Page 21 of Your Side of the Offense

"It is, but I called her. Bye, sis." Then the line goes dead.

I smile at the phone. Mom is probably going to give her an earful. But my sister lives on the edge. And she lives to challenge the powers that be.

I set my phone down and a knock makes me leave the coffee maker and go answer. Opening the door, I find a messy-haired, looks-like-death Hazel. She looks like a hangover personified.

"Don't," she says before walking past me.

"Why aren't you in bed is what I want to know,” I say. “Morning."

She curls herself into my bed and pulls the duvet over herself.

"I can't sleep past 7am." She groans.

"Well then, coffee?"

"Please. And I need donuts." She pouts like a baby. I am going to have a handful with this one.

"I'll order them for you." Grabbing my phone, I open Uber Eats.

I look her way when she is suspiciously quiet and find her staring at me. I know before she speaks where she wants to go. Looking back to the phone, I try to look for another coffee shop that can deliver a bacon, ham, cheese, and egg sandwich in fresh baked bloomer bread.

"So, that guy… Harvey is your ex?" she asks.

"Um…" I don't answer, scrolling through the surrounding coffee shops. I'm not sure what to tell her. It's clear she has a little crush on Harvey, and I don't want to be that girl.

"Miss ma'am…?" she says, sitting up.

I quip an eyebrow at her and smile, trying to hide my discomfort.

"Hazel, what do you want me to say?"

"Tell me how well you know him."

"You mean them," I correct.

"You guys were friends?"

"No, they are all my exes." Dragging this longer than it needs to be isn't going to help, so whatever. Ripped bandages and all that. But I get no response from Hazel, so I look her way.

She is gawking, very dramatically. Like she’s running out of air.

"Hazel?" I narrow my eyes at her.

Then the squeal comes.

I frown. "Damn, it's fucking 7:30, chill."

"You dated all those guys? Tell me all at once so I can worship you."

That actually makes me laugh. "My sister would love you."

"Talk, woman!"

"Yeah, I dated all of them in senior year."

"Omg." She melts to the floor and mock worships me and I roll my eyes. "And then what happened?" she asks getting back on the bed.

My face falls and hers falls after. "Oh no."

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