Page 6

Cash hums in acknowledgement.

There are a total of eight houses between Bane and Keone Reef that have garages. I think it spoke to a time when they thought automobiles would fill the islands like they have the rest of the world. Thankfully, they’ve never been needed outside of isolated situations. I’m not sad about it.

Those houses are aggressively sought after for the extra space. Some have been turned into studio apartments. Others remain gathering or storage areas like Cash’s.

Speaking of the garage. Through the window, we hear the garage door lift. That means Ben’s home, likely with his bandmates, and they will be practicing.

I’ll hand it to them. They practice a lot. It shows, too. They’re very talented, in sync, and play highly varied songs, though the style remains the same.

Anyone who has ever heard Benson open his mouth when he’s not singing knows that Whiskey Horizons is hoping for a big breakthrough with a record company somewhere in the world to take them away from Kala, never to return. He’s determined to get away from the gay island and leave it behind for good.

As far as I’m concerned, bye bitch. He has a lot of aggressive borderline bigotry for being raised on Kala by gay parents and surrounded by thousands of queer people every single day of his life.

Part of me wonders if something happened to him as a kid. Maybe he was rejected. Maybe someone hurt him. There are bad people everywhere and within every community. There’s a distinct possibility that something happened to trigger Benson to turn into the asshole he is.

His target is always Cash. He doesn’t seem to care about anyone else specifically. He’s disgusted by the world around him, and while the world around him is queer, I don’t actually think his hostility is toward queer people. I think he wants to escape something here.

I’ve been in the world outside, though. They’re going to eat him whole. Part of me can’t wait to see it because of the way he treats his brother.

“Okay, save the rest for tomorrow,” I tell Cash. “I’m going to head home. Maybe I can sneak in before Mom gets home, so I don’t have to listen to her disappointment at me for quitting another job.”

He snorts as I roll off the bed. “Good luck with that.”

“I mean, you and I both know the quickest way to send me off the edge is to snap your fingers at me like I’m a damn dog. I’m going to lose my shit. Which I did. I quit before I could be fired.”

Cash shakes his head without comment. He’s sitting now as he folds the newsletter. “See you tomorrow.”

I wave. I rarely wear shoes, but when I have to cross the paved roads, I do. The ground isn’t always glass- and rock-free like our grassy backyards.

It’s still early enough in the year that the sun is almost set.

The island, with its glass dome lights on tall, carved poles, makes the entire neighborhood look enchanted.

I cross the road and then jog along the side, so I’m almost always in the grass.

I cut through Miss Florence’s yard and across Jim and Tim Thompson’s yard until I’m on my street.

I pass Laiken’s house, refusing to look at his windows to see if there are lights on and if he’s home. Don’t care. Don’t care.

However, I cut up the side of his house so I can come in through the glass doors in the kitchen.

Most of the time, that’s the safest set of doors to avoid my mother.

Today I’m wrong, though. Not only is my mother in the kitchen, but so are Laiken and my father.

I can’t even sneak around the front of the house since Dad and Laiken see me.

My shoulders fall. Fuck.

Pulling the slider door open, I step inside and offer them a smile. “Hey.”

My mother turns and her eyes immediately move to my hair. She frowns. “Why do you have a bow in your hair?”

“It’s a headband,” I say. It would be easier to take it out so she doesn’t continue, but I clench my hands at my side, refusing to give her that satisfaction.

“Darling—”

“Miranda,” Dad says and my mother sighs.

She presses her lips together before smiling. “Have you eaten, baby?”

“I had about a dozen sugar cookies,” I say. I can feel Laiken watching me. His eyes burn.

“That’s not food. I’ll make you a plate.”

I don’t argue. I hover right where I am until Dad gestures for me to have a seat with them. Which puts me between him and Laiken. Great. Close enough to feel his damn body heat. Fuck my life.

“How’s Cash?” Dad asks.

“He still has a dickwad for a brother, but otherwise, he’s good.”

“How’s work?” he asks.

I wince and drop my head. “I quit.”

“Why this time?” Mom asks.

“The same reason as last time. I’m not a pet and I’m not going to be treated like a servant. You don’t fucking snap your fingers at me and expect to be treated with respect.”

This, at least, is something my mother agrees with. While she hates that I go through jobs like I do underwear, she understands this one thing about my life.

“Hey, I have an idea,” Dad says. I look at him warily. “Laiken is looking for another bartender. You should work with him for a while. I’m sure he’ll keep those nasty people away.” He laughs.

My entire body feels like it’s just been hit with a gust of Arctic air. I turn to look at Laiken. He looks just as startled and wary as I do.

“That’s a fantastic idea,” Mom exclaims. “You’ll work with Laiken, and it’s going to be perfect.”

“Perfect,” I mutter.

Laiken doesn’t answer. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.

Yep, fucking perfect.