Mutual

1 - Introductions

"Lana! Come meet Dylan," Anastasia called for her younger sister.

"Just a sec!" Alana yelled back. She finished the sentence she was writing and put her pen down. "I'm coming."

She left her room and walked downstairs to meet her sister's new boyfriend, who was sitting on the couch next to Anastasia.

At the sight of Alana, Anastasia stood up and pulled her boyfriend along with her. The three of them met in the middle, and Anastasia introduced them, "Dylan, this is my sister, Alana. Lana, this is Dylan."

"I've heard a lot about you," Alana said with a polite smile, holding her hand out. When her sister talked about her boyfriend, Alana didn't realize that she would be introduced to someone she already met.

He shook her hand and said without much emotion, "I could say the same about you."

Alana couldn't tell what his tone was meant to suggest. It was clear he recognized her, though.

The three of them moved from the hallway to the living room. Anastasia and Dylan sat on the couch, while Alana sat in her regular spot on the loveseat.

Alana decided to make it known to Anastasia that they at the very least knew of each other prior to today. "Hey, didn't you take biology last semester with Professor Rileigh?"

"Yeah, Tuesdays and Fridays."

"I knew you looked familiar. I was in that class, too."

"Wow, isn't that something? It felt like such a big class. I never noticed."

Alana shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "I'm just observant," she glanced at her sister, "or so I've been told."

She wondered why he was acting like they've never spoken. But if that's how he wanted things to play out, she'd see where it went.

"What year are you in?" Alana kept the conversation going. She may not like Dylan, but she would give him a fair chance for Anastasia's sake.

"Second."

"Oh, same as Ana, then. Are you two in the same major?"

"Yeah," Ana spoke up. "We met in one of the required journalism classes last semester."

"Is it the one that you said that the professor made you want to gouge your eyes out?"

"Yes," she groaned. "There's one good thing that came out of that class, and it has nothing to do with journalism." She smiled like a sap at her boyfriend, who in turn, gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Alana refrained from fake gagging as a means to tease her sister and let her off the hook...this time.

"Well, it was nice to meet you," Alana slowly stood up to leave.

"Oh," Anastasia pouted. "You don't have to go. We were gonna play Mario Kart or something. You can join us."

Alana wanted to stay to hang out with Ana. They hadn't always gotten along. But they've worked through it in the last few years and became much closer. But she also wanted to get away from Dylan, who clearly disliked her as much as she disliked him.

"Sorry, Ana. I'll take a rain check on that. I have some homework I need to finish," which was true. It's what she was working on before she came downstairs. It may not be due for a couple more days, but what she doesn't know won't hurt her.

"Fine," she said calmly. "I'm holding you to that rain check, though."

"Of course," Alana responded seriously before leaving the room to go back to her own.