about hitting me up soon. I wanted to hit him up right then. A punch
followed by more sex, but he was gone. At least, he hadn’t turned clingy
because this arrangement worked for me.
As annoying as
it was to have Vaughn ditch me while I slept, I felt great. Didn’t even have an
urge for my Nicorette. I was hungry though and the fridge was rather empty
except for beer and juice.
The Johanssons had
opened their home to me in a completely unexpected way. During the years I
spent in Ellsberg, I heard plenty of things about this family. I knew they had
the power to make troublemakers disappear. When I was about to start second
grade and my mom left me and Lark in the car, I watched Kirk drag a man behind
a building.
Minutes later, he
came out, but the man never did. I imagined all sorts of things about what happened
to the man, but I never told Lark. She was reading a book and enjoying the
fantasy world it provided. The real world was ugly and the Johanssons were like
beautiful monsters.
These days, they
were a family who adopted me for no reason besides my sister married their
son’s friend. Walking into the house, I found Bailey sitting on the couch with
Sawyer on the floor in front of her. They were watching a wilderness men show
while Bailey braided her sister’s wavy hair. Outside, Jodi was napping under an
umbrella while Kirk read off a Kindle next to her.
“Abstinence
didn’t work for you, huh? Bailey muttered, glaring at me.
“How did you
know? Do I smell? I asked, thinking I’d scrubbed in the shower.
Sawyer grinned.
“You got kissed by a vacuum cleaner.”
Confused until
Sawyer pointed at my neck, I remember the hickeys. “Giving up the cigs is hard.
I needed another release.”
“Mom will stop
smoking when she turns sixty,” Sawyer said, braiding her doll’s hair like
Bailey did hers. “She doesn’t want to rush into the decision.”
Joining them on
the couch, I asked even though I already knew the answer. “Are you mad?”
Bailey exhaled
hard. “Tell me it wasn’t a big dumb blond loser with long hair like a girl.”
Sawyer giggled.
“We should braid Vaughn’s hair.”
Smiling, I wanted
to reassure Bailey. “It’s not serious.”
“Whore,” she
said, clearly not reassured. “Stupid whore.”
“Uh-oh!” Sawyer
cried. “She’s going to kick your ass.”
“No, I’m not.
I’m too nice for that. I’m just going to hate Raven quietly and occasionally
call her a whore.”
“And stupid,” I
said, giving her a small smile.
“Well, you are
stupid.”
“I’m sorry. I’m
just not as strong as you.”
Like someone
flicked a switch, Bailey’s face lit up. “I am very strong. Determined.”
“No punching, I
guess,” Sawyer said, looking at the TV.
Bailey wrapped a
band at the end of Sawyer’s braid. “All done.”
Standing up,
Sawyer felt the braid. “Thank you. I love you, Bailey.”
After the
sisters hugged, Sawyer ran off to wherever she went when she wasn’t around.
“Farah trained
Sawyer to be less evil,” Bailey said, setting her feet on the coffee table. “I
should send my sister-in-law a fruit basket or something.”
“Are you mad?”
“No. Do you want
to go swimming?”
“Sure. I’m
restless.”
“Too much sex
will do that.”
Once in our
bikinis, we grabbed leftover chicken and headed to the pool. Stomachs full, we
jumped in immediately because the Johanssons didn’t believe in the thirty
minute rule.
“What was it
like fucking Vaughn? He seems like he’d be selfish in bed.”
“Vaughn is the
best fuck I’ve ever had. Not that I’ve had a lot of really great lovers or
anything. Vaughn isn’t sensitive in bed. He fucks hard and fast. I like that
though. He can also go and go. I like that too. Oh, he is sensitive enough to
go down on a chick. At least, he did with me. More than once. I really like that.”
Bailey grinned,
but her eyes looked irritated. “The guys I fuck are lame. Half of the time I
don’t come. When I do, it’s
followed by more sex, but he was gone. At least, he hadn’t turned clingy
because this arrangement worked for me.
As annoying as
it was to have Vaughn ditch me while I slept, I felt great. Didn’t even have an
urge for my Nicorette. I was hungry though and the fridge was rather empty
except for beer and juice.
The Johanssons had
opened their home to me in a completely unexpected way. During the years I
spent in Ellsberg, I heard plenty of things about this family. I knew they had
the power to make troublemakers disappear. When I was about to start second
grade and my mom left me and Lark in the car, I watched Kirk drag a man behind
a building.
Minutes later, he
came out, but the man never did. I imagined all sorts of things about what happened
to the man, but I never told Lark. She was reading a book and enjoying the
fantasy world it provided. The real world was ugly and the Johanssons were like
beautiful monsters.
These days, they
were a family who adopted me for no reason besides my sister married their
son’s friend. Walking into the house, I found Bailey sitting on the couch with
Sawyer on the floor in front of her. They were watching a wilderness men show
while Bailey braided her sister’s wavy hair. Outside, Jodi was napping under an
umbrella while Kirk read off a Kindle next to her.
“Abstinence
didn’t work for you, huh? Bailey muttered, glaring at me.
“How did you
know? Do I smell? I asked, thinking I’d scrubbed in the shower.
Sawyer grinned.
“You got kissed by a vacuum cleaner.”
Confused until
Sawyer pointed at my neck, I remember the hickeys. “Giving up the cigs is hard.
I needed another release.”
“Mom will stop
smoking when she turns sixty,” Sawyer said, braiding her doll’s hair like
Bailey did hers. “She doesn’t want to rush into the decision.”
Joining them on
the couch, I asked even though I already knew the answer. “Are you mad?”
Bailey exhaled
hard. “Tell me it wasn’t a big dumb blond loser with long hair like a girl.”
Sawyer giggled.
“We should braid Vaughn’s hair.”
Smiling, I wanted
to reassure Bailey. “It’s not serious.”
“Whore,” she
said, clearly not reassured. “Stupid whore.”
“Uh-oh!” Sawyer
cried. “She’s going to kick your ass.”
“No, I’m not.
I’m too nice for that. I’m just going to hate Raven quietly and occasionally
call her a whore.”
“And stupid,” I
said, giving her a small smile.
“Well, you are
stupid.”
“I’m sorry. I’m
just not as strong as you.”
Like someone
flicked a switch, Bailey’s face lit up. “I am very strong. Determined.”
“No punching, I
guess,” Sawyer said, looking at the TV.
Bailey wrapped a
band at the end of Sawyer’s braid. “All done.”
Standing up,
Sawyer felt the braid. “Thank you. I love you, Bailey.”
After the
sisters hugged, Sawyer ran off to wherever she went when she wasn’t around.
“Farah trained
Sawyer to be less evil,” Bailey said, setting her feet on the coffee table. “I
should send my sister-in-law a fruit basket or something.”
“Are you mad?”
“No. Do you want
to go swimming?”
“Sure. I’m
restless.”
“Too much sex
will do that.”
Once in our
bikinis, we grabbed leftover chicken and headed to the pool. Stomachs full, we
jumped in immediately because the Johanssons didn’t believe in the thirty
minute rule.
“What was it
like fucking Vaughn? He seems like he’d be selfish in bed.”
“Vaughn is the
best fuck I’ve ever had. Not that I’ve had a lot of really great lovers or
anything. Vaughn isn’t sensitive in bed. He fucks hard and fast. I like that
though. He can also go and go. I like that too. Oh, he is sensitive enough to
go down on a chick. At least, he did with me. More than once. I really like that.”
Bailey grinned,
but her eyes looked irritated. “The guys I fuck are lame. Half of the time I
don’t come. When I do, it’s
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