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“Not lately, no. It’s okay, though. I’m… it’s okay.” She smiled at me and honestly looked happy despite that.
“Why you so happy all the time if your life is shit?”
“Happiness is a choice. Being miserable doesn’t get me anywhere. Happy or angry, my situation is the same, so I might as well try to smile sometimes.”
Fuck, I love her.
Because honestly, I understood that. Nate and I had made a pact way back in the day. An agreement to have fun together because the majority of our lives were such bullshit that it was like sinking in quicksand. Karen had even deeper quicksand and still managed to smile. Fucking warrior.
“You’re a gem, Karen.” I nudged her. “Why you so dirty all the time?”
She blushed. “I just… am.”
There was more there, and despite the warning signals in my head telling me not to push it, I did anyway. “But why? No showers at the girls’ home?”
“Yeah, there are. But the staff aren’t the nicest people, and I just… I dunno. I feel uncomfortable there, so I shower every few days and try to hurry.” She shrugged. “My body is…”
“Is what? Awesome? Because you look pretty awesome to me.”
Her gap teeth met my eyes, the sun glinting off them. Despite her tangled hair, her teeth were in top-shelf shape, and I think they were the whitest teeth I’d ever seen. “I’m kind of a loser, if you haven’t noticed.” She snorted.
“Being cool is overrated. All these expectations to meet and people to impress.”
“How would you know?”
“Oh! Burn!” I ruffled her hair, but my fingers got caught up in there, and it took some maneuvering to free them. “We aren’t losers. We just have our own vibe.”
Karen laughed and I had no idea why, so I joined her. “When I get outta there and get to buy my own stuff again, I’m gonna wear so many colours.”
“What’s your favourite?”
“Lime green.”
“Twinsies! Mine too. And purple.”
When Karen laughed again, it was one of those ridiculous ones that made everyone around her laugh, so I couldn’t even help it that time. I looked at the sky and just let myself laugh with her.
“What’s so funny?” Nate asked, shutting off his machine. “Is my ass out?”
“I don’t know how you don’t have butt cleavage in those,” Karen said, smiling at him.
“Or your saggy left nut isn’t out,” I added.
“You like it.” He winked at me and kept on working.
“I planted that last week,” Karen said of the garden Nate was ripping to shreds. “I had hoped it’d look pretty, but I guess serving as his stress ball works, too.”
“He got fired from the golf course because he couldn’t tell the difference between a flower and a weed. Don’t take it personally.”
“Is… is he your boyfriend?” she asked. “I mean, I get a vibe, but didn’t want to be rude.”
“He’s my best friend… with more.”
“Benefits?”
“Yeah, benefits, but more than that, too. He wears purple underwear for me.” I looked at her. “That means he likes me, right?”
“I’ve never had someone like me, so I wouldn’t know, but it seems like a good sign. Plus, he watches you all the time. I see it. He gets those heart eyes.”
