Page 37 of Harmony

She nods. “We can talk about it later. How about I come over after school?”

“Okay. Sounds like a plan.”

-

“Wow.”

I cringe at Katie’s wide eyes. I guess she forgot I lived in a trailer park when she offered to come home from school with me. Too late to turn back now.

“Yeah. It’s not all bad. My room is actually pretty nice.”

She follows me inside. “It’s not what I expected. The way the kids at school always talk about the people that live here I would have thought it would have been filthy.”

I look around, trying to see the place through her eyes. It wasn’t the cleanest, but it wasn’t as nasty as some of the other trailers.

“A couple of us like to keep it picked up for the most part.”

I lead her down the hall to my room. Surprisingly, I find my foster sister sitting on her bed.

“Oh. Hi, Loraine,” I manage.

She sneers at me. “Ugh. Of course you’re here again. I don’t know why I bother to come home.”

She jumps off her bed, stalking from the room.

“What a peach,” Katie murmurs.

“She’s something. I honestly don’t know the last time I actually saw her go to class.”

Katie chuckles. “Isn’t she younger?”

I nod. “Yeah, by a year.”

“I’ve never seen her.”

“That’s my point. I don’t know how she doesn’t get kicked out of school or sent to a group home.”

“True.”

We stand there awkwardly for a moment, neither one of us knowing what to say.

“Um, you can sit on my bed.”

Katie gives me a small smile. “Thank you.”

After she sits, I take the seat next to her.

“I can’t tell you much. I’ll be honest I don’t know much myself, but I want to tell you what I know. I know the team is still unsure of you, but I haven’t forgotten what you did for me. I think that night was a test as much for you as it was for me.”

“You’re probably right. Tiffany ordered me to stay with you that night. I think she knew.”

“I figured as much. So this is what I’ve figured out. I know it seems like Tiffany’s the leader and she is, in a way. She’s squad captain and like a coach, but she didn’t start off as the leader of this extra business. That was Shannon. We were struggling to meet the minimum payment to remain competition eligible. Shannon said she knew someone who could help us out. None of us actually know what he looks like. Only Shannon did. It’s why her death hit us hard. It was supposed to be a one-and-done deal, but after Shannon died, Tiffany was approached by a liaison. She won’t tell us who it is, but they told her we had to continue until they have determined we have paid them off for their help.”

“What the fuck? When will that be? You could be dealing drugs forever.”

She lets out a sigh. “It’s not always drugs either. Sometimes it’s other small tasks, like running a package somewhere or following someone. It’s scary as fuck, but Tiffany says she’s handling it.”

“Do you think they killed Shannon?”

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