Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sierra
I make it to my room, lock the door, and collapse face-first onto the bed.
My phone buzzes.
And buzzes.
And buzzes.
I flip it over with trembling hands.
CHARLIE
DID YOU JUST
CHARLIE
IN THE HOT TUB
CHARLIE
WITH YOUR brOTHERS RIGHT THERE
EVE
HOLLY
I am SCREAMING
DIXIE
I can't breathe
DIXIE
I literally cannot breathe
CHARLIE
SIERRA MARIE BARRETT
CHARLIE
I don't know your middle name but I'm using one anyway
CHARLIE
ANSWER US RIGHT NOW
EVE
Her middle name is “Just Got Fingered In Front Of Her Family”
HOLLY
DIXIE
STOP I'm going to wake up the whole lodge
I stare at my phone. Consider throwing it into the snow. Consider throwing myself into the snow.
Instead, I type:
ME
I don't know what you're talking about.
CHARLIE
GIRL
EVE
We have EYES
HOLLY
We were literally watching your face the entire time
DIXIE
You went from to to to in like four minutes
CHARLIE
Don't forget the part where she gripped the tub like it personally wronged her
EVE
The GRIP
EVE
That was not a casual grip
EVE
That was a “I'm trying not to scream while a man ruins me” grip
HOLLY
I've done that grip
CHARLIE
We've ALL done that grip
DIXIE
Some of us are SINGLE and BITTER about this grip discourse
EVE
Roman could help with that
DIXIE
I will END you
CHARLIE
CHARLIE
Wait no we're not done with Sierra
CHARLIE
SIERRA
CHARLIE
Details
CHARLIE
NOW
ME
There are no details.
HOLLY
Lies
EVE
Slander
CHARLIE
Your face said there were at LEAST three details
DIXIE
Oh my god
DIXIE
THREE
DIXIE
Was that why she kept counting???
HOLLY
WAIT
EVE
“First of all”
CHARLIE
“Second of all”
HOLLY
“THIRD OF ALL”
EVE
AND SHE FORGOT WHAT THREE WAS
CHARLIE
BECAUSE THREE WAS INSIDE HER
DIXIE
I’M DECEASED
HOLLY
EVE
Rest in peace Dixie, she died as she lived
EVE
Watching Sierra get railed from across a hot tub
ME
I was NOT railed
ME
There was no railing
CHARLIE
Digitally penetrated
EVE
Manually stimulated
HOLLY
Finger blasted
DIXIE
HOLLY
HOLLY
What? That's the technical term
CHARLIE
In what universe is “finger blasted” a technical term
HOLLY
The universe where I watched a man give a woman an orgasm five feet from her brothers while discussing MARKETING STRATEGIES
EVE
“The heritage content is very important”
DIXIE
I HEARD HER VOICE CRACK
CHARLIE
We ALL heard her voice crack
ME
I hate every single one of you.
CHARLIE
No you don't
CHARLIE
You love us
CHARLIE
We're your people now
HOLLY
Ride or die, baby
EVE
Emphasis on RIDE
DIXIE
HOLLY
But seriously Sierra
HOLLY
That man just claimed you in front of EVERYONE
HOLLY
Like... that was a statement
CHARLIE
That was a declaration of war
EVE
That was a man saying “fuck the bro code, she's MINE”
DIXIE
With his fingers
EVE
WITH HIS FINGERS
CHARLIE
While Caleb talked about sexy Santa
HOLLY
I will never recover from the sexy Santa timing
HOLLY
“Shirtless but classy” meanwhile Sierra is having a religious experience
EVE
She saw God
DIXIE
She saw something
CHARLIE
ME
IT WAS FINGERS
ME
THERE WAS NO
CHARLIE
Yet
HOLLY
YET
EVE
The night is young
DIXIE
Go to him
ME
What?
DIXIE
Go. To. Him.
DIXIE
Right now
DIXIE
March your post-orgasmic ass down to his room and FINISH THIS
CHARLIE
EVE
She's right
HOLLY
For once Dixie speaks wisdom
DIXIE
“For once”???
DIXIE
I am ALWAYS wise
CHARLIE
Sierra
CHARLIE
What are you going to do?
I stare at the screen. At these women who watched me fall apart and immediately wrapped me in chaos and laughter and something that feels terrifyingly like unconditional support.
My mom would have liked them.
She would have liked them so much.
SIERRA
I don't know.
HOLLY
That's okay
HOLLY
You don't have to know tonight
EVE
But maybe
EVE
Consider
EVE
That a man who will do THAT
EVE
In front of your brothers
EVE
While maintaining a straight face and discussing heritage jargon
CHARLIE
Is a man who is absolutely unhinged for you
DIXIE
In the best way
HOLLY
In the ONLY way
SIERRA
He told me I was his.
SIERRA
That I've been his since I was seventeen.
SIERRA
That he's done pretending.
CHARLIE
EVE
I'm not crying you're crying
DIXIE
I am actually crying
HOLLY
SIERRA
HOLLY
BABY
HOLLY
GO GET YOUR MAN
Three dots appear.
Disappear.
Appear again.
SIERRA
What if I ruin everything?
CHARLIE
What if you don't?
HOLLY
What if this is exactly how it was always supposed to go?
EVE
What if your brothers get over it because they love you and they'll learn to love this too?
DIXIE
What if you stop asking “what if” and just GO
DIXIE
Before I physically carry you to his room
DIXIE
And I WILL
DIXIE
I have the upper body strength from years of ski instruction
CHARLIE
She does. I've seen her lift things.
EVE
Terrifying things.
HOLLY
Go, Sierra.
HOLLY
We've got you.
HOLLY
Whatever happens.
HOLLY
I set down my phone.
Stare at the ceiling.
You're mine, Sierra. You've been mine since you were seventeen.
I'm done pretending.
Maybe it's time I stopped pretending too.
My phone buzzes one more time.
Holly renamed the group chat “THE BANGER SISTERS” (3 minutes ago)
A laugh escapes me. Watery and raw, but real.
One thing I do know for sure—I found my tribe.
Tonight, I'm going to hold onto that.
Tomorrow, I'll tackle the rest.