Party party party
647 Words
I stare at the screen, a breathless, surprised laugh escaping me.
The horrifying mental image of Bob and his minion memes instantly shatters, replaced by a sudden rush of adrenaline.
Optimizing engagement metrics."Cocky," I mutter, a slow smile tugging at the corner of my lips as I slide back onto the edge of my mattress.
If this mystery shadow thinks he can out-market a professional marketer, he is highly mistaken.
My thumbs hover over the clean glass, crafting a response that keeps him on the hook without sounding too eager.
A good marketer never reveals her strategy. But for the record, your response rate is currently sitting at a solid C-minus. Needs work.
I hit send with a satisfied tap, but the playful bubble of the text exchange is instantly popped by the sound of heavy footsteps stomping up the grand staircase outside my room.
My bedroom door bursts open without a knock.True storms in, her shoulders hunched and her psychotic "soil health" smile completely gone.
She looks like absolute trash. Her eyes are swollen, her cheeks are flushed pink, and despite her expensive designer loungewear, she looks completely defeated.
"Chef Kenji knows," True groans, collapsing flat onto my teal carpet and staring blankly at the ceiling.
"He knew there was no missing earring, Leah. His eyes judged my entire bloodline.""Serves you right for trampling the roses," I say, setting my phone face-down on the nightstand.
I slide off the bed and drop onto the rug right next to her, kicking her shin gently with my foot. "Are you done acting crazy now? Because you almost gave me a heart attack downstairs.
"True buries her face in her hands, letting out a muffled, exhausted sound. "I'm still shaking, Leah. I don't even remember getting behind the wheel after leaving that stupid yacht party. If Bauer hadn't shown up to pull me out of that cell..."
"Bauer is a saint, but you need to stop pacing like a lunatic," I interrupt, pulling her hands away from her face so she has to look at me. "You have the cash to pay him back for the bail. So why are you losing your mind over a jar of pickled plums?"True lets out a sharp, humorless laugh, staring back up at the ceiling.
"Because if a single paper trail leaks, I'm dead, Leah. You know how my dad is.""He's a monster who thinks a monthly bank alert replaces a parenting license," I say flatly, because we've had this conversation a thousand times since we were teenagers."Exactly!" True cries out, her voice cracking as the tough exterior finally breaks.
"He doesn't care about me, Leah. He sits in that massive house, throws allowance at us so he doesn't have to look at us, and I haven't spoken to my siblings in months.
But a DUI? The moment he finds out his daughter was in a police blotter, it's the perfect, easy excuse he's been waiting for to completely cut me off and erase me.
I have nothing else, Leah. If he stops the transfers, I'm completely stranded."My heart aches, all the sarcasm draining out of me. I lean over, shoving her shoulder until she rolls over to face me.
"You're not stranded. You have me. You've always had me. Your dad can go to hell."True looks at me, her eyes watery, a tiny smile finally breaking through her messy hair. "I know. But I still hate being a mess."
Before I can answer or pull her into a proper hug, a sharp, familiar buzz vibrates against the wood of the nightstand right above our heads.
We both freeze, our eyes instantly darting toward the phone as the screen lights up with a fresh notification from the Unknown Number.
True's emotional breakdown instantly pauses, her teary eyes narrowing as she glares at the glowing screen. "Wait. Who is texting you right now?"
- Writer
