Edge of the Dark // Noa Olivar

xii. realities a bitch

Avoiding going home would be much easier if Joey knew there wasn't a timer counting down the minutes until she had to go back. Her ankle monitor condemned her into going back every day before the clock struck nine. With there only being fifteen minutes left, Joey left the ice cream parlor and walked on home.

She got there just in time, closing the door and setting her grey coat on the couch as she sneakily attempted to head back to her room, but a clear of someone's throat froze her to the ground.

"I told you to stay out of trouble!" Carter fumed, his leg draped over his thigh as he stayed seated in the kitchen. "Like, really, Jo?! You got a girl to kill herself because of some fucking video."

"That's not what happened!" Joey shouted back, crossing their living room and shortening the distance. "We edited the video and screened it, but she didn't kill herself. She was trying to pull a 'Carrie' on one of my friends and fell down the rafters. It was an accident!"

"Who the fuck is we?" Carter asked, grumbling the words. "Who else was involved in this?"

"Why does that matter? Aren't you hearing what I'm saying, Carter. It was a fucking accident." She scoffed.

"That's not what the sheriff seems to believe, so no I don't want to fucking hear it." Carter shook his head, raising his pointer finger when she tried opening her mouth again. "Who else?"

Joey sighed. "Imogen, Faran, Mouse, Tabby, and, um. . . Noa."

"Of fucking course she was involved." Carter shouted with annoyance, abruptly standing up from the chair and beginning to pace around in the kitchen. "I swear all those Olivar's do are get you into trouble. Marjorie did it. And then here comes her daughter and does it to you too."

"How could you be so stupid and careless to get into this type of mess again?!" Carter yelled, pushing his chestnut hair away from his face.

"Oh, that's rich coming from you!" Joey scoffed, her jaw clenched in radiant anger. "You can call me stupid, useless, reckless. Whatever the fuck you want. But you're the one who lost half a kilo of cocaine. You're the one who has a fucking drug lord breathing down their neck for however long he wants to keep you there."

"Shut up!" Carter roared, slamming his hands down on the table. "God, quite being such a pain in the ass and grow the fuck up! I didn't lose the drugs! But I'm tryna fix it regardless! And I need you to step up and help me do it so we could get out of this mess!"

"I'm not helping you do anything!" Joey blurted out with rage, her eyes narrowed in slits. "Don't you see that I'm already dealing with my own shit right now? And then you want to keep piling onto that. . .Thanks to you, I have to deal with Marco."

"Take Daniela's offer. It's not that fucking hard, Joey." Carter grumbled under his breath, his palms pressed hard into the table. "And you're gonna help me pay off my debt. If you want to keep staying in this house, under my roof, in this town. You know, the same fucking town that has all your friends — has Noa. Then you're gonna do what I say once that ankle monitor is off your foot."

"Carter—"

"You heard me, Joey." He cut her off, reaching behind him and pulling out a CD from one of the drawers. "I got this back for you too. So don't go on saying that I don't do shit for you."