How did this even happen?

  Sure, I was the one who signed up for the YMPA, who decided to become a spy mage, who fought for the Armonk, and who went toe-to-toe with Demetrius Rocke—the lunatic he was. Somewhere along the way, in a blur of missions and near-death escapes, I went from being a kid in class to a junior spy.

  And now? Things almost felt… normal again.

  Two months had passed since the mission. The end of school was around the corner, and for once, I was grateful. Kirk Jexifan will be no longer a problem, and soon enough it will be just me and Greg, side by side.

  Brothers.

  Even thinking the word felt strange. I stared down at the floor by my locker, chewing on it. We weren’t brothers in the classic sense. Different families, different houses, different lives—but bound by blood. The thought twisted my head inside out.

  Greg was the goofy friend who wore jeans and T-shirts until the seams begged for mercy, not some long-lost relative. I used to think of him as that: my buddy. Now, knowing he was actually my brother left me reeling.

  But in a good way.

  The kind of shambles that made me laugh at the absurdity of it, even while it left me a little off-balance. Maybe it wasn’t surprising we clicked so easily. Part of me even envied his boldness, his ability to walk up to anyone—especially girls—and just talk.

  Me? I couldn’t even breathe right around one person in particular.

  September.

  Her name alone set my heart pounding like I’d sprinted a mile. She was in my head constantly: her laugh, her smile, the way she made danger feel less heavy. Just thinking about her sent a dangerous rush of dopamine through me.

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

  Except… I wasn’t enough for her. She was popular, skilled, practically a model junior agent. And me? I was still the newbie, still haunted by the plane crash.

  I had a Perk, sure. But hardly anyone knew—only Tisiah, Nikki, Greg, and Malachi. Not exactly the stuff of legend.

  Still, I knew September. We had fought together, laughed together. Maybe that counted for something. Maybe it gave me a shot.

  My thoughts were interrupted by footsteps, heavy and familiar. Greg. He showed up in black jeans, a black T-shirt, and white Vans so battered they might as well have been black too.

  “Hey, Greg,” I said casually. He smiled back but stayed quiet, which immediately threw me off.

  “You seem thoughtful,” he finally said.

  I frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He smirked knowingly. “I know that look. We’re brothers now, remember? Comes with the package. Who’s on your mind?”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  I blinked. How did he do that? “Just because we’re brothers doesn’t mean you can suddenly read my mind. But… yeah. I’m thinking about someone.”

  His grin widened. “Who?”

  I shifted uncomfortably as he leaned against the locker, arms crossed like he had all the time in the world. There was no escaping Greg when he got like this.

  “You know September, right?” I muttered.

  Greg’s grin turned triumphant. He chuckled like a mastermind unveiling a trap. “I knew it! I knew that was coming.”

  “Yeah, whatever,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I’m planning on telling her. How I feel. I think I’ve got a chance.”

  But the emptiness in my voice betrayed me. Greg caught it instantly.

  “You’re not confident,” he said flatly.

  “I’m scared,” I admitted. The words stung, but they were true.

  He shook his head, like he was embarrassed for me. For once, I almost believed he did have a sixth sense. He saw straight through me.

  “Your problem,” Greg said, “is you’re trying to tell her straight up. And deep down, you’re scared because you don’t feel like you’re worth it.”

  I shot him a disgusted look. “Wow. Thanks for the diss track, brother.”

  He raised his hands. “Just facts, family. People get nervous because they think they don’t measure up.”

  “But most people just say to go for it,” I argued weakly.

  Greg let out a wheezing laugh, pulling books from his locker. “Forget what movies or stories tell you. That’s garbage.”

  “So what do I do then?” I muttered. Half his advice sounded like wisdom. The other half sounded like insults.

  “You get her attention. You make yourself someone she can’t ignore. You make it popular.” He shrugged. “If I can’t do it, you can’t do it either.”

  My jaw dropped. “Excuse me?!”

  He just gave me that smug look—the one that somehow said everything without words.

  “Here’s the real question,” Greg continued. “What do you offer that no one else does?”

  “A Perk,” I said automatically. “But she already knows that.”

  Greg scoffed. “So? Girls love the Perk guys. Flash it around a little.”

  “If that were true, she would’ve been with me already,” I muttered.

  He slung his backpack over his shoulder. “Then show her. Use it on a mission. Impress her. Blast a bad guy into ash right in front of her.”

  I shook my head. “No. I just need to tell her. No games. No plays. Just honesty.”

  “Suit yourself.” Greg smirked. “But remember, the worst thing she can say is no. And we don’t want the no. We want to avoid the no.”

  He stepped closer, lowering his voice until I could feel his breath on my cheek. “Tell her if you want. But if you don’t, someone else will. And then it’s gone.”

  With that, he backed off, swinging his locker shut. He walked past me without another word, leaving me frozen in place.

  I hadn’t even grabbed my books yet. I just stood there, stuck in thought.

  Should I? Shouldn’t I?

  Greg’s logic was clear: make myself bigger, more impressive, more untouchable, and then she’d notice me.

  But that wasn’t me. I didn’t want to spend my time proving my worth like some show pony. I wanted to be myself.

  And the truth was simple. Books, movies—they said to go for it. And maybe they were right.

  If I didn’t climb the hill now, I’d never reach the top.

  I was going to do it.

  I was going to tell September how I felt.