Almost Perfect - Brian Katcher [87]
“And did Sage enjoy herself?” The question was casual, but this was the one she really wanted answered. She was groping for hints about what was going on between us.
The funny thing was, before I’d talked to Laura, I would have happily admitted she was my girlfriend. I wouldn’t have told Mom what had happened in the dorm, but I might have “accidentally” admitted Sage was more than a friend. Bragged a little, let my mom know I was finally over Brenda.
Thank God Laura had called before I said that. Now I didn’t have to explain why Sage was about to disappear forever.
“Sage had fun. I didn’t see her too much. Today she had to talk to her advisor and hung out with people she knew in town.”
Mom sighed. She’d been hoping for more information. Complaining of a stomachache, I exited to my room, lay down on my bed, and stared at the ceiling until dawn.
The next morning, I went to school determined to show the world that I didn’t have any feelings for Sage (again). I had to prove to all my friends that we were not romantically involved (for the second time).
Tim and Jack obviously knew that Sage and I were more than casual friends. The way we always hung out, and the couple of months of me refusing to talk to her … People only act like that when there’s something going on.
Then again, maybe I was giving them too much credit. The last time Jack put two and two together was in first-grade math, while Tim … Tim had other things on his mind.
He nearly tackled me when I was parking my bike that morning. Even before he said a word, I knew what was up. His grin was so broad he could have swallowed an entire Big Mac in one bite (which I knew he could do from firsthand experience). He was literally jiggling with excitement, his belly and breasts rippling like the ocean in a windstorm.
“Logan, guess what?” I hadn’t seen him this worked up since they’d built the Pizza Hut in Moberly. This could only mean one thing.
“You and Dawn,” I answered with a wink.
Tim nodded forcefully. “We were at her house Saturday. You were right, Logan. Things just sort of fell into place.”
“You dog.” I was happy for him. I had begun to worry that he’d never meet anyone.
“I had to tell someone.” He paused and looked over his shoulder as if Dawn might be listening in. “So how was Mizzou?”
“Great!” I said a little too emphatically. “I met this chick at a frat party. We went back to her place …” I left it hanging.
“You dog!” laughed Tim, slapping my palm. “Who was she?”
“Girl named Erin.” I answered with the first name that came to mind. “Damn, she was amazing. I hope Laura’s roommate doesn’t find out what we did in her bed.”
“I thought you went back to her place.”
I’d been thinking of Sage, remembering our night together. God, had it only been a couple of days before? “I meant Laura’s room.”
The warning bell rang, and we entered the building.
All day long I dreaded running into Sage. At the same time, I deliberately tried to find her. Now that I had calmed down a little, I wanted to talk to her. Tell her about my fears, about why I couldn’t explain things to my sister and how I just wasn’t brave enough to have a relationship with her, no matter how much I wanted that.
Sage probably wouldn’t even talk to me. But maybe at college, after we both had a few months to regroup … I’d run into her somewhere. We’d awkwardly catch up on what we’d been doing. Maybe agree to have coffee sometime (mental note: start drinking coffee). Start getting together. We’d never date again, but was being friends so out of the question? Lots of people stayed close to their exes. Why couldn’t that happen for us?
Because the other option was never seeing Sage again. Never hearing her laugh. Not being able to talk about classes or my family or the lack of heat in the dorms. I wouldn’t be the one to comfort her when she got scared. She’d be alone. So would I. She was the best friend I’d ever had, the girl who I cared for on a much deeper level than what I’d felt for Brenda, and I was risking kicking her out of my life forever. Just to protect