Page 49 of Saving Sparrow
Miguel clicked his tongue. “Liar. You’ve been cranky all day. You shoved Quentin under the water when he beat you to the other end of the pool—afteryou’d already raced and beat him like ten times. You’ve never been a sore loser. That’s always been Quentin’s job.”
I headed over to the window, staring down at the pool. Quentin and I raced from one end to the other for hours before his team meeting. I didn’t realize I was so competitive until meeting him. Or so into athletics. Miguel wasn’t into either. He was a bookworm who understood emotions. He connected with other parts of me, making it easier to say what was on my mind.
“What if things change?”
“What things?” Miguel came to stand next to me. “And change how?”
“I don’t know… Like you or Quentin getting a girlfriend. Jacob and Matt’s friendship was ruined over a girl.” We’d been watching movies and TV shows centered around high school so I could get an idea of what it was like.
“Us? Ruined over agirl?” He shuddered. “That’ll never happen.”
“What, you don’t like girls?” My heart lurched. We’d never talked about stuff like this before.
“Eh, they’re alright,” he said, “but no one gets in the way of us.”
“What if you meet someone else you want to be friends with? Someone like me?” Would they replace me? Who would I have then?
He smiled, the sunlight reflecting off his big brown eyes. “There’s no one else like you, Ellie. And three is the limit. Promise.”
My cheeks warmed, and I glanced at my bare feet. “Okay.” I liked hearing them say things like that. The fuzzy feelings I got from it didn’t keep the fear away for long, though, and they constantly had to repeat themselves. Would they get tired of that? They didn’t seem to be tired of it yet.
“And the good news is, you’ve either got me or Quentin in all your classes.”
My parents believed wisdom began with the fear of God, but that only a well-rounded mind could lead. My mother was my teacher—until she believed I was beyond teaching.
“Well, with the exception of last period,” Miguel continued, not realizing my attention had shifted. “But you’ll be so sick of us by then you’ll be happy for the break.”
I jerked my head up to tell him that wasn’t true, but the soft look in his eyes told me he didn’t mean it. I said it anyway. “I’ll never get sick of you.”
Miguel grinned. Did he need to be reminded of our friendship too? He and Quentin seemed so sure of themselves. But maybe they were afraid of losing me too.
He hugged me, and I hugged him back after hesitating for only a second this time. I was still getting used to how affectionate they were, to how much of my space they took up. Barely a foot separated us when we were in a room together. I didn’t think they were conscious of it.
“Has it been five minutes yet?”
Miguel laughed. He did that a lot. “I’ll call him.” He went over to the sitting area for his phone. Where had Quentin gone anyway? Just then, Quentin barreled through the bedroom door, scaring us.
“I’m home!” he shouted, scooping Miguel up and spinning him in the air. He set him down, chuckling when Miguel swayed on his feet. He aimed for me next, stopping when I crossed my arms.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. What took you so long?” I sounded cranky, like Miguel said.
One side of Quentin’s lips tilted upward. “Did my pretty girl miss me?”
“I was worried.”
“That’s not what that pretty little blush says.” He crept over to me with his arms spread wide, letting me know his intentions. He made a habit of doing that, and I wondered if Miguel had anything to do with it. Quentin didn’t make me nervous like he used to, but I liked how hard he tried to be considerate—sometimes. Quentin lived in the moment, which meant he rarely planned his actions in advance. I could go from reading a book to being caged inside a bear hug at any time.
He squeezed me, lifting me to my toes before setting me down again. He’d been a lot rougher with Miguel. “You can be yourself,” I whispered, even while loving the gentle way he tucked my hair behind my ear.
“First, admit you missed me.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to hide my smile. “Fine. I guess I missed you.”
“I knew it!” He lifted me under my armpits this time, tossing me onto the bed before jumping on top of the mattress and making me bounce. Miguel shook his head, but he didn’t look annoyed by the way Quentin had handled me.
“Should we go to the kitchen?” he said to Quentin, his expression turning pointed when Quentin gave him a confused look.
