Faded Pink (gxg)

Twenty-Seven

Sawyer waits for me outside of Doctor Miller's office. His beat-up SUV – which used to be mine – thumps loudly with whatever heavy-bass song he's listening to. He drums his hands against the steering wheel, oblivious to my arrival. I tug open the passenger door and wince at the volume of the music.

"Jesus, S," I climb into the seat and turn down the radio. "Are you trying to go deaf?"

"What?" He looks at me with a confused expression, cupping his hand around his ear.

"I said –"

He laughs. "Ah, gotcha."

I huff. "I fall for it every time."

"And it's funny every time."

"Whatever," I buckle my seatbelt. "Let's just go home."

Sawyer puts the car into drive and pulls away from the curb. "Actually, I was thinking we could go over to Mark's house."

I groan internally. The last thing I want to be doing right now is socializing. "Fine, but for how long?"

"Why?" Sawyer asks as he turns right at the intersection – away from our house. "You have other plans?"

I open my mouth to answer but he cuts me off with a pointed finger.

"And watching re-runs of Master Chef while doing your little puzzles doesn't count."

I close my mouth. That's exactly what I wanted to do. I cross my arms over my chest and lean my head against the seat.

"Oh, come on," Sawyer nudges my arm. "It'll be fun. You love Mark."

"Of course, I love Mark," I sigh. "I'm just tired."

Sawyer nods. "Okay, fine, I'll make you a deal. We go to Marks for just an hour, then we'll go home and I'll watch Master Chef with you."

"But, you hate that show."

"It makes me hungry," he explains. "And I know that we don't have the ingredients and I don't have the skills to recreate those dishes."

I hum in response.

"Plus, there's so much shouting."

"That's what makes it interesting," I say. "Reality T.V. at its finest."

Sawyer shakes his head. "So, do we have a deal?"

"Yeah, fine," I sigh. "But you have to actually watch with me when we get home, no bailing."

Sawyer holds out his hand, his pinky finger extended. "Promise."

I lock my pinky with his and we shake once.

~

Ten minutes later we're walking up to Mark's front door. Sawyer bounds up the porch steps and lets himself inside. He turns to me and motions for me to remove my shoes then points to the small cubby shelves that sit by the door. I follow his lead and tuck my shoes next to his.

"Hi, Tollers!" Sawyer calls out. "It's me, Sawyer, and Avery is here too!"

I wince at his announcement.

"Hi, kids!" A voice sounds from somewhere in the house. "Mark is in the basement, make yourselves at home!"

I follow Sawyer down the hallway to the basement door and the steps. It's been years since I've been in the Toller household but it looks exactly the same. The basement still has white walls decorated with various art projects and school awards from when we were younger. One side of the room holds home gym equipment that's been used more as a playground than for working out. A ping-pong table sits between the equipment and the oversized U-shaped couch that Mark is currently lounging on. His eyes are glued to the massive plasma-screen television mounted on the wall.

He glances in our direction as Sawyer hops over the back of the couch, landing right next to Mark's feet and nearly spilling a bowl of cheese puffs.

"Dude, watch it!" He scolds my brother, finally pulling his attention from the television. Mark's eyes light up when he sees me. He sits up straighter. "Oh, hey, Avery," he swipes off a few crumbs from his shirt. "I didn't know you were coming."

I give him a small smile. "Yeah, I didn't either until Sawyer convinced me."

"Well, it's good to see you." He smiles. "Here, sit down."

I lower myself onto the end cushion, avoiding any crumbs or cheese dust. Sawyer picks up one of the videogame controllers that are stored under the coffee table and hands it to me.

"Wanna race?"

My eyes bounce between the controller, Sawyer, and the loading screen of Mario Kart. I snatch the controller from him. "Oh, hell yes."

Sawyer smiles and adjusts his seat, leaning forward – his expression focused. Mark shakes his head at our competitiveness but selects the option for 3 players. We cycle through the character collection screen, optimizing our carts, and land on the track selection. Sawyer and Mark argue over which Rainbow Road they want.

I wait silently as they bicker back and forth. When a few minutes pass, I sigh and resort to pulling my phone from my pocket. I mindlessly scroll through my apps and open up Instagram. My most recent post – recent being a few weeks ago now – is still gaining some notifications. I scroll through the names, my heart skipping a beat when I see one in particular.

ReesesandRoses has liked your post.

My thumb automatically selects her name. The screen changes to her profile and I'm greeted by various photos of her life. I chew on my lip, debating whether or not I want to dive down that rabbit hole. There's something about Reese that pulls me in – aside from her kind heart, warm smile, and dangerously gorgeous eyes.

Pump the brakes, Parks.

I shake my head, rattling away the images of Reese, and drop my phone in my lap. The rabbit hole will have to wait. Right now, I need to put my money where my mouth is and win against the boys.

They've finally come to an agreement and begin the tournament. Sawyer and Mark shout, lean, curse, and laugh as we all haphazardly make our way around the course. I can't seem to find my rhythm. I drive off the track, miss item boxes, and narrowly avoid last place.

All because my mind is busy racing with thoughts of a dark-haired, olive-skinned girl with forest-green eyes and a smile that melts my heart.