Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Wake up, Kory! We gotta get ready to go!”

Kory groaned and used a pillow to swat the figure that had started jumping on her bed. “Just give me five more minutes. Then I’ll be up, I promise.”

The jumping didn’t cease. “No way! You already promised me that fifteen minutes ago. And I am not going to be late for the first day of fourth grade!”

“Please, Ryan?” Kory pleaded, turning underneath her floral-printed comforter to avoid the path of his feet.

Finally, her little brother stopped jumping and instead dropped his weight to sit on the edge of the bed. He went quiet for a moment. “Komi wouldn’t let me be late.”

Komi.

Kory felt her heart drop at the mention of her sister’s name, her emerald green eyes fluttering open as memories of Komi’s recent departure began flooding her brain.

That’s right. Komi isn’t here anymore. I have to be the responsible sister now.

Kory sighed and sat up against the headboard of her bed, glancing at the digital alarm clock that sat next to her on her nightstand. “Alright. I’ll get dressed and meet you downstairs so we can start making our usual breakfast. Sound good?”

Ryan grinned and nodded his head vigorously. “You’re the best, Kory! Love you!”

“Love you too, kiddo,” she called as he clamored off of her bed and ran out the door of her room.

Sighing again, Kory found herself wondering if this was going to be the new normal. A year ago, it would have been Komi waking her up and threatening to drag her out of bed. A year ago, Komi would have already had breakfast on the table downstairs, pancakes and bacon as tradition dictated for the first day of school.

For what seemed like the hundredth time, Kory missed her sister. And she hadn’t even been gone a week yet.

Fifteen minutes later, Kory was holding true to her word as she measured out pancake mix in the kitchen, being mindful not to spill anything on the purple sweater and white tennis skirt she had picked from her closet. The theme song from one of Ryan’s cartoons played in the background. Kory had felt guilty about stressing him out so much, so she released him from pancake-flipping duty and recommended that he watch TV in the living room instead. She had always preferred cooking alone, anyway.

Besides, cooking in the kitchen sometimes came with the chance of seeing him through the window.

As if the universe had been listening to her thoughts, Kory looked up from her mixing bowl just in time to see him come out of the front door of the neighboring house and walk towards his Ford Bronco parked in the driveway.

Xavier Redd.

Longtime neighbor of the Anders family.

Kory’s unwavering crush.

And now, Komi’s ex-boyfriend.

Things hadn’t always been so complicated with Xavier. Xavier Redd was the first friend that Kory had made when her family moved to Jump City in sixth grade. God knows how many hours they spent together, from riding bikes to having campfires and sleepovers in the backyard. For years, she would have confidently said Xavier’s name if anybody asked her who her best friend was.

But that was before Xavier declared his feelings for Komi two years ago.

At first, it didn’t bother Kory that much. She had actually been happy for them, although it was certainly strange to see them together in that sense. But then, she started to feel excluded. They had been nice enough to invite her out with them a few times, but she only felt even more like a third wheel. On top of that, she began to realize that the butterflies she felt whenever she saw Xavier were not born from friendship.

For two years, Kory had been in love with her sister’s boyfriend. Well, former boyfriend now, she reminded herself. Komi had ended things with him the night before she left for England. “Mom told me that I should never go to college with a boyfriend,” Komi quietly said after informing Kory of their breakup. Kory had been stunned; not only had she been unaware of her mother’s advice, but she also knew that Komi loved Xavier. She was so lucky. Why would she ever give that up?

Kory would never admit it to anyone, but a part of her also rejoiced at the news. Maybe I can tell Xavier how I feel, she had thought to herself. However, Kory knew she couldn’t do that. While she didn’t always get along with her sister, Kory loved Komi and looked up to her more than anyone. She wouldn’t betray her like that.

So, she would continue to do what she had done for the past two years and never voice her feelings for Xavier to anyone. Her only reprieves would be her romance novels and the love letters she kept under her bed.

My love letters. My greatest secrets.

Just the thought of them made her smile. There were four letters in total, each one addressed to a boy that she had loved before.

The first letter she wrote had been for James Karras from fifth grade. He had been her first major crush, but, like so many other people that she knew in her childhood, she never saw him again after her family fled from Tamaran. She often wondered if he survived the war that had torn their country apart.

The second letter was addressed to Richard “Dick” Grayson. Like Xavier, Dick was one of the few kids who had been kind to her when she moved here in the sixth grade. He had even been her first kiss, courtesy of a game of spin the bottle played during a classmate’s birthday party. She crushed on him hard for the rest of middle school. Now, he was captain of the soccer team and one of the most popular boys at Jump City High.

The third letter was written for Garth Bernstein. She met Garth at summer camp between middle and high school and thought he was one of the cutest boys she had ever seen in her life. He seemed to prefer water to land, and she spent most of that summer admiring him as he swam in the camp’s lake. Not that she regretted it or thought of it as a waste of time, though.

The fourth and final letter was clearly meant for Xavier. Out of all her letters, the letter for Xavier was the longest and most expressive. God forbid if he ever read it, there would be no denying her feelings for him.

Kory was a very emotional person. Sometimes it felt like she had so many emotions swirling around inside of her that she would explode if she didn’t find a way to release them. Writing had always been her outlet, and writing love letters was her way of coping with the intense emotions that came with unrequited love. After all, what was the harm? No one else was going to read them if they were shoved deep under her bed, hidden in the jade hatbox that had belonged to her mother.

“Kory? Sweetheart?”

Kory shrieked as a hand came to touch her shoulder, instantly ripping her from her thoughts. She spun around to see her father standing behind her, a steaming cup of coffee in his hands. She hadn’t even heard him come into the kitchen.

“Dad!” She breathed. “God, you scared me.”

“I’m sorry, my little bumgorf,” he apologized sheepishly. “I tried calling to you, but you looked distracted. Is everything alright?”

Kory turned to see if Xavier was still outside, but, to her disappointment, both he and the Bronco were gone. She prayed that she hadn’t been staring outside for too long.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she sighed, trying to calm her beating heart. “Breakfast should be ready soon.”

Her dad kissed her forehead. “Thank you so much for cooking, sweetheart. I’m sorry I didn’t wake up early enough to do it for you two. The ER ended up being pretty busy last night. I have to head back in this morning to catch up on paperwork.”

Kory smiled. “That’s okay. Anything interesting happen this time?”

They ate at the dining room table, both she and Ryan listening as their dad talked about the baby girl he had delivered the night before. The story was pretty tame compared to many of the other ER stories he had shared over the years, but nothing really phased them anymore. She could eat and listen to stories about c-sections all day.

After breakfast, Kory and Ryan were forced to stand outside while their dad took pictures on his phone, both of them holding chalkboard signs that read “11th grade” and “4th grade” respectively. This had also been a long-standing tradition for the first day of school, started by their mother before she died. This was the first year that they were missing Komi, too.

“Dad, we have to go! I don’t want to be late,” Ryan finally whined.

“Alright, alright, alright,” their dad acquiesced, but not before snapping one last photo. Digging around in the pocket of his trousers, he pulled out a set of keys and tossed them to Kory.

Kory froze. “Wait? You’re not driving us?”

Her father grinned. “Nope. Komi is gone, and you have your license now. You just need some more practice driving on the road.”

Before Kory could say anything, Ryan protested for the both of them. “Dad, no! She’s still a terrible driver. Do you even want me to make it to the fourth grade?"

“Hey!” Kory frowned. She may have hated driving (detested is the right word, really), but she wasn’t that bad. Not anymore, at least.

Her dad only ruffled Ryan’s auburn hair, the same shade that all three of them shared. “It’ll be fine, kiddo. Both of your schools are only a few turns from here. It’s a piece of cake.”

Still, Kory fiddled with the strap of her leather backpack. “I’m not sure if I’m ready to drive the both of us, Dad. Can’t you drive us just this once? Please?”

It was her turn to have her hair ruffled before her dad pulled her into a hug. “You can do It, sweetheart. I know you can. Just focus and keep your eyes on the road, okay?” Pulling away, he glanced at his watch and grimaced. “Plus, I have to get going myself. I still have that mountain of paperwork waiting for me.”

They exchanged goodbyes before her dad drove away, heading in the direction of Jump City Hospital. Glancing at the Mazda CX-5 that was left in the driveway, Kory exhaled and looked to Ryan. “Are you ready to go?”

Ryan paused. “Just a second!” He said before sprinting back into the house. Less than a minute later, he returned wearing his Superman bike helmet.

“All set!” He saluted.

Kory rolled her eyes. “Ha ha. Very funny, Ryan.”

Ryan just grinned further. “Yes, but also very necessary.”

This is going to be a very long year, isn’t it?

Chapter Text

When Kory pulled into the parking lot of Jump City High School, she could tell that nothing significant had changed over the summer. The building looked the same as always, the red brick and limestone contrasting with the blue California sky. There were a few faces that she didn’t recognize (likely freshmen, she thought), but even the same cliques were beginning to form on the steps of the main building.

Upon walking through the front doors, the familiar navy blue lockers and bustling hallways confirmed Kory’s hypothesis. All around her, students were doing their usual chattering, asking about each other’s summers or comparing class schedules. Kory just pushed her way through the crowds, determined to make it to her locker before the first bell rang.

However, just as she was about to make it to her locker, she spotted a familiar face across the hall.

Xavier.

Kory stopped in her tracks.

While she had been dying for a chance to talk to Xavier this past week, she had no idea where they stood now that he and Komi had broken up.

Would he be happy to see her? Or would he not be able to stand the sight of her as she reminded him too much of Komi? While Komi looked very different from Kory with her dark hair and eyes that she had inherited from their mother, they still shared similar features, and it was easy to tell that they were siblings. Just by looking at her, Xavier would be reminded of the relationship he had lost.

Would Xavier really want that reminder? Would he still want to be friends with his ex-girlfriend’s sister? These were the questions that had been filling her with anxiety.

As if he could sense her thoughts about him, Xavier turned away from the contents of his locker and looked in Kory’s direction. His warm brown eyes lit up when they met hers, and he lifted his hand to give her a small wave.

Kory couldn’t help but blush. Without thinking, she quickly turned away so he couldn’t see her face, only to run into the person whom she didn’t know was standing behind her.

“Ouch!” A shrill voice exclaimed.

Kory looked up to see none other than Barbara Gordon standing in front of her.

Ah, great.

“Watch where you’re going, Anders!” She fumed in the same shrill voice.

“I’m so sorry,” Kory quickly apologized. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”

“Clearly,” Barbara quipped, her face scrunched up in annoyance.

If there was a queen bee of Jump City High, it was Barbara Gordon. Rich, intimidatingly pretty, and from one of the most respected families in the city, no other girl stood a chance at claiming that title more than Barbara. For as long as Kory could remember, Barbara had always been that girl in their school.

Yet, she hadn’t always been so mean. When Kory first moved here, Barbara, too, had been nice to her. Even when most kids found her weird and too unfamiliar with American culture, Barbara had eagerly invited Kory to sit next to her in their shared classes, telling her that “we redheads need to stick together!” They ate lunch together some days and even had the occasional sleepover on the weekends. Not the best of friends like she and Xavier had been, but friends nonetheless.

Then something changed around eighth grade.

All of a sudden, Barbara didn’t want to spend time with Kory anymore. She began exclusively hanging out with Kitty Moth and the rest of the popular rich kids and only talked to Kory when she thought other people weren’t looking. By ninth grade, no trace of their friendship could be found, completely replaced by outright animosity on Barbara’s part.

Kory had been devastated at first. She had no idea what she could have done to make Barbara dislike her so much. For months, Kory tried to figure out what went wrong so he could apologize or try to fix things between them. But Kory could never make sense of what happened. The Barbara she knew had simply disappeared.

Eventually, the pain dulled, and Kory found new friends to spend her time with. She stopped dwelling on her former friendship with Barbara and instead focused on staying out of her way, which had been working pretty well until today.

Oh well. All good things must come to an end, Kory thought woefully.

Still, Kory couldn’t help but feel a little sad as she stared at the version of Barbara in front of her, who was leaning down to inspect the foot that Kory had just stepped on.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kory watched as Barbara’s boyfriend, the equally rich and popular Dick Grayson, walked up behind her.

The past really was trying to haunt Kory today.

“Uh, Babs? Whatcha doing there?” Dick asked as he came to stand beside his girlfriend.

Barbara immediately straightened up at Dick’s presence, but the scowl on her face remained. “I was checking my foot. I think Kory broke my toe with those ugly shoes of hers. Where did you get those, by the way? Your dad’s closet?”

Kory frowned and looked down at the chunky FILA sneakers she had picked out that morning. They were both stylish and comfortable. What was not to like about them?

Fortunately, someone else saved her from having to reply to Barbara’s insult. “I think they look great. Awesome sneakers like those can be hard to pull off, but Kory rocks them,” Garfield Logan said as he slung a tan arm around Kory’s shoulders.

Rachel Roth appeared on the other side of her. “Yeah, Barbara. They’re definitely better than those stupid boots you’re wearing. We live in California, for God’s sake. Why are you wearing UGGs in August?”

Barbara’s face turned bright red. “Screw you, Roth! It’s not like we have class outside, and the A/C in this school makes my feet cold!”

Garfield looked confused. “Why don’t you just wear thicker socks?”

“It’s none of your business!” Barbara snapped, her face turning even redder. She slammed her locker shut before turning to her boyfriend. “Let’s go, Dick! I am done talking to these three losers.”

Kory, Garfield, and Rachel watched as Barbara stormed off, leaving Dick to stand alone in front of them.

Dick smiled at them nervously. “I’m really sorry about her. She’s… going through some stuff at the moment.”

“Are you sure it’s not just a permanent brain injury?” Rachel asked in a monotone voice.

Despite knowing that she shouldn’t, Kory giggled. Dick’s blue eyes flickered to her, and, for a brief moment, his smile softened.

Garfield cleared his throat. “Well, as fun as that was, we should probably start heading to class. And you should probably go after your girlfriend, dude.”

Dick blinked. “Right. Yeah, I should probably do that. Thanks, guys! Enjoy your first day back!” He shot them one last smile before jogging down the hall, his red letterman jacket disappearing in the sea of high school students that still flooded the hallway.

Kory turned her attention toward her friends. “Thank you for rescuing me!”

Gar tightened the arm he still had slung around her shoulders. “Girl, you know we got you. We’re not going to let anyone trash you, much less Barbara Gordon.”

Rachel punched her lightly on the arm. “Yeah, anything to put that prissy princess in her place. But you’re alright too.”

Kory smiled, grateful to be back in the company of her friends. They had hung out with each other over the summer of course, but it was going to be nice to see them on a daily basis again.

Kory met Garfield and Rachel during freshman year when they had been the only students to join the school newspaper. While it seemed unlikely that they would ever be friends at first, boredom quickly pushed them together. Turns out, not much happened in Jump City for three teenagers to report on, much less at Jump City High. Currently, they were only publishing an issue every two to three months, which meant that they had a lot of free time during their elective period. Rather than spending all of that time doing homework or scrolling on their phones, they began talking to each other and discovered some common interests. The rest was history.

Every day, Kory was thankful to have befriended Gar and Rachel. Despite their differences and contrasting personalities, they were incredibly loyal friends to have, and she had been able to turn to them when she lost her friendship with Barbara and Xavier began spending most of his time with Komi.

“Did you guys see the new video I uploaded on my channel yesterday?” Gar eagerly asked as they began walking toward their first class.

Kory nodded her head vigorously. “The one where you ate the Carolina Reaper?”

“Yes! Wasn’t it awesome!?”

Rachel rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged on her lips. “Can you even taste anything today?”

Gar grinned. “Not even a little bit. But that’s the price you gotta pay for being cool on the internet.”

“Slow it down there, Casanova. You got 10,000 likes on the video. I don’t think that’s enough to qualify you as being ‘cool’ on the internet.”

“Hey, that’s more than you’ve ever gotten! Besides, you knowing that tells me you watched my video. I knew you were obsessed with me, Roth.”

“In your dreams, Logan.”

Kory just smiled at the familiar bickering between the two. “Do you know what your next video is going to be, Gar?”

“I’m not really sure,” he admitted. “But I was thinking it would be really fun to have you guys in one of my videos soon.” He glanced at Rachel, a slight blush creeping onto his face. “Maybe we could do a vlog and explore that creepy abandoned hospital that’s on King Street?”

Rachel arched an inky eyebrow in interest. “You know I’m always down for a creepy abandoned hospital.”

Kory, on the other hand, paled at the suggestion. “Must it be a creepy abandoned hospital? We could explore something that’s a little less… haunted.”

“But that’s the fun of it!” Gar encouraged. “Come on, Kor. Where’s your sense of adventure?”

“I have a sense of adventure,” Kory insisted. “I want to travel. I want to meet cool people. I want to try new foods. I do not want to get possessed by a demon.”

“But it would make such a good video!” Gar joked. He stopped talking for a moment to think of something to sweeten the deal. “How about this: if you come, I’ll buy you some mint chocolate ice cream afterward.”

Kory considered the offer. “Make it an iced coffee and an entire pint of mint chocolate ice cream and I’ll do it.”

Gar whooped as the first bell rang. Looking over to both of his friends, he shot them another grin. “Last one to English has to write this year’s article about the soccer team!”

Horrified at the thought of having to interview any guy on the soccer team, Rachel took off down the hall and began pushing her way past groups of students, Gar not far behind her. Kory shook her head and laughed at the antics of her friends before chasing after them.

Maybe this year won’t be as bad as I thought.

Chapter Text

Mirrors? Check.

Sunglasses? Check.

Playlist playing through the aux cord? Check.

Maybe I should check the mirrors one more time, though. Just to be sure.

“Can we go now?” Ryan groaned from the passenger seat beside her.

Kory frowned. “Just give me a minute, please.”

“We’ve been sitting here for ten minutes already!”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

Kory wasn’t exactly sure why she was still so nervous about driving. Both her dad and Komi had given her extensive lessons, and she had plenty of practice before taking her driver’s test a few months ago, which she had passed on her first try.

But no matter what she did, she was still nervous whenever she got behind the wheel of a car. Maybe it was the knowledge that driving was a huge responsibility and that making one tiny mistake could be fatal to her or anyone else around her. Maybe it was her dislike for changing lanes and turning left at a stoplight without an arrow. Or maybe she just really despised the torturous hellscape that was Jump City traffic.

Whatever it was, Kory really hated driving, and she would love nothing more than to be a passenger princess for the rest of her life.

But unfortunately for her, being the oldest Anders girl at home came with responsibility. Komi was gone now, and Kory had to fill the shoes that she left. And that included driving when necessary.

Next to her, Ryan shifted in the passenger seat, turning his head to look out the window. “I wish Komi were here. It’s weird having you drive us around.”

Kory smiled sadly, her heart squeezing at the mention of their sister’s name. “Me too, kiddo. I’ve been missing her all day.”

“Do you think she misses us?”

Kory thought about Komi. Strong, ambitious Komi. The girl who had fearlessly stepped up after their mother died, looking after Kory and taking care of toddler Ryan when their dad had to return to his demanding job as director of emergency medicine. The girl who was so organized and determined and always had a plan for everything. Kory had felt a little betrayed when she learned last year that Komi’s plan included studying politics and government in England, but she understood her sister’s need to finally be on her own. If anyone deserved to achieve their dreams, it was Komi. When dropping her off at the airport, Kory had fully expected her to walk toward security without looking back at any of them, but she had stopped and waved sadly at her family before exiting the airport’s lobby.

“I think she misses us a lot.”

That seemed to satisfy Ryan.

Kory checked the side-view mirrors once more and tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Taking a deep breath, she shifted the car into reverse and released the brake, letting the car roll a little bit before pushing the gas pedal with her foot.

The car began speeding backwards just as two people entered her rearview mirror. Immediately, Kory slammed her foot on the brake, sending her and Ryan forward in their seats.

Ryan’s head whipped around to look behind them. “Oh my god. Did we just run over someone? Wait… that’s Damien Wayne. Is that his older brother? Did we just hit Damian Wayne and his brother with our car?!”

“I didn’t hit anybody, I swear!” Kory squeaked, trying not to panic. She looked in the rearview mirror to see a boy who looked the same age as her brother, who she guessed was Damian Wayne. He was holding the hand of a much taller boy with familiar dark hair and a red letterman jacket tied around his waist.

Shit.

Kory began internally screaming at the realization that she had almost run over Dick Grayson in the elementary school parking lot. Wordlessly, she watched as Dick told Damian to wait for him and started making his way towards the driver’s side of her car. A few seconds later, he was knocking on her window.

Kory reluctantly pushed the button to roll the window down.

“Hi,” Dick greeted her.

Kory pushed her heart-shaped sunglasses to the top of her head. “Hi.”

He smiled at her. “Are you okay?”

“Yep. Are you?” Kory gripped the steering wheel even tighter, determined not to let her embarrassment show on her face.

Dick nodded. “I’m good. But, uh, you know that you’re supposed to ease out of a space when you’re backing out, right? It’s a thing that people do. To avoid killing others.”

Kory swallowed. “Yeah. I’m sorry about that. I’m just… still a little nervous about this whole driving thing. I looked behind me before I backed out, I swear! I just didn’t see you guys.”

“Hey, no harm no foul,” he assured her. “Just be careful getting home today, okay?” Dick looked past Kory to Ryan. “I’m putting you in charge, buddy.”

Ryan grinned and pointed to the helmet he had been wearing since getting in the car. “There’s a reason I wore my helmet to school today!”

Dick chuckled. “Well, I’m sure you would be okay without it. Just make sure she gets out of the parking lot.” He looked back at her. “Good to see you, Kory.”

“Good to see you too, Dick.”

For the second time that day, Kory watched as Dick jogged away from her, this time back to his car where his little brother was waiting for him.

When she saw him drive away, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“So… can we go yet?” Ryan asked impatiently again.

“Nope,” she answered firmly. “We’re not leaving until everyone else is gone.”

Thirty minutes (and a lot of complaining from Ryan) later, the elementary school parking lot was empty, and Kory hesitantly backed out of her parking space and finally began the short journey home.

Overall, it had been a good day, minus her run-in with Barbara in the morning and the part where she almost ran over Dick Grayson. Other than that, her classes had gone by relatively quickly. During their elective period, Kory, Rachel, and Gar were thrilled to learn that no other students had joined the school newspaper and that Ms. Lane remained as their supervising teacher. Besides being a very sweet woman who often brought them treats and filled them in on school drama, Ms. Lane was a very laid-back teacher who did not care what they did as long as they published at least three issues every year. That had never been an issue in the past.

Kory’s only regret of the day was that she still hadn’t mustered up the courage to talk to Xavier. She had seen him a few times in the hallways between classes, and he had been in his usual spot in the school courtyard during lunch. But each time she saw him, anxiety kept her from approaching him. She didn’t even know what she would say to him.

So, she figured that today must not be the day she was meant to talk to him. Maybe she would see him tomorrow and all the anxiety would magically be gone. In the meantime, she could just try to relax and forget about the fact that she was in love with her sister’s ex-boyfriend.

The universe, however, seemed to have different plans because when Kory pulled into her driveway, she saw Xavier sitting on her front porch.

Kory’s heart started pounding just at the sight of him.

Before she could even park the car, Ryan was out of the passenger seat and running up the porch steps. “Xavier!” She heard him roar as he basically tackled the older boy. But Xavier took it in good stride, hugging Ryan tightly and jumping into conversation with him.

Switching the car ignition off, Kory took a deep breath and fixed her bangs and lip gloss in the mirror before getting out to join them.

“… anyways, that’s why we just got home! It’s a good thing I wore my helmet today!” Ryan proudly finished telling Xavier just as she stepped onto the porch.

Xavier smirked as soon as he saw her. “So, I heard you almost killed Dick Grayson with your driving today. Shame you didn’t succeed. Would’ve been one less spoiled rich kid in our school.”

“Ryan!” Kory cried. “Don’t go around telling everyone about that!”

“But it was so funny! And I’m not telling everyone, I’m just telling Xavier,” he pointed out. Ryan then turned back to Xavier, his face lit up in excitement. “Do you want to come inside!? I’ve been wanting to show you everything I built in Minecraft!”

Xavier faltered. Kory watched as the amusement on his face died and instantly became replaced with sadness. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea, kiddo.”

Ryan frowned. “Why not?”

Xavier hesitated. “Well, I’m not dating your sister anymore.”

“So?” Ryan asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“So, I’m really sad about that at the moment, kiddo,” Xavier admitted in a tone that matched his crestfallen expression. “I miss her a lot. And hanging out with you in your house would be… too much for me right now, I think.”

Ryan’s eyes filled with tears. “So we’re not going to be able to hang out anymore?”

Figuring it was time for her to jump into the conversation, Kory placed her hand on Ryan’s shoulder. “I don’t think that’s what he’s saying, Ry. I think Xavier is saying that he just needs a little bit of time to feel better.”

Xavier smiled at her gratefully. “Exactly. It won’t be for very long, kiddo. A couple of months at most, I promise.”

Ryan went quiet for a moment, processing Xavier’s words. Then he perked back up, his face shining with determination. He glanced in Kory’s direction. “Could we hang out sooner if you started dating my sister again?”

Xavier barked out a laugh. “I mean, I guess so? I don’t think that’s very likely though.”

“Don’t worry about that! Leave that to me!”

With that, Ryan broke free from Kory’s grasp on his shoulder and ran into the house. From outside, she could hear him as he flung his backpack into the living room and began racing up the staircase. Whatever mission he was on, he was intent on accomplishing it.

Xavier looked at Kory in amusement. “Well, that went a lot better than I thought it would.”

Kory giggled. “Yeah, he took that pretty well, all things considered.”

A moment of silence passed between them.

“Kory, I—“

“Xavier—“

They smiled at each other upon realizing that they had started talking at the same time. Kory motioned for Xavier to go first.

Xavier shoved his hands in his pockets, looking down at the wooden floorboards. “Look, I just want to know… did Komi tell you that she was going to do it? Was it always her plan? I know she tells you a lot.”

“No. She didn’t tell me anything,” Kory answered truthfully. “I had no idea that she was going to… end things.”

Xavier exhaled. “Yeah, I figured. I just wanted to know for sure.”

Kory nodded. “I get it.” Suddenly feeling brave, she asked the one question she had been wanting an answer to for a week now. “Xavier, are we still friends?”

“What? Of course we’re still friends, Kory. Why wouldn’t I still be friends with you?”

Despite his quick answer, Kory began fidgeting with the sleeve of her sweater. “Well, I wasn’t sure what you wanted. Of course, I still want to be friends with you, but I would completely understand if you didn’t want to be friends with me. I am your ex-girlfriend’s sister now.”

Kory winced at the last sentence as it came tumbling out of her mouth. So much for being sensible, she mentally kicked herself.

But surprisingly, Xavier seemed unfazed by her crude wording. “Kory, look at me,” he commanded. Kory peered up to see Xavier staring at her fondly. “Look, I was being truthful when I told Ryan that I’ll need some time to get over everything, but I’ll always be your friend, Kory. No matter what.”

“Really?” she breathed, letting out a sigh of relief that she didn’t know she had been holding.

“Really,” he agreed. “You were my best friend first. And there isn’t a universe in existence where I wouldn’t be your friend.”

Kory beamed at him. Without another thought, she crossed into his space and held out her pink in front of him. “Do you pinky promise?”

He instantly interlocked his finger with hers. “I pinky promise on my life, Anders.”

That was more than good enough for her.