Page 104 of Dirty Roulette
Phoebe: Have you watched any TV or looked at the news?
Payton: No
Phoebe: Don’t freak out. Your friend hit the local news. If you haven’t read the news you probably shouldn’t.
I dismiss her warning about looking at the news and immediately scroll through my news feed. It’s lost and embedded in my everyday notifications, but finally I see it – a young female at GCU has gone missing. Charlie's senior year picture stares at me through the screen. Her curls, the grey eyes she shares with her brother, the dimples. The only girl in the universe that can be a complete “mean girl”– but still make sure I comb my hair before leaving the house – has the official “missing” label.
CHARLOTTE HENDERSON MISSING
Charlotte Henderson was last seen after an assault at a local concert venue. Her whereabouts are unknown atthis time. Law enforcement is asking the community to call the police department if anyone has any information about the incident.
Phoebe: Payton...
Payton: She’s missing???? Oh my god!
Phoebe: Don’t freak out. She’ll turn up.
Payton: I fucked up. It’s all my fault. I lied to Charlie!
Phoebe: You lied?
Payton: I was sleeping with Ryder...
Phoebe: O.M.G he took your virginity?
Payton: This is all my fault. None of this would have happened if I just told her the truth to begin with.
Phoebe: It’s not your fault, but you shouldn’t be moving back in with your Mum. Pack your bags, bitch, you’re staying here.
Within an hour, Phoebe rolls up into the driveway with her headlights beaming through the windows. The night is dark, and she’s a shadow walking up the steps and breaking into the trailer. I’m a pure replica of her. If we were sisters we’d be twins, but born five years apart.The long brown hair, the freckles on the nose, and big-big blue eyes. It’s grandad’s genes. We grab my duffle bag and pack it in the trunk before she kidnaps me.
On the drive to her house, she tells me to spill and everything comes up. Dirty Roulette, stealing booze from Mr. Clorox, and landing on Ryder the moment he walked in. Kissing him, then it turned into us messing around, how he made every atom of my body come alive, and catching feelings like it’s the flu.
When it comes down to the concert, all of it seems to click into Phoebe’s head. The second I mention the two football players harassing me in the hallways, and the photos of me getting posted online. She loses it.
“You realize Brody is breaking the law. Hazing is illegal, and that’s exactly what he did. He hazed you guys.” She peels into the driveway, fighting with the gears and putting her car in park.
“Yeah...” I say and unbuckle myself. Phoebe shuts off the engine, and it winds down and there is nothing but the sound of crickets and still air.
“Why didn’t you just tell Charlie you were dating her brother? Lying never gets you anywhere.”
“I dunno... it was stupid. I figured she would hate me entirely if I had a thing for him.”
“It’s so common for best friends to fall for the older brother. That’s such a cliché in society.” She huffs and flashes me a pitiful smile. “You really liked Ryder, didn’t you?” she asks, shuffling around to grab her purse she threw in the back seat.
“I still do...”
“Well, let’s make tea. We have leftovers you can eat. A shower and sleep will do you some good. I can drive you to the campus tomorrow.” She opens the car door before climbing out.
***
The next morning, I plop down on the dining room table. Dried food is caked on the scraped wood, and half-eaten mushy cereal is left unattended by the two toddlers running the house like a mob boss.
Phoebe sits hunched over, scrolling through her phone with disheveled hair and the droopy eyes of pure motherhood exhaustion. She nurtures her coffee, sipping on it.
“How did you sleep?” she asks.
“Rolled over on some legos, but otherwise okay, I guess. Definitely better than at my Mum’s.”
