Police Officer: What happened to Selena?
Me: She found her sound again.
Police Officer: How?
Me: She gambled with the man who was varying degrees of perfection.
***
It was the 65th day of being on the periphery of the group, close to it but not truly a part of it. Sunny wondered if probation would ever end, because the Kitties and their 'emergencies' were annoying, like a cat that constantly bumps into your lap while you try to watch TV.
Selena greeted Sunny with the same bland disinterest she had exhibited on the first day of school. Except oddly was, she showed the same unwelcoming sternness to the other Kitties who weren't knockoff like Sunny. There was no way to tell from the outside what was happening on the inside.
In Sunny's mind, it meant Selena was unhappy, that she was keeping her unhappiness bottled inside. But no. The girl gripped her phone, worshipping an image of a boy on the screen. Sunny scratched her nose to hide her mouth and snuck a peek at Selena who had the sleepy yet disturbingly penetrating ease of a Rembrandt self-portrait. She stared at the screen perfectly still, as if she had lost track of time waiting for the ding of her phone. Sunny found herself drawn towards her, but at the same time also afraid of her. She hated what he could not understand.
"Wanna hang?" Sunny asked. Selena didn't hear her. "Hellooo. Selena." Sunny waved her hand in front of her.
"Nah," she said. "Busy." Selena pressed the heart-eyed emoji a couple of times before smiling, pressing send.
"Who's the lucky guy?" Sunny asked. Selena was enlightened.
"Nobody."
For many nights, Selena skipped the Kitty meeting. Sunny wondered what kind of man could take care of Selena's loneliness. Sunny's heart suddenly felt hungry; she couldn't help but feel jealous.
***
Sunny thought of Josh who hadn't been thought of for a very long time. The boy suddenly seemed so weak, like a shadow of a man who tried to do nice things. Out of friendly obligation, she decided to reach out. His shoulder was soft; he was peaceful; she liked the attention. Her fingers spelled out a greeting. She sent it. Then, she sent the same message to Cole. He snapped back instantly. Send nudes, it read. Sunny dropped her phone, repelled by the sight of such vulgar words. When she picked it up, an incoming call came from Selena.
"Selena?"
"Listen, I need some cash."
"What's wrong?" Silence at the end of the phone.
"Nothing, I just need some money. The alcohol did me dirty last night and now I'm hungover as hell. I don't remember shit." Sunny had a feeling she was going to hear a lot of bad words.
"What? Where did you go?"
"Fuck. My brother took me to a party and I met up with him in the woods."
"Who? What?"
"Ugh. We made out and I was drunk."
"Why do you need money?"
"It's so fucking messy. So messy."
"What are you talking about."
"I don't know what he did to me, okay?" Sunny was quiet on the other end of the phone, stunned at the complexity of the situation.
"Just give me the money, I need to take care of this bullshit."
"Okay, okay. How much do you need?" Sunny said to the dusty speakers on her phone.
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Under Her Skin
Ficção AdolescenteSelena is found dead one early morning. Odd thing is, her ex-best friend Sunny is next to her, with bloody hands. What happened between them that lead to this tragic end? Can Sunny escape her secrets? This is a story about two girls in a rich, white...