Author's Note: To the Guest: I didn't know that, that's cool!
Nia's POV
"Hey, you ready for school, Nia?" Levi asked me walking into the living room.
"Yeah," I said. "Where's Booker?"
"Still in the bathroom," he said.
"We need to go," I said.
"I got it," mom yelled from the hallway. "Booker! Get your butt out of the bathroom and get to school!"
We heard the bathroom door open a few seconds later. He came into the living room. He was wearing a dress shirt.
"Why are you wearing a dress shirt?" I asked.
"Is it school picture day today?" Levi asked.
"No," Booker said. "I just wanted to dress up. Is there something wrong with that?"
"It's because of a girl, isn't it?" I asked, knowing that is the only reason he ever dresses up.
"No," he said. He was lying.
"Come on," Levi said. "Let's get to school." Levi ended up in our class because he skipped a couple of grades.
We walked to school.
[Title Sequence]
We met Tess and Jessie at their lockers.
"Wow, you look nice, Booker," Jessie said.
He smiled. "Thanks," he said. He looked at me. "At least someone likes it."
I rolled my eyes.
"It's because of a girl," I said.
"Will you stop saying that?" He asked me.
"Will you admit it?" I asked him.
"So how has your first month at our school been?" Levi asked.
"Great," Jessie said.
"Why can't a guy dress up for no reason?" Booker asked.
"He can," Jessie said. "But if it is for a girl, Booker, you shouldn't try to impress her. You don't need to change yourself for someone, unless it's bad qualities. If a girl doesn't like you, for you, then she's not worth it."
"Thanks, Jessie," Booker said. "Good thing it's not for a girl."
"I better get to class," Jessie said. She shut her locker and walked away.
"You know lying is a bad quality, right?" I asked Booker.
"I'm not lying, Nia," Booker said.
Raven's POV
Chelsea and I watching a TV show.
"You know what happened this morning, Chelse?" I asked her.
"No, what?"
"Well, Booker dressed up today," I said. "Nia thinks it's for a girl."
"What do you think?" She asked me.
"Well," I said, "I don't know, Chelse. It could be for a girl, but what if it's just for himself, ya know?"
"Yeah, I mean, that would make sense," Chelsea said. "You know what you should do?"
"What?"
"Call Devon," she said.
"No, no, no, no," I told her. "I am not calling Devon for advice."
"It's not advice, Rae," she said. "It's just a boy's point of view."
"Okay," I said. "Okay, I'll call him."
Devon's POV
I was in my office getting my news segment for tonight ready. My tablet started to ring. The only person that calls my video chat without warning is Raven, my Rae. I want to get back together, but I think it's too complicated right now. I'm working on getting transferred back to Chicago. I look at my tablet and see I was right. I answer.
"Hey Rae," I said.
"Hi Devon!" Chelsea yelled coming into the camera view.
"Hey, Chelsea," I said. "What's up?"
"So, Booker dressed up today," Raven said.
"Okay," I said.
"For school."
"Is it school picture day?" I asked.
"No," she said.
"Oh," I said.
"So, Nia thinks it's for a girl," she said. "But Booker denies it."
"Is there any chance it could just be for himself?" Chelsea asked.
"Yeah," I said. "But whatever the reason is, is his business, Rae."
"Devon," she said.
"I'm not saying he's necessarily the same way, but the only time I dressed up was for you," I said. "I gotta go. Talk to you later, Rae."
Raven's POV
"Well, that wasn't helpful," I said.
"Well, maybe we should just let Booker sort through this himself."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," I said. We started watching our show again.
Nia's POV
I met Booker and Levi at lunch. Booker had his dress shirt open and was wearing a t-shirt underneath.
"So, I take it you took Jessie's advice," I told Booker.
"Yeah," he said. "I mean, no. It just got too hot to keep it buttoned up."
"Sure," I said. "Where's Tess and Jessie?"
"I don't know," Levi said. Just then, they walked up to our table.
"Hey, sorry we're late," Jessie said.
"It's fine," I said. She got spaghetti.
"Anyone want my garlic bread?" Jessie asked.
"Why?" Booker asked. "I mean, I'll take it, but why?"
"Garlic makes the immune system work faster," she said. "And since my immune system is already overactive, I need to watch how much garlic I eat, and there's already some garlic in the spaghetti sauce."
"Oh, okay," Booker said. Jessie handed him her garlic bread. "What other foods do you have to avoid?" Why is he so interested in it?
"Well, everyone's case is different," Jessie said, "but for me, food-wise, it's just garlic and salt, I avoid eating too much of either. The salt is just a precaution though. People with Lupus are more at risk of heart disease."
Booker's POV
Suddenly I had a vision.
Coach Spitz was in front of me.
"I won't have anyone being lazy in my PE class," he said.
Nia's POV
"What's up with Booker?" Jessie laughed.
"Oh," I said. "Um, he just…spaces out sometimes."
Booker blinked his eyes a bit.
"I just had a—" He began to say.
"Space out," I finished for him.
"What?"
"You spaced out," I told him, motioning to Jessie with my eyes.
"Oh, yeah," he said. "I spaced out again."
"You might want to get that checked out, Book," Jessie said. "It could be a partial seizure or something."
"Yeah," Booker said. "Yeah, I'll make sure to do that."
After we ate lunch, Booker stopped me in the hall.
"What about lying being a bad quality?" He asked me.
"This is different," I said. "We're protecting your secret."
"Yeah, but now she thinks I'm having seizures," he said.
"She may not be completely wrong," I said. He looked at me like I'm crazy. "Think about it. The visions are caused by a disruption in the brain, right?"
"I guess so," he said. "I don't want to think about that right now. Let's get to class."
"Wait," I said. He stopped. "What was your vision?"
"Coach Spitz telling me that people can't be lazy in PE class," he said.
"That doesn't make sense," I said. "You always participate in PE class."
"I know, right?"
We walked to class.
Raven's POV
"Chelse!" I yelled running into the living room.
"Rae," Chelsea said, "I'm with a client." She motioned to her tablet.
"This is important," I said.
"Okay," she said. "Rachel, I'll call you back in an hour." She hung up. "Okay, what is it, Rae?"
"I think I finally figured out what's up with Booker," I said.
"Really, Rae?" She asked. "I was in a meeting with Rachel."
"I know, I know," I said. "Sorry. I just got excited."
"Okay, so what do you think is up with Booker?"
"I think he was just dressing up to maybe reinvent himself," I said.
"That makes sense," she said.
We stayed silent for a bit.
"You don't believe it, do you?" I asked.
"Nope," she said.
"Me neither," I said, sitting next to her on the couch. "Maybe Devon's right, maybe we should just leave it alone."
"Yeah," she said. We sat there for a second.
"He has a journal in his and Levi's room," I said.
"I'd be surprised if Levi doesn't have one," Chelsea said.
We ran into the boys' room. I dug through drawers and found it.
"Well, Levi doesn't have one," Chelsea said.
I opened the journal and started reading.
"Chelse, listen to this," I said. "
All of my embers ignited
In a moment's notice
Suddenly everything about you
Became so beautiful and true
We've had a short ride
But I wouldn't mind
If you became my wife"
"Wow," Chelsea said.
"Chelse, you know what this means?"
"He definitely likes a girl."
"No Chelse," I said. "He doesn't just like her. My baby's in-love!"
Booker's POV
I made sure Levi's journal was still in my backpack (he keeps it in there so his mom won't read it. I started walking to the gym for PE class, when I saw Jessie crying in the hall. I rushed to her side.
"Hey, Jessie, you okay?" She shook her head. "What's wrong?"
"I'm in so much pain," she said, her voice shaking.
"Because of Lupus?" I asked.
"Yeah," she said. "I tried explaining it to coach Spitz, but he wouldn't listen and made me continue my laps. I ended up collapsing while trying to run. It was so embarrassing. I tried to go to the nurse's office, but I stopped here because of the pain."
"Do you want some help?" I asked her.
"I don't want to be a burden," she said.
"You'll never be a burden to me," I said. I helped her up and helped her get to the nurses office. The nurse gave her some Aleve.
"Go to class, Book," she said. "I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yeah," she said. I turned to the door. "Oh, and Booker?" I looked back to her. "Thank you."
"No problem," I said. I went to class.
I walked into the gym.
"Booker, you're late!" Coach Spitz said.
"I know," I said. "I was helping Jessie get to the nurse's office?"
"Woah. Nurse's office?" Tess asked.
"Yeah, because Coach Spitz made her finish her laps," I said.
"I won't have anyone being lazy in my PE class," he said.
That was my vision, I thought.
"She wasn't being lazy," I said. "She has Lupus."
"She has what, now?" Coach Spitz asked.
"Lupus," Tess said. "It's an autoimmune disease."
"What does this have to do with her trying to get out of doing her laps?"
"She wasn't trying to," I told him. "She was in pain, she still is."
"I thought she was faking it," he said.
"Well, she wasn't," I said. "She couldn't even make it to the Nurse's office by herself because of it."
"I see," Coach Spitz said. "I misunderstood the situation." He looked towards the exit and back at us. "You guys have a free day today. I will be back." We watched him leave.
Nia's POV
"Wow, Booker," Nia said. "You really defended her against Spitz."
"Yeah, that took guts, man," Tess said.
"Of course I did," Booker said. "I could see how much pain she was in. There was no way I was letting him say she was just being lazy."
"Well, that was a really nice thing for you to do, Book," Tess said.
"Yeah," he said. He walked off to shoot hoops with Levi.
"Wait a second," I said, realizing something.
"What?" Tess asked me.
"Booker dressed up today, most likely for a girl," I said.
"Yeah?"
"He later changed back to his normal style, by just unbuttoning the shirt, but still," I said. "He did that after who told him he shouldn't try to impress a girl and just be himself?"
"Jessie," Tess said, then her eyes went wide. "Jessie!" She smiled. "Wait, you don't think—?"
"I do," I said. We both looked over at Booker.
Raven's POV
Booker, Nia, and came home from school.
"How was school today?"
"Good," all of them said.
"Oh, really?" I asked. "'Cause I got a call from Coach Spitz today."
"I can explain," he said.
"No need to get all defensive again," I said. "I'm proud of you, baby!" I told him, hugging him.
"Really?" He asked. "But I talked back to a teacher."
"But you did it for the right reasons," I said. "After you talked to him, he apologized to Jessica."
"He apologized?" Booker asked.
"Yes," I said. "He was in the wrong, he owed it to her to apologize."
"Wow," he said.
"You're a good friend, Booker," I told him.
"You really are," Nia said, putting her hand on his shoulder. He smiled.
"I'll be right back," he said. He walked out the door.
Booker's POV
I knocked on the O'Malley's door. Tess opened the door.
"Is Jessie here?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'll go get her," she said. She smiled at me. In a few seconds Jessie was in front of me.
"Hey Booker," she said.
"Hey," I said. "How are you?"
"Better," she said.
"I heard Spitz apologized to you," I said.
"Well, it's all because of you," she said, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. "Thank you for today."
"No problem," I said. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"We should hang out more," she said.
"We should," I said. I went back to my apartment.