Not this time, you're not backing down.

I could have just apologized and tried to get back on Jessie’s good side. That was usually what I did when she was in one of her moods. They blew over quickly and weren’t worth making a big deal over, I’d learned. I knew how to defuse the situation, but I was just too annoyed with her to let it slide.

“Oh, I’m the pervert?” I shot back. “You wear a shirt that your tits are falling out of, and it’s my fault for noticing? You decide to show off your body today, but hey, I’d damn well better not look! Sure, let’s blame Mike, why not? Isn’t that how it always works? You two girls get into a huge fight and decide you can’t bear to share a room, so I need to work my ass off. You can’t be bothered to dress yourself decently, so I get in trouble for being the guy in the room!”

Even before I finished, it was clear I’d gone too far. Marisa was standing by the side of the room, eyes wide in shock, her hand reflexively lifted to her mouth. Jessica was standing ramrod straight, facing me, with fists clenched and fire in her eyes. The part of me that wasn’t feeling angry was feeling confused. Jessica and I had had worse fights than this! Why such a strong reaction from the girls?

“So you too,” Jessica said slowly. The fury was clear in her voice. “I should have known.”

Me too? What the hell had I just gotten myself into?