Nicole isn’t dead, but she’s crying.
“I’ve got this,” Taz says.
He walks to the steps and hurries down them.
I laugh. “Fucking Taz…”
“He loves them trashy and easy,” Les says.
Jolie turns to Les. “Did you just call Violet trashy and easy?”
“What?” Les asks. “No.”
“Watch your mouth, Les,” Jolie warns.
“Whoa, you are on fire tonight, sweetie,” I say to Jolie.
“Hey, I have an idea,” Aric says. “We can do something a little fun and crazy.”
“Bring it on,” Jolie says.
This drunk side of her is amazing to see.
“What are you thinking, bro?” I ask.
Aric smiles. “I have to check the fridge for something really quick.”
We’re on the top of the grassy hill nobody is supposed to be on.
Sitting under a dim lit light.
“This is childish,” Jolie says.
“Oh, I’m sorry, did the booze wear off?” Aric asks her.
He hands her an egg.
She looks at me.
“It’s fun,” I say.
“Seriously?” Jolie asks.
“Watch,” Aric says. He stands up and points. “That guy right there. His name is Tim. Timothy. Right? Stupid punk. I’m going to hit him.”
Aric lines up his throw and then the egg is sailing through the air.
I know who we are.
I know what we do.
But who says we can’t have a little fun, right?
The egg comes down and hits Tim right on the shoulder.
Jolie bursts into laughter.
She covers her mouth.
“Sorry,” she says.
Tim looks right at Aric.
“What the fuck?” Tim yells.
“Come up here and say that,” Aric yells back.
Tim keeps walking.
He knows if he comes up here, he’ll get his ass kicked.
“Your turn, sweetie,” I say to Jolie.
She stands up. “I can’t throw that far.”
“Then we move closer,” Aric says.
We walk down the hill to the stone wall that separates the hill from the walkway.
“How about her?” Jolie asks and points to a girl.
“Go for it,” I say.
Jolie throws the egg.
It hits the ground right in front of the girl.
The girl jumps back and looks around.
“Sorry!” Jolie yells. She looks at Aric. “Give me another one.”
Jolie throws another egg. She hits the girl in the leg.
“What is your problem?” the girl yells.
“You are!” Jolie yells.
She laughs again.
She stumbles and falls into me.
“I want to do it again,” she says.
Aric puts the container of eggs on the stone wall.
“Have fun,” he says to her.
Jolie grabs two eggs. And she starts bombing them at anyone she feels like.
Laughing the entire time.
And everyone who looks our way… when they see me… they know to stay away. They know what will happen if they even think about it.
There’s one egg left.
Jolie has it in her hand.
“Oh, shit, look at this,” Aric says. “We have company.”
I look and see Taz walking with Nicole.
Holding her hand.
“Hey, sweetie…”
“Oh, I’ve got it,” Jolie says. “That bitch called me a bitch.”
“She’s walking with a limp,” Aric says.
“A fall down a set of porch steps will do that,” I say.
Taz stops walking and turns to face Nicole. He kisses her. Her hands grab at the back of his shirt.
They’re in a perfect position…
Jolie throws the egg.
It smacks Nicole right in the back of the head.
Yolk splatters in her hair.
“Yes!” Jolie yells.
Both Nicole and Taz look at us.
“Fuck you, bitch,” Jolie yells.
She lunges forward and almost goes over the wall.
I pull her back as I start to laugh.
“You’re assholes,” Taz calls out.
“Now she smells like egg and fish,” Jolie cries out as she laughs again.
I fall to the ground and take her with me.
She put her head to my chest.
Aric climbs the wall. “You two have some fun. I’ll go find more eggs.”
He jumps off the wall and it’s just me and Jolie now.
We look at each other.
“I like having fun with you, Mac,” she says.
“Yeah, it’s not all that bad, right?”
“I just threw eggs at people.”
“You never did that before?”
“No.”
“You never did anything like that before?”
“Nope,” Jolie says.
“Wow… I have a lot to teach you.”
“We’re kind of too old for some of that stuff though, aren’t we?”
“Not even close,” I say.
“How are you such a bad guy… but you can have fun…”
“I blame you for that, sweetie,” I say.
I stroke her cheek.
I’m smiling at her.
But her smile fades.
“Mac…”
“Jolie…”
“I’m drunk.”
“Yes you are.”
“I’m never going to see my father again, am I?”
“I don’t know.”
“He’s going to end up dead.”
“Yeah, I know,” I say.
“And my mother…”
“She seems to be clear of it all,” I say. “Which is good.”
“Doesn’t matter. She’s got to be hurt. Crushed. And I have to go see her soon.”
“Whenever you want, sweetie.”
“Mac…”
“Jolie…”
“What happens now?”
“With what?” I ask.
“Mama Dae. Ado. All of this.”
I sigh. “Everything will work out.”
“I’m so sorry about Mama Dae. I don’t know