Yellow

7 | The Rival

Chapter Seven

         “Do you want to meet my friends?”

That was the text I was greeted with when I awoke on Sunday. Jo knew better than to call me early in the morning now, after the sunrise incident.

It was the day after we had gone on our message-writing spree at Lavender’s. I was weary of what Jo was planning for a get-together with her friends- I was feeling a bit anxious toward her in general after that 50 Shades of Grey stunt she had pulled. Regardless, I sent her a text in reply.

“Sure.”

It was only nine a.m. I wasn’t in the mood for a long conversation, so I kept my answer simple.

Seconds later, my ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ guitar solo ring-tone blared from my phone.

“So I already got in touch with the triplets yesterday night. Remember how I told you about them at Marty’s the other day? Brody, Ronan and Floyd? I don’t know if I mentioned that they’re triplets, but they are. Anyway, I arranged for us to hang around town together, and then we’re supposed to go back to their place for dinner. Nothing formal, of course. Probably just take-out Chinese or pizza while we play on their Xbox or something. Sound good so far?”

Jo seemed to ramble without taking a single breath. She was obviously excited.

“Okay. I just texted Kit a few minutes ago, but it’s Sunday morning, and I think her parents took her to church today, so she’ll get back to me later. Maggie has soccer practice, but she should be available in the evening, maybe. Oh! Kit just texted me. She said she’s going to get in trouble for texting in church, but she’s crouching down in her pew and her parents haven’t noticed yet. And… yup! She just said she can hang. Sound good? Bye!”

I didn’t even get to put a word in edgewise. I chuckled to myself as Caroline passed my door.

“Mom made bacon.”

That was all that had to be said. I was dressed and downstairs in milliseconds.

As I ate breakfast, I informed my mom of Jo’s outing plans. She just grumbled in response.

Mom always got cranky when my dad was away. He had been a psychology professor back at the University of Windsor, and had been drafted to Tennessee to work at a Nashville school for a few months. While it was summer vacation, Dad never truly got a break from his career. He was needed regularly in Nashville to give lessons to psychology students who needed extra credits or something.

That meant he would have to drive there almost every day. He hated the two-hour drive into the city, and had originally wanted a nice apartment in the suburbs, but Mom knew some friends who lived in Abbottsville. They were an elderly couple that lived in Tennessee for the winter, but traveled to a cottage in upper Canada during the summer. Fortunately, I guess they were willing to let my family stay in their Abbottsville home while they vacationed, and Dad couldn’t turn down the offer.

I consoled Mom with a hug. Then I nearly jumped out of my skin as someone hugged me from behind.

Jo. And Jane was latched onto her.

“Hey, Caroline! Get down here and join the group-hug!” I called out jokingly, “Everyone else is in on it!”

Mom laughed and returned to her duty of cleaning dishes. Jane played with the soap bubbles in the sink.

Jo followed me into the living room.

“Why’d you have to come here so early? First you surprised me that time I came down to see you eating at the table with my family. Then you called me at the ass-crack of dawn to drag me out to Fleetwood Forest. And now you’re, what, breaking into my house? How’d you even get in?”