Page 67 of Last One Standing
“Oh, Lizzy and I could join you.” Hazel took her friend’s hand, and she separated from Four to follow.
“She gonna be okay?”
Four looked at me, his jaw tight. “I don’t know.”
“She needs time.” Kona winced. “I’m sure she’s angry with me, so seeing me isn’t helpful.”
Four’s brow dipped. “I told her being angry with you is misplaced. She knows that, but I think she’s having a lot oftrouble reconciling with life.” He waved his hand to indicate everything around us.
“And what does that mean for you?” I had to wonder—if Lizzy left this town, state, hell country, what would it mean for Four.
“I’m talking with her, and I asked Aziza if she would talk with her, and she said yes. If you want me to answer you about the future, all I can say is I won’t leave her.”
That was answer enough.
“Phoenix, did you want to maybe go work on your routine? We can find a song?” Phoenix jumped at the chance, and Kona followed him out of the living room.
I hadn’t had a moment alone with Kona since we’d woken up this morning. During dinner, he and Phoenix were telling us about some of the music choices for the charity talent show, and he ended up sitting away from me. It was fine and all—he was his own person.
“Why are you frowning?” JJ whispered in my ear. He was sitting next to me.
“I’m not frowning.”
“I mean, it is your home setting, I suppose.”
I whipped my head and squinted. “What?”
“What? I’m not sure what’s confusing you.”
“You just said my home setting was frowning?”
JJ sipped his soda and answered. “Pretty much. You’re very, ‘I hate people, I hate smiling, blah blah, fuck off and die.’”
“That’s a horrible impression of me, first of all. Second, what the hell?”
JJ chuckled. “All I meant was you’re frownier than usual.”
I blew a raspberry…which was a mistake.
“Did you just…” JJ looked around the table, but everyone was doing their own thing. “That was very unlike you, Angel Saint. Now I know something is going on.”
“Keep your voice down,” I hissed.
“Why?” He inched closer to me. “Who are we hiding your feelings from?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m leaving this room.”
“Wait!” He grabbed my arm, stopping me. “Is it Kona?”
“What about Kona?”
JJ cocked his head to the side. “For real? Like none of us know you’re sort of involved. The towel debacle, and I suspect you had a sleepover in your room, from what Four was telling me this afternoon.”
I glared over at Four, but he was too busy talking with Lizzy. “That little shit.”
“Oh, stop. You know I’d have found out all the things eventually. But here’s what I don’t get. If you’re slipping and sliding with Kona, why are you upset? I mean, orgasms don’t tend to make me angry.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I’m not discussing this with you.”
