Little Miss Nosy

Chapter Twenty-One: Lost & Found

- Edited -

"Save me! Save me!" I scream.

"Sorry, Paige," Trevor says solemnly. "But you're a liability."

With my player bleeding out on the ground, the zombie herd rushes towards his who dashes out into the night, firing a few bullets before my half of the screen turns red. I pout as 'You Died' appears in big bold letters.

I scroll through Instagram while the traitor advances through the levels with ease and tact like the professional video gamer he is. I stumble upon the video someone reposted from Bella's account: Trevor's cafeteria announcement. It looks a lot different from her perspective. I ignore tiny me in the background looking like I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole and zone in on Macey, who's whispering for Bella to put the phone down. Bella of course shushes her.

"So what's going on between you and Macey?" Normally I'd slide in an introductory question or two, but Trevor and I have bonded over our similar pain, as morbid as that sounds, so it's become status quo to rip the band-aid off of everything.

He coughs into the crook of his arm, hand quickly flying back to grasp the controller. "Nothing," he denies, but I catch the slight quirk in his lip from his side profile.

"Please! Why else would you wait for her outside the girl's locker room?"

"I was waiting for you."

"So why did you turn right with Macey when I went left?" Trevor dies not too long after I ask my question, throwing his arms up and looking at me in accusation. "What? Can't multitask?" I tease.

"I guess..." he starts, faint hints of a blush creeping up his neck and landing on his cheeks. "She's just cool, you know? It's different hanging with someone I don't argue with all the time. Carmen told me I was too much for her, so I was worried it'd be the same with Macey but it's not."

"So you and her?"

"No, no. I don't want to use her as a rebound and uh...I may sorta still be hooked on Carmen. I know! I know! I'm lame, alright?" he says at my side-eye. "Three years, Paige. Not everyone can jump from person to person overnight. Sorry. That was childish."

I cock my head to the side. "If we're being fair, you deserve to be childish after everything."

The front door opens suddenly. "Trevor! We said no company while grounded!" Paul's deep voice echoes from upstairs.

"They're early!" Trevor whispers as if he's not already busted. Instigating a fight on top of throwing the house party of the year was the cherry on top of why his dads, Paul and David, decided to ground him for two weeks.

He turns off the game and we head out of the basement. Paul is waiting at the top of the stairs, arms crossed with a stern look on his face, before the facade drops altogether once he spots me peeking from behind Trevor's elbow. "Oh, Paige! Honey, it's just Paige. We can pack up the tough dad act!"

"Favorite friend privilege," I whisper to Trevor. He gives a subtle thumbs up.

Paul and David, two therapists who met during Psych 101 in their freshman year of college, were the only ones who empathized with my family situation. They were understandably hesitant when Trevor told them he befriended the outcast whose brother made Florida's most wanted, but a simple Google search would tell anyone Jacob and I are not the same. And so their hesitations were quickly cleared.

The house is different when it's not packed wall to wall with people and the furniture occupies the spot it's supposed to. David is adding new boxes to their already large collection of board games in the corner. "Wednesdays are family game nights, right?" I ask.