Page 70 of Witch Please

“Hell if I know. Probably, though. I mean, would you be upset if she did it to you?”

Titus thought about that. “Probably. Texts are convenient, but they’re…easy. I might feel like she didn’t care enough about my feelings to call or stop by.”

“There you go.” Trevor peered into the copper mixing bowl. “How long do we let that sit? Those are some serious bubbles.”

“It’s probably time to get the dough started.”

He didn’t want to be that guy, so he spent the rest of their cooking time talking about stuff pertinent to Trevor’s interests, ergo video games and weed. By the time Dante, Miguel, and Calvin arrived, the house smelled fantastic, and Titus had a wide range of homemade pizzas ready to be devoured. Several hands of poker later, he felt much more cheerful. It was good to drink beer and shoot the shit, no expectations, no pressure.

Maya came home around midnight, the usual cue for the game to break up. His friends headed out as he picked up the mess. She hesitated in the kitchen doorway.

“Something up?” he asked.

Maya leaned against the kitchen counter. “Has Lucy messaged you?”

“Actually, she has. We’re talking more now.”

“Same. I like her. And…” She hesitated. “I feel bad for her.”

Titus sighed. “Me too. I can only imagine how it is, living with Dad and Susan and being treated like wallpaper.”

“I wish she’d move here,” Maya admitted. “They’ll probably use her for free babysitting without caring how that makes her feel.”

“It’s really like they don’t care what collateral damage they inflict in starting their new lives as long as they can write over the old ones.”

“Pretty much. Well, we made the offer. The rest is up to Lucy.”

He nodded. “She might not want to leave her friends. Maybe it’s better for her to tough it out for two years.”

Just then, his cell rang.Lucy,he mouthed at Maya, before he answered. “Hey, we were just talking about you. What’s up?”

A soft sniff reached him then a shuddering breath. “Really? You were?”

“You sound like you’re crying. What’s wrong?” His voice got louder without him meaning to, and Maya grabbed his arm, frantically shaking her head. With effort, Titus modulated his voice. “I’m here. Talk to me.”

“I had a huge fight with my mom. She was being all moody, yelling at me, and I snapped. I…said some things. They were all true, I swear! You saw how she was at the baby shower. But then your dad started screaming at me for being disrespectful. He said—”

“Let me guess. ‘If you live under my roof, you keep a civil tongue in your head and do as I say’?”

Lucy’s breathing steadied. “Verbatim. I guess he’s consistent at least.”

“Where are you? Are you safe?”

“I’m at a friend’s now. But…if you were serious, I want to talk to my mom about living with you guys for a while, maybe until I graduate. They’re driving me crazy, and…I like you and Maya. I won’t be any trouble. I’ll follow the rules. And I won’t fight with either of you or make a mess—”

“Hey,” he cut in quietly. “It would be your home too, so you can make a mess. We’ll add you to the chore roster and rotate the work. Do you like dogs?”

“I’ve always wanted one.”

“Then you’ll love Doris. Stay at your friend’s tonight, then when everyone is calm, go home and we’ll do a video call tomorrow night. Maya and I will do our best to make this happen if that’s what you want.”

“I really do. It sucks so bad here, you have no idea.”

His sister leaned in. “It’ll be okay, I promise. Even when it seems like the end of the world, it passes. I’ll give you a big hug when you get here, and Titus will bake cookies.”

“Oh my God.” It sounded like Lucy was crying again. “You’re the best, I swear.” Someone spoke in the background, and then she added, “My friend made popcorn. I’m gonna go decompress. Tonight…was a lot. Talk to you soon.”

He stared at his phone for a minute after they hung up. “It feels like she’s—”

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