Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 43837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Megan’s lips firmly press into a straight line as if she’s trying not to laugh at me outright. “Oh yeah, that’s right,” she answers, smiling like an oil slick. “So sorry, it’s just been really chaotic lately. Been planning a lot of stuff, and I’m super busy.”
“Yeah, I guess life has a way of getting away from us when it can,” I reply, seriously wanting our conversation to end no matter the cost. “So many things to remember and so many responsibilities to prioritize now. Anyway, I should be….”
“Oh yeah,” Megan says, looking smug. “My wedding is coming up next week, and it kind of is running away from me, yeah,” she says curtly. She looks very proud of herself. “My fiance proposed to me on the beach in Miami. It was so great.”
I want to laugh in her face.
I don’t care about her perfect life, and I’m annoyed with her for thinking I would care about anything she does. I stopped caring about most of the people I knew before my life centered around my little brother’s happiness. Once I graduated high school, they were all forgotten to me.
“I heard that you’re still on stage now, though,” Megan tells me knowingly, unable to keep the smirk off her face.
She knows exactly what she’s doing.
My shoulders tense up, and my whole body aches with the rigid stance I can’t help but take. Somehow, most of the people I knew from school assumed I was a stripper now. Of course, they assume that about me.
None of them are worth the time and effort to change their minds anyway. The fact that they feel strippers are something to be ashamed of proves what kind of people they all are.
“The Scarlet Lounge,” Megan says on the edge of a laugh as if I need a reminder from someone like her that I work where I do. My blood boils in my veins.
“Oh, yeah?” I ask her quickly, flicking my hair back. If she wants blood, I can go for the jugular too. “Did your fiancé tell you that? I think I saw him under someone the other night. Or maybe he was over her that night. It’s hard to remember.”
Megan’s face grows purple-red, and she opens her mouth to say something else.
“Kat!” My little brother’s voice excitedly calls for me down the hallway, his footsteps quick and loud as he runs right toward me where I stand.
“I got you a present, or well, Eddie got it for me to give to you,” he says happily, holding up the purple keychain in his hand with a likeness of Megan’s face on it to show me. I want to groan.
My brother pauses in his tangent, looking up at where Megan stands. “Oh, sorry about that. Hi,” he offers in greeting with a small wave of his hand as he moved to hide behind me partially.
He’s shy sometimes. He doesn’t usually know how to talk to people he doesn’t know.
“Hi there,” Megan says to him with a bright sort of smile that I can see right through. She’s one of those people that just wants others to like her the most.
“Are you Lady Macbeth?” Stevie asks her, looking excited at her costume, elaborate robes, and fabrics that make up the long, thick skirts around her legs.
“Yes, that’s me,” Megan says proudly, giving me a sharp grin as if she’s better than me. “I’ve been Lady Macbeth for a whole year now. It’s so amazing.”
“I used to go to school with Megan,” I go ahead and tell my little brother before he asks anything about her, fighting against the urge to hide Stevie behind my back. Megan’s attention is annoying while she looks at us. I want her to leave us alone.
“Your sister was a good actress back in school,” Megan offers with a shrug, her eyes wandering over to Eddie. She gives me a mean-spirited smile. “Not as good as me, clearly, but we all have our lots in life, right Kathleen? It’s totally okay.”
“My sister is the best at everything ever,” Stevie states proudly, smiling as he reaches out a hand to hold mine. “She’s a really good cook and a good storyteller. She even works at a diner too. She can do anything!”
My heart swells with affection for my little Stevie. I wish I could see myself the way he does right now. If I did, I might feel better about what kind of woman I’ve become this last year.
Megan’s eyes widen some, though I know she’s just playing it up for Stevie. I’m sure she thinks it’s stupid and my life is a mess.
“Wow,” she sarcastically says as she looks from my little brother to where Eddie stands behind him, strong and handsome. I can see her eyes linger on his body. “That’s really something.”