The Deep End ✔️

12 - two ghosts

Aubrey made me a picture.

It was precious, aside from the fact that she depicted Dallas and I as a couple, holding hands with love hearts over our heads. Phoebe and I tried to explain to her that what she saw that summer wasn't forever. We liked each other then, but not anymore.

Dumbing it down almost made it make sense for me, too.

I just folded it nicely and put it in my pocket so no one else would see. Mom made a bunch of food to take some of the load off of Phoebe and Ebony's cooking. I was heating some of the casserole dishes in the oven and preparing some of the snacks to help out.

Erick slid next to me at the counter, popping a chip into his mouth unhelpfully. "Joey's coming," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. "Figured you might want some company that isn't in the shape of a pudding shot."

"That's fair," I said, rolling my eyes.

"So you guys used to hook up?" Phoebe asked.

"A while ago. It was a very short fling after . . . you know who. He's cute and all, just kinda boring," I said, shrugging. I dumped a bag of tortilla chips in a matching star shaped bowl to the other ones. "I wouldn't mind some Christmas ween."

"Did I just hear Christmas ween?" Carlos shouted from the living room.

Phoebe laughed loudly. It was just the few of us here early to set up. Chris and Ebony would arrive any minute and everyone else was invited to show up in about an hour and a half. Carlos had broken up with Jasmine, unsurprisingly to anyone, so he was riding solo as well. He had tried, and failed, at flirting with the lesbian girl from Friendsgiving.

"Do you think Dallas will marry Shelby?" I asked out loud, the words tumbling out before I even thought them. My eyes shot up to Erick, who was staring at me with his lips pressed into a tight line. Phoebe was avoiding looking at me at all. So I just kept talking. "They would make the perfect bride and groom . . ."

Erick picked at another chip. "I can't answer that."'

I nodded. "I know. Sorry."

"Don't be," Phoebe said from the stove. "I think he's dealing with a lot. Last I heard, he asked for a current picture of Aubrey to bring to Dad. And I guess he's changing his mind about what he wants to do with his law degree? We didn't talk much about it but it seems like he's in crisis mode since he saw you."

Fuck.

"That's exactly what I didn't want to happen," I said, burying my face in my hands.

Erick shook his head. "Maybe it has nothing to do with you or your little gay ass?"

"My little gay ass sent him spiraling," I deadpanned.

Phoebe giggled at that, even though it wasn't funny. The whole point of me cutting things off with him was to keep his life as on track and normal as possible. His law degree, that he was so passionate about for his father, was everything to him. Now he was switching it up? For what?

We finished setting up most of the food with the exception of a few sides. I wasn't sure why we always went all out and didn't just order pizza or something. Maybe this was what adulthood was all about and I was just stunted. Either way, I was going to tear up this Christmas Eve spread since I was sober and starving.

People started arriving, all red cheeked and merry. I got roped into playing school with the kids with Chris's son Jeremiah as the teacher. I raised my hand to ask a ridiculous question just to get a laugh out of the kids and, as usual, it worked. Jeremiah doubled over with giggles at the question, "Do dinosaurs know how to whip and Nae Nae?" It was so easy.