“Have you not seen me all over TMZ these past two years? Everything I do is scrutinized.”
“Well, you’re at a children’s museum. They’re not going to know who you are.”
“You wanna bet?”
“Yes,” she says. “A thousand dollars.”
I stop walking and look at her. “Wow.”
“What? You got it,” she says.
I shake my head and laugh. “All right. But if somebody recognizes me, do you have $1,000? Because you’re gonna lose.”
She takes my arm and drags me to the left, where I see a sign that is very familiar to me.
It says,Lit with Lily this way.
My heart sinks, and I stop walking.
This is Lily’s event. This is a Lit with Lily event, and my sister has me walking up in here wholly unprepared to be in her orbit again.
A thousand scenarios race through my head. Do I play it cool? Should I just focus on my sister? Act familiar? I don’t know how to walk in here.
And I don’t get a chance to decide because Zea is dragging me by my arm into the event.
It really is a little kid event. We’re in what looks like a birthday party room. The chairs are normal-sized, but there are some smaller ones around. I look at Zea, and she looks at me with an eyebrow raised and a grin on her face.
This is about to be some shit.
She signs us in, and we find a table that’s big enough for the both of us.
There are a lot of mothers and daughters here, in matching outfits, full of enthusiasm and smiles. Everyone’s here because they want to be.
I look at Zea. She looks just like those little kids, excited and ready.
“We have to get an apron,” she tells me, pulling my hand again.
I would think she’s ten right now instead of sixteen.
“I don’t think any of them are going to fit me,” I tell her.
“Nobody told you to dress like that. I told you we were doing art. How much does that shirt cost?”
I look down at my shirt. “I don’t know.”
She shakes her head. “You got too much damn money.”
That makes me laugh. “No such thing.”
She sucks her teeth and hands me an apron that has Lit with Lily’s logo on it, along with I don’t know how many colors of paint splotches.
I put the apron over my head, and Zea ties it in the back for me. I tie hers, and we get back to our little station.
I’ve been purposely not looking around for Lily. I still don’t have all my wits about me to be able to have something to say to her.
Other than...
Other than hi.
