“I understand Serena, it’s okay we’ll find some place else,” Wendy hung up without even looking at her phone; her spirits laid low by Serena’s rejection. Alvin watched from the side, his brow furrowing as she called each member of her inner circle and made their situation clear: They were now homeless and she was asking her dear friends to provide them with a room until that situation was resolved.

 Wendy locked her phone and raised her arm, enraged by their refusal to even consider it. Britney had hung up after several awkward seconds of her babbling on about not even having space for herself. Camilla had sympathised with her but also rejected her and Serena had plainly said no, explaining that her parents simply would not allow it.

   Wendy’s rage bubbled within her, she wanted to strike out, punch and kick at something. She wanted to make her rage known, to vocalise the anger within. After all she had been through with them, they had shunned her like a leper when she needed them the most. They might as well have plunged a dagger into her back, it wouldn’t be any less painful.

 “ Idiots, all of them!” Wendy shouted into the night, startling a couple walking their chihuahua across the street from her. Said couple increased the distance between themselves and the irate Wendy.

 “ Hey,” Alvin laid his hand on her back as Wendy whimpered in response. He had not seen her so down before , seeing the people she held dear push her away was like a punch to the solar plexus.

 “ We still have that motel. I’ll take the floor,” Alvin took out his phone as Wendy let out a pained scream, the hair on the back of his neck rising in response.

“It’s just that I expected them to help me, help us,” Wendy pointed at the two of them, feeling she’d let down Alvin again.

 “ But they came up with such bullshit excuses. How can they not have space? Camilla has a guest bedroom for God’s sakes! I’ve been in it and its spacious enough for two of us. Too bad none of them are Titans or-” Wendy stopped, her mind realising she had overlooked one important detail.

 She turned to Alvin, a knowing smirk on her face. Alvin looked at her, clueless as he searched for the address of a nearby motel on his phone.

“ Stop searching and call Cassie,” She said to him.

Alvin shrugged, “ Sure, I guess she would know a motel or two-”

Wendy huffed and puffed, he had to be doing this on purpose, no one could be so dense.

“No, call her and tell her we’re homeless! She’ll take us , she’s a Titan and there’s enough space for us to play Tom and Jerry in! We could fit an entire neighbourhood inside her room with room to spare! It is perfect.”

Wendy thought he would be elated, pumped up to live with the girl he had amorous feelings but Alvin only looked like she asked him to try his first joint, squeamish and reluctant to even make a move. Which is more or less how she figured he would react if he ever had some marijuana shoved in his face.

“I can’t , it would be imposing on her. She’s a dear friend and it would be very weird to live with my crush!”

Wendy grabbed Alvin and shook him while she fired her own hurried and exasperated reply.

“ Not when we need a place to stay! Just ask her and we’ll go from there. If no then lets find a motel. If yes, great! You can play Romeo and Juliet together!”

 Alvin’s body shook like a limp doll as he nodded, the message finally drilled into him by Wendy.

 “Okay! I’ll call her and we’ll see what happens but you got to stop shaking me!” Alvin said and Wendy promptly stopped, not wishing to prolong her state of homelessness.

 Alvin promptly dialled for Cassie the moment he felt his land legs take over. Cassie seemed to be expecting his call , answering a microsecond after her ringtone was heard.Alvin having no time to even listen to her pop ringtone.

 “Hello?” Alvin said into his receiver.

 “Alvin? What’s up?” Cassie sounded confused and concerned over Alvin’s sudden call.

“Cassie, Wendy and I got kicked out of the house and we-”

“I’ll give you my address, you just hang on a sec. I’ll come pick you up,” Cassie ended his rushed explanation with her equally rushed and mind blowing offer, without even being asked. Alvin wasn’t sure if he had heard correctly, was she just offering her house without even thinking?

 “ Thank you but we’ll find our way there. You sure its fine? Your parents will be okay with it?”

Cassie’s side went quiet, Alvin assuming Cassie had taken this chance to reflect on what she had done. Wendy watched, heart in mouth and fist clenched as she wasn’t pleased with Alvin questioning her offer of lodgings.

 “ Please let us stay,” she whispered, her hands pressed against her lips.

  Alvin’s darted to Alvin and then back to staring at an arbitrary point across the street which was a patch of poorly lit grass.

 “ Okay you can come. I’ll be waiting for you. See you Alvin,” Cassie ended the call with a sweet coo, Alvin’s heart racing as he heard her sweet goodbye.

 “I take it as a yes?”

 Alvin nodded slowly , pleased as Wendy did a silent fist pump in joy.

 Neither of them would have to spend the night in some crappy motel thanks to Cassie’s goodwill. Which only made Wendy feel ten times more terrible than she already was.

*******

 “So,” Alvin looked up at Cassie as they sat on her two hundred foot long study table, the latter just glad to have them here. He detected the familiar aroma of lavender body wash emanating from her sun kissed skin as she sat in her teal plastic chair pulled out from her study table. Alvin spotted her stylus and tablet in one corner while they occupied the middle.

“ I hope we didn’t take you away from anything?”

“No you didn’t and I am sorry to hear about what your mother did. Maybe I could…” She hinted at something softly, looking at Wendy who had gone quiet since she picked them up at the bus stop. Wendy wasn’t even making eye contact with her, her overcast face pointed low.

“ No,” Wendy spoke, dragging out the monosyllable word. She angled her head up at Cassie, tucking stray strands of hairs behind her ear.

 “ Don’t,” she shook her head, feeling embarrassed by this. Standing in Cassie’s room only made the idea feel stupid; and to think she thought it was a eureka moment.

 “Alvin and I will deal with my mother,” She maintained her aloof gaze steadily.

 “Okay,” Cassie dropped the issue without so much as a heartbeat, shifting towards the chirpier Alvin.

“ I’m just glad you two didn’t wait too long before calling me. Just what Patricia was thinking, throwing her own children out?” Cassie huffed,the tendons of her hands shifting as she clenched them.

It was only because Wendy had told her not to intervene that Patricia didn’t have to face her. She’d break several laws in the process but it was nothing compared to the abuse she inflicted on Alvin and Wendy. It would be worth it, if only the two of them would green light her revenge plan.

“Clearly she wasn’t,” Wendy answered as cool as a cucumber. Neither of them needed to feel any outburst of negativity now, they were enjoying each other’s company and Wendy was the odd woman out.

  “ Ahem yes,” Cassie coughed as she leaned in her angelic face in to Alvin and Wendy, detecting Wendy’s uneasiness. She had an idea why and she also had a solution ready.

 “ You guys can stay for as long as you want. No need to feel guilty about anything,” She eyed Wendy who noticed Cassie’s not too subtle gesture.

 “Don’t suppose you planned out where we will be sleeping?” Alvin looked for some semblance of a bed somewhere but spotted nothing close to one.

 Cassie’s left eye appeared to glint as a toothy grin transfixed itself on to her face, as if she had just discovered something entirely unknown to the world.

 “ I got just the thing,” She pointed at the far end of the table where her dollhouse lay. Alvin swallowed nervously, Cassie’s childhood plaything bringing up a painful memory from more recent times.

 “ Oh that thing, thought I’d never see it again,” Alvin said with a stuttering laugh.

“It’s still bigger than my house. No different from when I last saw it,” Alvin laughed a strange and , Wendy’s eyebrow arched itself as she wondered what exactly had come over Alvin.

 Alvin saw past memories rearing themselves, the sight of the dollhouse making him uneasy with images of him standing in a baby outfit, white diaper around his waist and Cassie laughing at him. The thought of it made him shudder, a nervous twitch in his eyebrow before Cassie’s voice broke the dollhouse’s spell over him.

 “Both of you can stay in here but I told my dad you might be bunking with me,” Cassie smiled sheepishly , remembering why Alvin was so hesitant. She felt a twinge of guilt in her stomach, realising the foolishness of her idea.

 “ It’s your choice and I think you should bunk with my dad if you’re not comfortable living in a girl’s toy.”

   “Okay, much less awkward,” Alvin answered , relieved he didn’t have to stay in that demented dollhouse.  

   The creak of a door opening had all three of them turning their heads in the direction of it, Wendy and Alvin realising Cassie had guests over.

 “ I thought you said we weren’t interrupting anything?” Wendy asked, skeptical over Cassie’s previous claim.

 Cassie shook her head, still all smiles.

 “ My parents must be back from their dinner date. Don’t worry, I told them about you guys and they said yes!” She pressed her palm against the table, beckoning them to climb on.

 The three teenagers stepped out of Cassie’s room together where Cassie’s parents were in the living room ,her Titan mother Karen taking off her high heels while her father Paul sat on her shoulder.

“ Hi Mom! Hi Dad!” She greeted them with jubilation.

  Karen was a blonde Titan of average height , in contrast to Cassie’s statuesque body, Alvin noting that Karen only came up to Cassie’s nose. She had hazel eyes, coupled with sleek golden streaks of hair tied into a bun, looking like an older version of Cassie and despite Alvin knowing she had to be middle aged, she could pass for an older .  Both were dressed for their date, Karen in an indigo cocktail dress that showed her a slim figure and Paul in a black tuxedo , his white undershirt protruding outwards from a slight belly.

 “Hello Cassie and you guys must be Alvin and Wendy,” Karen smiled warmly down at them, Paul waving from above. Paul looked his age, Alvin guessing it to be in his early fifties due to the wrinkles on his face and plentiful grey hair adorning his scalp.

 “ Let's talk in the living room,” Paul said.

  The Gissel living room was like any Titan living room , a larger version of the normal living rooms but the Gissels had made it their own with plenty of family pictures on the cabinets that lined the walls and even a massive Titan sized portrait of the family was hung up on the wall, Cassie sitting while Karen stood behind with Paul standing on her shoulder.

   Also, the entire room was ringed with a series of walkways for smaller sizes to walk around without fear of being stepped on by their Titan brethren, painted a faint shade of magenta to match the walls; which gave off a very feminine touch to the house. Unsurprising when two out of its three residents were Titans.

 “ Hello Mr. and Mrs. Gissel, I’m Alvin and this is my sister Wendy,” Alvin looked up to them with the same warmth as Karen had after all of them were seated comfortably in a pair of red velvet couches, both large enough to fit six Titans together. Cassie had deposited Alvin and Wendy on to her soft thigh as Karen did the same with Paul.

 Paul and Karen were seated across the teenagers, their backs facing a hundred foot LCD television screen mounted to the wall   

“Hello,” Wendy replied, trying to keep up the facade of happiness she put up as evidenced by her own weak smile. She threw in a generic wave of her hand to throw them off even more. It seemed to be working, no one even asked about her mood.

  “ Ah so we finally get to meet Alvin, the boy Cassie won’t stop talking about,” Paul chuckled, he had to be at least six feet tall but his voice wasn’t deep but leaned towards the higher end of the pitch range.

 “ Daddy please!” Cassie’s cheeks flushed themselves red, it was the same for Alvin who blushed at the remark.

 “ Oh my…” Wendy laughed at the two, there was definitely something going on there.

“ She does does she?” Alvin managed to say something while Cassie wiggled her foot, biting her lip as she watched her father’s bombshell statement ramp up the tension in the room.

 “ Oh plenty, I think we know everything you two have done. Its almost like listening to  a reenactment. So many details,” Paul added.

 “ It’s so great to hear about it, especially after her last boyfriend really hurt her,” Karen shot Alvin a look that said not to mess with Cassie’s heart or mama bear will have to pay him a visit. Chilling when it came from any mother but Titans always had that edge when it came to intimidation.

 “ She mentioned him a few times and he sounds like a real jerk.”

 “Oh more than that, anyone who breaks my little girl’s heart like that is worse than that,”  Karen pointed at him with her thumb.

 “ Can’t imagine why people would do that. Anyway, just want to say thank you for letting Wendy and I stay here,” Alvin replied while Wendy assumed the role of an observer.

 “ You’re welcome to stay for as long as you need.Cassie explained everything to us so we’re sorry to hear about your mother. You made the right decision coming here, instead of staying in a hotel or a seedy motel” Karen replied.

 “Heh,” Alvin guffawed.

 “That was our back up plan but lucky for us, we did call Cassie,” Alvin glanced up and mouthed a thank you to his best friend.

  The five of them continued to chat for the next couple of hours, Alvin in particular enjoying his conversations with Karen and Paul, the latter teasing Cassie for how quickly she accepted. It felt great to be in a family setting that didn’t have an evil stepmother at all. Cassie’s family were a tightly bonded unit, unlike his and to be a part of it was simply divine.

 Eventually they had to end their conversations as everyone needed to go to bed, Karen occupying a lone bed while Paul’s own room was built in the walls of Karen’s own, access to it was controlled by a .

 Alvin followed him in Karen’s hand while Cassie brought Wendy to her room for what he assumed would be girl talk. Paul changed while Cassie brought Alvin his luggage since he would be spending his nights here.

 “ So this is where you sleep?” Alvin asked as he set up a sleeping bag next to Paul’s bed, Paul lending him a fluffy pillow.

 “Only when we’re not staying up,” Paul winked at Alvin who got the rather graphic hint clear. He decided to go down that line of conversation.

 “ So Cassie talks about me a lot does she?” Alvin laid gently into the pillow and staring up at the bluish white ceiling as Paul climbed on to his bed, just enough for one person to sleep on.

 “ Yes she does. Said she thought you were in her words, ‘kind of cute’ ,” Paul’s answer sent Alvin sitting up, looking straight at Paul who chuckled heartily at Alvin’s reaction.

 “ Oh,” Alvin shifted to a calmer display, “ Did she say anything else?”

 Paul nodded, bemused by Alvin’s reaction.

 “ She thought it was wonderful to be friends with a someone who shares her loves for astronomy. Well good night sir, thanks again for letting Wendy and I stay here,” He added as Alvin laid his head on his pillow once more.

 “You’re welcome Alvin and just to be clear,” his jovial tone shifted to a more serious one.

 “ You seem to like Cassie as more than a friend. Don’t you treat her like tissue paper or you’ll be staring down the barrel of a twelve gauge shotgun. You don’t seem like the type but you can never tell…”

 Alvin didn’t expect that to come from Paul, not after that long and cheery talk the five of them had or at least four of them contributed to.

  “ No no sir, I never meant that,” Alvin replied as he practically jumped to a standing position to defend himself, waving his hands to emphasise his point.

 Paul looked at him, smiled and then broke into a laugh.

“I’m joking, don’t take it so seriously! If she does she pursue you, be a gentleman.”

 “Wait,” Alvin breathed a sigh of relief but confused by Paul’s answer.

“Shouldn’t you be telling me not to date your daughter?”

 Paul shrugged his shoulders, “ I generally let my daughter choose who to date, she’s a big girl. No need to worry about some pig forcing himself on her.”

“Good point, she’s pretty big.”

********

 Wendy looked out of her bedroom window, the solid plastic frame reminding her she was living in a girl’s dollhouse. That was how bad it had gotten,forced to live off Cassie in her toy like some pet. At least Cassie had tried to be nice about it, a face full of smiles. Her parents were good people to be around, much better than the wolves she grew up with. Another reason not to be here.

  Wendy looked down, brushing her finger against the plastic, her whole had been one mistake after the other. Being nice got her into shit and acting like a bitch didn’t exactly improve anything. If anything, it led all her to this, feeling empty and with nothing to cling on to.

A loud, booming closing of the door made her turn, Wendy guessing Cassie was probably back from passing Alvin his things. The steady thumping from Cassie’s footfalls said as much, it was done , Cassie probably going to switch the lights off and she could sleep. So caught up in her own thoughts Wendy was that she failed to see what was coming next.

   “Boo!” Wendy flung herself back while screaming her lungs out, Cassie’s hazel iris staring right at her. She fell on her bed, the plain white mattress a little hard for her liking but she didn’t expect  world class bedding from Mattel.

 Outside, Cassie’s resounding laugh reverberating around the room, her peppermint scented breath wafting through the window.

 “You could have given me a heart attack!” Wendy shouted out the window, Cassie looking down cheekily, please with her prank.

“ Sorry bout it but I just had to try, never had someone sleepover in there before,” She pouted and Wendy rolled her eyes.

 “ You want to talk a bit before we sleep? Its been awhile since I had a sleepover,” She twisted on the spot, her coral blue silk nightie pressed tight against her body. Wendy guessed this would be a sight every boy in school wanted to be see. Also to spend a night in the same room as her.

 “Okay, we could talk a bit,” Wendy raised her hand cautiously, “ But not until sunrise. We have school tomorrow.”

 Cassie nodded obediently as she scooped up Wendy and brought her Amazon friend to her softer football field length bed. She lay on her side, nightie straining against her chest with her legs curled up behind her.

 “ So what do you want to talk about? And do you always dress like you’re expecting Prince Charming?”

 Cassie giggled, fingers pressed against her lips as she tittered.

 “ Oh this,” She gently tugged on her nightie, “ Something my mum and I picked out when I started to fill out as my sweet sixteen present. Its just for me really, glad you liked it.”

 Even now, just by being herself she could make an insect like Wendy feel so worthless, Wendy thought to herself. She wasn’t even trying and already Wendy felt like the shapeless little cockroach she was.

   She looked down at her own baggy shorts and shirt, nothing compared to what Cassie wore right now. If fairytales were real, all of the princess had to be envious of what Cassie wore.

 “ Yeah its really regal,” Wendy added.

 “Is there something wrong?” Cassie shifted the talk as she noted Wendy’s long face.

 Wendy shook her head, like a child denying any talk of wrongdoing to a parent. No one needed to know this, her latest fubar should not hold Alvin back.

“ No, its fine. You’re really amazing, just by saying yes to Alvin and me.”

“No need to thank me, its what friends would do. I am sure you would do the same if your house could fit me.”

“It wouldn’t even be worthy of you,” Wendy mumbled.

Cassie patted Wendy on her back, her log sized finger gently thumping against Wendy’s spine. Wendy guessed this was some attempt to perk her up but Cassie could have done it forever and it wouldn’t have removed the dark cloud over her.

 “ I’m fine Cassie, I really am,” Wendy said to her, not really keen to talk about anything. She just wanted to be alone.