Mistakes Were Made(107)

“I know I’m not supposed to be interrupting you, but I have to,” Cassie said. She couldn’t let this go. “This thing is real, but I wouldn’t have slept with Gwen in that situation even if I didn’t know Erin. I was serious when I said I didn’t want to fuck things up with you.”

Parker leaned her shoulder into Cassie’s. “I had thought I was okay with it at school. Like, I had accepted it. I could tell from talking to both of you that y’all were making each other happy. So, whatever, it was fine.” Parker picked at the comforter. “It was something else to see you together.”

Cassie dug her teeth into her bottom lip instead of grimacing.

“But at the same time, it like, wasn’t weird at all. It should’ve creeped me out or something, right? But fuck, the way y’all look at each other. You’re so obviously in love.”

Cassie choked on her saliva. Obvious to everyone but her, apparently.

“So,” Parker said, her I’m-in-charge voice on. “It’s still shitty that you lied, but I’m over it. And it’s still weird that you’re dating my mom, but it’s cool. I’ve known for longer than you have apparently—almost half a year at this point; I’ve pretty much worked through it. We’re good.”

“We’re good,” Cassie said.

Parker squeezed her hand.

“You’re my best friend,” she said.

Cassie’s breath caught in her throat. “You’re my best friend.”

After a moment, Parker said, “Don’t tell Acacia.”

“Never,” Cassie said with a grin.

Acacia herself joined them a few minutes later, pushing Cassie into the middle of the bed and climbing in.

“How we doing, kids?” she asked.

“We’re good,” Parker said.

Cassie interlaced their fingers. “We’re good.”

They just lay there, snuggled together, for a while. Cassie was almost asleep when there was a quiet knock on the doorframe, Erin standing in the hallway.

“Night, girls.”

All three said good night back, and Erin clicked the hallway light off as she left.

Parker elbowed Cassie in the ribs. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“Tomorrow, maybe,” Cassie said. She was sandwiched between Parker and Acacia. “Right now, I’m exactly where I want to be.”

The next day Cassie actually started to believe things might be okay. It was the Fourth, and they started their day with homemade blueberry pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream.

“This is the most patriotic breakfast I’ve ever had,” Cassie said.

“This is the most patriotic I’ve ever been and it’s not even 10 A.M.,” Acacia said.

They spent the day in true American style: drinking by the pool. Erin made homemade sweet tea, and Cassie drank two glasses before bothering to add alcohol, because it tasted so good. The whole crew from yesterday showed up early. Lila had UV Blue and Cassie only mocked her a little for drinking like a high schooler. Erin joined them in the early afternoon, happily taking the drink offered to her by underage Haylee.

“If any of you get drunk enough to crack your head open, you’re cleaning it up,” she said, then took the lounger next to Cassie, without being told this time.

Acacia was on the other side of Cassie. She bumped her arm and whispered, “Your girlfriend’s kind of awesome.” Cassie’s whole body flushed.

She and Erin might have said I love you, but they hadn’t come close to using the word girlfriend yet. Cassie sure as shit liked when other people used it though.

It was no surprise, then, that pretty soon Cassie and Erin ended up tipsy and making out inside.

“Um, what are you doing?”

Cassie pulled back from Erin—just a little, Erin kept her hands on Cassie’s hips and didn’t let her go too far—to see Rachel gesturing wildly at them.

“What are you doing?” Rachel said again. “I could’ve been Parker!”

Erin burst out laughing. Cassie smirked.

“Erin!” Rachel snapped.

“Parker knows, Rachel. It’s all right.”

Rachel’s mouth hung open. “She knows you two are—”

“Dating,” Erin said quickly.

“Dating,” Rachel repeated, and Cassie wondered what she would’ve said had Erin not clarified. Rachel looked at her suddenly. “Cassie, don’t you want to go swimming and give me some time to interrogate my best friend?”

Cassie chuckled and looked at Erin, who rolled her eyes but nodded. Cassie kissed her quickly.

“Go easy on her,” she told Rachel as she headed outside.

Apparently Caleb had put down some blankets at a park yesterday, so they had a great place to watch the fireworks from that night. The park was nearby, and when dusk settled, they all headed down the road.

Cassie wished she were drunker—no one was much past tipsy by this point. If she were, she wouldn’t be so worried about what was appropriate with Erin. Everyone they were with knew they were together, thanks to gossip and their lack of subtlety when drunk. But they were meeting up with Caleb’s dad, and some other people, and Adam. And they were dating, yeah, they’d established that, but this was very public. There were other people walking in the same direction, and when they got to the park, it was already packed.