Page 4 of Ruling Scar
The blonde’s eyebrows are almost invisible, the hair is so light. She nods, her lips pursing in a funny way. Like she doesn’t believe a single thing I say. “Really?”
I crumble immediately. “I was too afraid to go in.”
They’re nice enough not to call me out for being a loser.
“Right.” Ren raises her voice. “Abe!”
Something crashes and his face pops up in the cutout. “What?”
“Get Akatov a beer.”
“Does she look like a fucking beer person?”
“Then get her a vodka.”
The blonde shakes her head. “I don’t think she’s a vodka type of girl.”
“Well then get her whatever type of alcohol you think she’s going to like,” Ren says, throwing a hand up in the air.
They bicker, hardly paying any attention to me. I sit back, red-faced, but not on fire like normal.
Abe whirls out of the kitchen, plunking a bottle of cider on my table.
“Can I have one of those?” Ren asks his passing figure.
A fire breaks out in the kitchen, though, it’s debatable if Abe would’ve brought her one anyway.
“What are you doing here?” the blonde asks.
“Don’t be rude,” Ren warns.
“That’s not rude, that’s factual.” She stares at me, waiting for a response.
“I don’t know.”
She nods, like that made sense.
“No offense,” Ren says, scribbling something into a planner. “Because I know you’re a grown ass woman, but your dad kinda seems like the type to lose his shit if he found out you came to dine at this fine establishment.”
More like my mom, but the point stands.
“I just. . . ”don’twant to be a loser, hiding away in my room.
Luckily, I’m saved from having to try to explain by a new arrival. A guy drops into the booth beside Ren, running a hand through floppy brown hair. “What’s with the Akatov?”
“She was too scared to go to book club so she came here instead.” Ren doesn’t look up from her work.
“Oh, that bookstore down the street.” The man meets my eye, nodding. “They’ve got a good selection of thrillers.”
“And here I swore you could only read picture books.”
“I went to law school, you asshole.”
Abe brings my food out and I sit there, eating all by myself. Normally, I might try to read, but considering they know I’ve failed at my book club ambitions, it seems like a bad idea.
“You want another one?” Abe asks, appearing out of nowhere. He nods at the empty cider.
“No, thank you.”
