fish out of water, silently gasping for breath.
“Tell me, dear, where are you living these days, Mia? A trailer park here in L.A? Must be convenient for your night work, huh.”
For a moment up in the studio, I thought she knew where I now live, but I can see she doesn’t. I want to punch her so bad, but I don’t know why my voice dies down to a point where I sound like a broken record when I respond.
“What do you want?”
“I want you to stay the hell away from Julian. He’s mine.”
“You’re his girlfriend?” I eye her. She’s pretty, yes, but she looks like a loose cannon, with a crazed look in her eyes. So not Julian’s type.
“I’m going to be his wife.”
For the first time in what feels like fucking forever, I throw my head back and laugh, like really laugh.
“Oh yeah?” I chuckle, letting my hair loose from its tight bun, wincing when a few locks flutter to the street. “That’s so cute.”
“You laugh now, but it’s true! We’re going to college together and as soon as he takes over his father’s company, we’ll be running this town.”
I don’t see Julian taking over John’s company. I doubt that’s the life he would like to live, but rock on.
“So, in other words, he’s your ticket to wealth? Your housewife career maker?” I say, my voice eerily calm even though my heart’s strangely twisting and hurting with realization that Julian has a girlfriend after he kissed me senseless and finger-fucked me in that damn hospital supply closet a week ago.
“He’s mine,” Casey seethes, her face looking like a fucking cartoon character.
“Hmm, yeah sure, honey.” I take her in from her messy hair to her badly coordinated, extravagant ‘I-don’t-know-a-thing-about-ballet-but-I’m-going-to-dress-up-like-a-fucking-disco-ball, outfit that screams ‘trying too much.’ “You can have him.”
And with that, I turn around to walk to my car.
“If I see you anywhere near him, I’ll destroy your little life, princess,” she stresses after me. “And we both know just how ugly it’ll be.”
I know that; it’s already ugly without her threats.
“Did you hear me?”
“Oh, give it rest already, Casey,” a bored, airy voice says. I turn around to see the R.A.C.K., including Kendra, eyeing Casey like she’s filth.
“You’re like a lost puppy in this part of town, aren’t you?” Char says in her accent that I strangely envy.
“It’s like you just want attention from every street corner nowadays,” Kendra says and they start laughing.
“From the byways to the highways,” Roxy steps in, swinging her Sephora bag. “Isn’t it a bit too early for you to be out?”
“Excuse me?” Casey almost stutters.
“Hello, Casey. Nice to see you half-way sober,” Avery says with a smile on her face, her voice still sweet like she actually cares. “How have you been?”
Casey huffs, but I can tell she wasn’t expecting the R.A.C.K. to surround her like that.
“I… you…she…” Casey stutters, pointing at me.
“Come now, Casey, use your tough girl, I’ll mess your life up, words,” Roxy presses, shooting me a wink.
“I wasn’t talking to you.”
“Yeah, we don’t give a shit because you obviously don’t know your boundaries,” Char says, shoulder checking Casey as she passes her. “Don’t forget what we have.”
What they have?
“I didn’t…”
“Run along now, Casey,” Roxy says, eyeing her with a bored yet calculating eye. “I hear you’re graduating high school soon.”
“Hmm, Casey is graduating? Will you look at that rare miracle of life?” Kendra chuckles, looking at her best friends, and they all hum in obvious mockery.
“Jesus did perform a lot of miracles,” Avery says.
“I doubt Jesus Christ had anything to do with her pending graduation,” Char drawls, eyes narrowed on Casey who huffs, stomping her foot in anger.
“This has nothing to do with any of you.” Casey curls her lips in distaste, but I can see the fear in her eyes. “This is between that skank and I.”
I perk up to say something but Roxy steps toward her and whispers something in her ear.
From where I’m standing, I see Casey’s face grow pale. Then she shoots me a deadly look, then she’s gone.
“That goes for the rest of you Les Misérables,” Kendra calls out to the ballet girls. “Scram.”
“What the fuck just happened?” I question, feeling confused as the girls walk toward me.
“Well, it looks like you’re digging your grave a little deeper, aren’t you, Mia?” Roxy starts, eyeing me with a bit of sympathy in her eyes. Why the fuck is she looking at me like that?
“You didn’t have to do that.” I frown. “I had it