The days went by and Flynn's seat remained empty. Nathan began to feel uneasy.
He wasn't the only one noticing.
Jacob had been asking him about it almost every day.
"Have you heard from Flynn yet?"
Nathan didn't bother looking up from the notebook he was pretending to read. "No."
Jacob pulled a chair closer and leaned his arms over the backrest. "Did you try calling him?"
"No."
"Texting?"
"No."
Jacob frowned. "You literally live near each other. How do you not know where he is?"
Nathan sighed, finally lifting his head. "Because I'm not his babysitter."
"But you're his best friend."
"And that still doesn't mean I know everything about him," Nathan replied, his tone slightly sharper this time.
Jacob studied him for a moment, as if trying to figure out whether he was hiding something.
Nathan looked away first.
"…Even I'm wondering," he admitted quietly. "Flynn doesn't skip school like this."
That much was true. Flynn had never been the type to disappear without a reason.
Which was exactly why Nathan was starting to feel bothered.
By lunchtime that same day, Nathan found himself in the cafeteria, once again surrounded by a group of girls who seemed to appear wherever he went.
"Nathan, did you see the photos from yesterday?"
"You looked so good."
"Can we sit here?"
Nathan forced a polite smile, though internally he was already exhausted.
Before he could respond, a familiar voice cut in.
"Excuse me."
Jacob stepped beside him, resting one hand on the back of Nathan's chair.
"He needs some time with his friend," Jacob said calmly. "We have something to talk about."
The girls immediately recognized the tone.
One of them pouted. "Again?"
Another crossed her arms. "You always steal him."
Still, they eventually backed away, clearly annoyed, though not willing to argue further.
Nathan watched them leave before turning to Jacob with narrowed eyes.
"Why are you here again?"
Jacob shrugged casually, sitting down across from him. "Can't I eat with you?"
Nathan snorted. "Don't tell me you came just to ask about Flynn again."
Jacob didn't deny it.
"…Why won't you just tell me where he is?" Jacob asked.
Nathan frowned. "Because I don't know. How many times do I have to say that?"
Jacob leaned back slightly, still unconvinced.
"Even I'm wondering," Nathan continued. "He's never been absent this long."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Jacob said, "If you're worried, why don't you go check on him? You live close anyway."
Nathan hesitated.
The thought had crossed his mind more than once already.
"…I think something happened between him and Dylan," he admitted. "And I don't want to interfere if Flynn isn't ready to talk about it yet."
Jacob raised an eyebrow. "You think they fought?"
Nathan shrugged. "I don't know. But something definitely happened." Still, the idea of visiting Flynn lingered in his mind for the rest of the day.
When classes ended that afternoon, Nathan eventually gave in to the thought.
Instead of heading straight home, he walked toward Flynn's neighborhood.
What he didn't know was that Jacob had followed him from a distance.
Nathan only realized it when Lucas saw Jacob behind the fence like a suspicious raccoon.
"Oh," Lucas said with amusement. "Your friend is here too."
"My—what?" Nathan turned around.
And there, crouched terribly behind the fence like a suspicious raccoon, was Jacob.
Nathan's eyes widened. "Jacob?! What are you doing here?!"
Jacob smiled. "Coincidence."
Nathan stared at him. "…You followed me."
Jacob didn't even deny it.
Nathan groaned under his breath but didn't argue further. They were already there anyway.
Inside the house, they found Flynn in his room.
Completely immersed in a game on his laptop.
He thought something bad had happened since Flynn had been absent for days, but it turned out he was just playing games.
Annoyed, he lightly smacked Flynn on the back of the head.
'Ahh—f*ck!' Flynn jolted in shock, clutching his head. When he turned around and saw them, his eyes widened. "What the… Nathan? Jacob? What are you doing here?"
Nathan crossed his arms. 'Shouldn't we be the ones asking that? You've been absent for three days… and you're just here playing games.
Nathan's eyes immediately caught the packed boxes scattered around the room.
Jacob's eyes wandered around the room. He noticed the beds that pushed together and the Dylan's belongings scattered on Flynn's desk.
That alone was enough to confirm their suspicion. As Nathan go out Jacob confront Flynn.
"It's Dylan, isn't it?"
Flynn blinked, confused. "What are you talking about?"
Jacob leaned casually against the doorframe. "Dylan's the reason you're like this, right?"
Flynn frowned. "How did you even come up with that? What does he have to do with me?"
"Everything in your room says it all."
After hearing what Jacob said, Flynn found himself thinking about what had happened between him and Dylan.
Nathan crossed his arms. "What's wrong with you?"
Flynn glanced at him lazily. "Nothing."
"You've been absent for days."
"Yeah."
"The teachers are already asking about you."
Flynn didn't respond.
"And Jacob keeps bothering me because he can't find you," Nathan added.
That earned a small huff of amusement from Flynn.
Nathan's voice softened slightly. "Whatever problem you have… don't mess up your studies because of it."
Flynn looked away, jaw tightening for a brief moment.
"…I'll come tomorrow," he said quietly.
Nathan narrowed his eyes. "You better."
Flynn nodded once. "Yeah."
Nathan pointed a finger at him. "If you don't show up, I'm coming here every day to drag you out myself."
A faint smirk appeared on Flynn's lips. "You're annoying."
"Shut up."
When Nathan and Jacob stepped outside the house, Nathan immediately turned to him.
"Why did you follow me?"
Jacob shrugged. "I knew you'd come here eventually. And I wanted to check on Flynn too."
Nathan rolled his eyes. "Well, you've seen him. You can go home now."
Jacob blinked. "Wait. You're sending me home already?"
"…Yes?"
"You're not inviting me to your house?"
Nathan stopped walking. "Why would I invite you?"
Jacob looked offended. "Because I'm your friend. And I'm already here."
"I didn't invite you. You followed me."
Jacob grinned. "Too late. I'm coming with you."
He started walking ahead confidently.
Nathan frowned. "…Why do you know the way?"
Jacob didn't even turn around. "This isn't the first time I followed you."
Nathan froze. "W-what?"
Jacob shrugged again. "Sometimes I follow you when you go home. Just to check if you're visiting Flynn."
Nathan scratched his head in disbelief. "Are you my stalker? You're worse than the girls who like me."
Jacob scoffed. "As if I'd stalk you."
Nathan sighed, shaking his head.
But he didn't stop him.
By the time they reached Nathan's house, the sky had already darkened slightly.
The moment they stepped inside—
"NATHAN!"
Nathan flinched.
His mother marched into the living room, hands planted firmly on her hips.
"Why are you so late?!"
Nathan immediately shrank. "We… uh… stopped by Flynn's place to check on him…"
"And you couldn't send a message?!"
Nathan glanced awkwardly toward Jacob. "Mom… please… my friend is here…"
Her expression changed instantly.
"Oh!" she said warmly, turning to Jacob. "Hello, dear! You must be Nathan's friend."
Jacob blinked at the sudden shift. "Yes, ma'am."
Her smile widened. "Have you eaten? Stay for dinner! Don't mind Nathan—he's useless at home."
"Mom!" Nathan groaned.
She smacked his arm. "Go wash your hands and help set the table!"
Then she turned back to Jacob, her voice soft again. "You too, dear. You're welcome here anytime."
Nathan stared at her in disbelief.
"At school I'm treated like a celebrity," he muttered. "At home I'm treated like a criminal."