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The wounds from my mother’s death were old—I was only nine when it happened—but they still ached like a broken bone on a cold night. The memories of how my stepfather treated me were fresher, because I’d been stuck with him through my teen years. He was the reason I’d spent so much time at Sadie’s.
“Half the time, the asshole didn’t care where she stayed. That’s why Anne’s part of our family,” Chase said. “The rest of the time, he needed proof that he was a loving father. For parties, social events—whatever. So she’d have to go home for a few weeks at a time.”
A shudder raced through me, and I hugged myself. It was harder than I’d expected to dive back into this.
Luke furrowed his brow. “Are you all right?”
“I’ll stop. You don’t need to relive this.” Chase looked concerned too.
“It’s okay. Keep going, or you won’t get to the happy ending.” I had to remember the story had one. It was one of the things that kept me from falling into darkness when I looked back on that part of my life. “I wasn’t abused or anything. Not physically. But there were a lot of nights I went to bed hungry, and to school the same way the next day. I learned to push through it.”
Chase was shaking too, but his looked more like barely controlled anger.
“When Chase realized what was going on, he went out of his way to make sure you ate,” Luke said in understanding. “Hard to compete with that.”
“I thought you both agreed this wasn’t a competition. Besides, I lo... ike you for different reasons.” That was almost bad. I didn’t want to linger in the dark anymore. “Anyway, if Disney ever writes a gamer geek princess, they totally stole the idea from my life story.”
Chase relaxed a little, but he still sat stiffly. “Can you imagine Pixar basing something on our lives?”
“Pretty sure I’ve seen that on Smut Central.” Luke’s cheer sounded forced.
The conversation drifted toward light and playful, but the long week caught up to me earlier than I expected. I stayed awake as long as I could, but the next thing I knew, I was waking up fully clothed and tangled with Chase and Luke.
There was a text message waiting for me, from Sadie. Please talk to me. I’m sorry.
Chase rested his chin on my shoulder. “Don’t be mad at her because of me. She’s your sister.”
Anne’s part of our family, his words from last night rang in my thoughts.
“Go call her,” Luke chimed in. “We’ve got time.”
I didn’t want company for this conversation. Luke and Chase would give me privacy, but I needed a little extra space. I grabbed my key, made sure I was presentable for the public, and headed into the hallway. I walked as I dialed and waited for Sadie to answer.
“I’m sorry,” she said when she picked up. “For diminishing your feelings, for telling you that you were wrong, and for giving you a bad haircut.”
“Way to take the oomf out of any speech I had planned.” Not that I’d had any idea what to say. “And you haven’t cut my hair since eighth grade.”
“It was a really bad haircut. I’m really sorry.”
I stepped into the lobby when the doors slid open. “It hurt. A lot. What you said, not the haircut.” I planned to forgive her, but she wasn’t walking away without me saying my bit. “I’ve always looked up to you. Even now. And to have you dismiss me like that...”
“Why?” Sadie asked. “I’m touched, but I’m a shitty role model.”
“You never hesitate or doubt yourself.”
Sadie laughed dryly. “I doubt myself all the time, and I make my share of mistakes.”
“But it doesn’t stop you from doing. You always act.” I leaned against a nearby pillar, tucked away from view.
“And you’re smart about the decisions you make. You think things through. You weigh the consequences. Don’t be me. I love you for you.”
Same thing I’d told Chase and Luke last night. “It sounds pretty smart when you put it that way.”
“Because I’m brilliant,” Sadie said. “Forgive me, please?”
“I do.”
“Good.” Cheer slipped into her voice. “As soon as you have days off again, movie marathon. Your choice. I’m buying... whatever we need.”
