Those Who Remain

Six - Adult Decisions

Chris groaned, scratching the back of his head as Cash bit her lip and shrugged her shoulders.

"What? I thought I could play the spade!"

"Not when you got diamonds in your hand!" Chris yelled.

"But you said spades were higher!" she whined. Angel shook his head from his seat on the couch and chuckled.

"When diamonds lead you gotta play the diamonds, baby."

Cash's shoulders dropped before she nodded, throwing her cards in between Chris' open hands where the rest of the desk was on the card table. She sat back while he shuffled.

"You can't be my partner at this party," he said.

Cash gasped. "I'ma get it. Just keep going."

Angel got up from rolling his blunt and walked past them. Cash blushed when he leaned over and kissed her forehead.

It had been a few months since Chris came to town and surprisingly, him and Cash hit it off. It all started with a guy getting tough with Cash at school. He was acting suspicious so she decided she wasn't selling to him anymore. The guy tried to get loud, tough and cause a scene. Chris stepped in and handled it. Cash never had a boy stand up for her before. Her and Chris bickered like brother and sister, but ever since that day he made it a point to let everyone know he wasn't playing about her.

Cash's relationship with Angel had changed as well. She was spending more time at the house, even Yani had stayed a few nights there with her. Cash also noticed Sasha wasn't coming around as much anymore either.

"I'm about to go get some food," he announced. "You want me to get Yani food, too?"

Cash looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah, she'll be up by then."

He nodded, grabbed his keys off the table and headed out. Cash noticed Chris' face and frowned.

"What?"

"I know what you doing," he said. Cash's eyes widened.

"What am I doing, Chris?"

"Don't get no attitude in that tone like I'm slow," he said, chuckling. "You ain't that good at being slick."

Cash looked around the living room before throwing her cards down on the table. "I gotta get her out of that house, Chris,"

"What's going on?"

Cash bit her lip, trying to shake the feeling of emotion welling up. "We have a cousin...that...he likes to touch..."

Chris shook his head, holding his hand up so she wouldn't continue. "I get it."

"I have to get her out," she repeated.

"So you gonna sacrifice yourself for that?" he asked.

Cash frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Young...you know my cousin wants to have sex with you right?" Cash choked on her own spit. Chris, unamused, pushed her water bottle closer to her. Cash took a sip before getting herself together. "And now I know you're a virgin."

"I'm not even 15 yet!"

"You know how many freshmen I done hit since I been here?"

Cash sighed, she hadn't thought that far into Angel's attraction to her. It wasn't that she was scared to do it, it just wasn't on her mind. It was true that girls her age had done alot of sexual experimenting. Cash was focused on keeping her and Yani fed.

"You ready for that?"

"If it gets her out of that house."

Chris sighed, pulling the cards back into the pile. Cash kept quiet as he shuffled them.