jonas noah vasquez.

Of course, nothing actually dire had happened in his absence, but for Eva, it was enough to have caused some panic. When Jonas wasn’t by her side, she didn’t know where he was, what he was doing, what he was thinking. It was a spiral she hadn’t learned to stop yet, and so had to continue down its path. She’d wait for an explanation, let her anxiety settle, they’d kiss and make up, and then go and enjoy themselves. It was the only way she knew. 

Jonas nodded, finding himself unable to disagree with her. A simple text message would've sufficed, and he made a mental note to prioritise letting Eva know his whereabouts next time. Or better yet, to be on time, if that were even possible. "You could never look stupid," he complimented, understanding her insecurity but wishing she hadn't felt it at all. Nobody else would've cared that she'd stood there alone. Jonas wanted to reassure her of that, but found himself biting his tongue, especially as she moved closer. He ran the risk of upsetting Eva again if he dismissed her statement, and he'd rather enjoy the night ahead than linger on his mistake, or have it spiral into an argument.

With a heavy sigh, Gus felt his body melt into the cool brick wall behind him, the effects of the weed beginning to work its magic. Now that the pain had lessened dramatically, he was finally able to organise his thoughts, nodding at Jonas in gratitude. He'd been doubled over in the hallway at school when his best friend had found him. Stupidly, he’d let his own stash run dry, and the pain had been all-consuming and entirely unexpected. But that was cancer for you. Jonas had offered him a time out, and some joints, and Gus hadn’t hesitated to accept. It certainly wasn’t the first time they’d skipped, anyway. “Thanks again, by the way. As always, you’re my knight in blazing armour.” He smirked, finally handing back the joint. He’d taken more than his fair share, but there was no helping it. “So, you’re sure Jean's not coming back any time soon?”

Jonas waved a dismissive hand at the gratitude, slumping down beside his best friend. He hated seeing Gus in pain, knowing there wasn't anything he could do. Long term, anyway. He always ensured to carry some form of pain relief on him now, predominately weed, just in case Gus experienced a sudden bout, as he had today. The loss of pocket money and gaps in his education were worth it, and the least he could do. "Ikke noe problem. I've got you, man." Whilst medicine in Alexandria was far better than anything they'd ever been provided with back home, they hadn't made much progress in regards to Gus' cancer, and it worried Jonas every single day. But he'd learned not to let it show, knowing the constant sympathy and concern would only prove to irritate. Acts of service were far better than words, anyway.

Eva had started to feel better about attending school now that she’d hosted a party and established some actual friendships. Even though her attempt at fixing things with Kelly had gone sour, she felt less alone, confident she’d at least have someone to sit with in classes now. But as she’d turned from her locker to greet Jonas, having spotted his messy mop of hair down the hall, she realised he’d already stopped, caught up in conversation. Conversation with a girl. It didn’t matter that her back was to Eva — she knew exactly who it was. Immediately, the redhead’s mood plummeted, falling into a spiral of distrust and anger. What could they be talking about? Why would Jonas even approach her, after everything he knew? She sat alone in both classes, disgruntled, letting her thoughts go round and round. She barely heard a word. The bell rang for lunch, and whilst she did contemplate blowing the boys off, her anger ultimately won out. Smile tight, Jonas and Gus finally approached their agreed-upon spot, and Eva sat in obvious silence as they ate, Gus finally excusing himself when he could no longer stand the tension. Eventually, Jonas broke the silence, but Eva immediately cut him off. “— You know, I saw Kelly earlier. In the bathrooms.” The lie came easily, wanting to see how much Jonas would reveal on his own.

Kelly wasn't a person Jonas had ever expected to see again, least of all at school. Her sudden arrival had stunted him, frozen him in the corridor, feeling relief and surprise in equal measure. It'd taken Jonas a moment or two to work up the courage to approach her, unsure of the reception he'd receive. It went about as well as he could've imagined, Kelly feeling cold and distant, disinterested by his curiosity. She'd claimed their past relationship was a blip of unimportance now, compared to what she'd experienced since. He left the conversation feeling hollow and naïve, wondering what'd caused such a change of personality. She had reason to be mad with Jonas, certainly, but this was different. Their love triangle hadn't been the cause of her guarded demeanour, and that was worse.

Eva took a few deep breaths, considering her options. She could always wait for a familiar face to pass by. That felt like the most comfortable option, but it seemed embarrassing. Why couldn’t she just go in alone, make some new friends, like everyone else seemed to? But she'd already made friends, ones she loved. She didn't want to start over, just for a night. It didn't make sense to her. Sighing again, she crossed her arms. She was about to pick up her phone again, just for something to do, when arms embraced her. Despite her annoyance, she felt an overwhelming surge of relief at his presence. Takk gud.

Jonas let his arms drop, faking a pout at her dismissal of their embrace. He knew he’d done wrong in turning up late, but he was trying his best to fix her annoyance. “Hallo, beautiful.” He grinned, intertwining his fingers with her own, and choosing his following words very carefully. “I was with Gus. Planning for tonight.” Jonas used his free hand to gesture to the backpack he was wearing. He shook a little, so that she recognised the sound of beers clinking together. He’d also picked up a few grams of weed, but avoided mentioning that, knowing she wouldn’t be impressed.  

"This is some strong stuff you've got here, darling," she called out, having heard her son arrive home. Jean was already considerably high, fingers wrapped around the joint she'd discovered earlier. She was glad, of course, that Jonas had settled in well, that he had such a large group of friends. But it didn't sit well with her that he was hiding things, that they no longer had the relationship they used to. "I'm disappointed you didn't tell me about it."

The second Jonas opened the door to his home, the scent of burning weed hit his nose, causing him to freeze where he stood. He knew he'd be caught eventually, considering how nosy his mother could be, but this felt far too soon. He'd been careful. Still, she didn't seem to reprimanding him for the drug use itself, considering she was actively toking on his joint as she spoke. It was the dishonesty she had an issue with, and Jonas wasn't sure what felt worse. "Mom, why are you going through my stuff? We talked about this. Vennligst stopp." After a heavy breath, he found the courage to walk further inside, meeting her gaze. "How was I supposed to tell you about this? I didn't know how you'd react. I didn't know you... smoked. Did you seriously get high? Jesus Kristus."

“Jonas, hva i helvete?! Where are you? Pick up!” Eva hissed into her phone as partygoers passed her by, smiling at them sheepishly as she moved out of their way. He’d promised to meet her there, on the corner, but he was late. Again. Turning in her spot, Eva sighed in frustration, watching her peers head around the corner, toward the music. Noora had already confirmed she was sick, and none of them had heard from Adeline much lately. The other girls weren't responding and it left Eva fretting. She really didn’t want to go in there alone.

Eva bit her lip in anticipation, unable to hold back a grin when her phone buzzed in response. To her, it seemed like forever since the two of them had spent time alone, and she couldn’t wait. She understood he still had close friends and she didn’t anymore, but that irrational side of her never wanted him out of her sight. Today meant she could finally have him alone.

Although it was difficult to not immediately pull Eva into his arms, Jonas decided to play along, straightening up in attempt to appear professional. "Hallo. I have a delivery for Miss. Eva Kviig Mohn, I am told she's very beautiful. So that must be you, because you are the prettiest woman I have ever seen," he teased, vision honed in on her smile. "I will come here as often as you want. From now on, you are the only house I will deliver to."