Page 50 of sWitch

“You are a powerful, magical thing. I’m thinking you must have put some of your V for Valin witch-potion into that slushy you handed Dad.”

“I’ll never give up my secrets.”

Party-goers blazed through the pizzas and beer, and Trevor soaked up the well-deserved attention from our father. I was mildly irritated because this is the treatment he always should have received, but hell, better late than never. A familiar voice hummed next to me, a hand grabbing a beer from the bucket of ice I guarded.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Mary Jane smiled.

I clinked my bottle with hers. “Didn’t know you owned a pair of jeans or shoes without heels. My, how running off with my brother has changed you.”

“My, how stealing your brother’s girlfriend has kept you exactly the same, Remy.” Mary Jane smirked and took a sip from her bottle.

“Why mess with perfection? Anyway, how are the kids?”

“With the co-parent. Speaking of parents, Mr. Monroe seems…”

“Like he’s had a personality transplant? Yeah, sure does.”

Mary Jane laughed. She seemed relaxed, way more at ease than she ever was with me.

I admitted after a pause. “I wasn’t a good, you know,whatever, to you. I’m sorry for that.”

“You weren’t, that’s true. But I wasn’t exactly honorable in my actions either.”

I nudged her with my elbow. “Honor is overrated. Doing what makes you happy is braver. I mean, look at me. I have zero shame.”

Fauna nuzzled into my arm. “And aren’t we all so thankful for that? Hey, Mary Jane.”

They exchanged pleasantries, and the party thinned into the den, where all the jocks and my dad watched old soccer gameplays. I escaped to the solace of the night-cooled trunk of the backyard treehouse when my twin joined me soon after.

“Congrats on your big win,” I said.

Trevor pulled out a flask. “That was a fun game.”

“Oh, I meant in earning our father’s love. The soccer stuff, sure, obviously that’s cool.”

My brother’s hearty laugh was probably one of the reasons I focused on humor. Making him laugh always felt like an achievement.

He took a sip from the flask. “He only came because you made him. I know that. But thank you for whatever you had to do to make this all happen. You mean…a lot to me, Remy.”

I cleared my throat of emotion; I really didn’t feel like crying. Instead, I took a gulp of bourbon. “I’ll switch my favorite-child status with you anytime, bro.”

“That’s not all we switched.” He nodded toward where Fauna and Mary Jane were speaking with Watson. They giggled together across the lawn before Watson handed them something and they approached us.

Fauna handed me a flashlight. “You left us alone for far too long with your butler.”

“Oh, no,” Trevor laughed, taking a flashlight from Mary Jane before kissing her forehead. “He didn’t tell you about that game, did he?”

MJ clicked her flashlight to life. “Let’s see if you’re faster than me, soccer star.”

“What are the rules?” Fauna asked.

I twirled my flashlight and gave her ponytail a playful tug. “The number one rule is not crying too hard after I win. Flashlight tag is kind of my specialty.”

We scattered, laughing, sliding in the grass, and playing flashlight tag like we were all dumb little kids again. Watson and Dad stopped by to watch for a while as the sun sank lower and stars dotted the sky. I ducked behind the tree trunk and leapt out, making Fauna scream in delight before picking her up and dragging her over my shoulder.

She protested, but I shushed her as I held her and climbed up the tree house, dropping her on the old wood floor. “My prisoner now,” I purred as she rose up on her elbows.

“Remy, we can’t,” she argued, out of breath. “Your whole family is down there right now.”

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