Ruby tosses her hair. "Listen, the man means well, but he sends me hourly check-in texts. Hourly. I'm basically on parole."
Frankie grins. "He's a judge, Rubes. He sees corruption everywhere."
"Exactly!" Ruby points as if this proves her point. "He practically makes me share my location so Winston Graves can't human-traffic me into a country club."
Candace snorts. "He hates Winston with a holy fire."
Ruby lifts her drink. "To overbearing fathers who prevent kidnappings and ruin my freedom."
Candace clinks. Frankie clinks without missing a beat. I lift mine too, but something tugs low and sharp. All eyes swing to Candace. She stares at the blanket, fingers twisting Malachi's sleeve. When she lifts her head, there's a fragile steadiness.
"High," she says, the word catching before it lands. "Waking up and… not being alone. Ruby showing up. You guys being here. Malachi…" Her voice hitches on his name. "Malachi kicking my door down and refusing to let me disappear."
Frankie looks away like she's giving privacy. Ruby wipes at one eye with dramatic annoyance.
"And your low?" Frankie asks softly.
Candace exhales, a humorless half-laugh. "Existing in the same universe as my father."
She looks down, eyes shining. "But if I didn't," she adds, quieter, "I wouldn't be here. With you. So maybe that's not a low. Maybe it's just… complicated."
She hates her father for what he tried to do to her. I hate mine for what he did to others. For what I watched him do. For how long I stayed silent. Anna's face flashes. She didn't get out.
Without thinking, I reach over and hook my pinky through hers where her hand rests on the blanket. Her fingers tighten. They all look at me.
"High," I say, keeping my voice light. "Ruby not getting us banned from the hospital after the Trent situation."
Ruby gasps. "You're welcome."
"And low…" I pause. "Low is… knowing good things are happening and still waiting for the other shoe to drop."
The room settles into something quieter and warm. The movie hums, someone shifts to get comfortable, and the closeness of bodies in a shared space makes everything feel softer.
The door nudges open and Maggie peeks in. "You all need anything? Water? Cookies? A fire extinguisher if Ruby starts summoning spirits again?"
Ruby gasps. "That was one time, and the candles were scented!"
"Mm-hmm." Maggie steps fully inside and sets warm cookies on the nightstand. "Behave. Or don't. Just don't break Malachi's lamp. He's nostalgic about that ugly thing."
Candace groans. "He is. I hate it."
Maggie winks. "That's why he keeps it."
We all laugh, and she squeezes Candace's shoulder before heading out. Time blurs. We drift from Twister to UNO. Frankie wipes the floor with us, calling "UNO" with the cold satisfactionof a mob boss. Ruby accuses her of witchery. Frankie doesn't deny it.
Candace starts dozing sitting up, head tipping toward my shoulder. I nudge her down, rearranging pillows so she can stretch out. She ends up half-curled against the wall, hoodie swallowing her whole again, hair splayed on the pillow.
"Stay," she mumbles when I shift to get up.
I freeze, hand braced on the mattress. "What?"
Her eyes already mostly closed. "Stay here. Please."
"Okay. I'm not going anywhere."
I settle beside her, back against the headboard, close enough that my arm rests along the edge of her pillow. Ruby flops down at the foot of the bed, stealing a blanket. Frankie kicks her in the shin affectionately and curls up on the floor right beside the mattress, arms folded under her cheek like a cat pretending she isn't ready for affection.
The movie ends. Another starts without anyone choosing it. The room smells like popcorn and candle smoke mixed with cheap soda.
