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

Ch47 - Days In

Paige stands staring at the door for what feels like minutes, until he takes a deep breath and walks away.

"Paige?" Leaf mumbles, worried.

Paige's eyes lid and his posture grows hunched with each step he takes, but he doesn't respond.

Instead, he goes back to the Squeeze's RV and says meekly to the family, "I... I have to do some stuff at home, actually." He can actually feel his eye twitch this time. "So um... You can all go on without me."

"Is everything alright, Snowy?" Sam frowns.

Paige closes his eyes and nods, a tight smile on his face. "Mhm! I just forgot. A-about the stuff I had to do." He puts a hand to his face. "Silly me! Always forgetting stuff!"

When he opens his eyes, none of the Squeezes look convinced. He's so worried he's going to have to tell the truth, but he catches OJ's eye, who gasps quietly.

"Ah," he nods. "Yes, I understand. We'll head home for now, then."

"Aw, what?" Dani pouts. "I like Paige, though! We were gonna play more ChessCheck!"

OJ shakes his head. "I'm sure he'll be back over sooner than later." He turns to Paige, an odd look on his face. "Right, Paige?"

Paige breathes, nods, and throws up a peace sign. "Yep!" he says, pushing all the emotion he had left into it.

With that settled, Paige waves the family off as they drive away. Once they're no longer visible, Paige wipes at his eyes, which had started to water again at some point.

This was awful.

+++

The second Paige lays down on his bed, Leaf springs to life. "I'm so fucking sorry, Paige," they say, clear guilt in their voice. "This is—this is all my fault. I should've... I shouldn't have..."

"It's my fault," Paige laughs. "It's all my fault."

"What??" Leaf asks, sounding completely taken aback.

"I forgot that stupid phone call. I-I forced you to apologize and then everything went upside down!"

"I did that," Leaf sighs. "I'm the one who called him, remember? And I'm the one who fucked up with the sorry. And—"

"Leaf," Paige sighs. "It's my fault. If I had never said anything in the first place, maybe things wouldn't be so horrible right now."

"But things weren't always horrible!" Leaf frowns. "I'm the one who said all that stupid shit and got Brandon to hate me! It's not fair you're being brought down with me!"

"Ugh," Paige groans, twisting to the side and holding himself. "It doesn't even matter. I don't think Brandon likes either of us very much right now."

"I..." Leaf falters and doesn't pick back up.

The two sit in silence for a moment before Paige sighs. "Let's just get some more sleep."

"We just woke up a couple hours ago."

"I don't care. I'm so tired."

"...Yeah, okay." Leaf says it with a weird tilt in their voice, but they don't fight Paige on the matter anymore, so he can't really find it in him to wonder what it was about right now.

Instead, he curls up around Teds and Matro and closes his eyes tight, willing sleep to come for him swiftly.

+++

Brandon doesn't call later. Or the next day. Or the next.

+++

On Sunday, Paige wakes up just as his door creaks open. "Sweetie?"

It takes him a second to piece things together in his sleepy brain, but he gasps once he realizes who it is. "Mom!" he smiles, jumping out of his bed. He rushes over to her as she swings the door open fully so she can intercept his hug.

"Hello to you too, my little book of Paiges!" Quinn laughs. "Oooh, I'm so happy to see you again!" She lets go and grabs his cheeks, tugging at them very lightly back and forth. "How's my little man, huh?"

Paige's smile falls as he remembers how everything with Brandon played out and how they stand now. "Mmm..." he mumbles, looking away.

Quinn's smile drops too, confused. "What's up, baby? Did something happen?"

Paige takes a deep breath and nods, prompting his mom to let go of him. He takes her hand and pulls her to his bed, where they both sit down. He then takes another breath.

Only to let the dam break open.

"Mom..." he cries.

Quinn's eyes widen. "Baby? Are you alright?" She sounds worried out of her mind as she grabs his head and twists it around. "Did you get hurt again? Did someone fight you? Paige, are you okay?"

Paige sniffs and pulls his head back so he can shake it. "M-me and Brandon h-ad a f-fight..." he says pitifully. "And now I—I don't know if he'll ever t-talk to me a-gain..."

Quinn's expression grows to be the saddest he's ever seen it. "Oh, baby..." She scoops him up in another hug. "Can you tell me exactly what happened?"

"Please don't tell her about me yet," Leaf pleads. "I don't know what I'd do if my mom of all people hated me too."

Paige huffs out a breath, sobbing, nodding to both Leaf and Quinn. "I-I... Brandon didn't—he didn't tell me a-about the trip. S-so when I s-saw him come h-ome on Friday, I tried to talk to h-im... B-but..." His breathing has raised in pace considerably. "I was mean ab-out it, a-nd so h-he was mean b-back a-and we haven't talked since then a-and I don't know wh-what to do and I think he wants me—"

The teen tightly shuts his mouth. He wants me dead... Paige thinks. I was really gonna say that...

Quinn hums sadly. "It sounds like you two need to have a serious sit down and talk," she says, rubbing his back. "You want me to come and help you talk to him? We can do it now, before school tomorrow."

"NO!" Leaf shouts. "He'll tell her about me! No, no, no!"

Paige sniffs. "N-no... Me and Brandon a-are big kids." He pulls back and forces a smile. "I-I'll... talk to him. I just—I needed to get that out." He rubs at his eyes. "Thanks, Mom."

"No problem, sweetie," Quinn smiles, but it's worried. "I'm always here for you, alright? Always." She pats his head gently. "I love you, Paige."

"I—I love you too, Mom."