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

My Best Friend's Brother Ch. 28

Chapter 28

A new house for anything without a home.

Zeke and I sit on a picnic table, at the park a few blocks from the library. We've been there for a total of four minutes and fifty-one seconds. I was losing my confidence as every second ticked by, but I tried to remain upbeat. For both our sakes.

I guess you could say we needed it.

I glanced at my trusty partner in crime - I started referring to him like that as of late - and saw him with his eyes closed, his tri-colored irises nowhere to be seen. His lips were pulled together in a tight line and his mass of honey blonde hair looked extra untamed; probably because he ran his fingers through them one too many times. I knew him enough to know that ninety-nine percent of the time, my theory was true.

I blew a sigh, sweeping the surroundings with my slow, lethargic gaze.

A new house for anything without a home?

Maybe it's an orphanage?

Or an animal shelter?

Because you know, they have...no...other...home?

"Hey, Zeke, what about a shelter?" I asked, my chest filling with hope. So far, that was the only idea I could come up with.

His eyelids open, but his expression looked uncertain. "Don't you think that's too easy?" he questioned, tilting his head to the side like a curious puppy.

"Well, I never said I was good with riddles," I shrugged. "I mean, Rumplepigskin would most likely have my head for that."

Zeke chuckled, pulling us to a standing position. "Lucky for you, I'm a master of mind games.

I made a face when he said that.

A heartbeat later, he started to put on his helmet. I do the same.

"By the way, it's Rumplestiltskin, you dumbass."

"Close enough, Einstein."

Without another word, the two of us take off. He told me on the way that he was positive that our next destination was a secondhand shop, or a pawn shop, whichever. There were tons in town, but we thought we'd check out the biggest one first - Bishop's Pawn Shop. Yep, it rhymes. No wonder people loved going there. Now that one of our problems had been dealt with, and that was assuming we got it right, it was time to figure out what to do with the stupid badges.

In my head, I listed off the people closest to me. There was Cindy, of course. Mom and Dad, Penny, Charlie, Mr and Mrs Fellows, the Ashton twins, Diana, Benjie, and Macy, I think. Zeke is pretty much crossed out of the list; but that didn't mean we weren't close. I'd like to think that Zeke was now officially one of my closest friends.

What about Drew?, a voice in my head wondered, though, I quickly shook the thought away. First of all, I doubt that we're close. I can barely speak to him without choking on air. Second of all, he probably didn't get a badge, if you think about it. Drew is part of the activity himself. It'd be hard for us to get a hold of him.

And Anna Stanton, my brain added.

Yes, of course, I can't forget that little detail.

"Zeke, how many people have you got? I could think of about twelve people close to me," I said, as I pushed away an image of Anna and Drew sharing a celebratory kiss at the end of day, by the beach during sunset.

Don't ask me why it's so unrealistically specific.

Or not-so-unrealistic.

Shut up, brain!