Di: Were you?
Me: NO!! I was worried about her safety.
Lanie: Did you tell her that?
Me: I mean, yeah, sort of.
Kylie: OK. First, us independent ladies hate when men try to control our lives. Second, maybe she felt like she had things under control and just took your help as typical patriarchal behavior.
Kent: WTF? What does that even mean?
Tabby: Oh, example, like last night when you told me I should get up and deal with Vera because I’m her mother.
Kent: You are her mother.
Di: Anyhow, you guys are young. Figuring out how to be an independent woman isn’t exactly easy. Everything in society is set up to judge you. It sucks.
Lanie: True that.
Kylie: See?
Tabby: I concur. And multiply that with being in your early twenties and just about to graduate. You want to think you have it figured out because if you don’t, that shit’s scary.
Me: No shit, Sherlock. It is scary.
Tabby: Yes, but now think about being a girl. We can’t just walk to our cars at night. We have to put our keys in between our fingers. We can’t just leave a drink on the bar and turn around because someone could roofie us.
Lanie: Ugh, Tabby Cat, you are so right.
Kylie: Now, I’m depressed. Levi, go buy us ice cream.
Levi: What? I didn’t say anything.
Kylie: ICE CREAM!
Levi: On it. Leaving now.
Brixton: I concur with the ladies. Girl power. Go, females. Vaginas rule the world. Slinking back to my corner now.
Kent: Can I come with you?
Garrett: Me three.
Di: We aren’t trying to shit on you all. We’re just explaining to the baby bro how hard it is to be a young woman. All the men on this chat are the good guys, most of the time. OK, sometimes you are all asses. But we still love you.
Me: Now I feel like an ass.
Di: Good. Then our pep talk worked. Go get your Megladon. Also, while we are all here, I think we should paint the family room mint green.
Kent: Fuck no.
Lanie: What about like a seafoam green?
Kylie: I say we just go with bright colors. Maybe like an accent wall?
Kent: NO!
Me: You guys pick. I suck at colors. But…if we are voting, I vote for seafoam.
Kent: I hate you.
Me: Can you feel the love tonight?
Kent: Refer to my last text.
Kylie: Whatever. We can talk about it this weekend.
Me: You all have fun with that. I have to go fix things with my lady.
I grin and I toss my phone on the counter and put some popcorn in the microwave.
“No pussy tonight?” Grif’s voice says from behind me.
I turn and find him standing with his arms crossed.
“Nope. Meg and I had a fight.”
“Uh-oh, problems in paradise?”
I shrug. “I think we just miscommunicated, maybe. We need a night to cool off.”
“Good, because I’m without a lady this evening and I need to blow some shit up.” He motions to our video game console.
I nod. “Yep, grab the beers, I got the popcorn. Let’s kill our feelings with booze and video games because we are young and reckless.”
He fist-bumps me and takes a six-pack of beer out of the fridge. It hits me that if I move out after the end of the semester, this might be one of our last nights doing this. God, I hate when things end, I just hope that they aren’t going to end with Megan and me.
Megan
I pace my room again. I think this is maybe the three hundredth time I’ve walked across it since I finished cleaning up an hour ago. It’s late now. Our house mom is here and there is massive drama, of course. Apparently, she has to contact our national headquarters and there’s talk of adding security measures. I shake my head at the irony of just discovering college fun and now being forced to live in a lockdown situation.
Sighing, I stop pacing when my phone buzzes. I look over at my bed and slowly step toward it. It’s a text from an unknown number. I hesitate but eventually swipe to see the message.
Unknown caller: Hey, Megan! It’s Kylie Moore. I heard my brother was a jackass tonight. Please know that us Moore women have set him straight. He needed a good talking-to, but he’s cool now. It was great to see you this weekend and I hope you won’t be a stranger anymore. Feel free to call or text anytime.
I stare at the text for a long time. I wonder what she is up to at two in the morning. Kylie was always nice to me when we were kids, but we only played together for a few short years before she became a teenager and deemed Clark and me as cartoon-watching babies. There were only a little over three years between her and Connie, so they did hang out a bit more especially in high school. Kent I never hung out with much, and Lanie and Di were only around as babysitters. I’m not really surprised Clark told his siblings about our fight, but it does annoy me that it’s Kylie texting me and not him. Maybe he feels bad? That could work in my favor.
I sit down and contemplate what I should do. I finally decide to call Kylie since she is clearly awake. If anyone can help me, it’s gonna be another Moore.
“Hello?” Kylie’s voice answers.
“Hey. Uh, it’s—”
“Megan. I know it’s you. I saved your number in my phone.”
“Oh, right,” I say as I make little circles on the floor of my bedroom with my big toe.
“What’s up?” Kylie asks.
“I’m…do you have a minute to chat?”
“Sure. I was out with my friends and just got home. Levi is passed out and I’m still wide awake.”
I take a deep breath. “I’m guessing you know that Clark and I had a fight tonight since you texted me.”
“I do.”
“Well, I…maybe overreacted to some things he said,” I start explaining. “And I just was curious if you think I should wait to talk to him or not?”
Kylie laughs. “You two are perfect for each other. Give him a night to process and call him tomorrow.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It sounds like he was an overprotective ass, and you were an overly sensitive woman and those two do not make good bedfellows. And for the record, I do think he was just trying to protect you because he really, really likes you.”
I sigh. “I know. I was…it’s just hard. I’ve been on my own now for a few years and I’m used to taking care of myself. I mean, I get why he was concerned and all. And I would have called the police and dealt with it myself, but I didn’t think it was necessary to drag me out of the house.”
“Probably not. I’m glad you are safe though. Did they figure out who did it?”
“Nope. I still think it was a pledge class like last year. Some of my sisters think it was too but some others don’t. So, who knows?”
“Well, stay safe. And feel free to call me whenever.”
“Kylie?”
“Yes?”
“I have one more question. I need…some fashion advice,” I squeak.
Kylie squeals. “Now you are speaking my language.”
“I need a great work outfit for our upcoming presentation and I also want something…uh, for a date.” The words leave my mouth before my brain catches up with them. I frown because when have I ever cared about what I wear? Is it a bad thing? I shake my head because I’m overthinking this, as usual.