Free Inside Girl by J. Minter

him or something. Nobody really knows the details, and probably the two sets of parents don’t even remember anymore, but the end result is that they hate each other and never ever want their kids to be dating. So Mickey and Philippa are like Romeo and Juliet, because they always have to keep it a secret when they’re going out. For a while it seemed like they were actually broken up for good, because Philippa announced that she was a lesbian, but then she broke up with this way-irritating girl she was seeing and decided she wanted to be with Mickey again after all.
    It was a weird situation, but I really admired how Philippa went out and reinvented herself and tried something crazy and different and risky. I don’t think I’m going to start dating girls anytime soon, but I know in my life how important it is to change and experiment with stuff, so I guess I always kind of looked up to Philippa for giving the lesbian thing a try.
    Anyway, none of this explained why she was sittingin my living room, crying, in the middle of the night. I was so surprised to see her there that I dropped Noodles, who quickly scrambled across the living room. He jumped onto her lap and tried to lick away her tears.
    â€œDown, down, little guy!” Philippa pushed at Noodles, laughing a little despite herself. “Why does your dog smell like Chinese food?”
    Before I could answer, Patch came out of the kitchen, eating a sandwich.
    â€œHey, sis,” he said as he went up the stairs. “New dog?”
    â€œYeah. So what’s going on here?”
    â€œPhilippa ran away from home,” Patch yelled down the stairs. “I guess she’ll crash with us for a while.”
    I nodded, still confused. “What happened?”
    â€œI had a terrible fight with my folks,” Philippa said, staring down into her lap. “God, it was so unbelievable. We were all just beginning to speak to one another again, and then when they found Mickey sleeping in my bedroom, they just totally—”
    â€œFlipped out? Oh, I could tell you some stories.” Sara-Beth flung herself down on the couch dramatically. “It’s a horrible thing, having a mom and a dad.”
    â€œYeah. They can be such assholes.” Philippa blew her nose loudly. SBB nodded.
    â€œAnd those snakes are out for every cent they can get,” SBB said. “That’s why you’re going to need a good lawyer—the best.”
    I thought of Judith’s father. Maybe I could send some business his way.
    â€œBut I’m not just mad at them. I’m pissed at Mickey too. He totally bailed on me. He thinks this is all just a big joke.” Philippa slumped back on the couch. “The minute they found him, he was out the window. Literally. He sprained his ankle! Sometimes I think he doesn’t care about me at all—he just likes me because I’m a challenge. First he can’t have me because of my folks, then he can’t have me because I’m into girls. But whoo-flippin’-hoo, once he gets me, he just totally flakes out. He just treats me like a girlfriend, not like a real friend, you know?”
    â€œThat’s terrible.” I sat down on the couch. It sort of sounded like Philippa was overreacting—Mickey was a good guy, from what I knew about him—but then again I hadn’t heard the whole story. Noodles jumped into my lap and I scratched his belly. “So let me get this straight: your parents found Mickey in your room, Mickey totally bailed on you, and you came here to get away from all of them?”
    â€œBasically, yeah. Plus my parents might be suing the Pardos, but that’s a whole other issue. Sorry toburden you guys.” Philippa covered her face with her hands. “It’s all a huge mess. I just need someone to talk to, I guess.”
    â€œI love these late-night chats.” Sara-Beth grinned. “It’s like a sleepover.”
    â€œIt kind of