Hey

Hi

How are we?

Having a good week?

I'm not. Don't ask. But I did write another chapter last night so I'll give you one more chapter now.  Don't ask for the next at the end. You have to wait until I have a moment to write another chapter or the weekend comes around. Whichever is first.

Anyhoo... Thanks Jueka1 and Brightyeolie for comments last chapter.

Enjoooooooooy...

____

I was hot on Callie's heels the whole way home, begging for her to stop. 

Pleading for her to talk to me. 

Demanding that she just hear me out. 

My breath was coming out in heavy pants as I jogged many steps behind her, desperate to catch up with her and explain everything.

Sara had been in tears when I left, worried that Callie was going to hate her forever. But rather than staying to comfort her, I decided fixing things with Callie first was the best way to see both of them feel better.

And I understood Callie was mad. That she felt like she had been betrayed by us. But completing the kiss list to get back at me? Was this all really so bad that she wanted a reason to never talk to me again?

Better yet... She needed to stop being mad at me so that we could talk about the real problem eating at her: the fact Flynn had broken up with her.

This whole reaction wasn't really just because she was upset Sara and I hid our relationship from her... she was just projecting her feelings onto whatever she could grab to distract herself from her heartbreak.

"Callie, slow down," I called out after her, partially because I really wanted to catch up to her to talk, but also because it couldn't be good for her leg.

Sure, she had a little over six months to get used to it, but today she was supposedly getting a new gel cushion insert to stop some rubbing problems she was having on her stump. And while it should have been helping, testing it to this extreme already a few hours later...

"Callie!" I screamed, starting to run after her now. I normally considered myself a quick person, but after letting her gain so much distance as I hesitated between following her and comforting Sara before... catching up with her was certainly causing a strain on my body. 

My heart was thumping in my chest. Breaths coming out in shallow pants. Normally I'd do a warm up before running like this...

Though she kept going, almost home now.

By the time I finally caught up to my sister, she was trudging up the driveway towards the house.

"Just talk to me, will you?" I asked, almost able to reach for her.

"I don't want to talk to you or anyone," she spat over her shoulder. Her hand fished in her backpack, a jingling sounding from it as she pulled out her keys to unlock the door.

My brows furrowed in confusion momentarily as I glanced at mum and dad's cars in the driveway—the door should have been open—but then I returned to my mission as Callie began to hike into the house.

She threw her backpack on the ground and immediately walked over to her chair sitting in the corner, ready to slip off her prosthetic.

"I'm sorry we hurt you," I uselessly tried apologising again while she rolled down the sleeve. "But... I don't know what to say. We were scared you'd be hurt either way and we were caught up in each—"

"I deserved to know!" she hissed at me, wheeling her chair across the living room and resting her prosthetic against the couch. "She's my best friend and—"

"That didn't stop you crushing on Noah," I quickly interjected.

Flinching back from me, her brows shot up in shock. "A crush is one thing, but dating? Going down on them? I would have discussed with Sara if things ever got to that point."

Hating that she had me there, I said, "I know. We fucked up. I'm sorry. But don't just cut me off over—"

But the words caught in my throat as another noise in the house became prominent.

Loud thumps against a wall echoed around the house.

Followed by a male grunting noise.

Then a woman letting out moans.

Callie tuned into the noises at the same time, pivoting her chair so that we both stared down the hallway towards dad's room.

"Surely he wouldn't bring someone here when mum should be home," Callie whispered in disbelief, mirroring my same thoughts.

Though my stomach churned at the idea that dad could even be with anyone right now. We had only buried Jess six months ago...

Callie's curiosity got the better of her. "I'm going to ask mum what she knows," she whispered at me, our fight momentarily forgotten. 

I watched my sister slowly wheel down the hallway, past the room emanating a steamy exchange. Slowly and quietly, I followed a few steps behind her as we headed to mum's room.

Gripping the handle, she quickly yanked the door open and rolled inside.

Callie's brows knotted together as she turned to face me. "Mum's not in here."

Stepping into the room, I stupidly glanced around myself as if I'd find mum hiding in a corner that Callie hadn't noticed. "But her car is in the driveway... did she step out while dad—"

"Why would he even bring a hookup here?"

"How is he even hooking up with someone?"

Lips pressing together, Callie said, "There's only one way to find out who it is."

Then she wheeled past me and down the hallway. 

My eyes went wide and heart hammered in my chest as I worried that she was about to do something absolutely disgusting like walking in on dad getting frisky with some random woman.

"Callie!" I whisper-screamed as I followed her into the hall.

But she didn't stop where I expected her to.

Pushing past the door to dad's room (the once spare room) and somehow bravely withstanding the putrid noises exiting under the door, she came to a stop once more in the living room. 

After clearing her throat, she called out, "Mum? Dad? I'm home."

At once, the noises behind the door came to a stop.

"Dad?" she tried again. "Mum?"

From mum's doorway, I listened to the rustling and gentle chatter, but the tone of the woman's voice began to make my stomach sink.

She sounded familiar.

Too familiar.

Next I knew, dad emerged from the bedroom, gently closing the door behind him as he buckled his belt together. "Cal... you're home early. I thought you'd still be at Sara's for a while," he said, still adjusting his shirt as he walked into the living room, oblivious to me standing not far behind him.

"Well Lex, Sara, and I got into a fight so I decided to come home," she explained, eyes briefly flickering over his shoulder to me as if to say 'quickly, sus it out'. 

As Callie and dad began to go back and forth, I crept down the hall towards dad's room, footsteps gently padding on the hardwood floor as I tried to be as quiet as possible.

Heart now almost in my throat, beating so loudly in fear I'd be walking in on some random, but also wary of the voice I recognised earlier, my hand gripped onto the handle. Taking one more deep breath, I opened the door.

And, sure enough, sitting on the bed, buttoning up her shirt, she craned her head up to look at me.

"Lexi," she squeaked.

Whoever could it be..........................

Also... how are we holding up in the Flynn breakup? And Callie finding out about Sara and Lexi?

We good?

Have a lovely week!