Alexia

Stepping off of the elevator and being just a few feet from home made me almost want to cry. Everything that had happened had given me a new perspective on my questionable mental health. I recalled Dorian’s words about how suppressing my magic might have led to my own insanity. Maybe that’s what’s been causing all my issues over the years. But if it has, then what suppressed my magic in the first place?

Fox tapped me on the shoulder, making me realize we were standing in front of my apartment doors. “Oh, sorry. A lot on my mind. Obviously.”

He looked up in thought for a moment. “Nah, too easy. Anyway,” he said looking back down at me. “How do you wanna do this? Slow burn to ease them in, or just rip it off like a band-aid?”

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

Fox widened his eyes expectantly. “How do you wanna tell your parents about your magical mayhem? Your witchy woes? Either way, it’s gonna be like a bucket of ice water. Just intense frozen shock.”

I quickly grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him up against the door. “Under no, and I mean no circumstance are we telling my parents about anything that has happened. I just can’t. That kind of stress would kill them both.”

Fox looked supremely disturbed as he stared down at me. “Easy, girl,” he said slowly removing my hands from his shoulders. “We don’t have to tell them anything. Now, do you think you can dial it down? I’ve reached my daily limit on dramatic outbursts.”

Coming back to my senses, I lightly brushed off Fox’s shoulders and stepped back. “Sorry.”

After slowly opening the apartment door and taking discreet steps into the foyer, I waved Fox to silently follow me in. I took another cautious step forward when I heard the front door slam shut. My head whipped in Fox’s direction.

He gave me a withering look before rolling his eyes. “Bitch, we are not sneaking into The Pentagon. Calm down.”

From the dining room, I heard mom call out. “Lexi, sweet pea, is that you?”

Before I could respond, Fox linked arms with me and pulled me in the direction of mom’s voice.

It was just as Fox had predicted. Mom had set up our large dining table with all the nice silverware and dishes filled with coq au vin. Specially placed bowls and platters that I had never seen before were filled with different dinner sides and salads.

For a split second, I thought we had walked into the wrong apartment. Then mom came through the kitchen door carrying a basket of bread that she placed in the center of the table.

She didn’t bother to look up as she addressed me. “Well, if it isn’t my pretty little liar. Why did--.” Her eyes looked up but locked in on Fox. “Uh, well. My goodness. And who might this handsome young man be?”

This time, it was my eyes that rolled. “Mom, Fox. Fox, mom.”

Mom’s voice took on a gruff tone as she looked him up and down. “Well, now I know why you didn’t meet up with Cameron.”

Fox stepped forward with an obnoxiously smug grin. “That’s my fault, Mrs. Drake. I ran into Lexi,” he said quickly looking at me before turning back to my mom. “On her way to Cameron’s. I had a family emergency and Lexi was nice enough to help me out.”

Mom closed the distance between her and Fox before gently placing a hand on his arm. “Well, honey. I hope every—oh, wow. That’s big. My goodness.”

My mouth fell open. “Mom!”

She was still feeling Fox’s arm. “Are you sure you’re 16? This feels like the arm of a full-grown man.”

Before I could storm over or find something to throw at her, dad stepped down from the stairs to see his wife feeling up a teenage boy while her daughter watched. He paused for a moment as his eyes darted between the three of us.

Fox, now beaming with a huge smile, began excitedly waving at him. “Hi, Mr. Drake. I’m Fox, Lexi’s best friend.”

I cleared my throat to get everyone’s attention. “Not if you don’t stop letting my mom feel you up.”

With a dramatic head roll, mom scoffed at me, yet still continued to feel around Fox’s bicep. “Calm down, Lexi. I’m merely exercising scientific curiosity. Joe, come here. You’ve got to feel these things. Oh, wait,” she said finally looking up at Fox’s eyes. “You’re gay, right? That might be inappropriate.”

I began huffing as I looked around the room. “Really? We passed inappropriate about five minutes ago!”

Dad took that cue to finally move toward the rest of us. “Gloria, if this is your way of telling me you want me to get back in the gym, you’re not subtle.”

A mischievous grin spread across mom’s face. “Oh, Joe. We both know my lack of subtlety is one of the reasons why you fell in love with me.” She finally dropped her hand from Fox’s large arm. “And I already signed us up for memberships.” She winked at dad before turning back to Fox. “Well, your timing couldn’t have been more fortuitous. Please tell me you will join us for dinner. My way for thanking you and apologizing at the same time.”

I stepped forward as I finally noticed the number of place settings at the table. “Why are there five places set?”

Mom walked over to the dining room hutch and began pulling out more plates. “Well, I called Christian earlier to see how things were going between you and Cameron.” She paused for a moment as Fox took some of the dishes from her to help set another place. “That’s when he informed me that you never showed. So, mortified as I was, I said the first thing that came to me and invited them over for dinner.”

Fox raised his eyebrows in awe as he looked around at the feast. “Nice. You must be a pretty impressive cook to put all of this together in such a short amount of time.”

I couldn’t help the sarcastic laugh that escaped my mouth. “The only thing impressive is her ordering skills.”

Mom grabbed the salad tongs and clapped them at me. “Look here, missy. I could’ve made all of this if I wanted to. But I was on a time crunch because someone neglected to inform me that something came up.” She quickly shifted gears to sympathetic as she turned to Fox. “Not that we blame you, Fox. I know you had a family emergency. I hope everything is okay now.”

I cut in before anyone could say anything else. “Wait a minute. You knew I didn’t go to Christian’s and you didn’t call me? What if something bad had happened?”

Mom gave me an incredulous glance. “Lexi, sweet pea, I love you, but you’re more skittish than the cracked-out cat I had growing up. It’s not a bad thing. It means you have good instincts to get gone when things get bad. Besides, I can track your phone. And while your father may be very successful, we don’t make nearly enough money worth the time and effort to kidnap you.”

I didn’t know whether to be offended or ashamed. “Okay. But you don’t know. I could’ve been out doing all kinds of crazy things. I could’ve been drinking, or partying, or finding strangers to do, uh, you know, strange stuff with.”

Dad let out a small laugh. From the look of surprise on his face, it was clearly unintentional. “Lexi, baby. We have never had to worry about things like that when it comes to you. I mean, as a child, you refused to watch Bugs Bunny because you said he was too reckless and you couldn’t watch him lead such a destructive lifestyle.”

My ears perked up at the sound of Fox snickering. His face was beet red. “Oh, my god. It’s all starting to make so much sense.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Can you try not to enjoy this so much?”

He could barely speak from how hard he was laughing. “I don’t think I have the strength.”

Mom walked over to me and placed an arm around my shoulders before giving them a small squeeze. “You’re a good egg, sweet pea. We can count on you. Sure, you may not be tearing things up right now, but that’s good. You’ve got your head on straight. I mean, I personally know some parents that are going grey just from the insanity their kids get into. It’s not like you’re going to come home one day and tell us you killed someone.”

Fox started coughing while laughing and had to clutch his abdomen while trying to catch his breath.

“But,” mom said sucking at her teeth. “If I’m being honest, it wouldn’t hurt for you to get out there and do something crazy once in a while. I mean, nothing stupid. But go to a party. Have a couple of drinks. Kiss some boys.”

I immediately moved away from mom as an overwhelming feeling of shock rolled through me. “Dad! Can you believe her?”

He was face-deep combing through an article on his tablet. “Honey, I’m going to have to side with your mother on this one. As long as you’re smart about it, I see no reason why you shouldn’t go out and socialize.” He finally looked up from his tablet. “Just remember a few things. Alcohol has a delayed reaction. So, once you start feeling it, slow down on the drinking. And, if I’m being honest, I’d be more comfortable if you were kissing girls. Boys are animals.”

Fox mildly slapped the surface of the table as he nodded at my dad. “Ain’t that the truth,” he said before turning to me. “Just be glad you don’t have an older brother because I would be on him like white on rice.”

I felt like I was in the twilight zone. I hadn’t even noticed mom had left the room until she came back in with decanters full of wine for the table. “So, Lexi. Fox. What are you kids up to tonight? Having a good old-fashioned slumber party?”

For once, it was Fox’s turn to be surprised. “Oh, would you and Mr. Drake actually be comfortable with that?”

Mom dipped her head to the side and gave Fox a big smile. “Of course, honey. I had a gay best friend once. You’re practically one of the girls.”

I quickly pushed the hair out of my face to keep myself from totally losing it. “Oh, my god, mom. You can’t say stuff like that. It is so, unbelievably, sexist.”

For the first time that evening, mom looked utterly guilty. “Oh, god. Fox, honey. I am so sorry. I did not mean to imply anything.”

Fox raised a hand and lightly shook his head. “No, no. You were right. I identify as a strong black female. Hashtag I rise. Hashtag Maya Angelou.”

I genuinely didn’t know how to respond, but luckily, the doorbell rang. Mom, like a good hostess, practically ran to the door. I heard a few exchanges of greetings before mom walked back into the dining room with Christian and Cameron.

My eyes were glued to Cameron as he smiled and spoke to everyone in the room. Everything around me was getting hazy. It was like my head was trapped underwater. I could barely breathe, see, or hear.

Lexiiiii, Lexiiiiii. The voice sounded like it was coming from all around me. Lexiiiii. And was getting closer. “Lexi!”

I snapped back to reality as Fox looked me dead in the eyes. My vision shifted from side to side before I realized everyone in the room was staring at me.

Fox leaned a little closer to whisper, “you okay?”

I was still a little out of it but managed to nod my head.

Fox spun around before putting an arm around my shoulders. “Looks like a case of a low blood sugar.” He was smiling from ear to ear. “Which is definitely my fault. Lexi was so caught up helping me today, that we forgot to eat.” Fox moved away from me to shake hands with Christian and Cameron. “So nice to meet the both of you. Again, really sorry for taking up all of Lexi’s time today. Had some family business to deal with.”

Just as I started to feel centered again, a tingle started in my fingertips. I quickly looked down and saw tiny purple sparks playing at my fingers. “Actually,” I said, clearly louder than necessary since everyone in the room looked right at me. “I’m just going to go change really quick.” After putting my hands behind my back, I looked down at my clothes and grimaced for effect. “Been running around town all day. Blech. Am I right, Fox?” I asked turning to him.

His hand was mid-air reaching for some bread from the basket in the center of the table. He paused with a look of confusion. “Really? I mean--.”

I quickly cut him off. “Yes, really. And, as my best friend, I’m sure you can help me pick something great out.”

He just shook his head at me. “Nah. I’m not really that kind of gay. I’m really more--.” Fox must have noticed the crazy in my expression because he stopped talking the minute his eyes locked with mine. “I mean, yeah. You know I, uh, am all about ser-serving looks at the gig.”

Once up in my room, I shut the door and bent over to take deep breaths.

Fox plopped down at the edge of my bed with a look of sheer disappointment on his face. “Lexi, don’t take this the wrong way, but our friendship is starting to get in the way of the most important thing in my life. Food.”

I practically ran up to him before shoving my hands in his face.

He immediately backed away and ended up rolling off of the bed onto the floor. “Hey! Easy, now. Why are they going off like that?”

I kept my hands raised while rolling my eyes. “If I knew that, don’t you think I’d be able to make it stop?”

Fox turned over onto his side and casually pulled at the carpet threads while looking up at me. “Princess, I don’t wanna tell you how to live your life, but it would be really great if you didn’t kill anyone tonight. At least not until after dinner.”

In aggravation, I kicked his leg and then moved to sit on my vanity bench. “Can you please quit with the jokes and help me?”

Once I was at a safe distance, Fox got back up on the bed to sit. “Alright, alright. Well,” he said thinking for a moment. “We definitely know stress is a big trigger for you going nuclear. And it seems like it’s getting worse each time. God knows you can’t stay calm to save your life. Or anyone else's for that matter.” He laughed at his own joke but stopped when I widened my eyes at him. “Sorry.”

I let out a frustrated groan. “I can’t help it. I was already an anxious person before all of this started happening. You heard my parents. I’m a neurotic mess.”

Fox bit his bottom lip and wouldn’t meet my gaze. “Well, I might know a spell for that, but I’m not sure you’re going to like it.”

My eyebrows furrowed in hesitation at the prospect. “In case you haven’t noticed, magic has been kind of the issue.”

Fox stood up and took a deep breath. “Wrong. You’re freaking out has been the issue. And, clearly, you’re going to need more time to deal with all of this new anxiety. In the meantime, you need a way to keep yourself in check.” I was about to reinforce my case, but Fox had a point. So, I just let him continue. “It’s a little spell that’s guaranteed to keep you from getting all panicky again. Worst case scenario, you actually enjoy yourself.”

***

Fox

Luckily, it was a pretty cut and dry spell. No light shows. No need for focusing on intent. Just a few words in Babylonian and the magic’s good to go. I was even going to use it to mellow myself out. That is until Lexi finished casting it on herself.

I had both of my hands placed on Lexi’s shoulders and was looking her straight in her barely open eyes. “Uh, princess, you still with me? You still in there?” I quickly looked at my watch and realized we had been up in her room for longer than a quick change should take.

After carefully propping Lexi against her vanity table, I ran to her closet and started rifling through her wardrobe. “Oh, my god, Lexi. Do you own anything that doesn’t come from The Gap?” I managed to find a simple, but cute sundress along with some flats and threw it on her bed. With a quick motion of my hand, the dress on the bed swapped with the clothes she was wearing in an immediate blur.

“Step one, done. Now, I just need to deal with what’s left of her cognitive brain function.” Lexi’s head was slumped back on the vanity table while drool ran down her mouth. “Okay, hun, just a quick little thing,” I said while pulling my phone out to take a picture of her. “Can’t let this moment go to waste. Okay.” I put my phone away and placed both of my palms on her head.

I wasn’t expecting it to be easy, but I didn’t think it would take everything I had to try to speed up the spell. Golden light was pouring out of every inch of my body, but Lexi’s magic was fighting me tooth and nail. I managed to get the spell to the halfway point when her magic gave a serious counter and blasted me back onto her bed. I barely caught myself as I rolled over onto the floor.

After getting on my hands and knees, I felt a hand on my shoulder before another helped me to stand up. Lexi was, thankfully, conscious and standing on her own. “Oh, thank god. First thing tomorrow, we are going back to my aunt and seeing if she has some kind of magic suppresser because your shit goes zero to sixty with no in-between.”

Lexi seemed to be having trouble standing still as she kept shifting her weight from one leg to the other. “Yeah, man. We can go see your aunt. She’s, uh, you know. She’s a cool lady. Scary, but cool. I like her.”

As my eyes widened at Lexi’s stoned-like state, her bedroom door opened before her mom stepped in. “Hey, guys. Just wanted to make sure everything was okay. Heard a few noises downstairs. Oh, very nice choice. You haven’t worn that dress in a while.”

Lexi was trying her best to analyze my face, probably to figure out why I looked so freaked out. She turned to follow my line of sight and registered her mom standing in the doorway. “Mommy,” she said before taking careful steps over to Mrs. Drake. “Oh, mommy. You know, I am feeling a lot better. And you know what? You and daddy are right. I just gotta chill out.” Lexi stopped talking for a moment as she sniffed the air out in the hall. “Mmmm, is that the food? That smells so good and I am huuuuungry.” She finished by laughing and stretching before heading toward the stairs.

Mrs. Drake looked as though she shared in the same level of freaked out as I was experiencing. “Hun, why don’t you wait for me right there and we can walk down together,” she said peering out into the hallway to Lexi before she closed her eyes and waved me over.

Oh, god. I’m officially the bad friend, I thought walking over to her. I took a deep breath and got ready for whatever was about to happen.

Mrs. Drake lowered her voice as she spoke. “Honestly, I haven’t seen Lexi this relaxed in, well, ever.” She let out a sigh before continuing. “Whatever you said or did to calm her down,” she paused for a minute to take another look at Lexi. “What was it? A massage? Anyway,” she said waving her hand along. “Thank you.”

I planted a big smile on my face and shrugged my shoulders. “What can I say? I’ve got magic hands. Just born with them.” Maybe not now, but I will definitely be casting the same spell on myself later.

Mrs. Drake let out a small laugh. “And what’s funny is Joe and I have tried to talk her into getting massages, but, you know, she’s just too anxious to get one. Alright,” she said taking a breath. “I’m going to move you kids to the terrace. The three of you can eat on the outdoor dining table and all have a nice time bonding.

***

Out on the terrace, I sat and watched as Lexi moved from one potted plant to the next. For whatever reason, she was laughing while face-deep in the hibiscus bush. “Lex? Hun? You doing alright over there? Did—did the plant say something funny?”

Lexi gave me a thumbs up and attempted to hug the bush before heading back to the table. On her way over, she stopped to laugh at whatever the pot of hydrangeas had just said to her. The only thing I could think to do was record the whole thing with my phone.

A few minutes later, the terrace doors opened as Mrs. Drake stepped out holding a tray of food. “Alright, kids. Here we are.” I started to get up to help, but Mrs. Drake stopped me. “No, no, Fox. You and Lexi just sit down. I already have plenty of help.” Behind her, Cameron emerged from the terrace doors holding a tray filled with glasses and a pitcher of iced tea.

After everything was set up on the table, Mrs. Drake gave Cameron, Lexi, and myself a big smile. “Alright, you kids eat up and enjoy getting to know one another. If you need anything, just holler.” Mrs. Drake didn’t seem to notice Lexi spinning with her arms out as she left to head back inside.

Cameron definitely noticed as he pointed to Lexi, but kept his eyes on me. “Is she alri--.”

“She’s high as hell,” I said cutting him off. “First time too, so, you know how that goes.” My response actually got a smile out of Cameron just in time for Lexi to come twirl her way into her seat.

She gave me and Cameron a big smile even though her eyes were still a little droopy. “Cameron,” she said turning to look right at him. “It is so good to finally meet you.” She reached a hand out as if to take his. Cameron was hesitant at first but just smiled as he took hers. “And I am so sorry about your mom dying.” My eyes went wide as Lexi started to tear up. “I mean, when I heard about--.” Her voice broke before she covered her mouth while tears ran down her face. “I ju--just can’t. I don’t know what I would do without my mommy.”

Cameron looked shocked at first but must have noticed the sincerity in Lexi’s eyes. “Yeah, the whole thing was rough. But my mom was a fighter and held on as long as she could. We were really close and it still hurts to think about it. Sometimes I wake up, and for just a second, I forget that she’s gone and then I remember it all over again. Those days are the worst.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “But thank you. I really appreciate you saying that. I actually haven’t had a chance to talk about it with anyone other than my grandparents and dad, so this feels really good.”

Lexi gave him a lop-sided smile as she rested her head on her outstretched arm. “Damn, you’re pretty.”

My breath caught in my throat, and I coughed before quickly standing up to grab the pitcher. “Okay, princess. Let’s reign it in for a second,” I said pouring iced tea into everyone’s glasses.

Cameron smiled from ear to ear as he looked at Lexi. “Uh, well, thank you. I’m sure you get this a lot, but you are very beautiful.”

Lexi propped herself back up as she wiggled her eyebrows at Cameron. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were flirting with me.”

Cameron laughed for a moment as his cheeks turned red. “Wow, you know they say New Yorkers are really unwelcoming, but you guys seem great.”

Taking a deep breath and finally getting to taste the delicious chicken in front of me, I turned to Cameron. “Give it time.”