“It’s okay if you don’t like it. Ari has been using Covee and me as taste testers since the beginning of the semester. She’s well aware of the kinks,” Yara mumbled with a teasing look in her eyes. Ari rolled her eyes, which made her friend laugh.
“No, it’s actually pretty good.” I sucked on my tongue, tasting the grainy remnant of the drink. “It’s got a bit of an aftertaste, but I think all energy drinks do.”
“See?” Ari’s eyes narrowed on Yara. “What did I say? You and Covee are too used to the filthy sugar they put in those over-caffeinated, over-priced coffees.”
“And what of it?” Yara shrugged and made a show of taking a gulp from the cup of coffee she’d brought with her.
“I’m trying to change the course of our health so we can all live to be elderly women in a mansion with animals, plants, and morning yoga.” Ari placed the rabbit’s carrier on top of a table.
“I promise you, I will live long enough to be an old woman who watches you teach yoga.” Yara crossed an ‘x’ over her heart. “With a warm cup of coffee in hand.”
Ari made a face. “You better or Covee and I won’t let you hear the end of it at your funeral.”
“I wouldn’t expect any less.” Yara held her cup up to her friend in a mock toast to their promise to live a long life together. The thought of them being together in their old age made me smile. Seeing that people had that kind of strong relationship, especially women, gave me a small feeling of hope.
My hope was wrapped in a bit of envy too. As time went on, the harder it felt like I’d be able to form those types of bonds. What if I spent the best part of my friend-making years around the wrong people? Fake people who stabbed me in the back. Now, I’d end up alone with no one to make me green juice. No one I could threaten to stay healthy so we could hang out when old age set in.
“This my spot?”
Ari’s voice made me blink out of my musings. I looked up to find her settling on the chair in front of the camera. I assessed her placement on my side of the camera. Yara hurried over to drape the backdrop over the string we’d hung. With a few tugs, she had it straightened. I grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. She smiled back at me, clapping a few times pleased with the final result. There were still a few wrinkles but overall, the backdrop looked professional.
“Yup, perfect.” I took one more sip of my drink before setting it down. “Do you feel comfortable with the lighting?”
She readjusted herself and nodded. “It’s great.”
“Good. I’ll explain to you how this is going to go, and we’ll get started. That work for you?”
“Sounds like a plan,” she said as she flipped her locs over her shoulder.
“Alright, then.” I took a breath, ready to start on creating something that’d hopefully resonated with someone, somewhere. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Chapter 21
SilasandKaiwerehanging out in the living room when I hurried through to find my purse. My brother lay stretched out on the sofa with a book in his hands. Silas spread like a starfish on the floor, gazing up at the ceiling.
When I crawled on the carpet, peeking under the couch for my bag, Silas rolled over, knocking his body against mine.
“What are you up to?” he asked with a look in his eyes that said, please, take me somewhere, anywhere.
“Looking for my crap so I can get out of here.”
I pushed him off of me, and he rolled away, pretending to be a rag doll. Life in the Harrison household was a quiet one. Especially during the weekends when Kai decided to rule the place with an iron fist. He’d enacted a study time policy. Complete silence for three hours.
I heard a disapproving grunt from my brother as Silas and I spoke. Kai didn’t pull the book down from his face, missing the dirty look I threw his way.
When Silas rolled towards me again, I reached out and pinched his cheek. “Can I do a mold of you again sometime? I want to keep my painting skills fresh for when I actually get the chance to film a horror movie.”
His frown was deep, and he nipped at my fingers. I laughed, pulling my hand back in time before his teeth grazed me.
“Not going to happen again. You remember my reaction the first time you put that shit on me?”
I bit my lip, trying not to smile as I remembered Silas’s swollen lips. Thankfully, his allergic reaction had been caught and dealt with quickly. He hadn’t been in any danger health-wise. The swelling took forever to go down, though. Long enough for me to snap a few good pictures for documentation’s sake.
“I thought you looked very cute,” I said.
“I did not. My lips were so puffy! I looked like a fish.”
“You made a very lovely fish.”
