Chapter Twenty.

The car ride back from the hotel was mostly quiet. Sage stared out the window, her fingers tapping anxiously against her thigh. Harlow noticed but didn't say anything—she knew Sage would talk when she was ready. Instead, she reached over and laced their fingers together, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

By the time they got to Harlow's house, Sage was already feeling drained. The weight of moving, of change, of everything looming ahead of her—it was a lot. But she kept it to herself.

Theresa was in the living room, sprawled out on the couch with a half-empty soda in her hand. She raised an eyebrow as they walked in, their arms full of bags and boxes from Sage's hotel room.

"Well, damn. You two could've told me you were bringing a whole U-Haul," she joked.

Sage smirked. "What can I say? I come with baggage."

Harlow rolled her eyes. "Literal and emotional."

Theresa snorted. "Join the club, kid."

They took everything into Harlow's room and started unpacking. It wasn't much—just some clothes, toiletries, and a few things Sage had managed to salvage from her past. But it was enough to make the space feel different.

Home.

As they started rearranging furniture to make space for Sage's things, the mood shifted. The reality of it all began sinking in. Sage stood in the middle of the room, staring at the small pile of her belongings, hands clenched into fists.

Harlow noticed. "Hey. You okay?"

Sage exhaled sharply through her nose. "Not really."

Harlow set down the poster she'd been pinning to the wall and turned to her. "Talk to me."

Sage swallowed, her jaw tight. "I still have to go back. To her house."

Harlow's chest tightened.

Sage shook her head, pacing slightly. "I don't even care about most of the shit there. But some of it… some of it matters. And the idea of stepping foot in that house again makes me wanna throw up."

Harlow sat on the bed, watching her carefully. "What exactly did she do to you, Sage?"

Sage let out a bitter laugh. "What didn't she do?" She crossed her arms. "She was never a mother to me. Not really. She spent most of my childhood reminding me how much of a burden I was. If I wasn't getting yelled at, I was getting ignored. And when I got older, it turned into something worse."

Harlow's stomach twisted.

"She used to hit me. Not always. Not in ways that left marks. But enough to make sure I felt it." Sage's voice wavered slightly, but she kept going. "When I started dressing differently, acting differently, she said I was embarrassing her. That I wasn't normal."

Harlow's heart ached. "Sage…"

Sage clenched her jaw, staring at the wall like she could burn a hole through it. "I used to think that if I just tried harder—if I did what she wanted—maybe she'd love me. But nothing was ever enough."

Harlow stood up and walked over to her, wrapping her arms around her waist. "You don't have to go back alone," she murmured. "I'll be with you every step of the way."

Sage closed her eyes and exhaled. "I know."

After a long silence, Sage pulled out her phone and, with a deep breath, typed out a message to her mother.

Hey. When can I come get my stuff?

She hit send. The message turned green instantly.

Sage stared at the screen, her heart pounding. She clicked on her mother's contact and felt her stomach drop.

Blocked.

Her hands trembled as she turned the phone to show Harlow. "She blocked me."

Harlow's expression darkened. "What the fuck?"

Sage let out a humorless laugh. "Guess she made her choice."

Harlow pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry, baby."

Sage melted into her arms, her body tense but her heart desperate for comfort. "It's fine," she muttered. "It's whatever."

Theresa knocked on the doorframe, making them both jump.

"She blocked you?" she asked, arms crossed.

Sage sighed. "Yup."

Theresa scoffed. "Bitch move."

Harlow snorted. "Right?"

Theresa shook her head. "Look, I know it's not the same, but… you do have a family here. We've got your back, Sage."

Sage swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Thanks."

Theresa gave her a nod and wandered back to the living room.

After a while, they went back to rearranging. Sage hung up some of her posters, put her clothes away in the dresser Harlow cleared out for her, and slowly, the room started to feel like theirs.

Once they were finished, they collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.

"Well," Sage muttered, staring at the ceiling. "That sucked."

Harlow turned to her with a small smile. "But you're here now."

Sage met her gaze, something soft and unspoken passing between them.

After a beat, Harlow smirked. "You know, this is technically our first night living together."

Sage raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"And," Harlow purred, sliding onto her stomach and resting her chin on Sage's chest, "I think that means I deserve a reward for being such a good girlfriend."

Sage's lips quirked. "Oh yeah? What kind of reward?"

Harlow trailed a finger down Sage's stomach. "The kind that involves me making you forget about everything else for a while."

Sage's breath hitched. "You're evil."

Harlow grinned. "And yet, you love it."

Sage chuckled, flipping them over so she was on top. "You have no idea how much."

Later, after they had calmed down, tangled up in each other under the blankets, Harlow's phone buzzed on the nightstand.

Sage sighed. "If that's Jessica, I swear to—"

"It's not," Harlow interrupted. Then she hesitated.

Sage gave her a look. "What?"

Harlow bit her lip. "I just had an idea."

Sage groaned. "Why do I feel like I'm not gonna like it?"

Harlow smirked. "What if we called your mom? From my phone?"

Sage blinked.

Then she grinned.

"Babe." She cupped Harlow's face. "You're a genius."

Harlow giggled. "I know."

Sage grabbed the phone, excitement buzzing between them. "Let's see if she has the guts to answer."

Harlow hit call.

The line rang.

And rang.

Then—

A click.

A sharp inhale on the other end.

Silence.

And then—

"…Hello?"