Cassie swallowed. She refused to blink. She’d been so stupid about everything. Acacia had warned her it was all going to blow up in her face and she’d ignored her. Cassie had spent months being so stupid and hurting her best friend. Both her best friends.
Parker uncrossed her legs and lay down next to Cassie. She bumped their shoulders together, caught Cassie’s hand.
“I hated you,” she said, and Cassie laughed, didn’t reach to wipe the tears that fell so Parker might not notice them. “I did. I hated you for it. Because she’s my mom and because you lied and because it felt like you didn’t care about me.”
“No, Parker, I—”
“I let you talk,” Parker said. “It’s my turn.”
Cassie nodded.
“Acacia tried to tell me you had feelings for her but so what? You were a shitty friend and I was so mad. And dating Sam gave me an easy excuse to not hang out with you. I wanted to make you feel as crappy as I did, even while Kaysh tried to get me to give you a chance. How was I supposed to broach that subject? ‘Hey, I know you’re banging my mom, but I want to give you a chance to explain yourself’？” Parker chuckled. “Though I guess that’s where we are right now, huh?”
Cassie squeezed Parker’s hand. “I wouldn’t have done a good job then, anyway. Back when I thought we were friends with benefits.”
“You think if I had asked earlier you’d have figured it out earlier?”
“God, I don’t know.” Probably not, to be honest. Cassie had been committed to her ignorance.
“Well, regardless. I’m glad you did eventually,” Parker said. She took a breath. “Back then, I hated you, but I missed you, too. And Acacia wore me down. And so, I came up with a plan to figure out if you actually cared about my mom or if you were just fucking her. To see if you’d fuck someone else who I knew you were into.”
Things clicked into place in Cassie’s head. “Gwen.”
“Gwen,” Parker confirmed. “When you turned down Gwen, I figured this thing with my mom was real.”
“I know I’m not supposed to be interrupting you, but I have to,” Cassie said. She couldn’t let this go. “This thing is real, but I wouldn’t have slept with Gwen in that situation even if I didn’t know Erin. I was serious when I said I didn’t want to fuck things up with you.”
Parker leaned her shoulder into Cassie’s. “I had thought I was okay with it at school. Like, I had accepted it. I could tell from talking to both of you that y’all were making each other happy. So, whatever, it was fine.” Parker picked at the comforter. “It was something else to see you together.”
Cassie dug her teeth into her bottom lip instead of grimacing.
“But at the same time, it like, wasn’t weird at all. It should’ve creeped me out or something, right? But fuck, the way y’all look at each other. You’re so obviously in love.”
Cassie choked on her saliva. Obvious to everyone but her, apparently.
“So,” Parker said, her I’m-in-charge voice on. “It’s still shitty that you lied, but I’m over it. And it’s still weird that you’re dating my mom, but it’s cool. I’ve known for longer than you have apparently—almost half a year at this point; I’ve pretty much worked through it. We’re good.”
“We’re good,” Cassie said.
Parker squeezed her hand.
“You’re my best friend,” she said.
Cassie’s breath caught in her throat. “You’re my best friend.”
After a moment, Parker said, “Don’t tell Acacia.”
“Never,” Cassie said with a grin.
Acacia herself joined them a few minutes later, pushing Cassie into the middle of the bed and climbing in.
“How we doing, kids?” she asked.
“We’re good,” Parker said.
Cassie interlaced their fingers. “We’re good.”
They just lay there, snuggled together, for a while. Cassie was almost asleep when there was a quiet knock on the doorframe, Erin standing in the hallway.
“Night, girls.”
All three said good night back, and Erin clicked the hallway light off as she left.
Parker elbowed Cassie in the ribs. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
“Tomorrow, maybe,” Cassie said. She was sandwiched between Parker and Acacia. “Right now, I’m exactly where I want to be.”
The next day Cassie actually started to believe things might be okay. It was the Fourth, and they started their day with homemade blueberry pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream.