Aunt Wanda came out of the dressing room. She was wearing a new outfit. She avoided my stare and eyed herself in the mirror, turning around and back and forth, tilting her head from the left and then to the right as she studied her new look.

“Mason thinks we should get going,” I said.

She turned around, her hands on her hips. “When I’m ready to go, we’ll go.” She shifted her glare behind me. I turned around and saw the same man who’d bothered Mason and me.

Aunt Wanda walked right up to him and sized him up.

“How are you doing?” she asked, standing a little too close for comfort. He was around her age, somewhat balding, and looked weak enough to crack under pressure. He was still a man doing his job and he could be our downfall.

Mason came up behind him, acting like he was looking at clothes. He occasionally lifted his head, listening in on the conversation.

“I’m doing fine, Ma’am. Just making sure there’s nothing I can help you with,” he said, growing rigid as Wanda stalked him like a lion.

“I see,” she said. “Did you lose your name tag?” She ran a hand through her hair, waiting patiently for an answer. He appeared nervous, evidenced by the sweat rolling down his forehead. I’d recognize Aunt Wanda’s subtle advances anywhere—she was like a wild animal ready to attack.

“I-I- I’m with loss prevention,” he stammered. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a badge.

“I would hate to think you’re calling us shoplifters. I would love to think you’re over here because you like what you see,” she said.

I was becoming more uncomfortable by the second. I cleared my throat, hoping she’d tell me to go away. The man looked at me, debating what he should do. Not too many people knew what to do when it came to Aunt Wanda.

“Isn’t she beautiful? Do you like them younger? “she asked, pointing in my direction. My mouth went dry. There was no way she was going to put this on me.

“Let’s go,” Mason interrupted. He yanked me by the arm past Aunt Wanda, nearly plowing her down as we made our way out of the store.

“How often does that happen? And don’t lie to me, Kendall.” We sat down on a bench in the middle of the mall.

“Not often.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Calm down, it’s not a big deal,” I said, trying to convince him I’d told him the truth. “She has no right to try and turn you into what she is.”

I was sure there was going to be some kind of confrontation when Aunt Wanda got out of there. Even Payton would probably yell at Mason for trying to interfere with Aunt Wanda’s plans.

“Just stop it. The more you rile her up, the quicker I won’t be around anymore,” I reminded him. It made me sad to think I would have to say goodbye to him. I never knew when I’d see him again.

Mason took my hand and held it to his chest. He stared at me, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. “I’ve known you a long time, and I know when you’re unhappy. What do you want? Just say the word and I’ll try to make it better for you.”

“You can’t make this better, Mason…you know that!” I shook my head, not wanting to cling to false hope and fantasies.

“You say that every time,” he said.

I said it every time because it was the truth.

“Just be happy in the moment, remember?” This was what we told each other over the years, every time we’d meet up again.

“I want a lot of moments—not just short ones. Don’t you want that, too?” he asked. “We’re wasting our lives for two women going nowhere, Kendall.”

I nodded, keeping my mouth shut as Aunt Wanda approached. Her eyes were glued to me as she stomped toward us. I could tell right away she was pissed. Her purse bounced with every step she took in our direction.

Mason threw his arm around my shoulder.

“Get your sorry arm off of her. You are lucky I don’t lay you out right here in front of God and everyone,” she hissed, her fingernail close to poking him in the eye. Mason didn’t flinch.

“I’m not afraid of you and Kendall is not some whore to hand off to men,” he said.

“And Kendall is not your girlfriend. I know you like to pretend that she is whenever you see her. Get over it, Mason, because you will never have someone like her,” she said.

Mason laughed it off. He squeezed my shoulder.

“I know, because she’s too good for me. She’s too good for any of this.” He stood up and went to help Payton carry her bags.

Wanda grabbed my arm, pushing me to start moving. Her unhappiness was written all over her face.

JUNE 20

TH

 

STORMS WASHED EVERYTHING AWAY, sweeping the dirt and debris off the surface.

I sat on the curb outside the motel room, enjoying the water rushing past my feet, a sort of makeshift river. The tapping sound the rain made on the pavement was perfect.

I dipped my fingers in the puddles, leaned my head back, letting the rain soak my skin, my hair flattened under the pressure of its rhythmic beating.

It was dark. All that existed was me and the crashing of the storm overhead as the cars raced silently off in the distance.

Everyone was asleep. I wasn’t, because I couldn’t get rid of the feeling of doom I felt that something bad was about to happen, which was kind of ironic, because bad was always happening.

Sometimes I wondered why it even got to me. I wondered how many girls my age were in my same shoes. Because if I knew even one, maybe I could move past how dirty I felt on the inside.

As the lightning crashed, it lit up everything. A stray cat bolted like a thief in the night. It was perfect for the moment.

Mason came outside, letting out a noisy moan of displeasure.

“You and rain, I knew it the moment the lighting woke me up,” he said, hugging himself as the rain pelted him. He was barefoot and his t-shirt was already clinging to his skin.

He took a seat next to me, leaning into me for warmth. It was summer, but the rain was dragging the cold air in with it.

“What do you think about tomorrow?” he asked all of a sudden.

Tomorrow was the day we went out for money. Wanda and Payton had it all figured out. They’d sunk their claws into a local jewelry store owner. He had the most beautiful things on display in his windows, and they knew a fortune when they saw one.

He’d been at the wrong place at the wrong time the day they found him. Wanda used what looks she had left to tease the man into inviting her to his store. Of course a guy like himself wanted to impress a woman with fine jewelry. I hoped he’d still be living when all was said and done.

“I’m worried,” I said with a sigh.

Mason didn’t say anything. There wasn’t much you could say when bad things were always happening.

I was soaked and went inside. I wasn’t enjoying the rain anymore.

He made sure the door was locked, his hand grazing the curtain. He hopped in bed, turning away from me.

I studied his body as he lay on his side. He didn’t want to talk. He was just as nervous about tomorrow as I was. In the moment he would be smooth and stealthy, but it bothered him, too. I could feel it.

I pulled my clothes off, running a hand down my arm, the water dripping on the floor.

“You’re soaking wet, Mason. You’re getting the bed wet,” I said, toweling my body off. I looked through my bag, pulling out a pair of underwear.

“Who cares, we’ll be gone tomorrow,” he said.

I crawled into bed, forcing him on his back. He stared at my naked body, then pulled me to his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, running his hands up and down my back.

“I’ve got a bad feeling. I want you to promise me something,” he said.