Chapter 4

I returned to MU for the start of spring semester. The temperatures were still low outside but it hadn’t snowed a few days in a row, the sun was shining and no clouds were to be seen in the blue sky.

During our drive back to Columbia I told Laura everything what had happened between me and Sage. Except that I had slept with her, she’s my sister but she doesn’t need to know EVERY detail. Jack had returned to Columbia one day earlier with a friend to attend some frat party, so we had the car to ourselves.

Laura said I should give Sage some time to readjust and eventually she would come back to me. I wasn’t so sure about that. Maybe Sage was right and we were better off apart. Still, I hoped we could somehow remain friends and stay in touch. I wanted desperately to talk to her but I didn’t know what to say.

°°°
Back on campus I decided to move on and try to forget Sage. I started dating again. Her name was Melissa. She was pleasant to look at, with long, almost black hair and brown eyes and she was easy going. It was nice spending time with her. She was a friend of Bree, a tall, small-chested but funny girl Jack was dating that moment.

Melissa and I were dating on a regular basis and I hoped she could help me forget Sage and move on. We went along well. Sometimes I constantly compared her to Sage and I didn’t like that. Here I was with another girl and still I couldn’t stop thinking about her. And although I liked her, I had to admit I would rather be with Sage.

Of course I had sex with her (hey, I’m an 18 year old straight male after all). During the act, I found myself thinking about Sage again. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as satisfying as I hoped it would be. I missed Sages soft skin, her lips and her smell.

°°°
But eventually, Sage came back into my life. She had sent me an e-mail:

Dear Logan,

I wanted to apologize for my behavior last Christmas. You were only being nice to me and I pushed you away. I’m sorry and I hope you can forgive me. I hope we can still be friends.

There it was. She wants us to be friends. Oh man.

But I have great news. You and Jack convinced me that I have to make something out of my life and not cloister myself inside my house. I got accepted at MU and will be starting there in the course of spring semester! I can’t wait to start and see my college boy in action.

Love,

Sage

I smiled, but inwardly I didn’t know if I should be happy or sad. Of course I was looking forward to spend some time with the girl I loved. On the other hand it would make it even harder to move on with my life. Was I okay with just being ‘friends’ with Sage?

°°°
During the month of February, Sage moved in to Hatch Hall and enrolled the School of Journalism. She had decided to not pay extra for a single room and moved in with a girl from Korea named Kwan. Sage had talked to the college administration and they had revealed to be very supportive, as they allowed her to register as female.

Like I had expected, she didn’t take long to make herself at ease and make friends. It seemed that she was attracting the people around her. From time to time, we would spend some time together, but not as much as I liked we would. But I didn’t want to run after her like some desperate and lonely little boy.
During that time, Melissa and I continued to date. I didn’t know if Sage was seeing somebody and I didn’t dare to ask. I tried to convince myself that it was none of my business, but I really hoped she wasn’t.

One particularly sunny day, I went outside for a walk around the campus. And there I saw her with some guy. He had short brown hair, was wearing a football jacket and held a football in his hands. What a brag! He was playing with the football in his hands and smiling while Sage talked to him.
I immediately knew that he was up to no good. What did he want from Sage? What did he think who he was? I had to warn her about his doubtful intentions. As her friend, it was my duty to protect her from that guy, or any other boy for that matter.

I must have looked like a maniac, standing a few feet from them and watching them.
I waited till the guy went away, then marched towards Sage.

“Who was that guy?” I barked, maybe showing a little too much how irritated I was.

“What a lovely day, Logan! It’s nice to see you too!” she said and smiled at me.

“I’m sorry,” I said, scratching the back of my head, “I just wondered who that guy was you were talking to.”

“His name is Brad. I met him in a bar a few days ago.” she responded.

I snorted. “Oh, you met him in a bar, mmmh? Listen, I think you should stay away from that Brad guy.”

“Why? You don’t know him. He’s a nice guy. I think you would like him too.” she said.

“Well, I don’t think so. Look, he’s up to no good, I can see it in his eyes! You have to be careful, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Logan, don’t worry, I’m a big girl, I know what I’m doing. He’s a nice guy and we’re just friends. He never tried anything on me, and even if he would, I’d blow him off. I think you’re just being jealous!” she said and giggled.

“Of course I’m jealous!” I cried, the words exiting my mouth before I realized what I’d said. “I mean . . . it’s just that I think you should be more careful. I’m worried about you and I’m not always there to protect you!”

She giggled. “Yeah, right! If you wanna be my personal bodyguard, I’m okay with that. But I won’t pay you!”

I sighed. “Please, just be careful. Like I said, I don’t want you to get hurt, or worse. I don’t want you to disappear again. I missed you, you know. A lot.”

She moved her hand through my hair, messing it up and grinned. “I missed you too;”

°°°
Afterwards, we both became closer again and started hanging out together more often. I had really missed how she made me feel when she was around and how funny she could be. It made happy to see her happy again and that she was enjoying being at college. I could tell Jack too was happy that he had her back.

Everything seemed much easier since we had decided going back too just being friends. All the tensions, problems and worries seemed to have disappeared.

Well, almost.

Because she is a beautiful girl and was attracting too much attention from the opposite gender. She always tried to play it down and told me those guys were only friends. But I knew better. I saw how they treated her, how they looked at her, and it made me sick.

I knew I shouldn’t be jealous. We weren’t a couple anymore and I was dating someone else. But I couldn’t stand the thought to see her in someone else’s arms.

Nobody knows how these ‘charming’ boys would have reacted if they ever found out about Sages secret. I vividly remembered how I had almost hit her after she had told me. I shuddered.

I had to be by her side and protect her.

There was something else that bothered me. That asshole that had put Sage in the hospital was still somewhere on campus. More than 30.000 students are attending MU, so chances are big that they might never meet again, or that that creep wouldn’t recognize her. But I couldn’t and didn’t want to accept that he would get away with what he had done.

End of chapter 4

Hello, I hope you enjoyed the story so far! So, what do you think, are Sage and Logan made for each other or are they better off apart?
I think they are a sweet couple with a complicated past...
Thank you so much to all those people who take the time to read my story!
xoxo Amber