A Secret Love Affair

Chapter 8

"Wait. So, you're just going to hang around campus during winter break?" Sienna asked Paige, as if Paige had just told her something in a foreign language that she was having a hard time deciphering.

"Not per say, we have to leave campus so I was thinking of maybe doing some light traveling. As a reward for finishing the semester my dad added a little extra fundage into my bank account." She replied, sounding unphased.

"Why don't you just go home to your family?" Sienna asked, wondering why anyone would choose to be alone during the holidays. She began to study Paige's face, something she felt she had done a lot lately. She felt like she was finally starting to read her emotions by just looking at her.

Sienna who was neatly folding some clothes and packing them into her open duffle bag couldn't help but feel bad for Paige. Behind the rough exterior and the sarcasm there was somebody there that was really hurting.

"They go skiing, if I see another fucking ski trip I swear I am going to puke. Besides, my dad is a dick and we always end up arguing. He loves to remind me of how disappointed he is in me and how I make poor decisions. I remind him that I don't give a shit and that he's an asshole and we do that the entire time. It's exhausting." She responded, sounding defeated.

Sienna couldn't imagine a world without the love and support of her family. They were her tribe, they stood by her through thick and thin. It's what families did.

"Fine then! Come with me." Sienna exclaimed, without giving the invitation much thought.

"No, I'm not cutting into your family time." Paige responded, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"You won't, I promise. They'd love to meet you, they love all my friends and you'd be no exception." She replied, offering Paige a warm smile. She watched as Paige thought the offer through and then noticed Paige's face soften.

"Yeah, ok. I'll go spend winter break with the Phoenix clan. I just hope they all aren't as neurotic and nerdy as you. Tell me there's at least one Phoenix family black sheep I'll be able to make fun of Andrew with." Paige responded, making no effort to hide her mischievous tone.

Sienna felt a rush of excitement come over her. There was no way she was going to let Paige spend break alone, even if it meant she'd have to sacrifice her own family time.

"How do you feel about catfish?" Sienna asked, using her most exaggerated southern accent.

Paige looked at Sienna and threw a pillow at her. "Listen, Arkansas, if I start using any of your insane southern idioms after this trip, I give you permission to kill me." She said, playfully.

--

"Do you think your truck will be ok on campus? It's literally the only one of the few vehicles left in the east lot" Sienna asked, as they loaded their duffle bags into the tiny trunk of her corvette.

"Yeah, she'll be fine." Paige answered, looking back at the green truck that was parked half way across the lot.

"What's the deal with you and that truck anyway? I'm sure you could probably get something a little more reliable if you wanted to." Sienna asked, suddenly realizing how judgemental she sounded.

They walked around the car and took a seat inside before Paige spoke.

"Well, I should be asking you the same thing, it's not every day a girl drives into your life in a classic car that even Prince wrote a song about. If you must know...." Paige said, taking a deep breath. "It was my dad's truck. My dad and I weren't always at each other's throats. There was a time he was like my best friend, then, I fucked it all up and his response was to become the worst version of himself toward me." Paige said, looking down on the dashboard. "Anyway, it was his dad's truck, they grew up very poor and it was what got my family out of poverty. Once my grandparents saved enough for that truck, they were able to slowly build up their farm and eventually their business. My grandpa passed it on to my dad, who later on passed it down to me. At that point the truck was just symbolic. I didn't care what it looked like, I just cared about what it meant and the story that came with it." Paige said, an air of melancholy surrounding her tone.