she’d stormed off, but with
her irritation fading, Shireese’s words made sense.
She did look for fuck ups.
Shoulders slumping, Indigo began angling toward home. The
accusation hurt, because there was truth to it. Jude Alden the nerd – attractive
though he might be – had been too mild for her tastes. She only started to care
when he stopped being nice. When he disappeared for two weeks without a
word, and didn’t come around see her. When he snooped around for her
phone number, and assumed she’d be okay with that. (Indigo frowned. Shireese
swore she hadn’t given that to him.) And then he’d kissed her without
permission, and been just a bit too rough.
Just like that, she was hooked.
Indigo let out a weary sigh, burrowing her nose low in the
upturned collar of her jacket. Up ahead, the dark rectangle of the subway
station stairs appeared, and Indigo skirted away from it, crossing to the other
side of the street. It was warm down there, and she was almost guaranteed to
run into the kind of attention she didn’t want. For a moment, Jude’s face
appeared in her mind, and she pushed it away. Indigo wanted ‘nice’ or at least
that’s what she thought she wanted, until something else cropped up. She’d
spent too many years on the wrong side of happy, and no matter what she said
when she felt good, get her angry and she was right back on the street where
she’d started.
Reaching the apartment, she jogged up the front steps, keys
in hand, relieved that no one was lingering outside this time of night. In minutes
she’d climbed the four sets of stairs, and stood outside the apartment door,
panting. She closed her eyes, remembering a long ago afternoon when she’d shown
up for work at The Vault, black eye covered with too much concealer.
Shireese had been working the day shift, cleaning and
polishing, but she’d come up to Indigo in the staffroom.
“It won’t get better until you get out,” Shireese had
said. “I know that from experience.”
“Get out, where?” Indigo had snarled, lighting a
cigarette off the dying embers of the last. “Got no place to go.”
“You can crash on my couch for a week,” Shireese had
answered. “A week… that’s it.”
Opening her eyes, Indigo slid the key in the lock, opening
the door as quietly as the aging building would allow. A light was on in the
kitchen. Seeing it, Indigo wilted. She relocked the door, dropping her purse on
the floor and heading inside. Shireese sat at the table, the flyers neatly
stacked in the box, the posters organized by group, ready to spread across the
city. She lifted her eyes, watching Indigo as she came to stand next to the
counter where they’d argued hours earlier.
“Tanis is really happy about the posters,” Shireese said
quietly.
“Thanks.”
Several long seconds passed, the two friends watching each
other warily.
“You okay?” Shireese asked. “You were gone a while.”
“Went for a walk.”
Shireese nodded.
Indigo glanced at the empty dish rack, and then at the
table, and finally to Shireese, waiting. She didn’t know why her friend
put up with her, but she did. And then it struck her that maybe Shireese liked
fucked up people too.
“I’ve um, I’ve got class in the morning,” Indigo muttered,
heading across the room, not holding Shireese’ eye. “I should get some sleep.”
“Night then,” Shireese replied.
Indigo didn’t answer.
Chapter 6: Things I Haven’t Told You
Jude stared at the thick wad of bills tucked into the
envelope, eyes widening.
“This is AWESOME!”
The chair rocked back as Marq put his hands over his head,
stretching.
“Don’t say I never got you nothing,” he quipped.
Heart pounding, Jude counted though the cash. The payout was
twice what he’d been expecting; Marq’s car abruptly made sense. The money in
his hand was nearly two month’s pay in the tech dungeon, all at once, all his
to spend as he pleased. No taxes or benefits payments to deal with at
her irritation fading, Shireese’s words made sense.
She did look for fuck ups.
Shoulders slumping, Indigo began angling toward home. The
accusation hurt, because there was truth to it. Jude Alden the nerd – attractive
though he might be – had been too mild for her tastes. She only started to care
when he stopped being nice. When he disappeared for two weeks without a
word, and didn’t come around see her. When he snooped around for her
phone number, and assumed she’d be okay with that. (Indigo frowned. Shireese
swore she hadn’t given that to him.) And then he’d kissed her without
permission, and been just a bit too rough.
Just like that, she was hooked.
Indigo let out a weary sigh, burrowing her nose low in the
upturned collar of her jacket. Up ahead, the dark rectangle of the subway
station stairs appeared, and Indigo skirted away from it, crossing to the other
side of the street. It was warm down there, and she was almost guaranteed to
run into the kind of attention she didn’t want. For a moment, Jude’s face
appeared in her mind, and she pushed it away. Indigo wanted ‘nice’ or at least
that’s what she thought she wanted, until something else cropped up. She’d
spent too many years on the wrong side of happy, and no matter what she said
when she felt good, get her angry and she was right back on the street where
she’d started.
Reaching the apartment, she jogged up the front steps, keys
in hand, relieved that no one was lingering outside this time of night. In minutes
she’d climbed the four sets of stairs, and stood outside the apartment door,
panting. She closed her eyes, remembering a long ago afternoon when she’d shown
up for work at The Vault, black eye covered with too much concealer.
Shireese had been working the day shift, cleaning and
polishing, but she’d come up to Indigo in the staffroom.
“It won’t get better until you get out,” Shireese had
said. “I know that from experience.”
“Get out, where?” Indigo had snarled, lighting a
cigarette off the dying embers of the last. “Got no place to go.”
“You can crash on my couch for a week,” Shireese had
answered. “A week… that’s it.”
Opening her eyes, Indigo slid the key in the lock, opening
the door as quietly as the aging building would allow. A light was on in the
kitchen. Seeing it, Indigo wilted. She relocked the door, dropping her purse on
the floor and heading inside. Shireese sat at the table, the flyers neatly
stacked in the box, the posters organized by group, ready to spread across the
city. She lifted her eyes, watching Indigo as she came to stand next to the
counter where they’d argued hours earlier.
“Tanis is really happy about the posters,” Shireese said
quietly.
“Thanks.”
Several long seconds passed, the two friends watching each
other warily.
“You okay?” Shireese asked. “You were gone a while.”
“Went for a walk.”
Shireese nodded.
Indigo glanced at the empty dish rack, and then at the
table, and finally to Shireese, waiting. She didn’t know why her friend
put up with her, but she did. And then it struck her that maybe Shireese liked
fucked up people too.
“I’ve um, I’ve got class in the morning,” Indigo muttered,
heading across the room, not holding Shireese’ eye. “I should get some sleep.”
“Night then,” Shireese replied.
Indigo didn’t answer.
Chapter 6: Things I Haven’t Told You
Jude stared at the thick wad of bills tucked into the
envelope, eyes widening.
“This is AWESOME!”
The chair rocked back as Marq put his hands over his head,
stretching.
“Don’t say I never got you nothing,” he quipped.
Heart pounding, Jude counted though the cash. The payout was
twice what he’d been expecting; Marq’s car abruptly made sense. The money in
his hand was nearly two month’s pay in the tech dungeon, all at once, all his
to spend as he pleased. No taxes or benefits payments to deal with at
Similar Books
