The Convict

In the wind

I sigh as I dab a damp cloth over BB's face, cleaning the cuts. She stares at me in silence. Lesly stands off to the side, her arms crossed. I meet BB's eyes and she can only hold my gaze for a second before looking away.

"What did you say to her?" I finally ask.

"What!? Come on Mel, she attacked me! She's crazy." BB instantly gets defensive, telling me all I need to know.

She's usually the cool and collected one, that's how I always know when she's guilty of something. She is quick to start an argument, her voice goes up two octaves, and she instantly gets offended by any little thing. All sure signs that Bernida is lying to me, hiding something from me, guilty of something.

I sigh and grab the ice pack off the counter, handing it to her.

We lock eyes again and I shake my head at her, telling her without words I know she's lying to me.

Dakota may be a lot of things but she's not stupid. She wouldn't attack BB out of nowhere, especially if she knew we could turn her into the police because of it. So, either BB antagonized her again, or something else happened—something I didn't see.

"What did you say to her?" I repeat.

"So you just take her side over mine!? I'm your girlfriend, Melony, in case you forgot!" She shouts at me.

"Dakota isn't stupid Bernida. You can call her a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of them. Why would she attack you out of nowhere if she knew we could call the cops on her?"

"Because she's obsessed with you! Why can't you see that?" Her voice cracks.

"How did you end up in that room with her? I thought you were leaving, yet I never heard the door shut. How did the gun get in her hands? I never heard her go into the living room to get it. When I left her, she was calm and sitting on the bed. I would hear her walk out of the room, she can't exactly sneak with that leg injury. So how did you and that gun get in that room!?" I demand.

Lesly looks over to us, raising an eyebrow at Bernida. Realizing what I am saying makes too much sense.

"I can't believe this! She just tried to kill me and now you are accusing me of what exactly Melony? You think I tried to shoot her?"

I don't answer just stare at her with a hard and serious look.

"Fuck you! Fuck both of you!" She shoots out of the chair and goes to the room.

I sigh.

"You think she attacked Dakota first?" Lesly comes up behind me.

I turn and meet her eyes.

She sighs and looks off toward Bernida who slams the bedroom door. The windows in our little townhome rattled with impact.

"Dakota wouldn't do something that stupid. Obsessed with me or not, she's too smart for that. She wouldn't attack Bernida with the two of us in the other room where we could easily walk in on her. Dakota is someone who has to have a plan first, she doesn't like improvising. It's why it took her so long to figure out what to do with me when she kidnapped me. When something messes up her plans she freaks out. She's very meticulous, so much so that even when she was hiding out here she had to fold my hand towel in the bathroom. She couldn't help herself. That's how I found out she was here. Now tell me, does that sound like someone who would randomly decide to grab a gun and kill another person, risking me, and her freedom?"

Lesly sighs and shakes her head.

"But who do we both know who can get emotional on a dime and do something stupid?" I ask.