Amari

Here I sit on the bed watching Justin pace back and forth angrily as he lectured me about bringing drunk people we hardly know into our home.

"I'm just trying to understand what would possess you to bring her here. Want to share?" Justin asked putting his hands on his hips.

"She's drunk and sad." I started slowly. "Her husband wasn't answering his phone and I don't know their address. So excuse me for wanting to be kind."

"You could've been kind and checked her into a hotel." He said.

"You saw how she was dressed. They'd think she was some kind of hooker." I rolled my eyes. "Plus, look at how I'm dressed. Pajamas and no shoes."

"So? How often do you go to hotels?" Justin scoffed. "Besides, her husband owns a chain of hotels. You couldn't put her in one of those."

"I forgot about that." I puckered my lips and pointed at him. "Point is, she's here and it's too late. Stop stressing."

"Don't tell me to stop stressing!" He argued. "What if she's mentally unstable and tries to kill us. Then what? Did you check her for any weapons?"

"No..." He cut me off.

"Oh my God!" He laid on the floor. "This girl could have a grenade in her bag and we don't even know."

"Justin..." He cut me off again.

"I'm glad you know my name." He said.

"You're being over dramatic." I rolled my eyes. "Can't we just go to sleep?"

"Well excuse me for wanting to make sure we're safe." He mumbled standing up and waving his hands at me. "I'm not sleeping with you."

"Why not?" I scoffed.

"Because you're making me mad." He said under his breath.

He snatched the covers off of the bed and grabbed two pillows before laying on the floor beside my feet.

"Turn the lights off please." He said.

"You'd rather sleep down there than in bed with me?" I laughed.

"It wouldn't be the first time I slept under you." He said with his eyes closed and a smirk on his face.

"Shut up." I kicked him. "Fine. Have it your way."

I flicked the lights off and laid down listening to Justin murmur random things under his breath. He did this after every argument because he knew I wouldn't be able to sleep if he kept talking. He was so over dramatic and petty.

"Justin." I said seriously.

"Am I bothering you?" He asked smartly.

"Just a bit." I said.

"Oh well." He mumbled.

Next Morning

"I'll meet you at your office. Don't forget my clothes." Danielle spoke into the phone. "Yes I'm alright. Okay. Bye."

She hung up and grabbed her bag.

"Thank you so much for coming to get me and letting me stay here for the night." Danielle smiled at me.

"It's no problem at all." I shrugged.

"I'll call an Uber and be out of your hair." She said.

"Alright. Let me know if you need anything before you leave." I said.

"Thank you, but I should be fine." Danielle smiled.

"Babe!" Justin called running downstairs. "Amari!"

"What?" I called back.

"Babe, do you want to eat this fruit salad off of my..." He trailed off walking into the kitchen shirtless and seeing me and Danielle. "What I was about to say was going to be very inappropriate and I apologize."

"Go put on a shirt." I laughed.

"I thought she was gone." He mumbled walking out of the kitchen disappointed.

"Okay..." Danielle laughed. "You two are so cute. Do I hear wedding bells in the near future?"

"You do not." I laughed grabbing my buzzing phone. "You don't even see the slight shine of an engagement ring, yet. Hello?"

"Come open the door!" Lana screamed from the other end of the phone.

"It's already open." I said hanging up.

"What's taking you two so long?" Danielle asked.

"Past relationships just ruined me, I guess." I mumbled as Lana ran into the kitchen.

"Bitch, look!" She screamed lifting her head and shaking me her new necklace.

"Oooh." I said walking over to her and looking closer. "You got a man?"

"Yep." She nodded. "An old one."

I looked at her seriously.

"Are you joking?" I asked.

"No. Old balls are just as good as young ones." She said seriously. "Better, actually. They don't get you knocked up."

She laughed, but stopped when she saw Danielle.

"Hey girl." Lana said awkwardly.

"Hi." Danielle waved.

"What you doing here?" Lana glanced at me then back to Danielle.

"I just stayed over last night." Danielle cleared her throat.

"Oh. That's cute." Lana nodded looking at me. "You got some orange juice?"

"It's in the fridge." I said and she went to get it.

"My ubers here." Danielle said grabbing her things. "I'll see you later. Thanks again!"

"No problem." I waved.

We heard the door close and Lana went to say something, but was cut off by Justin running into the kitchen.

"I was going to say..." I stopped him.

"Lana's here!" I said.

"Hey!" She waved.

Justin stared at me before leaving the kitchen again.

"That man so fine." Lana said coming to stand by me.

I side eyed her and she shook her head.

"I don't want him. I'm just saying." She sipped her orange juice. "Tyler's wife?"

Tyler

"We're heading to Italy next week." Hunter said as I looked through his photos from Paris.

He and Angel had decided to hold off on going to college and instead travel. When Hunter first told me about this, I told him that if he could keep up his grades all Senior year and save up enough money for his first round trip ticket, I'd happily help them fund every other trip they'd want to take because I had the resources to do that. Along the way, Hunter and Angel started a blog about their travels and their life's in general and it blew up. They now make enough money off of their blogs to care for themselves. I still help them, but they really don't need it.

"And we're thinking about investing in real estate." He said. "Becoming home owners."

"Really?" I asked looking at him.

"Yeah." He laughed. "We could start the process here and rent it out whenever we travel."

"Why here?" I asked. "I get that this is your home, but it's not Angel's."

"Yet." Hunter rubbed the back of his neck. "Things are pretty serious between us and I think it's time we move on to the next level."

"Hunter..." I trailed off. "You're still young."

"So? I'm 22. When you know, you know." He said grabbing his bag. "I already bought a ring. I got it sized and everything. If this doesn't work out, I'll be highly upset."

He opened the black case that held the ring and shined a light onto it.

"Way better than the one you got, huh?" Hunter laughed handing it to me.

"This is nice..." I said studying it.

"It's Vera Wang." He said. "Expensive."

"I don't think Angel is gonna say no to this..." I mumbled.

"Exactly." Hunter snapped his fingers. "How lucky is he to have me?"

"I still think it's too soon." I said handing it back to him. "I mean, you haven't even considered College yet and you graduated four years ago. What're your plans for the future?"

"I'm in the future, dumbass." Hunter said putting the ring back into his bag. "Anyway, I'll figure it out with Angel."

"Hunter..." He cut me off.

"I'm leaving." He said standing up. "If you can't be supportive of me, you can't be around me. I'm over this."

Just as he went to leave, Danielle walked into my office in a familiar Animal Shelter staff shirt and some pink shorts.

"Y'all nasty." Hunter pointed at her. "Always on some kinky shit."

He walked around her and left.

"Why couldn't you go home to change?" I asked standing up and walking over to her.

"I don't have my keys." She said.

"Where'd you get this?" I asked touching her shirt. "I have one just like it, actually."

"Amari let me borrow it and the shorts and the slides." Danielle said slightly kicking her foot up. "She's so sweet."

"Amari? When did you see her?" I asked.

"She came and got me from the club last night." Danielle explained pulling her shirt off. "I stayed over at her house. Where's my clothes?"

"In that bag over there..." I said picking the shirt up from the floor.

I watched Danielle disappear into the bathroom before I turned my attention to the shirt.

"Amari, you know how I feel about animals."

"So? Last summer you promised if I worked at Six Flags with you, you'd volunteer at the Humane Society with me."

"I didn't really mean it, though..."

"Well, I did. Plus, it's gonna be fun. Mom will see how great I am with animals and she'll buy me three kittens and two dogs."

"That's a bit far fetched, don't you think."

"Yes, but I always aim high just in case God wants to throw some blessings my way."

Those animals loved her.

Why wouldn't they?

She always cleaned their kennels even when paid workers didn't want to.

I remember how she would sit on the other side of the glass and read to them. How they'd lay as close to the glass as possible and listen.

She demanded attention without even knowing it.

I was surprised she still had this shirt. She was 15 when she got it. I was 16 and I only kept mine for the memories. I wondered if it still fit her. I mean, it probably only fit Danielle because of how skinny she was.

"I'm gonna have to give this back to her when I see her next." I mumbled folding the shirt and putting it in my desk.