Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 151097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 504(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 504(@300wpm)
Snatching off my ski mask, I wheezed out, “I can’t believe I let you talk me into that. Bitch, we’re going to jail.”
Hunter removed her ski mask, revealing dark brown skin, a round face, upturned eyes, and full lips. She had a small scar along her jaw that her bitch-ass father gave her when she was younger, but other than that…flawless. Hunter was stunning and at times, so much so that it hurt to look at her. “Maybe. But at least we got bail money now.” Hunter held up the envelope with our rent money crumpled in her fist.
“Good,” I said as I sat up. “Let’s call JD and get our fucking heat fixed.”
“You call him,” Hunter said with a groan as she rose to her feet and stretched. “I need to shower. I got a shift tonight.” Her shirt rose a little from the movement, and my gaze got stuck on her belly button before I forced myself to look away. Hunter’s thick hourglass figure squeezed inside those leggings made me feel like I was no better than a man, especially when I was the opposite of her in almost every way. I was short, skinny, and pale, but Hunter never hesitated to tell me how pretty I am. Sometimes, I’d even catch her staring, but she’d brush it off by telling me something stupid like my eyelashes were crooked, or I had a booger in my nose. I rose to my feet while Hunter finished her stretch, and then she looked at me hopefully. “Are you coming?”
Our codependence meant that whenever one of us was scheduled to work a separate shift, the other would tag along and hang around until it was over.
“Not tonight,” I answered. “If I miss another Pilates class, Sheema’s going to give my spot away, and you know no one else in the city is as cheap as her.”
“Fine.” Hunter feigned a wounded look. “You’d rather torture yourself than spend time with your bestie. I see how it is.”
Rolling my eyes at Hunter’s dramatics, I freed my phone from my pocket while Hunter went to her room to get ready. After arranging an appointment with the handyman, I retreated to my own room and lay down since I had a couple of hours before class started.
Our apartment was small and sparsely furnished with mostly second-hand items, but it was also the birthplace of some of my favorite memories. Like Hunter and I buying our first Christmas tree and each claiming a side to decorate. We had both chosen pink ornaments since we shared a favorite color, but Hunter had forgotten to use hooks and had simply shoved the thick branches through the tiny holes, making the ornaments appear lopsided and the branches stiff. My side hadn’t come out much better because I’d forgotten to decorate higher than eye level, leaving the top and bottom of the tree barren.
And for our birthdays every year, we baked each other a cake and talked about all the places we’d visit once we had the money.
I was beginning to nod off when Hunter suddenly burst into my room. My eyes flew open, and I lifted my head to see her storming in naked and dripping water. I frowned despite feeling like I’d swallowed my tongue as I watched her storm into my tiny bathroom. “What’s wrong?” I asked as I got out of bed and followed her into the en suite.
She was pumping some of my lotion into her hand when she met my gaze in the mirror. “Nothing. I forgot to go to the store.”
“Well, don’t forget to hit those elbows this time. You don’t want to look like you’ve been praying in flour again.”
“Bitch, fuck you,” Hunter retorted with a chuckle while I cackled. “What did JD say?”
“He said he can swing by in a couple of days to look at it, but if new parts are needed, it might take longer.”
Hunter only nodded as she massaged the lotion into her skin. I stood there awkwardly for another moment, and feeling my presence, Hunter’s gaze flicked toward the mirror again, and I could see the question in her eyes. At that same moment, there was a knock on the front door, so I used it as an excuse to flee the room.
It wasn’t until it was too late and I was already opening the door that I remembered it could be Luther coming to demand the money back, but instead, it was Charlotte. She was standing there with a lit cigarette caught between two fingers and her other hand resting on her hip. Her wig had slipped back another couple of inches, showing the cap and frizzy braids underneath.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Hey, to you too,” she returned dryly. I didn’t respond and just waited for her to get to the reason she was standing at my damn door. Picking up on my silence, Charlotte rolled her eyes. “I just thought you should know that Luther is on to you. He’s already noticed the missing rent money.”