[Chapter three]
"What am I supposed to say to her?" Leilani stresses, her chocolate milkshake sitting on the table in front of her, practically abandoned.
Just like earlier that day, Clara-Grace watches silently, occasionally sipping her cookies and cream milkshake.
"What are you supposed to say to who?" The voice of Leilani's mother, Aurora, questions. Gray gives her a bright smile when she places down two burgers and a basket of fries.
"Nothing to no one." Leilani answers quickly.
"She's gonna dump Sarah." Gray tells Aurora, ignoring the glare Leilani shoots her and instead shoving a couple of fries in her mouth before rapidly blowing air out of her cheeks when she burns her tongue. "Thanks, Mrs. Davis."
"Sarah?" She repeats, turning to her daughter. "I thought you broke up with her last year?"
"No, mom." Leilani groans. "And I'm not breaking up with her."
"I don't like that girl."
Leilani groans yet again. "I know, mom."
"You should just date Gray. I like her."
Leilani snorts. "I wish I could."
"Unfortunately, I don't swing that way, Mrs. Davis." Gray answers with a crooked grin. "I'm flattered, though."
Aurora laughs before pointing a finger at the young girl, who she's come to see as a daughter in the last four years. "I told you to call me Aurora or Rory."
"Sorry, Mrs. Davis."
The older woman rolls her eyes and hides her smile. "Don't make me kick you."
"That's illegal, Mrs. Davis."
"Alright, you little shit." Aurora laughs, pushing Gray's head lightly. Gray chuckles as the bell above the door rings. Aurora looks over as two young men make their way inside. "That's my cue."
As soon as she walks away, Leilani snaps her head back around and glares at her friend. "I hate you."
Gray shrugs, eating more fries. "No you don't. You just admitted you wish you could date me."
"You are a little shit."
"You just realised?" Gray retorts, her eyes flickering over to the counter, where the two boys are ordering. "That's the guy that bumped into me this morning."
Leilani doesn't bother being subtle as she whips her whole body around to peer over the seat of the booth.
"Oo, they're cute!" She sings loudly, throwing herself back down in the booth when both of the men turn to look at her. She shoots a small grin at Gray, who gives her a disturbed look in return, due to her completely not-subtle actions a mere two seconds ago. "If I were straight—smash."
Clara-Grace snorts, dark eyes peering over the top of the booth on Leilani's side.
'The one that bumped into me is really attractive, but his friend...motherfucker could hit me with a car and I'd thank him.'
A kick to her shin breaks her out of her thoughts. She kicks the grinning girl right back.
"The one with the grey eyes, right?" Leilani's grin only widens when Clara-Grace nods in reply, going back to her basket of fries. "You should go for it."
The younger girl makes a sound, eyebrows furrowing in amusement and disbelief, and the corners of her lips quirking up. "What happened to, 'men ain't shit'?"
"They ain't shit." Leilani says back, sipping on her milkshake and throwing her friend a suggestive look. "But when was the last time you got dick?"
"Um—never." Gray breathes a chuckle through her nose.
"My point exactly."
"You're a terrible influence."
"I know, it keeps me awake at night."
Clara-Grace laughs out loud at that and Leilani grins again, looking at the girl's wide smile and dimples.
"Can you just like, swing this way so I can date you, you pretty bitch?"
Clara-Grace feels her cheeks heat up slightly and she ducks her head to sip her own milkshake. "Shut up."
Leilani laughs loudly. "Take a compliment, baby!"
Gray opens her mouth to retort, but the clearing of a throat makes them both look to the side of the booth, where the two guys from earlier are standing.
The one that bumped into Clara-Grace smiles shyly, his cheeks a light shade of pink, and the other one is too invested in his milkshake to pay attention to whatever is going on.
"This is good." He mumbles, sipping on his drink, and his friend elbows him.
"Dude—"
"You wanted to talk to her. Let me enjoy my milkshake."
"Are you fucking kidding me—"
Clara-Grace and Leilani share a look before turning back to the strangers.
"Are you going to say something to us?" Clara-Grace questions and avoids the kick she knows her friend is aiming at her. "Or is this just going to keep getting more awkward than it already is?"
"Oh!" The first one seems as if he's just remembered that they were there. He sends Leilani a shy smile before addressing Gray. "I just wanted to say sorry, again, for bumping into you today."
"He's lying." The other one cuts in, looking at Clara-Grace. "He thinks you're pretty."
"Well, this is awkward." Leilani butts in before her friend can answer. "Because she thinks you're pretty."
Both guys look at her, the first one doesn't look as surprised as the second.
Clara-Grace damn near shoves her foot down the girl's throat, looking over at the first guy in slight panic. "Not that you're not pretty, too—I'm just—stupid."
He looks at her blankly for a second before letting out a laugh and shrugging.
"You're cute. Don't worry about it. I'm Zion, by the way." He chirps, gesturing over to his friend, who is looking at Clara-Grace as if he doesn't know whether he should talk to her, or just walk away and then slam his head into a wall for walking away. "This is Jace."
Leilani rolls her eyes when she looks over at her friend, who looks like she wants the ground to swallow her whole. "That's Clara-Grace, but you can call her Gray. I'm Leilani."
Zion grins at her and Leilani scoots over to sit next to the mentioned girl instead, nodding her head over to the now empty side of the booth. He takes that as a signal to sit down, pulling Jace with him.
"What the hell are you doing?" Clara-Grace hisses at her friend.
"Inviting them to sit with us." Leilani mumbles back. "What the hell does it look like, you dumb bitch?"
"Haven't you ever heard of stranger danger?"
"What are you? Five?"
"Yes—"
"Yeah, you know we can hear you?" The girls look like deer caught in headlights as they look up at Jace, who had spoken. "If you're five, then everything leading up to this may have been very, very illegal."
Clara-Grace sinks down in her seat slightly and Leilani laughs, pinching her knee.
"I like you." She decides, before turning to Zion. "You're mixed, right? What are you?"
He perks up. "Half-Japanese, half-Greek!"
"Ooo, spicy!" Leilani comments, making Zion laugh before the two immerse themselves deep in conversation, eventually swapping phone numbers.
"What the fuck." She hears from across the booth and Gray can't help but snort before looking over at Jace.
"I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other a lot more."
He looks at her for a moment before giving her a soft smile. "I can't complain."
And just like that, Clara-Grace ducks her head down as subtly as she can, sinking into Leilani's side slightly, her cheeks warm.
*~*
"No! Not that one, daddy! That one smells like flowers too much!"
The dark-skinned man stops short, his hand hovering over the bottle of children's curl defining cream as he peeks over at the little girl sitting on the bathroom counter, damp ringlets hanging in her face, staring right back at him through the mirror.
"You don't like the flower smell, baby?"
"Nuh-uh!"
He chuckles at the way her nose scrunches up, reaching for the tub of SheaMoisture kids curling cream, knowing the floral scent in it isn't too strong.
"Alright, your mama can use that one then." He tells her, warming some of the product up in his hands before running it through her hair, scrunching it in.
He finishes up, reaching around to boop her nose. "Pose for me, princess."
"Pose for me, daddy!" She points at him happily after striking a pose in the mirror.
The man laughs, striking his own pose before pulling his daughter into his arms, peppering butterfly kisses all over her face, her excited squeals warming his chest.
"You're thinking about your dad, huh?"
Leilani's eyes refocus, dark eyes meeting her own through the mirror. She gives her friend a bittersweet smile. "How'd you know?"
"I'm a fucking mindreader."
The dark-skinned girl snorts out a laugh, her head falling back slightly when she feels her friend's hands rake some curl defining cream through her long, 3c curls, scrunching it in. "And you didn't tell me?!"
"Professor X said I had to keep it a secret." Clara-Grace plays along dramatically, reaching over and wrapping her arms around Leilani from behind, hugging her tightly as crocodile tears gather in the corners of her eyes. "I'm so sorry, please forgive me, my love!"
"Only if you get down on your knees and beg."
"Bitch, you wish I would." Gray scoffs, standing up straight with a toothy grin on her face, the previous tears nowhere to be seen. She scoops some gel into her hands, scrunching it into her friend's hair before handing her the blow dryer, the diffusing piece already attached.
"For real, how'd you know?"
"I remember you telling me your dad used to do your hair all the time. I just figured."
"Oh." She stays quiet for a moment before nudging her friend playfully with a small smile. "Smarty-pants."
Clara-Grace just pats her head lovingly in return, deciding not to make a remark. "When's your side hoe getting here?"
"My side hoe?"
"Yes, your side hoe." She repeats, jumping on the bed and crossing her legs as the other girl plugs the blow dryer in. "I'm your main hoe."
"Fuck yeah, you are." Leilani grins, blowing Gray a kiss, standing up to dry her hair. "She's supposed to be here at six, but knowing her, she'll show up at seven-thirty."
Clara-Grace scowls, pulling her phone out of her pocket. "A shitty partner, and non-punctual. Drop her now."
"Can't hear you!" Leilani yells as she turns on the blow dryer, flipping her hair upside down to diffuse it.
"Shut up before you get noise complaints!" The Latina yells back, looking down at her phone. A photo of her father and her six-year-old self glares back at her. They had both been in the ring at Morgan's gym, boxing gloves on both hands. It was taken when she was back from one of his tours. Morgan had just so happened to snap a picture when Mateo had bent down to advise his daughter's form and she just swung at his face. Her fist connected with his cheek. She did not get to go out for ice cream after that boxing session.
The photo was taken at just the right time, showing her glove-covered fist, hitting her father straight in the face. Morgan had laughed for a good twenty minutes afterwards.
She ignores her lock screen, her gaze flickering up to check the time on her phone. 5:45.
"Hey, I'm gonna go." She announces when Leilani turns the dryer off, standing up and stretching until she hears her bones click. "Got work at six-thirty."
"Want me to walk you out to your car?" Leilani questions, turning around to face her as she plays around with her hair until it falls the way she likes.
"Nah, it's fine." Gray grabs her keys off the bedside table. "Thanks, though."
"Alright," Leilani nods, following the former to the front door of her apartment. "Stay safe."
"Always am." Clara-Grace smiles at her friend, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Good luck with the she-devil."
"Stop calling my girlfriend names." Leilani scolds.
"I will shove my foot up her ass out of spite."
The older girl just shakes her head with a slight laugh. "Get out of my apartment."
Clara-Grace playfully flips her off before making her way down the hall and out of the apartment building.
She whistles to herself as she ascends the stairs that led down to the footpath, her eyes focusing on the swirls of pink and orange peeking out from behind the tall buildings of the Bronx. A gust of Winter air hugs her through her coat, making her shiver slightly, stuffing her hands in her pockets as the breeze kisses her face, slowly turning the tip of her nose a light shade of red.
She moves her gaze from the sky to stare ahead of her she as walks down the street towards where her car is parked, only to stop in her tracks when she sees a certain she-devil sitting in the passenger seat of someone's car, pressing her lips to the driver's.
Clara-Grace's jaw sets. The one time she decides to meet her girlfriend on time, and she's sticking her tongue down someone else's throat.
She then remembers that on the days that Leilani doesn't walk her down to her car, she watches through her window until Gray drives away to make sure she's safe.
"The Lion, the Witch, and the audacity of this bitch..." She continues to mutter a symphony of curses as she quickly plucks her phone out of her back pocket, clicking her friend's contact and bringing it up to her ear. Her narrowed eyes stay glued to the figures in the car.
Her call is answered after two rings and Clara-Grace doesn't even get to say anything.
"Yeah...I see it."
She glances up to the side and locks eyes with her friend. The look on her face makes Gray's own chest clench painfully. "I'll be back up there soon, my love."
She hangs up, dialing her boss's number, all the while glaring at the blonde bitch.
He picks up after a few rings. "What's up, Gray?"
"Won't be able to make it to work tonight." She tells him shortly. "Family emergency."
Though she knows she could just tell him that she's got a motherfucker to kill and he'd still let her go. In fact, he'd probably pull up with a shovel to help hide the body. That's how close all the workers at the bar are. The bosses and managers always made it a point to treat their workers like family.
"Are you alright?"
"Fine."
"Clara-Grace?"
"Yeah, Connor?"
"Don't get arrested." He tells her before hanging up.
Sarah decides to stop sucking faces with the nameless guy and step out of the car just as the other girl is pocketing her phone. Their eyes meet as the blonde shuts the door of the car and her face immediately pales.
Clara-Grace give her a less-than-friendly smile.
'I don't give a damn if I'm twenty-one. My hoodrat ass ain't past the immaturity of throwing hands when it comes to my fucking friend.'