Juniper - Present Day (Thursday)

Juniper’s laughter spilled out, uncontrollable and bubbly, like it always did when Willow nailed one of her wickedly accurate impressions of one of their classmates. She and her best friend, Willow, talked about everything that happened at school. Willow’s spot-on imitations left Juniper in stitches, clutching her stomach as she doubled over.

The conversation shifted, giving Juniper a chance to catch her breath.

“You hear about the girl they found down by the tracks? I heard it was Roger’s cousin from Atlanta,” Willow said, lowering her voice.

“Roger from math?” Juniper didn’t wait for an answer. “How come no one is talking about it?” But she already knew. Roger lived just three blocks from her house. News stations didn’t always report everything.

Willow shrugged. “You know how they do us. Anyway, that’s why he wasn’t in class today.”

Silence settled between them.

“Your hair is growing out fast. Are you gonna get it braided again?” Willow reached out, plucked a few coils from Juniper’s afro puff, and gently tucked them back in.

“Uh, not for a while. Money’s kind of tight right now,” Juniper murmured, her gaze dropping to the floor, where her sneakers matched the scuffed-up bus seats. “Hopefully, after my mom gets the washer and dryer fixed and catches up on the rent.” She sat back, a familiar knot of anxiety tightening in her throat at the mention of bills and repairs. She hated talking about money.

“Hey, I’m sorry I brought it up. I was just wondering ‘cause you always have braids… but I like what you’ve been doing to it lately. Can you do the same with mine?”

Juniper smiled as she glanced at her best friend. They couldn’t be more different. Outspoken and funny, Willow was smart, but school wasn’t her thing. For Juniper, college was her ticket out. So, unlike her bestie, she kept her head in the books. If she wasn’t reading, she was studying.

Everyone at school thought they looked alike, and Juniper liked that because Willow was pretty, with smooth brown skin and light brown eyes that sparkled in the sunlight.

“I can try,” she replied with a sideways glance.

“You hear about the party they’re having?” Willow turned to face her.

“I heard my sister talking on the phone about it,” Juniper said, rolling her eyes.

“What does she even see in him?” Willow leaned closer, lowering her voice again.

“Who knows? I wish she could see what everybody else does. She’s changed since he’s been in the picture.” Juniper sighed. “She denies it, but I know he’s in a gang.”

“My sister thinks so too. I mean, like, Leslie is always talking about how she misses her. She said ever since Sissy started dating Dane, she dropped everybody else…” Willow paused. “…and the track team hasn’t won a meet since Sissy quit.”

“Yeah,” Juniper said with a shrug. “A lot has changed since he came along.”

Juniper hopped up as the bus screeched to a stop at the corner. “Text me later.”

“Bye, Juni!” Willow shouted.

***

Sissy

Sissy had it all worked out. She’d made sure everything was in place since Dane wanted to see her that evening. She had to be there, and with their mom working the overnight shift, it made things easier. All she needed now was to get the laundry done. For that, she needed her baby sister.

Sissy rolled her neck and folded her arms across her chest. “It’s one favor, Juniper. Like, God… why does everything have to be difficult with you?” She sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’d do it for you.”

“No, you wouldn’t. And besides, if you get caught, I get in trouble too,” Juniper replied, shaking her head. “And you know Mommy doesn’t want you using God’s name like that.”

Sissy took a deep breath, ignoring Juniper’s correction. With Dane waiting, she didn’t want to get sidetracked.

“So that’s it?” she hissed. “You wanna kiss Mommy’s butt? That’s why you’re not popular.” Sissy swallowed hard. “Nobody likes a goody-goody.”

Juniper shrugged and walked away. Sissy stomped off in the opposite direction, slamming her bedroom door so hard the window rattled.

“I’m sorry, babe,” she said into the phone. “I tried, but I can’t get her to do the laundry, which means I’ll be late getting to the party.”

She heard Dane sigh, then click his tongue. “Everybody said you were too young for me, but I didn’t listen.” He grumbled. Dane went on about how she could never hang out with him when he wanted to, then he offered to give her money to pay Juniper.

“OK, hold on.” Sissy set her phone down on the dresser and walked down the hall.

“What if I gave you money to do the chores?” she asked. “I know you’ve been asking Mommy for money to buy books… and things are tight right now. Would ten dollars be enough?”

Sissy stared at Juniper, already knowing the answer.

“What about twenty?”

“How are you getting twenty dollars?”

One lie won’t hurt, Sissy thought. “I saved it. Mommy gave me lunch money last month, but I didn’t spend all of it.”

She could feel Juniper’s eyes burning through her as if her sister knew she was lying. Sissy folded her arms and stared back, angry, even though she knew she was in the wrong.

She preferred not to think about Dane’s extracurriculars. He sold drugs at school. She didn’t think about it or talk about it. It was something to ignore. If she didn’t acknowledge it, maybe it wasn’t real. Ignoring the topic helped her avoid hard conversations… and guilt.

“Would twenty be enough?” She repeated herself with an attitude.

“Maybe. How am I supposed to get there?”

Sissy blinked, then rolled her neck again.

“You can take the car. It’s only down the road. And if you don’t drive like a maniac, nobody’s gonna know you don’t have a license.”

A siren echoed in the distance.

“Uh… I don’t know. What if I get caught?” Juniper shifted, pivoting from one foot to the other.

“All those times Uncle let you drive, even that time he sat in the back seat? No cops ever pulled you over. You’ll be fine.”

“Thirty.” A slow smile tugged at the corners of Juniper’s lips.

“Fine. Wash the clothes, fold them, and you’ve also gotta wake me up in the morning. I might get in late, and I have to go pick up Mommy.”

“OK,” Juniper said with a shrug and a lopsided smile.

***

Sissy - Present Day (Friday)

The thump of the music made the items on the table bounce to the rhythm. Groups of kids and adults stood around, drinks in hand, talking or dancing. Sissy couldn’t understand how anyone could hear over the noise.

They must read lips, she thought, snickering at herself.

The party wasn’t even fun. Her fingers clutched her phone like a baby holding a security blanket… close to her chest. She kept checking it. Dane had disappeared at least two hours ago, leaving her alone. He’d said he’d be playing video games, but he wasn’t. She searched the whole house and went outside, looking for his car. It wasn’t where they’d parked or anywhere on the block.

Why make such a big deal about her going if he planned to leave her alone? What was she supposed to do? None of these people were her friends.

In every direction, she caught glimpses of tattoos on arms and necks. Some wore patches on their jackets. Guys in baggy pants, leather jackets, and mouth grills exchanged handshakes, fingers dancing as they threw up signs. The number of gang members surprised Sissy, especially since Dane insisted he wasn’t involved with any gang. He always said he was affiliated, not a member. Still, she was furious he’d left her alone.

She weaved through the crowd, searching for a familiar face to ask for a ride. On her second pass, she spotted a hand with a heavy gold nugget ring high-fiving someone as they entered. Dane. He looked hyped up, swishing an imaginary basketball into an equally imaginary hoop, pivoting from one foot to the other. He was excited, and it had to be another girl. She was sure of it. She wished she knew who. If he planned to ignore her… or cheat, why did she need to be there?

“Yeah, yeah. I got it all lined up,” he chuckled. “I consider it passive income. You get ’em going and sit bac—”

Sissy stepped up beside him, ready to ask when they could leave.

“Heyyy, how’s my boo?” He swung his arm around her, guiding her to the drinks table. With his hot breath in her ear, he promised not to leave her side again. He topped off her cup before she emptied it. A few times, the cup overflowed, dripping onto the floor as it sloshed in his hand.

Sissy didn’t usually drink much, so by the time he drove her home, she swayed as she walked.

When they pulled up to her house, she sat staring out the window until he reached over and opened the door.

“You still got my bag, right?” he asked.

Sissy stared at him, eyes glazed over.

“My bag, brah. My bag. You still have my bag, right?”

“Oh. Uh-huh.” She stumbled out of the car and threw her hands out, catching herself before her face hit the wet ground. Running her hands over her pants, she left a trail of mud and grass.

“Good. I might come get it Sunday night.” The words echoed in her head as she closed the door.

She stumbled across the lawn, each foot sinking slightly. The recent rain made the ground grab her like quicksand, and she toppled before reaching the walkway.

“Shhh.” She pressed a finger to her lips, then unlocked the door and stumbled inside.

She steadied herself before attempting the stairs.

One foot after the other.

She tiptoed up the stairs, slowing before passing Juniper’s door. Stepping aside, she avoided the squeaky floorboards. Juniper couldn’t know she was drunk.

“Mommy’s perfect daughter,” she sneered, creeping past.

Reaching her door, Sissy inched inside, feeling for the light switch. Finding none, she gently closed the door, hand on the wall, feeling her way. A thud and pain shot through her foot. She flung herself onto the bed, shutting her eyes tight, hoping it would stop the room from spinning. With eyes closed, light from the streetlamp shimmered as her head swam in circles. Within minutes, everything went black.

*Release Date 8-31-25