𝑺 𝑨 𝑳 𝑽 𝑨 𝑻 𝑰 𝑶 𝑵 (18 +)

09 •

Sage.

He was out of his fucking mind.

She was sure of it. The fame had made him crazy and now he was walking around the streets of Portland asking random women to date him for a publicity stunt. It was insidious but the worst part of it all was the fact that he had come to her of all people to drag into his scheme. Sure they weren't friends but did he think that low of her? Did he think that low of himself?

Sage didn't know the inner workings of what it meant to be a singer let alone a celebrity. What she knew about it she heard from gossip blogs and E-news and those sources were never reliable. She had a bias, but she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Ezra Lincoln was being bossed around. When she knew him, he was a wild card. He took shit from no one and that's what always made him so damn annoying. His inability to listen and adapt when the situation called for it.

From what she could gather he always marched to the beat of his own drum. What had changed? Surely it had to have been bad if it made him desperate enough to beg. She'd never seen him so panicked before and while she loved to watch Ezra squirm she got no enjoyment from seeing how torn he was with her yesterday.

Sage knew she was the last person he wanted to ask for help. There was already salt in the wound but she had to go and make it worse by adding lemon juice too. No. That was the only logical answer to such a stupid question. She didn't want to be wrapped up in Ezra's mess so why had she spent the night tossing and turning in bed thinking over her answer?

"Are you thinking?" Moody asked dressed in her pink princess outfit. Sage smiled and fixed the crown on her little sister's head before sighing.

"Real hard Moody."

Marie tilted her head and lifted her wand into the air, "I can give you some advice if you want."

"Yeah? You wanna put those princess powers to use?" Sage sat crisscross apple sauce and waited for her sister to answer. When Marie giggled and nodded in return she felt her heart bloom.

"I have this friend who needs a really big favor but if I help him with the favor I'd be lying to a lot of people including myself. Not to mention we don't get along very well."

Moody frowned, "you're not friends with him anymore?"

They had never been friends, but her sister didn't need that piece of information. If she had known how much Sage disliked Ezra Lincoln her world would shatter. To Moody, Sage didn't have a hateful bone in her body. In reality, there was no one she hated more.

Well, perhaps there was someone she hated more.

"No I'm not but I feel kind of bad for not wanting to help him," She fixed the ends of her little sister's dress and smiled slightly. "What do you think I should do Moody?"

Marie paused for a moment, her hand scratching at her slicked-back hair before she scrunched her nose.
"Lying is bad but it's bad to not help a friend too Daddy told me that," and at the sound of his name Scott came around the corner with a smile on his face. Sage sighed and stood up, brushing the back of her jeans off with her hands.

"Am I interrupting?" Scott asked with a laugh and Sage shook her head. She meant well but Marie hadn't been any help. If anything, she just made her feel worse.

"Sage wants to help her friend but she said she'll be lying if she does." Moody nodded her head with confidence. Her father hummed, "That is quite the predicament. Marie, why don't you run upstairs and grab the birthday gift for your friend while I talk to Sage hm?"

Moody gasped and ran up the stairs, shouting something unintelligible as she did so.

"If you're looking for friendship advice she's the wrong person to ask," Scott laughed. "She almost didn't want to go to this birthday party because she and another friend were wearing the same crown."