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The loud noise of the TV greeted me as soon as I pushed the door open. Once I made it down the stairs, a familiar sight greeted me: my best friend and her little brother hanging out on her couch, watching cartoons.
Archer had only just turned ten but had been part of our trio since I could remember. We’d all been inseparable since meeting six years ago. Archer was just four back then, but we’d dragged him along with us wherever we went.
It was either that or he’d have to stay with the housekeeper. Everleigh had been more of a mom to him than his own ever had, making sure he went to school, put bandages on his many scrapes and made sure he had clothes that fit him.
He was a carefree kid, always smiling and moving around. But he was also incredibly smart, having skipped a grade and on his way to skip another.
Archer spotted me first and jumped up from where he perched on the backrest of the couch. “Finally. I’ve been waiting for you to get here for hours.”
I greeted him with a high five. “What’s up, little dude?”
He ran up to the coffee table and picked up a case, waving it over his head. “I got a new video game.”
“Is it Guitar Hero?” I asked the same question every time he bought a new game. It was the only one I knew how to play. But he usually convinced me to play with him anyway, only to beat me within the first five minutes.
I didn’t mind because it was entertaining to watch his excitement and enthusiasm when he played.
“Of course not. Will you play with me later?”
I brushed my hand over his head with a smirk. He’d recently started putting product in it, and I loved to mess it up. He escaped and went straight to the bathroom to fix his hair.
Laughing at him, I sank onto the couch next to Everleigh. “Hey, Ever.”
“What did she do this time?”
I swiped a hand over my face, suddenly feeling exhausted. “Same as always.”
“You staying over?”
I nodded. “If it’s okay with you?”
She nudged me and hit Play on the remote. “You know you don’t have to ask. You’re always welcome.”
Archer rushed out of the bathroom, his hair shiny from the extra product he’d added. “Hey, you started it without me.”
Ever rolled her eyes. “You missed two whole seconds.”
He growled at her and settled atop the backrest of the couch. His position looked decidedly uncomfortable, but Archer had always climbed anything he could; balancing on the back of the couch wasn’t a challenge for him.
Ella, their housekeeper, brought us dinner downstairs. She greeted me with a smile, not surprised I was there. I was a regular fixture at their house, after all.
We finished our dinner and settled in for another movie. Everleigh had every subscription service out there. I didn’t even own a TV.
I’d been getting drowsy, my eyes drifting shut, when shouts from outside interrupted our movie marathon. I recognized the loud voice instantly and was wide awake again. Sprinting up the stairs, I raced around to the front of the house. When I saw who was charging up to my friend’s front door, my pulse picked up, and my muscles tightened to the point of pain.
As soon as Mom set her eyes on me, they narrowed to slits, and she stormed my way. “We weren’t done talking.”
Her loud, high-pitched voice rang through the quiet street. I didn’t need to check to know that anyone who heard her would watch with avid fasciation. After all, everyone knew when Lila Henderson was involved, they would get a good show. I just hoped nobody called the cops.
I stepped toward the street. “Let’s talk over there.”
Putting her hands on her painfully narrow hips, she shot me a smirk. “You act like you don’t want your little friends to see me. You should finally accept that you’re trash who pretends to be more. If you’d accept your place in this world, you wouldn’t struggle so much.”
Gritting my teeth, I held back the tears. She didn’t deserve them. “And what exactly is my place in this world?”
When her eyes flashed with something I called her demons, I knew I’d be in for it.
“You think you’re too good to work at Diamond’s?”
