Take a chance | mikey

2

Then I saw him. 

Our eyes locked, and I internally screamed, fighting the urge to turn and run.

He was wearing a sarashi wrapped around his upper body, and my brain short circuited for a second, completely distracted by his well defined abs. Why did I have to see that right now?

The group of guys around him looked equally perplexed to see me here, and I could feel my heart racing.

"Yuriri! Come here, quick!" Emma's voice broke through my daze, and I stumbled over to her.

"Manjiro! I told you she'd be here! Why did you all have to show up at once and scare my girl? GO TO YOUR ROOM!" Emma practically shouted, waving her arms dramatically.

"Oh, by the way, Yuri, that's my brother," she added casually, as if it were no big deal.

My brain rebooted, and I stood there, frozen, processing the shocking revelation. Her brother? No way.

Emma leaned in, whispering conspiratorially, "That's Draken, the tall guy with the dragon tattoo. Isn't he hot?"

Before I could even begin to respond, Mikey burst out, "You?! Why are you here?!" His tone was accusatory, and he pointed directly at me like I'd just committed a crime.

"Do you know her? Yuri, you know him?" Emma asked, her expression a mix of confusion and curiosity.

"We met a few minutes ago," Mikey stated, his annoyance evident.

"Uh, yeah, they're the bunch of guys I was talking about earlier," I chimed in, hoping to defuse the awkward tension.

"WHAT? MIKEY, WERE YOU GANGING UP ON SOME POOR GUY??" Emma gasped, eyes wide.

"What are you talking about?" Mikey shot back, incredulous.

"Poor guy? That guy? You've got to be kidding," the long-haired guy chimed in, clearly amused.

Ugh, why was he so irritating?

"He stole the money we saved for the gang," Draken explained, and my heart dropped.

WHAT? Did I just help the wrong person? I couldn't believe my luck.

"Oh no, I'm really sorry! I thought you were going to beat him up, that's why I helped him when he asked me to pretend to be his girlfriend!" I blurted out, desperation creeping into my tone.

"We were going to beat him up if he didn't give us the money," Mikey replied, irritation thick in his voice.

"Yeah, but I thought you were the bad guys," I shot back, trying to defend myself.

"We lost him because of you," Mikey grumbled, clearly irritated.

"I know! I apologized!" I snapped back, feeling a familiar spark of annoyance ignite between us.

"Doesn't change the fact that we lost him because of you," he insisted, a stubborn edge to his voice.

Oh, this guy is definitely looking for a fight.

"Mikey, stop acting like a child. It's not her fault she didn't know," Draken interjected, and I couldn't help but feel a glimmer of gratitude for him.

Before I could respond, Emma shouted, "WAIT! So the pretty rude gu—"

I quickly slapped my hand over her mouth, cutting her off.

Everyone's eyes shifted to us, and I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks as Emma giggled, realizing the connection between me and her brother.