She’s cut off by a loud rapping at the door.
“Darcy? Are you in there?”
Shit.
Peyton’s brows shoot to her hairline as she scrambles to her feet.
“Uh—” I clear my throat, but my voice still comes out panicked. “Just a minute!”
My eyes catch Peyton’s, and after a beat of stillness, we move in tandem. Shirts fly across the room, exchanging with oneanother. I dig through my drawer for a clean pair of underwear. By the time Cleo opens the door, I’m mostly dressed, minus the bra still in hand, and Peyton is stretched out in my bed with the blanket pulled just high enough to cover her stained pants.
I make a mental note to wash my quilt.
“Okay!” I call.
Cleo bursts in with a grin the size of the sun, her gray eyes beaming in the spring light. She fishes something out of her pocket, a little cardboard tube, and before I can register that it’s not a tampon, she pulls the string.
Confetti explodes into the air.
“I’m gonna be a veterinarian!” she shouts as the bits of colorful paper float down around us.
For the last eight months, Cleo’s told me she’s wanted to be about a hundred different things. But this is the first time she’s ever celebrated it with confetti. I don’t know if this is her final decision, but it only takes me a second to remember that whether or not she changes her mind again is none of my business. The only thing I need to do right now is support her.
So, without thinking any further, I throw my arms around her for the first time ever.
“Cleo, that’s great!” I say, and she lets out a high-pitched squeal of excitement.
“Yeah, that’s like,perfect!” Peyton adds.
“I know!I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before!” she gushes, bouncing on her feet. “I’m already majoring in bio-med, so when I graduate, I’ll have all the creds to apply to vet school. It just makes sense, you know?”
I smile, squeezing her tight before collapsing back onto the bed. “It does.”
Right on cue, Socks pads into the room, jumping up beside me. I’m so focused on Cleo rambling on about how excited she is that I barely notice when he settles in my lap.
I smile, my hand absentmindedly brushing along his fur as she keeps talking.
“And I already applied for a job at the shelter by the bodega, and—” She stops suddenly, eyes widening. Her gaze locks on me, and her jaw drops. She gasps.
“Oh. My. God.”
I frown, looking down at Socks in my lap, then back at Cleo. “What?”
Her eyes are still wide as she points at me, breaking into a grin. “Youlovehim!”
I scoff, still petting the little demon. “I do not,” I say, trying to sound firm. “He’s just…grounding.”
Cleo shakes her head. “You love Socks! Say it.”
I stare at her, deadpan. “I don’t love Socks,” I say, but the corner of my mouth twitches.
Peyton frowns. “It kinda looks like you do.”
Cleo raises an eyebrow. “Say. It.”
I crack. “Okay, fine. I might like him alittle. But he’s still a menace.”
Cleo beams, crouching down to scratch behind his ears. “Your Auntie D loves you,” she sings, and I roll my eyes, a smile creeping up despite myself. She scoops him back into her arms, strolling back toward my door. Before she steps through, she turns to look at us. “Are y’all gonna come eat with me or did you do enough of that already?”
