Chapter 36 Lee
Lee
“That’s wonderful. Can you keep your voice down?”
“We are in love,” Anastasia repeated, pronouncing each syllable carefully.
Anastasia had a Britishy, overenunciated accent and jet-black hair that fell in a glossy sheet to her mid-back.
She was skinny with a pudgy nose, her eyebrows plucked to thin, arched lines.
Her blood-colored lip stain had gotten on her teeth (unless her teeth were bleeding?) and she kept tugging at her tight velvet tube dress.
“We are in love,” she repeated, speaking each syllable with care.
Lee had been warned that Anastasia was a threat, but she seemed like yet another lost kid.
The girls stood defiantly, as if someone were about to argue against their union, but Lee shrugged, too tired to point out their obvious intoxication.
“We are not drunk,” said Anastasia, as if reading Lee’s mind.
“I haven’t had an-ny-thing al-co-hol-ic,” said Isabelle with concentration, beaming when she got the sentence out clean.
Lee sighed. The girls reminded her of how wild she had been—her chaos had once intrigued those around her, especially her ex-boyfriend Jason.
They had met at a riverside bonfire. Someone dared Lee to throw her shirt into the fire.
Later, she chipped her tooth swigging whiskey.
Jason had looked at her, topless with an imperfect smile, and said, “You’re the only real thing at this party. ”
Lee sighed, missing the days when her crazy behavior seemed fun. She studied Isabelle—grinning, glassy-eyed, tucked under Anastasia’s arm—and felt…jealous. In her youth, Lee had also been loud, adored, and brave.
The world had made her pay for it.
“I think it’s time for Isabelle to go to bed,” Lee said, forcing calm into her voice, “and for you, Anastasia, to head home. I can call you an Uber.”
“No,” said Anastasia defiantly. “I’m not leaving Isabelle.”
Isabelle leaned her head on Anastasia’s shoulder, eyes closing. “Come on, baby,” Anastasia whispered, guiding Isabelle down the hall. “Thanks, Mrs. Perkins,” she called over her shoulder.
Lee followed them slowly, then kept walking to her sister’s room. As she tried to fall back asleep, she remembered the girl she used to be.