry man. I'll make it up to you when I get back."

"Jake, before you go—" Lydia starts, and his shoulders slump slightly. "Could you swing by Antonio’s garage later? My car needs picking up around one. I asked your brother, but⁠⁠—"

"I've got it," Jake jumps in and Lydia's face brightens with relief.