Chapter Two : a voicemail
Paige
~ Two Days Before ~
I arrived at the airport later than I needed to be and I rushed inside to find my family already waving her goodbye as she passed security, everyone was crying and sad to see her go but I was relieved. I wouldn't have to listen to her talk about Connor, someone who was mine before he was ever hers. I did wonder if she left him, if she broke his heart.
My mom came towards me and wrapped her arms around me as she cried, "Oh Paige," she wailed into my shoulder, "please don't go far away like your sister. I can't take another one of my babys flying the coop," she hugged me tight.
"Mom, you don't have to worry about that for another year," I responded in her grasp.
"Oh I know, it's just," she sniffled, "losing you would be so scary, the world is so big and scary when you first start out alone," she mentioned making me wonder if my mom was trying to make me scared to leave.
"Crystal darling, now is not the time to scare anyone. Lets go guys. Sorry that you didn't get to say goodbye to your sister, her plane was going to take off. She said she'd call when she gets there to talk to you. Something about needing to talk to you," my dad looked at me wondering if I understood and I was just as lost as he was.
"No idea, but okay," I nodded.
"What took you so long anyways?" Malcolm asked carrying a very tired Nora as we walked to the exit.
"My SAT test was this morning, I planned for it early so I have the day off when everyone else in the school does it," I looked at him expecting him to understand.
"And if you don't like your test result?" he looked at me expecting me to say I'd take it and I would.
"Then I don't have the day off,"I shrugged my shoulders wondering what he was thinking I was going to say to him.
"Huh then you might have just wasted time, or maybe you didn't really want to be here when Kayla was leaving," Malcolm looked at me expecting me to spill on why I disliked her so much.
"That would be selfish of me to do that to her Malcolm and you know it. I love Kayla, she does her best at being a sister," but not as much as I try to be both a sister and a friend.
"Both you and Kayla have been at each other's throats since she started to date Connor. You gave her the go to date him did you not?" Malcolm walked to the kids car with me while buckling Nora in her seat.
"I did, but," I almost explained myself but shook my head, I didn't want anyone knowing I love Connor and it hurt like hell watching him fall for Kayla. I felt embarrassed to know that I would've humiliated myself to try to be with someone who always will see me as a sister let alone a best friend once upon a time, "it doesn't matter what I even thought. They both are able to make their own decisions and leave me out of it."
"What are you not telling me, I'm your twin Paige, I can sense when you're not saying what you need to."
"I don't know, I told you the truth Malcolm," or a fraction of it.
"We never lie to each other right?" he looked at me and I nodded.
"Right," and I wasn't lying when I nodded, I told the truth but it wasn't the full truth.
"Somethings not right Paige, and I'm going to find out what it is," he threated but I knew that he wouldn't look into it, this was all talk to get me to talk but I wasn't stupid.
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I was laying in bed turning to the last page that I needed to reach on Pride and Prejudice and that's when my phone started to buzz like crazy. I lifted it up to see Connor calling which shocked me considering the fact that this was rare these days.
"Hello, Connor is everything alright?" I waited patiently for a response.
"Yeah what do you think would be a good thing to send to Kayla for an away package?" he asked me.
Great, even when she's not here she still is.
"Uhhh, I don't really know. Her and I weren't that close recently. I thought you would've known that."
"Kayla told me that you guys were so close, told each other everything. I didn't know that you guys stopped being close. How long ago was this?" Connor then asked.
"Two years ago, roughly. Connor you had to have known, I mean we barely communicated when you were over at the house. You really didn't know?" I was shocked.
"No, Kayla would always tell me you guys spent every waking moment together. I don't understand why she would lie about that," he sounded deep in thought, "but I mean now I guess it makes sense. All those silent dinners we had when your parents didn't make it home on time. You two really didn't talk much. I'm sorry for calling then, I didn't mean to upset you. If I did," he sounded so apologetic.
"No it's okay, you didn't know. It makes sense, I would recommend getting her things that she can't get there so maybe ask her, I know this package your going to send her will mean a lot to her Connor," I smiled and realized I was smiling before clearing the thought that if we were together and I was away he'd do the same for me.
"Thank you, that really does help. I do want to spend time with you again, like we used to. I miss you Paige," my heart did backflips hearing those words.
"Yeah," my voice sounded so small and I cleared it then, "yeah that sounds great and I'd be down to definitely start hanging out again, just say the word," I pushed my hair behind my ear like he was telling me he was in love from the start but I knew he wanted our friendship back.
"Okay, I'll text you when I'm free next. Bye Paige," he said before hanging up.
I laid down on my bed and looked at the ceiling thinking about the last time we spent time together, it felt like ages ago.
Connor was a grade above me and we had Spanish class my freshman year and his sophomore year. We helped each other out, and worked together when we both had time. He made freshman year for me amazing, but that was until he meet Kayla and things changed; he changed.
I shook my head suddenly realizing that Connor's only interested in hanging out now with me because Kayla's not here and because she's not I'm his priority. But if she was here I'd always come second.
"I need a drink," I muttered, getting up and grabbing my keys to head over to Masons, knowing that he was intending on having a "girls" night with our small group of friends and I just needed to let myself be reckless. I mean I shouldn't even like Connor because the feeling never was mutual. He chose Kayla, he could've had me, he had a chance. I thought he had feelings, he made it seem like he had feelings but he chose her. He'd always choose her.
I started to head over to Masons hoping my thoughts would silence but they seemed louder today and more unsettling for me. But eventually I made it to Masons but never rushed to get out of the car.
I sat outside the car debating and overthinking realizing people had it worse but drinking was one way I could lessen the constant anxiety I gave myself just by thinking. Drinking made the thoughts disappear, or not let me remember what had happened that night.
"Look who finally shows, but you know the party's inside right?" Madi, another one of my best friends asked with the passenger door open as she waited for me to get out of the car.
"Yeah, sorry just lost in thought," too late to turn back now.
"You okay?" she then proceeded to ask, "this morning before the SAT test you seemed a little out of it."
"Yeah, I'm good. I just want to let loose you know?" I forced a smile and got out of the car.
"Well you've come to the right place, you should know that Mason would never let us down," she entangled her arm with mine and we both went inside.
Ella and Ruby were sitting around in Mason's living room and he was nowhere in sight.
"Okay, it's very quiet for it to be Masons house," I mentioned.
"He's grabbing some drinks in the cellar downstairs, he told us that he wanted a chill drunk night. Said something about wallowing in our drinks and watching sad movies," Ruby said looking at the empty glass in front of her.
"He seemed a little sad today but you know how Mason is, doesn't want us to worry," Ella commented.
Ella was the newest in the group and I still struggled to trust her, Mason adored all of us but with me it's hard to trust someone who used to be friends with Haylee.
Haylee and I were close once upon a time, never to the point of best friends. But I put a lot of trust in her, she was closer to Kayla than me but we still had our moments of vulnerability. Turns out when she didn't get her way she'd use that as leverage to make me do her dirty work. She knew that I had a crush on Parker when we were younger and she took advantage of that. I didn't want Parker to know or anyone really because Malcolm and Parker were best friends and I didn't want to be rejected. So I went through with everything she asked of me until eventually she started to date Parker and that was the end. I saw an opportunity to dip and I did just that.
"Paige," Madi nudged me and I looked away from Ella who must have been thinking I was glaring at her for a good while all in reality I was thinking of that bitch.
Before Madi could get another word out Mason came up with vodka, tequila and his favorite red wine. Mason was a classy drinker, if it wasn't wine it wasn't to be drunk by him. While the rest of us took anything that was given to us.
"Drink up bitches, we aren't going to remember a single thing in the morning!" Mason came to the table to fill the glasses he set out for each of us before looking at me.
"Glad you came," he smiled before going back to pouring drinks
Once every glass was filled and we all grabbed out drinks, Mason lifted his glass and smiled, "bottoms up bitches," before drowning in his red wine and with that we drank.
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I woke up with a massive headache and on a bed I didn't remember getting into with a body that was shirtless, I groaned and sat up to discover it was just Mason and we must have been in his parents room.
I tried to recall the events that happened last night but every time I even tried to think my brain would remind me that this headache isn't going anywhere.
I stumbled out of the bed but ended up falling on the floor because Ruby was laying right on the floor.
"Ow," Ruby mumbled before turning the other way.
"Girl what are you doing awake?" Madi then groaned.
"Shhh, go to sleep," I shushed her trying to leave the room as quiet as possible and to get everyone ibuprofen for the unwelcomed headache.
I searched the medicine cabinet in the bathroom but my phone began to ring making me jump and drop some pill bottles on the ground.
I shushed my phone before answering it.
"Hello?" I said in a hushed tone.
"Paige? Are you doing alright?" Connor then asked me which confused me more.
"Yes, why do you ask?" I asked, finding the ibuprofen and opening the lid.
"You called me last night and left a voicemail," I dropped the bottle of ibuprofen and the pills scattered.
"A voicemail? I called last night?"
"Yeah, you said some weird things Paige, and I'm confused," he then said.
I went to my recents in a hurry and there it was, a three minute voicemail.
"Hello? Hello? Paige? Is everything alright?"
I then went to Mason's private story on snapchat knowing that he'd post just about everything.
I saw I was on the phone in the background while Ruby was doing a handstand and Ella was trying to fill her up with her drink.
Ella came in suddenly and looked at me confused, "is everything alright in here?" she then asked and I instantly hung up on Connor who was probably wondering what in the world I said on the phone.
"Everythings fine, I just accidentally dropped some medicine. Can you clean it up? I need to get home, it's urgent," I looked up at her and she nodded.
"Yeah, yeah go ahead I'll get this cleaned up," Ella nodded and I darted out of there before hearing my phone ping and I looked down to see a text from Connor.
"Can we talk, face to face?"
Oh shit.