Page 71 of Saving Barrette

“Then you grab them.”

I cross my arms over my chest, smiling. “Nope. You’re the one that said you love grocery shopping.”

Yep. We’re arguing next to the feminine products because neither one of us wants to put the tampons in the cart. Finally, it’s me who reaches for the box and tosses them in the cart. “You’re being ridiculous,” I tell him, wondering how he was raised by a single mom and feared tampons.

“I don’t fear them,” he lies, pushing the cart forward into the frozen food section. He doesn’t let us buy fresh fruit. We have to buy frozen because apparently it’s a waste of money to buy fresh ones.

“Bullshit.” While I stand next to the cold glass doors, uninterested in his rambling over the price of frozen fruit, a group of girl’s stroll past us, giggling and trying to capture our attention. “Can you reach that bag of blackberries for us?” One asks, motioning toward the top shelf. I recognize them from campus but I don’t know their names, or care for that matter.

I reach for the bag and hand it to them. “Here you go.” They smile and flirt asking if I’m Asa Lawson. I nod. “I suppose I am,” I tell them, closing the door behind me. I’d rather stick my head inside the freezer behind me than have a conversation with anyone today.

Thankfully they leave after telling us good luck in the upcoming game.

Halfway through the trip, our conversation shifts from my lack of money management, thank God, to the bowl game in a week. Everything is crazy at the moment and the bowl game is the last thing on my mind. It needs to be number one and it’s Terrell that reminds me of where my focus needs to be.

“No matter how much you stress out about this, it’s not going to change the outcome,” he tells me, checking the price of pizza rolls. His downfall. He eats them every night after practice. “It’s out of your hands and hers.”

He’s right. I can worry myself to death about what’s going to happen, but it’s not changing anything. I nod and try to focus on anything but Barrette and Roman. It’s useless. Like it or not, my thoughts are intent on making sure she’s okay through the entire process. I pushed her to file charges and if this breaks her, it’s on me.

“She’s stronger than ya think, A.” He tosses a bag in the cart. “And I got your back. I’m not going to let anything happen to either one of you.”

I also know what he’s implying. It’s not just Barrette’s case that’s bothering me. I fear our bowl game because our team isn’t the same since the rape charges became public knowledge. Not only is Barrette restricted from attending the game because of the restraining order, Roman holds a lot more clout on the team than I gave him credit for and like it or not, the dynamic changed the day of that fight on campus.

“You’re the captain of the team and I guarantee you, they’ve got your back just the same.” I try to listen to him, but it’s distracting when he’s now searching through his coupons in his hand as we’re at the register. He hands me a stack. “Be useful. Look for the one on this shampoo. It’s in there somewhere.”

To piss him off, right before the cashier reads the total, I toss a bag of Sour Patch Kids on the scale and hold my hands up. “Can’t take it back now. It’s already scanned.”

He glares at me, which, if you knew Terrell, his glare is fucking intimidating as hell. “You just threw off my entire budget by 99 cents.”

Remind me never to go with him again.

The cashier smiles as she counts out the money Terrell hands her. He even gives her exact change.

Back at the house, the girls are baking pies together. I have to admit, this part of living off campus and coming home to a house that smells like apple pie is totally worth it. Maybe not worth Terrell and his constant need to budget everything from our groceries to the exact amount of time we can spend in the shower every morning, but worth it to see Barrette’s face every night before I fall asleep.

As we put away the groceries, Joey holds up the box of tampons and laughs. “You can’t expect me to use these ones. Take them back. I don’t want a vagina full of cotton pieces.”

His eyebrows raise fractionally. “Why would there be cotton pieces in your vagina?”

Beside me, Barrette starts giggling, her cheeks tinted pink with embarrassment. “I can’t even believe we’re having this conversation.”

“Because they’re cheap and the cotton in them doesn’t absorb. It just comes apart. Trust me, I’m a girl and I’ve tried them all.”

Terrell shrugs. “They were a dollar cheaper than the Tampax brand. Just use them.”

She tosses the box at his head. “Then you’re getting the cheaper version of sex next time.”

“What’s the cheaper version of sex?” He stops what he’s doing and stares at her, a bag of whole carrots in his hand. He won’t let us buy baby carrots. Nope. You have to buy the whole ones and cut them down to baby sizes.

Smiling at him, Joey makes a jacking off motion.

He grabs the box and his receipt. “Fine. I’ll get the Tampax brand.”

I pull the Sour Patch Kids from my pocket and send them Barrette’s way. “He’s a nightmare.”

She laughs and eats the green ones. “You’re telling me. Last week he made me brush my teeth with toothpaste he made from scratch. It was awful and I still can’t feel my tongue.”

I wrap my arm around her shoulder. “Is that pie for me?”

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