Page 21 of Take Two

Hannah sat up and pressed her back to the sofa next to Callie’s legs. ‘My friend group chat says you suit the mud,’ she offered.

Finally, the credits rolled. Callie shot up at once. ‘Right. I’m done. I survived the real thing, I’ve survived the edit, and now I’m leaving.’

Her stepdad muted the TV. ‘Preview for next week looked dramatic.’

‘No doubt,’ she said, escaping towards the kitchen.

Behind her, she could hear Hannah already rewatching her favourite moments, narrating gleefully to their mum. Callie supposed she should have been used to embarrassment by now. She’d made a career out of it, after all.

But she’d never been quite so aware that people she knew might be watching this. People she’d grown up with. People whose opinions had once mattered so very much.

Back Then

Callie watched the bus pull off, taking Emma with it. As it rounded the corner, Callie tried to head home. But somehow, her legs took her a different route.

The bakery was shuttered properly now, but Callie knew where she might find Mae.

Callie headed around the back of the building. Mae was sitting on an upturned crate, her apron in her lap, pulling the ties into tight little knots.

‘Hi.’

‘Hello,’ Mae said, with the quickest of glances at her before turning back to her knots.

Callie stepped closer, hands shoved in her jacket pockets. ‘Are you alright?’ she asked.

Mae didn’t look up. ‘I’m busy.’

‘With what?’

Mae’s fingers paused for half a second, then kept going. ‘I’m tired.’

Callie blinked. ‘OK.’ She paused. ‘You’re acting weird.’

Mae’s shoulders lifted defensively. ‘I’m not acting weird.’

‘You are.’ Callie moved a step closer. ‘I thought… I don’t know. I thought you’d ask how it went.’

Mae finally looked at her properly then. ‘You didn’t tell me you were going out with her, that she’d asked… oryouasked…’

Callie swallowed. Emma had found her on Instagram and DM’d her a few days ago. They’d been chatting. Today had been the first real date, though.

‘Yeah. I know. I should’ve. I was… nervous.’

Mae looked surprisingly thrown by that, like Callie had announced she had a second bumhole.

Callie pushed on. ‘I’ve never gone out with a girl before. I didn’t know what you’d say.’

Mae’s jaw tightened. ‘Why would I say anything?’

‘I don’t know,’ Callie admitted. ‘But you didn’t exactly look thrilled when you saw us.’

Mae’s eyes dropped to the apron again. ‘I just wasn’t expecting it.’

‘Neither was I.’ Callie laughed once, sharply. ‘I know I tell you everything. Except… this.’ She exhaled. ‘I should have.’

Mae didn’t respond.

Callie didn’t like that. Hated it, in fact. ‘Can you tell me what’s going on instead of pretending everything’s normal?’