Page 38 of Roses, Pearls, and Hot Summer Nights
I whirled around as Barrett groaned. “Really?” he asked dryly.
I didn’t have time to question his tone, too happy to see my wallet being offered to me. I took it, quickly opening it to check for the credit card. My fingers slid across the plastic surface, relief surging through me as I practically beamed up at the stranger.
“You found it?” I wondered if it fell out of my pocket when we made impact, since I vaguely recognized him as the man I bumped. I could’ve sworn he walked away in a hurry, but maybe he saw it …
“No,” Julian said as he squeezed me from behind. “This is Phoenix, our younger brother.”
Barrett smacked him in the shoulder. “What the fuck were you thinking?”
Their youngest brother shrugged. “Having some fun. What’s the big deal? I gave it back in two minutes. I didn’t use anything. Didn’t steal her credit card. Relax. It was a joke.”
A joke?My heart still thudded, but upon further inspection, I actually should’ve noticed he was their brother. It seemed so obvious once I looked at them all together. His hair reminded me of Julian and Barrett’s, his blue eyes practically a copy ofJulian’s too. Unlike his brothers, though, his sharp face seemed more oval, with higher cheekbones and starker eyes. I glanced down at his feet—sneakers. I might not recognize the brand, but I could see custom anime characters painted on the scuffed leather. I shook my head, making my decision.Custom. Rich boy sneakers.
Another glance at his face made me rethink my initial assessment, his haunted gaze capturing mine like a trap. The dark circles under his eyes spoke of an exhaustion like I’d never seen before, not that I knew what it meant.Is he sick? Tired?I reminded myself it wasn’t any of my business before I could ask and pursed my lips together to hold any stray questions inside.
“What’s going on?” Jeremy asked as he joined us. “Phoenix?”
“He stole her wallet for a minute,” Julian said then sighed.
“What?” Jeremy rounded on him as Barrett stepped between them.
The oldest Lent said, “You don’t know this girl. You can’t just go around stealing people’s wallets. Is that a thing for you now?”
A glance between the brothers made me wonder if the moment for me to make my escape arrived. Despite an overall good morning, I wasn’t interested in their family drama, and Phoenix’s arrival seemed to usher us into that territory, so I turned and walked away. Better if I reminded myself I didn’t belong there with them, anyway.
I didn’t understand how family dynamics worked, and besides—if I wasn’t careful, I would end up at the end of a hallway while a group of cheerleaders laughed at me … again.Then there would be meetings. Guidance counselors. Principals. My family. I shook my head, disinterested in a replay of the previous experiences. I wouldn’t let it happen again, not even if it seemed inevitable.
“Alatheia,” Jeremy caught up to me, grabbing my arm. “Don’t go. This is just Phoenix. He’s … different. Don’t leave.”
“It was a joke,” he yelled after us, shoving both hands into his pockets and puckering out his lip in rebellion. “What is the big deal?”
The big deal?I almost gave him my thoughts on random robberies, but I managed to snap my mouthclosed. Smarter to go home and work onPoor Relationthan take part in their familial dramas, I reminded myself, palms up as I turned to leave again.
“Hey,” Jeremy repeated. “Talk to me. Phoenix did a shit thing, but no harm done, right?”
No harm done?I breathed slowly through my nose as a spike of fury hit me. Way, way smarter to go home, if my terror meant nothing to them.
I wouldn’t be rude to their grandmother, but I was done with the Lent brothers. If my chest felt tight in the way that it did when I was terrified, well, I would just ignore that and keep putting one foot in front of the other. No one ever cared if I was scared.
Someday … someone would care.
I sketched all day,made puppets, and then started the storyline for my next episode. The view count of the last episode made me happy—just the right amount for a new upload. Every time I released, my big hope was more people would watch it compared to the last episode. I should monetize my work eventually, but I didn’t currently have a bank account, nor a way to open one, so I couldn’t get paid even if I tried to monetize. Still, I loved when people watched, and even more when they messaged me begging for more episodes. In some small way, it connected us, making acommunity, meaning someone out there understood what I felt when I made the work.
Or maybe I was overthinking it.
I lay down on my bed with a flop and stared up at the ceiling while twirling a lock of my hair in my fingers. Jeremy had walked me home, where Julian and Barrett caught up with us. Not that it mattered, since I didn’t say a word to any of them, closing the door in their faces once I made it inside.Is that rude?
Probably.I wasn’t sure if I cared.
Grabbing the book Julian picked for me from the library, I read for a while, hoping for the story to take me away, but my thoughts kept distracting me. The front door opened and closed, a sign my aunt had arrived home. I heard her voice on the phone, a familiar enough evening sound that I breathed in slowly before I glanced at the clock. Sunday tomorrow, so I would be mostly alone in the house, which worked well for me. Currently, it was past dinner time, not that I thought my aunt would come find me for food.
It seemed as though the last few days were a dream when I thought about them. A lovely dream, one where a normal girl living in New York could be wined and dined and attended by three different beautiful men. I had to admit, even Phoenix carried the family’s lovely genes, despite the dark circles under his haunted eyes … Though I just met him, I wondered how his kiss would differ from that of his brothers.
I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, my lips still a bit upturned with the idea of his mouth on mine. I awoke with a jolt when the door hit the wall what felt like seconds later. The noise still resounded, but the darkness of the room suggested more time passed than I’d realized. I grabbed my blankets and pulled them up to my neck automatically, as if the fabric might offer some small protection from whatever barged into my room.Sleep isn’t ever safe. I gritted my teeth, annoyed because I’d forgotten for a moment, become complacent.
My aunt crossed her arms over her chest in the doorway of my room, backlit like some horror movie killer. “Someone is at the door for you. Why are you in bed? I thought you had plans today? I was so relieved when you stopped hanging around the house regularly. It’s nine in the evening. You should be out.”
I nodded, scooting automatically off the edge of the bed, not wanting to speak with her. It was easier if I stayed silent. She didn’t get upset if I said nothing, if I just obeyed her. She might hate my existence, but she could at least forget about me if I went quiet.
