Zeraiah:Mas Zaeem?! You bloody bastard, Mas!
Mas Zaeem:Not me, Zeraiah. Watch your language.
Zeraiah:Then why is that bitch here?!
Zeraiah:Fuck, I’m not doing this. I’m leaving.
Mas Zaeem:Zeraiah, sit your arse down. I mean it.
Zeraiah:Don’t tell me it was Dad?! Your fucking old man is crazy, Mas!
See?Punishment. That was what this was.
Mas Zaeem:I’ll handle it. Zioh, are you okay? Everything will be fine, Zi.
Zeraiah:Zioh, she’s here because of you. That filthy bitch is insane. Remember this, Zi, she’s not her. You have to stay sane until we get rid of her.
Zeraiah:But I swear to God, I’m allergic to that urchin. If she keeps coming here, nah, I’m leaving.
Mas Zaeem:You won’t.
Zeraiah:If you don’t want your brother turning into a murderer, stop, Mas. You know what that crazy bitch did to me.
Mas Zaeem:Zeraiah, you won’t leave. Because she’ll also come here.
Zeraiah:What? Who?
Mas Zaeem:…
My hand trembled. I couldn’t breathe enough to keep reading. I tapped the top contact and typed.
Zioh:If I asked you to take me away from here, would you?
At once, Tshabina’s phone buzzed. She tore her eyes off me to look. She read it, and her lips pressed together. Then she looked back at me. Her hazel eyes met mine—tired, but deep, and steady. And in a strange way, it soothed me, so I typed again.
Zioh:If I ask you to trust me, would you?
Her eyes softened. Then she typed.
Sophie:I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.
Before she could look up, Cindy’s voice cut in. “We shouldn’t be on our phones at a dinner table.” Her words were sharp, and her stare stabbed into Tshabina before shifting to me. “It’s disrespectful.”
She then hummed, narrowing on Tshabina.Just watch out if you mess with her.
Cindy smiled like a wicked witch about to cast a spell. “Am I right?” she asked, fishing for support.
We all glared at her, except one.
Dad turned and smiled at her. “Yes, Cindy,” he said, then looked at Tshabina and me. “Show some respect for the meal before you.”
You’re the one who brought rot to this table.
Zeraiah hissed, scoffing under his breath. I could feel Tshabina’s eyes find me again, but mine stayed locked on Cindy. I let every ounce of hate, rage, and vengeance pour out through my eyes.
“It’s not nice, baby,” Cindy said, her voice calm but heavy with pressure, drawing every eye back to her. “I didn’t come all this way to see that expression from you.”
I curled my lip.Instead, I’ll give you a hundred times worse than this.
