“Dais, it’s okay,” Ryke says. “You don’t have to say a fucking thing if you don’t want to.”
She uncrosses her legs and then crosses them back. “I need to, I think.” Her green eyes flit between me and Rose. “These past ten months living with you have been some of the best of my life. Being the youngest, I’ve always felt left out, and you both managed to include me, even when you were having babies.” She smiles, a sad smile. “I want you both to know that I love you so much.”
I wipe my eyes and glance at Rose. Her gaze is all glassy, even if she’s not crying yet. This sounds like a very sad goodbye. I’m not ready for it. I thought we’d all be living together way longer than this.
I enjoy waking up in the morning to my little sister breezing around the kitchen with blueberries. Like a ball of sunshine, helping Ryke cook pancakes for the house. I love when she skateboards in the living room, reciting her theories on life and love. And when she proposes water balloon fights in the dead heat of summer.
There was a time where I had no idea who Daisy Calloway was. But I know her now. She’s my exuberant little sister, and I’ve grown to love her more than blood. I love her as a friend, and I selfishly don’t want to let her go.
Daisy continues, silent tears rolling down her face, “In some ways, I feel like I’ve regressed. But then I remember all the hours I’ve spent with you both.” She looks right at me. “And I think I would’ve missed all those moments had I been somewhere else.” She sniffs. “I gained something here. And it’s not something I want to lose.”
I use the edge of my blanket to dry my eyes. “You won’t,” I say, my voice scratchy. “Whatever happens, you won’t.”
“We’ll always be your sisters,” Rose tells her. And that’s when her tears fall. She rolls her eyes at the sight of them.
Daisy nods a few times. “I’ve realized that no matter where I go, I’m going to be afraid. I can travel all the way to Costa Rica and scare myself.”
Ryke goes rigid at that. He rests his hand on Daisy’s head in comfort.
“And even if I’ve been a little more out of it than usual, you’ve all made me happier,” she declares. “So I’m staying.”
“We both are,” Ryke announces, and he messes Daisy’s hair with a rough hand. She smiles up at him.
I gape. “Really?” I practically cry.
She laughs, rubbing her reddened eyes. “Really, really.”
“This is the best news.” I turn to Rose, expecting a similar reaction.
Her tears have dried and she now glares at our little sister. “You could’ve spared me the swollen eyes by prefacing with I’m staying.”
Lo cuts in, “She unthawed your heart with sentimental things. Don’t bitch at her for it.”
“I revoke that word from your vocabulary,” Rose retorts, crossing her arms. Connor grins into his sip of coffee.
“Oh look at that, she put a spell on me,” Lo says dryly. He nods to Connor. “How does it feel when she bewitches you? Do you go all dead inside?”
“Just the opposite,” Connor replies, even playing into magic banter, which he usually shuts down. My smile hurts my cheeks.
Lo grimaces. “Christ. Sorry I asked.”
“Speaking of you two,” Ryke chimes in, gesturing between Connor and Rose. “I got a text from Lily last night saying that she convinced you to join social media. What the fuck?”
“I was already on Twitter,” Connor reminds him. “She only had to convince Rose.”
I perk up at the new topic. “Everyone should do it.”
Ryke shoots me a dirty (the non-sexual kind of dirty) look. “Please tell me that wasn’t your high school fucking motto.” This is protective Ryke coming forth. (The non-sexual kind of coming.)
I scrunch my nose as I contemplate this. “No, that’s more Daisy. She’s the one who tries to rally people into doing crazy things.” I point at her. “Like walking the roof ledge of an apartment building.”
“Yeah, bro,” Lo says with a smile. “You’re dating that one.”
Ryke raises his brows at his girlfriend.
Daisy smiles so wide that it brightens the whole room. Tension extinguished. “I figure I have about thirty more years left of crazy things, so hey, I might as well do them with as many people as I can.” She nudges his side. “Even if it’s just you.”
Ryke is about to full-on make out with her. I know that lusty look in his eyes. I wear it on too many occasions, I think. He ends up kissing her head and focuses back on all of us. “I thought we agreed no social media?”
“That was until last night,” Connor says. “Lily tweeted that everyone was safe after the break in, and dozens of news stations credited that tweet as a legitimate source.”
For the first time, our voice was truly heard. No twisting of our words. No bad editing or misplaced quotes.
“We’re taking some control back,” Rose adds.
Lo is new to this situation like Ryke and Daisy. Lines wrinkle his forehead as he digests this info. “And with what username are you taking control back with?” he asks her. “At Callowitch, hashtag spank me?”
I smack Lo’s chest.
“What?” he whispers to me.
“That was mean.”
Connor isn’t smiling, which means that this one definitely stung Rose.
She inhales strongly. “You just insulted both of my sisters considering I’m Rose Cobalt. And hashtag, I loathe you.”
Lo raises his hands. “All I’m saying, Rose Cobalt, is that no matter how much we go on social media, there’ll still be people criticizing us. This isn’t going to fix that.”
I look up at him. “I know that, Lo.” He’s worried about me—that I’ve put all my faith in social media as a big solution. “We’ll always have haters. But we’ll have fans too. And I’d like to keep those.”
Lo’s shoulders relax and he nods at me. “Okay.”
“Rose’s username is RoseCCobalt,” I tell him. “It was the only free one.”
“So I’m guessing Loren Hale is taken?” he asks me.
I nod. “Yep.”
“Wait, how can someone take our names?” Ryke frowns.
Oh jeez. He’s the only one not up to speed on the ways of Twitter. Daisy shows him her phone. “I’ll create one for you.”
“We’re really doing this?” he asks, hesitating.
“Just be yourself,” Connor tells him. “I know you probably fail at written word, but in person, you usually ace being who you are.”
“I’m going to ignore the part where you fucking insulted me.”
Connor grins. “Why? Those are the best parts.”
Ryke flips him off.
“How about ‘rykefuckmeadows’ as a username?” Daisy asks, typing into her phone. “Oh wait…that’s already taken too.”
“Seriously?” Ryke says, sounding impressed. He leans over her to check the screen.
“Just do it backwards,” Lo says, “MeadowsRyke. He won’t care.”
“Yeah, that’s fine with me,” Ryke agrees.
“Got it,” Daisy tells us. In the next few minutes, we spout off multiple ideas for Daisy and Lo’s username. And I steal Lo’s phone to type in prospects.
“What’s yours?” Lo asks Connor, forgetting Connor’s verified Twitter account.
“My name, no breaks,” Connor replies.
@ConnorCobalt. It’s not surprising that he was able to snag that username. He had it before he even met us.
Lo peers over my shoulder as I zone in on a Twitter discussion between our fans. “Missed opportunity, Connor,” Lo says with a growing smile.
“What’s that?”
“One of your fans has the username: ConnorCockbalt.” Lo tilts his head at him. “Hate to tell you this, but it’s better than yours, love.”
Connor’s grin envelops his face. “I don’t disagree with you.”
I’m sucked into the Twitter discussion, my eyes glazing over the usernames. My hearts swells at each one.
@lorenhale
@rykemeadows
@ConnorCockbalt
@lilycalloways
@rosescalloway
@runcalloway
@callowaysisters
@lilocalloway
@coballoway
@cobaltscalloway
The people behind them mean something to me the way all fandoms do.
“That’s pretty cool,” Lo whispers in my ear. He’s returned to the screen, peering behind me at the rest of the usernames.
“Yeah,” I say with a bigger smile. “It’s pretty cool.”
“Try lorenhellion,” he breathes. I do, and a green checkmark shows that it’s available. Daisy chooses @daisyonmeadows, a silly pun that’s also a little flirtatious. It suits her.
“So what does us being on social media fucking mean exactly?” Ryke asks. I think he knows. He just wants someone to say it.
I speak up first. “We can’t try to hide anymore.” I nod resolutely. It’s ironic coming from the girl who used to be a hermit, who shied away from attention and cameras. By using social media, we’re now cementing a future in the public eye.
No takebacks.
But if we’re going to be under a spotlight, I’d much rather do it on my terms than someone else’s. Maybe then we’ll have a fighting chance at protecting Maximoff and Jane as they grow older. We all have a bigger voice now.
No one can steal that from us.
{ 66 }
LOREN HALE
Ryke pops a bagel into a toaster. “Don’t fucking say it,” he tells me.
I must wear a mocking smile. “I wasn’t going to say anything.” While the girls talk quietly in the living room, we refill coffees in the kitchen.
Connor examines the expiration date on the milk. “I’ll say it.”
“Do it,” I prod.
“Daisy Meadows,” Connor puts it out there. The username she chose stirred old memories for us. We ream Ryke all the time about that possibility. Marrying her. Before, I’d shut him down. Now, it’s fun to watch him roll his eyes. And tell me to fuck off.
Ryke looks incensed as he waits for his breakfast to cook. “You two are fucking hilarious.”
“I thought we were more predictable than hilarious,” Connor says easily, trashing the milk. “But I accept both.”
I lean against the stove. “Are you going to name your kids Wild or Pony?”
“Shut the fuck up,” Ryke says lightly, and he even laughs. “Pony Meadows, really?”
“It’s nature.” I theatrically gasp like Daisy always does. “Nature is amazing.”
“You fucking suck at mimicking her.”
“Yeah, that was weak.” I watch Connor pour his coffee in a mug. He combs his hand through his wavy hair, flattening some of the thicker strands. “Hey…” My blood ices, and I hesitate to say what’s popped in my head.
But he spins around and sets his deep blue eyes on me. Waiting for me to finish.
I haven’t asked him about the article in a while, the one involving my son. It hasn’t cropped up on the internet. I assumed it was taken care of, but I’d sleep easier hearing it from him. I ask, “Did you and my dad work things out?”
“We’re not going to be best friends any time soon, but we’ve set aside our differences for now.” He takes a sip of coffee. “Turns out we have something in common.” I read his gaze that’s more open than usual, the answer clear.
They both love me.
That’s not even the strangest part. What’s crazy is that I feel worthy of love.
“So how’d you bury the article?” I ask with a frown. “Whatever it cost, I can write a check—”
“Don’t worry about it,” he says, his defenses rising, his emotions padlocked.
“Connor—”
“Lo,” he says smoothly, “trust me when I tell you that it’s taken care of. This isn’t a part of your story anymore.”
Ryke grabs his popped bagel. “Just take the easy fucking win, Lo. We all dodged a shit storm.”
Not every situation has to be a full-on drag-out battle, and if this one is easier—yeah, I’ll take it. “Thanks,” I tell Connor.
“For you, anything.”
This time when he says it, I recognize the depth to his words. I’m not sure what he did for me. With someone as guarded as Connor, I doubt I’ll ever find out. But I’m sure that it was more than I could ever give.
{ 67 }
LILY CALLOWAY
“The register is pretty simple, or if you’d rather man the expresso and coffee makers, you’re welcome to do that. I thought the comics would be more up your alley though.” I open some of the blinds on the Superheroes & Scones storefront windows. We’re closed for another two hours, but I’m guiding Willow around, Maya in tow.
“I probably shouldn’t be near hot liquids,” Willow says softly. “I can be a klutz when I’m nervous.” She adjusts the straps of her jean backpack on her arm. She still carries it around like a safety vest.
“Good to know,” I say, watching her scan the empty store, as though it’s her first time in here. Maybe as a future employee, it is. “If you don’t want a job—”
“No, I do,” she tells me quickly. “I really do. I’m just taking it all in.” She pushes up her glasses. “It’s my first time on my own…”
“Lo mentioned that to me.” I’ve never been on my own. I’ve always had him, and I can’t imagine being seventeen and deciding to journey off to another state in pursuit of happiness. It’s something Daisy would’ve done, if she grew the courage.
Willow says she’s not adventurous like my little sister, but this seems like a pretty big adventure to me.
“Your mom said that you can always go home. She left that door open for you, right…?” I trail off, distracted by a Celebrity Crush tabloid on the counter. An employee must’ve left it behind. Normally, I’d itch to read a couple headlines and flip through.
I pick up the magazine and go to trash it, doing the sensible thing. I think Ryke would be the proudest of all.
“Yeah,” Willow nods. “It’s always open.”
“That’s good,” I say, a little absentminded as I toss the magazine in the trash. Ha! Take that Wendy Collins, staff writer and my arch nemesis. Before I close the lid, I do accidentally catch a peek of one headline: Lily Calloway & Loren Hale Wedding Rumors!
Nope. I refuse to believe they’ve leaked. We’re keeping everything private and under wraps. This one peaceful day can’t be ruined. I shut the trash lid and raise my chin like Rose would. I feel confident, but I’m sure I look silly.
Near me, Maya slips behind the register, counting the cash. “Roomie, come. Let me teach you, young wise one.”
Willow smiles a little more as she follows Maya, her new roommate. Lo offered our house to his half-sister. We have plenty of extra rooms, but she didn’t want to intrude. I think it’s overwhelming. There’s so many of us, and she’s still trying to get used to a new place.
Maya is only twenty, and her old roommate just left for California, so it just all worked out. Now Willow will finish her senior year here and I suppose contemplate college. Normal stuff. Life doesn’t stop when you take a new road. It always finds a way to go on.
A loud knock on the glass door jolts me awake. Especially as Garth emerges from the break room at the sound. My big-boned bodyguard hovers close to my side. I squint, distinguishing the face behind the glass door, the closed sign dangling near him.
My throat tightens.
It’s the hoodie guy, the one that Lo said was named Garrison. I bite my nail, hesitating to let him in. He knocks harder, and his narrowed eyes meet mine. They’re not full of terror and rage. He apprehensively shifts his body weight from one foot to the other.
I look up at Garth. “Maybe I should just hear him out?”
Garth, a very diplomatic man, nods and says, “Whatever you want.”
Okay. I trudge forward and tentatively unlock the door. When I peek my head out, Garrison draws his hoodie back, revealing his brow
n hair and boyish face.
He hesitantly glances over my shoulder. “Is Loren here?”
“No.” I don’t add that he’s at our house, preparing for the final Hale Co. meeting this afternoon. Where the board chooses the new CEO.
Garrison notices my bodyguard and he lets out a short, pained laugh. “Forget it. This was a mistake.” He’s about to turn around and leave.
“Wait,” I say quickly.
He freezes by the door, halfway turned.
“What do you want?”
He grinds his teeth like he has trouble producing the words. “Your boyfriend…he offered me and my friends a job.” Garrison rolls his eyes. “It’s fucking stupid anyway. Everything is.”
“Lo told me about that,” I say, swinging the door wider open. “Do you want to come in?” My stomach does this nervous flip thing, but it stops the minute his reddened, surprised eyes lock on mine.
“What?” he says in disbelief.
“If you want a job, you have to come into the store,” I tell him. “Although…” A light bulb flickers in my brain. “It’d be kinda cool if we had a superhero mascot out front. Do you want to be a mascot?”
“No,” he shakes his head like I’m half crazy and half a godsend. No one has really ever looked at me like that—the godsend half. I’ve been plenty crazy before.
He slowly walks inside, his hands in his jean pockets, more nervous, I think.
Garth blocks him though. “I need to pat you down.”
I think Garrison is going to put up a fight. But he spreads his arms out, and Garth pats his pockets and checks the hoodie handhold thing. When he finishes, Garth nods to me like he’s good.
“So you want a job?” I can’t believe he’s taking Lo’s offer. I honestly didn’t think any of them would bite.
Garrison can’t stop staring at me, his emotions surfacing, ones that he probably meant to suppress. “You’re not even going to ask me where I was that night? Or what happened?”
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