Strangers again

2

Some said pizza.”

Both Emily and Rosa turned their heads at the same time, slightly confused, only to see Jake standing there by the patio entrance. He had a couple of pizza boxes stacked in one hand and a bag of drinks in the other, looking way too casual for someone who had just walked into tension he probably didn’t fully understand.

Emily didn’t hesitate. The second she saw the food, she moved.

She walked straight up to him, grabbed the pizza boxes right out of his hands, and turned away before he could even react properly.

Jake stumbled slightly, caught off guard.

Jake: damn—

He steadied himself and blinked, watching her already opening the box like nothing else mattered.

Jake: damn, still not over him? You should be by now.

Emily froze for a split second, then slowly looked up at him, her expression sharp and annoyed.

Emily: you wouldn’t understand.

She didn’t wait for a response. She just grabbed another slice and took a big bite, like she was channeling all her frustration into eating. Sauce smeared slightly at the corner of her mouth, but she didn’t care.

Jake raised his hands slightly in surrender before walking over to Rosa, who was now sitting up properly on her chair, watching the whole thing unfold.

He dropped the bag of drinks on the table and sat beside her with a small sigh, then gave her a quick smile.

Jake: hey.

Rosa: hey.

She glanced at Emily, then back at him.

Rosa: you should know though… both of you are in the same basketball team.

She said it casually, but there was meaning behind it.

Jake leaned back slightly, reaching for the tequila on the table like he’d been there the whole time. He took a sip, then let out a quiet breath.

Jake: yeah, but that doesn’t mean we’re close.

He shrugged a little.

Jake: we just play on the same team. That’s it.

He paused for a second, then added, almost like it slipped out—

Jake: but I can’t lie… I saw him with Beverly today after practice.

Emily stopped mid-bite.

Slowly, she turned her head toward him.

Emily: what?

Jake looked over at her, realizing a little too late that maybe he shouldn’t have said that so casually.

Jake: I mean… it’s not a big deal, they were just talking—

Emily: talking?

She let out a short, bitter laugh.

Emily: yeah, I’m sure they were just “talking.”

She put the pizza slice back in the box, suddenly not as hungry as before, even though she grabbed another one just seconds later out of habit more than anything.

Rosa frowned slightly and looked at Jake.

Rosa: wait… you guys practice in summer?

Jake sighed, nodding as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

Jake: yeah. Coach doesn’t care if it’s summer or not. If you want the dream, you work for it. That’s what we’re always told.

He rubbed the back of his neck.

Jake: early mornings, drills, scrimmages… same routine. Half the team complains, but everyone still shows up.

Rosa: that sounds exhausting.

Jake let out a small laugh.

Jake: it is. But it’s worth it… at least, that’s what we keep telling ourselves.

Jake’s phone buzzed loudly on the table, screen lighting up with a notification.

Rosa glanced over, smirking. "Ooooh, is that Gwen?"

Jake exhaled sharply through his nose—*of course it was her*—and unlocked his phone. A video popped up in the message preview. His stomach dropped as he tapped play.

The first thing that hit him? *Sound.*

A sharp moan cut through—the unmistakable whine of pleasure muffled by fabric and echoing off tile walls. Then came Jake’s own voice: rough, breathless.

"*f**k… right there,*" he groaned in the recording—low and raw—and then another moan followed right after: higher pitched this time—Gwen's.

More noises spilled from the speaker: skin slapping against skin; rustling clothes; a locker door creaking open somewhere in background; their heavy breathing tangled together between whispered words like *"You feel so good,"* "*Don’t stop…*"

The whole room went dead silent except for those sounds blaring from Jake's phone now paused on Rosa and Emily's stunned faces staring at him wide-eyed...

Emily swallowed hard before speaking quietly:

"...Did you two...?"

Without answering them Jake stood abruptly chair screeching behind him as panic flashed across face —then immediately called Gwen back heart pounding like hell

Jake's jaw clenched as the call connected. Gwen’s voice came through, light and teasing—*too damn cheerful for this situation.*

**Gwen:** *"I have more."*

Just two words, but they hit him like a punch.

Jake exhaled hard through his nose, running both hands through his hair now—fingers tightening at the roots. He paced once across the room before speaking again.

**Jake (low, strained):** "Gwen…

Gwen: Relax! I know you're mad."

"You sent me *video*, Gwen! Of us—the locker room—that was private!"

She giggled on the other end—the kind of lighthearted laugh that made it worse because this wasn’t funny to him at all right now

"And? You looked hot as hell doing it," she teased

Jake’s voice dropped, low and dangerous. "How many videos of us do you have?"

Silence.

The kind that drags on too long—thick with guilt—and Jake knew. *He just knew.*

His stomach twisted.

"Gwen… since when?" His tone was ice now. Not yelling, not yet—but close to it.

She didn’t answer right away again, and the silence made his blood run hotter than her stupid giggles ever could.

"*Since when?*" he repeated louder this time, jaw clenched so tight it hurt

Then she finally spoke:

"...since that night in the car."

Her voice softened like she was reminiscing—like they’d shared something romantic instead of something private and *filthy* recorded without his knowledge

Jake's voice came out sharp, like a blade cutting through the quiet.

"Why? *Why the f**k* did you send me this?" he snapped, pacing now—his bare feet slapping against the hardwood floor. "This isn't some cute inside joke, Gwen! You recorded us having s*x—without telling me—and then just *sent it* like it was nothing!"

Gwen sighed on the other end again—that soft, pitying sigh that made his blood boil because she still didn’t get it. She still didn’t understand how violating this felt.

"I don't want this to end," she said quietly.

"*I do.*"

The words tore out of him fast and brutal. No hesitation anymore.

"I can't do this s**t anymore! I'm twenty-two years old—not sixteen sneaking around behind lockers for fun! We're adults!" His voice rose with every word: loud enough that Rosa and Emily flinched where they sat

He wasn’t yelling at them—but at her

Gwen didn’t even give him a chance to argue.

"Let’s meet at our spot," she said calmly, like it was already decided. "When school starts again."

Then—*click*—she hung up.

The line went dead before Jake could respond. No goodbye, no plea for forgiveness… just gone.

He stood there in the middle of the living room, phone still pressed to his ear for a second too long. Then he lowered it slowly and exhaled—hard—as if all the air had been punched out of him

He *knew*.

That look in her eyes when they’d meet? That soft smile she’d wear? It meant one thing: *s*x*. She wouldn't talk about feelings or apologies—she'd try to kiss him first and work her way from there until he gave in like always

Jake walked back toward Rosa and Emily feeling sick inside