Danny had called us earlier to let us know Avery got dumped by her boyfriend and needed a place to stay. I thought he was joking, but that asshole always had too big of a heart for his own good. He didn’t even ask us if we were cool with it. Danny had just told us she was moving her stuff in later today and wouldn’t be around for too long. Something about moving in with a friend. It wasn’t like she didn’t have other resources. Colleen, their mother, was loaded, and as big of a bitch as I’d seen her be time and time again, she never acted that way toward Avery.
At the end of the day, we had some space, and Danny and I had always been good at blocking out people who didn’t matter. Ignoring her while she was here wouldn’t be a problem. As long as she never touched me again and she kept her promise to stay out of the way.
3
Avery
Drifting into consciousness, I fought away the cobwebs trying to pull me back into a deep sleep. I started taking inventory of my other senses before I could gather enough effort to open my eyes.
The sunlight shone through the uncovered window, warming the side of my face in a comforting way while the bright light nagged me to get up.
I could still smell the faint remnants of my candle mixing with the spicy cologne that had seemed to be seeping from the walls when I arrived.
My hands moved up, under my pillow, feeling the soft and cool sheets beneath me as I stretched my muscles.
For a futon, I had slept soundly, and yet I was still so incredibly tired.
Ten more minutes.
A crunching from the end of the bed made my eyes pop open, and I flung upright, covering my chest as if it were bare.
Sitting next to my feet was a petite Asian girl in ripped jean shorts, knee-high red boots, and a holey Eagles shirt.
She pulled a chip out of a clear bag and chomped down.
“Who the hell?” I used my palm to wipe the fallen strands from my face, simultaneously rubbing the sleep from my eyes. “You must be Lexie?”
“Annyeong haseyo,” she said while bowing her head.
I blinked and crossed my legs, both confused and embarrassed. Danny never said there was a language barrier.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t—”
She snickered with her mouth full. “I’m just fucking with you. I’m Lexie. Lexie Park. Nice to finally meet you.” She flung her curly light-pink hair over her shoulder and held out her hand.
I shook it and wiped the crumbs she’d left behind on my comforter. “Was that Korean?”
She stopped chewing and raised her brows. “Your brother wasn’t kidding. You are smart.”
In middle school, we’d had to memorize all of the greetings in other languages in some repetitive and catchy song. For some odd reason, it’d stuck with me all these years later.
“Are you eating pork rinds?”
She nodded confidently.
I chuckled. “For breakfast?”
“I’m not really breaking a fast at the moment, so no. I’m just snacking, and it happens to be morning.”
“How long have you been sitting there?” I asked.
Her head teetered. “Twenty minutes?”
My eyes bulged.
“I was so sad that I’d missed out on meeting you last night. I wanted to make sure I met yourightwhen you woke up!” She popped another crunchy fried pork skin into her mouth.
I shuddered at the sound that was amplified in my tiny room. “I wasn’t planning on leaving through the window. You didn’t think to wait outside my door?”
