𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐃

21

HER PREY

"What's that supposed to mean, Naryna?" I demanded. "Because if you was really lookin' out for my best interest or whatever, then you would have warned me in private, the way I see shit. Not right in front of Lowen."

I stood up on the bed, "I feel like you really movin' funny tonight, and I'm in a fightin' mood."

"You cannot be serious, Casei. Get down," Naryna crossed her arms.

"I'm serious. First tryna start drama, not you tryna start more. What could you possibly have heard bad about Lowen?" I asked angrily.

Naryna eyed Lowen.

"A pretty vague explanation of why she left Houston to come to Quercitron."

Lowen's head snapped up from her process of putting the cards away. "Sioyana went to Houston, to my hometown, and thought she came back with some info? And you really finna believe her, Naryna?"

"You don't know what Chocolate told me, Casei," Naryna said to me, "But since you wanna be a bitch, I guess you won't know until you cool down. Come talk to me when you ain't on some lil kid shit."

Naryna left her room, and I got off the bed, looking at Lowen. "If it's sumin bad, I'd rather hear it from you."

"Soundin' like somebody mama," she tried to crack a joke. I continued to glare at her, arms crossed.

"My past is my past. I'd rather not dive in it and ion owe nobody nothing to dive into it," she told me seriously.

"Why'd you move here?" I still asked anyways.

"For reasons," she told me vaguely. "But I'm finna go downstairs and talk to Chocolate, since she got so much to say about me. My business is my business and she finna make me call Maeve up and tell that troll that her twin's here."

I scoffed. "Yuun even like Maeve, but you'd call her up and tell her that a bitch you also don't like is here."

Lowen shrugged. "That might make me worse than them but ion care. A bitch ion like is a bitch ion like at the end of the day."

"If you call Maeve here, you can count me good as gone. Our your life and allat."

"You'd leave work too?" she asked me, staring me down.

"No," I told her quietly.

"Pipe down. Ian really callin' Maeve, but I am finna go down there and correct Chocolate. Maeve in Houston tonight anyways."

"That's where Arah went instead. To Willow and Maeve?" I asked.

"Yeah," Lowen sighed.

I made sure I had everything as I followed Lowen downstairs. You could almost smell it in the air- some shit was about to go down. And by the way Chocolate's eyes snapped up when Lowen came down the stairs from the couch, I knew that it was confirmed.

"Lowen," Chocolate greeted Lowen evenly as we walked on over.

"You dislike me because of everything with Dyl? Is that what it is?" Lowen asked.

Naryna, seated right besides Chocolate, crossed her leg over her knee, leaning against Chocolate's shoulder as this all unfolded. What was up with that?

"Don't you dare call her Dyl. I'm her real friend and you're nothin'," Chocolate rolled her eyes.

"Me and Dyl don't mess around no more," Lowen stated, "So there's no need to stink up the room with your attitude every time you see me. Can we...just agree to be cordial?" she genuinely inquired.

Chocolate shook her head, "Mm-mm. Because I don't act, quote on quote 'stank' with you," she flexed her fingers, "because you broke up with my bestie, the baddest bitch alive. I do because I know who you are." Chocolate stood up, walking up to Lowen's face, about two or three inches taller than her as she sauntered. "I know what you are," she added, "and I know what you did."

Channin came up to us, a cookie in her hand and a look of surprise as she spotted Lowen and Chocolate staring each other down intensely.

Naryna clapped slowly, watching all of this from the couch. "I think if everyone knew even the little bit of info that I've been told, nobody would want Lowen Jaimes to remain in Quercitron." I was so shocked that I didn't know whether to fucking gasp or glare at Naryna. What was she throwin' all these shots for anyways? I honestly see Naryna as a friend but she never gave me the impression that she cared this much.

The people around us started talking at that. I hadn't even realized we had captured so much attention. I went to Lowen's side, why, I don't know. I touched her shoulder, pushing her towards the door as her fists balled up and she glared at Chocolate.

The trees danced besides us as we left the property. Somehow, I was holding Lowen's hand; mine sweaty and her's covering mine in a firm and almost protective grip. I felt like we were marching towards war and not towards her vehicle. The night covered us in its shadow and if it wasn't for the mini lights set up along the side of Naryna's house, we wouldn't have been able to see.

"Lemme find out that bitch wished she had dated you and not Dylandra," I told Lowen with a light laugh. I was trying to cheer her back up, to make her humorous again, but it didn't seem to be working.

"Might be the case, but it'll never happen," she said, her expression dark.

"Let's go home, Lowen. I'm sorry for bringing you into all of this. And I didn't expect Naryna to act so...nasty tonight." Even though this was only the tip of the iceberg with her. Don't get me wrong, I know that Naryna's no angel, but this...

"Do you, uh, mind drivin'?" Lowen asked me shakily.

"Sure. I'll drive," I quietly agreed, going around her Jeep and getting in. After I had adjusted myself in her car and situated myself, I glanced over at Lowen before we pulled off. "I wasn't tryin' to pry in your past back there. I just wanna...understand you, Lowen. That's all."

She shook her head, glaring at Naryna's house.

"There are some things not meant to be understood."