Trust me, Kitty

Chapter 2

"Oh yeah, right," I said glancing behind me at the people standing by the door or pretending to look at the menus on the wall above the counter.

"Come to our table when you're done," Kenzie said to Sasha as I pushed her out of the way. I wasn't sure if Sasha heard as she was already greeting the first customer with her best customer service smile plastered on her face.

"I really wanna hear what's happened," Kenzie said as we sat down at a table in the quiet corner of the café. "Is it juicy gossip? Please tell me it's something interesting."

"It is interesting, I promise," I sighed.

Kenzie raised her eyebrows. "But it's nothing pleasant?"

I shook my head. "Just wait until Sasha gets here, she needs to hear this too."

We sat in silence for a while waiting for Sasha to join us. Kenzie pulled out her phone and I stared out of the window at the people walking by. That was one of the things I loved most about having such good friends. We could sit in silence, but it was never awkward or uncomfortable. Sometimes it was just okay to have nothing to say.

After a while Sasha appeared from behind the counter and made her way through the café towards our table. She pulled a chair from the empty table next to ours and sat down crossing her arms.

"Tell us what's weighing you down, honey," she said and Kenzie put her phone down looking excited to hear what I had to tell.

"Well, you already know it's Mikey," I began.

"What has he done?" Kenzie asked, straightening in her chair. "Please tell me he's not cheating."

"No, it's nothing like that. I saw him on an alley yesterday," I said. "He was talking to a strange, old man who gave him money and when I approached them he quickly shoved the money into his pocket. I tried to ask him who the man was and what he was doing there but he didn't answer. He just changed the subject or avoided answering."

"So he was acting weirdly," Sasha concluded.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Him not telling me anything was the weirdest part and it made me suspicious."

"I totally get why," Sasha said.

"Sasha!" A voice echoed from the kitchen behind the counter. "Sasha!"

"And that's my cue to leave," Sasha sighed and stood up. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

She disappeared behind the counter and I turned back to face Kenzie. She was deep in her thought biting her lip and absent-mindedly twisting a strand of hair around her finger.

"What do you think?" I asked.

"You said he avoided answering your questions," she said and I nodded. "And he shoved money into his pocket once he saw you." I nodded again. "And the guy he was with," Kenzie continued, "do you know who he was?"

"No. I'd never seen him before," I answered.

"What did you try to ask Mikey?" Kenzie continued asking her questions.

"Who the other guy was, what he was doing there, what was the money for... stuff like that," I tried to recall all the questions he'd left unanswered last night. "And he said I shouldn't go back there."

Kenzie's eyes widened and she was quiet for a minute. "He's involved in drug business," she stated.

"What?" I exclaimed, my jaw dropping. How did she even think Mikey, my boyfriend, would in any way be involved in drug business?

"I mean, come on Kathryn, it's obvious," Kenzie said.

"Umm, no it's not," I protested. "I'm pretty sure my boyfriend is not a drug dealer. I think I'd know if he was."