A/N: Sorry for the super long wait for an update. I appreciate everyone who's still reading and leaving feedback. I'm trying to get back on track with my writing after some health issues. This isn't exactly a long chapter, I just wanted to get something posted.
"Hey Superstar, what can I get you?" Emily beamed at Paige as the other swimmer walked up to the counter at the Brew. Emily had only left the Hastings' a couple of hours ago, when Veronica had dropped her off for the start of her shift. Paige had been quiet and withdrawn for the entire drive home. She and the rest of the Devils had smashed the competition, but the victory had been bitter sweet; it was the last time Paige would lead her team.
Back at the Hastings' ranch, Paige had sat on her bed, anxiously staring at the clock as she waited to meet her biological father. Veronica had told her they were expecting Peter home around nine. By eight o'clock, Paige had been ready to climb the walls. She'd grabbed her jacket and taken off on her bike. She always went riding whenever she needed to clear her head, but since moving to Rosewood, she'd found a new way to blow off steam; a trip to the Brew.
"I'm not sure. I need something that's a post-meet pick me up, but also low in caffeine. I'm meeting Peter in an hour and I already feel like I'm about to crawl out of my skin." Paige answered honestly, finding it oddly easy talking to the virtual stranger. An even wider smile stretched across Emily's lips as she nodded in understanding.
"One hot chocolate, with extra whipped cream, coming up." She set about making the other girl's drink for her, but refused to take her money when Paige offered it. "It's on me...you can get the next one."
"So that's two drinks I owe you now, and a muffin; at this rate I'm going to owe you a whole dinner." Paige smirked at her. She only realised how that sounded once she'd said it. Internally cursing herself, but grateful Emily hadn't seemed to notice, she quickly changed the conversation. "I've been thinking about it, and I'd definitely like to crash your practise tomorrow...meet your coach. I need to get back in the water. Sometimes it feels like swimming is the only thing keeping me sane; which probably sounds insane-"
"It doesn't." Emily insisted. She leant over the counter to place her hand on Paige's arm. The gesture that was obviously meant to be comforting, but it just left the other swimmer feeling all the more unsettled. She had barely known Emily for more than three days, and the other girl's touch alone already had her stomach in knots.
"...If you want me to drive you home?" Paige was too distracted to realise Emily had just asked her a question. She looked back up again, just in time to catch Emily looking at her expectantly. She felt her cheeks go red as she all but admitted that she hadn't been listening. Emily just laughed it off with a smile and repeated her earlier question. "I said I'm finishing soon, if you want me to drive you home?"
"Oh, thanks, but I've got my bike...you should let me take you for a ride sometime." Paige knew she was skating on thin ice. She had Shana, and Emily was straight, but that didn't seem to be able to stop her from opening her mouth.
Emily laughed again, the sound like music in the quiet coffee shop. "Thanks, but I think my parents would probably freak out."
"What, if you were on a motorbike? Or if you were on a bike with a strange girl?"
"Don't put yourself down, McCullers; you're not that strange." Emily was trying to suppress a grin as Paige feigned offence. It almost seemed to Paige like she was flirting back.
"So does that mean you'll come for a ride with me sometime?" She tried pushing her luck, but something in the other girl's expression changed. Her smile wavered, and she took an abrupt step back from the counter. Paige was about to ask what was wrong when she noticed a group of girls approaching the counter, lead by a blonde, who greeted Emily with a cheerful wave. They were probably her friends.
"I should go." Paige quickly made her excuses before she could feel too much like a third wheel. She slipped out the door, failing to see the way the Emily greeted the blonde with a kiss. The cold air outside slapped her square in the face, a harsh reality check. What was she even doing, flirting with someone like Emily Fields in the first place? Things were already screwed up enough without her adding girl troubles to her ever increasing list of problems. "Shake it off, McCullers." Paige growled to herself, while pulling on her helmet. She had to get the other girl out of her head.
A light rain had started while she was inside the Brew, it was nothing too heavy, but she would have to be more careful on the drive home. She took the rain soaked roads slowly, paying particular attention at the crossroads. She made it all the way back without incident; but at the end of her street, the door of a parked car without it's lights on suddenly opened. Paige's tyres screeched in protest as she brought the bike to an abrupt stop, swerving across the road to avoid hitting the man who had stepped out of the unlit car. The wet road provided little traction, and the bike slid out from under her. Paige's instincts were to tuck and roll as she bailed.
Her ears were ringing and her blood was boiling as she clambered back to her feet, struggling with the strap of her helmet. There was a deep gouge in the side of it, where the road had taken a bite of the plastic; it could just have easily been her head. "Jesus, son! What is your problem?" The middle aged man who had stepped out of the car started screaming at her. "Have you ever heard of watching the god damned road!?" He rounded on her, just as Paige managed to finish fumbling over the buckle keeping her helmet on. She deliberately tossed the helmet with all her strength, aiming for the wind-shield of the guy's car. She'd landed on her throwing arm, so the helmet fell short, bouncing harmlessly off the side of the road.
"Back off, Asshole!" She shoved the guy as he got right up in her face, shouting his mouth off about her being blind. He was a white guy in his forties, cleanly shaved and wearing an expensive looking suit; he looked every bit the entitled, rich jerk he was. "You're the one who was parked with no lights on!" The man rubbed awkwardly at his jaw. He clearly knew he was at fault, but he wasn't about to back down to some mouthy teenager. He tried the other default argument.
"What is a little girl like you doing on something like that, anyway?" He jerked his thumb at the bike, which was still lying sprawled on the side of the road. There were scratches all down the side of the body, but thankfully the damage just looked superficial. "What are your parents thinking-"
"Don't you dare!" Paige lost what little control she had left. Days of grief and anger seemed to well up all at once, the jerk who had caused her to wipe out getting the full brunt of her wrath. He shrunk back, edging back towards the car as Paige give him another hard shove. "My parents are good people! Better than anybody in this shitty town! Don't you dare say a word-"
"Pete? Should I call the police?" A blonde woman poked her head out of the passenger window, cradling her phone to her chest. The noise startled Paige, and she stopped in her tracks, realising she was making a scene.
"It's fine Jessica... I was in the wrong." The man, Pete, shook his head at the woman in the car. The rain was coming down thick and fast now. Both he and Paige were soaked to the bone. He ran his hand through his thick, dark hair, pushing it back to stop the drops of rain that were falling down in to his eyes. "I'm sorry. Are you okay? Can I get you some help, or call someone? I can give you something for the bike?"
"Forget it...my Dad can fix it." Paige turned away as he started reaching in to his wallet. Waltzing over to the car, she scooped her helmet, receiving a sneer from the mature blonde woman up front. Paige ignored them both. Walking a little stiffer as she picked up her bike, she began slowly pushing it up the street, towards the Hastings' ranch.
"Paige? What happened?" Veronica was all over her the second she limped in to kitchen. She'd pushed her bike in to the carport around back, hoping to slip in the back door unnoticed. Lady luck wasn't smiling down on Paige though. Veronica had been making a coffee when she'd shuffled in the door, looking like a drowned rat.
"Nothing. I'm fine." It was a lie. Searing hot tears were burning in her eyes as she wiped her growing bangs out of her face.
"You're not fine!" Veronica was fussing over her, trying to help the teen out of her jacket; the thick leather was probably the only reason her side wasn't covered in road rash. "That stupid bike-" The older woman fell silent as Paige suddenly wriggled out of her jacket and let it drop to the ground. Tears were rolling down her face as she stared blankly down at it.
She crumpled, her knees giving out on her. Veronica caught her youngest daughter before she hit the floor, cradling her as she started to cry. It had been a long time since Paige had felt a motherly embrace. Veronica rubbing her back and whispering soothing words in to her ear, just made her cry all the more. They sat right there on the kitchen floor for a good ten minutes while Paige let it all out. Spencer walked in on them at one point, but quickly walked back out after a stern glare from her mother. It was the closest Paige had let her birth mother get, and Veronica missed the contact as soon as the teenager pulled away from her. Wiping at her eyes, she mumbled something about going to clean up. "That's a good idea. Go have a nice hot shower and I'll bring you some hot cocoa up." Veronica moved to brush Paige's hair back from her face, but the younger girl stiffened, her walls quickly going back up. She couldn't look at her birth mother as she got back to her feet and hobbled out of the kitchen.
"Are you okay?" Spencer stood by her open door as Paige reached the top of the stairs. The younger twin nodded, still too choked up to speak. "Your leg looks pretty beat up. I'm glad that whole 'twins feeling each other's pain' crap is all BS." Spencer gave her a wry smile, going for humour over pity. It made it easier for Paige to face her. Her lips managed to curl up, just slightly; though she lost her smile as she finally caught sight of the large tear in her jeans. There was blood around the frayed edges of the ripped fabric, it was coming from three deep scratches on her calf. "Want some help with that?"
Paige nodded again, limping towards her older twin's room. She collapsed down in the chair by the side of Spencer's bed. Her jeans were already ruined, so she didn't say a word as Spencer took a pair of scissors to them, cutting open the denim to get better access to the scratches. She had a first aid kit in her closet, a must have for any serious hockey player, and she fetched it, setting it down on the footstool in front of the chair Paige was slumped in. The younger girl winced as Spencer took an antiseptic wipe to the scratches. "They're not too bad, you shouldn't need any stitches."
"I didn't realise you were pre-med." Paige snorted, though there was no real malice to her tone. Spencer was probably the only member of her new family that she felt almost comfortable around. Maybe it was something to do with them being twins, or that they were the same age. Either way, the easy camaraderie between them made Paige feel at ease in the other girl's room. "Hey, Spence?"
"Yeah?" Spencer looked up from finishing securing a bandage around her sister's leg.
"Thanks for this, for the uh..." Paige rubbed awkwardly at the back of her neck. She'd grown up an only child. She wasn't used to having a sister to look out for her. "Just...thanks."
"No problem. I wouldn't thank me until you've seen my bill." Spencer teased, managing to drag a small chuckle out of the other girl. She held her hand out for her, helping Paige to get back up on to her feet. They took a slow walk to Paige's room, Spencer taking on most of her weight.
They heard the front door open just as Paige dropped down on to her bed. "Veronica? Spencer?" A strong, masculine voice called out. Paige felt her heart sink as she realised it was Peter Hastings; her biological father. Spencer could see the unease written all over the other girl's face. Paige had been through enough for one day, she wasn't ready to face meeting any new family members just yet.
"I'll tell Mom you fell asleep, that should give you until the morning at least."
"Thanks." Paige was grateful for the last minute reprieve. She kicked off her tennis shoes, while Spencer closed the door over behind her.
"Hi, Dad." Spencer walked down the stairs to find her parents by the front door. They were standing conspiratorially close, no doubt discussing Paige.
"Spence." Peter greeted his daughter with a hug and a kiss to the cheek. He was soaked through from the rain, his hair flat to his head and his overcoat dripping on to carpet. He looked back expectantly up towards the stairs Spencer had just come down from, waiting with baited breath to meet the child who had been stolen from him.
"Paige is sleeping." Spencer quickly covered for her younger twin. "I think she had some kind of accident tonight."
"An accident?" Peter frowned, instantly concerned. "When? What happened?"
"I couldn't get much out of her. It's been a rough few days. She's okay though..." Veronica's voice cracked slightly as she reached for her husband. "Our baby's finally home."