18
Diana's house only had one light burning when Faye arrived, and her Dad's car wasn't in the driveway. She tapped her usual pattern on the front door, and smirked at Diana when the door opened. "Thought you could use some company," she said with a phony smile.
"Using your psychic superpowers?" Diana said with an eye roll.
It was freezing, and rain was starting to pour down in torrents. "Can I come in already? I have nowhere to go."
Diana made an odd noise before moving aside to let her pass. "And I was your first choice? Interesting."
"Sarcasm doesn't become you, D."
"And I care about this because?" Diana returned to her spot on the sofa where she'd been reading.
Faye sighed. "Look, I get it. You're not the only one with parental issues."
Diana took a long sip of whatever beverage was steaming from her cup. "Oh, are we supposed to swap war stories about killer witches?"
"Something like that," she said without her usual venom. After Diana took another long sip, Faye concluded that she was tapping into Daddy's liquor stash. "You in a sharing mood?"
"What do you have in mind?" Diana said in a provocative tone that could be taken any number of ways.
Faye made a drinking motion. "Nothing sinister."
Diana actually chuckled. "Too bad. Because I could kick a few asses tonight, starting with Adam and ending with the Balcoins."
At that point, Faye decided to help herself to some Scotch. Diana made no move to stop her, so she poured a healthy amount into one of Charles's vintage Waterford tumblers. "Sounds like a plan."
"Everything is total crap." Diana's fatalistic tone was infectious, and Faye felt her spirits sinking ever deeper as they traded barbs.
When they stopped dissing each other and started in on Cadam, Faye felt laughter welling up in her chest. And when it escaped, she couldn't stop a mad giggling fit from permeating the air. Diana joined in, and three drinks in, they were both sloshed and ready to be besties. "You're totally right, D."
Diana smiled. "I'm always right." She hesitated and then asked, "What am I right about again?"
"It's all total crap."
Diana held up her mug and clinked it against Faye's. "Here's to crap."
Faye snickered, and barely noticed when her drink sloshed all over the gleaming wooden floor. "Oops," she said with a goofy grin. "Guess I should clean that up." She started forward and tripped over Diana's boots, which sent her sprawling into Diana's lap. And that was the very moment when Charles decided to open the front door and catch them in a compromising position.
"What the hell is going on here?"
Faye got up with a giggle. "Exactly what it looks like, Chuck." And with another laugh, she grabbed her coat and teetered out the front door.