When Paige arrived home she was even angrier than she had been before. Despite her adrenaline filled jog across town, the pain inside her lungs was dull compared to the constricting fear she felt.
She was pleased to find that her parents weren't waiting impatiently for her return home at the door. The porch light was lit but it looked as though the lights in the rest of the house had been turned down. Peace and quiet. It was just what she needed right now.
Paige tiptoed into the house and up the stairs. She didn't want to wake her parents so she would wait until morning to shower. She stripped down to merely her bra and panties before slipping beneath the covers on her bed. As she closed her eyes, she felt herself begin to calm down. She pictured Emily's face, the way her cheeks lit up when she blushed and the way she said Paige's name. Maybe she was just overreacting. A couldn't possibly have her parents' phone numbers.
When Paige woke up the next morning, the house seemed quieter than normal. She could smell the faint scent of coffee so she knew her parents must be downstairs. That morning, she took her time getting ready; mostly dreading interrogation from her folks.
Water had always been Paige's safe space; in the pool, in the bath or shower, in the rain. All of her favourite memories had been created from and about water. As she felt the steam rise up in the shower, droplets of warm water trickled down her skin. She lathered shampoo in her hair, brushed a smooth bar of soap across the skin of her stomach and suddenly found herself fantasizing about Emily. With her eyes closed, she imagined what it would be like to open her eyes and see the girl's strong bareback in front of her; how it would feel to reach out and press her fingertips against Emily's skin; how euphoric it would be to kiss her soft lips as the shower stream slipped in between their bodies.
By the time Paige's shower was done, she felt as though she might need a cold one to make it through her day but she knew she didn't have time. Deep down, Paige wondered if she should feel guilty about the thoughts she had been having about Emily. Through a clear space on the mirror wiped away by the palm of her hand, Paige's megawatt grin told her to just give in to the fantasy in hopes that one day a shower with Emily would give her another reason to love water.
Paige poured herself a glass of orange juice and steeped a bag of green tea in her Sharks travel mug. All the trendy kids at school drank lattés and espressos but Paige wasn't trendy and didn't mind one bit. She dipped her hand deep into a box of Honey Nut Cheerios as she read a note left on the counter.
Sweetheart,
Left for a conference in Campbellton early this morning. Didn't want to wake you. We'll be home on Thursday. Mrs. Shaw from next door will be staying here while we're gone. We know you'll be on your best behaviour.
xo M&D
Paige crumpled up the note and tossed it in the trash. She smiled to herself and had a renewed sense of optimism. It was Friday; she would invite Emily over for dinner after school. With her parents out of town, it wouldn't be a problem. Behind the closed doors of her home, she and Emily could be themselves without worrying about outside interferences.
She grabbed another handful of cheerios and dropped them into the pocket of her hooded sweatshirt, disposed of her steeped tea bag in the compost bin and headed out the door to catch her bus. Even A couldn't break her stride.