IT WAS NICE KNOWING YOU

CH. 2 • Six Months Prior

"Denzel! Wake up, doll! I made breakfast!"

Mick, Mickey, Mikey, Mike. My brother. He was always so cordial in the morning.

"Alright," I humphed. What must have been just five minutes later, I felt a warm breath tickle my ear.

"Cady-bear," he whispered, and I thought, oh, no.

I opened the eye that wasn't pressed against my pillow and measured the length of my brother's pants. When I shifted my head just enough to get a peek at his face, I was met with a wave from Niagara.

"MICHAEL!"

That was me somewhere between a yelp and a scream. It was the second time this school year, and I was only three weeks in!

I jumped up quickly into the spot he was just standing at and stripped my bed clean. Off with the spread, pillow covers, and duvet. It would all have to dry separately. After cracking my window open, I ran down the hall, planning to tackle Michael to the ground.

But he was nowhere to be seen.

"Michael?" I tried. I heard someone snicker behind me and whirled around to find Sage.

Oh dear, I thought and peeked down at my attire, gasping in horror. Sage stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans and pretended to inspect the pictures on the wall while I grasped my shirt and pulled it away from my chest.

"He had to run out front. Otherwise, your aunt was about to come in and do an inspection," Sage stated, still not looking at me.

"Right. Rather convenient timing," I replied. He made his way past me into the kitchen and tossed me the towel hanging off the oven door.

"It's Wednesday. Did you forget?" He asked. I scowled and pressed the towel to myself with crossed arms. My aunt's Wednesday visits didn't have to mean I had to wake up soaked.

"He could have skipped giving me a cold shower if he knew you were here. Where's Wesley, anyway? I'm gonna need a ride."

Sage pushed forward the bowl of berries Michael undoubtedly rinsed for me. "He's stuck at home, sick, and Mike's gotta get to work early, so he can't take you himself. So you're stuck with me."

"Oh," I nodded, trying to play it cool in front of my lifelong crush. "Thanks." I grabbed a fistful of the bits of fruit and started making my way back to my bedroom. "I'll be ready in ten." That had to have passed as cool.

I blew out my hair, tied it in a knot, and skipped the shower. After finishing the rest of my routine and changing into fresh joggers and a T-shirt, I walked back out.

"Ready!" I exclaimed.

Sage was waiting on the couch, typing away on his phone, while Michael placed dishes in the dishwasher.

"You!" I pointed my finger at my brother. "This is becoming a pattern, Michael." I tried to hide my smile, knowing he'd never take my scolding seriously, especially if I couldn't keep it together long enough to make a point.

He smiled mischievously towards me before I felt a pair of hands reaching out from behind me and tickling me.

"Hey!" I started to squeal. It was just Sage being Sage, but my face started to heat up. I couldn't be sure I would ever fully recover from my childhood crush on my brother's best friend.

Michael must've noticed the blush rising to my cheeks. Sage was having fun for a second too long.

"Maybe I can drop her off after all," Michael said, clearing his throat.

Sage had already dropped his hands and stepped around me to finish the last of the berries. He shook his head.

"No worries, bro. I've gotta pick up Lara right after. She lives two minutes away from the school."

"Right," replied Michael, visibly relaxing. He had stated what I was thinking. Right. Sage is still seeing Lara. How reassuring.

"Oh-kay," I butted in, easing the suddenly serious mood with a goofy face. I grabbed my bag and started walking backward. "Did you bring your car or your motorcycle?"

Sage winced. "The latter," he looked towards Michael for approval, but Mike had already forgiven him. He gave his permission with a nod before speaking up again.

"I'm picking you up right after track, Den. Aunt Clara's expecting a formal dinner at the house tonight."

"Sounds good!" I spoke up from by the door. "Love you!"

"Love you, too!" said Michael.

"Love you, always!" I replied.

I saw his smile before I stepped out.

"Ok, ok. Plenty of love to go around," Sage said, having side-stepped me to get out of the yard and around Aunt Clara's house faster. I followed suit, meeting him at his motorcycle just seconds after he got on.

As I tightened the messenger bag strap around my back and grabbed hold of the helmet Sage was holding out to me, I dared to ask about Lara. Why I had to do that to myself, I couldn't figure out.

"Were you texting her back there?" I asked.

"Who?" He pretended to not know and placed his helmet on, flipping the visor up.

"The girlfriend that wants to become your fiancé," I withheld a duh.

"Ah, right." He said, flipping down his visor. I did the same and wrapped my arms around him.

Fifteen minutes later, we arrived at Breckenridge High, the school Michael and Sage had graduated from four years prior and the same place Wesley and I would graduate from in May. I had decided to let go of my previous prod at Sage's love life. If he didn't want to talk about it, I wouldn't make him.

"Thanks for the ride," I told him when he stopped the bike, handing over the helmet that would be on Lara's head by the time I was setting up my Anatomy lab.

"Sure thing." Sage had flipped his visor back up, his stormy blue eyes piercing their way to my heart. I had to break eye contact. "I'll see you and Michael on Saturday," he said. I nodded my understanding, still avoiding eye contact. And then he was off.

I didn't wait to watch his bike disappear. I hugged my bag to my chest and ran to the front doors.

"Hey, stranger." That was Collin, my boyfriend of four months, who didn't know I was just drooling over another guy. It was no surprise I wasn't getting any girlfriend-of-the-year award any time soon.

"Hey." I smiled as I breathed in his familiar cologne and kept our hug intact for an extra second, secretly hoping that would make me feel something more profound for him.

"Is Wesley out today?" He asked, holding my hand as we walked towards our first class together.

"Yeah," I responded. "Hopefully not for long. I need him to do his part of the presentation on Friday." And to keep me company in watching our brothers ride their dirt bikes for the last time this summer on Saturday, I thought to myself.

"For that not-so-lit class?" He joked.

"Yeah, that AP US Literature class, Collin."

He kissed my forehead, and we went to our separate lab tables. While Mrs. Hodgkins made a point of not allowing couples to be lab partners, she didn't notice how the girl she had paired Collin with instead of me was distracted by him more than I could ever be.