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Voices stop talking, and I turn to face where they’re coming from to see Sparrow standing near the glass window that opens out onto the small beach access, and Dion beside him. Malyk is sitting on the single La-Z-Boy near the open fireplace, with a rolled joint hanging from his mouth, and the smell hits me at once. The sweet, caramelized notes of sticky green.
“What happened to her?” I ask, looking between the three of them. “Who did this?”
Sparrow’s tongue flicks out on the edge of his lip. “It was a heart attack, Shiloh. They initially thought it was suspicious because she was so young, but it has been ruled a heart attack.”
My breathing thickens as I bring my hand to my chest, where the bump of the necklace moves over my palm. “Can’t be. She was fit.”
Sparrow’s eyes shift to Malyk before resting back on mine. “We will figure it out.”
I slump into the couch, blinking past my tears. “She was all I had left.”
“When do you turn eighteen?” Malyk asks from the corner of the room, and I shift backward farther.
“Next week.”
“Hmmm…” His murmur shivers all the way down my spine and to the tips of my toes.
He leans back in his chair, dragging his finger over his upper lip. Even during this time, he’s powerful enough to leave his mark. He turns to face Dion.
“You wanna explain what you were doing playing with the food in the forest? I mean…you won’t look good in orange.”
He flips Malyk off. “Shut the fuck up.”
“Oh God. I don’t want to go back to the house.” I lean back against the chair before shooting up to my feet. “I’m a minor. Does this mean—”
“No.” Sparrow shuts down my unspoken question. He looks up to Dion. “No.”
“What? Don’t look at me. I can’t do it.”
Sparrow lifts his ankle and rests it on his knee. He stands abruptly. “I’ll be back later.”
They all move like a blur, and as much as I want to read into whatever is happening right now and why all three of them are making it their job to take care of me—well, in their way—I can’t seem to think straight. All I know is that I’ve lost my mother and now, I’m without a guardian for at least another week.
I stare out to the ocean, watching as the waves crash against the sand. Clutching the hot mug in my hands, I rest my head against the wooden post, closing my eyes and breathing in the damp, salty air. My mother had no family. My father is well—non-existent—and as of right now, I’m the only person who is capable of planning my mother’s funeral. As much as I love Hades Hollow, half of the people in this town didn’t like Ma. They’d cross the street whenever they’d see her, and I swear I even saw one old lady hiss at her. Actually hiss. A smile touches my lips when I think back to that stormy summer day of Ma and me rushing to get back to our car to miss the heavy torrential rain. The little old lady—Mrs. Becker—was walking her little dog when she saw us, looked over her shoulder, and hissed at Ma. We both burst out laughing. I think that’s the part I’m going to miss most about her. The uncanny way that she was able to turn anything negative into something positive.
I don’t think we share that same common ground.
“Your mom saved me from a dog when I was five years old.” Dion clears his throat from behind me, and I don’t bother to look when I feel him right beside me. I can’t hide the surprise on my face. “My mom had made me deliver newspapers to make money. Mr. Harper’s Pomeranian chased me out his gate and bit my ass.”
I burst out laughing, rolling my lips behind my teeth. “I’m sorry. I’m not laughing…”
“No, no, you totally are.” He lowers himself down onto the sandy step, and I quickly divert my eyes back to the ocean when I notice him watching me. “Your mom was a good woman, Shi.” His gaze drifts off in front of himself before he whispers, so low I almost miss it, “It’s why it can’t be you.”
My mouth opens, ready to ask him what he means by that when Cooper’s arms wrap around my torso. Tears prick the corner of my eyes again, and I swallow past the rock forming in my throat. “I’m so sorry, baby girl.”
I turn in his arms and wrap my arms around his neck. There’s a kind of comfort that comes from having a best friend. The kind of friendship you know that you can turn to even when you’re at your lowest.
“I, Coop—”
“Shhh…” His bright blue eyes glisten with unshed tears as he brings his thumb to my cheek and swipes mine off. “Don’t need to talk. I’m here for as long as you need.” Cooper looks down at his cousin, his brow curving upward. “Unless two Quinns are too much?”
“No.” I shake my head, resting it on his shoulder.
“I know it’s only been a day, but we need to talk about—”
I wave my hand up in front of me. “Ma always wanted to be cremated and scattered over the ocean.”
Cooper follows my sight. “Alright. Well, we can do that.”
