Light floods the room, then hard hands dig into my arms and yank me back. “Get away from her!”
“She came in here and attacked me for no reason,” Deja snivels, crocodile tears already rolling down her cheek. Sheila wraps an arm around her before turning her cold eyes on me.
Defending myself is useless, but I can’t just sit here and let her lie on me.
“That’s not true,” I began, pointing at the vile creature in human form. “She—”
“Save it,” my aunt sneers at me. “Don’t you ever come into my daughter’s bedroom again.”
“My hair,” Deja whines, digging her fingers into her scalp. “It’s lifting now.”
“No one will notice,” Sheila assures her. “I’ll have Mae fix it this weekend.”
Deja glares at me. “I don’t feel safe with her here.”
“Put your filthy hands on my daughter again, and you and yourwhoremother will find yourselves on the street.” I shudder at the pure loathing in her brown irises. “Do I make myself clear?”
I nod, my throat too thick with raw emotion to form a single syllable.
“Furthermore, I don’t house freeloaders. Water costs. Electricity costs. Gas costs. Food costs. Toiletries cost.” Sheila lifts a finger with each point made. “You and yourwhoremother need to get jobs ASAP or it’s the streets for you both.” An evil smile curves her lips. “And the streets are a cold place to be during the winter. Now get out.”
I hurry to the second level on trembling legs and lock myself in the bathroom. I stare at my reflection. I’m none the worse for wear. No bruising. Yet. Glossy eyes, wild hair, and a scratch along my chin are the only telltale signs of the fistfight.
I finger-comb my thick mane, putting the strands back in place before heading to my grandmother’s room. She and my mother are still bundled in bed. The fight didn’t wake them; thank goodness for small favors. I kneel beside my mother and lightly shake her shoulder.
“Momma, wake up.”
She grumbles and swats at me.
“Momma, we need to talk,” I say in an urgent whisper, shaking her harder. “It’s important.”
Her eyes pop open, a frown contorting her features. “What is so important that it couldn’t wait until later? It’s the ass crack of dawn.”
Dawn has come and gone, but that’s a moot point.
I gnaw on my bottom lip, tasting my cotton-candy-flavored lip gloss. She’s not going to like this one bit. “Momma, you have to look for a job.”
She sits up, scandalized. “Have you lost your goddamn mind?”
I can’t tell her what Sheila said; she’ll blow a gasket.
“We can’t stay here forever,” I say instead.
“And we won’t.” She lies back down and pulls the blanket over her shoulder. “Now go to school.”
“We need money to move out and support ourselves.”
Unless she plans to rob a bank, we need to find jobs like yesterday.
“I have a meeting at a matchmaking service today,” she states proudly, like she just landed a CEO position. “They only vet wealthy men. I’ll be married in less than six months.”
I blink. She can’t be serious! “But you’re already married.”
“I’ll get a divorce.”
“Momma, marriage is not the solution,” I say slowly. “There’s no guarantee someone will propose to you.”
Sheila will have kicked us out way before then.
