“What?” Quinn says to Farrow, seeming genuinely upset at that idea. “He doesn’t hate me. I’mgreatwith animals. Before I boxed pro, I could’ve been a dog whisperer.” He clucks his tongue at the kitten and makes a cooing noise.
Solo cup in hand, Akara leans towards Quinn. “Hey, you do know that’s acat,not a dog.”
Quinn laughs with all of us. I’ve never seen any metaphorical jab knock him down. He sips his rum and Fizz. “I had a dog growing up.”
“What kind?” Sulli asks, and Janie lands onA Nightmare on Elm Streetand mouths to me and Farrow,yesorno.
I give her a thumbs-up.
Farrow purposefully puts his thumb-down.
I right up his fucking thumb.
He wears a self-satisfiedexpression like I just agreed to jerk him off. Not equivalent, but I am giving him a hell of a lot of attention. And he’s making me aware of that.
Quinn replies to my cousin, “I had a husky.”
“I had a husky too,” Sulli says, and the room goes quiet. To Quinn, my cousin adds, “She died a while back.”
“Yeah, I know. I saw on…” Quinn trails off and clears his throat.
“Twitter,” Farrow says.
More confidently, Quinn tells Sulli, “It was actually Facebook.”
If the Meadows had a fifth family member, it wouldn’t beme.It’d be Coconut the Husky. Youlovedthat dog. I loved that damn dog, and we were all sad when she finally passed from old age.
Quinn tries to pet the calico kitten, and he bites his finger. “Jane?”
“Carpenter likes vegetables. Just toss him one of those baby tomatoes.”
Quinn stretches towards the veggie tray and then throws a tomato beneath the loveseat. Carpenter dashes after it.
He shakes his head. “That’s not natural.”
Akara motions his cup to the television. “Are we still doing the drinking game?”
“Yeah,” Sulli nods repeatedly. “Jane has the rules.”
“Right.” Jane is busy smashing her beanbag. She’s usually next to me during these kinds of things, and she’s sort of off in a corner.
“Janie,” I call out and motion her closer.
She mouths,no. And casts the briefest glance at Farrow. Like she needs to give us privacy. It’s not like we’re about to exchange secret hand-jobs in the fucking dark. I’m in a room with two of my cousins.
Not happening.
“Jane,” Farrow calls before I have to prod further.
She hesitates for one second before dragging her pink beanbag near us. She plops a few feet from me. I reach over and slide her and the beanbag right by my side.
Jane can’t hide her smile. “Hallow Friends Eve’s drinking game rules,” she announces to the group. “Take a sip from your drink every time Freddy Krueger appears, someone screams, and when someone says the wordnightmare, dream, orsleep.”
“What about Moffy?” Sulli asks.
“I’m not playing.”
“You can’tnotplay,” Jane replies. “And you know I’mdreadfullyserious when I use a double negative.”
