Never Saw This Coming

Another Problem.

Maddy

I'm finishing stitching up one of my men's bathing suits that I've been making Max try on for me. He's given me decent feedback on them, but he's no fashion major. He'll wear anything that fits him. Natasha laughs, "Hold still, Max," she says. He's letting her pluck his eyebrows. "You almost pulled out my brain just now," he says, exaggerating. She snorts and the room gets quiet besides the sound of my sewing machine. "Ow, ow!" Max winces. I smile at the sound of his pain and finish up the last corner on the bathing suit.

It's almost seven pm and since it's Friday and my day off, I've been working on my bathing suits. I turn my vanity off and jump up on my empty bed. Max lays with his head in Nat's lap. He notices the sound of my sewing machine turning off and lifts his head. I haven't been able to see him all week because he's been busy with football practices and class and I have work and class as well.

The first day I went to Los Angeles with a couple of friends, he texted me and said he wanted to talk to me about something. It's been two weeks and I still don't know what that something is. I haven't really been thinking about it much, luckily, but I told him to come over and help me and then he could tell me what's been going on. I lay on my bed, my body facing Nat's bed. They both sit up now. "So what's up?" I say.

I don't really care what he says in front of Nat since she's been my friend since freshman year. She knows a lot about me and vice versa. Anything I've told Max, she probably knows too. His face is rarely straight and it is right now, so I can't figure out what bomb he's about to drop on me. Usually, I can tell whether it's bad just by reading his facial expression, and well, it looks like it's going to be terrible. I swear it better not ruin my whole night.

"Josephine's been texting me," he says quickly. My mouth slowly gapes, Natasha's does too. "What, why?" My voice comes out shaky and I internally cringe. He shrugs, "She's been asking about you. She's texted me like at least once every day since before you left for LA," he tells me. I clench my jaw angrily. "Why hasn't she just texted you. ." Natasha asks. I roll my eyes, pushing my hair behind my shoulders. "I blocked her on everything," I retort.

Josephine or Jo is my cousin. Or sister, according to the law. I stand by the statement that I've always said. I have no siblings. It's not like my mom gave birth to her. She's the daughter of my mom's sister, Julia, who got sent to prison a couple of years ago. She was embezzling money. My mom took in Jo when she was sixteen and I was seventeen. They treated her more like a daughter than they ever did me which made me grow a hatred for her. I know it's not her fault that her shitty mom went to jail, but she made my life miserable.

By this time, I was already used to not meaning anything to my parents. Although I was jealous that Jo was getting their attention more than I ever did, I still didn't hate her. I hate her now because she was an absolute bitch to me. When my parents cared and listened more to her, she'd shove it in my face. She'd say things like, "It's not my fault that you choose not to get along with your parents. Toughen up, Maddy." Despite the closeness in our age, we'd never been close and I'm so fucking grateful for that.

I don't like her and after I moved out to come to college, she's tried to contact me a couple of times. She still lives back home in Texas with my parents. She's tried apologizing multiple times but I hold grudges. If you do shit like what she did to me, chances are, I won't forgive you. Unless you're fucking lucky. She's obviously not.

She's met Max once when I was forced to return to Texas for a couple of days. I didn't want to go alone, so I brought him with me and he met my family. She followed him on social media on the ride back home, he told me. He doesn't talk to her or anything but obviously, she's been asking about me.

"She's been asking me how you're doing since you haven't talked to your parents in a while and they're not paying for your classes anymore. I told her you're okay, but that's about it," he shrugs. I pinch the bridge of my nose in annoyance. I can't believe she has the audacity to text my best friend who she made very clear to me that she found extremely attractive. I roll my eyes at the thought. "Give me your phone." I hold my hand out to him. There's no way I'm going to unblock her for even a little bit. He hesitates and pulls it out, stretching his body a little over Nat's bed to hand it to me. I unlock it, knowing his password, and open Instagram.