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It was going to make me fucking sick. Turning my attention away from them, I focused on loading as many sandwiches and cold cuts onto my plate as I could get away with. Mama Martin’s laughter kept cutting sharply through the murmur of conversation, loud and shrill as if she wanted to show off what a good time she was having.
It had only taken one glance at Jessica’s face to know she didn’t share her mother’s enthusiasm.
Slipping out the door, I released a sigh of relief the moment it clicked shut behind me. Finally, some peace and quiet. My plan was to eat what I’d already gathered, and then smuggle as many leftovers home as I could.
The grass was damp as I sat down, but I didn’t mind. Eating under a clear night sky, surrounded by the sound of crickets really wasn’t too bad. But hungry as I was, something had put a cramp in my stomach. A feeling of unease, ofanger, still lingered inside me.
What kind of mother wouldn’t protect her daughter from a creep like Kotham? How could she stand there happily while her daughter plastered a fake smile on her face and tried to endure the attention she so clearly didn’t want?
Whatever. Jessica and her weird family dynamic wasn’t my business.
Reaching into my jacket, I pulled out the half-smoked cigarette I’d been carefully burning through over the past few hours. My stock of cigarettes was running out and I didn’t have the money to buy more. Jason would loan me the money; I just hated asking.
These catered cold cuts were fantastic though. Jesus Christ. They’d be lucky if I didn’t run back in there and take the whole damn tray.
While I was in the midst of stuffing my face, the door burst open beside me and I nearly choked on thinly-sliced salami.
Jessica didn’t see me at first, sitting in the shadows against the building. She traipsed out onto the grass, her breathing heavy, her lower lip clenched between her teeth. Staying silent, I waited and watched. She paced, wobbling slightly with her heels in the grass. She tightly folded her arms, sucked in her breath and held it...
Tears rolled down her cheeks. Just a few, and the rest of her expression didn’t change. She let them fall and then hurriedly wiped her face, clearing her throat. She seemed to be composing herself to go back inside when she turned and finally spotted me.
“Holy shit! What are you doing out here?” Her eyes were wide, and she stepped back several paces. Like I was a wild animal that might fly at her.
“Jesus Christ, girl,” I muttered. “Get a grip. I’m doing the same damn thing out here as you are.”
Her stance immediately shifted to the offensive. Her hands balled into fists, her lip curling into a familiar sneer. “And what exactly is that?”
Holding up my food, I took a massive bite before I said, “Just tryin’ to get some peace an’ quiet!”
She stood there for a moment watching me. Then, slowly, she walked over to the wall and slid down to sit a couple yards away from me. She unzipped her purse, pulled out a small flash, and quickly sipped from it.
The gap between us was rather comically wide, but it was still the closest I’d been to her in a while. We usually kept our distance from each other. Our personalities clashed a little too violently to do otherwise.
Maybe it was just the atmosphere, but Jess was different out here. Quieter. She didn’t carry her head like she was looking down on the world.
She held out the flask, leaning toward me. “It’s vodka and soda.”
I winced, but free liquor was free liquor. It tasted like carbonated rubbing alcohol with a squeeze of lime, and it burned immediately going down. At least it was strong.
There wasn’t much left of my cigarette, but since she’d offered her drink... “You smoke?”
She shook her head. “No. It’s gross.”
“You’re right. It is gross.”
She took the flask as I passed it back, taking another sip. She pulled up her legs, sighing at the tightness of her dress and shifting around uncomfortably.
“Why do you dress like that if it’s so damn uncomfortable?” I said.
“Why do you still smoke cigarettes when you know it’s gross?” she snapped.
“Because I’m a gross person,” I said, taking another bite of my food. Quite frankly, I was enjoying this. She was quicker than I’d expected. “I do gross things.”
She scoffed, rolling her eyes, and I laughed. “What? Are you going to deny it?” She looked over at me, narrowing her eyes, but she didn’t say a word. She averted her gaze again, and I shook my head in disbelief. “Damn, you’re pleading the Fifth? Unbelievable.”
She kept her eyes straight ahead, but I swore I could detect the little hint of a smile on her lips. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen her smile at me before, and although it wasn’t quite there, it was close enough for me.
I didn’t even like this chick and it still made me feel a little better.
