Page 102 of The Romantic Agenda
“Sorry to be the one to break this to you, but it’s absolutely about you too. Tell me what you need from me.” Joy can’t help it. The offer flows out of her as natural as water running downstream. Is it always going to be this way for her? Continually self-sacrificing to make sure he’s happy?
Malcolm exhales, looks to the left and back to her. “I don’t know yet.”
Joy shakes her head in disbelief. Grace is right. Fox is right. They really don’t communicate anymore. She’s never been afraid to talk to Malcolm about anything, and here she is, so terrified about what he’ll say to her, she’s shaking. But she has to know. They can’t stay in limbo like this forever.
“Can you at least talk to me, then? I don’t understand what’s going on with you at all right now.”
“Not yet. I’m still trying to figure out how to do this.” Malcolm can barely look at her, but she sees the tension in his stance: fist balled in his pockets, jaw set, determined to not stand too close to her. “In the meantime, like I said, Summer would love it if you came.”
Fox, she thinks.Fox said he’ll be there too.The thought of seeing him fills her with electric anticipation. A welcome relief.
“Okay,” Joy says, unlocking her car. “I’ll follow you there.”
Summer lives in a suburban neighborhood, flush with the kind of houses that all look similar enough for non-residents to easily get lost. She parks behind Malcolm after he stops in front of a gray house trimmed with white, two stories high, with an abundance of windows. Summer mentioned having roommates. Between three or more people, a house that size in a neighborhood that screamedModel Houses! Visit today!could definitely be affordable.
Malcolm walks next to her up the stone path leading to the front door. He rings the bell, and she presses the pleats in her skirt to make sure they look neat. After talking to Fox last night, Joy woke up feeling giddier than she’s felt in years. That giddiness translated to a plaid mini skirt and matching jacket à laClueless.
Someone with long black hair, a chubby, ruddy face, wearing the cutest daffodil dress Joy has ever seen, opens the door. They greet Malcolm like an old friend with an accusatory, “You’re late.”
“Never.” He grins as he moves inside and then turns back. “Sally, this is Joy. Joy, this is Sally.”
“Joy?” Sally blinks.
Someone else in the house says, “JOY? SHE’S ACTUALLY HERE?” loud enough to make Joy’s eyes widen. Straight to the back there’s a kitchen, and someone wearing a full-blown pirate costume marches to the door with a perplexed expression on their face. “HOLY SHIT, SHE’S REAL.”
Having had enough of being gawked at, Joy says, “Is there a reason why you thought I wasn’t?”
The pirate has on a bright red wig and an eye patch. Her sun-kissed skin looks radiantly natural, like she was born with it instead of it coming from a tanning bed. “He talks about you so much but never brought you around. I figured you were some sort of delusional imaginary best friend. Bring it in, come on!”
The pirate traps Joy in a bear hug before she can get away. She practically lifts her over the threshold, all but dragging her into the house. Slightly unnerved, Joy tries to cover it up by asking, “And Summer didn’t vouch for my existence?”
The pirate laughs, letting her go. “Oh, she did. I just figured she was pretending to believe the delusion to make him feel better.”
Malcolm says, “Joy, this is Rebekah. She routinely enjoys being loud and wrong.”
“Hello, Joy.” Fiona’s blue hair is just as vibrant as it is in her pictures. She saunters out of the darkened hallway directly on the left, hands behind her back. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
Feeling wary and on guard, Joy says, “Good things, I hope.”
“No, not really.” Fiona doesn’t have the grump gene like Fox does but her entire vibe feels divinely menacing. As if she’ll either make your dreams or worst nightmares come true. And you won’t know which one it is until it’s too late.
“Ah.”
“Just kidding.” Fiona unleashes a dimple punctuated grin identical to Fox’s. She grabs Joy’s arm, pulling her forward and into the dark hallway. “Come on. I want you to sit with me.”
“Um, is Fox here?”
“No, my brother heard you were coming and decided to stay home.” Fiona glances at her and laughs. “Just kidding. Relax.”
Joy narrows her eyes. “You do that a lot, don’t you?”
“Oh yes. And it’s only going to get worse.” She laughs. “Fox had to work overtime. He said he’ll drop by.”
The room they end up in is decently sized with an adjacent kitchen. There are two couches and a recliner that has seen better days, band posters cover the walls, and a glass coffee table in the center is filled with cups and bottles of alcohol. The TV is on but it’s not playing something Joy recognizes.
“Joy!” Summer hops to her feet and runs over. “Hug okay?”
“Well, Rebekah beat you to it, so sure.”
