Honey (Editing/Rewriting)

Chapter 18

Honey
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Honey attached the name tag to her shirt with a sigh. Facing another double shift at work while still tired from the previous day, she yearned for a better job, tired of the long hours on her feet. She thought about job searching for somewhere else easier to work, maybe a library or something would be better for her.

After creating a sleek, low bun with her hair pulled back, she took another look at herself in the mirror.

"Honey, I've been out of work so I'm not going to have my half of the rent this month." The sound of Loren's voice reverberated within the living room.

Honey rolled her eyes as she emerged into the living room, gauging whether Loren was serious or not. With her arms folded, she cast a sidelong glance at her sister, "Loren you told me you had the money yesterday."

"Things changed. I can't pay this month. Sometimes I'll have it and you won't or you'll have it and I won't." Loren shrugged as if it didn't matter. She was positioned at the center of the living room, clutching a well-worn bag tightly in her hands. The bag's lower part was partially unzipped, causing a few items to dangle outside.

"We agreed to go half. What happened to your savings?"

"I have bills other than rent, Honey. Besides it's not going to hurt for you to pay the rent just this once."

Honey let out an annoyed sigh, "Don't make this a habit, Loren. I barely make minimum wage, I can't afford to pay this rent every month by myself. I did all the grocery shopping and the furniture shopping. I used up most of my savings. I'll be two hundred dollars short."

"Don't be dramatic, Honey. I'll pay it back."

"Dramatic?"

"Yes, dramatic. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is your friends coming over and eating up all of our food and none of them are going to replace anything."

"You have friends over too and I don't say nothing when they go and eat my food."

"The only one that comes over here is Kai and he never goes in that refrigerator or the pantry. He don't even stay that long. It's your friends that's eating everything. I think we need to set some boundaries."

"Boundaries? Honey as long as I'm paying half of that rent, I'm doing whatever the fuck I want in my apartment..."

Loren's bag unzipped completely, spilling all her belongings onto the floor. Honey's eyes scanned the scattered items, and her expression turned perplexed when she noticed two sizeable transparent packages, each holding a powdery white substance. Instantly, her face contorted into a frown of dismay. "What is that?"

"Don't worry about it, Honey." In a hurry, Loren scrambled to retrieve her scattered belongings, attempting to cram everything back into the bag that had not just unzipped, but also torn apart.

Honey moved closer, eager to examine her sister more closely. It hadn't caught her attention earlier, but now she noticed a slight redness in her eyes and signs of tears. As someone who knew her sister intimately, there was no need for her to hide or deny it, for Honey could discern everything just by looking into her eyes. "I thought you weren't doing drugs anymore, Loren. What happened to therapy?"