16. Chapter 16
sixteen
T he next morning, Cassie woke early, and showered and dressed quickly, doing her best not to brood over LaTisha’s hostile behavior the evening before. But Eva texted as she was doing her eye-makeup.
LiLEva;So srry bout lst nit!!! I miss U
Cassie: Samezees. What hellz up w Tisha???
LiLEva: ??? U got me. Srry Sh wz bein so btchee!!!
Cassie: O wll. U com see me, k? 3
LiLEva: K!! Wnt 2 mt ur frnds ther! 3
Cassie wrinkled her nose guiltily at this. She may have made Mamba Mama’s sound a leetle cooler and less junky than it really was. But, it was almost a new year. She’d figure out some new ways to get Warren to listen to her, let her fix the place up more.
She said goodbye to her mother, already on the phone to a client–again, surprise, surprise–hustled her things into her car, and drove back to the Heights. She made the drive east with the skies growing ever darker and more ominous behind her, the temperature dropping on her car’s thermometer.
Mac called her as she reached a popular rest stop over half way there, overlooking a small lake. The view from the parking lot was usually breathtaking, sweeping south and west over the rolling Palouse prairies and farmland to the Blue Mountains, hazy in the distance.
Today, however, the view was obscured by a gray-white curtain of snow.
“You almost home?” her dad barked with no greeting.
“Hello to you too,” Cassie said. “I’m at the Sprague Lake rest stop.”
“Oh, good, you’re close.” His voice relaxed somewhat. “Bad storm comin’. So don’t waste time gettin’ home, yeah?”
“I won’t.”
She arrived home to find that Mac and RaeAnn had been shopping. The kitchen island was full of bagged groceries and drinks.
“Oh, thank God,” Rae said when she saw Cassie coming in from the garage, pulling her suitcase. “You made it home.”
Cassie pulled off her coat, a chill running down her back. “Is the storm going be that bad?”
Mac scowled. “You didn’t see the alert on your damn phone?” He stabbed a finger at the sliding glass doors out to the raised deck. “That is the biggest fuckin’ blizzard in years, about to hit. No telling how much snow it’ll drop, and the whole town may lose power.”
Cassie shivered, looking out the windows at the darkening skies. “Wow. It’s good to be home.”
Her dad gave her a hard hug, and let her go. “You got no idea how glad we are to see you. I may get called out to work, so I’m hooking up the generator now. Con knows how to start it up so you’ll have lights, and can run the fridge and freezer. Might have to do without a shower for a day or two, but that should be the worst of it.”
“That’s fine,” Cassie said. “Except we’ll have to roll Connor in a snowbank after the second day, to get rid of the teen boy stank.”
“I heard that!” he hollered from upstairs.
“Good,” Rae called back. “Take a shower now, please. Just in case.”
He made grumbling noises, but headed into the bathroom.
Cassie hauled her things upstairs, and unpacked, listening to the rising wind moaning around the eaves. Her room faced east, over the street. Peering out the window, she could barely see the houses across the street through the swirling snow. As she stood there, arms wrapped around her middle, the streetlight on the corner came on, startling her.
She checked her bedside clock-radio–only eleven am.
“Why is it so dark outside?” Con called.
“That’s why they call it a blizzard, son,” Mac answered. “Heavy snow and winds.”
“You need me to do anything?” Cassie called down to RaeAnn. “Prep food, or anything?” She felt like she ought to be hauling firewood or something basic like that, which was hilarious, given that they didn’t even have a wood stove.
“I’m making a big pot of beef noodle soup,” Rae called back. “And I have herb bread in my new bread machine, so I think we’re good, thanks.”
The savory scents of soup and baking bread drifted up the stairs as Cassie sat on the carpet by her bed. She wished she could go to the gym and have a good workout, but some yoga stretches would have to do. While she was doing so, she had time to think, and remember her evening out in the Tri-Cities. A mood darkener, as if she needed one. Gawd, maybe she needed a psychologist.
Wait. She knew someone who was in the field, at least. She texted Shelle.
‘Hi, it’s Cassie. U hav time to talk?’
In a few minutes, she heard Shelle’s voice. “Hey, Cassie. What’s up? Are you at home, I hope?”
“I am,” Cassie assured her. “You?”
“Yeah. At our duplex. Moke and T are making sure the generator is working okay, in case we lose power. Manda’s making casserole at their place, and I’m making cookies here.”
“Rae’s making soup,,” Cassie said. “Listen, can I… that is, d’you mind if I ask… something happened with a friend that’s really bothering me. I could use your opinion, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure,” Shelle said. “Um… it’s not Flyer fam, is it?”
“Oh, no,” Cassie said quickly. “I wouldn’t ask you to take sides, or anything like that.”
“Well, you and I can always talk,” Shelle said. “I would just wanna know up front if it’s someone we both know. So, dish, friend.”
Cassie told her what had happened with her, Eva and LaTisha. Shelle listened, and asked a couple of questions.
“Mm-hmm,” Shelle said. “We’ve actually been talking about group dynamics in my classes. Like families—parents are in charge, kids are learning and expected to obey most of the time, etc.”
“Sure,” Cassie said.
“So, groups of friends. Ideally with friends, we share activities together, laugh at the same jokes, cheer for the same sports team. And if we’re down, they support us, and we do that for them, right?”
“Right.”
“So that's healthy feedback. But sometimes,” Shelle went on, “In fact, fairly often, unhealthy feedback gets in there. Even in a mostly healthy group, like say, college girls, they’re just trying to get through school, meet some guys, have a little fun. And one of them–we’ll call her L–fixes herself up, knows how to put herself out there, and she’s used to getting the looks from guys. After a while, L comes to believe that her place in the group is ‘the attractive one’. She feels good about that, especially since maybe other things in her life–her home life, her school work, whatever, aren’t going so well.’
‘But then, one of the other girls–we’ll call her C–leaves the group, and comes back looking very fine herself, and with new self-confidence. So this L feels threatened. And she decides to show C that she no longer belongs in the group, ‘cause L’s not sharing her imaginary tiara.”
“Oh,” Cassie said faintly. “I did not see that. Should I have seen that?”
“No, we don’t see the patterns ourselves,” Shelle said. “That’s why counselors have jobs. But back to you and this LaTisha, you’ve always been sweet and fun,” she went on. “Now you’re hawt, too. Getting the kinds of second looks that belong, in LaTisha’s mind, solely to her. So, it could be that you messed with group dynamics. Or, it could be that she’s just a jealous bee-yotch.”
Cassie sucked in a shocked breath, and then cracked up.
The two of them laughed together until Cassie had to wipe tears from under her eyes. “Oh, my gosh,” she said. “Thanks, Shelle. I feel so much better. You know, looking back, she always has been kind of a bitch, but she was fun enough that we all put up with that. Wow, you're gonna be a good counselor.”
“That’s just what I do,” Shelle said, like the sheriff in an old western. “Hey, Moke’s hollering for me, but you guys stay warm, okay?”
“You too! I bet Moke wishes you two were in Hawaii right now.”
“That would make both of us. Later!”
“Later.”
When Cassie finished stretching, and came downstairs, Mac and Con were just coming in from the garage. Mac was smiling, which was kind of weird.
“Will you set the table, hon?” Rae asked Cassie. “My soup is about ready, and the bread is done.”
“Sure.”
“Better set it for five,” Mac said.
“Who’s coming?” Cassie and Rae asked at the same time.
Mac shrugged. “One of the brothers’ whose power is, uh, gonna be out soon, ‘cause he lives in a cheap apartment. Oh, man, is that home-made bread I smell?”
Rae smiled happily. “I love my new bread machine,” she caroled. “Thank you, Santa.”
Mac waggled his brows. “You can thank Santa later, mama.”
Cassie rolled her eyes at Con, who made a silent retching face. Just then, the doorbell chimed.
“Hey, you wanna get that, son?” Mac ordered. He looked Cassie over, and smiled. “Lookin’ pretty as a picture, baby girl.”
“Thank you?” She looked to Rae, who was giving Mac a ‘what have you done?’ look.
“Cassie, honey, would you grab the silverware?” her stepmom asked, opening the cupboard that held the dishes. “Mac, come and get my soup tureen down, please.”
“Can’t, gotta greet our guest,” he said, hustling into the living room.
Cassie shook her head, feeling as if she’d suddenly been dropped onto the set of some weird-ass family comedy, to which she did not know the script.
She leaned over to grab the silverware caddy RaeAnn kept on the island, with sections for forks, spoons, soup spoons and knives, and turned back to the dining table. RaeAnn kept a stack of blue plaid placemats in the center of the table, with the napkin caddy centered on them. She’d set out five placemats, and then the utensils.
Then Con opened the front door, and Cassie looked around as he gave a holler of delight despite the icy wind that whipped a swirl of snow inside with it. The wind also pushed a snow-covered mountain of man into the small entry-way.
“Heavy!” her brother said, his voice cracking in excitement.
Cassie’s heart gave a massive thud, and time seemed to slow as a deep voice answered Con, one that she’d know in a crowd of thousands.
“Hey, Con, Cooler. Here, let me get that door. This wind is something, isn’t it?”
Cassie watched dumbly as the snow giant muscled the door shut against the moaning wind. He pulled off a pair of heavy gloves, and used them to indicate the pack and duffle he’d dropped by the door. “What d’you want me to do with my stuff?”
Oh, God. Heavy was the mystery guest who needed to stay here because his power was going to go out.
“Eh, just leave ‘em in the corner for now,” Cassie’s dad said, reaching to shake hands with Heavy. “Rae’s got hot soup and fixin’s ready."
“Hi, Heavy,” Rae called, voice warm. “Welcome.”
“RaeAnn,” he said, opening his coat and pulling his beanie off. “Appreciate you havin’ me.”
‘ Appreciate you havin’ me ,’ Cassie mimicked silently. Oh, fuck her life.
“Of course,” Rae said. “My goodness, Mac says the whole town is shutting down, and those apartments you're in won’t stay warm.”
“Nope,” Heavy agreed. “Left water running at my gym, and lights on, and the pipes are insulated. So they shouldn’t freeze. But the apartment… “ he shrugged. “I emptied the fridge. Brought a cooler with some fresh stuff, left it on your front step for now.”
“Let’s get that in the garage,” Mac said. “Leave it outside, it’ll likely freeze. Or one of the neighbors’ll come wanting help with shit, trip over it and sue my ass.”
“Right. I’ll grab it.” Heavy zipped his down coat back up, and Cassie hustled back into the kitchen.
Rae waylaid her by the dish cupboard. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Your dad didn't consult me… “
Cassie tipped her forehead onto her stepmom’s shoulder. “Maybe you could dose dad's soup with extra hot pepper?”
Rae gave her a quick hug. “There’s a thought. Okay, be strong. And if you need time out, do that.”
Cassie straightened, and moved to take the soup plates down from the cupboard. “Can I have lunch in my room?”
Rae snickered. “Eh, that might be a little… “
“Weird,” Cassie finished wryly. “It’s okay. I can do this.”
It wasn’t like she had a choice, was it? Until this blizzard was over, they were all gonna be stuck together like snowflakes on a snowman.
She peered hopefully at the slider windows for signs it was unexpectedly letting up. In answer, a powerful gust of wind slapped snow against the frosted over glass exterior, obscuring even more of the view.
Cassie shivered instinctively. Guess not, then. Well, if things got too stressful, she could always call Shelle for another pep talk. Would her friend have any wise words to say about the group dynamics of smushed-together snowflakes?
Probably ‘ get along ‘cause you got no choice, snowflake. You may be special, but you’re still stuck ’.