/N: This is becoming a little more like Romeo and Juliet than I want, but the plot will stray a little farther than just the Edd/Sage storyline. We'll see more of all the girls' escapades.

[Setting: PCJH, at Eddy's locker...]

Eddy rummaged through his locker, throwing random things out of it every which way. Edd and Ed were standing by him.

"Eddy," Edd sighed, exasperated, "what are you even looking for?"

"The equipment!" He replied.

"Equipment for what?"

"For the new scam! The one that'll knock Roxie off her high horse!"

"I like horses, Eddy!" Ed stated.

Meanwhile, Sage, Tai, and Roxie were hiding behind the locker on the end.

"Sage, what are we doing here?" Roxie snapped.

"Guys...I have a crush on someone, and I think he likes me back." Sage giggled. "I just want to go talk to him."

"Okay. We're going to the auditorium to rehearse. You know, do something worthwhile." She and Tai strutted off.

Sage slowly made her way over to the Eds. "Um, Double D?" She spoke up.

They all turned to look at her.

"Sage!" Edd smiled. "So nice to see you!"

"Can I just ask you something?"

"Sure!"

"In private?" She glanced at Eddy.

"Hey," he snarled, "if you have anything to say, say it in front of us, so we know you're not plotting against us for that twerp Roxie."

"Um...everything yesterday...were you flirting with me? Did you mean all that?"

"I-" Edd began.

"Seriously?" Eddy interrupted, laughing. "He's doing a study on the female brain, aren't you, Double D?"

Sage's face fell. "Oh. Well...I'll see you at rehearsals, okay?"

"Yes," Edd agreed in his soft-spoken way, "I guess we will."

She walked away, screwing her eyes shut, trying not to cry, but it was inevitable.

Sage remembered her mother telling her once that she should never get married, and that she should always be careful about everything, because someday she might get an accident like herself. Maybe she was onto something.

Back at the lockers, Edd sighed guiltily.

"What's wrong, Sockhead?" Eddy inquired. "Get a detention or something?"

"Eddy," he lowered his eyes, "can I tell you something?"

"We are all ears, Double D!" Ed exclaimed, but Edd covered his mouth.

"You can't tell anyone!"

"We will be as quiet as socks on a mosquito!"

"I...I think I like Sage a little more than I should."

"Sage?" Eddy groaned. "Double D, she's the enemy! You can't like her!"

"I know, but I can't help it!"

"Well, you're going to have to! Besides, it'll be less painful when we crush their spirit! This scam's going to be the scam of the century, I tell you!" His smile was growing larger as he got more excited.

Edd gulped. Breaking Sage's spirit was the last thing he'd want to do.

[Setting: PCJH, in the auditorium...]

Sage read over her script. She was attempting to memorize her lines, and had come to a scene between Annie and Randy. "'But why would a guy like you go for a girl like me?'" She read.

"Why would you ask that? How are you much different from us?"

She looked up to see who had responded and saw Edd, grinning at her, showing that goofy gap in his teeth she found so cute. "Oh. Hello. I see you've been memorizing."

"I just want to say that I'm sorry." He apologized. "If I may have hurt your feelings in any way, I deeply apologize for it."

"It's okay." She shrugged as he sat down next to her. "I hope I helped your study."

"You did."

"Double D?"

"Yes?"

"Real or not real, I was really 'hanging out in your dreams?'"

"Well, not that real." He lied.

"I can live with that. Real or not real, you weren't totally freaked out by the alarm system?"

"Not real. That scared me to death."

"That's how my parents communicate with me." She shrugged, a bit embarrassed. "I forgot to momentarily disable the camera they don't know I know is in my room, so they saw you and got really mad that I was unsupervised with a boy in my room."

"My parents communicate with me through Post-it notes. Don't feel so bad."

"Really?" She giggled.

Edd found her laughter so infectious, so melodious, that he had to join in.

When the laughter had died, he, looking into Sage's blue eyes, desperately wanted to know what was on her mind.

He glanced down at her hand. If you could do it once, Eddward, he thought, you can do it again.

Slowly but surely, he laced his fingers through hers.

Sage blushed. "You're holding my hand. Real or not real?"

"Real."

[Setting: Sage's House...]

"So how'd things go at school, Annie Reed?" Roxie inquired slyly, painting her nails as she did.

"They actually went really well," Sage shrugged, "but I don't really know where we stand."

"And who's the lucky eggplant?" Tai giggled.

"Do you guys promise not to make fun of me?"

"Oh, Sage, we'd never!" Roxie promised, her fingers crossed behind her back.

"Okay." She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I think I have a crush on Double D."

Her mouth hung open. "I'm sorry. I think I heard you wrong. Please repeat that."

"I think I have a crush on Double D."

"But you can't."

"Why can't I?"

"Because he's in league with that jerk Eddy!" She held her head in her hands. "Look, young grasshopper-"

"Don't call me that."

"Point is, I know you like him, but can't you just let him go for a little while?"

"Until how long?"

"Until we destroy them, that's all!"

"Roxie, please, I promise I won't let him get in the way of anything!"

"Case closed, Sage!"

"You're not the boss of me!"

Roxie fumed, but then calmed herself down. "Look, I don't want to fight again, but do you know how much of a betrayal this is to me?"

"I guess I know." She sighed, her eyes lowered to the floor.

"Good. We'll talk about this later." She opened the window and climbed out of it. "I'm going to go beg for cash by the candy store."

"What?"

"Hey, I'm adorable. Who can't resist me?"

When she disappeared, Tai gingerly sat down next to the sulking Sage. "I think it's really cute how you like him." She giggled. "Look, if you want to get together with him, I'll keep it from Roxie, okay?"

"Why would you do that?" Sage murmured.

"Because I'm your friend. And she is too, but she's just being protective of you."

"Tai...thank you."

"No problem. Want to go get some turkey-and-Fruit Loops pizza?"

"And she returns." She sighed. "I guess I do owe you one."

"Yay!"