Page 44 of The Last Man on Earth
That’s the reason she freaked out about the storm and the snake. Two small things that weren’t really anything. She cracked because she couldn’t control what was happening. Only reason she didn’t freak out on the plane is because she was in work mode, and that was still under her control.
Out here?
We ain’t runnin’shit.
And that’s hard for her.
“What about you?” she says suddenly, breaking me out of my thoughts.
I smirk. “Now you know good and well I wear the pants.”
She smiles knowingly, butmysmile fades quick. Because hearing the words come out my mouth got me thinking now. “Truth is…I don’t even know if that shit is real,” I say. “Like, the respect I get, is it because of who I am? Is it cuz I’m capable, or is it just because I’m the one with all the money?”
She stops smiling, furrowing her brow, listening intently.
“I can’t lie, it’s been a few times that, way in the back of my mind, I wondered if the money wasn’t there…if I wasn’tVillain…would anybody stick around? Would they listen? Would they give a fuck?” I stare at the flames. “But it’s whatever.”
“It bothers you,” she says gently.
I shrug, not trusting myself to answer.
She sighs, pushing to her feet. “I’m gonna brush my teeth and go to bed.”
She takes a few steps, then pauses, glancing back. “And you can wash my hair tomorrow.”
I grin. A warm feeling washes over me, and I don’t even try to hide how happy I am.
“Looking forward to it.”
DAY 6
Chapter 21
Villain
We take the longway to Ari’s ocean today. She’s still jumpy about that damn snake. But I don’t mind. I’ll walk miles around this whole damn island if it keeps her calm.
Once we break through the trees, she goes straight to the HELP sign. It still looks decent after we fixed it yesterday, but she squats down anyway, tidying up the letters, making sure they’re crispy like it’s her job and the rent is due. I head the other way to see if I can’t find us some crabs.
My search only yields a tiny one hiding under a large grey rock. I let it scurry away, thinking I’ll come back tomorrow and watch for patterns in the tide. That way, I’ll know exactly when to hunt for them.
If we’re still here tomorrow.
Ari calls to me as I’m approaching her. “I think we should add a big arrow,” she says. “That way if anybody flies over, they know to look past the tree line.”
“That’s a good idea.”
She smiles and inclines her head for me to follow. Together, we gather more seaweed, dragging it across the sand until we’ve shaped it into an arrow that points back into the forest.
We make a good team together.
When we’re done, I point to the ocean. “Hair time.”
I don’t know why I’m so geeked about this shit.
She lays everything out on the sand—body wash, conditioner, a comb, a hair circle thing, and a little flip-up mirror. The setup makes me laugh. “What you want me to do with all this?”
“All you have to do is wash it,” she says. “I’m gonna do the rest.”
