Page 21 of WASP

“You do when you live under my roof.” Her mother’s words were a sharp reminder to Annie that she didn’t have any power here, not really anyway.

Annie exhaled deeply, fighting the surge of frustration that strained against her ribs, trying to contain it.

“And if you were with your friends, why did that girl drive you home?”

That girl.

“She has a name, Mom,” Annie grumbled.

“I’m sure she does.”

“She works at the winery. I stayed to have an extra glass and chat with her, had a little too much to drink, and she drove me home.”

Her mom, unable to poke any plausible holes in her story, pivoted the conversation with a whiplash-worthy yank. “So you left your car where?”

“At the winery. Andrew is going to grab it for me tomorrow.”

“You’re making your brother go out of his way to fix your problems?”

Annie couldn’t hold back her exasperated sigh any longer. “It’s not a problem when it already has a solution, and Andrew was happy to help. He’s going to be there tomorrow anyway. Why is this bothering you so much?” she asked, genuinely wanting to understand.

Her mother threw up her hands, her frustration with Annie evident. “The world doesn’t revolve around you, Annie. But since you’ve moved back, that’s been the attitude you’ve had, and it’s time to move past it.”

Annie stared at her mom, confused as to where all this was coming from, but she didn’t have the energy to figure it out. Instead, she took a deep breath and swallowed her pride, serving up an apology she hoped would calm the waters.

She took her time with her response, doing her best to maintain an even tone. “I’m sorry that I didn’t communicate my plans fully to you this evening. I’ll do better to keep that in mind moving forward,” she said, pushing the final words out through gritted teeth.

“Thank you. Was that so hard?”

Yes. Excruciatingly hard.

Annie didn’t answer her.

“You and your father are on your own for dinner. I’m heading over to Jocelyn’s for bible study.” Her mom crouched in front of the wine fridge tucked away on the side of the kitchen, standing up with a bottle of wine in each hand.

Annie didn’t even bother mentioning her annoyance that her mom had gotten on her case about not being able to have plans this evening, only to reveal she had plans all along. What was the fucking point? She’d never know.

“Since when does bible study involve so much wine?’ she mumbled under her breath, and even though her mom didn’t acknowledge her comment, Annie knew she had heard her by the way she paused momentarily before she slipped the bottles into a large monogrammed canvas tote bag.

SIX

MAX

The smell of sweat, industrial sanitizer, and rubber flooring filled Max’s nostrils as a man grunted his exertion far too loudly, three machines over from where she stood, spotting Lynn.

“Four, five, come on…keep going.” She counted out loud to Lynn, watching for any signs of distress or need for her to intervene as she maneuvered the bench press. “Eight. Nine, c’mon one more, ten!” Max said excitedly, reaching for the bar, relieving Lynn of the weight as she guided it back into its resting position.

Lynn wiggled her slender frame down the bench, giving herself room to sit up without smacking her head on the bar. “You were right, changing my grip made a world of difference,” she panted, taking the water bottle from Max’s outstretched hand.

When Lynn first approached Max about learning more about weightlifting, Max had been a little skeptical. It wasn’t that she didn’t think Lynn was capable. It was just that Lynn was a pretty stereotypical granola-eating, meditation-practicing, yoga-inclined type of person. Up until that point, Max had never seen Lynn lift more than twelve-pound weights. But she had agreed, because if Lynn was going to try weightlifting, Max wanted to make sure she was doing it correctly and not injuring herself.

Max whipped out her phone, opening the log she used to keep track of their lifting sets. After recording Lynn’s workout, she flipped the screen around to show her the progress she had made. “Look at that. Your weight and reps are up. And I can definitely see more of that definition you were looking for.”

Lynn took a swig from her water bottle before responding. “It’s really been in the last few weeks that I’ve actually felt strong and not like I’m fumbling my way through a set.” Max spied a small, nearly imperceptible smile she had come to know was Lynn’s tell for when she was feeling proud of herself.

“You are crushing it.” Max held out her hand, helping Lynn to her feet, the two of them moving towards the aerobic studios and away from the grunting man.

Lynn sipped from her water bottle as they walked, looking around the gym, observing in that quiet way Max always caught her doing. Max had learned early on that Lynn was someone who liked to take in the world around her. People watching had soon become one of their favorite activities to indulge in together.