Page 88 of Patrick

The bedroom door bangs open, and Fifi emerges, her expression a mixture of apology for Kathleen and anger, which I hope is all about Darcy the Devil and not the fact that I shoved her into my room.

“I think that chick is possessed,” I say as I intercept Fifi, putting an arm around her partly to cheer her up and partly because that’s where it belongs. It’s like my arms have a mind of their own when she’s around, automatically claiming her.

“Hello, Kathleen. I’m sorry for lying to you and for all the secrecy.” Fifi looks Kathleen in the eye until my dear sister lets her off the hook and smiles.

“I understand completely. It’s a Tricky situation.” She winks, grinning at me, and I roll my eyes.

“Did you bring any cookies?”

Pammy shakes her head. “You have the appetite of a commercial-grade garbage disposal.”

Kathleen nods her agreement. “Right? It doesn’t take long living with a food reaper—my name for him—to notice the problematic appetite.”

“I know.”

“Hey, focus—the cookies?”

“Yes, I brought you cookies.”

Fifi says, “So that’s it? No drama?”

Kathleen moves to Fifi in her awkward gait, leaning only slightly on her cane, and opens her arms. She steps from my one-armed hug to Kathleen.

“You have my support,” Kathleen whispers with emotion in her voice.

“Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me.” Fifi’s whole body relaxes with relief as Kathleen lets her go.

“In the meantime,” Pammy says, “What do we do about all the Instagram gossip about you and Trick? If Kathleen found it, it’s only a matter of time until others from your hometown see it, and then it could get back to the rest of both your family members.”

“You have a point.” It kills me to think what I’m thinking, but I don’t want our families finding out about us through gossip.

“We could buy some time,” I say. “if I’m seen at the Snow Ball dancing with Pammy and pics of us get posted.”

“Yes,” Kathleen says, “but not a lot of time. You’ll need to come clean sooner than later.” She’s using her sisterly warning voice that I’m too familiar with. The annoying thing is she’s usually right.

Fifi nods her approval, and the idea is cemented as a promise.

I’ll be seen at the Winter Snow Ball dancing with Pammy. And we’ll have to tell our parents that we’re… something… in the very near future.

Which means we’ll need to figure out what we have. We’ll need to talk about our feelings.

“See you at the game,” Kathleen says.

“Not if I see you first,” I say back more out of habit than anything.

She laughs. “Right. No worries.”

I’m next to leave because the game coming up weighs on me. The urgency to perform at the next level has never hit me so hard.

There’s a reason this game has my attention. Our opponents, the Algonquin U Bears, are number one in Hockey East.

And we’re number two.