Page 121 of Kings Against the World

It’s yet another moment of fun ribbing that I can’t help joining in on, laughing along with the others.

My heart is so full of warmth that moments like these still amaze me. What was supposed to be a stressful moving day has been the opposite. It’s been nothing but me and the others making the best of moving my things into my new apartmentand then indulging in some pizza, beer, and good company after it’s all said and done.

The men naturally break off with each other while me and the other women do.

“So,” Sydney says between sips of her can of beer, “what do you think? Is Pulsboro officially home?”

I give a half-shrug, fighting the smile that’s forming. “It feels a lot more optimistic than anywhere else. I think it will be, at least for a little while.”

“I felt the same way,” Korine says. “I grew up here but never imagined returning.”

“Are you happy you did?”

“It wasn’t my choice. That was my ex-husband, Ken. But it was a blessing in disguise. Otherwise, me and Blake probably never would’ve reconnected.”

“You two are…” I pause, searching for the words to describe the couple.

“Nauseatingly perfect for each other?” Sydney offers with a wrinkle of her nose and a teasing glance at Korine. “Meanwhile, me and Mace fell in love by biting each other’s heads off and somehow… it works.”

“Sounds like me and Ozzie in Vegas.”

“We’ve found other ways to—how can I put it—channel our energy.”

“We get it, Sydney. You fuck each other’s brains out and he rearranges those guts on the regular. Moving on,” Korine gags, making the two of us laugh. “Ahem, anyway, I heard from Silver you’re going to be working at the club! Congrats!”

“You heard right. I’m the new weapons specialist for the armory. Silver said my skills were too good to pass up. I could teach the guys a thing or two about the weapons we have in our inventory,” I explain.

“How about you teach us ladies how to shoot?” asks Sydney. “I’ve always wanted to learn. I know Logan started giving Teysha lessons, but they had to stop because of the pregnancy. She’d love to pick them back up with you.”

Korine nods. “We could do a ladies’ night. Invite all the other old ladies.”

“And club girls?” Sydney snickers.

“Uh, sure. And club girls. Zoe can show us the ropes. It’s about time we all learn how to defend ourselves. Especially since we know the Road Rebels won’t hesitate attacking the saloon.”

“Let’s make it happen,” I say. “Then we can do drinks and greasy food after.”

The other two are on board, coming up with different ideas like making each occasion themed. They rattle off everything from pizza to sushi to tacos as I stand by and smile at the fact that I might finally have girlfriends.

It would be the first time since high school I’ve had friends at all. Sydney and I didn’t start off on the best foot, but she came to me and apologized. I understood and quickly accepted, reminding her that she and some of the others were under stress and I was a stranger suddenly popping up.

We’ve been cool ever since. I’ve gotten to know her and the others, like Korine and Teysha (when she’s not preoccupied with her adorable newborn baby), and it turns out they’re some of the most down-to-earth women I’ve ever met.

“Hang on. I should take this,” I say, glancing down at my phone. I excuse myself from our conversation and step into my bedroom, snicking shut the door.

“Hello, I am looking to speak with Zoe Strauss.”

“This is she. May I ask who is calling?”

“Hello, Ms. Strauss, I’m Fernando Ragoza. I’m the case worker for your parents, Christopher and Tina Strauss.”

“Case worker?”

“Yes, they’ve recently been detained after a neighbor phoned the police over a domestic dispute. They were both found to be far over the legal limit for alcohol consumption as well as under the influence of several narcotics.”

“That…” I sigh. “That sounds like them. So, are they in jail right now?”

“They’ve been released, but a deal has been worked out between your parents’ defense attorney and the DA’s office. They are requesting your parents attend a court-ordered six month drug rehabilitation program… separately, of course. I am in charge of facilitating the process and I needed to reach out to their next of kin to let them know what has happened.”

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