Reconcile by Nicole Dykes
Fourteen years old
I watchSawyer and Mindy suck face in the hallway, appalled and annoyed as I cross my arms over my stomach, hating how heavy my backpack is. Don’t they know they can get in a lot of trouble for this?
She’s not even a freshman like us. She’s a freaking junior. What she wants with an underclassman, I have no idea, but it’s gross. Finally, the succubus releases Sawyer and gives him a great big, dumb smile. “I’ll see you later.”
He salutes her like the cocky guy he is and and offers her a sly grin. “Yes, you will.”
She blows him a kiss and tosses her teased-out, blond hair over her shoulder as she finally walks away. Then finally, Sawyer turns around to face me and smiles. “Hey, Pipes. What do you have going on after school today?”
I shake my head and brush past him, but he catches up and slings his arm around my shoulder. “I have ballet.”
“Yawn.”
I roll my eyes and stop walking to face him, wishing I could hide my annoyance. Sawyer has become my best friend over the years, but we don’t always see eye to eye. I’m not a huge fan of my last name or my family, but that doesn’t mean I always push back.
I think the time for rebellion will be later, when we’re older. But Sawyer fights it tooth and nail.
“It’s not yawn. It’s good to learn. Then I have a French lesson.”
“Again. Yawn.”
“Sawyer, are you ever going to take life seriously?”
He cocks his head to the side, and I know he’s only pretending to think it over before he says, “Nope.”
I roll my eyes but can’t combat my smile. “What do you have planned after school?”
“Spanish tutor. Then piano.”
I smile. “I like listening to you play.” Not that I get a lot of time to do it, but sometimes we sneak into the music room at school and try to show each other up from our lessons.
He looks oddly serious as we walk out the front door, and he turns to me. “Sneak out with me tonight.”
I grip the strap of my backpack over one of my shoulders and shake my head. “No. I can’t. You know my parents have alarms and security cameras all over the house.”
“You could try, Pipes. Come on.”
I shake my head, hating how badly I want to, which surprises even me. “I can’t. They’ll kill me. Besides, don’t you have a date with Mindy?”
I’m pouting, and it’s annoying me, but I can’t help it. He smiles and pulls me into a side hug. “You know you’re my number one girl, Piper.”
“Yeah well, your tongue was down her throat a minute ago, so excuse me if I don’t believe you.”
He chuckles at that and doesn’t release me. “Hey, if you’d let me stick my tongue—”
“Stop,” I quickly interrupt him because I can’t think about that. About kissing Sawyer. It just wouldn’t be right. We’re friends. And my parents wouldn’t let me date anyway. Not even a Ross.
He laughs again. “Damn. My car’s here. I can’t wait until I get my own and a license.”
“You with a driver’s license sounds scary.”
He smiles and lets me go, turning to look at me. “See ya tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow, Sawyer.”
He starts toward his family’s town car but then looks over his shoulder at me with that cocky swagger down pat. “Hey, Pipes?”
I smile because I know what’s coming. “Yeah?”
“What would we be doing if we weren’t a Ross and a Ward?”
I grin and shake my head, tucking my hair behind my ear before locking eyes with him. “Everything, Sawyer. We would do everything.”
He winks at me and climbs into the backseat of the car, and I wave.
Yeah, I’m in trouble. I really, really don’t want to be having these feelings for my best friend who is absolutely never serious about anything.
