How did this happen?

Sure, I was the one that ultimately joined the YMPA to become a spy mage, to acquire the Armonk, and to defeat Demetrius Rocke—the crazy man he was. I somehow, in a matter of time that I fail to even comprehend, became a spy—a junior spy.

I mean, now that it was over, it was more normal. It had been two months since the mission, and I was rather grateful that the end of school was just around the corner. Kirk Jexifan would no longer be a problem, and it would just be me and Greg as best friends.

Brothers…

Now that felt weird as I stood by the locker, staring down at the ground. The brothers were just diabolical. We are two best friends in two different families, with different mothers and different houses, apparently together by blood.

I couldn’t even fathom that idea.

I thought of Greg as a goofy friend who had this concerning addiction to jeans and t-shirts, but I was wrong. He was indeed a friend, and it absolutely had me in shambles.

However, in good shambles,. certain shambles that, in fact, entertained me and made me also kind of grateful. It’s not too much of a surprise that me and Greg clicked. I just wish I had his outgoingness so that I could more easily talk to girls.

Although there was only one person that I wished to just be with, to coil around with, to hug, to laugh, to smile, and to just intertwine with,.

September.

The sweet beauty that she was continued to stay in my mind, made my heart beat continuously, and just gave me that unhealthy dopamine rush for hours. With this, I knew that I had to do something—something to compliment this feeling.

I had to say something to her. I had to tell her how I felt.

Now, I’m not even close to being enough for her. She’s a popular, attractive girl that everyone knows is the pinnacle of a junior agent, while I’m a newbie who still has trauma from a plane crash.

I have a Perk. But no one knows that.

Only Tisiah, Nikki, Greg, and Malachi do, which is not enough to call yourself famous.

To be fair, I did know about September. I’m more comfortable with her, so maybe she’ll be lenient. In the end, I have a chance.

Then, with alarming footsteps, came a sound—a sound for which I could immediately recognize who it was. He wore this time a black t-shirt and black jeans, with white vans that were basically black due to a bunch of creasing.

“Hey, Greg,” I greeted first, though with a more casual voice. He smiled back, not saying a word, instantly confusing me. “You seem thoughtful,” Greg first said.

I looked at him with confusion. I’m not sure what that was supposed to reveal or even mean. “Well, yeah. I'm not sure if that changes anything,” I responded. Greg shook his head.

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“I know that look,” he said. I squinted my eyes. “You do?”

“Yeah, being brothers and all, I’m sure we have that connection, if you know what I mean. What are you thinking about? Rather, who are you thinking about?” He asked as a devious smile spread across his face.

Wow, he was good.

“Just because we’re brothers doesn’t mean you have this sudden sixth sense about how I act... but yes, I’m thinking about someone,” I responded hesitantly.

Greg chuckled. “Who is it?” he asked as he got closer, laying his back against the locker door as he continued to smile wide, with me now in concern.

I didn’t want to tell him. Being the type of person he is, you can’t escape him. You can’t.

“You know September, right?” I asked.

His smile turned into a wide grin, with him now chuckling, as if he were some mastermind who tricked me into becoming a horse. “Okay, okay, okay. I knew that was coming; I knew it!”

“Yeah, whatever, I’m planning on telling her how I feel. I think I’ll be able to possibly get her,” I said, although there was a certain emptiness that was left there, to which Greg couldn’t help but notice.

“You’re not confident, are you?”

“I’m scared,” I truthfully admitted. He nodded, tossing his head side to side, which was rather embarrassing.

I might have to retract the words that I’ve said about him not apparently having the “sixth sense.” Greg was basically seeing through me like he had x-ray vision.

“Well, the problem is that you’re trying to tell her straight up. You’re afraid because your conscience is telling you that you have no worth.”

What kind of diss track is this? I gave him a disgusted stare, to which he brought his hands up. “I’m just telling the truth, family. The reason why people are nervous is for the exact reason that they don’t feel good enough.”

“But others usually say to just, in fact, tell them,” I reasoned with a shrug.

Greg laughed, starting first with a loud wheeze, as he took out his books and stuffed them into his backpack. “Forget what the movies tell you to do,” he said, still laughing in between each word. “Or the stories.”

“So I should just...” I muttered. I was quite lost to what he was even trying to convey. All I heard was just advice and insults.

“You should try and do something to get her attention. The best way to do this is to make it popular. Now if I can’t do that, then you can’t do that,” he said.

“What makes you say that?!” I hissed, to which he stared at me for a good moment, to which the answer was merely given—and quite clearly—with just the look on his face.

“That’s quite enough,” Greg said. But then he paused. “Well, here’s the thing: what do you offer that no one else does?”

“A Perk, but she already knows that,” I said, immediately dismissing it. Greg scoffed. “Oh, maybe you should just go tell her. She’d definitely love to be with a Perk guy.”

“Then she would’ve approached me ages ago if she really wanted to be with a guy like that,” I muttered, to which I shook my head. Greg shrugged. “Well, do something with that Perk. Maybe on a mission, try to impress her with how well you basically disintegrate bad guys.”

“No, I just need to approach her,” I responded, shaking my head. “All this random play is just not it,” I explained.

Greg shrugged. “Whatever you wish for, but I’m just saying, the worst thing she can say is no. But that’s the point. We don’t want the no. We want to avoid the no.”

He closed his locker, walked closer, and took a deep breath. The air from his nose touched my skin, which made me very, very uncomfortable.

“You can try and tell her that you like her. But if she says no, just remember what I told you,” Greg said in a lower voice, almost absent from any volume. “Because someone’s going to take it.”

He backed off, and he took his backpack, to which he then passed me and onto a different class. I hadn’t even fetched the things from my locker yet; I was just in a state of thought that left me... lost.

Should I? Should I not?

From what Greg is saying, the only way I’d have a chance at getting her is by basically increasing my status, a.k.a., getting popular.

Or, at least from what Greg said, just flex my strength in front of her. But here was the thing: I don’t want to endlessly try to prove myself to get her attention. I don’t. I’m just rather lost and unsure of what to do.

But if you think about it, do you know why the books say that? It’s because it’s true. I have to approach her, because if I don’t, I’ll end up climbing a hill to no avail.

I’m doing it.