Honesty Falls

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"It's not going to happen."

"Come on, Neevy. Now that I'm your best friend_."

She paused in her chore, unable to hide her shocked look. "You haven't liked me since third grade when I told your mom that you were the one who ate all her twinkies."

"I've said it a million times. I didn't eat__."

"Don't lie to me, Silas Miles Babb! We both know you did."

"Well, you shouldn't have told on me. She made me dust every angel figurine she had. Three hundred of them, Neevy."

"You keep asking me to make you a love potion, then I'm going to tell on you again, and I bet she has a thousand of them by now."

"With Trinity gone, it falls on me to be your best friend and, as such, I'm asking a simple favor of you."

He looked so earnest that she wanted to slap him. "Read my lips, Silas. I am not giving you a love potion. Letty doesn't like you and you using a spell to get her to would be wrong. Now go away."

"Some best friend you are." He actually stomped his foot.

Silas was too tall, too thin. Too everything. Too loud. Too much of a pain. And way too whiny for her nerves.

She gave him an evil eye, then went back to tending her garden. Usually, her hands deep in the earth was anything but a chore, but between Silas's visit and the mess that was her life, she couldn't find any pleasure in the job.

He stood there standing over her for a good ten minutes before he grumbled and accept failure. "Fine. I have a bigger favor to ask of you, anyway."

Seeing her refusal, he held his too big hands out in front of him. "No magic and as my best friend, you can't tell me no."

If she'd known that letting her best friend leave for the afterlife meant a trade in for her friend's brother, she would have begged her friend to stay.

After covering the roots of the last petunia, she offered it an apology for not being calming and soothing through an already traumatic experience for it.

She couldn't even blame Silas for that. Nevaeha looked towards Bloodstone land.

"Neevy, are you even listening?"

Groaning, she stood and took off her gloves. "Of course, I'm listening. How may I help you, Silas?"

His smile was too big. "I knew I could count on you. I'll bring my stuff over in the morning."

"Wait, what?" She chased after him as he headed for his police cruiser.

"I need a place to stay. Mom is dating the mayor." He made a gagging sound. "If I must listen to them going at it one more time, I'll pray Trinity comes back and takes me with her. What could my mom be thinking?"

What could she be thinking?

Everyone knew the mayor visited the brothel at least once a day. Without fail. The man could be sick, and he still made his way over there.

She was so distressed at the thought of poor Alison Babb with the mayor that she almost let Silas drive away.

When his car went dead, he leaned over so he could see her out the passenger window. "What the hell, Neevy? I have to get home for dinner."

"Silas, you can't stay here. Trust me when I say you would stick out like a sore thumb around here. It's a terrible idea. There's grandmother to think of and my crow. Neither of them is fond of you. I keep horrible hours. You don't like me, and I don't like you. Don't even get me started on how complicated my life is right now. Living with me would be absolutely bad for your health."

"You cook good. That's all I require. Now start my car."

"I'm a vegetarian. Remember? No meat allowed." Her voice was shrill, but it couldn't be helped. The thought of Silas living under the same roof as her was enough to give her hives. That, on top of the mental breakdown she was already planning for one day this week, would be too much.

For just a moment, he looked like he might change his mind, then he winced. "She calls him her poky. I can't stomach that. I'd rather give up real food than hearing that damn squeaking bed for one more night."

"Silas, you just can't. I have way too much going on right now. I'm__."

"Please, Neevy? Just for a week or two until my mom comes to her senses."

He turned his big puppy dog eyes on her. He wasn't even ten yet when he realized that was her weakness. And it wasn't even his too big sad eyes that did it to her. It was because he seldom looked so sincere. He meant it.

Seeing her wince, he knew he won. He crawled out his door and looked over the top of his car at her. "I know you won't help me with Letty but think about helping me with mom. You know she deserves better than the mayor."

So true.

"I'll be here after work." His eyes widened. "Unless you want to cook me breakfast and lunch like mom does?"

Her eyes narrowed, and she shook her head no.

"Fine, but you better have a fine damn dinner prepared. Remember, I don't like green beans."

When he climbed back into his car, she let it crank for him. He'd already visited way too long.

He leaned back over so he could see her. "You owe me anyway, since you killed my sister. No buttermilk pies or beets. Definitely no beets."

"She died of the flu, you bonehead."

"True, but you should have come up with a spell or something to save her. Got to go or I'm going to miss dinner and its fried chicken night."

Nevaeha watched his car go. This was the last thing she needed right now and why in the hell had her crow not warned her about this coming?