Page 40 of Friends Like This

As I watch Sarah laugh with Cassie, Trev strolls up to me, eyes on Sarah as well.

“Hey, Trev. How are you holding up?”

He sighs. “I love her. I love her so much, but she doesn’t make it easy some days.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“It… worries me. When she gets mean or sassy like that. I know she’s trying to pick a fight, but I try not to fall into it. It’s like our relationship is great ninety-eight percent of the time. And then there’s that other two percent. It kinda hurts.”

I turn to him and run my hand down his shoulder. “She’s testing you.”

He furrows his brow. “Testing me? Like to see if I’ll break?”

I let out a wry laugh. “No, Trev. She’s testing to see if you’ll stay. She wants to know… that even if she’s at her worst, you’ll stick around.”

Trevor’s mouth forms an “O” as he stares at me. “Shit.”

“Yeah. I know it sucks. I mean, she used to do it to me all the time. Constantly picking fights over nothing, screaming at me, trying to get a rise out of me. Like she needed to know what would happen if she was the absolute worst version of herself. She still does it occasionally with our parents.”

Trevor glances at me. “But not with you?”

I shake my head. “One time we ended up in this screaming match. We were ten, I think. My mom brought us downstairs and sat us down. Mom was pissed off because she’d been doing it so much and gave her some shit. Sarah basically started crying and asked my mom if she would ever change her mind about being her mom.”

“Jesus.”

“Yeah. Anyway, of course Mom told her absolutely not. After some more tears, I sat down next to Sarah and wrapped my arm around her and told her she was never shaking us. That she’s my sister and there was no changing that. It didn’t matter how much she yelled, I’d never stay mad at her because she’s my sister and I love her no matter what. She hasn’t tested me since then. I don’t know if my actions have backed that up or my words were enough… but thankfully, she usually lets me in instead of pushing me away with everyone else. I’m sorry she’s putting you through that, though.”

“So am I.” My eyes widen as I spin to face my dad.

Trevor’s eyes get big as he looks between us.

Dad puts his hand on my shoulder. “Come with me. I want to talk with both of you girls.”

Dad clamps a hand on Trevor’s shoulder and gives him an understanding nod. My dad likes Trevor. Which isn’t too hard. I mean, Trev can be mouthy and sassy sometimes. He’s raunchy. But that’s not the side of himself he shows to my parents. He’s always respectful, and he treats Sarah like a freaking princess. Dad has always appreciated that. Even if he didn’t appreciate the fact that they started having sex when she was fifteen, but I think he knows she’s safe with him, and that makes a big difference.

I follow Dad to where Sarah is sitting with Cassie, showing her the back of the braid with a mirror.

“Sarah,” Dad says, drawing her attention.

“Yeah, Daddy?”

“I’d like to talk with you and Rae. Come with me.”

Sarah’s eyebrows shoot up, but she gives Cassie a little squeeze and a smile, then follows Dad, falling into step next to me.

Dad leads us to the clearing behind the large renovated barn that used to be Grandpa’s woodworking shop.

“Let’s sit,” Dad says.

Slightly confused, we sit down on either side of him.

“I want to tell you girls about my family. Obviously, you know I have no contact with them, and I haven’t since I was eighteen. I haven’t told you much because I don’t like to remember it. I consider Pete and Bea my parents. This family is my family. They have been since the moment I knew your mother.” He lets out a soft sigh and smiles. “You know, your mom did me in from the moment I met her. Gorgeous, smart, sassy, but with a beautiful heart.” He looks between us. “Much like both of you.”

He pauses and looks back toward the party. “As you can hear, this is a place filled with love. My home? Not so much. My parents were—are, I suppose, I haven’t heard that they’ve passed—narcissists. Or, at the very least, had some serious narcissistic tendencies. They didn’t know how to love me. They knew how to manipulate me. How to blame me and shame me. I was only valuable to them as something they could control. The same was true of my brother, but I ended up getting the worst of it because he took after them. I always knew something was wrong in my home, but I never understood exactly what until I started spending time here. Pete and Bea, they learned about me and helped me understand how troubled my home life truly was.”

He sighs and looks out at the hillside, pointing off in the distance. “On a clear day, you could probably see their house from here. It’s strange to know they live fifteen minutes from our house, but I haven’t seen them in eighteen years.”

“How did you… leave them?” Sarah asks.

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