“So…you and Paige, like…” Ty whispers in a growly voice, leaning toward me. His eyebrows raise, and I glance from him to Leah then back again.
“No, dude. Not like that. We’re…friends,” I say, finding it hard to pick the right word, settling on friends. Cass glares at me when I speak, and I don’t know if it’s because I chose the wrong word, or because she doesn’t believe it.
“Mind if I wait here for her?” Cass asks. I take a deep breath, mentally debating, weighing the pros and cons, when the door swings open and Paige takes the decision out of my hands.
Her mouth is open, and I can tell by the look on her face that she’s gained strength since last night—she came home with the intention of standing up to me, but thankfully she took in the entire room before speaking. Now she’s simply rolling her eyes, closing the door, and walking over to hook her purse and backpack on the last open chair.
“What are you doing here?” she sighs to her sister.
“What am I doing here? Paige—you’re supposed to be in the Delta House!” Cass leans forward, speaking loudly. Leah is watching the entire thing like my grandmother used to watch soap operas. My mom notices and ushers her upstairs to get ready for the day.
“Yeah, well that plan fell through. Houston is giving me a place to crash, while I figure some things out,” Paige says, like it’s no big deal. It shouldn’t be a big deal, but then there’s this video—which I’m pretty sure has something to do with some of the girls at the sorority house, and I’m almost positive Cass knows none of this. I decide to keep my mouth shut, instead opting to clean up the table. I’m listening while rinsing dishes when I feel Ty move closer to me.
“Hey, I’m sorry we barged in, man. Really—totally against this idea, but when Cass gets something in her head…” he says, and I chuckle.
“They’re twins. She gets shit in her head too, so I’ve learned,” I say, and there’s a certain fondness that settles in my chest thinking about Paige and all of her pain-in-the-assness. I hate that fondness.
Ty laughs at my observation, then moves to the table and brings the rest of the items over to help me clean up. Paige and Cass have moved into a weird yelling-whisper mode now, with hand gestures, and lots of tsking sounds and eye-rolls.
“So, how’d you two meet?” Ty asks, clearly accustomed to this type of situation between the two sisters.
“I work at a grocery store. I made her a sandwich, and the rest is history,” I say, smirking. It’s simple, but it’s true. I looked forward to her coming in when I knew she would, and sometimes, when she’d just stop in for her own things—not for the sorority—I’d have a little flash of a fantasy that she came in to see me.
Fuck, I’m in trouble. I’m pretty sure Ty knows too, because he’s grinning, his face a lot like my friend Casey’s when he’s right and I’m wrong—which doesn’t happen often.
“We’re going out tonight—happy hour at Sally’s. You should come. Maybe you can get that one there, to hang out with her sister. They need to do more of that,” he says. My smile comes without my permission, but I stifle it quickly.
I can’t go out. I spend my nights at home, with my daughter snoring on the other side of the hall…ready in case the bad dream comes, or worse, the one where she sees her mother’s ghost. But I nod indifferently, making him believe I might show up.
When I look back, Cass and Paige are standing. They’re not hugging, but they’re laughing. It’s like they both want to touch each other, show how much that bond is there, but there’s something awkward about it. I think Cass forgives Paige more than she realizes; she’s just waiting for Paige to make the first move.
Cass shakes my hand, and I notice how strong her grip is—I’m frankly not sure whose was stronger, hers or Ty’s. I shut the door behind them and ready myself to forgive Paige, to forget about everything from twelve hours ago.
“I can’t believe you told her I was here!” she launches into me. I actually laugh, because I’m a little dumbfounded. “And you—“
She takes a step closer to me, her finger actually touching my chest. This entire scene is getting more ridiculous by the minute. “You are not going to Sally’s tonight. You don’t need to be my sister’s friend, because this?” she says, waving her hand emphatically between the both of us. “This is a nothing thing! There isn’t an us for her to get to know—so just forget about whatever bond you’re thinking about making, okay?”