"Hey, Mom," I said in a shaky voice. "Can you put Case on?"

"Sure, sweetie," she answered.

"JIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM!" I hear my little sister yell, running up to the phone. "HI!"

"Hey, Casey," I smiled in spite of the lump in my throat.

"Hold on."

I hear her bedroom door close and the creak of her mattress springs.

"You're sad," she declared.

"No, I'm fine," I said as a tear fell. "I just miss you."

"I miss you, too," Casey said. "But that's not why you called. You're upset. I know because your voice is doing that whole quivering, trying to stop crying thing. Why?"

"I hate that you're so perceptive. Why can't you be like every other 13 year old?" I found the strength to give a little laugh.

Say what you will about little sisters, but mine never failed to lift my spirits.

"Because I'm awesome," she joked. "Now, what happened?"

"I told her," I choked. "I told Pam I was in love with her." Casey remained silent, listening for the result. "She said she couldn't."

"Well, then, she's stupid."

"Case- c'mon," I said. "Cut her some slack. I put her in a terrible position."

"Jim, she's engaged to a guy who loves himself way more than he could ever love her," she began. "She's not even happy. Could she even say she didn't feel the same way about you?"

"Well, no," I pause. "Not exactly."

"That's because she loves you," Casey said plainly.

The statement hit me like led. "That's impossible," I breathed. "Why is she still with Roy then? Why wouldn't she just tell me?"

"Because she didn't know," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"How could you possibly know this?"

"I met her, Jim," she said. "She looked at you the way I would look at my guy best friends I had a crush on."

"Wait, you've had crushes?"

"Jim, please, I'm a teenager. Of course I have," she said loftily. "So what are you gonna do about this? Just let her walk away and never know the truth for yourself?"

"What else am I supposed to do?" I should've been flabbergasted to go to a teen for help, but no one knows Casey like I do. She's one of the greatest people I know.

"Sometimes the easiest way to say how you feel is to not say it at all," she concluded.

I knew what I had to do. "Casey, you are the best."

"I know," she replied. I could hear her smiling.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you, too," she answered. "Now, go kiss her!"

"How did y-"

"Jim, you should know not to question my methods, now GO!"

I hung up the phone and ran back into the building to find Pam.