"Are you sure you're okay?" Alex asked, his voice filled with concern as he scanned Sarah's ankle. "You should tell me if it hurts, Sarah. Don't keep everything to yourself like you always do." He lightly flicked her forehead.
Sarah pouted and made a face. "I'm fine. The doctor already bandaged my ankle," she replied, glancing down at her now stiff right ankle. "I just need to stay off this foot for two days, and I'll be fine."
"You better," Alex warned playfully. "Or I'll flick your head so hard that you'll go into a coma."
Sarah burst into laughter and gave him an incredulous look. "Seriously?" she chuckled in amusement. "Out of all the threats you could have come up with, that's what you choose?"
Well, I can think of a million threats, but why would I use them on you? Alex grinned mischievously at her. "Don't underestimate these fingers," he said, wiggling his hand. "They're deadlier than you think."
Sarah shook her head, still chuckling. Alex chuckled as well and ruffled her hair, his smile filled with tenderness.
Deliah cleared her throat, and Sarah straightened up, wiping the smile off her face and removing Alex's hand from her head. "Matthew, could you help me get my crutches?" she asked, smiling at her boyfriend.
"No problem, baby," Matthew grinned, relieved to finally get noticed. He had been trying to join their conversation but had failed the entire time. Hah, in your face, Alex, he thought triumphantly. He was still Sarah's boyfriend, after all. Of course, he would be her number one.
Sarah smiled at Deliah and limped away as Matthew helped her. Alex watched with worry, as if she was walking on eggshells. Deliah looked at him, a sense of unease settling in her stomach. Alex noticed her gaze and gulped, wondering if his expression had given something away.
He smiled awkwardly at her. "Shall we go?" he suggested, rubbing the back of his neck.
Deliah forced a smile and nodded, following him. She shook her head and mentally scolded herself. Don't be silly, Deliah. It's Sarah we're talking about! Why would she betray you? She wouldn't! Stop these doubts, Deliah. You're being too paranoid.
"Mom! We're home!" Deliah called out as she helped Sarah into the house. Sarah entered with her crutches, and Alex kept a watchful eye on her, ready to assist if she tripped.
"So soon?" Mrs. Johnson's voice came from the kitchen. She emerged, wearing an apron and wiping her hands on a cloth. Her eyes widened as she saw Sarah with a crutch, and she rushed over, panicking. "Sarah!! Are you hurt?" she exclaimed.
Loud stomping from the second floor echoed as Mr. Johnson hurried down the stairs. "What's going on? Is Sarah injured?"
Sarah blushed and looked at her parents. "It's not too serious, just a sprained ankle," she reassured them. "Don't worry, Mom and Dad. I'll be fine in a couple of days."
"Sissy was trying to save me from falling, and in the end, she got hurt herself," Deliah sighed, shaking her head.
Mr. Johnson frowned. "Come, have a seat on the couch," he said, guiding his daughter to sit down. "Honey, should we brew some tonic or something for her?"
"Great idea! I'll call Mrs. Herbert next door to see if she has any extra herbs to spare," Mrs. Johnson exclaimed, rushing towards the phone. "Mom! There's no need," Sarah interjected, shaking her head. "Nonsense! Just stay here and rest, alright?" Mr. Johnson disagreed, shaking his head. He glanced around at the two boyfriends and raised an eyebrow at Matthew. "Who are you? I haven't seen you before."
Matthew stepped forward, clearing his throat and feeling relieved that the attention was now on him. "Hello, Sir. I'm Matthew, Sarah's boyfriend."
"Matthew? Why does that name sound familiar?" Mr. Johnson tapped his chin, trying to recall.
"Maybe because he's been bullying your daughter for the past three years," Alex muttered under his breath. Mr. Johnson overheard him and turned to Matthew, finally realizing the truth. Although he had concerns, he kept them to himself and looked at Sarah with confusion, wondering why she had chosen this guy despite hearing so many negative things about him. But Sarah knows what she's doing, Mr. Johnson sighed inwardly. I should trust her.
"Well, I'll leave you kids here. I have some work to do," Mr. Johnson said, smiling at his daughters. He playfully ruffled Sarah's hair. "Don't stress your leg, alright?"
The four of them remained in the living room while Mrs. Johnson made her phone call. Matthew casually sat down on the couch next to Sarah, crowding her personal space as he slung an arm around her shoulders. "Baby, I was so worried about you," he whispered, nuzzling his nose against her jaw. Sarah stiffened and removed his arm.
"Not here, Matthew," she muttered. "We're not alone."
"Okay, I'll wait until we are," Matthew grinned at her. Sarah felt a wave of disgust. Oh no, she would ensure there wouldn't be any time alone with him. Ever.
Alex scowled at Matthew and took a seat on the other couch, with Deliah sitting beside him. "So, I've never seen your room before, Sarah," Matthew began. "Why don't you show me your room? We can have some time alone together," he said with a sly grin.
Alex jumped up. "That's the worst pickup line in history, Matthew McCall. Can't you think of something better?" he said, narrowing his eyes.
Matthew frowned and sat up. "What's it to you, Alex?" he snarled. "Sarah is my girlfriend. You've got your own, so stop interfering with our business. What we do doesn't concern you."
Alex growled. "Hell yeah, it does. I may not be Sarah's boyfriend," he muttered, "yet. But I also know that Sarah is a girl who deserves respect. Using a lousy pickup line on her, especially in front of her sister and me? That's not respect, dude. If you don't know what that is, go back to kindergarten."
Matthew stood up, positioning himself chest to chest with Alex. "You've got a problem with me, Alex," he muttered. "I don't know what it is, but I don't like you trying to take what's mine. So fuck off," he hissed.
Alex clenched his fists, ready to strike the guy's ugly face. Sarah limped over and held onto both of their arms. "Stop this," she frowned. "You're not making any sense."
Alex calmed down at her touch, looking down at her and gradually relaxing. He took a deep breath and glared at Matthew. "Only because she said so," he whispered, and sat down again.
Matthew rolled his eyes and boldly wrapped his arm around Sarah's waist, as if challenging Alex. Sarah squirmed out of his grip and shook her head. "Don't provoke him, Matthew," she muttered.
Deliah bit her lip awkwardly, visibly relieved when the bell rang. She immediately got up and rushed to the door. "Hey, Deliah!" a woman smiled. "Your mom asked for extra herbs, I'm here with them. Can I come in?" Mrs. Herbert asked.
"Sure!" Deliah smiled and let Mrs. Herbert in. "Mirabel, I'm here with the herbs!" Mrs. Herbert hollered. "Already? You're a lifesaver!" Mrs. Johnson rushed out of the kitchen. "Thank you! Have a seat! I'll pop these in and come out in a bit." Mrs. Johnson hurried back into the kitchen.
Mrs. Herbert chuckled in amusement and turned to look at the youngsters sitting in the living room. "Oh, who are these two guys? Your boyfriends?" she grinned, clearly intrigued.
Deliah blushed and nodded. "Yeah."
"Awww, young love," Mrs. Herbert smiled, nodding. She gasped when she noticed Sarah's bandaged ankle and frowned. "Oh my God, Sarah, what happened?"
"Fell," Sarah shrugged, shaking her head. "It's okay, Mrs. Herbert."
"Hmm, better take care. No wonder Mirabel wanted those herbs," she muttered. She sat down on the single-seater and eyed the two boys with interest. "The Johnson sisters' boyfriends. Not bad looking," she remarked, glancing at Alex and nodding in approval.
Alex blushed and smiled, stealing a quick glance at Sarah. "So, what are your names? Lucky boys to have these beautiful girls, huh?" Mrs. Herbert grinned.
"I'm Alex," Alex greeted. "Nice to meet you."
"Alex, handsome, eh? Be careful, Sarah, you better keep your eye on such a handsome boyfriend before he gets stolen by other girls!" Mrs. Herbert joked. Sarah blinked and met Alex's eyes. "Ma'am...he...he isn't my boyfriend," she cleared her throat awkwardly.
Mrs. Herbert looked taken aback. "Alex isn't... he's Deliah's boyfriend?" she looked between Deliah and Alex. "Oh, it must be my mistake. I thought..." She looked between Alex and Sarah again, thinking, It looked like this Alex is in love with Sarah instead. I must have seen wrongly.
"I'm Matthew," Matthew interjected. "I'm Sarah's boyfriend."
"Of course," Mrs. Herbert said, looking uncomfortable. "Uhm... I have to make sure my son's studying. I'll head back first. Tell your mom I went back, alright?" She smiled at Sarah and Deliah. "Bye, girls!" She darted out of the door at the first opportunity, muttering "weird, weird, weird" under her breath. Alex raised his eyebrows at Sarah, grinning inwardly. See? Even other people think we look like a couple.
Sarah shot him a glare. So? We aren't.
Soon, Alex winked, chuckling softly to himself.
"Liah! Can you come in to help me with watching the stove? I have to go to the toilet!" Mrs. Johnson hollered. "Coming!" Deliah called back. She smiled at Alex. "Honey, you can go up to my room and grab a few DVDs to watch if you're bored. Mine is on the second floor."
"Okay," Alex nodded as Deliah hurried off. "So, I'll grab some DVDs real quick," He nodded at Sarah, his gaze shifting to Matthew, a frown forming on his face. He decided it would be best to stay vigilant and be ready to intervene if Matthew tried anything.
Alex sprinted up the stairs and darted into the first room he saw. As he entered, he was greeted by a remarkably tidy space, and the overwhelming scent of peaches filled the air. He paused for a moment, placing his bag against the table and taking a look around. Instantly, he realized that this wasn't Deliah's room; it belonged to his girl, Sarah.
His curiosity piqued, Alex surveyed the room with interest, not at all surprised by Sarah's impeccable tidiness. A soft chuckle escaped him as he noticed a stack of the school's past newsletters, starting from the very first issue she had contributed to. Alex picked up the first copy and flipped through the pages, eventually finding Sarah's name towards the end.
With genuine interest, he read her article, absorbing every word. Although she wasn't as skilled as she had become, she was still remarkable in his eyes. Alex noticed that she had underlined her own name and drawn a smiley face next to it, evidently delighted that her work had been published. "Cute," he murmured, his lips curling into a smile.
Suddenly, a realization struck him, and he remembered that he had left Matthew and Sarah alone downstairs. He furrowed his brow and swiftly left the room, snatching up his bag in the process. Accidentally colliding with the table, several of Sarah's books tumbled onto the floor. "Crap," Alex cursed, hastily picking them up and arranging them on the table. Grabbing his bag, he dashed out of the room, heading towards Deliah's room in search of the DVDs.
Unbeknownst to him, a particular book had slipped into his bag—a book that would soon change his perspective on everything.