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“Yes, sir.”
“I like this girl. You should bring her more often. She likes to listen to me.”
“Dad, I promise that is something she will tire of soon.”
I punch his arm again, making him hiss and lunge for me until I wipe my oily hands on his face and he storms away from us to wash it in the bathroom.
“You are always welcome here,” Dasan says around his laughter.
Nash walks in through the front door. “What’s all the noise about? What have I missed?”
Willow
Willow: I need a favor.
Nokosi: Who is this?
Willow: The evil twin, Willow.
Nokosi: What do you need?
Willow: I want to do something nice for Lily, but I need an outsider’s help.
Nokosi: You call her Lily?
Willow: Not to her face. She hates it.
Nokosi: What do you need?
Willow: Did you know that she adores painting?
Nokosi: I didn’t know that.
Willow: She can be quite the artist when she wants to be. It’s not something she’s done in a while.
Nokosi: Why not?
Willow: We move so much that it seemed pointless to keep getting out her paints. She doesn’t do it the traditional way. She likes to paint walls, or huge canvasses.
Nokosi: Seriously? I don’t see it.
I send him a few pictures from our past and wait for him to reply. Meanwhile Lilith is playing snap with Mom after cooking us an incredible lasagna. I didn’t get to enjoy much of it thanks to the sickness, but what I tasted was amazing. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
“You okay?” Mom asks, feeling my eyes on her.
I smile at them both. “I’m better than okay.”
Nokosi: She’s amazing.
Willow: Right? So… will you help me, in secret? You can’t say a thing to her.
Nokosi: You need to tell me what you need first.
I laugh at my own stupidity and Lilith raises a brow, likely surprised that I’m laughing at all.
I flip her my middle finger and go back to texting her boyfriend.
Willow: I need your help clearing out the garage when she’s either sleeping or not here… and then painting the walls a bright white… think it’s possibly?
Nokosi: Sure, why not?
Willow: Epic! But she can’t know… okay? It’s a surprise. She can’t know a thing. We don’t know each other, we’ve never met.
Nokosi: Until it’s done?
Willow: Exactly. Until it’s done and then whatever.
Nokosi: Fine. How bad is the garage?
Willow: It’s not too bad. Nothing you can’t cart out of here in that truck of yours. I’ll give you gas money and whatever else you need.
Nokosi: Don’t want your money, just let me know when and I’ll be there. But if your sister catches me, I will sing like a canary. No way I’m risking her wrath. Got it?
Willow: Don’t blame you. Bitch has a temper.
“Why are you smiling like that? It’s creeping me out.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I say to Lilith and Mom’s eyes swing my way, wild with annoyance. “What? She keeps bugging me.”
“Language,” Mom hisses, sounding more animal than human.
“I’m dying, you’d think cussing would be allowed.”
“It sounds trashy.”
“As opposed to Lily’s pink hair?”
“My hair is not trashy, and don’t call me Lily!”
I stick my tongue out at her and then pull a face at Mom when she’s not looking. “I’m going to bed.”
“Fuck that, you made me stay in so that we could spend time,” Lilith snaps, looking annoyed. “If you’re going to bed, then I’m going out.”
“What about me?” Mom asks, looking between us both. “You both complain that I’m never here and here I damn well am.”
“Damn is a cuss,” I point out and she growls at me like a fucking tiger or some shit. I zip my lips with a shaky hand and grin at my sister who is grinning at me. We’re joking together. Just like old times. I feel like we haven’t been this way in so long.
“I’m going,” Lilith suddenly announces while standing, and I feel irritated immediately.
“No,” I declare, patting the seat beside me. “Stay. I won’t sleep yet. Let’s do something fun together.”
“Like what?” she looks as irritated as I felt a moment ago, though I’m better at hiding it.
Truth be told I don’t have anything to entice her with, nothing as new and as exciting as what Nokosi can offer her and I hate that. So fucking bad.
I hate him. I just don’t get it. I don’t like men anyway, but knowing she’s fallen for the embodiment of everything we hate in a man is baffling to me. I’m not sure I’ll ever get over it.
I’m not sure I’ll ever get past it. Not until he’s gone and she’s all mine again. Where she’s safe from hurt.
Lilith
I wag my fingers at Barbie as I pass her in the hall. I just love antagonizing her.
So does Nokosi. He winds his arm around my neck in a casual display of affection and possession and glares at her as we pass, his jaw moving as he chews on a wad of minty gum that he stole from me upon arrival.
