Deathgrip.”
Kristen grabbed the cap and pried it off. She tossed it into the trash. “So what’d he do?”
Crossing over into the living room, Emma flopped onto the futon. She looked at the duffel. “Oh, cool. Jane got you your bag.”
Kristen froze, staring at her sister. Slowly, her mind lurched back into action. “You know Jane?”
“Yeah, she stopped in last night to pick up your stuff.”
“You let her in?”
“Yeah. That’s okay, right?”
That explains that.
Kristen forced a shrug, playing it cool. “Yeah, that’s fine. Now stop dodging my question.”
Emma let out a hoarse sigh. “Fine. He was pissed because I ordered out.”
“Like, pizza?”
“Chinese, but yeah. Work sucked and I didn’t feel like cooking. So I ordered Chinese.”
“And that’s a problem why?”
Emma mimicked a deep, masculine voice. “You need to stop wasting your money. You only have a part-time job, it can’t be that hard, get off of your ass and cook a meal for once in your life.”
Kristen slumped with her elbows on the countertop. “I don’t understand why you still put up with this guy.”
“He’s an asshole, but it’s not like I can afford to move out. He’s right, it’s only a part-time job.”
“Just move in with me. You live here half of the time anyway.”
Emma reclined against the duffel, packed full enough to serve as sturdy support. “Let’s be real, Kris. Your apartment kind of sucks. There isn’t enough room for both of us, anyway.”
Well, she’s not wrong.
Kristen dropped her empty bottle into the recycling can with a clatter of glass and aluminum. “My new jobs pays a lot better than my old one. I can get a new place. I’ll even cover all of the bills if you want to save up to go back to school.”
“Seriously?” Emma eyed Kristen warily. “You’re talking to me about going back to school? The girl who pissed off everyone on the planet by turning down like, a million scholarships?”
I didn’t have a choice.
Kristen forced another shrug, dismissing it. “I didn’t want to go.”
“Who says I want to go?”
“Nobody. I’m just saying, if you want to, you can. If not, then you don’t have anything to save up for, do you?”
“What if I want to buy a car?”
“Not nearly a good enough reason to weasel out of rent.”
Emma rolled her beer between her hands. “I don’t know. It sounds good, but living with Chad isn’t that bad.”
“First of all, his name is Chad. Anyone named Chad is automatically a huge asshole. They’re born that way.” Kristen circled around the counter and sat to next to Emma on the futon. “Second, you have to learn to stop putting up with these people. Mom’s an asshole. Chad is an asshole. They’re never going to be anything else. You have to know when enough is enough and walk away. You’re going to be miserable until you do.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “So I can end up like you?”
Kristen reeled back. “What does that mean?”
“I like having friends. If I walk away from everyone like you do, then I won’t have any.”
“What are you talking about? I have friends.”
“Bernice. Joel. Who else?”
“I don’t need anybody else.”
Emma offered a skeptical tilt of her head. Kristen spread her hands. “What? I’m serious. Look, I had plenty of friends in school. I thought cliques were stupid so I hung out with everybody. I fit in with everybody. But my senior year I figured out I had a lot of friends, but not many friends . Who did I actually want to see after I graduated? Bernice and Joel. That’s it.”
“What’s the difference between friends and friends ?”
“For me, it was simple. If I’m in a bad mood and want everyone to just leave me alone for a while, who doesn’t count as everyone?”
“I don’t get it.”
“If something’s bothering me and I don’t want to talk about it, who would understand, keep their mouths shut, and not make it worse just by being in the same room? When I’m ready
Kristen grabbed the cap and pried it off. She tossed it into the trash. “So what’d he do?”
Crossing over into the living room, Emma flopped onto the futon. She looked at the duffel. “Oh, cool. Jane got you your bag.”
Kristen froze, staring at her sister. Slowly, her mind lurched back into action. “You know Jane?”
“Yeah, she stopped in last night to pick up your stuff.”
“You let her in?”
“Yeah. That’s okay, right?”
That explains that.
Kristen forced a shrug, playing it cool. “Yeah, that’s fine. Now stop dodging my question.”
Emma let out a hoarse sigh. “Fine. He was pissed because I ordered out.”
“Like, pizza?”
“Chinese, but yeah. Work sucked and I didn’t feel like cooking. So I ordered Chinese.”
“And that’s a problem why?”
Emma mimicked a deep, masculine voice. “You need to stop wasting your money. You only have a part-time job, it can’t be that hard, get off of your ass and cook a meal for once in your life.”
Kristen slumped with her elbows on the countertop. “I don’t understand why you still put up with this guy.”
“He’s an asshole, but it’s not like I can afford to move out. He’s right, it’s only a part-time job.”
“Just move in with me. You live here half of the time anyway.”
Emma reclined against the duffel, packed full enough to serve as sturdy support. “Let’s be real, Kris. Your apartment kind of sucks. There isn’t enough room for both of us, anyway.”
Well, she’s not wrong.
Kristen dropped her empty bottle into the recycling can with a clatter of glass and aluminum. “My new jobs pays a lot better than my old one. I can get a new place. I’ll even cover all of the bills if you want to save up to go back to school.”
“Seriously?” Emma eyed Kristen warily. “You’re talking to me about going back to school? The girl who pissed off everyone on the planet by turning down like, a million scholarships?”
I didn’t have a choice.
Kristen forced another shrug, dismissing it. “I didn’t want to go.”
“Who says I want to go?”
“Nobody. I’m just saying, if you want to, you can. If not, then you don’t have anything to save up for, do you?”
“What if I want to buy a car?”
“Not nearly a good enough reason to weasel out of rent.”
Emma rolled her beer between her hands. “I don’t know. It sounds good, but living with Chad isn’t that bad.”
“First of all, his name is Chad. Anyone named Chad is automatically a huge asshole. They’re born that way.” Kristen circled around the counter and sat to next to Emma on the futon. “Second, you have to learn to stop putting up with these people. Mom’s an asshole. Chad is an asshole. They’re never going to be anything else. You have to know when enough is enough and walk away. You’re going to be miserable until you do.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “So I can end up like you?”
Kristen reeled back. “What does that mean?”
“I like having friends. If I walk away from everyone like you do, then I won’t have any.”
“What are you talking about? I have friends.”
“Bernice. Joel. Who else?”
“I don’t need anybody else.”
Emma offered a skeptical tilt of her head. Kristen spread her hands. “What? I’m serious. Look, I had plenty of friends in school. I thought cliques were stupid so I hung out with everybody. I fit in with everybody. But my senior year I figured out I had a lot of friends, but not many friends . Who did I actually want to see after I graduated? Bernice and Joel. That’s it.”
“What’s the difference between friends and friends ?”
“For me, it was simple. If I’m in a bad mood and want everyone to just leave me alone for a while, who doesn’t count as everyone?”
“I don’t get it.”
“If something’s bothering me and I don’t want to talk about it, who would understand, keep their mouths shut, and not make it worse just by being in the same room? When I’m ready
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