Jake Wheeler

A week had passed. Life in Hackensack was slowly returning to normal. The school had been closed for "sanitary treatment," but rumors about what had happened there were already crawling through the town.

Jake sat alone on the bleachers of the school stadium. His shoulder had almost healed. He was staring at the field when he heard footsteps.

• Hi.

It was Lexa. She was no longer wearing her perfect hairstyles and tons of makeup. Today, she was in simple jeans and a hoodie.

She sat down next to him.

• I... I wanted to thank you. Truly. You saved my life.

Jake shrugged, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks.

• We all did it. Together.

She smiled at him—sincerely, without a hint of mockery. A tension hung between them, one that was nothing like fear. It was something new.

At that moment, Lily climbed up to the bleachers. She saw them sitting so close to each other, and her smile faded. She stopped a few steps away, glancing from Jake to Lexa and back. A shadow of disappointment and... jealousy? flickered in her eyes.

• Hi, - she said reservedly. - I... I was looking for you, Jake. We need to talk about what to tell the police.

Lexa stood up, catching the hint.

• Yeah, of course. See you later, Jake?

She left, leaving them alone. Jake looked at Lily and saw a coldness in her eyes.

• Is something wrong?

• Everything is fine, - she answered too quickly. - It's just... we almost died. And you two are... getting close?

Jake frowned.

• Lily... we've all been through a lot. I thought we were friends now?

• Friends? - she gave a bitter smirk. - Yeah, sure.

She turned around and walked away quickly, leaving Jake alone on the bleachers. He watched her go, not understanding what had just happened. They had killed the monster, but now a wall of misunderstanding was growing between them.