hearing damage | YELLOWJACKETS

thirty-two.

Quinn Galen | 2021
New York City, New York

Quinn is very surprised that Callie is good with kids. Extremely surprised. She expected Callie to be the type to shove a kid down on the ground and steal candy from them and actively make them cry. So, to put it shortly, Quinn expected Callie to be really bad when it came to kids.

But she wasn't.

Quinn watched as Callie sat on the floor with Charlie, the two of them playing a game of UNO. It was clear that Callie had a draw four and she could end the game with ease, but she kept drawing cards rather than playing her own.

"She's not how I expected," Rosalynn mutters from beside Quinn.

"Yeah," Quinn answers, "Yeah, she's not what I had expected either."

"Well wish me luck, I'm picking my children up from a weekend with their father. They hate that man. But it's good to know that he'll end up in a nursing home and I won't," Rosalynn says with a smile.

Quinn looks over at Rosalynn, "Did you say something to Callie last night?"

"What?"

"Did you tell her something about Shauna?" Quinn asks as she turns so that she's completely facing Rosalynn.

"Oh," Rosalynn says, "I was slightly tipsy."

"Don't do that shit again," Quinn orders in a low voice.

Rosalynn quirks an eyebrow, "I'm sorry?"

Quinn sighs, crossing her arms over her chest, "Look, Callie's relationship with her mother is fragile. And I'm trying my best to fix it-"

"Why?" Rosalynn asks, "Callie isn't your responsibility. And what is Shauna to you?"

"She's-" Quinn's words falter on her tongue, "She's a complication."

Rosalynn rolls her eyes, "Gosh Quinn, when are you gonna stop this act? You don't hate Shauna. I hate Shauna. I've tried to kill Shauna. Someday I may still kill Shauna. But you don't know what it truly means to hate her. You care about her. You cared when she married Jeff. You're caring now looking after her child."

"I win!" Charlie exclaims getting Quinn's attention as Callie lets out a groan.

"Come on Charlie, take it easy on me!" Callie says as she gathers the cards and begins shuffling them.

"Do you want to play again?" Charlie asks.

Callie smiles, "I would love to."

Quinn tears her gaze away from Callie and looks at Rosalynn who gives her a knowing look.

"Callie this is the last game," Quinn tells the teen. It's expected for Charlie to be the one upset by the news, but it's Callie who frowns.

"Can't we stay longer?" Callie asks.

"No," Quinn responds, "I told your mother I'd have you home today. Besides it's Halloween, don't you have plans?"

"None that my mother would approve of," Callie mutters.

"You could hang out with me," Charlie offers, "I was going to go trick-or-treating but I'm not feeling up to it so my mom and I are going to watch Halloween movies."

Callie smiles, "That sounds fun. What's your favorite Halloween movie?"

"Halloweentown, I think it's so scary," Charlie says with a sheepish smile.

"Hey, I loved that when I was your age," Callie responds, "Have you ever seen Mostly Ghostly? That's a good one or Twitches?"

"I love Twitches!" Charlie exclaims.