Five Steps | Chaelisa

Chapter 18

Roseanne's POV

Last night Lisa and I got so caught up in watching the pilot of Wynonna Earp (which she loved) that it wasn't until I walked her out to her bike that I realized we had forgotten to send a first text to Suzy. By that point it was after midnight and Lisa decided it would be best to hold off.

The following morning I slide up onto Alice's kitchen counter, watching her put together all the ingredients for palachinkas. My mouth is already watering as I picture the stack of thin Croatian pancakes that Grandma used to make for us every Sunday.

"So, what made you want to do this today?" I ask her.

She stops what she's doing long enough to let out a big sigh. "Mom asked me to check on you."

"Of course she did." I let out a huff of air in reply. On one hand I get it, given my history, but on the other it's like she has absolutely no faith in me. And I just told her I was busy when she texted last night! I don't need pity invites. At least, not anymore.

"But I wanted to hang out anyway." She shrugs, getting back to the task at hand.

Whether it was through her own volition or not, when she texted this morning to invite me over, it was impossible to turn down. Lisa and I already had plans to work on what she called step 1B, which, to be honest, sounds a little bit made up, but I sent her Alice's address and told her to meet me here instead of my dorm. She sent me five replies asking where exactly I was sending her, but I didn't answer a single one. It was kind of nice to watch her flounder around in the dark for once. I wasn't worried at all about this at first, but the more time I sit here and think about it, the more I start to panic. I've never actually had a friend to introduce to my sister. I just hope the two of them get along.

"Impressive," I say, forcing myself out of my head as I watch Alice crack an egg one-handed into the big metal mixing bowl beside me.

"The ladies love it," she says, cracking two more eggs into the bowl at the same time without breaking eye contact with me. I laugh and roll my eyes as she starts mixing everything together with a fork. I guess I should've brought her Mom's whisk. "So who's this girl you invited over?" she asks.

"Just a friend I met at that party," I reply.

"See? What did I tell you? Means to an end." Just then a loud sound outside pulls our attention to the front window.

I hop off the counter and follow Alice through the small house. She opens the front door to find Lisa loudly wrangling a fluorescent-orange bicycle up onto the front porch in obvious frustration. Before I can even say anything, Alice hops down the porch steps to take the bike from her.

"Thanks," she says, looking at her. "Oh, dude, were you at Pitchfork this summer?" she asks, pointing at her beige T-shirt.

"Yeah, I go every year with my high school friends," she says as she lifts the bike onto the porch and rests it against the metal railing. "You?"

"It was my first music festival. I loved it! Saturday was unbelievable. I mean..."

"Bed Revival!?" Alice asks, lighting up.

"Yes! Holy shit. They killed it." My shoulders relax a little, seeing how well they're getting along.

"Hi," I say, making my presence known as I step out onto the porch. "New bike?"

"Marketplace." Lisa shrugs, glancing between me and her bike. "Better than the bus."

"I'm pretty sure rolling down the street would be better than taking Port Authority," I say, and she laughs, nodding in agreement.