It Had to Be You

eight

IT had taken both Alex and Bryce to wake Caroline last night and I was surprised when I saw Bryce this morning, he wasn't sprouting a black eye.

We sat in third period, waiting for our teacher who always showed up late to class. I was telling them about the latest Ryan Reynolds movie coming out and denying their requests to join me.

"I love movies." Caroline tried defending herself.

I scoffed. "Yeah, right."

My phone buzzed on the table and I quickly opened the message.

Dad: have u seen the handcuffs that were on the table last night

Me: not since last night...why?

Dad had left way before I had gotten up for school, the entire downstairs looked as though he was in a rush to get out the door. There was a stray note for me on the counter, informing me that Beau would be around later to walk with me to school.

Dad: I lost the key to them

Dad(2): so I need to take them in to get a new key. Our key guy is very busy, I have an appointment.

"Hey," I snapped my fingers in front of Ellie's face, "you didn't take the handcuffs, did you?"

"Handcuffs?" Bryce welcomed himself back into the conversation, glancing back at us over his shoulder with a sly grin.

"A pair of police handcuffs, you idiot."

"Hey," he said, "handcuffs are handcuffs. The padding is just for comfort."

I rolled my eyes, directing my gaze to Caroline. Her light eyes refused to meet my own, instead they were watching as she picked away at the nail polish on her finger nails. Ellie wouldn't meet my gaze either, a light pink color flushed her cheeks.

"You didn't?"

Neither of them answered me.

"What's the big deal, Webster?" Bryce asked without turning around. "They're just handcuffs."

"Yeah, but they don't have a—"

"Norah," our teacher called out my name, fixating me with a harsh glare, "class has started, which means your mouth should be closed."

I slumped back in my seat, making an exaggerated display of shutting my mouth so she could begin class. As soon as she turned her back, my eyes rolled, and I opened my notebook to prepare for notes.

My mind slipped to Caroline and Ellie's seemingly grand master plan with that pair of handcuffs.

I've known the two of them since I was five years old, and when they put their brains together it ends in disaster. I just can hope that they're smart enough to not use them since they don't have the key.

...

A warm hand grabbed a hold of my elbow, tugging me to a standing point before letting go. "Are you deaf? I called your name five times."

"Sorry, I'm just accustomed to ignoring you." I glanced back at his unamused face. "Sorry. Being civil. What's up?"

"Not what's up with me. What's up with your friends? They've been staring me down all day."

"You too? I thought it was only me."

"Huh, so I guess that rules out one or both of them having a mind-blowing crush on me." Adrian glanced down at his sheet music. "Here I was about to tell you how to let them down. I only focus on one girl at a time."