Page 57 of The Kid Sister

Or be more subtle.“Sawyer, bro, can I tell you something?”

Or try to be humorous?“Sawyer, you’ll never guess what, but I’m crazy about your sister.”

Gah—nothing sounded right, and instead of being chill about it and saying, “Whatever, that’s cool,” I envisioned him sulking and scowling and saying that I’d broken the number one bro code, that dating his younger sister was out of bounds and he hated the idea.

It was cutting me up so much I knew I had to get an opinion. And that meant asking Tennessee. The three of us had been friends since middle school, my friendship with Tenn starting through a sporting rivalry. We’d competed in athletics, cross country, little league, always first and second, sometimes him, sometimes me. Sawyer was like our buffer. He played sports but he didn’t live for it like Tenn and me. Sawyer was mildly obsessed with Mustangs.

Getting Tennessee alone these days was difficult. He and I didn’t share any classes, and in the gym or the locker room, Sawyer was always with us. And more and more he was hanging out with Millie. My best plan was to catch him in the locker room after practice.

“Hey, Tenn,” I spoke in a low hushed voice. “You going straight home?”

Tenn nodded. “Yeah, why?”

“I’ll be over in a bit. Just wanna run something by you.”

Tenn frowned in curiosity. “What’s up?”

I glanced around even though I was pretty certain Sawyer wasn’t in close proximity. “I’ll be there soon,” I said, not disclosing anything.

Tennessee’s sister, Ava, opened the front door, dressed in her dance leotard. She was only eight or nine years old, but I was hoping that Tenn’s relationship with her would be a guide on Sawyer’s potential reaction.

“Hey, Ava,” I said, following her into the entranceway. “You been dancing?”

“Yep. Tenn’s in his room.”

“Thanks. Hi Mrs. Jackson,” I called as she waved from the hallway, wearing a pair of patterned tights, bright sneakers and a workout jacket. “You going to the gym?”

She smiled and flexed her bicep. “Step pump class,” she said.

Tennessee’s Mom had recently joined the Country Club Gym. He’d laughed about her starting on five pound weights.

“Lifting those big weights, Mrs. J?”

“I’ve moved up to ten pounds now,” she said proudly.

“Awesome!” I waved and climbed up the stairs two at a time.

“Okay, what’s up, man?” Tennessee was leaning back on his bed, his laptop opened in front of him.

“A situation,” I said, grabbing his desk chair and spinning it across to sit near his bed.

“We’ve got this,” Tenn said confidently. “We can win the championship.”

“Yeah, I know, as long as you’re where you’re supposed to be,” I teased.

“I’ll be where you need me to be,” Tenn said, and I did have complete faith in him. We’d been the perfect combination all season, we could do it for one more game. “So, what’s the issue?”

A rush of nerves made me shudder, doubt creeping in. This was my first reveal of my feelings for Sierra. First time saying out loud how she set my heart on fire, how sweet her kisses were. Or...maybe he didn’t need to know that last part.

Tennessee prompted me with a wide-eyed look. “Well?”

“Sierra.” Just saying her name set my pulse racing.

“Sierra?”

“Yeah.” Oxygen filled my chest as I had a moment of unease—what if Tenn’s answer was exactly what I didn’t want to hear. What if he told me that I was totally out of order, that Iwasbreaking the bro code.

My exhale came out on a desperate sigh. “I like her,” I said, “I like her a lot.” My eyes were aimed on the carpeted floor, too afraid to face him. Hearing no reply, I carried on. “I don’t know how to tell Sawyer.” I found the courage to look up. “Do you think he’ll kill me?”

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