Chapter 16: Jacob

January 17, 2021 (17 weeks and 5 days along)

I rolled my eyes as Hanna plastered on a fake smile before sauntering towards Archer, Jett, Celine, Clary, and me.

I know I haven't really introduced you to my friends—the latter of the five of us having been away since school began due to their parents' work—so I'm going to do it now.

Archer Lee was and still is my best friend. We've been best friends since we were in our mother's womb, considering they were friends themselves and have been since they were in elementary school. Archer is my right-hand man in everything we do, from smoking pot to saving my ass during fights. He's been at my side since I told him that Brook was expecting.

"Didn't Aunt Addison tell you to wrap it whenever you bring a girl home?" he had asked when I told him the news. I only rolled my eyes and hit him over the head.

"She did, but shit happens," I told him, and he only shook his head.

"Now what?"

"I'm not going to let her raise our child alone," I remember telling him, and he nodded. "Plus, you know how I've had a crush on her, so I'm going to ask her on a date."

He nodded, patted my shoulder, and wished me good luck. Now that Brooke was nearly 18 weeks along, Archer has been demanding to know the gender of the baby, but we have been mum about it, wanting to surprise everyone in a few days when we throw a gender reveal party at Brook's family home. He's even claimed the uncle title already. I only rolled my eyes when he announced that he'll be the baby's favorite uncle.

"You're going to have to fight my brother on that one," Brook replied, making Archer give her a wary smile as everyone knew who her brother was and what he did for a living.

"I think I'll stick with being the second favorite," he had said, making us laugh.

Anyways, Archer is about my height at 6 ft 1 with a slender build, and much like me, he was into boxing and motorcycles. He owned a similar model as the one I have, and we usually went on rides together through town. He's half Japanese and half American. His dad is Japanese while his mom is American. He's the second of four siblings. His eldest brother is a Marine while his younger siblings—twins—are in first grade. He has black hair and gray-blue eyes that people say are fake, but they're as unique as the idiot is. He's also into art—like painting and shit—and he's actually really good at it. Half of his bedroom has a painting of a dragon done by him. It had taken him a good month and a half to complete, and it's the dopest thing I've ever seen.

"Dude, I still can't believe you're having a kid," Jett said as soon as he and his sisters walked into the school and saw Archer and me standing at our usual place by my locker. I rolled my eyes and greeted the girls with a smile that they returned.

"We're gone for a whole year, and when we come back, we find out you've knocked up the princess of LA?" Clary asked with a slaw of her.

"Are you two dating now or?" Celine asked with a perfectly arched brow, and I nodded. "Good, because I was about to knock some sense into that thick skull of yours if you didn't put your big boy pants on and ask her out." Again, I rolled my eyes, making Archer snicker. "And where the fuck were you when all this shit went down?"

Archer gave her a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Home?"

"You're as useless as always," the redhead replied, making Archer roll his eyes.

"I'm not his mom. I'm not going to be watching over him like a damn hawk and make sure he doesn't stick his dick up some unsuspecting girl that has dreamt of getting wrecked by him."

All four of us hit him over the head at the same time at his words, making him groan and complain about getting abused.

"Stop being an idiot," Jett said.

Jett, Clary, and Celine Barlowe are siblings—Jett and Clary being fraternal twins while Celine is their younger sister. They're known as the Barlowe triplets, even if they're not really triplets. The only reason being is because Celine is only 10 months younger than Jett and Clary. They're half German and half Colombian. Their father is German while their mother is Colombian. The Barlowe family is the second richest family in California, the first being Brook's family.

Jett and Clary—despite being twins—are complete opposites of each other. Clary is shorter than him at 5'1 while he is 6'1. He's got black hair and brown eyes while she's got red hair and green eyes. She is petite with curves in the right places, and he's got a bulkier form with muscles that are twice the size of Clary and Celine's heads. Speaking of, Celine also happens to be 5'1 with black hair, but unlike Clary, she has brown eyes instead of green. She is definitely the perfect mix of her parents. Their father has red hair with green eyes while their mother has brown eyes and black hair. The girl took their mother's height while Jett took their father's.

Like I mentioned before, they had been gone for a year due to their parents' work, which happened to be CEOs of their own companies. Mr. Barlowe is CEO of Barlowe Construction while Mrs. Barlowe is CEO of Barlowe Photography and Modeling Agency. Hence why they're always traveling and why my friends are rarely in school. This would be the first time being back in LA in over a year since they have moved to Colorado because of their dad's job.

"How was living out in Colorado?" Archer asked, and the three sighed, making us raise a brow, but they only nodded over our shoulders, making Archer and me groan when we saw Hanna and her friends making their way towards us.

"I thought you said you were with Brook?" Clary asked, crossing her arms and raising a brow.

"I am," I replied, making the three of them give me unconvinced looks.

"Hanna doesn't get that he's off the market and has been trying to get in his pants since news of him being with Brook came out," Archer said just as Wynter and their friends—Axel, Anna, and Dylan—were making their way down the hall.

"Going after a guy that has zero interest in you is disturbing and desperate, don't you think, Hanna?" I heard Wynter ask, which had Clary and Cici chuckling behind me. "Why don't you go bother someone that's just as desperate as you in getting laid?"

"Why don't you mind your own damn business, Wynter?" Hanna asked as they stopped in the middle of the hall and stared each other down, but I knew Hanna would back down first since she was afraid of Wynter more than she was of Brook. If the slap she had given her back a few weeks is anything to go by.

"I'll mind my own business when you stop trying to get into my sister's boyfriend's pants despite knowing he's not into you," Wynter said, and the Barlow sisters looked at me with raised brows, but I could tell they already liked Brook's sister.

"It's up to him," Hanna said, making me roll my eyes, and then she was walking in our direction.

"Come on, I want to smoke before the bell rings," I said, pushing off my locker and walking in the direction of the back doors.

"JACOB!" Hanna yelled my name, and I could hear her heels clicking on the tile floors.

"She's like a damn leech," Cici grumbled in irritation, and I couldn't agree more.

"Hi, my name's Clary, and these two here are my siblings, Jett and Cici," Clary said as she held her hand towards Brook, who looked at the Barlowe siblings surprised. They had demanded I bring them with me to the studio. They were shocked when a song of mine began blaring through the speakers.

"Dude!" Jett had exclaimed in shock when the girls stared at me with wide eyes. Archer laughed his ass off at their reactions.

"Since when?" the girls asked in unison.

"Not that long," I replied with a shrug as I backed out of my parking space and towards the exit behind the other students. Jett, Clary, and Cici had gotten dropped off at school by their driver, but since they were going over to mine afterward, Clary had called the driver to let them know not to come to pick them up.

"How long is not long?" Cici asked with a raised brow, making me sigh.

"Since Brook and I got together, so like five months. You guys knew about my love for music and boxing," I replied with a shrug, and they nodded. "And Brook just suggested I sing a song, and if I liked it, to continue."

"And you continued, seeing as you're on the fucking radio," Jett said with a chuckle.

"He's got an album coming out soon," Archer added.

Our plan had been to go to my place and chill, but the Barlowe Triplets decided they wanted to go to the studio since Archer and his big mouth told them that I was going to be recording a new song with Brook. Hence why Clary, Cici, and Jett were introducing themselves to my girlfriend.

"Oh, um, nice to meet you," Brook replied with a smile as she shook their hands. "I haven't seen you three at school. How do you know Jacob and Archer?"

"We've been away due to our parents' work. We recently got back last night and started school today," Jett answered, and she nodded. "I can't get over how you managed to get Jake here to sing. He wasn't the type to put his music out into the world."

She smiled and shrugged. "It took a while to convince him to record a song." She looked at me before back at my friends. "His songs are amazing, and he's gotten a lot more comfortable putting his feelings out." I rolled my eyes but smiled. "Are you staying to watch?"

"Yes," they replied, and she nodded.

"Ready?"

I nodded, and with that, we walked into the recording booth while my three friends and Brook's friends—Anton and Cam—sat in their usual spots at the keyboards.