Page 104 of Saving Graces
“You’re still sad about that woman who turned you down.”
“I don’t want to be,” Kinsey said straight away. “I just want to be over her, you know? I’m really trying to be over her.”
“Hm,” said her mom, nodding. “Sometimes things just take longer than we’d like,” she said simply.
Kinsey sighed.
“Yeah,” she said. “I guess they do.”
The next morning she picked up Cassidy and Lane after their night in a romantic field tower. She couldn’t really picture it, but the tower seemed to have worked its magic. Cassidy hugged her tight, her eyes glowing, her hair tangled, pure walking sex and Kinsey could only roll her eyes and hug her back. Lane on the other hand took three trips down the field tower and back, carrying all the supplies they’d set up to woo their girl. Kinsey refused to help on the principle that Cassidy also wasn’t helping, and after all, Lane still had a way to go until they’d atoned as far as she, personally, was concerned.
They played Louisville that night, Cassidy sparkling at the front of the stage like she might burst into literal flames at any moment.
“Hey,” Kinsey said to Eliza after the show, approaching her where she sat on a big cushy sofa in the green room. “You know, we haven’t really hung out that much. But I think you’re great. We should get to know each other better.”
Eliza considered her, her chin on her fist, her sandy blonde hair falling into her eyes. She raised her brows so long that Kinsey began to wilt.
“Got ditched now that Cassidy’s got her boyfriend back, huh?”
Kinsey winced. “Yeah, pretty much.”
Eliza nodded. Then she shrugged. “Want a beer?”
“Fuck yes.”
Eliza was funny. She jerked Kinsey around about being all cool girls with Cassidy but cackled her head off when Kinsey tried to apologize. Eliza was into nineties girl bands and had a boyfriend back home called Dave who she was considering breaking up with, though she had custody concerns over their ancient terrier named Squish.
“We could try to share custody,” she said, “but I think Squish would piss on his shoes for sure. Which,” she added thoughtfully, “would at least save me having to do it.”
Within the hour they were new best friends.
“How about you?” Eliza asked, propped up beside her, second beer in her hand. “Still hung up on Rosalie?”
Kinsey choked on her beer mid-sip.
“How… do you know about her?”
“Oh,” Eliza said with a smirk, “you were talking to her for hours outside my window one night. Her name is kind of stuck in my mind now, like ohhh, Rosalie.”
“Argh!” Kinsey looked around quickly. “God, I’m sorry. Also, can you… please not tell anyone?”
“It’s a secret?”
“Just her name.”
“Oh my god,” Eliza said, her hazel eyes gleaming bright. “Cassidy knows Rosalie? But Cassidy doesn’t know? But now I know, and you know I know, but she doesn’t know I know?”
Kinsey blinked. “Exactly. And,” she added, “also Coral. So that’s a whole thing.”
“Holy shit, tell me everything,” said Eliza. “Why is it such a secret?”
Kinsey thought about it for a minute. Then she told her everything.
Eliza nodded as Kinsey finished. “She breadcrumbed you,” she summed up.
“Huh?”
“Rosalie. She kept giving you just enough to keep you interested and invested. It’s tantalizing as fuck. It’s also kind of addictive. Like, will I get what I want this time? You get a little gambler’s high. And then…” she mimed dropping something to the floor “a crash.”
