Author's Note: I really hope this is okay. I've been reading a few Jonnor AU high school/college fics and this idea just randomly came to me. In this, everything is the same. Jude starts Anchor Beach in 7th grade, only Connor never made the move to become friends with Jude. Now they're both in 10th grade. The only plot difference that will come up is that Ana is a non-factor, so the car accident from season 2 never happened. Please let me know what you think!

It was a month before prom. The entire high school section of Anchor Beach Community Charter School was abuzz with activity and excitement.

Connor Stevens stood, leaning against his locker, his eyes fixed on a single point.

"You know, if you stare any longer without blinking, your eyes will burn right out of your head."

Blinking quickly, Connor turned and lightly shoved his friend. He and Maddie had been friends since elementary school. She was one of the only people, along with their friend Taylor, who knew of Connor's longstanding crush/borderline obsession.

As if on cue, Connor saw the familiar figure approach his own locker, the very spot Connor had been staring at so intently.

"You know…" Maddie began. "You could just go up to him and ask him to prom."

Connor sighed in frustration. "No. I can't. It's…it's too late. I blew my chance ages ago."

Maddie shook her head at her friend's attitude. "It's never too late to make the first step, you know. Just say something to him. Just try!"

Connor merely continued to watch the tall, lanky boy. Connor had spent so much of the last 3, almost 4 years focused on the other boy that he had every physical detail memorized, and yet he was still enraptured. Jude Adams Foster was beautiful in ways Connor couldn't even put into words.

The shrill sound of the warning bell brought Connor out of his thoughts. He watched, defeated, as Jude made his way to his first class, before releasing a huff and pounding his locker in frustration.

He hated himself.

He could still remember the day he first laid eyes on Jude Adams Foster…well, Jude Jacob back then.

He walked into Connor's math class, small, meek, shy. But there was just something about him that drew Connor in. He could tell this new person wasn't like anyone he had met before.

Immediately, the whispers started. Apparently, the new kid was in the foster care system and his mom was dead. Right now he was living with the vice principal.

Connor could tell Jude knew what people were saying. It was almost like he was used to it. That very thought broke Connor's heart. He thought about saying something to Jude. Something to make him feel not so alone, but at the last second, he held his tongue. He didn't know what the consequences would be if people saw him talking to the new "weird" kid.

It was as if that first day had set the tone. After shamefully backing down that day, Connor figured his chance had been lost. Every other opportunity that came up to talk to Jude, he would freeze, too scared to take action.

As the bullying got worse, so did the pain in Connor's heart. It seemed that there were certain boys in the school who had it out particularly for Jude. They would always find something to get at him about, whether it be his "foster kid" status, his dead mother, his lack of comprehension in math, his nail polish, his ultimate adoption…There always seemed to be something.

Every time, Connor would watch from the sidelines, itching to do something, yet remaining still. And if he didn't know any better, he'd think Jude knew it too. They had never said one word to each other, but Connor could have sworn Jude would send him glances, eyes filled with defeat and heartbreak, every time he was picked on and Connor didn't step in.

They were now in 10th grade. For the most part, most people pretty much left Jude alone now…but that was on both sides. The ones who used to bully him mostly paid him no mind, but he also had no close friends at the school, apart from his siblings. He would go to his classes, do his work, and not say a word to anyone. Though, Connor had seen him interact with his brothers and sisters, as well as with the vice principal, his adoptive mom. There were smiles and laughs. Jude would talk animatedly and be swooped up into tight bear hugs.

Connor wanted to be a part of that. He wanted to know that Jude.

He walked home from school, both Maddie and Taylor in tow. The girls were busy chatting away about prom dresses when Connor noticed his dad's car in the driveway. He was almost never home this early.

As he opened the door, he heard the TV in the living room and saw his dad sitting in front of it, some papers from work laid out in front of him.

"Hey, Dad," he said with surprise. "What are you doing home so early?"

"Oh, that last client I was supposed to meet with today postponed, so I figured I'd just head home and start the weekend a bit early," he answered with a smile.

The three teenagers made their way to the kitchen, grabbing some snacks before sitting down at the table. It wasn't much longer before Adam made his way in, planning to grab a drink from the fridge. He couldn't help but listen to the kids' conversation.

"So prom's coming up, huh? You kids got any dates lined up?"

Both girls filled him in on the boys they were hoping to go with before Taylor continued.

"And of course we're still trying to get Connor to finally ask Jude, but we're getting nowhere!"

Adam's eyes squinted in confusion. "Who's Jude?"

Adam was the only person along with Taylor and Maddie who knew Connor was gay. He could still vividly remember the day his son finally came out to him, back when he was in 7th grade. It had taken him a while to get used to, mostly because he was worried about how the world would treat his son, but by the time Connor entered 8th grade, Adam was in full support of his son. He had often asked him if there were any boys at school he was interested in, but Connor would always say no and quickly change the subject. It had both worried and frustrated Adam to no end.

He was surprised to see the two teenage girls sitting in his kitchen now had matching looks of shock on their faces, their mouths hanging open.

"Who's Jude?!" Maddie repeated in shock…probably much louder than was strictly necessary.

Taylor picked up where her friend left off. "Only the guy Connor's been obsessed with since 7th grade!"

Connor shot both girls a death glare. "Shut up, Taylor," he growled.

To say Adam was shocked would be an understatement. "Really? That long and I've never heard of him? Why, Connor? You know it took me a while but I'm perfectly fine with you having a boyfriend now."

"It's not that," Connor whispered, refusing to make eye contact with his father.

"You're not ashamed, are you?"

At that, Connor lifted his head and looked at his dad. "Not for the reason you think."

Connor then began to recount his history with the enigmatic boy, from Jude's first day to now, not leaving out a single detail, including when it came to the bullying Jude had endured.

"…And they would pick on him because he's not very good at math. They would call him stupid, but he's not, Dad, he's really not! He's really smart and he's actually a really good writer!"

Adam listened silently, trying to take in all this new information his son was shooting at him at a rapid speed.

When he was finally done, Connor let out a huge breath and threw his head onto the table in both exhaustion and self-loathing.

"Connor?" Adam finally broke the silence. "Look at me."

The boy slowly lifted his head, unsure how his father would react.

"All those horrible things that boy went through…and you never stood up for him? You never even said anything to him?"

The boy shook his head defeatedly, reaching up to wipe a tear from his eye. "No." His voice was just a whisper.

"I have to say I thought I'd raised you better than that. I thought you would be the first person to stand up for somebody else."

Connor nodded defeatedly. "I know, Dad. There's not a day that goes by that I don't regret it."

Adam's nod was decisive. "Well, it's not too late. What are you gonna do?"

"It is too late! What could I possibly say to Jude now to make up for everything?"

Little did he know that fate would be on his side.

TBC