At the end of it all, after sleeping through most of the storm in his own head, Blake came to a conclusion he wasn’t entirely sure he wouldn’t regret later.

No matter how he turned it, the outcome barely changed. Both options circled back to the same place, just through slightly different paths.

So it wasn’t really about choosing something good, it was about choosing what was less bad.

And, of course... that choice involved lying to Myles.

Blake frowned faintly to himself.

But was it really lying?

It wasn’t like he was fabricating everything from scratch. He had gotten hurt. He had fallen. The details were just... adjusted, made more acceptable and less suspicious!

In the end, after going back and forth with himself longer than he wanted to admit, Blake made his decision.

He was going to school.

Why?

Because staying home would look worse.

Myles would definitely notice. And not just notice, he’d think, assuming something bad enough happened to keep Blake from showing up entirely.

Or well, just straight up suspect him.

And that, of course, would only make things harder.

And besides, there was Asher.

Blake still had responsibilities. He had agreed to guide him around, help him settle in. He couldn’t drop getting informations out of him.

"Alright, alright," Blake muttered under his breath, dragging a hand through his hair. "I can do this."

The words sounded convincing enough.

But even as he said them, something in his chest tightened.

...Could he really?

***

"What happened."

Myles didn’t hesitate.

The moment Blake came into view, the question was already there, basically impossibile to dodge.

Blake barely had a second to brace himself.

"Nothing," he replied easily, keeping his tone as casual as possible. "I just felt kind of weak yesterday. Lost my balance for a second."

He shrugged, like it wasn’t worth mentioning.

Thank goodness he has the mild concussion excuse in his pocket.

"Ended up scraping myself a bit against the counter. That’s all."

It was simple and not too detailed.

Most of all, somewhat believable.

After all, Myles had no way of knowing what had actually happened.

He didn’t know about the "fight", or the branches, or the way Blake’s face had taken the worst of it.

Those guys hadn’t seen any of that.

That part also worked in Blake’s favor.

The key now was consistency.

Whatever Myles asked, Blake had to stay calm and normal.

"Is that why you’re walking like that?"

Blake blinked.

"Huh? Yeah, I mean, wait, like what?" He let out a small, almost awkward laugh. "I don’t think I’m walking that badly..."

Myles’ gaze didn’t waver.

"You’re leaning on your left leg more than usual."

For a split second, Blake’s expression almost cracked.

’And how the hell did he notice something like that?! Seriously, who even pays attention to something so minor?’

Blake exhaled quietly, nodding anyway.

"Yeah... I guess it hurts a bit, I slammed it across the chair."

A brief silence settled between them... not heavy, really, but not entirely light either.

Blake didn’t like that, so he shifted.

"What about you?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. "What did you do yesterday?"

And then, almost seamlessly...

"How about we go on another date again sometime?"

He hoped that it didn’t sound like a desperate attempt to change subject, because that’s exactly what it was.

"Where?"

Blake smiled faintly.

"This time let’s go to your place. It’s been a while."

Myles didn’t answer immediately. He seemed to think about it, before finally giving a short nod.

"Alright."

Blake felt something in his chest loosen.

"Not today, though," he added quickly. "I’ve got to guide Asher around after school."

He scratched the back of his neck, glancing away for a second.

"Maybe the day after tomorrow? Since it’s Friday, it works better."

"That’s fine."

The bus slowed to a stop, doors hissing open.

They stepped off together.

And just ahead, those two were waiting for them...

"Asher! Anthony!"

The two were already there, waiting.

They exchanged greetings.

Asher, however, didn’t look entirely convinced.

"You’re okay already?" he asked, eyes flicking briefly over Blake with guilt. "You should’ve rested more."

"Right..." Anthony added, sighing heavily, looking even guiltier.

Of course, he apologized a million times over text the same day Blake was hit, he couldn’t shake off the fact he was the cause.

"Jeez, it’s not your fault, stop that mindset. I’m fine," Blake waved it off without hesitation. "Seriously. And I’m getting checked soon anyway, so it’s not like I’m ignoring it."

That seemed to ease things slightly.

They both still looked hesitant, like they wanted to say more, but didn’t.

Blake didn’t give them the chance to dwell on it.

"So," he said instead, clapping his hands lightly, "what do you want to see today?"

Asher tilted his head, thinking. Seems like he had no idea.

"Hear me out. There’s a garden here, actually. Though, it needs permission to visit. Still, I’m pretty sure the teachers wouldn’t mind."

Asher’s eyes lit up almost instantly.

"A garden? What’s there? Is it big?"

Blake smirked, folding his arms.

"It’s a secret."

In reality he had absolutely no idea, since he had never seen it.

But he had read about it on old notes, leftover materials from the previous Blake’s classes. Apparently, they had gone there once for some kind of project.

That was enough.

Asher let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head.

Blake reached over, patting Anthony’s shoulder.

"By the way, when are we also hanging out?"

Although he consoled him a second ago, he couldn’t deny that, even now, a small part of him felt... off.

Not exactly angry or upset.

Just, something unresolved.

But Anthony didn’t know anything. Whatever had happened wasn’t his fault.

So there was no reason to treat him differently, now that he discovered Asher was always supposed to change schools.

Anthony smiled.

"I’ve got time next Monday. I was thinking of checking out some stuff in the science museum building."

Blake nodded slowly.

"Sounds good."

Even if he had no clue what there was to do in a place like that.

By the time they made it to class, Blake was already mentally checked out.

Biology, of all subjects.

He slumped slightly in his seat, staring at the board with a blank expression.

He hadn’t been good at it before.

And he certainly wasn’t good at it now.

Nothing had changed.

Letting out a quiet sigh, he stretched his arm slightly, and froze.

A hand had wrapped around his.

Blake blinked, looking down.

"Why are you holding my hand?" he whispered, leaning just enough for his voice not to carry.

Myles didn’t answer right away.

Instead, his gaze was fixed on Blake’s wrist.

His fingers shifted slightly, brushing over the skin there.

Over the plasters.

Blake’s throat tightened, he genuinely didn’t know what to say.

Didn’t know what Myles was thinking.

After a moment, Myles let go.

His expression didn’t look angry.

But something about the atmosphere had changed.

And the...

[ Mission: Fall asleep on Myles Cortez during class ]

[ Time limit: 1 hour ]

[ Reward: 30 coins ]

[ Penalty: Defence buff downgrade ]

Blake stared at the prompt.

’You’ve got to be kidding me.’

He rubbed his forehead slowly.

It had been a while since he’d had to deal with something like this.

Something so publicly embarrassing.

Still, thirty coins, that wasn’t something he could just ignore.

He reached out, poking Myles lightly.

"I’m sleepy..."

Myles glanced at him.

"Is your blood pressure low?"

Blake shook his head.

"No. I just stayed up late finishing homework."

Myles tilted his head.

"Then sleep."

Blake hesitated.

"Can I lean on your desk?" he asked, voice dropping slightly. "There’s not enough space on mine."

Myles stared at him, long enough to make it awkward.

"Fine."

Blake shifted carefully, resting his head down.

At first, it didn’t work.

His body felt too tense. His thoughts wouldn’t slow down.

Everything felt... off and restless.

Until a hand settled on his head.

It was so gentle it made him surprised.

"What’s wrong?" Myles murmured quietly. "Can’t sleep?"

Blake let out a soft hum.

And little by little... the tension faded.

His breathing evened out.

His thoughts blurred.

And eventually, he fell asleep.

Ring.

Blake’s eyes opened slowly.

For a moment, he didn’t move.

Then, he realized Myles’ hand was still resting on his head.

Blake shot upright immediately.

First instinct was to check for drool.

Fortunately enough, there was nothing.

’Okay, good.’

"How was it?" Myles asked.

Blake glanced at him.

"Good."

But inside, something felt strangely warm.

Unfamiliar.

’Why does my chest feel like this...?’

***

After classes ended, Blake stayed behind.

"See you," he said, waving lightly.

Myles didn’t move right away.

He simply stood there, staring.

"That whole bully thing..." Blake added quickly. "It’s not happening again. I’m not getting into fights."

Myles didn’t look convinced, not even a little.

But eventually, he turned and left... after a lot of pushing and promises.

Blake exhaled, then turned back.

"Asher."

The teacher had already given permission.

No surprise there.

Asher practically became every teacher’s favorite in a matter of weeks.

So now, they stood in front of the garden door.

Blake pulled out the key.

Turning it until the lock clicked.

And...

"Whoa."

The view inside caught him completely off guard.

The garden was quite beautiful.

Far more than he expected.

Colors layered over colors, sunlight filtering through leaves, soft wind brushing through petals.

For a moment, Blake just stood there, then stepped inside, Asher following.

They moved slowly, almost instinctively reaching out to brush against flowers, leaves, anything within reach.

It felt... peaceful.

Blake glanced at him.

"Hey."

Asher looked over.

"Are you going to transfer schools again?"

The question lingered in the air.

And just like that, something shifted. The atmosphere was quite different.

Asher didn’t answer immediately, he just looked at Blake.