Anika jumps out of the car as soon as Paige kills the engines. "Yay!" she shouts. "I get to see a doggy!"
"Wow, someone's excited to be here," Juli says. "As opposed to the grumpy teenager."
"I'm not grumpy," Paige defends. Anika's out of earshot when she speaks. "I'm worried."
"Why would you be worried?" Emery asks. "She invited you and Anika over so she won't be alone."
"That's the thing. Why doesn't she just go somewhere public?" Anika rings the doorbell. Lucy opens the door and looks down.
"Hi, Anika!" she greets. "Come on in."
"OK!" Anika steps in, and barely seconds after Paige hears an excited, "Doggy! Come here doggy!"
Lucy laughs. "Poor Kip," she says. "About to be hugged to death by an 8-year-old."
Paige shrugs. "That happens when you grow up in a petless home," she replies. She steps in the house, and Lucy closes the door. The bookworm sees her little sister scratching behind Kip's big ears, which then leads to Anika flapping them and calling the dog "the flying doggy". "How are you holding up?" Paige asks, quietly.
"Honest?" Paige nods. "I keep feeling like Eli will come here and make death threats."
"Oh. Well, he can't do that if Anika and I are here, right?"
Lucy smiles slightly. "I'm hoping." Looking over her dog, she suggests, "Why don't we go to the backyard? Plenty of space for them to play in."
"That's fine." Lucy goes over to the sliding door and encourages Anika to bring Kip out. Paige follows them, and sees Lucy sit down on a chair. She pats on the chair next to her. "Anything else going on?" Paige asks, sitting down.
Lucy shakes her head. "I'm debating on telling my parents," she answers.
"Oh. Are they homophobic?"
"No, nothing like that. It's, they have always been so proud of me because of how well-known I am at school and such." Lucy slumps in her seat and crosses one leg over the other. "I'm afraid of how they'll react when I come out and tell them my popularity has plummeted because of it."
"Why would they care?" Paige demands. "You're still their daughter. You're still beautiful. And you're still you." The words come out of her mouth without her realizing what she had said.
Lucy whips her head towards the bookworm in surprise. "What did you call me?" she asks.
"Oooh, you're in trouble!" Juli calls out.
"Not necessarily," Emery says. "She may not have heard what Paige has called her."
"Which one? I listed three," Paige says, lamely.
"The second one," Lucy states.
"Oh. That." Paige fiddles with her thumbs. "I called you beautiful. It's a normal thing to say to you, isn't it?" She keeps herself busy by watching Kip getting chased by Anika.
Lucy laughs. "Actually, I've rarely been called beautiful. By anyone."
"Then they obviously don't want your ego to enlarge," Paige mutters. Lucy laughs again. She turns her head to see Lucy staring back at her. "What?"
"Will you tell me about the thing inside your head?" she asks.
"Why do you want to know?" the bookworm stalls.
Lucy shrugs. "I'm curious. Have been since that night at the café."
Paige's unsure of how to respond to the question. "You can tease her by not telling her the whole truth," Juli suggests.
"What good would that do?" Emery questions. "That'll only make Lucy mad."
"True. And the game will get boring fast."
"How much do you want to know?" Paige asks Lucy.
"I want to know everything," she answers. When the bookworm doesn't say anything,she adds, "I'll only listen. No judgement here."
"Promise?" Paige replies.
"Cross my heart." Lucy assures her by making an X over her heart with her index finger. "I may ask a question if I need to."
Paige collects her thoughts and keeps an eye on her sister. "The 'thing' in my head are actually two things," she says. "Two voices, to be precise."
"Wait." Lucy holds up a hand. "Do they hurt you?"
Paige shakes her head no. "One offers good advice, and the other is mischievous," she explains.
"Hey!" Juli protests.
"The one who offers advice is Emery. He's been around for as long as I can remember," Paige continues, acting like Juli never spoke up.
"Are they from a medical condition that you may have?" Lucy asks.
"No." Paige shakes her head. "They're there because.
"The other one, the mischievous one, is Juli. I think she existed when I was around 10. All she does is dare me to do something or fight with Emery." Lucy laughs. Paige smiles, amused.
"They sound like your closest friends," Lucy states.
Paige thinks about it. "Yeah, they kind of are," she agrees.
Lucy tilts her head. "Do you ever feel lonely?" she asks.
Silence. "Only when they don't talk," Paige says.
"Oh."
After the girls have been quiet for a period of time, Anika comes up to Paige. "I'm a little hungry," she says. "Playing with the doggy has taken the energy out of me."
"That tends to happen," Paige says. She stands up. "Why don't I take you home?" she asks.
"If you don't mind," Lucy starts, "You can stay over for dinner. And I can tell you about all the adventures Kip and I had."
"Please, can we?" Anika asks her sister.
Looking at the host, Paige says, "I guess we can stay a little longer," she answers. "But I'll help with the cooking."
"Be my guest."
"I think I have been your guest for the past half-hour."
Lucy smirks. "You know what I mean."