Chapter 264

I let Cattie pull me into the Singles Boat, but I scooped her up in my arms once we were inside and I stepped sideways over to the beat-up couch in the living area and sat down, hugging her to me.

“You OK?” I asked her.

She nodded and closed her eyes, raising her eyebrows to stop from crying. “I am, Tiger. Thank you.”

“You did so good, Cattie,” Cassidy said, going to her knees in front of the two of us and taking one of Cattie’s hands in hers. “You’re kind of my hero.”

Cattie smiled sadly and squeezed Cassidy’s hands, then turned and pecked me on the lips. “Thanks for believing in me,” she said. “But I’m not done yet.” She shifted, and I moved to help her stand up. “Just stay here, OK? And keep any of the others from coming to the back for a couple of minutes.”

“OK,” I promised.

Cattie closed her eyes again, taking in a deep breath, then let go of both mine and Cassidy’s hands and walked down towards the cabins.

“Sherry,” Cassidy murmured.

I didn’t have time to contemplate before there was noise coming from outside, and the sliding door opened. I had to stand and motion for the girls to be quiet, and soon Wanda and Zenya at the front of the group were turning and shushing the others behind them. Wanda whispered something outside, then stepped in and shut the door. She came over and hugged Cassidy and I.

“That must have been hard,” Wanda whispered to us.

“But worth it,” I said. “For her.”

“Totally,” Cassidy agreed.

Wanda hugged us harder, and I knew she was thinking of the conflict looming on the horizon for her and all the big questions she needed to answer. But now was a time to be there for Cattie, not to pivot to Wanda.

Cattie’s knock was loud and firm. “Sherry,” she called from down the hall. “Open it.”

Cassidy, Wanda and I all looked at each other and then shifted closer to the kitchen area, though we didn’t enter it. We wanted to listen, but not the press.

The sound of the cabin door opening was soft.

“Hey,” Sherry said. “Come in?”

“No,” Cattie said sternly, disgust in her voice. “After what you did in here?”

“Then why are you here?”

“I don’t want to know why,” Cattie said. “It doesn’t really matter. You broke my heart, Sherry. You did, not Heather. You stabbed me in the back.”

“It’s not like that,” Sherry said petulantly.

“No? It isn’t?” Cattie asked harshly. “Because you just fucked my girlfriend. Or let her fuck you. Whatever. You’re as bad as Dad.”

It was a little comment, but it was sharp and I immediately recognized it was a scalpel insult designed to cut deeply into both of their shared traumas.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Sherry demanded. “You’re going to say that to me after you acted like a complete slut and fucked that big asshole? You fucked him, Cattie. It doesn’t matter why you did it. If anyone is like Dad, it’s you. The first chance you got, you spread your legs for that dickhead. I was just trying to help Heather feel better about you being an absolute cunt.”

“You know that’s not how that happened, or why,” Cattie said. “But you’re just too- Ugh!” There was a moment of quiet. “I tried my best, kid. I really did. I tried to be the best sister I could be for you even with our messed up parents. I tried to help you grow up. But now you’re on your own. I can’t be there for you anymore after this, Sherry.”