"We all have our skill sets." I suppose, but that would never be one I care to have. I don't want to be good with the ladies. I want to be good with Kindred. That's what matters.
"How long are you home for?" He didn't tell me he was headed back this way. Ethan doesn't have to, but we are friends and talk here and there. We don't communicate as much when we're not in the same location, but we still maintain contact.
I might not want to live my life the way Ethan does, but he's a good man, and all that other shit isn't my business. The same as I don't want him thinking mine is his.
“Not sure. I’ve got decisions I need to make.” I nod and pick up a few more things off the floor. I’ll call Handy Buck to see about handling the word written across the wall.”
It’s a fucking stupid word to use about Kindred. Now I’m pondering if it might be more self-reflection about the person who put it there.
“I think I got all I need.” Kindred is holding a gold sparkly bag that appears stuffed full. Good, it’s less stuff she’ll have to bring over once she eventually moves in with me. The more of her things she leaves around my place, the better. Her eyes linger on the wall graffiti for a few moments.
“Come, Cupcake. I want us out of here.” She does as I ask, slipping her hand into mine.
“I’ll be over shortly so we can talk.”
“Sounds good,” I tell Ethan because I want to get to my computer and pull things up. I could do it on my phone, but acomputer is better. Either way, I don’t want Kindred to have to stay here a second longer.
"You all right?" I ask her when we pull away from her place and head toward what I'm hoping will beourhome very soon.
"I should probably be freaked out, but I'm more sad and disappointed. Isn't that strange?"
"No." I saw the sadness all over her beautiful face. "You want to see the good in people, and you want people to be good. I'm sure it's irking you that a local might have done this."
"Exactly." I glance over at her to see a small smile now. "I'm starting to think you get me way more than I know." She may joke about how obsessed I am with her, but it’s one thousand percent the truth. I’ve made it my mission to know every single detail about her.
“You’re starting to get it, Cupcake.” I wink at her to try to lighten the mood a bit. That gets me a small smile, but the sadness lingers still.
“You want to tell me about the other things you put together?” I go back to her comment from before. “Or do you want to wait for your brother to meet us?”
“There were prank calls. I thought it was silly at first, but now I'm not sure how I feel about it. One was especially disturbing, now that I look back. I honestly wasn’t taking them seriously. I thought maybe it was a bored kid messing around.” With each word, I get more pissed. "They said, ‘You could die.’ I know that sounds awful, but it wasveryScreammovie lingo. At least that's what I was chalking it up to be."
"I've never seen it, so I'll take your word for it."
"Part of the movie is comical with being over-the-top." Kindred puffs a breath. "And I'm making excuses for whoever that was. I guess, again, I just didn't want it to be anything past a stupid high school prank call. If it wasn’t, then I’d have to dealwith the thought that a person is out there thinking these things about me."
When I glance over at her again, Kindred's shoulders are tucked inward. She's retreating into herself.
"There are crazy people out there, and they sure as shit don't need a reason to be crazy."
"But it could have been something I did. What if I really upset someone?" She shakes her head. "Maybe I joke around and tease too much." She turns to stare out the window. "I thought we were all in on the jokes."
That pisses me off more. This asshat has her questioning herself. Has her questioning who and what she is to this town.
"Babe, you can't let this person get in your head that way. The ‘whore’ might be referring to your brother." I see her fight a smile. "He's got a thing for glitter too," I tease her.
She glitter bombed someone recently; she was sure a man was stalking her and Candy. Kindred wasn't wrong, but he was stalking them because he was paid by Hollis to do so. Kindred sprayed him with hairspray and doused the man in glitter. When she was caught red-handed, she tried to plant evidence on me. It took all my strength to keep a straight face during that ordeal.
"He has a thing for glitter?"
"I mean, he has a thing for strippers. I think the glitter might be a by-product."
"Oh my God." A small laugh leaves her that dies quickly. "Wait, do you and my brother go to strip clubs together?"
"Fuck no." I cringe at the thought.
"Then how do you know this?" All sadness has left her, and now her ire is aimed right at me.
I'll take it. When it comes to Kindred, I'll take whatever I have to so my sweet girl is never sad. Kindred is all bright light, and I won't let anyone try to dim her flame.
