What did that make me?
Every problem I had in life related back to Pierce. “It’s time to make Pierce pay,” I said between gritted teeth, staring not at Pearl but the tall building that loomed behind her.
If anger manifested as a building, it would be the new ten-story one at the end of Main Street. The sleek black design signified everything Pelican Bay wasn’t.
If my friends didn’t care about the town, I’d do what I had to do alone.
Pearl took the megaphone from my hands and I allowed her. She liked to shout stuff through it as much as I did.
“I thought we had proof Pierce wasn’t involved in this project.”
Together we walked Main Street until we hit the caution tape stretched out around the building, which a few days prior had been the scene of a terrible accident.
Pearl missed the point. It didn’t matter if Pierce wasn’t exactly involved. The culprit shared his genetic code. Therefore I considered it close enough.
“It’s a Kensington, so it’s practically the same.”
Stupid Pierce and the stupid Kensington family. They were taking over the town. I understood our chances of limiting their expansion were slim, but it didn’t mean I’d stop trying. We didn’t have the money the Kensington family did, but if I could be a small thorn in Pierce’s side, I would take it.
Pearl stopped paying attention to me as her gaze swooped to the side when we approached the caution tape. She clicked her tongue once, making a tsk sound as I stood beside her with my head shaking in dismay. So much destruction, and I wasn’t even here to see it happen—a pity.
The air felt thicker this close to the building, and while most of the dust had settled, scaffolding debris left a thin layer of soot over the street and adjoining buildings. The windows were thick with the dust on the tall building. Only the ones attached to the much smaller, more acceptable flower shop beside the monstrosity of a building had been cleaned.
The tiny building, which served as a flower shop for as long as I could remember was overshadowed by the large Kensington building.
“Pierce and his cousin are a public health risk,” I said while swishing my hand in front of my face to exaggerate the dust particles still in the air. Truly some of the heaviness may have been caused by the thick humidity that clung to my skin, but it was more fun to blame it on Pierce. “Look how unsafe this entire operation is. He endangered the whole town,” I said waving my hands at the destruction.
The tall building should have been finished in the next month, November at the latest, but now the whole project was put on hold. Finally, somebody at City Hall saw the light of day. Eventually Pierce or someone else would pay the money needed to get work started again, but hopefully they wouldn’t allow another Kensington project to go ahead in the future.
It was distasteful.
The building next to the Kensington skyscraper wasn’t so much a regular flower shop as a small plant and garden store. It was one of the last remaining buildings in Pelican Bay that Pierce hadn’t gobbled up. It’s brick façade matched the same feel as the rest the buildings of downtown and stood only two stories tall like any proper building.
Pierce walked through town acting like he’d buy anything he wanted, but he hadn’t been able to buy the owner of the little shop beside him. I hoped her building always stood there as a reminder of something Pierce couldn’t buy with a big check.
Just like me.
Pierce might have more money than the US Mint, but my heart would never be for sale.
I glanced one last time at the building, highlighting the differences between the old brick one and the new colossal disaster.
Voices broke my concentration, and I turned with my power smile fully on display as I clapped my hands once. “Okay, ladies, let’s line up and get started.”
Thirteen, not including Pearl and me, women from the Women’s Auxiliary lined up in a straight line on the sidewalk where it hadn’t been cordoned off, their signs at the ready.
Pearl and I made this ragtag group of stay-at-home mothers and retirees into a mean green protesting machine. The Army didn’t have anything on me.
Pearl whipped her long gray braid behind her shoulder and clapped her hands twice while scowling at Rhonda McKay at the back of the line who had too much space between her and the person in front of her.
“Let’s go. Places, everyone. Rhonda, move up, please.”
Rhonda scowled back at Pearl and shook her head. “Last time Heather whipped her sign around and hit me in the face.”
Heather, the woman in front turned around with her mouth hanging open in shock. “That’s Mrs. Saxton to you.” Then she flipped back and chose to ignore everyone.
Dissention amongst the ranks would have to be handled at a different time. We had a protest to take care of this afternoon. I flipped my sign twice in my hand and read the new message. Rain during our last protest ruined my previous sign, and I hated having to make new ones. It was hard to rhyme shit with Pierce, but I never liked to use the same saying twice.
“Fierce against Pierce” was written in thick black block letters across the entire poster board, which I reinforced with a piece of foam board behind it. This simple slogan would be useful in just about every protest in Pelican Bay. I always linked it back to Pierce. Really my ability was a gift.
