After their practice, Dylan drove Flynn back home. Before he could leave, Lucas spotted them.
"Dylan! How are you? I don't think you made it here over the weekend. Your grandma Mina was asking about you," Lucas said.
"Ah... I had somewhere to go, Uncle," Dylan replied.
"Oh really? Why didn't you just come in? Stay for dinner. Your Aunt Mary cooked for us," Lucas offered.
"Dad, we have an early class tomorrow. Dylan also needs to get home and rest early," Flynn interjected.
"Come on, Flynn. Dylan's already here—just let it be. And besides, it'll stop your grandma Mina from running around looking for him," Lucas said.
"Thanks, Uncle. I'll just park the scooter and then we'll come in," Dylan said with a playful glance at Flynn. "Seems like they missed me."
Flynn just shook his head and let Dylan go ahead, entering the house first.
After dinner, Flynn went straight to his room to rest, completely drained from their practice.
Dylan followed him upstairs after finishing his own meal. When he reached the door, he saw Flynn lying face down on the bed.
Leaning against the doorframe, Dylan lightly knocked to get his attention. "I'm heading home now."
Flynn immediately sat up before Dylan could leave. "Wait, I've got something for you."
He walked over to his study table, opened the cabinet, and retrieved Dylan's cellphone, handing it to him. "I fixed it."
Dylan's eyes widened as he took the phone. "Wow, really? You actually fixed it?"
"There wasn't much wrong with it. It just got a little wet. I soaked it in rice and disassembled it so all the parts could dry properly," Flynn explained.
"Is there anything you can't do?" Dylan said, grinning.
---
It was already evening when Nathan finished his theatrical practice. As he walked home, he spotted Dylan riding his scooter.
Nathan followed the route Dylan took, and not far ahead, he saw him turn into a gate painted green.
The next morning, while Dylan was in the bathroom, Nathan went over to Flynn to share what he had discovered the night before.
"Hey, Flynn," he said in a low voice. "You're always hanging out with Dylan, right? Do you know where he lives?"
"No, I never really asked. Why?" Flynn replied, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
Nathan leaned closer and whispered something to him. Flynn's brows furrowed slightly as he listened, but before he could ask more, Nathan quickly straightened up and slipped back to his seat when he saw Dylan coming back from the bathroom.
As soon as Dylan sat down, Flynn turned toward him, trying to sound casual. "Hey, what if I drop by your place later after practice?"
Dylan blinked, caught off guard. "H-huh? Why would you suddenly want to come over?"
"No big reason," Flynn said casually. "I just thought it'd be nice to meet your family. I mean, you already know mine, and you're at our house most of the time anyway. This way, your family won't worry if you end up staying over again."
Dylan shifted in his seat, avoiding Flynn's eyes. "Uh... maybe not today. Things are kind of messy at home right now."
Flynn tilted his head, studying him. "Then maybe this weekend?"
"We're having guests this weekend," Dylan replied, his voice a little too quick, a little too forced.
Flynn noticed the hesitation in his tone but decided not to press further. He just nodded, pretending to believe him, and went back to what he was doing.
After their morning classes, the three of them went to lunch together again.
Once they'd gotten their food, Flynn spotted Jacob sitting alone at one of the tables. He turned to Dylan and Nathan.
"Hey, let's sit with him," Flynn said, already walking over.
"Jacob, are you sitting with anyone? Mind if we join you?" Flynn asked with a friendly smile.
Jacob? Dylan frowned inwardly. Since when does he know this guy's name?
"Jacob, this is Dylan and Nathan," Flynn said, introducing them.
"Hi," Jacob greeted. "And thanks again for yesterday."
Dylan only gave a small nod before sitting down beside Flynn.
"So, have you thought about what I told you yesterday?" Jacob asked.
"Yesterday? You two were together yesterday?" Dylan cut in, his tone edged with irritation.
"I was actually looking for all of you to thank you properly," Jacob explained. "But only Flynn was still in your classroom."
Dylan looked at Jacob, then back at Flynn, as if silently demanding the truth straight from him.
"And what exactly did he tell you that you need to think about?" he asked, sounding almost like he was interrogating him.
Flynn hesitated for a moment but eventually sighed. "He asked me to be his partner for the Battle of the Band."
"That's great, Flynn," Nathan chimed in quickly. "You're a good singer anyway—you should go for it."
But as soon as he noticed Dylan's sharp glare, Nathan gave an awkward smile and went back to eating.
"What's your plan then?" Dylan asked, trying to sound casual, though annoyance simmered beneath his voice. Deep down, the idea of Flynn spending more time with Jacob didn't sit well with him—but he didn't want to discourage Flynn either.
"I don't really have one yet," Flynn replied. "The event's still a long way off anyway."
The four of them headed back to their classrooms after finishing their lunch, just as the bell rang.
Later that afternoon, Flynn was pleasantly surprised to learn that they didn't have basketball practice, which meant he could head home early and get some rest.
On their way back, Flynn and Dylan passed by Aunt Mina's eatery. They couldn't help but notice the crowd gathered outside, all looking flustered and busy.
When they got closer, they saw that Aunt Mina's belongings were being taken out of the eatery, some of them nearly getting damaged in the process.
When they got closer, they saw Aunt Mary crying as her belongings were being taken out of the eatery — some of them nearly getting damaged in the process.
Flynn and Dylan hurried toward her. Aunt Mary was desperately pleading with the stall owner to give her one more chance.
"Please, ma'am... just one more month," she begged, her voice trembling. "I promise I'll pay all the rent I owe, including the months I've missed."
But the owner only shook her head. "No. You haven't paid rent for five months. I've given you more than enough chances."
"Ma'am, please... this is my only source of income," Aunt Mary pleaded again, reaching out to hold the woman's arm.
Before she could even touch her, one of the community officers who had accompanied the owner stepped in and shoved her away roughly. Aunt Mary lost her balance and fell hard to the ground. Thankfully, Flynn caught her head before it hit the pavement, preventing a worse injury. Still, she winced in pain as she tried to get up, holding her arm that had twisted awkwardly when she fell.
Dylan's vision darkened with anger. He took a step forward, ready to confront the officer, but Flynn quickly grabbed his arm, stopping him before things could get out of hand.
Moments later, Lucas arrived. His eyes widened at the scene before him — Aunt Mary trembling in pain, her things scattered on the street — but he quickly composed himself and approached them calmly.
"Are you okay?" Lucas asked softly, kneeling beside Aunt Mary.
She didn't respond, too shaken and hurt to speak. Tears continued to roll down her cheeks.
Lucas took a deep breath, stood up, and walked straight toward the officers, his calm demeanor barely hiding the anger simmering beneath. He spoke to them firmly but respectfully, trying to settle the matter through words rather than conflict.
After speaking with the landowner and the officers, Lucas decided to take Mary to the hospital to have her injuries treated. Mary initially refused, insisting she didn't have the money to pay for it, but Lucas wouldn't take no for an answer and insisted they go.
Outside the hospital room, Flynn and Dylan sat quietly on the bench, both deep in thought.
"What's going to happen to Aunt Mary now?" Dylan asked, worry evident in his voice.
"I don't know either," Flynn replied softly. "That eatery was her only source of income. She's the one supporting her parents and siblings."
Dylan clenched his fists, frustration flashing across his face. "Even if she was behind on rent, what they did was still wrong. They had no right to throw her out like that—let alone hurt her."
"Just let it go," Flynn said, his tone resigned. "We can't really do anything. We're just ordinary people."
After a brief silence, Dylan asked, "By the way... what's going on between your dad and Aunt Mary?"
Flynn blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, come on. You know exactly what I'm talking about. You're not blind—you've seen the way they act around each other."
Flynn sighed and leaned back. "Honestly, I don't really know."
"Well, there's nothing wrong with it, right? I mean, Aunt Mary's kind, she cooks for you guys, and they're both single anyway," Dylan said casually.
Flynn chuckled. "You're such a gossip. But... you're not wrong. Still, I'm not so sure. People in the neighborhood say Aunt Mary is still married. But I doubt it—ever since she moved here with her son, I've never once seen her husband."
As the two talked, Lucas came out of Mary's hospital room.
"Flynn, you and Dylan should head home now. I'll take care of things here. You still have class early tomorrow," he said calmly. Then he turned to Dylan. "Thank you for coming along today."
"No problem at all, Uncle," Dylan replied with a small smile.