Slender Man Chronicles (Matched Collectors)

Chapter 3

Our first date was just as perfect as I had hoped it would be. She didn't have to be home until eleven, and I took advantage of that. I took her to dinner and a movie, and I couldn't tell you what movie we went to because I couldn't stop kissing her. I had an amazing time though. Conversation over dinner was great, and I asked if we could do it again.

"Hey, thanks for covering for me the other night," I said to Brody when we were at my house hanging out at the pool. Sean had even brought Emily.

"Any time," Brody looked around. "I mean that."

"Why are you doing it?" I was confused honestly. I knew I shouldn't look too deeply at it, but if Sean had pissed him off, I wanted to know.

"Just trust, me, ok?" Brody shrugged. "I'm getting in the water now."

And our conversation about it was over. I looked over at Emily, and she smiled at me. I wanted to text her, but I didn't have my phone with me. I figured I'd just let it go. For now.

I was able to take her out a few more times before her birthday. I really wanted to take her out for her birthday, but her mother was having a party for her. Sean must have talked her into letting him invite some friends, since he had to be there, so he got me and Brody in. I tried getting Brody to tell me why he was covering for me, but he wouldn't. He did however talk to Sean, who seemed to be mad at first, then he dropped his head.

"What was that all about?" I asked Brody after Sean walked away.

"Dunno," his eyes lit up with deviousness. I'd heard the girls talk about him too. Said his blond hair looked so soft and they just wanted to run their hands through it. And that his blue eyes were pools they'd love to swim in. If I hadn't heard them say things about me too, I'd wonder if girls really talked that way. My green eyes were apparently like emeralds. I just thought they were like my dad's.

We stood and watched as Sean pulled Emily away from her friend, Maddy. No easy feat there. Those two were joined at the hip or something. Along with their friend, Marc, they were the group that everyone wanted to be friends with. They had other friends, but they were the core group.

Emily seemed to be stunned by whatever he said, then she hugged him. That was something I hadn't seen in a long time. Mostly they pushed at each other, or sniped in passing. They used to get along, but it'd been months since I'd seen them be truly nice to each other. Sean pulled away from her first, then spun her and pushed her.

"What's that all about?" I didn't think Brody would answer, but I had to ask.

"Man, you just want all the answers to life, don't you?" Brody grinned and walked away.

Seriously, he was up to something and I wanted to know what.

"Hey, birthday girl," I smiled at Emily as she walked up to me. "Can I hug you or do you think we'd get yelled at?"

"I think it'd be ok," she wrapped her arms around my waist and put her head on my shoulder as she hugged me. "I think we could also go to dinner tomorrow night, and it'd be ok."

"Wait," I pulled back. "What?"

"I'm asking you out. It's usually what happens when someone wants to go on a date because they have feelings for someone," if ever there was a doubt that Sean and Emily were related, that would have erased it. She may look like her mother, but she got her sense of humor from her father. So did Sean.

"But, you're off limits?" I looked from her to Sean to Brody.

"Not any more apparently," she hadn't let go of me yet. "Seems Brody went and knocked some sense into my brother. So, what would you like to do? You'll have to pick me up because I can't drive."