Mo flops down on my left side and gives a dismissive wave. “My sister did…something to her ankle. She’s fine. Anyway, I’m sorry I’m late. Also, I would have texted you, but my phone died.”
“It’s okay, Doctor Doolittle. I already decided I’m going to be DD tonight,” I say, but I don’t think I’m imagining that there’s a weird tension between the three of us.
Amber is being unusually quiet. When she finally speaks, it’s to say, “You know, Zadie is actually capable of making her own decisions.”
A beat of silence. “Yeah,” Mo says, “and I’m reminding her to make a good one.”
“It’s f—” I start to say, but Amber speaks over me. “Where do you get off telling people what decisions are good and bad for them?”
She is not wrong—Mo is being just the tiniest bit self-righteous and overprotective—but the bitterness in Amber’s voice catches me off guard. She rolls out an imaginary banner with her hands. “Breaking news: Mo is the only one with a brain around here. The rest of us are just idiots. Right, Mo?”
“Um, is that what I said?”
“It sounded a lot like what you said to me.I’m Monique, the absolute authority on everything.”
“Wait. Are you serious right now?” Mo gasps, and suddenly they’re yelling at each other. I feel like I’ve missed something.
“Guys! Guys!” I grab both their arms. “Holy shit. What’s happening?”
Amber blows out her bangs. “She’s so condescending.”
“Very useful information. Mo?” I turn to her.
Mo glares at Amber and makes like she’s going to speak but ultimately shuts her mouth.
“So no one is going to tell me what this is about?”
There is a very long pause, and just when I think they won’t answer, Amber blurts out, “She doesn’t like Talon.”
“Talon?” I’m completely confused. “This is about Talon?”
“Well, it has to be, since she keeps dropping hints about me making bad decisions.”
Oh, Mo.I shoot her a look, because we were doing so well trying not to be judgmental.
But Mo won’t look at me. “I said nothing about Talon.”
“You didn’t have to say anything. The way you treat him speaks volumes,” Amber says. “You know, you’re not as subtle as you think you are.”
“Oh, honey, I was going to say the same about you,” Mo says.And they’re back at it, every jab from each of them escalating the situation.
It’s like the worst game of tennis, listening to their back and forth. “You guys are giving me a headache. Did you forget we don’t fight?” I ask, unable to hide my sadness. “We’re Teflon.”
Neither of them moves for a second, and then Amber loses her fighting posture. “Fine. I’m sorry,” she says.
There is a very long pause, in which I am terrified that Mo is not going to back down.
“I am…” Mo looks like she’s gritting her teeth, fighting to speak. “Sorry. Also.”
“Progress!” I say, raising my arms in celebration. “You know what? I can be DDandbartender. I’ll get your drinks.” I snatch Amber’s keys from her lap and walk off before another fight erupts.
I’m digging around in the cooler when I hear a voice behind me. “Zadie Cartwright. Vesuvius or Fuji?”
I twist around to see a grinning Marcus, then turn back to face the cooler. “What am I supposed to be choosing between?”
“Your favorite volcano, of course,” Marcus says, like this is completely normal discussion material.
I sigh. “When are you going to let this go? We’re not playing a game.”
