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Hence why I was always on Virginia’s porch.
Vibrations erupted in my pocket. I set my water bottle down and retrieved my phone, noticing I had a few missed calls from Virginia. I must have missed the vibrations while I was deep in thought. Some of the texts appeared frantic.
I hopped to my feet as I answered the call. “Is he bothering you? Where are you? Are youokay, Ginny darling?”
Laughter splintered my hearing. I cringed away from the phone and rubbed the spot beneath my ear. Christ, I really ought to get my hearing checked soon.
When I returned the phone to my ear, I caught Virginia mid-sentence saying, “…watch the kids?”
I wiped my forehead. “What?”
“I have to go into work early. My babysitter backed out because of the stupid gossip crap. Can you watch the kids tonight?”
“Yeah, sure. I don’t mind at all.”
I frowned.I’m not a babysitter. Why did I just accept that immediately?
As my heart thudded nervously, I swept the water bottle from the ground.
“Great,” Virginia sighed with relief. “Can you come over now?”
I glanced around. “Yeah, I mean…”
“You mean?”
“Let me just tell the guys I have to head out.”
She sucked air between her teeth. “You’re at work right now, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, but it’s not—”
“Slater, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize—” She clicked her tongue. “Fuck me, I’m so sorry.”
I chuckled. “If you think we have time, I can always be of service to you.”
“Slater!”
“You’re the one who said—”
She made a bunch of incoherent noises and then laughed nervously. “You know what? Fine. You can joke all you want as long as you get here in the next five minutes.”
“I’ll have to shift to make it there that fast.”
“Well, I guess you better shift fast, wolf boy.”
She hung up before I could retort. This Virginia wasdefinitelydifferent than the woman I had met way back when.
I think I liked this version better.
***
It was easy to bribe Gertie into covering for me again. Three frozen Philly cheesesteaks and five coupons for free drinks atJester’slater, I had me a good cover story that even my parents couldn’t poke any holes in. If they knew anything about where I’d been spending time lately, they’d probably die.
And then rise back up to kick my ass from the other side.
I thought about what might happen from there as I got dressed in the privacy of the backyard. It was weird seeing it during the day. From my vantage point in the fenced-off area of the porch, I saw the circular area on the grass where an over-the-ground pool once sat. Or maybe it was a trampoline. Something big that the twins liked but no longer had.
After getting my clothes and boots on, I went inside where the twins immediately tackled me. Anthony grabbed my left hand while Adhara stood up on the couch to meet my height. Both of them talked at the same time. Tinnitus rang through my ears, making it hard to focus until Virginia clapped her hands.
