Smiley Face Down
Maisie
By the time I stepped through my own front door, it was past midnight, and my feet were killing me. After detangling all of those bikes, my hands weren't doing much better.
My only hope for salvation was a long, hot bath with plenty of bubbles and the last of the Moscato I'd left chilling in the fridge.
I shut the door behind me and leaned against it with my eyes shut, willing my limbs not to give out. I was two seconds away from stripping off my sneakers and dragging myself upstairs when I caught a familiar scent – lavender bubble bath – my own, if I wasn't mistaken.
I opened my eyes just in time to see Tessa glide down the stairs, wrapped in a plush white robe that looked fresh from a luxury spa.
Her long blonde hair was twisted into a golden bun, her skin shimmered with flawless perfection, and even her robe was wrinkle-free. Reluctantly, I glanced down at myself. If my own skin shimmered at all, it was with sweat, despair, and bicycle grease.
And I didn't smell like lavender, that's for sure.
When she spotted me, she smiled, all fresh-faced and glowy. "Oh, hey! You're home late."
No kidding. And I would've been home even later if I'd had to return on foot. Thank goodness, I'd been able to borrow a bike from the shop. The distance wasn't quite a mile, but that was beside the point. Before I could stop myself, I'd already said, "And just imagine if I'd had to walk."
Her smile faltered. "Oh, gosh. You're still mad about the bike, huh?"
Sometime around noon, Tessa had texted me an apology for taking my bike without permission – claiming that she'd gotten it mixed up with the rental bike I'd loaned her almost a month ago.
Of course, this was a load of bunk. It had to be – because if she'd simply mixed them up, where was the loaner bike? I hadn't seen it this morning, or I would have ridden it to work.
Instead, I'd been forced to walk. And I would've been forced to walk back home, too, if not for the fact that I had dozens of rental bikes at my easy disposal. Did that make me lucky?
I wasn't feeling lucky. Not today, anyway.
To Tessa's question, I posed one of my own. "So, where's the bike I loaned you?" I probably should've asked by text. And I would have, except for the fact that I'd spent most of the day putting out fires bigger than a missing bike. But now? Yeah, I was worried.
If the bike was lost, it's not like I could afford to replace it.
She frowned. "Didn't you see my text?"
"I saw the one," I said, reaching into my pocket for my phone. "Was there more?"
"Yeah, but I'll just tell you," she said, pointing toward the rear of the house. "The loaner bike…it's in the back entryway."
I stopped in mid-reach. "Why there ?"
She gave a little wince. "Because that's where I left it yesterday."
I tried to think. This morning, had I checked out back? I couldn't remember either way. Then again, I shouldn't have had to check because my own bike should've been exactly where I'd left it – right there on the front porch.
Tessa went on. "But I totally forgot that's where I put it, and it was dark this morning when I left for work." She hesitated. "Want to hear something funny?"
Not really . "Sure."
She let out a little laugh, like she knew how lame all of this sounded. "I didn't even realize I'd grabbed the wrong one until I went outside for lunch."
I bit back what I wanted to say. Unlike Tessa, I would have realized, because for one thing, Tessa was like four inches taller than me. How had she not noticed? This, of course, assumed that she was telling the truth.
"Anyway…" Tessa continued. "Sorry for the mix-up."
Grudgingly, I said, "Don't worry about it."
Her voice softened. "It won't happen again, promise."
I wasn't quite sure I believed her.
This must've shown on my face because she quickly added, "Seriously, I'll set an alarm or tie a ribbon to the handlebars or something."
She was so earnest that I felt some of my irritation melt away. "It's fine, really." I let out a weary sigh and deliberately changed the subject. "But I'm surprised you're still awake."
She fiddled with the tie on her robe. "Oh, I'm guessing you wanted some time alone?"
"No, not at all." Call it a lie. Call it being polite. But whatever you called it, the truth was, I had been hoping for some time to myself, preferably while soaking in steamy water and savoring the last of the wine.
But the way things looked now, the bath was off-limits for at least thirty minutes, maybe longer. I began heading toward the kitchen. The old floorboards – the same ones I'd run across barefoot as a kid – creaked in the same old spots as I made a new plan.
Wine first, bath second. I could adjust. No biggie, right?
"Oh, by the way," Tessa said. "I finished off the Moscato." I froze even as she added, "But don't worry, I'll grab a new bottle tomorrow."
Shit.
Before I could stop myself, I turned back. "How about the hot water?"
At this, she cringed just a little. With a furtive glance up the stairs, she said, "There might be some left. I was in the tub a while, so…" Her tone turned hopeful. "Maybe the tank is hot again?"
Yeah, and maybe mermaids would bring me Moscato. My hot water tank wasn't just small. It was old and slow, like a battered teakettle on a faulty stove.
I said nothing in reply.
In my current mood, I didn't dare.
If only Delaney were here, she and I would plop down on the sofa just like we'd done in the dorm. I'd pour out my troubles, and before the end of it, she'd have me laughing in spite of myself. But Delaney and I were on the outs, and the only person here was her older sister.
Golden Girl.
That's what Delaney used to call her – half-joking, half not. And eventually, I had started doing the same. Back then, Delaney would roll her eyes and list it all out – first place, best hair, best grades, boys falling at Tessa's feet.
Back in college, I'd crossed paths with Tessa only a handful of times, and every encounter had only confirmed Delaney's take.
Tessa had always played on easy mode – until apparently a month ago. That's when she'd shown up on my doorstep, asking to crash on my couch. There had been no advance phone call, no text, and no explanation – even after I'd asked.
Repeatedly.
Her arrival had been a total surprise – even more so considering that I hadn't talked to Delaney for nearly a year, not since we'd fallen out last summer.
She hadn't even come to my dad's funeral, not that I'd invited her. Why would I, when she'd made it perfectly plain that we were done being friends?
And yet, call me a sucker, but I hadn't had the heart to turn her sister away – or make her sleep on the ancient sofa. So instead I'd offered Tessa one of the two bedrooms upstairs, thinking I could put up with anything for just a few days.
Days had turned into weeks, and finally we'd come to an uneasy agreement. She'd stay through the summer, and I'd say goodbye to her in the fall. She'd made noises about paying rent, but I'd yet to see more than twenty bucks at a time – usually in singles.
I was still stewing when Tessa's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Maybe I could heat up some water on the stove?"
Right. The idea was laughable. For one thing, it's not like I had a ton of pans. Still, I didn't want to be that person – someone who couldn't recognize an olive branch when they saw it.
I gave her a weary smile. "That's alright. I'll just grab a snack while I wait."
She bit her lip. "Are you sure?"
"Positive. Just forget it, okay?" I shuffled toward the kitchen, already thinking about the state of my cupboards. They weren't completely bare, but they weren't overflowing either.
When I flipped on the kitchen light, something unexpected caught my eye – a hundred-dollar bill, lying on the floor by the fridge, like its owner was so rich she could just drop a Benjamin and walk away.
I stared at it for a long beat, my jaw tightening. It must be nice. No, it must be really nice to be able to toss around a hundred bucks and not even worry that it was missing. Meanwhile, I was living off peanut butter and late-night panic.
When the floor creaked behind me, I didn't bother turning to look.
Tessa's voice was quiet. "Hey."
Reluctantly, I turned to find her standing a few feet away in that same stupid robe, complete with matching slippers. I gave the robe a more careful look and discovered that yes, it had come from a fancy spa – unless the gold embroidery was lying its ass off.
It must be nice, I thought yet again.
I jerked my chin toward the hundred. "Forget something?"
"That?" She walked past me and crouched down to pluck up the bill. "Oh, that's um, for you, actually."
Sure it was. "Look, just because I saw it, it doesn't mean you have to give it to me."
She frowned. "You were meant to see it. Like I said, it's for you."
Right . Because the best way to give somebody money is to fling it on the kitchen floor. My look must've said it all, because she quickly added, "I left a note with the money. You didn't see it?"
My kitchen wasn't exactly sprawling. If there had been a note, I surely would have seen. But hey, I'd play along . "No. I didn't." I almost scoffed out loud. "Sorry." Was I being sarcastic? Probably.
She glanced past me. "But it was right there on the fridge. I used your magnet – you know, the big yellow one with the smiley face?"
That stupid magnet. It had been a gift from Delaney. She'd given it to me during our senior year in college after Devon Harris had dumped me for a psych major in heels.
As far as the magnet, I wasn't even sure why I'd kept the damn thing. I mean, it wasn't cheering me up now .
I blinked back something suspiciously close to tears and looked downward, hoping to pull myself together.
I blinked again, this time with surprise.
There it was, the magnet, face-planted on the faded wooden floor.
If that wasn't a metaphor, I didn't know what was .
When I bent over to pick it up, I spotted a small pink note that must've fallen underneath.
The note contained only two words, written in bright purple ink. For rent.
Shit.
And now I felt like an ass.
When I looked back to Tessa, she said in a quiet voice, "I know it's not much. But I get paid on Friday. I'll give you the rest then – promise."
Guilt bloomed in my chest. Before her arrival, the house had felt way too big. After her arrival, the house had felt way too small – mostly because I'd resented her intrusion.
She wasn't Delaney.
But there Tessa was, offering to heat up water and help with rent. My shoulders slumped. "Listen, I'm really sorry. I know I've been a crank lately."
Too quickly she said, "No, you haven't."
At this, I had to smile – a real one this time. "Yes, I have."
After a long moment, she smiled back, looking a little sheepish. "Okay, maybe a little."
In spite of everything, I had to laugh. "Or a lot."
Her expression turned serious. "So, what's wrong? Do you want to talk about it?"
I opened my mouth to say no. But then I paused. Almost before I knew it, I'd already said, "Actually, that would be really nice."