The Arrangement Anthology 1(196)

I sit in the booth for a second and my phone chirps. I pull it out of my purse and thumb the screen to life. There’s a text message from a number that I don’t recognize. The area code isn’t from around here.

Hey…

I type back, Who’s this?

Someone who misses you.

My stomach swirls as I type in his name. Sean?

Yeah, baby. Do you miss me?

What I type doesn’t convey how much. Yes.

I miss you too… I grin like a dork for a few seconds until his next message appears. So, what are you earring? Pause. I blink at the screen trying to figure that one out when it chimes again. Ducking autocorrect.

That makes me laugh. Ikr? Damn dicks… And I press send before I see the typo. I swear, smart phones were made to make people look stupid. Ducks, ducks! I type quickly and hit send.

Lol. Sure. There’s a pause and then he sends, I need to see you again.

My heart rate picks up and thumps along at a million miles per hour as it soars through the sky. He wants to see me! I try to play it cool and decide to refrain from writing back YYYYYEEEEEEESSSSSS!!!!! like an orgasmic hornball. I’m beaming. It’s a sure thing now. If Sean can’t leave me behind, he must want to be with me. My decision to ask him to marry me seems like a better plan now. I can’t wait to see him, and I don’t want to wait. I’m getting a ring and finding him tonight.

I type back, I’d like that.

Then I’ll see you soon. I need to take care of a few things and then I’ll be in touch.

Acid couldn’t wipe the smile off my face after reading that.

When I finish at the restaurant, I pay the tab and then wander through the mall with a goofy look on my face, resisting the urge to skip and tap my heels together. Oh hell, I do it anyway. I skip twice, which is really more of a gallop, before I jump. When I go to tap my heels together, I miss. It’s the most uncoordinated thing I’ve ever done. I come down with my ankle at a strange angle and fall on my ass.

A couple of guys clap loudly and chide, “Nice, honey! Way to stick the landing!” They laugh and walk by me like I’m too stupid to be alive, but I so don’t care.

I jump up and brush off my butt with a huge blush across my face, giggling. The other guy winks at me, like I’m really cute. Who knew my super sucky coordination skills were attractive? I duck my head and scurry away before I manage to trip on my feet.

When I catch up to Mel in the jewelry store, Tiffany is glowering in the corner with her arms folded over her plastic boobs. I bounce up next to Mel. “What are you doing?”

She beams at me. “I figured I needed some stuff while we were here—ya know, some gold hoops, a 3 carat diamond pendant to match. Nothing much. My friend Roger here is ringing me up and I’m going to pay in cash.” Her voice is so loud. If pride had a face, it would be Mel’s. She beams at me as she lays out over $10,000 in cash, slapping it down on the counter, bill by bill, grinning.

Tiffany rolls her eyes. I wave her over and she looks hopeful. “Hey,” I ask, “you got a second?” She nods, hoping that I’m going to spend as much as Mel. Like I’d spend it with her after that? Seriously, someone sniffed too many markers. We both glance at Mel. After a moment, I say, “It’s too bad you went super bitch on her ass, before. On the bright side, you just pushed your friend’s sales quota over the top for the month.”

I beam at her and walk over to Mel, who’s wearing her new jewelry. “Damn, that’s a big diamond.” It’s a princess cut and looks stunning against her dark skin. The chain is white gold and matches the crusted diamond earrings she bought to match it.

Mel flashes her bright smile my way, actually giddy. “I know. I said to myself that I needed to buy myself a present. I work hard and I deserve nice shit, so I came back in here and Roger—this wonderful man—helped me pick out the biggest diamond pendant they had. Now it’s mine!” She squeals and claps her hands together like she’s too excited to breathe. Then, she looks over at Tiffany and waves. “Have a nice day, Bitchy Barbie.”





CHAPTER 4





On the way home that afternoon, I get a call from Black. When I answer the phone, her voice is terse and the epitome of unfriendly. “Where are you?”

“I’m with Mel, why? Is something wrong?” What could go wrong at an illegal brothel? For a second I think the cops are raiding her office, but it’s too quiet.

Black’s teeth click together when she speaks. “You have a client this evening, Avery. You need to stop in here before you go. It’s late, so I reiterate—where are you?”

I’d planned on driving to Jersey tonight to find Sean. Mel glances at me out of the corner of her eye while driving Southern State like a race car driver. She cuts off a pickup truck who blares his horn at us. We’re going to get caught in rush hour if we don’t get back to the dorm soon. I need to pack a bag before I go.