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Her eyes are like a rainforest green, but during a thunderstorm, when mud and dirt fling around. Her hands are fat like her knees, so her knuckles have dimples and tempt me to make a comment. But I don’t, because I’m not here to be mean, and she’s already laid down her rules.
Instead, I slowly spin the letter opener and watch the sunlight from the windows glint off the metal. “Your uncle the army guy?” When she nods, my lips firm. “Guess that makes us family, because word on the street is he’s my dad.”
Her eyes widen. “No shit?”
I chuckle, despite the fact that none of this is funny to me. “Shit. That’s why we’re here; I’m supposed to be meeting him. Does that make you my cousin?”
She shakes her head. “He’s not actually my uncle. My daddy told me to call him that, something about respect, but he’s not my blood family.” She pauses. “He’s your dad for real?”
I shrug. “That’s what I’ve been told. We have the same hair, I guess. The same jawline. Not the same eyes, though.” I lean closer. “Does that make you not want to hang out with me anymore?”
“No.” Her long lashes come down to kiss her fat cheeks as she blinks. “We can be friends, so long as you’re not a prick. But… isn’t it kinda weird that you’re only meeting him today? You’re eleven.”
“Don’t judge me.” I sit back with a scowl and watch the door like I’m waiting for them to come back. They said their meeting would take an hour, and it’s been no more than ten minutes. “He and my mom aren’ttogether-together. Theyusedto be together, they had me, then they separated. Lots of kids at my school have divorced parents. It’s not weird.”
“Were your mom and dad married before?” Elizabeth sets her Mary Janes on my leg, I guess to stop them from dangling. “You said you only just met him.”
“You’re super judgmental, ya know that? Why the twenty questions?”
“I’m not judging! I’m only asking. Geez. If you think I’m judging, then that’s on you.”
“Cop’s daughter,” I grumble. “Cops are always trying to judge without saying they’re judging.” I pause, because three-quarters of my heart wants to be a cop when I grow up. The other quarter wants to draw, but Mom’s told me a million times, ‘art never pays the bills’. “Does your dad ever call himself Walker?”
“What?” She scrunches her nose and giggles. “No. That would be weird.”
“Does he carry a gun every day? Even at home?”
“He takes it off at home.” Leaning forward, she plays with the buckles on her shoe, and because of her new angle, the heel digs into my thigh and hurts. No way would I admit that, though. Men don’t admit to pain. Men suck it up and shut up about it. “He has others around the house and stuff. Like, hidden in places he doesn’t think I know about. But the one on his belt, he takes off when he walks into the house and hangs it up on the hat rack.”
“The hat rack?” My lip curls back. “That’s not safe. How does he know you won’t accidentally hurt yourself?”
She scoffs. “Now who’s judging? And because if I hurt myself, he’ll beat me black and blue until I learn not to be so stupid. He told me when I was little to never touch his belt.” She shrugs. “I was warned, so if I touch it and blow my face off, then it’s my own damn fault.”
My eyes widen. That was a speech she’s said and heard a billion times in the past. My mom is always busy, always tired, always working, sometimes snappy and mean with her words, but she would never talk to me like that.
That cop I thought was cool twenty minutes ago is a straight up prick.
I take the ruler from her hands and toss it to the desk. “Wanna go for a walk?”
“You can’t do that!” Sour-sister number one pops to her feet and surges forward with her hands on her hips. “You can’t leave this room. Daddy said so.”
I scoff. “Your daddy can go fuck himself with a metal ruler. Now go sit back down and play with your dollies, little girl.”
Her eyes widen and flicker between me and Elizabeth. “She’s just the help!”
“And yet, she’s way cooler. I guess uspoorkids have enough money to buy brains and some tact. Now we’re gonna stick together the way rich folks do at stupid dinner parties. Let’s go.” I take Elizabeth’s hand, pulling her off the desk and around to my back so she doesn’t have to look at the bitches. “If my mom comes looking, tell her we went for a walk. She’ll know where to find me.”
“You can’t leave!”
I stop and swing back around when the girl grabs my arm. She literally growls and bares her teeth.
“Stop me.” Our noses almost touch, and she backs up an inch when her eyes lock onto mine. “Sit the fuck down and stay away from me. They say we’re family now, but they’re wrong. You and your sister are spoiled brats, and I like to keep my connections classier than that. Elizabeth is the only cool person I’ve met since stepping into this club; if I ever walk into a room and find you beating on her again, I’ll flatten you. I don’t hit girls, but I have no problem taking out a bully.” I flick her hand off hard enough that it yanks her shoulder and makes her cry. “Stay away from me.”
She slowly backs up until she bumps into her sister. Holding her arm, her eyes fill with tears and force me to roll mine and drag Elizabeth through the door. The hallway is empty, and voices fill the office my mom and I went into when we first got here. I don’t go in there. Instead, I lead Elizabeth to the stairs and down.
“What is this place, anyway? It’s creepy.”
“Club.” She catches up and walks beside me rather than behind. Her legs are shorter than mine, so she has to work harder to keep up. “People come in here and dance every night. They… uh…” We reach the bottom step and stop. “They do naughty things here.”
