"I've been taking lessons from Violet," I assured her. "We drop everything to help the ones who help us, kid. Those are the rules of the rainbow."
"Think Zeke can get a color?" she asked.
"He'll have to earn it," I told her. "All of us have."
"I didn't!"
"You did," I countered. "I think Violet gave you a color because you got over cutting."
"Oh." She sucked on her lower lip for a little bit. "I'm just glad you don't hate him. People say he's trailer trash and trouble."
I reached over to clasp the back of her neck. "They say the same things about us, cupcake. People talk, and they'll say what they can to make themselves feel better, even if it means making you feel worse in the process."
"I know, but that doesn't mean I have to like it," she pointed out.
"No, it doesn't," I agreed.
Chapter Forty-Two
Kindle called three times that day. I ignored two of them, but the last came when I'd just gotten out of the shower. Ash was downstairs. Everyone else was busy, and I knew he wasn't going to give up. Besides, I was curious. I needed to know his side of things so I could make sense of it all in my head.
"What?" I answered.
"Cy!" Kindle breathed on the other end. "I..."
"What?" I asked again, a little less angry this time.
"I wanted to talk. I miss you, and I don't know what's going on," he said.
"We're not getting back together," I told him, making sure that was clear and there was no room for a misunderstanding.
"I've been trying to find a job," he told me. "There's not a whole lot out here, but I'm in Sherman, and there's a few accounting positions. They don't pay much, but the cost of living is basically nothing."
"Welcome to the country," I said, "but whyhere,Kindle?"
"Because you're here," he said, the words turning breathy. "I miss you, Cy."
"You cheated on me," I reminded him, easing back to lie on my bed.
"I made a mistake," he admitted. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't think, and I screwed up. I swear I will never do it again. I just never saw you, and I felt like I was all alone half the time because of your hours, and it happened. I'm not proud that it happened, but it was a mistake, and I ended it right there."
"Bullshit." I wasn't even pissed anymore. I was just tired of playing his games.
"It's not!" he insisted.
"Do you have any idea how many times I went past that apartment? Job interviews, to meet someone, or any of a million reasons. I drove past there a lot, and I saw his car, Kindle. Day in and day out. Even when you were at work, he was still there."
"It wasn't his car," he insisted.
And for a moment, I almost believed him. It had been a little grey sedan, the typical four-door thing that looked like a dozen others - but there was one little difference. The legal weed sticker on the back had been a little unique, and I'd seen it when they'd gone out to have a boy's night. I'd also seen it in that parking lot.
"It was," I finally said. "Kindle, lying to me isn't helping you any."
"Is anything?" he snapped. "You're sleeping with that model!"
And for a second, my mind went straight to Violet. Right on the heels of that, I realized he meant Ash. "He's a fashion designer now, actually."
"He was a model when you met him," Kindle grumbled.
