I Know What Sin Is

Chapter 39

Amy never showed up.

She did, however, post at least ten Instagram stories from her party, dancing in a neon pink tube dress.

I resisted the urge to swipe up on any of them, out of spite. For Rhoda.

At half past ten, Michael presented me with a cheap bottle of wine at the door. Rolph, Buck, and Rusty crowded in the hallway behind him. I was wearing the prisoner costume Rhoda got me, after she practically wrestled it onto my body. Michael wore ordinary clothes, jeans and a t-shirt with an unzipped jacket. Buried in his blonde curls was a black-and-pink cat ears headband, with two bows tied in black ribbon and two little bells.

"Meow," he said. "I'm a cat."

"Where'd you get those from, your five-year-old sister?"

He handed me the bottle of wine. "I found them in my sock drawer. Go figure."

I held up my hand as he followed me inside. "I don't even wanna know."

A small crowd gathered in the kitchen, holding solo cups and digging through a bowl of cheddar and sour cream Ruffles. Rhoda was wearing her police costume, the zipper pulled down in front to show off an ample amount of cleavage. Milo was dressed as some sort of cruise captain, with a white uniform and ship captain's hat. There were a few other girls, along with Toby and his girlfriend, Hazel.

Hazel was tall and thin, with long shiny black hair and thick black eyeliner and lipstick. She wore a skin-tight black dress down to her ankles. Next to Toby, who had a short, stocky form, the two of them reminded me of Morticia and Gomez Addams.

I stole a glance at Rolph and his buddies. They walked in a single-file line behind Michael, hands buried in the pockets of their jeans. Rolph had a backpack slung over one shoulder that looked nearly empty. "They better not steal anything," I warned.

Rolph laid a hand over his heart. "Us? Steal? Brother, I am a man of God."

Michael sighed and gave him a pointed look. Buck went skulking off to the corner of the room and ran his finger over one of the candles curiously, making the flame dance. He jumped back and rubbed his fingers together.

"Has he never seen a candle before?" I asked Rolph.

Rolph shuddered. "The things he's seen are beyond our comprehension."

I rolled my eyes and brought the wine to Rhoda. Milo was perched on her kitchen counter, one tan leg crossed over the other, shining with some type of oil. A synth wave song was playing over her portable speaker.

Rhoda held a cup in one hand and a cigarette in the other. She rocked back and forth to the music, flashing me a smile as I handed her the bottle. Rolph tipped his cowboy hat to her. "Ma'am."

She gave a half-scoff, half-laugh. "Nice costume."

Rolph looked down at his clothes in confusion. "This here is a costume party?"

"He always wears that," I whispered to Rhoda. Her brows rose slowly as she took a drag of her cigarette. Then she shrugged, turned the music up, and we carried on.

Rhoda and I played beer pong against Toby and Hazel. I was a lousy shot, but thankfully not as lousy as Toby. His face was beet red and I could see beads of sweat along his hairline. He bounced an eyeball off the table and watched it land on the ground by Rhoda's heels.

"Toby!" Hazel snapped.

"What? I'm trying!"

Two other girls sat on the counter with Milo, drinking from solo cups. One was dressed as Tinkerbell, the other in ripped jeans and a tank top. The girls kept taking selfies, giggling together as they tried angle after angle.