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I woke up to the sound of eggs poppin' in the pan and Sanaa yellin' about syrup.
The whole kitchen smelled like breakfast, but I wasn't in no rush to get up. My eyes stayed closed, my face buried in the couch pillow I'd been huggin' all night.
I don't even know why I let my Mom talk me into stayin' here.
Actually, no—I do know why.
She called me damn near beggin' last night talkin' 'bout how Momma was doin' the most again.
Said she needed me to be there so she won't "kill her."
Now Lorriel and I is here, crashed at my parent's house, tryin' not to kill ourselves.
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"Leelee! Move!"
I cracked one eye open and saw Sanaa in the kitchen, tryna shove me out the way while I blended my concealer in the toaster reflection.
"Chill, I'm almost done."
"You been 'almost done' for fifteen minutes," she said, smackin' her plate down on the counter. "I gotta eat, and you hoggin' up all the space."
I hit her with a side-eye and moved on to my lashes. "You actin' like there ain't a whole kitchen table right there."
"Because you threw ya makeup bag all over it!"
"Y'all loud as hell."
I turned and saw Lorriel walk in, lookin' half-dead in an oversized hoodie and pajama pants that ain't match. She dropped into the chair and put her head down on the table.
"You good?" I asked, steppin' over her bag in the middle of the floor.
"No." Her voice was all muffled. "Millitza kept me up all night talking bout some "I'm not tired yet, so you gotta stay up!"
I laughed. "You signed up for it!"
"Shut up."
Sanaa slid into the seat across from her and started eatin' like the drama wasn't happenin'. "You lucky she ain't ask if you was talking to someone else again."
Lorriel sat up just to throw a fork at her, but Sanaa dodged it, laughin'.
Mama came in right when things started heatin' up.
"Y'all playin' too much this early in the mornin'." She set her coffee down and gave us that look—the one that meant "tighten up" without her havin' to say it out loud.
"Leeanna, you leavin' soon?"
"Yeah." I grabbed my makeup bag and shoved everything inside. "I got clients today. Bridal party, so I might be late."
