Enzo pulled himself up from his position leaning against the counter and clumsily took a seat at the table.
"What boy?" He asked.
Taylor tipped her head back and laughed. "Mark? Really?"
"I saw you," Bets hissed.
Taylor lifted a brow. "You saw me? So what. I can't talk to Mark?"
"You weren't just talking to him," Bets yelled. "You were fucking all over him."
"What?" Taylor stared at her with mock incredulity, a teasing smile playing on her lips.
"You see, that's what I'm fucking talking ‘bout," Kanani said. "This shit. Sluttin’ around with the brahs, with people's dads and shit."
The room went silent.
Steve took two steps toward them and then froze.
Bets’ gaze dropped to the table.
"What are you talking about?" Enzo said to Kanani, who crossed her arms and sat back, dark eyes boring into Taylor.
Enzo turned to Taylor. "What is she talking about?"
Taylor reached a hand up to sweep her hair over her shoulders. "I have no idea," she said quietly.
"Yeah, you do," Bets growled. "Carrie told me about finding you…"
"Hey, shut up!" Steve interrupted, his complexion suddenly florid. Bets’ eyes darted in his direction and her nostrils flared, the words dying out on her lips. But Kanani had gone over the edge. She banged the table with the palm of her hand.
"Ahh, shit, what'd you do? Nah, nah, nah. Wait. No. This is what I want to know. Why me and Serene find you at her house the other day looking cozy with that batshit crazy hippy mother fucker, Darpan?"
Taylor rolled her eyes and pushed herself up to a standing position. "You're drunk."
"Yeah, I know I'm drunk. But I also know what I saw, slut. That money he said you went drop."
Taylor's tan face turned an ashy shade of grey, her blue eyes stark against features that seemed to visibly shrink before their eyes. Her chest rose and fell like she'd recently been jogging.
Serene felt sick. "Are you sleeping with him? With Darpan? For money?" It was hard for her to get the words out, like it required extra oxygen to ask the question. Taylor's hand rested on the back of her chair. The pause was too long. The “no” came too late.
Enzo flew out of his seat.
Steve was quicker, catching him within an inch of Taylor, who stood very still in her little black dress. Enzo elbowed Steve in his ribs, sending a gasp of pain shooting out of his mouth, but Kanani already had Steve's back, grabbing Enzo's other arm.
"She ain't worth it, brah," Kanani yelled in his ear over the string of Italian epithets he shouted in Taylor's face.
Taylor's left eye jumped, and her mouth worked at itself, but mostly what Serene noticed was fear, the fear of a cornered animal. Was she crazy? Serene thought. Darpan didn't even have his own money; everything he got was from Ramani, money that belonged to her family, and he was giving it to Taylor, fucking Taylor right under their noses. The rage that came over Serene was stifling. She couldn't seem to find what she wanted to say to this girl, nor was she prepared for the intense feeling of shame that flooded her senses, a hot sour sensation that singed her nasal passages.
Hands all over. The breathing. Hot. Sour.
Serene cupped her hand over her mouth, catching the wine that shot up her throat, dribbling between her fingers.
"Get out!" Enzo yelled, straining away from Steve and Kanani, who still held him back.
Bets had shrunk into herself as the scene played out. Taylor did not have to be told twice. She grabbed her purse with a trembling hand and slipped out the back door. It took another full minute of holding onto Enzo before he was calm enough for them to release. Revenge thwarted, he took his temper out on Taylor's vacated chair, kicking it violently. It crashed into the stove, one of the wooden legs cracking.
50
Barbara - March 2020
"Barbie." Barbara's grandmother, Maggie, stood in the open doorway, her glasses pushed down to just above her nostrils as she peered over them at her granddaughter. She held a hardback novel, holding the pages open to where she'd left off reading when the doorbell rang.
"Hi. Can I come in?"
There was the slightest hesitation and then, "Of course. Please, come on in." She stepped aside to let Barbara by, the faint smell of Light Blue wafting off her clothes. Her signature scent. Maggie closed her book and shut the door, running her tongue over her lips, a shade of orange that made Barbara think of Halloween cupcake frosting.
"How's your mother?"
Barbara took a seat on one of the floral printed shabby chic chairs and her grandmother sat in the other, sliding her glasses back up and flashing Barbara a quick tight smile.
"Um, she has good and bad days."
"Is her memory improving?"
"She still has amnesia. It might be a while before her memory comes back."
"I'm sorry, Barbara. It's really very unfortunate."
Barbara couldn't think of a single thing to say. Maybe it was because her Grandma Maggie talked to her like an acquaintance, showing polite concern that left Barbara cold. Her grandmother's sharp blue eyes took her in, head cocked. A year ago, she'd chopped all her hair off and dyed it a carrot red. The effect was jolting. It made her face appear longer, the features more severe. Barbara never really knew how to be around any of her grandparents. Grandma Maggie and Grandpa Ron lived across the street, yet seemed to take minimal interest in their grandchildren. They never came over. If Barbara or her sister and brother wanted to visit, they had to take initiative. Usually, visits were facilitated by their father or Aunt Carrie. Grandma Maggie did most of the socializing when they did stop by, but there was a coolness to her. Grandpa Ron typically said little. Mostly he sat taciturn in front of the
