Page 12 of Wire
Beretta_Penn: Twiddled my nipples and then couldn’t get it up. Blamed me instead of all the shots he had.
St_Margarita: Are you OK?
Beretta_Penn: Yeah. Looks Iike I’ll stay untouched for a while longer.
St_Margarita: There’s no hurry babe. Wait for someone special.
Beretta_Penn: Oh yeah, like you did?
St_Margarita: Hey! Kelly’s boobs were VERY special to me.
Beretta_Penn: You’re gross.
St_Margarita: You love it.
St_Margarita: Do you need me to beat someone up?
Beretta_Penn: You’d do that?
St_Margarita: Hell yeah! I’ve got your back. Always.
Beretta_Penn: Thanks Mags. I’ve got yours too. Always.
Wire
“Can I ask you something?”
I crack my neck before looking at Chewy. Remy is still at work and I think that Chewy’s question will be a good distraction for me. Since I saw Remy in the library with her after school group, I’ve been out of sorts. The woman I saw there is so different from the one I see here. At the library she was confident, but quietly so, if that makes sense. There is definitely a lot more than meets the eye with Remy. I mean, I don’t think she’s ever going to be outspoken and loud, but her differences make me think about her all the damn time. Something has been drawing me in and I think it’s because I’ve never spent any significant amount of time with a woman quite like her. The club bunnies are all outgoing. Chewy is, well, Chewy.
Even the women I grew up with are the opposite in personality.My momma raised me and my three sisters on her own when my dad left. I was 13 and old enough to see that the pairing between them was never going to work. Dad was trailer trash from the wrong side of town, Momma was from the hood. Both of their families hated each other. Momma’s family hated that she was with a white boy, Dad’s family hated that he was with a black girl. What united them in the beginning was the fact both of them were bottom of the heap and wanted a differentlife. They fell in love and had my sister Eve, then me, then Zoe and Jade.
My Momma is a strong woman and as I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that was something my father couldn’t deal with. My mother didn’t need him. She’s successful in her own right, and when he would gamble away his money or forget to take the girls to dance or forget to pick me up from basketball, well, that just led Momma to doing it all until his role became redundant. He moved on to another black woman, but one who made him feel important and needed. Now they both drink and gamble their days away, blissfully happy in their dysfunction.
“Wireeeeee, you with me? Or are you dreaming of Retta?” Chewy makes her voice all high and bats her eyelids while she swings in her chair. Hanging out with Rider has turned her into a smart ass.
“Yeah, I’m with you. And what do you know about Beretta, anyway?” I squint at her. I haven’t really told anyone about her. She’s my friend. My conscience. My lifeline during all the times things went to shit.
“I know that you have to message her every day otherwise you get really pissy.”
“Well, she’s my friend. And I enjoy talking to her.”
Chewy shrugs “OK. Anyway, I need advice on something.”
I smile at her, loving the fact that Chewy doesn’t pry. I’ve answered her question, and that’s sufficient for her. Unlike half of the nosey assholes that make up the MC. I circle my hands in the universal sign for “get on with it.”
“I’m having a Girls’ Night tonight. I read snacks will make a successful evening. So are we talking Doritos and dips or, like proper canapes? Or an actual meal? Also, should the pillow fight and nail painting come before or after the food?” She looks at me for a moment before her gaze flitters off to something more interesting.
“Umm, well, judging by what I remember of my sisters’ sleepovers, I think chips and dips are fine. And maybe chocolate and ice cream, that sort of thing. I’m not sure any of my sisters had pillow fights, though. But they definitely painted their nails.” I can still remember the fumes wafting down the hall to my room. “I also don’t think there’s any real schedule either. Just play it by ear.” I shrug at her and then remember to do some stretches when my neck twinges.
“Right. I can do that. I’m going now.” Chewy abruptly stands, shoves her feet in her shoes and leaves, exactly as she said she would. She’s such an odd little thing, and I love everything about her. In a little sister type way. Rhodie would murder me otherwise, and I’d never do that to a brother.
Checking the time at the bottom of my screen it’s pretty much beer o’clock, and seeing how my concentration is shot, I may as well go see what my brothers are up to. I put on my screen saver and then switch all alert notifications to my watch. That way, I can keep my finger on the pulse of everything that I’m monitoring. There’s always shit to keep an eye on. After the whole Kraykowski bullshit, I want to make sure that there aren’t any new players in the skin trade. I also need to keep all channels open with the Russians, as well as any informants we have. We pissed off a lot of people when we shut down that operation. It’s only natural that someone will want to take a swipe at us.
Heading down the hall, I dodge Whitney and stomp my way to the bar. Lifting my chin at the prospect, he hands me a beer without a word, nodding once before going back to wiping down the bar. Takoda has been with us for around a year now and he’s tracking to be one hell of a brother.
“Finally made it out of the cave, huh?”
“Shit Switch, speak a little louder.” I grimace as I stick my finger in my ear and jiggle it around. There has to be a medical reason why he’s so fucking abnormally loud. Has to be. Hedoesn’t answer me, just flips the bird and goes back to yelling in Sniper’s face. That there is one weird ass friendship. Opposite ends of the spectrum. A hand lands on my shoulder and Tank maneuvers his way next to the bar.