Pillows and Hoodies

Chapter 9

Mike hugged Kelly!

"Huh? Mike..." Although surprised, she let out a whisper. "What is it?"

"I thought you'd be scared of chickenpox when I learned it from Matt, but I'm glad you're fine," he softly said, trying not to squeeze her in his embrace. "You are such a brave girl."

"I was scared at first," she admitted.

"I know; that's why I immediately booked a flight home," he finally revealed, releasing her from his embrace but keeping his hands to hers.

"You did?"

"Well, knowing how Matt freaks out even on the slightest thing, I thought I should be here to... help him... I guess," he explained.

What? He used me as an excuse! I knew there was something else, but I didn't realize it was Kelly.

"I better go," he said at last. "If you need anything, just let me know."

"I will. Thanks again."

I scampered down the steps, careful not to be seen and heard. I jumped on the couch, put on my earphones, and pretended to listen to music.

He tapped me on the back. I removed my earphones and asked if he wanted me to accompany him.

"Nah, I'm just a block away. Don't leave her alone."

I nodded and thanked him for the stuff. "Let's play basketball tomorrow."

"Alright."

I made a sigh of relief when he was gone. But I still can't believe what I saw. For two days in a row, I've witnessed that one thing I long suspected of, safely stored in my phone.

And, honestly, I liked it.

Our vacation went by in a flash, and a month after Kelly's bout with chickenpox, we were busy preparing for school.

While some of our classmates were undecided about what to do after high school, Mike and I always knew which path to take. I chose Applied Math because I love Math and want to teach students who are afraid of the subject. Mike? You guessed it! He loves Chemistry and will take it as a pre-medical course. Yep, he wants to be a doctor someday, like his parents.

We were in the mall buying school stuff when we met Rachel. Remember her? She was alone, and I would assume she was also there to buy school supplies.

"Hello, Rachel." I was the first one to greet her. "Nice seeing you here."

"Oh, hi, Matt. Yeah, I need to buy the books and notebooks for school," she answered.

She then looked at Mike. "Hello, Mike."

Mike waved his hand.

She noticed Kelly, too. "It's you again. How are you?"

"Oh, right, she's my sister Kelly."

"Hello," Kelly replied. "I'm fine. Thanks."

"Well, are you here with someone?" I asked for continuity because it's getting awkward with Mike not saying a word or even looking at her.

"Um, I'm alone. April's got something to do, so I'm taking a solo flight today," she said, almost like saying she wanted to join us.

"If you'd like, you can go with us because we will have lunch." I took the initiative of inviting her, thinking that she'd reject it, but I was wrong.

"Sure!" She accepted it.

Mike glared at me, but I just rolled my eyes.

While we were near the counter, "What's wrong with you?" I confronted him.