After All, I'm Your Secret Admirer~!!

Ch40 - Lonesome

Paige wakes up the next day feeling extremely exhausted. It takes him a good minute to get up properly, since he chooses to just lay there looking up at the ceiling instead.

"Tomorrow will be the first Thanksgiving I've ever had alone..." Paige frowns.

"Is it really all it's cracked up to be?" Leaf asks. "From what I remember, all it brought was food and alcohol and..." They stop short, shivering. "...It's not something I think of fondly," they finish after a moment.

"Yeah, but that was when Dad was here, wasn't it?" Paige asks. "Thanksgivings after he died became a lot nicer. Me and Mom would play games all day after eating and watch our favorite movies and just spend time together..." He gasps for air. When did his eyes start getting watery? "...I like Thanksgiving."

"...Sorry," Leaf mumbles. "I guess it's important to you."

"It is," Paige nods, "But I can also get how it's not to you."

There's no response after that, so Paige assumes Leaf is done talking for right now. He sighs and stands up. Time for the morning routine.

+++

Paige is lazily eating cookies on the couch when his phone springs to life, ringing loudly. It shocks him a bit, making him kick and displace the cookie box on his lap, but he catches them before they go flying everywhere.

He doesn't check the caller ID, still a little ruffled by the call to begin with. Everyone should be busy today, shouldn't they?

"H-hello?" Paige answers, moving the cookies to the table.

"Good afternoon, Paige," OJ greets. "How are you?"

"Oh, OJ!" Paige smiles, kicking his legs a bit. "Hi! I'm okay! How are you?"

"Good, good." Paige can practically hear the smile in OJ's voice.

"What's up?"

"Oh, you know how we shut down on Thanksgiving proper, right?" OJ asks.

"Oh yeah," Paige nods. OJ and his family would normally turn off all their electronics (except for the TV) on Thanksgiving so they could all spend uninterrupted time together. "You won't be able to call tomorrow, right?"

"Exactly. So, I wanted to wish you an early happy Thanksgiving!" The sound of a party popper goes off in the background and OJ gasps. "Ma! I asked you not to do that!"

"Sorry, sweets!" echoes from Dani.

OJ sighs. "Honestly..."

"Well, um... I wish you a happy early Thanksgiving too, OJ!" Paige is trying to push everything he can into it, but he feels as though he falters near the end. He chuckles to cover it up, but it comes off as awkward. Oh, gosh darn it.

"Paige?" OJ asks. "Are you quite alright?"

"It's nothing really..." Paige says with a sigh. "It's just... tomorrow will be my first Thanksgiving by myself. Mom had to go somewhere and Brandon and Aunt Carmen are on a trip."

"Oh no!" OJ gasps. "Surely you have someone to celebrate with, no? It's such a day of togetherness, you don't deserve to go it alone!"

"What's happening, Orv?" It sounded like Dani again.

"Paige is going to spend tomorrow alone!" OJ pouts.

"Aw, what? That's wack."

"I know..." OJ mumbles.

"Oh, it's okay!" Paige cuts in. "Really, Mom left me the card so I could get whatever I want! Even ice cream for breakfast!"

"Yes, but still..."

"SAM! C'MERE!" Dani shouts from the other side of the receiver.

"Ma!" OJ shouts back. "Please, I'm still on the phone!"

"Good!" Dani says right back.

"What is it, Dan?" Sam is here now.

"We got room for one more tomorrow?"

"Huh?" Sam asks. "Why?"

"'Cause we're gettin' company! YO PAIGE!"

"Mom! Just take the phone!"

There's the sound of laughing, shuffling, and then Dani's voice is a lot clearer. "Hey kid!"

"Um! H-hi, Mrs—I mean, hi Dani."

"There you go," he smirks. "Now, I want you to do me a favor."

"Um... okay?"

"Pack you a change 'a clothes and get ready to head out."

Paige blinks. "Change of... why?"

"Why? 'Cause you're spendin' your Thanksgiving with the Squeezes, duh!"

...Huh?