She carried on yapping at me like a goddamn ankle biter all the way to the door.
“What the fuck did you just say?” I paused, one hand on the door as I glanced over my shoulder at her with as much annoyance as I could muster.
She squinted, her smirk freezing on her face.
“What?” she grunted.
“That word… you were throwing out words you couldn’t possibly spell, I was just wondering if you even knew what it meant?”
For a minute, I thought she was going to swing. The silence brewed, and those too-long nails curled into a fist as her jaw set.
“Ah, never mind, I’m sure you saw it sprayed on the trailer park dumpster or something.” I jerked the door open.
She shot in front of me and forced it to close again.
“I’m not some ignorant bitch you’re going to talk to in just any type of way,” Debi informed me, while blinking like an eyelash was about to come off.
She might have been cute if she wasn’t such an annoying cunt. Freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose and her eyes were suddenly more green than blue.
“I didn’t notice anybody out here trying to speak with you to begin with. I’m trying to find a drink and something that hasn’t been left as bitter, brittle, and broken as you.”
Those eyes flashed in warning, but I didn’t see it for what it was. I was left sucking in a startled breath when she slammed both hands into my chest and sent me back a few paces.
“Fuck you,” she managed through gritted teeth, before turning toward her friend.
Mak had his arm around the other girl, but she was clearly keeping her eye on me and Debi. I wiped my face knowing the tantrum to come if he was left going home to Sasha for entertainment.
I didn’t want to hear it.
I just wanted a drink, and Crystal.
I wet my lips and glanced back to find Mak glaring at me. The girls were huddled together, and Debi was jabbing a finger my way.
Mak hurried toward me, his eyes widening in a silent ‘What the fuck? “Man, come the fuck on. We can get these two broads and lay out a little blow.”
I couldn’t keep the disappointment from registering across my face. Blow was the last thing Mak needed tonight. He’d run through that girl and be ready to fight everybody and himself within an hour or two.
“Pfft. Man, you’re as boring as my wife these days.” Mak snorted. “The fuck is wrong with you. Let that mouthy little crank suck your dick, let me dip mine, and you can get back to Springfield before that little gash ends her shift, yeah?”
The idea of going back to escort her home from work hadn’t really occurred to me, but now that he mentioned it…
“Yeah?” he doubled down, noticing that he’d caught my attention.
I sighed and relented with a hint of irritation in my tone, “Yeah. Whatever.”
Mak and Tonya led the way, leaving me and Debi to trail after them. The silence between us was palpable. And, about the time I was going to ask if she didn’t want to stay and shoot some pool while they slipped away for a few hours, we turned into an alley. Our steps echoed and the awkwardness thickened until the narrow space emptied into a parking lot.
At the other end, something in cut offs with a braid hanging over each shoulder stood in wait.
“I told you she’d already be back at the van,” Tonya announced, flashing a grin at Debi.
“Good. She can sit on his lap. I’m driving,” Debi declared before putting some speed in her step and rushing past all of us.
The girl with the braids let out a little squeak when Debi snatched the keys from her hand and rounded a powder-blue minivan.
“What the hell got into her?” Braids asked.
Mak gave a bawdy laugh and tightened his hold on Tonya, drawing her into him as he teased, “More like, what didn’t…”
