Beautiful People | wlw

Fifteen: Viral

"Who the fuck is that?" Carmen demanded.

"Uh--" Sharise nudged Vera's shirt with her toe. Still hunched over to avoid the phone camera, Vera snatched the shirt, pulled it on as fast as she could. Her face was burning.

"Do you seriously have a girl over right now? You whore," Carmen said gleefully. "You never told me you were dating again."

Sharise glanced at Vera, who was hastily buttoning her shirt, then back to her phone. "My love life isn't your concern."

"Of course it is," Carmen scoffed. "Anyway, this's supposed to be a private fucking conversation. Tell her to leave."

"Uh, it's just me." Clothing more or less presentable, Vera popped up beside Sharise and waved awkwardly. Perching on the edge of the couch, knees not quite touching, she added, "Hi, Carmen."

Carmen stared. She looked like she'd had a long night; dark circles under her eyes, hair scooped into a messy bun on top of her head with flyaway strands sticking out in every direction. "Vera? No fucking way. You two are fucking?"

"We--" Vera began.

At the same time, Sharise said, "No."

Mouth still open but words caught in her throat, Vera looked at her in confusion. It wasn't like she had been planning to give Carmen the dirty details, but--

"Did I say you were allowed to fuck?" Carmen's joking tone had a cutting edge to it. "You both work for me. I'm pretty sure it's against the rules for you two to fuck."

"We're not--" Sharise's brows knotted. "We just-- Vera slept over because we--"

For someone who was once a talented actor, Sharise was such a terrible liar that it was unsettling to watch her try. Vera didn't understand it, but she didn't like the pinch in Carmen's expression as she looked at them so she blurted out, "Because Sharise needs a roommate and we thought maybe I could move in."

It was Sharise's turn to stare blankly. For a moment there was utter silence.

"So we were, uh, testing it out," Vera said, fiddling with her buttons and realizing she had fastened them all askew. "Seeing if I liked the place."

Carmen's laughter bubbled like a forest creek over mossy stones. "Are you still in the hotel? I thought you'd already moved out. Jesus. You're wasting all my money. Sharise, why hasn't Vera moved out yet?"

"I've been looking for a good apartment," Vera said. She didn't add that she had been too busy to look very hard. "It's just all really expensive--"

"You two are so cute, though," Carmen said, waving her hand dismissively. "You'll make perfect roommates. Sharise has been so lonely since Ellie left, haven't you, Sharise."

"We haven't made any decisions yet," Sharise said, tone cool as winter wind. "I'll come over, Carmen. Let's talk about Marina when I get there."

Carmen pouted. "Fine. I want you here soon. Vera, call Cora back. You need to put your post up."

"Shit. I almost forgot."

"You forgot?" Carmen pointed one threatening finger. "You better be joking, bitch. My viral moment is gonna stall soon. You need to keep it fresh."

Vera scratched at the back of her neck, smiling guiltily. "Yeah, totally joking. Sorry. I'll call her."

Sharise hung up and gave Vera a long, flat look. "We thought maybe you could move in?" she echoed. "Weird. I don't remember that."

Vera made a face at her. "I was trying to cover your ass. You're a terrible liar. Why don't you want Carmen to know about us?"

Snapping her laptop shut, Sharise pressed to her feet. "Is there even an us?"