Page 66 of Witch Please

Titus crammed a corn dog bite into his mouth and chewed angrily. They had played some dumb games and pretended to enjoy them.How much longer will this damn thing run?He wanted to escape for ten minutes to call Danica, but not if it meant leaving Maya alone. Jared was still giving Maya the eye every chance he got.

How does Dad not see this?

“Ugh,” he said, only moving his mouth a little.

His lips might well be frozen in this fake smile as he fielded random congratulations and people speculating whether it was a boy or a girl. Susan was telling anyone who would listen that they wouldn’t force anything on the baby. Little Aubrey would wear green and yellow until they were old enough to express a preference. His dad made a face over this pronouncement, but he had the sense not to contradict. Titus thought Susan had a point, and he was less mad at her, overall, than at his old man.

“We just have to get through tomorrow night,” Maya whispered then.

Their return flight was another red-eye, getting them back just in time for him to begin work. If this weekend was shit, Monday would be even worse. He wouldn’t have done this for anyone but Maya. His sister thought this was the right move, so here he was, pissed at the world and missing Danica.

Dad and Susan lived in Gilbert, and their house was typical Arizona style, all white and beige, inside and out. It was modern, lots of windows, with arches instead of doorways. The outside was desert landscaped with palm trees, cacti, rocks, and wood chips, more environmentally responsible than trying to grow a lawn. Titus hated everything about this place, not least the open floor plan and how there was no privacy. Dad and Susan wouldn’t let them stay at a hotel, but instead, he and Maya were sleeping on air mattresses, crashing with Jared and Lucy in their respective rooms.

The good part about that was, at least he could keep an eye on that asshole at night. Jared was headed to college at the end of August, vacating his room before the baby was due. That would give them six months to redecorate. Jared might not have a place to sleep next summer, not that Titus gave a damn. When he checked his plate, he realized he’d rage-chewed through all his food, tasting none of it.

Lucy was a quiet girl with brown hair bobbed short, freckles, and glasses that gave her a Velma Dinkley vibe. She joined Titus and Maya in leaning on the island, hiding out in the kitchen, though that was a misnomer.Open fucking floor plans.This house had no doors, apart from bedrooms and bathrooms.Nothing like our house. It’s like Dad wants to burn out those memories, replace them entirely.

“Are you guys excited?” Lucy ventured softly.

He tried to come up with a diplomatic response. “It’s a lot to take in.”

As ever, Maya went the extra mile. “Yeah, especially for you. I mean, you’ve always been the youngest, and now suddenly you’ll be an older sister. Are you okay with that?”

The girl hunched her shoulders. “Does it matter? I’m basically invisible anyway.”

Shit.Suddenly, Titus felt like the world’s biggest asshole. If it was bad on his end, seeing his dad rewrite history, at least he was independent.I have a home waiting for me. Lucy has no choice but to put up with their crap.From what he knew, Susan had been a single mom for years, and her ex was out of the picture. Plus, he had no clue if Lucy even got along with Jared—and he was leaving at the end of the summer anyway—so it must be like she’d lost her mom and she had nobody in her corner. Some people claimed being a teenager was awesome, but he knew better. It meant being old enough to realize how fucked up certain things were while having no power to impact them. All the anxiety of adulthood and none of the control, worst of both worlds.

Knowing he might regret the answer, he asked anyway. “Is it that bad?”

“It’s worse. Half the time, they don’t even know I’m here. I stayed out two nights last week, and they didn’t even notice. My online friends are all like,Damn, this rocks, you can do whatever you want, but…”

“No, that sucks.” Maya put an arm around Lucy and suggested with her eyebrows that Titus make a move, though he had no idea what she expected him to do.

Hesitantly, he patted Lucy on the shoulder. “How much school do you have left?”

“Two years. Jared got an athletic scholarship, swimming. Otherwise I don’t know how he would’ve gone to college. His grades are shit.” Lucy pulled off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, but she didn’t pull away from Maya. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this. I’m aware that you don’t like any of us.”

Titus swapped a look with Maya, edged with a wince.Great, we hurt a kid who’s already in a crappy place.Then he said, “I don’t know you or your mom that well.”

To his surprise, Lucy laughed. “You didn’t mention my asshole brother.”

Maya smirked. “No. No, he did not.”

Maybe he’d regret this, but it was the right thing to do. Even without conferring with Maya, Titus knew she’d agree. “Look, if things become untenable here, for whatever reason, call us. My dad is right on one point. We’re family now. I’ll get you a plane ticket and pick you up in Chicago. We can get you in school in St. Claire, and you can help at the bakery for pocket money. Or if you’d rather, you can finish high school online or get your GED.”

“The point is, you have options,” Maya added. “Trust me, I know fully how you feel. Like you don’t matter and you’re being replaced.”

Lucy bit her lip. “Oh my God, seriously? You might hate having me around.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think so. There would be rules, though. And consequences if you don’t follow them.”

His stepsister grinned. “Are you offering to parent me, Titus?”

“To sibling you, anyway.”

Maya hip checked Lucy as she let go. “Just wait, he’ll give you a terrible nickname. That’s when you’ll know there’s no escape from his brotherly clutches.”

“Oh yeah? What’s yours?”

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