Whispers Among The Magnolias

Nine

I was on one of the last braids. As Rose's phone began to vibrate with a FaceTime call, it was hard not to look directly at her phone because I was positioned so that my eyes went right to it, but I forced my gaze to focus on her hair.

Mary Mae's face lit up the screen as she looked to be outside. The now clear blue sky behind her showed no evidence of the past storm lingering in the clouds. She immediately looked up, and we made brief eye contact.

"Rosey where are you?" Mary Mae asked as Rose held up the phone and paned it around the house as I sat awkwardly behind her.

"I'm at Magnolia's house getting my hair done," Rose said smiling at the sight of her redone braids at the front of her hair.

"You mean Hunter's house, she's just a guest it's not hers," Mary Mae said looking extremely bored.

"Oh I guess," Rose said her happy tone dipped for a bit but was quickly brought back up, "What's up though did you need something?"

"Nothing, just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out today, Chase had to take his niece to art class and then go to work and now he has some shit with his Dad, I'm on babysitting duty for the rest of today and I'm bored" Mary Mae seemed to toss something as the camera moved and a kid in the background began laughing.

"Sounds like he has a pretty busy day today, and do I hear Bobby Jack in the background?" Rose said and Mary Mae rolled her eyes handing the phone to a small child. I glanced up again to see he looked nearly identical to Mary Mae. His messy bright blonde hair was all over his head and his mouth was stained with some sort of candy coating.

"Rose!" He yelled on the other line and Rose giggled as Mary Mae took the phone back.

"He's on a sugar high don't get him more excited," Mary Mae said as Rose turned over her shoulder to look at me.

"That's her little brother, he is the sweetest," She scrunched her face up in excitement a clear fondness for kids in her eyes.

"You must like kids?" I asked moving my hands to continue braiding as she adjusted her head.

"Yeah, helping them especially, I want to be a pediatrician when I graduate," Rose said and Mary Mae scoffed.

"You got a C in Bio Rosey, you know doctors have to go through a shit ton of school," Mary Mae said from the line. I fought the urge to frown at her. You would think a friend wouldn't be so discouraging.

I could see Rose's shoulder sink a bit as she turned back around, "Right," she said trailing her voice off.

I looked back at the screen as Mary Mae seemed to throw the ball back at her little brother, with seemingly the least bit of concern that she hurt Rose's feelings.

"Maybe you just haven't found the right way to study, I was awful in any subject I didn't like until my parents got me a tutor when I was younger and she helped me understand the way I like to learn and retain information, I could give you some tips," I said and Rose turned to look at me.

"Thank you, Magnolia, that's really sweet," she said and Mary Mae groaned.

"Well if you're just going to get your 'hair did' all day I'll see you at school on Monday," Mary Mae said as she hung up the phone abruptly.

Hair did? I guess the apple does fall from the branch of bigotry.

Speaking of the branch, I hadn't even told Rose yet what happened to me earlier in the store with Mary Mae's mom. I hope she hasn't had any similar encounters with her, or maybe she has and it would be best not to bring it up. I just don't get why she would willingly be around them.