"FLASHBACK"
9 years ago - Age:15
Sage jumped on the couch and exclaimed, "Hi mom and dad, I'm back." Today was her 15th birthday, and her friends showered her with well-wishes and presents. Her father wished her as well, but her mother didn't even look at her.
"What did I do wrong?" she thought to herself. Her father had planned a birthday celebration for her later in the evening, but her mother was nowhere to be seen.
Sage was wearing a black skirt and a red graphic sweatshirt with a collared shirt underneath. The dress code was casual, so her father and the other guests would also be dressed informally.
Just then, she saw Wade and his mother entering the house. Wade was wearing black leather pants with an oversized black leather jacket, and underneath was a black cotton t-shirt. He seemed to have a fondness for black.
"How is that even a casual outfit? He looks like he's going to a fashion show," Sage thought to herself as she stared at him from a distance.
Wade was greeting her dad, so he didn't notice Sage standing right behind him. She thought it was the perfect opportunity to scare him.
She jumped near him, but instead of getting scared, he tripped over her leg and fell on top of her.
"If you wanted to hug me, you could have just said it. No need to jump at me and all," she repeated the same thing he had said before, resulting in a slight red hue on Wade's cheeks.
Sage's dad and Wade's mom exchanged knowing glances and shared a coy smile, observing their children's interaction.
"I'm sorry," Wade said, embarrassed, as he stood up and extended his hand to help her up.
"Aww, is little Wade shy?" Sage fake gasped and looked at him standing there with a red tint on his face and neck.
"Del, just shut—" his sentence got cut off when someone cleared their throat. Wade turned around and saw his mom and her dad staring at them with a smirk.
He put his head down in embarrassment, fully blushing now.
On the other hand, Sage just smiled at them. She walked forward and embraced Wade's mother in a warm, loving hug, whispering softly, "I missed you, Aunt."
Wade's heart warmed up as he witnessed the scene in front of him. He felt guilty seeing the sadness in his mother's eyes. He knew she considered Sage as her own daughter.
Anyone would, to be honest. Sage was simply the most lovable person he had ever met.
Anyone would fall in love with her.
She wasn't the most gorgeous girl in the world, but to him, she was the only girl in his world.
Anyone could see the love in his eyes, but unlike most, his mom knew it was real.
This was not part of his plan; this wasn't just acting.
He wasn't just acting; he had actually fallen for her.
His mother's heart ached seeing the guilt in her young son's eyes.
He was only 15, for God's sake. He was supposed to enjoy his life, but here he was, planning the betrayal of the person he loved.
She wished she could do something for her son, but she knew that attempting to interfere would put both of them in danger.
By this time, Sage was smiling widely. She loved Wade's mom; she was such a sweet lady, and her embrace always made her feel safe.
"Just like Wade's embrace," her mind spoke.
She shook her head, dismissing her silly thoughts, and turned back to look at Wade. He was looking so cool.
"You don't look so bad, huh?" she teasingly said and smiled when he approached to give her a big hug. However, before he could, the doorbell rang.
Emily, Damien, and Grayson arrived.
"Oh my god, Sage, you look so stunning," Emily exclaimed excitedly and hugged her friend. Sage's smile grew wider as she hugged her back.
Sage and Emily became good friends after Emily apologized to her publicly at school one day. Sage found it a little suspicious, but she forgave her after a few days.
Emily stopped pursuing Wade and didn't even spare him a glance, which confused him. He couldn't understand her intentions.
"Shut up, you look hotter. I love the outfit so much," Sage beamed at Emily, who had a shy smile and light blushed cheeks.
"Will you both stop flirting already?" Damien groaned in annoyance.
"Shut up, you dick," Emily flicked his forehead, while he scowled at her.
Sage released Emily from her embrace and went to give Damien a tight hug.
Damien hugged her back and softly murmured, "Happy birthday, babe."
She simply smiled and was about to step away when suddenly Grayson jumped out from behind Damien, pretending to be hurt.
"Maxyyy, these idiots aren't even acknowledging me. What did I do to deserve this?" he dramatically gasped and fake cried.
Wade laughed at his friend and gave Grayson a brotherly hug. Grayson smiled and hugged him back tightly.
Within a year, Grayson had become Wade's closest confidant after Sage. They had always shared a strong bond and rarely argued. Grayson and Wade were the troublemakers, while Emily and Damien were always pranking and fighting with each other. Overall, their group was pure bliss for Sage.
"Why aren't they dating already?" Emily whispered to Sage, and Damien, who stood nearby, nodded in agreement.
"They're not out yet, obviously," Sage said, making both Damien and Emily laugh. "Oh, please, it's so obvious they're bisexual," Damien scoffed, looking at the two best friends talking.
"Right? But their male ego is too big to admit it," Emily and Damien nodded, sharing knowing looks. Suddenly, Sage playfully pushed Grayson, causing both him and Wade to fall on top of each other.
Laughter erupted from all their friends who were standing nearby.
Wade quickly pushed Grayson away. Damien went to help Grayson get up, still sporting a smirk on his face.
"What the fuck, Sage?" Grayson said, but a small smile graced his face, making Sage laugh even more.
"We need to get you both out of the closet, you know?" Sage smirked, placing her arm over Wade's shoulder, making him bend down slightly to avoid hurting her arm. "I'm not gay, you dumbass," Wade playfully ruffled her hair.
She swatted his hand away and said, "Sure, every gay person says that."
He just laughed when suddenly his mom cleared her throat and asked Sage, "Where is your mother, dear?"
Sage tensed up upon hearing her mother being mentioned. Wade discreetly moved closer to her and held her hand behind her back, gently rubbing his thumb over it to comfort her.
Sage sighed in relief, and before she could say anything, her dad approached and engaged her in a different conversation.
"You okay?" he asked quietly, looking around to ensure no one was paying attention to them.
As the realization hit her, she quickly pulled her hand away from his hold before anyone could see it. She missed the look of pain on his face, which he concealed with a forced smile.
"Thank you, Wade," she whispered, smiling at him.
He simply nodded, forcing a smile, and walked away, not giving her a chance to say anything. This left her confused and a little worried.
He knew where her mother was.
She was with his uncle, in his house—probably in his bed.
He had known about this affair for the past two years, and he wanted to tell her what a terrible person her mother was.
Her mother didn't deserve to be called a mother.
A tear slipped from Wade's eye as soon as he reached the washroom.
He didn't even bother wiping it away as he stared at his reflection in the mirror.
He felt disgusted, ashamed, and, above all, he felt hatred.
Not towards his father, not towards her mother, but towards himself.
Because, no, Sage didn't trust his father, she didn't trust her own mother, but she trusted him.
And he was the one who would betray her.
Several days had passed since Sage's birthday, and now Wade, Emily, and Damien were sitting at Damien's house, planning their next move for the mission.
"I don't want to do this," Emily suddenly said, frowning and looking down at her shoes.
"Why?" Damien asked, sitting beside her and gently lifting her chin.
She pulled away from Damien's hold. "Sage is so nice. She really loves all of us. How can we do this to her?" she stood up and pointed at both of them. Wade chuckled at her statement and ordered her to shut up and sit down.
"Don't you have a heart? Imagine how devastated Sage will feel when she finds out that her own mother and her best friends betrayed her," she screamed in their faces.
"She won't find out because she'll be dead by then," Wade said, his face devoid of emotion.
"Wade," Emily stepped forward and slapped him hard on his cheek.
"Emily, please don't," Damien intervened and grabbed Emily, making her sit down.
"Damien, please tell him to stop. I can't do this to her," Emily pleaded, looking at Damien.
"You know I can't do it. Our families' lives will be at risk if we try to go against him," Damien said bitterly, glancing at Wade.
"Sage deserves better. She deserves so much more than us," Emily said, her eyes filled with intense hatred towards Wade.
"Don't you realize she cares about you too much to be used and discarded?" Damien looked at Wade, his eyes welling up with tears for Sage.
"Well, you have to learn when to separate business and personal life, right? To me, Sage was nothing but a business deal," Wade smirked, approaching Emily and Damien.
"Aunty..." Damien looked at Wade's mother, who stood behind him, tears streaming down her face as she listened to everything her own son said.
She had thought he was better than this, but unfortunately, like father, like son.
Wade turned around to see his mother, frozen in place.
"I wish I could tell you how proud I am of you, but that will never be possible," his mother remarked as she walked out of the room.
His heart was wounded by her words, but he knew he deserved it.
"You know what? Deep down, you also know that Sage means much, much more to you than a mere business deal. It's just your fucking ego, inherited from your father. It's better if you come up with a plan to stop this; otherwise, we'll have to take action," Damien said, leaving the house along with Emily.
"Please, do something before you lose her forever, Wade."