That took a decidedly unfunny turn, hitting a little too close to home. Cassie rolled out from under Acacia and stood next to Parker’s bed.
“Whatever, drunky,” she said. “I’m sleeping in Kaysh’s bed.”
“Of course you are,” Parker giggled.
Cassie took it further. “I guess we’ll just do it in the bed next to you.”
“Ew,” Parker said. “But like, whatever floats your boat. Just make sure I’m asleep first, please.”
That request wasn’t hard; Parker was snoring before Cassie and Acacia even got situated. When they did, Cassie against the wall and Acacia snuggled beside her, Kaysh clicked the light off. And immediately rounded on Cassie.
“Please tell me what I thought was happening earlier wasn’t happening,” she whispered.
Cassie groaned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Kaysh.”
“Shut up,” Acacia said. “You didn’t actually drunk dial her, did you?”
“No.” It wasn’t a lie.
“You know I can check your phone, right?”
Acacia reached for it on the bedside table, but Cassie scrambled over her and got it first. She deleted the texts and recent calls.
“I fucking knew it,” Kaysh said. “What the hell were you thinking, Cass?”
“I didn’t call her,” Cassie said quietly. “And you can’t prove anything.”
She closed her eyes and held tight to her phone and refused to answer any more of Acacia’s questions.
* * *
Things went surprisingly well after that. Erin never called back and Parker was too embarrassed about her public display of horniness to think much about anything else, and even Acacia let it drop. Cassie didn’t delete Erin’s number, but she didn’t look at it again, either. School got too busy to worry much about drunken mistakes.
Thanksgiving arrived right when Cassie needed it. She couldn’t wait for Mama Webb’s cooking. Acacia’s mom made the best mac and cheese in the world, that was all there was to it. And Cassie would kill for her cornbread dressing. After a start to the year that had not at all been what she’d expected it to be, Cassie was ready to immerse herself in her Thanksgiving traditions—primarily getting stoned off good weed provided by Emerson and eating way too much food. She and Acacia would clean the kitchen after the meal but before pie, and everything would be as it should.
Cassie and Acacia were driving Parker to the airport, then taking her car the rest of the way to Greensboro. They were running late, because Acacia had said goodbye to Donovan like he was going off to war instead of to Louisiana for four days.
At the curb for departures, Cassie hugged Parker while Acacia pulled her suitcase from the trunk.
“Hey, you don’t have any plans for Christmas, right?” Parker asked. “Nothing happening over winter break?”
Cassie bristled. Just because she wasn’t visiting Emerson in Chicago with Acacia didn’t mean she didn’t have plans. She had a lot happening over winter break. It was called booze and bad movies.
“No,” she said anyway. “Why?”
“You know how my mom and I don’t always get along.” It was the first time Parker had mentioned Erin since Family Weekend, so no, Cassie didn’t really know anything about their relationship. “I’m spending Thanksgiving with my dad so most of winter break I’ll be at my mom’s. And I love her, I do, but we’re too similar, or something, because we do not get along living in the same house. Like sometimes it’s fine but sometimes it is not. And the thought of three weeks alone with her is insane. So I asked for an early Christmas present.”
She paused to hug Acacia.
“Love you,” Acacia said.
“Love you, too.”
Cassie cleared her throat. “Parker. You were saying?”
“Oh right,” Parker said like she lost her train of thought, but her nonchalance was too obvious for Cassie to believe her. “Anyway, my parents are going to fly you to New Hampshire for break.”
“What?” Cassie stared at her. Parker looked over her shoulder to the short line of people at security. “What are you talking about? That’s gotta be like, hundreds of dollars.”
“I was good this year,” Parker said. “Santa helped out.”
“Parker, I’m serious. That’s way too much.”
“I gotta go so I don’t miss my flight. Love you both! You’re my best friends! See you after Thanksgiving!” Parker grabbed her suitcase and started heading inside. “And the ticket is already bought; you’re coming for two weeks. Bye!”
She was inside before Cassie could process her words enough to respond. She had to settle for angry text messages.
Cassie [Today 3:35 PM]
This is ridiculous. It’s too much. Your parents can’t pay for me to visit
Parker [3:35 PM]
Too late, it’s nonrefundable and they’ll never let you pay them back
Cassie [3:36 PM]
What if I had plans?
Parker [3:36 PM]
We’re best friends, babe. I already knew you didn’t
Cassie [3:37 PM]
I don’t want your pity.
Parker [3:37 PM]
That’s nice. You don’t have it.
Parker [3:41 PM]
Just say thank you and spend winter break with me. It’s gonna be awesome
Parker [3:42 PM]
My mom makes such good food
Cassie sighed. That was the thing, right there. She could get over the presumptuousness of Parker buying the tickets before asking her. She didn’t even care that it was a lot of money; she had no problem with rich people spending their money on her. But the idea of sharing a house with Erin for two weeks?
Cassie threw her phone into the center console and crossed her arms and stared out the window.
“You wanna talk about it?” Acacia asked. She’d been silent since they left the airport, letting Cassie process or something.
“It’s whatever,” Cassie grumbled.
She turned up the radio. Then turned it down.
“Did you know about this?” she asked.
Acacia nodded. “You’re gonna have fun.”
Cassie wasn’t so sure.
“You can’t fuck Parker’s mom while you’re staying with her for winter break.”
“I’m aware of that, Acacia.”
“But you’re going to want to, like, the whole time you’re there.”
Cassie was aware of that, too.
Kaysh tapped her thumbs against the steering wheel. “Remind me again why you can’t just keep it in your pants?”
“I can—I should—I will,” Cassie insisted. “I will.”
Acacia glanced over at her. Neither of them said anything.
“Erin’s just, like, super attractive, okay?” Cassie said eventually; Acacia’s patient quiet had always made her say too much. “And she’s pretty funny—I mean, we just made fun of Parker mostly, but whatever—you know how I feel about funny people.”
“Yeah, your panties drop.”
She wasn’t wrong.
“Just don’t fuck Parker’s mom.” She paused, then added, “Again.”
Cassie groaned. “I know, Kaysh. I’m not going to.”
They drove in silence for a while. It was just over two hours to Greensboro—they’d be there in time for dinner. Cassie would’ve liked to focus on the home cooking she was going to get all weekend, but the idea of two weeks in Erin’s house was not something her brain could set aside.
“She can’t even be that mad at me, though,” Cassie broke the silence. “Parker, I mean.”