Page 103 of The Two of Us

23

THEN (AGE 13)

“This doesn’t feel like a good idea. Or at least, a sanitary one.”

Cat and I sit cross-legged on the floor of her bathroom, a razor blade in the middle of us. She snuck into her dad’s closet and stole one from an old-school barber kit he was gifted at his bachelor party years ago. It’s slightly tarnished and slightly questionable. She keeps reaching for my hand, but nerves make me pull it away.

“Of course it’s sanitary. I put it under hot water. Don’t be such a baby.”

I scoff. “If I’m the baby, why don’t you go first?”

“Because if I go first, I won’t be able to do yours and we both know you won’t do it.”

She has a point. Blood makes me queasy.

We just finished watching Practical Magic and Cat can’t get over the scene where Sally and Gillian cut their hands to make a blood oath. Apparently it’s an act that binds two people together forever. A promise of sorts.

So here we are on Cat’s floor, palms exposed like we’re about to play a game of hot hands. Except we’ll be slicing each other’s hands instead of slapping them. I think I prefer the latter.

“All I’m saying is, is this really necessary?”

Cat blows out a dramatic sigh and leans her head against the toilet. “We’re thirteen, Mar. We just started high school and whether we like it or not… things are gonna change.”

Unease fills my stomach. Cat’s rarely ever worried about the future.

“I just want us to promise to always be there for each other. A promise so big, it goes beyond words.”

I understand where her head’s at. I really do. Even the discussions we’ve already had about our hopes for high school are different from each other’s. Cat’s thinking of trying out for the cheerleading squad and I’m planning on joining the film club. We’re becoming two people who have more differences than similarities, but that doesn’t mean we want our bond to be severed.

“Two sides of the same coin,” I whisper.

Cat sits up. “Hmm?”

“We’re like two sides of the same coin. Different… but the same. High school will change things. But you’re always gonna be my best friend, Cat. You’re always gonna be my sister.”

I push the sleeve of my shirt up even higher and thrust my palm forward. “Do your damage.”

Cat’s grin transforms the atmosphere around us and suddenly, I’m excited about what we are about to do. She has the ability to do that. She brings my hand close to her face and her jaw becomes set with laser focus.

Five minutes later and we’re clasping each other’s hands, a steady stream of blood leaking onto the floor.

“Um… we should get some Band-Aids and clean all this up.” I start to get up but Cat yanks me back down. “Wait!” Her expression is serious. “Promise me something.”

“What?”

“Promise me…” She scrunches her nose in thought. “Promise me that no matter what, it’ll always be the two of us.”

I grin, squeezing our clasped hands. “The two of us. I promise.”

When we finish cleaning the bathroom and wrapping our hands in first aid gauze, we return downstairs to finish the movie. We ignore Ambrose’s suspicious glances as we each hide a hand behind our backs.

“What are you doing?” I say as Cat pushes the rewind button on the remote.

“I want to watch it again.”

I grab the bowl of popcorn and we throw our heads down, sharing the large pillow between us.

Sally: I feel like I’m never gonna see you again.

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