Glimmer stiffened slightly. It had been a long time since she’d gotten any kind of affection, but she soon melted into the touch.
“Honestly? I can’t believe I’m here.” She looked at her two old friends.
“I can’t either. I thought your ass moved to another state or something,” Deja responded.
“Move out of The Bay? Never,” Glimmer said, and she meant that. No matter how bad things had gotten, it had never been in her heart or her father’s heart to move. Desmore Bay was home. Camille, on the other hand, would have gone wherever the damn money was.
“I know that’s right,” Kyomi said, and then her expression turned thoughtful. “I still don’t really get why you never reached out. I mean, I know your dad said it was best, but still . . .”
Glimmer understood where Kyomi was coming from. They were more than friends once upon a time. They were sisters. Back then, there was never a world in which they lost touch with each other.
“I guess there was just something about the way my dad changed after your dad died, Ky. He was sad all the time. He lost his spark, for real. I never wanted to do anything to make things harder on him or to make him sadder. My mom did enough of that.”
Deja snorted. “Mrs. Camille never changed, did she?”
Glimmer’s eyebrow arched. “She did.” She paused for dramatic effect. “Her ass got worse.”
The three of them giggled. There had always been a dilemma between the three when they were younger. Glimmer’s house was the most fun, and when Juke was around, he let them get away with murder and spoiled them rotten, but Camille was the worst to be around. She was mean and wouldn’t let them do anything. Deja’s house wasn’t big like Kyomi’s and Glimmer’s, but her mama cooked the best home-cooked meals. Kyomi’s house was okay, but Haze was way too overprotective and always in their business, which normally meant they took their chancesat Glimmer’s. The three of them spent the most time there, but it didn’t go without a lot of talking shit about Camille. Glimmer never blamed them for it either. Not once. As a matter of fact, she was the main ringleader when it came to the Camille hate train.
“I can’t imagine a worse Camille. Remember the time she made us give her a damn pedicure because we got caught sneaking out?” Deja asked.
Kyomi’s eyes grew wide. “And you know I have an issue with feet. I kept gagging, which only pissed her off more.”
Glimmer chuckled. “And I couldn’t stop laughing because you kept gagging. It pissed my mama off so bad.”
“Why was that her form of punishment anyway? Normal parents would ground you or something. She never grounded you,” Deja asked with her nose scrunched up.
Glimmer shook her head. “Nope. She just lived to make my life hell.”
Deja shook her head. “Damn shame.”
“I am worried about her though. She and Trick always seemed to get along okay, but that could have changed when I ran. What if he thinks she was in on it?”
“Do you know her number? You can use my phone to call her,” Kyomi suggested as she pulled her phone out of the pocket of her joggers.
Glimmer’s eyes lit up. One thing her father always instilled in her was to always memorize the numbers of the people closest to her. She grabbed the phone and muttered, “Thank you,” before she dialed her mom’s phone.
“Don’t even worry about it. I’ll mention to Haze that you need a phone. You aren’t a prisoner here, you know?” Kyomi asked as if she wasn’t really sure Glimmer knew that or not.
She hadn’t, actually. It was why she hadn’t asked for anything. She was so used to being a damn prisoner that ithadn’t even been a thought that these people who loved her like family didn’t look at her as leverage or an item.
All Glimmer could do was nod as she brought the phone up to her ear. With bated breath, she listened to the ringing and wondered what the hell she would say to her mother if Camille answered.
“Hello?”
Glimmer gasped, completely unprepared to hear her mother’s voice so quickly. The phone had only rung three times.
“Mama?”
“Glimmer? Where in the absolute fuck are you, chile? Do you know the mess you’ve caused? All that fuckin’ money you wasted because of the stunt you pulled yesterday?” Camille chastised.
Glimmer frowned. “I . . . I know, Mama. I just, I couldn’t do it. I?—”
“I don’t want to hear your excuses, little girl. I want you to bring your asshome. Where are you? Matter of fact, here. Talk to your damnfiancé.”
Glimmer heard shuffling and muffled voices as she tried to process her mother’s words. She didn’t expect Camille to be overly concerned for her, but she at least expected her mother to care a little bit.
Before Glimmer could even blink, Trick’s cold voice came over the phone. “Where the fuck you at, Glimmer?”
