Dumb and Dumber (Rhett & Jared).

[Odion Martins]

New Year’s Eve - 2012

Odion hadn’t exactly been avoiding Jared, no, he just had better things to do. Besides, if Jared really wanted to find him, it would only be too easy. School records stated where his dorm was, and if Jared was as loud as Odion recalled, he would only need to befriend a few people before discovering where Odion resided. As it was, whatever trouble he was in, he didn’t seem in any hurry to get out of it. What else was new?

This year had turned Odion’s life upside down. There was much to celebrate and still more to avoid, but all in all, he still had to say he wouldn’t change a thing. Jared hadn’t caused too much trouble, yet being the key word. All Odi knew was that he was in good standing with the guy and that’s where he wanted to stay.

With intentions of changing into something nice, Odion was going to do something fun tonight. He wasn’t sure if he’d go to a bar or not or who he’d be with, but he needed a reprieve. Never before had so many people wanted to spend time with him. There was Lani, of course, then Declyn, and Avi had even managed to steal him away for a night of drinking which he couldn’t refuse. His ‘pre-gaming’ could still be found in his mini-fridge, two cases worth to be exact.

Unzipping his jacket as he stepped into his room, Odion nearly screamed as someone was immediately behind him, shutting and locking the door. He’d recognize that mug anywhere. He flicked on the lights and managed a smirk at his old friend. “Bell? Don’t tell me you want to spend New Year’s Eve together,” he asked in disbelief, hanging up his jacket. Odion heard the distinct sound of another door locking. Funny, it sounded like his door. Well, this was one way to reunite he supposed.

Dark blue eyes glanced over to his bed, and he raised a brow. Honestly, Rhett looked as surprised as he did to be in the room. “Aren’t you supposed to be in France?” Odion inquired. Maybe Odi didn’t like talking to Rhett, but he did think it was wise to keep tabs on the blond. What was going on here?

[Rhett Goddard]

The thing about picking locks is that if you don't have a lockpick, you're pretty much screwed. In past times, a thief like Rhett would always carry his tools with him, hidden in his socks, sleeves or alike. But, why would you need a lockpick when simply walking the through the hall minding your own business? For nothing. Well, unless of course you have a certain friend who would very much want to lock you in a room by tackling you and phasing you inside.

All Rhett thought was that he should have known better.

Jared didn't care to explain what was going on before phasing outside the room again leaving Rhett to scream by himself. The first thing he noticed was that he was in Odion's room, which he could tell without turning the lights on as the Odion's smell alone was enough. Needless to say, Jared's plan was immediately obvious, and as such, he knew there was nothing he could do about it for now, so he simply laid down in the ginger's bed waiting for phase two of Jared's plan to come into fruition.

And some minutes later, the door was opening and the room's owner was entering through it, only to be pushed in by Jared, albeit much more gently than Rhett was. The fact that Odion seemed to catch Jared's plan as quickly as Rhett did sparked a soft smile in Rhett.

"Change of plans." Rhett simply answered. "Until a snowstorm closed all the highways outside Vermont, making another change of plans." He stood from the bed and walked up to the other two. "And then he locked me here and forced yet another change of plans." He turned towards Jared. "I just have one question, he," The blonde pointed at Odion. "has a key to this door, how is this plan going to work?"

He would laugh immensely if the answer to that involved Jared pickpocketing Odion's key from him and throwing it away. He also hoped it was this.

[Jared Bell]

Both Rhett and Odion had been managing to avoid him. Not that he had been trying too terribly hard to pin the two of them down. As loud as those two thought he was though he did manage to strategize silently once in awhile. It was New Year's Eve and it was about time the trio reunited. Jared's plan involved a little bit of hiding, a little timing, a little luck, and a lot of alcohol. If he did this right the other two wouldn't be able to get out of his little ploy. His opportunity to seize Rhett came first.

There he was strolling down the hall without a care in the world for now. Jared times it and rushed out of the door frame he had remained concealed in, forcing both his and Rhett's bodies through the wall. It was a miracle that neither of then fell when he stopped pushing. He made sure to get out of Rhett's reach before giving him a sly grin. "Cheers mate." He said. Giving Rhett a wave as he phased out of Odion's room. Now was time for him to play the part of a hunter. He quickly identified the empty bathroom as the best hiding space. Now he waited, and if Goddard started causing a ruckus he would very quickly find himself bound and gagged.

It didn't take long, maybe twenty minutes until Jared heard the unsuspecting ginger arrive back home. It was go time. Waiting for Odion to walk past the open door Jared stepped out from the darkness. As soon as the key was back in his pocket it became Jared's. He slammed shut the door behind Odion and took a chair from the kitchen, adding a little extra seal to the already locked room. Jared deposited the key under the sink and grabbed the bottle he had hidden there. Smirking to himself about how clever he had been he walked over and phased through the wall. If they hadn't figured it out yet they would now. "Hey boys." He said warmly, the bottle hidden behind his back.

Jared reached into his pocket and dangled his own keys above Odion's head. "He doesn't have a key anymore." He laughed heartily as he spoke.The reason he left Odion's keys where only he could get them was simple. Odion was such an opportunist he probably would have paused time and stolen it back; leaving him and Rhett locked up. Jared may not have spoken to them much in the last few years but its hard to forget how your closest friends act.

Jared got straight to business. "As you both are probably wondering why you're even here... Well what the hell? Just bloody avoiding me?" He wasn't upset at all but he could play it. His grin took over before he could stop it though and from behind his back he pulled out the bottle. "You blokes now have plans for the new year. I decided we needed to spend some time catching up and reliving. From what I've heard about the two of you sorry louts you could use this drink." Smirking he couldn't help but replay the opinions people had voiced when they found out just who his friends were.

At least they weren't getting away today. Not until Jared was ready to let them go. He had a lot to tell them and more than likely they had a fair share to let him know about. "Who wants to go first for confession time?" He asked with a chuckle.

[Odion Martins]

Odion smirked appreciatively at their old habits, but Jared had the wrong idea. No, if Odion really wanted to, he could simply just rewind time and make sure that he never happened upon his room for the entire night. But that would make him a coward, and he didn’t like running away from his problems friends. He had to face Jared at some point anyways, it may as well be tonight, with or without Rhett.

Only Jared could get away with this particular kind of bullshit. Odion had a fond smile plastered onto his face before he could help himself and shook his head. Odion shrugged. Why the hell not? He didn’t have any plans anyways, and this would be the first time he turned down a perfectly good drink. He shot Rhett a look. Maybe this night would always be theirs. How charmingly ironic. “Glad to see you’re getting to know the general public already,” he stated to Jared.

Odion went for his fridge and got himself one of the Alexander Keith’s sitting in the fridge. Red and green, festive. “Help yourselves,” he said, glad to be wearing a pair of simple jeans if he was going to get pissed tonight. Odion laughed lightly. While Rhett had always brought out the fight in Odion, Jared managed to bring out the play. He wasn’t really here to talk about their relationship, he was here to talk about the deep trouble he was in. “Well you won your bet,” Odion said, giving Jared a wink and playing along. It wasn’t anything they all didn’t already know.

[Rhett Goddard]

"Well if it makes you feel any better," Rhett said to Jared and pointed at Odion. "he avoided me for some time after he arrived here." He shrugged. "It's kind of a ritual."

And heck, weren't these boys being ritualistic. They meet, Jared leaves, Rhett leaves and they all find each other in Kocher. Then Rhett leaves, Odion leaves, and now they're all back together in Hammel. History, and life, was clearly being cyclic with them, and Rhett couldn't help but wonder what it meant and why, but all the conclusions that he arrived to were unpleasant to think of: "destiny wants them together" and the such, and he thought that Odion would agree with this, but perhaps Jared would not.

"Oh, the gossip channel of Hammel..." Rhett rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what Jared was talking about. "He's right, you should go collect your fifty euros, but if you do, do know that I feel like we're entitled to some percentage."

He then walked up to the fridge and took the first beer he could find. Rhett wasn't a guy of hard liquors, as he never has been one that liked getting drunk quickly, or perhaps at all. He liked to enjoy the moments slowly and softly, and he adored to watch drunk people and how they change in behavior, even if with people like Jared and Odion, it meant sort of taking care of them in their drunkness in the end. But he was a bit used to it by now and he really didn't mind.

"It's quite a feat that you manage to survive inspections." Rhett said as he looked at all the liquor in the fridge. "And I'm quite sure this is just the stash that you keep cold, and there are some others in the room." On a second thought, Rhett left the beer in the fridge and instead took a bottle of wine that he immediately opened. "This is more me..." He muttered to himself as he sat back in bed. "So, confessions?" The blonde stared at Jared as he took his first sip of wine straight from the bottle. "You have the biggest one in the room, so you should start with that."

[Jared Bell]

Ritual his ass. Jared knew full well that those two always tried to stay away from anything they thought might spell real trouble. Him arriving without a real explanation just reeked of problems. "You wankers just always try to keep away from the chopping block." Truth be told, Jared was surprised that the passport Odion had sent him hadn't gotten him detained at customs. He would have found his way without it but it sure made things easier. At least he knew that he could place his faith in at least one of them. With the prize on his head he needed somebody.

Jared smirked at the news. Of course he had won the bet. Quite surprisingly neither of his old friends had resisted quite as much as he had suspected, of course knowing them they were probably just as curious about his intentions. The general public as Odion had so nicely referred to them as were the one thing keeping him alive right now. Without all the "donations" he had been taking from around campus he very well wouldn't have been able to afford his basic living costs. Of course Rhett would drink something a little more classy. Each of them had always had their own taste.

"What makes you say mine is the biggest?" Jared asked grinning from ear to ear. He cracked the bottle and took a swig in one smooth motion. He wasn't quite inebriated enough to lay out everything from start to finish yet so why not open up with a joke. "Well boys... truth is before Odion left..." He paused to fake tears and continued "that bastard got me knocked up and left me and the baby to fend for ourselves. Not a cent of child support." It was amazing what fun you could have after spending your whole life joking around. Not that he expected them to entertain the idea for more than a minute; but that was all he needed.

Jared took a few large mouthfuls of the liquor and shuddered as it went down. This was as ready as he'd ever be. "Well mates... You know how we avoid stealing from certain criminals of influence? Like the kind that can call a hit on you?" Hearing the words come out of his own mouth made it real, and he couldn't help but feel like a real idiot now. He continued and let a torrent of words leave his mouth. "First off if you're real sneaky you can steal moments with their women but I got greedy and went for his personal account. I lifted the key to the safety deposit box from her easily enough but it was the bank footage that tucked me. There's a $20,000 bounty on my pretty mug seen as how giving back the cash wasn't good enough. Either I pay up the interest he thinks he's owed or I kiss my life goodbye. I've got a bit of time but nowhere near enough to raise the funds myself. Thankfully he doesn't know I was giving it to his broad or it might have involved torture before death." He managed a smile at the end of it all. Now to see how his friends would take his news. At least €50 was a start to repayment.

Even the gambler who seemed to always think odds were in his favor had a hard time seeing how he could bluff his way out of this game. The stakes were too high and he didn't even have the cover charge.

[Odion Martins]

"Sorry, were we meant to run straight towards it?" Odion asked, feigning a smile at Jared. The chopping block was a nasty piece of work that ought to be avoided at all costs. Odion glanced to his closet as Rhett informed Jared of their piece of the pie - would Jared remind them that Odion still owed him a pair of pants? Odion supposed not all of his memories had to be bitter.

"Time traveling," Odion replied smartly. As observant as these two were, neither seemed to notice how he was harboring three cats in his dorm. Thankfully they were not in his room and the less these two knew about him the better. Odion glanced from Rhett to Jared in interest for two reasons: one, he wanted to know why Jared sought them out now almost as badly as he wanted to know any other kind of information, and two, wasn't Rhett ever so classy drinking straight from the bottle? Funny, Odion couldn't remember asking Rhett what his drink of preference was, nor did he care.

Jared was right. Maybe his wasn't the biggest confession, but Odion wasn't feeling too sentimental to share anything just yet. As Jared spewed his far fetched story, not even a grin passed Odi's face. The bloke was just buying time, something Odion didn't feel as his stare bore into his old friend. Odi watched with interest as more liquid courage was consumed and the inevitable was told. As soon as Jared started telling the real story, Odi could feel his stomach lurch. He was going to need a few more drinks after this one. Just how many teenagers were fiddling around with situations way over their heads? Granted Lani hadn't asked for help, but he never did. Odi had stopped that disaster before someone had gotten hurt. Rhett knew that story. Now Jared too? Odion put a tired hand to his face - this was why larger heists weren't worth his time.

"$20,000?! What? Fucking wasn't good enough for you?" Odion was trying to keep back the anger he felt but Jared had to know. "Wipe that smile off your face, this is the dumbest thing you've ever done Bell." Despite the obvious, Odion had already silently begun thinking of a plan, and he knew just the right man to help for such a big operation. But for now, Odi would wait to see what Rhett had to add, and busied himself polishing off his first beer of many for the night.

[Rhett Goddard]

Rhett wasn't ashamed to admit he was one that ran away from problems. He did. As much as Rhett liked creating problems, that was very different from getting thrown into one of which he has no control of. Rhett is a careful planner, when he summons drama and problematic situations, he has carefully thought about it and plotted both his actions and the other person's action. When you're thrown into an already boiling pot, things get complicated, and Rhett is forced to act like any other person: fight or flight, and Rhett is not much of a fighter.

"Of course." Rhett nodded at Odion, a bit ashamed at the fact that he should have seen that answer coming.

If Odion believed Rhett didn't know of the cats, he had to be very off his feet. Not only Rhett had seen them the day that he came back from France, that rather dark day, but contrary to what that question Rhett asked Odion some seconds ago, about the inspections, seemed to indicate, Rhett's ESP was still very sensitive and attuned to Odion. There was little the ginger could hide from him, even if the blonde himself wanted to shut it off, he couldn't. If Rhett didn't seem to act on the things he knew about Odion and his life, it was only because he decided to, because he acted like a more normal person, but he thought that the ginger should know better.

Heck, both Odion and Jared should know better, and the fact that Jared asked the blonde why he thought his own confession was the biggest produced a small chuckle on the blonde.

"The fact that I'm not hiding anything," Rhett replied to Jared. "and that you two..." He raised an eyebrow, why was he reminding them of his ESP? "can't hide anything from me."

The blonde's reaction to Jared's first story was simply rolling his eyes and keep drinking from the wine bottle. When the second story came, Rhett's eyes fixated themselves on Jared's face strongly. Rhett knew why Jared was here, and he knew what he was running away from the second he walked into his ESP's sphere of influence some days ago. Rhett simply didn't know all the details behind the story, so he listened carefully. As he finished, Rhett knew he had been right all along, he didn't know why Odion was avoiding Jared, but Rhett was doing so because of this story, and now he knew it was the smart move.

"Indeed." Rhett agreed with Odion. "You have clearly outdone yourself this time." He took a sip from his drink and noticed something Jared had missed to tell. "How much does he think you owe him exactly?" He wondered. "If twenty thousand bucks is the bounty... are we talking a hundred thousand here? Two?"

He sighed as he learned the ideas that were popping inside Odion's head. It didn't take Rhett long to figure out that the same idea was in Jared's mind as well.

"Don't count me in on this." Rhett shook his head because anyone could voice anything about a heist. "On whatever you're planning," He looked at both boys in tandem. "don't count me in."

[Jared Bell]

If Jared couldn't hide anything from Rhett why was he looking so curious about his situation? His first story had gotten exactly the reaction he had expected but it had also bought him the time he needed to face what was coming. By now Rhett certainly would know a few details but Jared had always been one for shock and awe. His detailed retelling of the events leading up to his present situation certainly made him regret the choices he had made this far in life. At least had managed to keep their attention throughout the telling.

The only problem was that the silence at the end of Jared's story was killing him. He almost audibly breathed a sigh of relief when Odion started yelling at him. Sure he would be mad as a hornet now but knowing how loyal he was to those he was close with Jared knew he would come around sooner or later. Getting Rhett had on board would be a lot more work and he was well aware. One thing at a time. "Fucking is good and all but you try resisting the sweet taste of victory that comes from an easy take." Jared replied seriously for the first time all night. Even Odion would have struggled not to go for more.

It was silent a moment longer as Jared looked back and forth from his two friends. Odion was currently unreadable but Rhett's face spoke volumes. He had screwed this one up immensely. "He seems to think that he'll no longer feel inconvenienced if I manage to get him a hundred and fifty big ones. If you can't tell yet I'm in way over my head mate. These stakes were more than I bargained for." He said, grabbing his bottle and bringing it to his lips. The night might turn itself around yet but for now the feeling was grim beyond belief.

Apparently Rhett's ESP was kicking in because he started to make it very clear that he didn't want to be involved. "Come on mate! I don't even know what he has in mind! It's literally my head on the line. If you refuse I'll understand just know this might not be the only time I ask. I at least want to know the man I call my brother before I go." He said. Jared honestly wasn't sure if he could do this without Rhett. He could understand not wanting to incur the wrath of a crime lord, however if he was going out he was going to go down swinging and with memories of loved ones. He took a long swig from his bottle and added to his lighter than air feeling.

"I'm done being sentimental men. You know the shithole I'm in, so, let's live it up while we can. Cheers!" At that he raised his bottle to clink against his friend's.

[Odion Martins]

Odion had always been a runner, he would leave at the first sign of trouble. But there was one thing he had never gotten used to, and that was planning. Odion couldn’t plan to save his life, and he really did just do things when he thought the timing was right. He didn’t plan on anything, he just knew what his instincts were and they hadn’t let him down. Yes they had put him through some tough situations, but being more aware of the current surroundings than the future was more important. No Jared’s arrival hadn’t been planned, and now everyone had to deal.

Since Odi didn’t really talk to Rhett anymore, he didn’t really think Rhett would care what Odi did and did not do – whether he had cats or not or what he did in his spare time. Certainly Rhett had moved on with his life, with Ulrich, etcetera. There was a time when Odion knew Rhett was in his proximity, like their powers had somehow interwoven. But now he couldn’t tell where Rhett was until he saw him, or until the blond decided to make his presence known. Maybe he was an open book to Rhett, but Odion had closed that chapter a while ago. He thought Rhett had done the same.

Odion raised a single brow at Rhett. What kind of secret hidden things was he uncovering exactly? But if he was as powerful as he said he was, wouldn’t he know why Odion had been avoiding Jared? This could only mean one thing, and that was that Rhett’s ESP was selective and certainly out of his grasp. Odion always believed Rhett got by on good hunches and lucky grabs, but he couldn’t know everything. Otherwise, he would have graduated by now. Odion wasn’t perfect either, but Jared had been ignored simply for his personality, nothing more.

Scoffing, Odion pointed at Jared with the tip of his second beer bottle. “So easy you’ve come crawling back to your friends I see.” But Odion wasn’t convinced, Jared was a wonderful story teller, but he was in deep trouble. Maybe it was the time they’d spent together without Rhett, making a gambling ring and having a lot of fun times, but Odion wasn’t about to let Jared die. What part about that did Rhett not understand? Their lives had all been tough, and there were some hard things they had had to go to survive, including hurting some people. Now it was time to save one of their own.

Well at least Odion was willing to help at all. Maybe Rhett claimed to be changing, but he couldn’t fool Odion. Hopefully he had read that little thought too. Odion couldn’t believe what Rhett was saying, despite how he could easily help Jared if he wanted to. The ginger passed a look to Jared, only a hint of a smile forming. Rhett didn’t have a choice.

Looking over at Rhett after hearing Jared’s plea, Odion wondered how the blond would respond. They had all been each other’s family once upon a time, despite the odds. Did Rhett still care even though he’d found his family in France, the one which he had such a hard time telling Odion about, but no problem sharing with the scum of the world now? Odion wasn’t having an easy time hearing this, but he actually cared about Jared, did Rhett?

Standing up from his computer chair, Odion put his arm around Jared’s shoulders as the swig was taken, taking one of his own. Clearly these two weren’t the best influences on one another. “Come on Rhett, look at him, he’ll die without us.” Oh the irony of the statement should kill Rhett. Odion smirked and felt the seriousness of the moment fade away. If he was spending tonight with these two, he was going to have to be drunk. They’d figure out something later, after he spoke to Lani. But Rhett was someone who needed to know why he was doing things – maybe Jared could sweeten the pot. Odion glanced to Jared and then smirked. “You’re the dumbest thief I know.” In reality, they were all pretty dumb.

[Rhett Goddard]

Rhett's ESP was selective alright. Even though Rhett had made a lot of advances in the handling of his ability, it was still highly outside his control. At most, what he could do is make it focus on a certain individual to increase the chances of receiving information about them, but the one golden feat, the one of choosing what information to get by willpower, that was still out of his reach. He had to simply trust and wait for this to happen on its own, and in the meantime, like Odion thought, he did get by on good hunches and lucky grabs. It was just that his were fueled by his ESP with the added bonus of an observant personality.

"Die?" Rhett questioned just how dramatic everyone in the room was being but him. "You really think he's going to chase all the way through the other side of the puddle?" He huffed. "Not to mention that I doubt anyone can do that... He'd have to find out you were a Kocher student and that you applied for transfer here." He took another sip from his bottle of wine before continuing to voice his thoughts. "These meta-schools are very secretive and safe..." He then turned his head towards the ginger. "Are you aware that what happened to you was the first security breach in years?" Rhett wasn't sure if Odion was ready to talk about it or not, but the situation that Jared could potentially face was similar, and thus, mentioning was relevant. "If you want to be dramatic about something, you're clearly choosing the wrong topic," He accommodated further in the bed, leaning his back against the head of the bed and crossing his legs, having previously removed his shoes. "neither has voiced that a hundred and fifty thousand dollars is very hard, and not to mention dangerous, thing to get your hands on."

Rhett, for sure, agreed with Odion on this one: Jared had awarded himself the title of the dumbest thief he knew. At least Jared was trying to keep a positive note, and heck, Rhett cheered with him and continued his drink. His, brain, however, couldn't help but start working. Not only Rhett was a naturally good planner, but he liked puzzles, he liked solving them, and above all, he liked challenges. Jared's problem was quite a challenge, and he zoned out of whatever conversation the other two were having for a couple of minutes until he voiced himself once again.

"You can't pickpocket your way into so much money." He stated. "You'd have to hit some place. Most people are traveling for vacations, a house would be easy, but you'd have to hit several to make that money." And that wasn't a good idea. "A store is better, they have the goods and they have the cash. But not money, no, that's traceable, and one hundred and fifty is a lot." He nodded to himself, he wasn't looking at the other boys as he spoke, he was staring blankly in front of him. "You have to steal their goods. A jewelry. Jewels are expensive, small, and easy to fence. You can't rob a big one, though, not something like Tiffany, no, they're out of your ball-game and you can't play the meta-game, otherwise someone who knows about metas will notice and look into Hammel." He twisted his lip softly, but didn't stop talking. "You need a small-town jewelry shop. Big enough to have enough to cover your debt, but small enough to be doable."

[Jared Bell]

Odion had Jared pinned right where he didn't want to be. Even if Odi was a thief he would always be an honest one and that could be counted on. He was sure his friend was on his side; he had seen the small smile that had been offered when Rhett tried to walk away from the problem. He knew this was going to turn into a rather large guilt trip if Rhett didn't change his mind on his own. Shaking his head he knew damn well that these two would never let him forget this fuck up. "Mate, you know perfectly well if he gives me the mercy of not ending my existence every bloody bloke who crosses him is going to expect it. The high ups cant afford weakness as a luxury. Which is why my bloody life is on the line." Jared explained as calmly as he could. What security breach was Rhett talking about? He knew better than to ask the time turner for details about something he hadn't voluntarily brought up. He raised a questioning eyebrow at Odion as if to say maybe later, but he left it at that.

Both his friends drank with him after his speech. Jared put his drink down and played the part of the guy whose life was over. He certainly wasn't convincing anyone he was a dead man when he was busy cracking jokes. He could act just as well as the rest of his "family" when he actually tried. Tonight would be fun so long as he didn't drink so much that he blacked out. Too many times had Rhett or Odion tried to trick him into thinking that he had taken one of them to bed the night before when that had happened. One time Odion even went as far as to strip both their clothes and spoon him until he woke up while Rhett tried to show him pictures they had posed his passed out body for. He shuddered at the image. He was glad Odion would actually stand by his side though and that's exactly what the ginger did.

An arm was around his shoulder as the person Jared thought of as mama Odi came out. Underneath all the bullshit he really did have a heart and that was part of why Jared had so damn much respect for him. He did his best to play the part of the lost runaway. It was exactly what he was but neither of his friends knew he had actually known his biological family. Rhett appeared not to be paying attention to him and Odion anymore. The blonde could only be thinking at this point. He had always been both a strategist and opportunist and excellent at both. That's why he had always been fun to gamble with. He gave Odion a small smile and asked quietly "So you went with him?" It seemed to be a fair topic, both him and Goddard had brought it up.

He gave Rhett a knowing smile as soon as he started speaking. Once a thief, always a thief. "Sounds like you already have a plan mate. And just to clarify all you're points are bloody excellent and strong. If I didn't know any better I'd guess you care enough to at least offer advice." Jared said warmly. He reached out and grabbed both of his friends into a tight embrace. A big part was the alcohol talking but he went ahead anyway. "I love you guys. I knew I could count on you." Jared also knew he should probably disclose the exact identity of who was after him but neither of the men had asked. When that time rolled around he had best be prepared to step carefully. Even within the family they had shared in the past there had been rivalries and animosity. Jared had just taken his chance to get even with the main he believed was responsible for getting him disowned.

Jared's heart was pumping hard in his chest. Maybe just maybe he wouldn't have to come completely clean tonight. If he was forced to he may just find how true his friends were and just how sharp the teeth of the hounds chasing him could be.

[Odion Martins]

Odion didn’t have anything to say over Rhett’s explanation. It really just proved that Rhett didn’t know how powerful someone in a crime ring could be. Maybe the school could protect them, but maybe they couldn’t. Unwanted people strolled into schools all the time and there wasn’t a damn thing anyone could do about it. But to add insult to Rhett’s sheer ignorance, he had to go and bring up Boston. Odion’s eyebrow twitched and he pretended like Rhett was just rambling about things, he pretended to only be half listening, not regarding Jared’s curiosity. Just because the situation was similar, didn’t mean he was going to talk about it. That would involve a slew of other stories, one in particular where Rhett had gone and punched Lani in the face for his crimes. Maybe it would be hard for them to get a hold of that kind of money, but Odion had put his confidence in someone far more capable than Rhett.

Then Rhett had to go off into La La Land, ditching Odion once more, and Jared had to ask the inevitable. Odion really like Jared, but he wasn’t someone Odi had tried very hard to stay in contact with, and Jared couldn’t be mad about that because he hadn’t tried either. But still, it felt like they hadn’t missed a beat and being around Jared was easy, like being around Avi for instance. If Odi had known Jared had tried to repay the person he thought had gotten him kicked out of their little gang, he would’ve felt even more obligated to get Jared’s head off that platter, and back into his own ass. He was funnier that way. Getting back to the task at hand, Odi’s arm had once been hanging loosely around Jared’s shoulders. Now, it raised to slap him lightly in the face. “You want to talk about that? Or do you want to talk about the money we’re going to get you?” Odion had his own ways of steering the conversation in the right direction.

Oh that was interesting, wasn’t that the plan Odion had been thinking of? Granted the redhead’s plan didn’t have as many specifics, but it was still his idea. He huffed next to Jared as they spoke of future plans, mumbling something about how ‘that’s what I wanted to do’. Finishing off his third beer now, Odion set the empty bottle down on his desk, his arm still around Jared for some reason – usually he wasn’t so affectionate. It was bad enough that his ex was lying on his bed, but now he had to hug him? Odion didn’t want to be anywhere near Rhett, so when Jared pulled them into a group hug, Odi did his best not to touch the blond any more than necessary. “We’re not going to bail you out again though,” Odi warned, trying to ignore the familiar scent that belonged to Rhett. Fucking memories.

Being the first one to break the contact, Odion went to his fridge, staring down the bottles within. “What time is it anyways?” He asked nonchalantly, ready to let the subject be dropped. Besides, once he brought this up to Lani, everything would be planned for him. Cracking open another beer, Odion went up behind Jared and switched out the bottles. He raised his brows at Jared as though saying ‘what’ before taking a swig of the harder liquor. There was much fun to be had before midnight struck.

[Rhett Goddard]

Rhett didn't stop believing both Jared and Odion were being a tad dramatic. As much as they were trying to make it look so, life was not a movie. Jared's little speech only produced a small chuckle on the blonde, these two were clearly watching too many movies.

"Oh, that was me offering advice." Rhett said before being ambushed into a group hug.

It's of note that the blonde's participation on said hug was merely of presence, as Rhett's arms did not move to embrace any of the other two. It was awkward, and it didn't have to be specifically related to what had happened between Odion and Rhett, for Rhett, these kinds of things were always rather awkward. In an attempt to end it somehow or another, he patted the back of the other two boys softly, slowly and awkwardly.

"Did you miss the part where I said don't count me in?" Rhett said just before Odion managed to break free and end the group hug. "I haven't changed my mind." He checked the watch on his left wrist when Odion asked about the time. "Well... happy new year." Rhett said still staring at the clock, gathering his mind around the fact that 2013 had actually started while the Jared had the other two embraced, and wondering if it meant something. "Welcome, Bell," Forming a small smile, Rhett lifted his bottle of wine in front of him and towards the other two, motioning a toast. "cheers."

[Jared Bell]

"You have a problem talking about Rhett?"Jared asked coyly. Jared had never seen things working properly with the other two boys. Odion was always being walked over and Rhett had shown himself to have the nasty habit of leaving. Once was understandable burn the blonde had made it happen more than that.It would take someone with a firmer hand than Odi to tie him down. It was really a wonder that they hadn't gotten back together; he assumed the ginger would take Goddard back the second he had the option. "Sorry mate, I thought it would be safe as the both of you brought it up."

Odion seemed to be a little upset his plan had been "stolen" but Jared had the feeling he could get a little more help from him know the later stages. Of course Rhett would find a way to act like he wasn't helping even if he had made a base plan. "Sod off you wanker." Jared said affectionately. Rhett could avoid helping his friend all he wanted but everyone knew how this night was going to end up. In the end they would find the heart that Goddard tried so hard to hide and he would be on board with his friends, even if one if them was the dumbest thief ever. Jared could feel the tension between the other two. He knew they weren't fond of each other or physical contact but one would think copious amounts of alcohol would help loosen them up.

"I'm not going to get caught again." Jared replied, managing a laugh. He certainly hadn't liked the thought of needing help in the first place. Never had he encountered a string of such bad luck but life would go on, with or without him. It didn't really matter how he had gotten in the hole. All that mattered right now was how he planned on getting out. The best thing that had come from his mistake was the chance to a actually know his old friends again. Their faces had changed and so had their hearts, even if it was just subtle to him. He had genuinely cared about them and there wasn't any other place he wanted to start the new year.

Jared broke into a grin. "Happy new years mates! May this year bring much less trouble for us, a lot more for all who oppose us and one great time after another!" What the hell did Odi think he was doing? He had no right to take his bottle away! He managed soft "oh" when it was replaced with a beer.now he didn't have anything to complain about. "Thanks Odi, I forgot that you liked this toilet water for a second there." He said sarcastically. He would probably be gotten back for the joke later but he had always teased about the other guy's tastes."I've made it my resolution to make it until 2014. What about you lads?" he asked, his words slurring.Oh yes, tonight was going to be a great night.