'Since when do you have business cards?' Jess asked, looking at her sister.

'Since this is the twenty-first century.' Ash snorted.

'Thought that would be far too corporate for you?'

'Girl's got to make a living somehow.'

'And just getting a normal paying job would be too easy?'

Ash grimaced. 'Why would you wish something so mundane on me?' She placed her hand over her heart dramatically as she led them round the back of the police station.

'Might be an easier life for you,' Jess ventured, her teasing tone turning serious.

'Might be more boring too.'

Jess reached out and snagged her sister by the shoulder. 'It's not a cop out to have a nice, mundane, boring life.'

Ash sighed. 'We've had this conversation before.'

'But you never seem to listen.'

'I don't think it's me that doesn't listen.'

The sisters stared at each other before looking away.

'I just got here. Can we not fight?' Ash asked.

'I don't understand the aversion you have to doing things the normal way, especially after how we were raised.'

'Jess, you're more than welcome to live your life how you want. Did I kick up a fuss when you said you wanted to go to university? Did Nana?'

'No,' Jess grudgingly admitted.

'Then focus on that and let me live mine, okay?'

Jess shrugged, and Ash rubbed her head. It was an uneasy truce, but it was at least a ceasefire for now.

'Where'd you park?' Jess said, changing the subject.

'Behind the police van.'

Jess squinted, but couldn't make out much. The county must have been trying to save on electricity because almost all the street lights were off. She fished out her phone to guide their steps, though Ash seemed to have less trouble avoiding the cracks in the pavement.

Jess couldn't help but smile as they rounded the police van. Their Nana's RV stood just as large and awkward as she remembered from her childhood.

'You repainted it?' Jess asked, looking at the white paint job with blue stripes.

'Deep purple may have worked for Nana, but it didn't roll with me.'

'I still can't believe you kept it.'

'Couldn't imagine selling it. Besides, where else would I have lived? Can you imagine if I bought a two-storey townhouse in the suburbs? The locals would pitch a fit.' Ash laughed to herself as she fished the keys from her purse and unlocked the door, holding it open for Jess to go in first.

Jess paused in the area that functioned as kitchen, living room and greenhouse. The shape was how she remembered, but her sister must have spent months gutting the inside, because not a single surface was the same.

Gone was the patterned coarse carpet, and in its place a solid wooden floor. The grubby kitchen area had been upgraded, with sparkling appliances, and a new oven. It was still cramped, and cluttered, but there was more order to the chaos than when their Nana had been alive.

'This is...new,' Jess said.

'Redesigned it with the bit of money she left me. Needed a more workable space.'

Ash shut the door and took a seat behind the steering wheel.

'There's a pack of frozen veg in the freezer,' she said. 'For your hand,' she clarified when Jess looked confused.

'Oh. Right.' Jess turned, hiding her chagrin. She didn't have to hunt long to find the bag, there were only two things in the tiny freezer, and although she'd love to tuck into the rocky-road ice cream that was her sister's favourite, she was desperate to get back to her sorority house.

'I still can't believe you got caught.' Ash shook her head. 'Thought I'd taught you better than that.'

'It's not like they're pressing charges,' Jess muttered before wincing as she placed the cold bag of vegetables on her hand.

'True. Heard you gave that kid a right good clip.'

'You knew it was me?'

'I was the one that taught you how to throw a clean right hook, remember? Besides, if the guy is anything like his mother, then I'm not surprised you tried to teach him a lesson. You always had a bit of a temper on you,' Ash teased. 'Cops didn't notice your hand when they picked you up?'

'It was chaos when they arrived. They just started arresting everyone before really knowing what happened. I pretended to get my hand stuck in the police door before they could question me.'

Ash burst out laughing and slapped the steering wheel as they made their way out of the parking lot.

'That's the ticket. At least I don't have to worry about the cops calling me to say you've been arrested for assault.'

'I know how to cover my tracks,' defended Jess.

'That's true.'

'So what are you doing here?'

Ash glanced at her before turning back to the road. 'What do you mean, what am I doing here? The cops called me.'

Jess' brows furrowed. She was sure that when the university had asked her to fill out her next of kin, she'd deliberately missed a digit off her sister's number.

'I meant, what are you doing in Texas?' She recovered quickly. 'I thought you were in...Virginia?' She plucked the state name from her memory, eighty-three percent sure that was the correct one.

'I left Virginia a couple of months ago. I was in Sulphur Springs.'

'That's close...' Jess trailed off, waiting for her sister to elaborate.

'I had some stuff to wrap up there,' Ash said vaguely. 'And I wasn't going to miss my little sister's 21st birthday.' She reached over to ruffle Jess' hair, grinning when Jess batted her hand away.

'That's not for another month,' Jess pointed out, whilst using her good hand to smooth down her pixie bob.

'Well, I wasn't planning on being here quite this early, but I'm sure I'll find something to do until then.'

'You're staying?' choked Jess.

'Thought it might be nice. Do a bit of sisterly bonding.' Ash flashed her a grin before pulling up outside the sorority house.

'And where are you going to park the Monster?' Jess challenged.

Ash waved off her concerns. 'I've talked it over with the cops and they're happy for me to park here as long as I'm gone in the morning.'

'And after that?'

'I have a few ideas.' She smirked.

Jess rested her head against the headrest and counted to ten. Her sister was usually an airy fairy, but Jess had forgotten how much it could irritate her when she was on the receiving end of a live showing.

'Are you going to be okay here tonight?' She decided to let it drop. She was tired, smelled of vomit, and wanted her bed badly. There was no point asking her sister anymore tonight.

'I've got a generator connected to solar panels. Totally off grid,' she said proudly.

Jess tried not to show how impressed she was, because her sister would never let her live it down.

'I guess I'll see you tomorrow.' She handed back the soggy vegetables and made her way outside.

'Sweet dreams, Jesse,' her sister called.

'Ah, yeah, you too,' she said awkwardly before shuffling towards the house, hearing the RV door shut behind her.

Jess didn't feel better until she was inside and the door was closed firmly between her and the shambles that was her day. First, she had to stick up for Daryl by punching Gareth in the face. Then she got arrested. And now her sister was camped out on the road. How had things escalated so quickly?

She took her shoes off and tiptoed to her room. She'd made it to her bed when her roommate's bedside light switched on.

'Fuck. I thought I could get in without walking you,' Jess cursed.

Laura just crossed her hands across her chest. 'Like I was going to go to sleep when everyone's been buzzing about you getting arrested.'

'You know you shouldn't trust rumours.'

'Omg, it's true,' squealed Laura.

Jess rushed over and shushed her. 'Keep it down, Lau. I don't want the entire house waking up.'

'Okay. Okay. But you have to tell me what happened,' she begged.

Jess rubbed her head. She could feel a headache brewing above her left eye.

'It's really not that exciting.'

But Laura wasn't dissuaded as she scuttled to the bottom of her bed, waiting for the gossip to flow.

'You're not going to let this go, are you?' Jess sighed.

'Nope.'

Jess took two tablets from her bedside draw and swallowed them dry.

'It was a usual frat house against frat house brawl. Gareth said something to Daryl. Daryl reacted. Two of Gareth's cronies got involved. The next thing I know, Gareth's on the floor with a broken nose and the police are arriving.' Jess unlaced her trainers and avoided looking at the wide eye stare Laura was giving her.

'Someone said the whole frat house was arrested and Gareth was laid out in the hospital?'

Jess snorted. 'Not even close. It was a party, and they arrested about a quarter of the male swim team and a few of the football squad. Probably about twenty-seven of us in total. Nothing compared to the amount of people in the house. Gareth did go to the hospital but I heard he was fine. No lasting damage except to his ego.'

Laura's face fell, and Jess hid her smile. She wasn't sure what the rumour mill was selling, but clearly it was much better than the actual story.

'Was anyone charged?' Laura asked with a hopeful expression, wishing to salvage something.

'Not a single person.'

'Wow, that really is boring.'

'Told you.'

'And nothing else happened?' Laura clarified.

'It was just a regular party up till that point.' Jess shrugged.

'So how come it took so long for you to get home?'

Jess took her time pulling on her pjs and getting her bed ready before she answered. 'The police called my sister to come pick me up.'

Laura frowned. 'I didn't know you had a sister.'

'We're not close.'

'Let me guess, family drama coupled with having to pick you up from a police station? Bet she ripped you a new one then,' Laura said with sympathy.

'Exactly,' Jess lied.

'Don't let her get to you. Family is family. But sorority sisters are sisters for life. We got you.'

Jess shook her head, but an enormous smile stretched across her face. Laura was a bit of a nut, but she couldn't ask for a better roommate.

'Thanks Lau.'

'Just shut the curtains and we'll be even,' she said, crawling her way back under the covers, content now that she knew the rumours were largely exaggerated.

'I wondered why they were still open.' Normally, her roommate couldn't sleep if even an inch of light invaded their room.

Laura smiled sheepishly. 'I may have been looking out for you to come back.'

'At least some things don't change,' Jess muttered under her breath, too low for Laura to hear.

Movement outside caught her attention as the young deputy stepped out of his vehicle. Jess hid behind the curtain as he stared up at their lit window for a fraction of a second before focusing back on the RV.

Jess watched as he knocked and her sister opened the door, her silky nightgown like a second skin. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but after a brief pause, Ash invited him in.

Yep, some things don't change, she thought, and shut the curtains, welcoming the oblivion that sleep could grant her.