"Coasters and Clubs?" Mason asked from the fridge. He carried a pitcher of orange juice to the counter, where he poured it into his glass.
Morning sunlight spilled into the house from the windows. Slowly, housemates began to emerge from the shadows of their rooms, assembling into the living area rubbing sleep from their eyes. Jeremy rested his head on the dining table Carter leaned on, his red hair in a disarray.
Carter nodded excitedly, "My coworker invited me."
"Who?" Mason lifted a brow.
"Darius. And a few others are going too." Carter responded. It felt demeaning to beg her brother to go out with her coworkers, but what else could she do? They weren't meeting for another few days, though Carter had decided she'd rather deal with this conversation sooner than later.
"Who's Darius?" Mason asked.
"He's cool." Austin replied on Carter's behalf from the chair in the living room. Crumbs from the strawberry poptart he ate fell onto his blue pajama shirt.
"Are you going with?" Mason eagerly asked Austin.
"Pft, no, I don't talk to the guy." He scoffed.
Mason rolled his eyes. Then, turning back to Carter, "I don't know, Coasters and Clubs is a bit of a drive."
"Come on, Mason, let her make friends." Mia aided Carter from the couch. She painted her nails maroon and black.
Cracking his neck, Mason paused for a moment. Then, "Why don't we all head down? I haven't been to the park in a few years now, it could be fun. And Mia's golf skills kick ass."
Annoyed, Carter folded her arms and eyed the floor hard. Why couldn't her brother ease off? Just a little bit? Just this once? They were born from the same nightmare- he more than anyone should know Carter was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
"What?" Mason asked. Unflinching, Carter's dark eyes flicked towards her half-brother. He had been spreading butter and jam on his toast, but paused to meet Carter's gaze.
"I wish you would trust me." Carter replied shortly.
Taken aback, Mason's sight shifted between his housemates, who watched him expectantly for a response. Jeremy's eyes were wide, and nervously he cast a glance to Carter.
"What do you mean?" Mason got out after a moment.
Carter's line of sight trailed to Austin and Mia, who intently listened for her reaction now. Buying herself some time, Carter tied her hair back. "I want to talk somewhere else." She said curtly. Couldn't she, in the very least, discuss her lack of privacy without an audience?
Without waiting for a response, Carter made a brisk pace from where she stood next to the dining table and into the hall. She followed the path down, then took a right into her bedroom.
Mason followed closely behind, shutting the door behind him and switching on the light. He slipped his phone into the pocket of his black basketball shorts as he waited for Carter to start the conversation. She chewed on her lip while she organized her thoughts. "I know what you're doing." She said after a moment.
Unsure, Mason adjusted the collar of his dark green tank top. "What am I doing?"
How dare he play dumb? What started with irritation in Carter's stomach suddenly welled into an anger that filled her chest and made her skin hot.
"Are you joking?" She asked him.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He insisted.
Carter could feel her muscles tense and she groaned loudly. She couldn't believe she had to spell this out for him! "You treat me like a child." She said at him, "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, you know- I have for years! I was completely alone before Jeremy found me and I did just fine."
