“Yeah, yeah.” The officer turns his attention to me. “Who is this lovely young lady? A girlfriend?”
“Come on, Reuben. You know I’m not a one-woman man.”
“Still sowing your wild oats.” He grins, waggling his eyebrows. “I remember those days. Welp, gotta hit the road before the missus starts calling. See you around.”
“Take it easy,” Sandman says, steering me back toward the restaurant, his unyielding fingers digging into my shoulder. “Run again and I’m going to fuck you in the ass so hard, you’ll be shitting blood for a month.”
“Zilphia!” Sheila yells, her tone haughty and annoyed. “Come here please.”
What now?
I’m desperate for sleep. Sandman dropped me off hours ago, and even though I was bone-tired, I chose to spend some time with my grandmother. She’s my only positive in all this madness. I showered, then crawled into bed with her. Momma was out on a fancy date—still is—so it was just us. We talked and watched her favorite television shows long into the evening.
Since it was getting late and my eyes were growing heavier, I forced myself to leave her comfortable bed and trudge down to the basement. Momma would’ve blown a gasket had she found me sleeping in her spot when she got back. I used electrical tape to patch up the tear in the air mattress and literally just laid down. An involuntary shudder races down my spine, recalling what caused the damage.
“Zilphia!”
Sighing, I force my feet beneath me and lumber upstairs, finding my aunt standing by the front door. I inwardly roll my eyes atthe disgusted look she gives me. I don’t have the mental capacity to deal with her right now. I’m exhausted and ache all over. I try my absolute best to avoid her and my cousin whenever possible. What else does this woman want from me?
“You are not allowed to have boys in my home.”
Shit. How did she find out?
I made sure to disable the alarm and cameras. My grandmother gave me the codes at the same time she gave me a key to the house. Sheila’s going to kick us out for sure now.
“I… um—”
“Quiet.” Sheila slices her hand through the air. “He’s on the porch. Tell him he isn’t welcome here.”
What is Sandman doing here now? I expected him to come back later tonight.
“You’ll have to do your whoring elsewhere,” she adds, her lips twisting in a sneer.
“I’m not a whore.”But I’m pretty sure your daughter is.
“You better find a job soon,” she snarls, narrowing her eyes at me. “The clock is ticking.”
“Actually, I already found one.”So there.
“Then I expect you both gone a lot sooner.” Sheila turns on her heel and sashays into the kitchen.
Momma and I can’t survive on one salary. She’ll need to work too, but solving world hunger is more likely than talking sense into her. My life is so fucked.
I open the front door and blink in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“We made plans to practice at my place today, remember? For the musical,” Jace responds slowly.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, pressing my hands to my cheeks. “I totally forgot.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it.” He gives me a reassuring smile. “We can run lines another day.”
“Today is still good,” I tell him. “Just let me throw on some clothes and we can go.”
“Okay, cool. The hideous green truck parked across the street is mine.”
I smile. “Be out in a sec.”
I won’t be able to sleep now; there’s too much on my mind. Might as well go out and be a normal teenager for a change. I’m buckled in Jace’s four-wheel monstrosity a few minutes later, and then we’re off. I attempt to lose myself in the newly released hits playing on the radio, but the shitstorm that has become my life weighs heavily on me. I’m going to need a padded room after all is said and done.
