My Best Friend's Brother // Young Love Book 1 ✔️

Chapter 2 (Edited)

"I thought we were going to the beach side, Cindy, not your bedroom shore," I complained impatiently, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"I'm just looking for--aha!" Cindy raised her hand, holding out a brush.

A brush? Seriously? That was the thing that came between me and riding my bike?

In her defence, finding something in her room was a challenge of epic proportions. Sure, it was average sized, but...it was big on clutter. I quickly glanced at the floor; there was an array of clothing, rumpled pieces of paper, and a handful of shoes. Cindy Fellows was one of the messiest human beings I knew. Pretty sure the only thing the girl could keep neat and tidy were her grades. She'd been perfectly atop the cohort rankings since elementary school. No one could even come close to her. It was like trying to beat a boulder with a twig.

Rolling my eyes at said brainiac, I tugged on her wrist and basically dragged her out of the room. But that was beside the point, she brought it upon herself. Bottom line: I just really wanted to go biking. I didn't want to stay inside for another minute, it was such a nice day for cycling. Just as we were about to head out, Cindy's mother blocked our exit.

So close, I thought to myself.

"Hey, Mrs F," I said with a sheepish smile. "We were just about to go, you know, biking."

"Exactly," she replied, giving us this look and pointing at the living room. Obviously, Cindy and I obliged. No need to cause unnecessary problems.

So much for fun in the sun...

I quickly released Cindy's wrist, so as to not look pushy. Because I wasn't. Well, I didn't think I was anyway.

Cindy and I went to sit down next to each other on the sofa, while Mrs Fellows seated herself across from us. I stared at the little wooden coffee table in front of me, losing myself in thought yet again. In truth, I was only half listening to the conversation.

"Charlie, could you please put those headphones away?" I heard Mrs Fellows ask. Her voice was soft with a hint of authority; a subtle command.

I didn't even realise that Charlie was in the same room. When I looked up, I wasn't expecting to see him there, sitting so casually on the armrest. My observation skills were just so efficient.

Imagine if the thing breaks? Man, his face would look priceless if he plants it smack on the floor!

I burst out in a fit of laughter at the silliness of my thoughts. Suddenly, everyone was staring at me as if I was a deranged hobo. In some cases, okay, maybe I was, but right now I needed to do some damage control.

"I-I remembered something from yesterday, you see. It was very funny," I mumbled trying to reassure them that I was 97% sane. Evidently, it was a sad attempt and I sounded more like I was trying to convince myself, but I tried. It was pathetic, but I tried. Cindy made it even worse when she gave me a pat on the shoulder. Even the patting felt like it held some sort of pity. Trust my best friend to make the already unpleasant situation even more unpleasant. Charlie made a show of rolling his eyes at me as I slowly lost my dignity. Mrs Fellows, on the other hand, fought to contain her laughter. She was losing that battle, but I couldn't blame her--I was just such a comedian.

Once things have settled, Mrs Fellows returned to her authoritative demeanour. "Moving on, shall we?" The question didn't even sound like a question, it was a statement in disguise.

The three of us nodded in unison, of course. Nobody was about to extend this oh-so-lovely sermon-inquisition.

"Charlie, you're coming with them," their mother simply commanded. Immediately after the words flew from her lips, all eyes landed on her.