Chapter Nine - Harley
“Put some on me, Harley.”
Holding out the tub of sunscreen, Axel smiled at Harley. He sat on one of the chaise lounges by the indoor pool. Unlike the natatorium at his house, the one in the Banks’ LA mansion had a retractable roof that was currently closed.
“Why?”
“Sun cancer,” Axel announced.
Harley glanced at the ceiling. “Skin cancer, and no sun is coming through.”
“The sun causes the cancer.”
“The UV rays from the sun.”
Axel thought for a moment. “Yeah, whatever. It still fucks you up, huh?”
“Basically.”
He dropped the sunscreen in her hand. “Just a little bit,” he insisted.
“I’m a man of leisure. On vacation. It’s only right a beautiful girl takes care of me.
” Beaming, he swept her with a look. “If you had only a bathing suit, I’d offer to sunscreen you, but that might be a little pervy.
Diesel’s pervy enough. Not really though ‘cause if Reb wants an old motherfucker like him, then she got to have him so she can be happy again.”
Squeezing sunscreen into her hand, Harley nodded. “I agree. Turn around.”
“Thanks, Harls!” Axel gushed, presenting his back to her. “Not only are you pretty, but you’re cool.”
“I don’t feel very pretty,” Harley blurted before she caught herself. “Never mind.”
“Mom and Reb always feel pretty. At least they act like they do, so no motherfuckers can ever think that they don’t.
” He rocked on his heels and tapped his temple, though Harley still couldn’t see his face.
“Mind control. As long as we all think they think they’re pretty, we can’t make them cry if we don’t think they look pretty.
Although Mom and Reb are some of the beautifulest girls, even if they aren’t from Texas.
” He tipped his head back. “Do you like Megan Thee Stallion?”
Harley nodded and backed away, finished with her task.
“Put more on me. It wasn’t enough.” He straightened, then rapped a bar from WAP. “Cardi B is a sexy motherfucker. You know Prince made a song with that name?”
“Lolly loves it,” Harley said, following Axel’s orders and squeezing a line of sunscreen from one of his shoulders to the other so she could spread it. “But WAP, Ax? That’s, uh, that’s a lot for a little kid.”
“Don’t tell Mom, but Diesel let me listen to it when I slept in his room the other night. I was still mad at that motherfucker cuz of Little Red Riding Hood.”
“What did Diesel do to Little Red Riding Hood?”
“Diesel didn’t do nothing,” Axel grouched. “It was that weirdo Sharper, and that weirdo-er, Logan. Sharper was the wolf and Logan was Little Red.”
“Excuse me?” Harley managed.
His shoulders moved as he folded his arms. “Fuckheads. Never mind. The whole thing was triggerterizing, so I don’t want to upset you.”
A little late for that. “Uh–”
“Do you know what a furry is?”
“Can we get back to music?” A much safer topic. “Lately, I’ve started listening to Taylor Swift. There. I’m not putting anymore on you.” She stepped back, satisfied when he faced her and nodded. “Have you ever heard of her?”
“Who? Taylor?” Axel asked, affronted. “That’s like asking if I’ve ever heard of Beyonce.”
“True. So, what’s your favorite Taylor song?”
“Did I say I listened to her, Harley?” he asked impatiently. “Just ‘cause I heard of her, don’t mean I know what she sings.”
“True,” she conceded again.
“Anyway, is your favorite song by her Bad Blood? It was ‘cause she was mad at another beautiful girl. They were once friends then they got up in their feelings. Wait. Allegedly. Diesel said always add that because it might not be true and then motherfuckers can sue the shoes off you.”
“The pants. And he’s right.”
“You can’t get pants off if you got shoes on.”
“It’s a saying.”
“Oh brother. Can you and CJ and Diesel stop with those motherfuckers already? Especially because you’re always correcting me ‘cause most of the sayings are fucking stupid.”
“I like Bad Blood,” Harley said, not responding to Axel’s observation.
He scowled. “Ignore a man. It don’t make what I said wrong. And my fucking point is it is like you, Rebel, and Mattie. Beautiful girls that shouldn’t be mean to each other.”
“I do miss them,” Harley confessed.
“You’re all here. Why can’t you talk and be friends again?”
“Rebel won’t talk to me–”
“Axel?”
The sound of Aunt Meggie’s voice interrupted Harley.
Axel widened his eyes, then rushed to the chaise lounge, furiously slapping his face.
“What–”
Before Harley asked her question, Aunt Meggie walked in, wearing one of the outfits they’d bought during their shopping spree this morning since no one had packed clothes.
“Hi, Mom,” Axel greeted in a watery voice. He sniffled. “H-Harley was just keeping me company.”
Aunt Meggie smiled at Harley, ignoring her confusion, when Harley was sure it was written all over her face.
Aunt Meggie turned to her. “Thank you for spending time with him, Harley. He’s been so sad about his brothers.” Smiling, she hugged Harley, the first time she’d done so in months.
Axel placed a finger over his mouth, his eyes bright and his cheeks red thanks to his self-inflicted slaps.
Releasing her, Aunt Meggie turned back to Axel. Immediately, his sadness–and sniffling–returned.
“Gunner and I were going on the terrace to color with Kendall and Blade. I thought maybe you wanted to join us, Axel.”
“Maybe later, Mom?” he said in a small voice.
Aunt Meggie nodded, hurried to him, and bent to hug him, but Axel scooted away. “I’m just too sad for a hug, Mom,” he said woefully.
“Oh, baby boy. I’m so sorry,” Aunt Meggie said. She looked over her shoulder at the pool. “Are you planning to get in?”
“Maybe,” Axel said suspiciously. “Why? Will that make me not look sad?”
“Uh, feel sad,” Aunt Meggie said offhandedly. “It might help, but, but, be careful.” She searched the natatorium. “Where are the alarms?”
“Oh, right,” Axel said as Harley responded, “we don’t have any in here.”
“It’s ‘cause of what Rule did, huh, Mom?” Axel asked. “You was never worried before.”
Bending, Aunt Meggie kissed Axel’s forehead. “Don’t let my paranoia affect you, love. It isn’t fair.”
“I’ll watch him, Aunt Meggie,” Harley promised.
“Mattie said she was coming in too,” Axel told her.
“I asked Reb to come in. I found a special song for her. All Dad did was play Butterfly Kisses. I’m sick of it, and I didn’t hear it all two thousand ninety million times like Reb.
Besides, Dad was stupid. He shouldn’t have taken the song your father had for you, Mom.
That motherfucker needed his own song for Reb. ”
“I don’t mind sharing,” Aunt Meggie promised, kissed Axel’s forehead again, smiled at Harley, and left.
“Phew!” Axel rubbed a hand over his brow. “That was a close one. All Mom needs to do is find out me, Ran, and Ry made up.”
Harley laughed and shook her head. “You played Aunt Meggie?”
“Nuh-uh. She would’ve left me with Dad and the boys.
Made me take their side ‘cause I got a cock. When I’m on her side.
That woman is an angel.” He jumped to his feet.
“She wants motherfuckers dead. Maybe I can be her bodyguard and personal enforcer when I grow up. I can still do my law stuff. Anyway, I refuse to make the same mistakes as CJ.”
“CJ is perfect. He could never make mistakes.”
“CJ is stupid,” Axel said flatly. “Wondering why Mom doesn’t talk to him about a lot of stuffs when he’ll just ignore her and listen to Dad. I’d save my fucking breath too.”
“You’re being really hard on CJ.”
“Somebody has to be. How can uh-huh men surround him when he’s an uh-huh man too? He don’t speak his mind or nothing. Always trying to think about other motherfuckers and make them happy.”
“Not always,” Harley grouched.
Axel fisted his hands on his hips and pinned her with a disapproving look. “C. needs some balls. You did him wrong like a crooked dong–”
“Uh–”
“And you were mean to him first.”
“I know,” Harley whispered, her shoulders slumping, her misery returning. Tears rushed to her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Horror washed over Axel’s face and he rushed over to hug her.
“Don’t cry, Harley. Mom’s cried a lot and I don’t like that.
” Releasing her, he stepped back. “It’s not even fun no more to make Reb cry.
I just want her to be the Blonde Viper again so her name fits.
I won’t do nothing too bad. Just enough so she can keep being her again. ”
Sniffling, Harley wiped her cheeks and nodded.
“Go to your room and change into a bathing suit. Or at least shorts and a T-shirt, so you can swim. You’re all covered with jeans and a sweater. Definitely not pool clothes.”
“I’m not in the mood to swim,” Harley lied. She couldn’t explain all her bruises. “I’ll just sit here and watch you.”
“Will you DJ?”
“Sure. Oh, wait. I don’t have my regular phone. We have basic flip phones with no internet. If we connect the burner to our internet so I can download music, I wonder if Uncle Stretch will detect it.”
“Ask Mattie. I think she’s been putting interceptors around. That’s why she’s not in here yet. Her, Rebel, and Aunt Kendall went to some tech store.”
Harley nodded. “I’ll call Mattie and ask in a sec, but if there’s a way for me to play, the volume won’t be very loud. What songs do you want?”
“Remember Megan Thee Stallion? If you don’t, I can describe her.
She’s from Texas. Play I’m From Texas by BigXThaPlug, too.
Anyway, Thee Stallion is just so gorgeous.
My eyes almost pop out of my fucking head every time I see her.
” A thoughtful expression crossed his face.
“You think she’d go for a rough rider like me? ”
Harley giggled. “Maybe if you were older.”
“Oh right. Age ain’t nothin’ but a thing, though. Ask Diesel.”
“Underage is a big thing,” Harley said firmly.
“I keep forgetting I’m not thirteen yet.”
“You’re not even eleven.”
“That’s coming in a few weeks, though.” Axel sighed. “Damn, I’m getting so fucking old. But I won’t have an existence crisis while you’re having yours.”