Chapter Three - Package Deal

Chapter Three

Sabrina's POV

I watched Peyton walk away, still trying to figure out what had gotten into him. I couldn't understand why he'd suddenly acted that way, but one thing was certain: I wasn't going to let it slide. I had to find out what was going on with my best friend.

"Corey, I'm really sorry, but I have to go now. I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked, giving him an apologetic smile.

"Best-friend duties calling?" he joked. "You'll still be my date, right?"

I nodded twice, just to reassure him.

"Want me to come with you?" he offered.

"Nah, I'm good! Bye, Corey!"

I waved goodbye, and he waved back with a smile.

The moment I turned away, I took off running.

I checked the gym locker room, the cafeteria, the gym itself, and practically every hallway in the school. I even peeked into a few places I probably shouldn't have bothered checking.

But there was no sign of Peyton.

Where on earth did that idiot go?

After more than fifteen minutes of searching, I finally gave up. Exhausted and slightly annoyed, I headed outside, figuring I'd just walk home.

And then, as if fate had decided to give me one last chance to confront the criminal responsible for my suffering, I spotted him.

There he was, leaning casually against his car, waiting for someone as though he hadn't just made me run all over the school looking for him.

Oh, you're so dead, Peyton Meyer.

I marched straight toward him and punched him five times in the chest.

Of course, my punches probably felt like gentle taps to him, but that wasn't the point. I needed him to feel at least a fraction of the anger I'd been carrying around for the past fifteen minutes.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, SAB?!" he demanded, his voice rising as he stared at me seriously.

I glared at him.

"YOU MADE ME RUN FROM ROOM TO ROOM LOOKING FOR YOU! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH ENERGY THAT TOOK?!"

I continued ranting, practically shouting in his face, until he grabbed both my shoulders and made me look directly at him.

"Did you say yes to him?" he asked urgently.

I blinked.

Wait. What?

He looked so eager to hear my answer that I almost forgot why I'd been searching for him in the first place.

"Yes. Why? Why are you being so serious about this?"

His expression immediately changed.

"How could you not tell me first? You didn't even ask my permission!" he exclaimed, looking at me as though I'd just betrayed him. "I asked you before I asked Rowan!"

I stared at him, completely caught off guard.

Oh.

So that's what this was about.

"I'm sorry, Pey. It honestly didn't even cross my mind at the time. Everything happened so quickly, and I just said yes. I'm really sorry."

My apology came out more bluntly than I'd intended, but I wanted to be honest with him. I hadn't meant to leave him out of anything.

He looked down, his expression resembling that of a betrayed puppy.

"What if I bail on Rowan and you bail on Corey?" he suggested, sounding as though he'd run out of other options.

I immediately shook my head.

"Pey, this was your idea in the first place! Besides, it's just one night. We're not getting married to our dates!"

I tried to reassure him, but he still looked unhappy.

My heart softened at the sight.

No matter how annoying he could be, seeing Peyton genuinely upset was something I never liked.

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him as tightly as I could.

"Don't worry, buddy. I won't let Rowan steal my maid, alarm clock, personal cook, brother, father, and best friend away from me."

I leaned closer to whisper in his ear.

"I practically own you, anyway."

For a moment, he remained quiet. Then he finally laughed, wrapping his arms around me.

"You're ridiculous, Sab."

"And yet, you love me!"

We both burst out laughing, and just like that, the tension between us began to fade.

"Wanna go home now?" he whispered.

"Yes, I'd love to. But first, let go!"

We laughed again as he finally released me.

He opened the passenger door for me, and I climbed inside. A moment later, he settled into the driver's seat and started the engine.

As we drove away from school, I suddenly had an idea.

"Hey, Pey! Wanna watch a movie first?" I asked with a bright smile.

He glanced at me briefly before returning his attention to the road.

"Only if it's not a chick flick or one of those cheesy romantic movies."

He made a disgusted face, as though the mere thought of watching a romance could ruin his entire day.

I gasped dramatically.

"Maybe you really do need Rowan, Pey. You need some love bones in that body!"

I laughed at my own joke, but when I turned toward him, he wasn't laughing.

My smile slowly faded.

"I do have some love bones, Sab," he said calmly. "I love my family, I love my dog, and, of course, I love you."

His voice was gentle, but something about his expression made my chest feel a little strange. He looked almost sad.

I smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

"Aww, that's so sweet, Pey! But you do know I'm in the same category as your family, right? I'm basically your aunt!"

I burst out laughing at the thought, but Peyton remained quiet.

Okay. Definitely not funny to him.

My laughter faded as I studied his face.

"Pey? Is something wrong?" I asked softly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't keep joking around when you're not in the mood."

He shook his head slightly.

"I'm good. Sorry, too, Sab. I'll pass on the movie today. I've got homework to finish, but I'll try to visit after I'm done. Sound good?"

I nodded, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Of course! Don't worry about it."

Sweet, sweet Pey.

No matter how busy he was, he always tried to make time for me. And I appreciated that more than he probably realized.

We soon arrived at my house, and as I stepped out of the car, I suddenly remembered something I'd bought for him the day before.

"Wait, Pey! Come inside for a minute!" I called, grabbing his hand before he could leave.

He raised an eyebrow but followed me inside.

I hurried to my room, retrieved the little box I'd prepared, and returned with a grin.

"Okay, close your eyes!"

He gave me a suspicious look.

"Sab, if this is another one of your ridiculous pranks—"

"JUST CLOSE THEM!"

He chuckled and obeyed. I placed the gift in his hands.

"Okay, open!"

He opened his eyes and looked down at the matching bracelet I'd bought him.

"My mom told me this would be cute for us," I explained proudly. "Matchy-matchy! It'll make you look like a softie."

He smiled as he examined the bracelet, then glanced at the matching one around my wrist.

"Another one for the collection, huh?"

I nodded enthusiastically.

"Yep! Whenever we get the chance to add another one, we do!"

We already had more than thirty matching bracelets, and somehow, neither of us ever seemed to get tired of collecting them. They were little reminders of our friendship, and I couldn't imagine giving that tradition up.

"Thanks, Sab," he said, slipping the bracelet onto his wrist.

I grinned.

"You're welcome!"

Then another thought crossed my mind.

"By the way, what are you going to wear to Homecoming?" I asked curiously.

He smirked.

"Probably a tuxedo. You know, for a change."

He even winked at me.

I gasped, clutching my chest dramatically.

"This girl must be really special to you! If I were your date, you'd probably show up wearing nothing but your boxers!"

We both burst out laughing.

"Nope, that wouldn't happen," he replied confidently, gesturing toward himself. "You're the only one who's allowed to witness my sexiness."

He finished with another wink.

I slapped his chest, laughing.

"You're so full of yourself!"

"And yet, you adore me!"

I rolled my eyes before remembering something important.

"Hey, would you come with me when I pick out a dress?"

His playful expression immediately changed.

"You're going to wear a dress?" he asked, looking almost suspicious.

I stared at him.

"That's generally what girls wear to formal dances, Peyton."

He ignored my sarcasm.

"Just make sure it's not too short or revealing. Otherwise, I might have to punch every guy who looks at you."

And there it is. Peyton Meyer's protectiveness has officially arrived at the Sabrina station.

I sighed dramatically.

"If you do anything that makes people pay more attention to me, you're dead, Pey! I'll just ask Mom to come with me instead."

I wasn't particularly interested in being the center of attention. I hated the feeling of having everyone's eyes on me, as though I'd suddenly become the prime suspect in a crime investigation.

Peyton finally nodded, apparently accepting my terms.

Satisfied, I wrapped my arms around him.

"Thank you, my protective brother!"

He hugged me back, and for a moment, everything felt perfectly normal.

Then I suddenly coughed.

Peyton immediately pulled away and placed the back of his hand against my forehead. Before I could react, he checked my neck, too.

His eyes widened.

"Sab, why are you so hot?!" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

I grinned mischievously.

"Haven't you noticed? I'm hot."

I expected him to laugh, but instead, his expression grew even more worried.

Oops. Wrong audience.

"I'm really sorry, Sab," he began, suddenly rambling. "This must be because you ran all over the school looking for me. You probably overexerted yourself, and I shouldn't have walked away like that. I should've stayed with you!"

I blinked at him.

"Pey, I'm okay! I'll probably feel better in a few hours."

He didn't look convinced.

I sighed before giving him my best pleading expression.

"Can you carry me upstairs?"

He didn't hesitate. He scooped me up bridal-style, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I'll make some soup for you," he announced as he carried me upstairs.

"But you have homework, Pey!" I protested.

He looked at me as though I'd just asked the most ridiculous question in the world.

"I'll go home when Ma arrives. Don't worry about me."

That's how things worked between us. We both called our own mothers Mom, but we also called each other's mothers Ma. After all these years, our families had practically become one big family.

And Peyton, being Peyton, wasn't about to leave me alone when I wasn't feeling well.

He settled me into bed, made sure I was comfortable, and disappeared downstairs to prepare my soup.

I lay there, staring at the ceiling, wondering how he could be so good at cooking when I could barely make anything beyond a few simple dishes.

Seriously, where did he learn all this stuff?

A little while later, Peyton returned with a bowl of steaming chicken soup.

"Here. Eat this while it's warm," he instructed, carefully placing the bowl in my hands.

I smiled up at him.

"Thank you, Pey."

He sat beside me and waited until I'd finished eating before taking the empty bowl away.

Afterward, I settled back into bed, expecting to feel better. Instead, a shiver ran through my body.

I pulled the blanket closer, but the cold seemed to seep right through it. My body started trembling, and my teeth began to chatter.

Peyton noticed immediately.

Without saying a word, he walked straight to my drawers and opened the side where he kept some of his clothes. He grabbed a few things and disappeared into my bathroom to change.

When he came out, he had changed into comfortable clothes, ready to settle in for the night.

He switched off the lights before climbing into bed beside me. Then he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close to keep me warm.

I rested my head against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Slowly, the warmth of his body made me feel a little better.

For a while, neither of us spoke.

Then I tilted my head to look at him.

"You might get sick, too, Pey. What about school tomorrow?" I asked, my voice muffled against his shirt.

He chuckled softly.

"I'm not going if you're not going. Let's get sick together, since it's my fault anyway."

I laughed quietly, snuggling closer to him.

"You're such an idiot."

"Your idiot," he replied.

I smiled against his chest.

And before long, the warmth, the quiet, and the comfort of having him beside me lulled me to sleep.

The next morning, we woke up feeling absolutely miserable.

A sore throat, stuffy noses, aching bodies—the whole package.

Apparently, Peyton and I really were a package deal.

Poor Peyton.

I just hoped we'd both feel better enough to go to school the following day.