Paige stood fuming in front of her bedroom door, glaring at it with an anger that threatened to melt it on the spot. 'Who did the girl think she was?' Paige thought to herself. She wrapped her fingers around the door handle but didn't open it. She needed to think of a good comeback. Something to say that would leave Asher speechless. Paige tried to think of something, but it seemed like her brain hated her in that moment. She stood outside for a moment before swinging the door roughly open.
"You just cannot stay away, can you?" Asher was still lying on her bed -- socks now discarded-- gazing intently at something in her hands. Upon further inspection, Paige saw that it was one of the adult magazines she had hidden in the boards under her bed. How Asher found it, she had no idea. Her face turned bright red with a mix of fury and embarrassment.
"P-put that down!" Paige lunged at Asher, landing on top of her and causing the magazine to fly across the room. Asher shoved her off the bed with surprising strength, Paige hitting the ground with a loud thud. When she looked up, Asher was already across the room, looking at the magazine with disgust on her face.
"Do you get off to this stuff?" Asher shook her head. "This is disgusting." She flipped the page towards Paige, the very explicit photo of a man staring back at her and causing a fresh blush to color her cheeks.
"No, I don't get off to it," Paige stood up, "I was just... curious."
"Instead of looking at these middle aged men, why do you not just have sex?
Paige set her jaw and stepped up to Asher. She yanked the magazine from her grasp and smacked her in the head with it. Asher looked at her in surprise, so Paige did it again. "What I do in my free time is none if you damn business. This is my room and my house. You have no right to go through my stuff and make fun of me for the stuff I have," Paige went to smack Asher again, but the girl grabbed the rolled up magazine from her and smacked Paige on the head instead
"Jesus you are so annoying," Asher spat at her. "All I have heard you do is whine and act like a colo. Maybe you should take a good long look in the mirror and take that stick out of your ass."
Paige laughed bitterly. "First of all, what the hell is a colo? And second, all you've done is insult me. From the first time we saw each other."
Asher shrugged. "I only say what is true, sweetheart."
"Stop," Paige said in a low voice. "Stop calling me things like that."
Asher rolled her eyes. "I will call you what ever I damn well please," she leaned in closer, "just try to stop me, darling."
Paige glared at her but Asher just smirked. "You suck," Paige spat. "You are an awful person and you're going to die alone." Asher surprised Paige by looking genuinely hurt by her words. But she quickly shook her head and the hurt left her face instantly.
"Dying alone would be better than spending another minute with you," Asher spoke in a whisper. She put the magazine in Paige's hands and walked slowly to the other side of the room. She sat down on the floor next to Paige's closet and pulled her knees up to her chest. Paige stared at her for a moment almost feeling bad. She must have said something that struck a nerve with Asher. But the guilt quickly disappeared when Paige remembered all the things that Asher had said the her.
"Girls," Margret spared them from the interaction by sticking her head inside Paige's bedroom, "dinner's ready." Asher quickly stood up and rushed over to Margret, getting right in her face.
"What did you make?" Before Margret could answer Asher sniffed the air like a weirdo and smiled. "Pork chop with mashed potatoes and gravy. The gravy is slightly cold and the massed potatoes are too salty. The pork is seasoned perfectly but slightly undercooked," After speaking Asher rushed out of the room and into the kitchen. Margret looked amazed and slightly offended by her words but quickly followed her into the kitchen with Paige trailing behind.
"Mom, can I talk to you about Asher?"
"In a minuet Paige. Let me set the table. Will you go get Danial?"
"But, this is important. Asher, she—"
"What about me?" Asher seemed to spawn next to Paige carrying a plate with mostly pork chop piled on it. Paige jumped and glared at her. "You know Paige, if you frown so much your face is going to get stuck like that."
"Shut up Asher," Paige crossed her arms over her chest and met Asher's glare with her own."
"Paige," Margret spoke softly, "stop being rude and go get your brother."
Paige gaped at her mom for a long moment before heading down the hall. She pounded on Danial's door until he opened it.
"What the hell, Paige?" Danial stood in long shorts and a t-shirt, his hair messy like always and a pair of headphones crooked on his head, one ear peeking out.
"Dinner," Was all Paige said before walking back towards the kitchen. Danial stood in his door way for a long moment before slowly following her.
When they made it back to the kitchen, Asher was standing over Margret with an empty plate waiting for seconds. Paige walked up to Margret to watch her mom.
"You finished that plate already?" Paige glanced over at Asher, who was eyeing the food with such intensity it almost seemed like she was about ready to jump into the crock pot. When Asher didn't respond to Paige's question she rolled her eyes and stomped on Asher's foot. Asher let out a yelp of surprise and glared at Paige.
"What the hell was that for?"
"Oops, didn't see you there, Asher."
"Oh, very mature, cupcake." She jabbed Paige in the gut with her elbow, knocking the wind out of her. "Did not see you there."
"You guys are both acting like children," Harold walked into the kitchen holding a clipboard in his left hand and a pencil behind his ear. "Paige, make yourself useful and go collect some eggs from the coup. Danial forgot to do it yesterday."
"Then why isn't he doing it if he forgot?"
"Don't ask questions, Paige. Just go do it please," Margret scooped more food onto Asher's plate and Paige could have sworn she saw some weird movement in the back of her pants. But when she looked again she saw nothing. "Asher dear, why don't you go help Paige with that. We'll keep your plate warm for you." Asher grumbled and groaned but obeyed.
"Let's go, honey bear." Asher walked towards the door not seeming to realize that she had no idea where she was even going. "You're very slow." She glanced behind her to see Paige slowly strutting behind.
"I'm just waiting for you to ask for help. Our chicken coop is hidden pretty well," Paige smirked at her and kept moving slowly.
"What is the point of hiding a chicken coop? Are you worried that if it's too easy to find, you might go in and eat all of them?"
Paige gave Asher a strange look before slowly shaking her head. "No... We had to move them because these kids kept stealing the chickens from the coop. We only have 27 left."
Asher snorted, "Only 27? Wow that is so little, you poor thing."
"You're such a bitch," Paige stopped dead in her tracks.
"And there is that language again," Asher clicked her tongue. "You should really work on that, sweetie. It is not very ladylike."
"Maybe you should go back inside and eat," Paige paused, "so that you can choke and die slowly."
"You seem to wish death on me a lot. You are a very disturbed person," Asher shook her head in disappointment.
"And you are a very exasperating person."
"Wow, Paige, I didn't even know you had a word like that in your vocabulary. Exasperating, very good."
"Stop acting like my mother," Paige stepped up in front of Asher, standing on her tiptoes so that she could be eye level with her. Asher placed her hands and Paige's shoulders and pushed her back down.
"Look, baby, I would love to keep doing this, but I'm hungry. So lets get the stupid eggs from your stupid chickens, and go back inside the stupid house." Asher pulled away and continued to walk straight through the yard.
"You still don't know where you're going!" Paige called after her, not bothering to follow."
"I think I can find a little chicken coop. But thanks for the concern, darling," Asher called back. Paige just shrugged looked up and the darkening sky with a smile. 'Take your time Asher.' As the first bit of rain started to fall Paige went under the porch and sat down on the swing waiting for Asher to return.
- - -
Asher heard the thunder as she continued to wander through the yard. She sniffed the air then cursed because the moisture of the rain was already making it hard to make out anything. "Guess I'll use my ears then." She tried to move her ears against the beanie but It was itchy and the sound was muffled. So she went onto plan C. Just run around and hope you find it. She took off around the yard as the rain started to pour and pelt her clothes, making them stick to her body. She went to turn back and walk towards the house but paused when she finally caught a sent. She steered right and slammed right into a trimmed bush with something hard behind it. When she cleared the branches and got closer she heard the anxious squawks of the chickens in the small wooden coop. Her tail stiffened at the sound and before she could stop herself she had reached into the coop and yanked a chicken. "Hush now.." Asher whispered to the screaming chicken. "Thank you for your sacrifice." With those words, Asher snapped the chicken's neck and began to eat. Once she had finished, she quickly wiped the blood from her mouth and scooped up the eggs before making her way back to Paige.
When Asher saw Paige sitting on the porch swing and smiling at her, she almost lost her shit. She threw the egg filled rag she had gotten from outside the coop onto the porch, breaking most of them in the process. "Here are your eggs, Paige," Paige almost looked surprised by the fact that Asher didn't address her with some pet name.
"Wow, Asher, I see you took a shower," she pointed to her soaked body, "Normally people do it with their clothes off though," Paige tilted her head to the side.
Asher scoffed at her. "Thanks for making that clear for me, sweetheart. I will get right on that," Asher began to lift her shirt up, showing a glimpse of her toned abdomen that already wasn't very hidden by her wet clothes. She was careful to only lift her shirt a bit, so as to not show too much. Just enough to make Paige freak.
"Asher what the fuck!" Paige quickly covered her eyes and turned beet red. "I didn't mean it literally you psycho!"
"Calm down honey, I am not gonna strip for you. At least not for free." Paige turned even more red and Asher turned over laughing. "Now let's go, I'm cold."
Paige bent down and began to pick up the still intact eggs from the porch and scoop them into her shirt.
Asher tried to ring out her clothes but it didn't help all that much. Paige snorted at Asher's words and stood up careful not to break the eggs she had left. Asher followed Paige inside, her wet shoes sloshing with each step. Margret stepped out of the dining room and frowned when she saw the two girls.
"What happened? I just told you to get the eggs. Why are you soaked Asher?" Asher rolled her eyes at Margret.
"In case you haven't noticed, it's pouring outside. Rain happens to be wet so naturally, I am soaked." She crossed her arms over her chest and Margret's frown grew.
"There is no need for the attitude, Asher, I just asked you a question"
"And all I did was give you an answer." Asher challenged, her eyes narrowed and her jaw set. Paige looked back and forth from her mother and Asher with a confused expression on her face.
Margret sighed and placed two fingers on the bridge of her nose. "Just go get dry. Place your wet clothes in a basket and I'll wash them. Asher suddenly looked uncomfortable. She knew that if her clothes were gone, her extra 'features' would be on full display. "I do not mind being wet at all. I will just sleep on the floor." Asher shifted her weight from foot to foot.
"Asher, you're not going to walk around the house dripping water. You can borrow some of Paige's clothes," Margret offered in a soft voice.
Asher firmly shook her head. Not only did she hate the idea of wearing that girl's clothes, but she knew that this would not cover her enough. "I'll change… but can I wear Richard's clothes instead?"
Margret looked confused. "Why would you want to wear his clothes?" When Asher narrowed her eyes, Margret sighed once again. "Fine. You can wear his clothes," Margret said as she began to retreat into her shared room.
Paige turned to Asher but was quickly shushed by a raised finger. "Not a word, princess." Paige didn't listen to Asher's words, instantly speaking.
"What's your problem anyway? You're kind of a bitch to everyone in this house."
"Wrong," Asher countered quickly. "I haven't been a bitch to Danial."
Paige scoffed. "That's because you haven't even spoken to him." Asher rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You can't deny that."
"Cupcake, as fun as it is standing here and talking to you, I would rather not. I'm cold so I'm going to go shower." Asher quickly walked away, leaving a trail of water in her wake. She paused at the bathroom door then smiled to herself. Instead of going in, she continued down the hall and flung open Danial's door. Danial jumped at least six feet into the air, his headphones falling down his face. Asher scanned his room with disgust, judging each piece of clothing that littered his floor, and the mountain of energy drink cans stacked against the wall closeted to his desk.
"This room is a disaster," Asher spoke loudly.
Danial blushed deeply and Asher rolled her eyes. "Why are you even here? This is my room…"
"Looking for the bathroom," She lied, walking into his dark room and dripping water on his carpet. She snooped around, opening drawers and looking at the posters of colorful people in tights and gloomy people with instruments. When she went to open the top drawer of his desk Danial jusmped up.
"D-don't open that one!" He cried, putting his body between her and the drawer. Asher froze for a moment.
"Why not? What's in there?" She pushed Danial out of the way and flung the drawer open, laughing at what was inside. "What in the hell is wrong with this family?" She pulled out the magazine with a sigh, looking at the women posing with a mix of disgust and a strange tiny thread of curiosity. "First, my little munchkin over there, and now you."
Daniel grabbed the magazine from her while she was talking. "Your little munchkin?" He looked confused which caused a large, almost creepy grin to spread across Asher's face.
"Yeah, my little munchkin. I'll show you." Asher stepped out of Danial's room and called for Paige. She came quickly and glared at Asher.
"What the hell do you want?"
"So aggressive, honey…" Asher smiled at her and Paige glared harder. "Tell Daniel that you're my munchkin."
Paige's face went pink and she looked away from Asher. "I'm not your munchkin Asher. That's weird."
"Oh come on. You know you like it," Asher went to give Paige a pat on the head and she smacked her hand away.
"Shut the fuck up Asher!" Paige stomped away like an angry toddler and Asher grinned even wider before turning her attention back to Daniel.
"See?" Asher crossed her arms over her chest before leaving a flustered looking Daniel alone and actually making it to the bathroom this time.