Page 56 of Under Pressure

“Yeah.” That’s actually exactly what happened.

My phone vibrates then on the desk between us. To my horror, it’s Mom. The wordsDid you invite Mia to my birthday party?flash on the screen, in full view of said girl. Stupid phone displays, showing every message that comes in right there for anyone to see.

I scramble to pick it up, holding it to my chest. When I glance over, her eyes are wide.

She points to it, her mouth gaping like a fish for a second before she asks, “Was that my name on your phone?”

“No,” I deny, way too quickly for her to actually believe me.

“It was,” she insists. “Did it say something about a birthday party?”

I try to turn the tables back on her. “Why are you snooping in my phone?”

“Snooping?” she laughs. “It was right there on the desk. I’d have to be blind not to see it. Who was it?”

“My mom,” I mutter.

“Your mom?” She looks gleeful, a wide smile on her face.

I roll my eyes. “She said I should invite you to this dumb family get-together they’re having for her birthday this weekend. I told her you obviously don’t want—”

“I’d love to come,” she interrupts.

“You would?”

“Yeah, of course.”

I stare at her, slack-jawed. “Why?” It sounds like the seventh circle of hell to go to someone’s house and make small talk with their family, but what do I know?

“It sounds fun,” she says easily, highlighting a very fundamental difference between our personalities. “I’ll bake her a special birthday dessert. And I want to meet the superwoman who handled that range of kids.”

“Um, okay.” I turn back to the screen, unsure what to say. Seriously, why would she want to go? And why does something in me ease at the knowledge she’s coming with me?

Maybe she could… be a buffer between me and my family. Yeah, that’s a good idea. I can sic her on Dan, that way he won’t talk to me the whole night.

I relax, having a plan in place.

* * *

I tap the steering wheel with my thumb, restless energy coursing through me. I should have gone to the gym this morning, burned it all off. Should’ve known I’d be antsy driving over here tonight.

“Are you nervous?” Mia asks from the passenger seat, her gray eyes luminous in the dim light from the streetlights outside.

“No.” My left leg jiggles up and down, belying my words. Shit. “But I should probably warn you about my family.”

“Oh? Are they deranged criminals? Sociopaths? Should I be on the lookout for anything in particular?”

I twist my lips. “They… I…” I’m unsure how to start.

She nods encouragingly and I take a deep breath.

“I don’t look like any of them for starters.”

“Okay…”

Yeah, that doesn’t really explain anything. I rub the back of my neck. “All my siblings are actually half-siblings.”

“Did one of your parents remarry?”

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