“Ohh, boo boo!” Bella tsked.
“Solana! Are you okay?” Pearla gasped, both coming to her side. “Move, Italian!”
“I’m tryna keep her head up just in case she throws up again… Solana. I’ma help you up.”
Standing, I helped her to her feet, feeling bad as fuck because she winced the entire time. There was a red spot on the back of her shorts, and I’d been with enough women to know what that meant.
“Does she have some tampons in here?” Bella asked as I led her to the bathroom.
Not waiting for a reply, Bella started rummaging through the dresser drawers. Pearla ran ahead and started the water for the bath. Solana was taking baby steps, but it was cool. As long as she was moving, I was fine with helping her do so.
“No… No tampons.No puedo usar esos. (Can’t use those.)”
Bella and Pearla shot each other a look that I couldn’t figure out before Bella sighed and continued to look through the drawers. Not even a second later, she sighed again in relief.
“Okay, here are some pads. Let me find some clean clothes for you, boo boo.”
Once we made it inside the bathroom, I sat Solana on the side of the tub.
“Italian.”
“Wassup, Mexi-Mami?”
“Is… Is Shio well?”
This lady had bigger fish to fry. She was bloody, her hair was matted, she had throw up smeared all over her face, and she was locked in this bitch, detoxing from drugs. Right now, Shio was so far out of reach that even if she had arms the length of a giraffe’s neck, she wouldn’t be able to touch him.
Yet, I nodded.
She smiled. “Thank you, hell seeker.”
I winked, washed my hands, and then walked around Bella, who was entering with a gown and underwear. Pearla was talking to Solana gently, so I closed the door behind me to give them some privacy.
Mahzeyah was bent over, her backside out, picking up clothes from the floor. Leaning against the door, I watched as she snatched up piece after piece and tossed them into the hamper. Today was a good day to wash Solana’s clothes since the hamper would be full. I’d slid so many clothes to her through the bottom door slot that had miraculously appeared. It seemed as though Shio didn’t care if they were washed—he’d just buy more and have them delivered for her.
“You so fucking weird, dude.” Mahzeyah snatched the last bit of trash up and then grabbed the vacuum.
“You so fuckin’ fine,dude. And you ain’t gotta do that. My cousin sending somebody to clean the floor.”
Rolling her eyes, she grabbed the cord, plugged it into the nearest socket, and poured carpet freshener onto the floor, which instantly covered the vomit smell with a fresh, linen scent.
“I’m not doing anything now that Glee got Baby Leader. I can clean it. I don’t mind.”
The vacuum came to life with a low hum. It was another expensive-ass gadget Jisei owned. Mahzeyah ran the vacuum back and forth while I watched her. When her eyes met mine, she didn’t frown, but her face showed a look of disapproval.
“Y’all just going to keep her locked in here?”
“That ain’t my business to tell, ZeyZey.”
“She’s in pain, Italian. And while these physical withdrawal symptoms subside after a few weeks, she’s going to have a long road ahead due to the psychological cravings, plus the depression. That could take months, or even longer sometimes.”
“How you know?”
“I plan on taking up psychology in college, but my emphasis is going to be on addiction and recovery. I want to open my own centers, maybe.”
“Damn… I ain’t know that.”
“Well, now you do.”
