Dionysia

7

Does she want in? Denny thought, with one foot on the sidewalk near Mo's Café. Whether he realized it or not, her words made him stop his biking.

But why? What was she even talking about?

Curious, Denny trudged to Mo's Café, holding his bike's handles as he crept closer to the girl. She smiled as he walked near the patio table, a silent breeze of wind circulating by. Denny knew he had to get things straight with this woman, or else he'd fall for more of her strange traps.

He parked his bike along the patio fence, locking it. As he did so, the girl was watching him closely, not saying a word. Even though he was nervous, Denny still believed she was crazy. So why was he trying to talk with her now?

"I dunno what yer deal is," Denny stated, as he stood next to the chair opposite of hers, "But I ain't sellin'. You might be a charmer, but look for someone else."

"Oh, not that!" the girl responded, as Denny believed she was asking for something sensual. "Well, I woulda if I wanted to. You're pretty hawt."

Flustered, Denny was stunned by how blunt this woman was. Was she tryin' to call for him, with some small talk? Why was she intending to call him for another reason?

"You're crazy, lady," Denny stated soundly, shaking his head while walking back to his bike. "I dunno even why I came ova here."

Then, the girl laughed, taking another bite of her sossidge sandwich. She wiped her mouth with a napkin, offering Denny a French fry.

"Yeah, you do," she said, checking if there was any sauce on her painted nails. "Or else ya wouldn't have come ova in the first place."

He kept trying to ignore it, but Denny was intrigued by the reasoning of hers. Thus, he sighed and walked back to the table, taking a seat across from her. She offered him a French fry again, but Denny refused. He'd eaten well from ma's breakfast anyways.

"I know all about yer little plan," she told him, with Denny reacting bemusedly. "Ya know, shippin' drinks to Tulane? Pretty bold, I may say."

Denny was astonished, pondering how she even knew, an arbitrary woman at a café. The only other person who knew about it was Freddie, and they were already pretty careful when discussing it. They were even exchanging numbers anonymously!

"I guess I should introduce myself first," she indicated, finishing the last of her sandwich. "I'm Caroline, Freddie's girlfriend. Sorry dawlin', but no funny business, awrite? Let's get down to the details."

Details? What is she implying? Denny thought to himself. Is that what she meant by "wanting in?"

"That idiot," Denny mumbled. "I thought I told him clearly to keep his mouth shut on this whole shit."

"Oh, Freddie tells me everything, hon," Caroline responded, smirking at her statement. "Especially when it comes to him makin' money."

"What about it?" Denny retorted. "We're like Shaq and Kobe, awrite? We don't need another person involved in the business, let alone his damn girlfriend."

It seemed like Caroline wasn't too upset by it, still keeping her gaze on Denny. It felt like Medusa's gaze, as Denny still couldn't look her closely in the eyes. There was something about her that was off-putting, regardless of her information about their business. It made him think it was necessary to keep her detached from the business.

"Yeah, you do," said Caroline, remaining stubborn. "For starters, I'm a bartender at Tucker's Casino, the one you passed by. Second, freshmen aren't just gonna settle for the usual drinks, rite? We needa spice it up, mix up somethin' that'll make them keep coming. That's where ya need me."