Plausibility

Chapter 18

Aquilla went the rest of the summer without talking to Seri. She ignored her texts or just replied with one simple word. She wasn’t really mad at her any more. She just felt like she lied to her, kept things from her, and wasn’t who she had presumed her to be. They evidently weren’t as close as Aquilla had thought they were.

Aquilla stopped going to the track and ignored Patch’s calls and texts. He finally took the hint and deleted her from his contacts. She did the same. She spent hours in front of the TV, watching episode after episode of Law and Order. Once she was caught up to the present, she moved on to CSI Miami.

She did her best to get along with her mother and her immature sister, which really consisted of staying away from them both. She did finally go shopping with her mother and picked out a new bedroom suit. She did get fairly excited about that. She couldn’t believe the money that her mother had spent on her. Seri had warned her when she first got there about her mother not having the money that she was used to, and not to expect her to be able to spend like her father had.

She still missed Julius something fierce, but it did get easier day by day. She thought of him often, mostly when she was alone in her bed. She spent a whole quiet day, helping her mother move out the old furniture and getting it ready for the painters, who would transform it over the two days they had planned to spend at the lake.

She liked the lake and spent more alone time walking around it or just sitting on the dock, watching the boats. She was a little excited to get back to her room and see how the new light gray walls with black trim turned out. She was even excited to get rid of the ugly green carpet and walk across the new black, tan, and gray shag that she had picked out.

Reese, of course, had to drag her friend Lil along, but at least she had figured out how to fill her phone with lots of loud music to drown them out during the ride, which she did.

“Wow! I love it,” Liz exclaimed as they entered the empty bedroom.

Quill smiled. She loved it too, although she was going to have to sleep in the downstairs bedroom next to her mother’s for the night. Her new furniture wouldn’t arrive until the following day. They could have stayed at the lake for another day, but Reese and Lil had practice.

Quill hated that room. She tossed and turned all night, not to mention she had to listen to her mother trying to stifle moans after Connor snuck in.

“You look tired,” Liz said, placing a plate full of warm bagels on the table.

“I am. I didn’t sleep very well downstairs.”

“Really? I always slept well in that bed.”

“It wasn’t the bed as much as you and Connor.”

Liz’s face instantly turned red. Aquilla laughed. “I’m just messing with you, but you are kind of noisy. I still don’t understand why he comes late at night and leaves before daylight. You are allowed to date and have sex.”

“Shhh,” Liz warned when Reese entered the kitchen.

“What?” she instantly wanted to know.

“Nothing, are we school shopping today or not?” Liz asked, winking at Quill. Quill smiled.

“Can Lil come?”

Quill bit her tongue. Did she have to drag that girl with them everywhere they went?

“No, not today, I’m spending the day with my two girls, without Lil.”

“But, I need her to help me pick out clothes. How am I supposed to know what she got, if she doesn’t come with me?”

“No, Reese, now drop it. Your dad is coming tomorrow to pick you girls up and take you for a week before school starts, we have to get this done…today. No Lil.”

“I don’t want to go there,” Quill assured her. She didn’t want to see Seri, and knew she would. It was bad enough having to listen to Monica talk about her, at least that too was only every other week now. All she had to do was behave herself, tell Monica what she wanted to hear, and appear happy. She would only have to listen to her through the phone once school started.

Ugh, school. She still couldn’t believe that they were making her do this, but had quit putting up a fight weeks ago. She was fighting a losing battle.

Liz kissed Quill on top of the head. “You’re going to your dad’s. I’m going away for a week before I too start school. I’m going to get a shower,” she said, disappearing before she had to discuss it anymore.

“It’s actually kind of fun there. I’ll show you around if dad lets us run around by ourselves. He lets me when Lil comes.”

Quill smiled. Great, that was just what she wanted to do; run the streets of New York with Reese.

“I’ll go to the symphony with you if you want,” Reese offered. That piqued her interest.

Quill didn’t have to worry about asking for too much while they went from store to store at the mall. Reese was a crazy spender. She never once looked at prices, and Liz never said anything to her, well except once. She wanted a $125.00 belt. Liz refused. Quill actually had a good time and was excited about her new clothes, and couldn’t wait to get home and see the new furniture and put her new attire away. Connor was at the house waiting for the delivery team to arrive while they shopped.

Quill was exhausted and hungry by the time they left the mall. Liz informed them of one more stop and Quill whined. “I can’t go anymore. I’m tired and I need food.”

“Me too,” Reese joined in on the complaining from the backseat.

“Quill, you have no bed clothes. You have to pick out bedding or you’re going to be sleeping downstairs again,” Liz explained, pulling into the parking lot of a bedding store.

“No way, I would sleep on the floor first,” she joked, getting a little excited about her new décor. She’d never gotten to shop like that. She had to sit at the table with her father and order from online stores or catalogues.

Connor met them in the drive to help carry the many packages inside the house.

“Hope you ladies are hungry. I’ve got Chines coming for you,” he said, kissing Liz’s cheek. “Pizza for you, and pasta and salad for you,” he announced, looking at Quill.

“Yes!” both girls yelled at the same time and then smiled at their simultaneous expressions.

Aquilla had a full belly, a hot bath, new pajamas, and she absolutely loved her new room. The bedding that she had picked out was all white with one black Quill in a large print in the center of the bed. Her mom hung the curtains while she bathed and helped her hang two black mirrors with tiny white feathers in the corners. She couldn’t wait to crawl into her bed. She didn’t ever remember being so tired.

Liz spent the next morning packing for her weeklong trip with Connor. Quill was sure they were only going to the lake house, but didn’t ask. She packed her own bag for the week and waited in front for her dad.

She couldn’t believe it when he pulled up with Seri. She wasn’t expecting to see her that soon.

“Hey kiddo,” Seri spoke as her dad put their things in the back of his fancy SUV.

“Hey,” Quill coolly replied and climbed into the backseat, closing the door.

She inserted her ear buds and ignored the chatter coming from Reese’s mouth.

Fuck, they could have least told her she would be sharing a room with Ms. Chatterbox. She hated this trip more and more.

“Can we go down to the pool?” Reese asked five minutes after being in the upscale apartment.

“You’re dad has to work for a little bit. I’ll go down with you,” Seri offered.

“I’ll just wait here,” Quill declined.

“Come on, Quill. Please,” Seri begged, hoping to get her alone and talk to her.

“Go swim for a little while. I will be down in an hour. I promise,” her dad assured her, rubbing circles on her back.

Quill stepped away. Yuck. Fine she would go, just stop with all the mushy shit.

All three girls changed and rode the elevator down from the ninth floor. Quill stood toward the front, ignoring Seri, who with Chatterbox beside her, seemed to have found a new friend. Reese didn’t mind at all that her dad was dating Seri. Quill fucking hated it. She felt like she replaced her for him.

Reese ran right to the pool. “Dumb girl,” Quill said under her breath as the water from Reese’s over exaggerated jump splashed her.

“You’re just meaner than the south side of Chicago,” Seri accused, hearing the comment.

Quill gave her a disgusted look and continued to a nearby chase lounge. Seri followed.

“Are you ever going to talk to me again? I miss you, Quill,” Seri confessed, sitting at the end of her chair. Quill wanted to kick her off.

“We don’t need to talk. What are you even doing here? Don’t you work anymore?”

“Yeah, I have been working on a case close to home. Can we talk about this, Quill?”

“Talk about what? Are you fucking my dad? Who else you fucking, Sarah?”

“Quill, stop, this isn’t about you. It isn’t about you and me. I didn’t mean to fall in love with your dad.”

“In love….How fucking sweet is that?”

“You’re ridiculous, Quill. Grow up. Why can’t you just be happy for me?”

“You were supposed to be my friend. Not his. We did things, Seri. We share secrets that nobody knows about. You ruined that.”

“I didn’t ruin anything, Quill, and we’re still friends. We still share those secrets. Don’t let this come between us,” Seri begged.

“You let this come between us. I don’t understand how you just changed over one summer. What happened to fuck em and leave em?”

“You’re dad isn’t like that, QI tried. Believe me, I tried. I never planned on seeing him again once I got back to New York.”

“Then why did you?”

“He knew that I lived about an hour away from here. He showed up at the little sushi bar one evening and we sat out on the sidewalk and ate and talked. I don’t know, Quill. He makes me happy. Can’t you be happy for me?”

“I thought you didn’t want a man.”

“I thought that too. Maybe the saying that there’s someone for everyone really is true. I’ve never felt like this before, Quill. The first time that your father touched me, I knew. I knew something wasn’t right. It didn’t feel like it was supposed to. It didn’t feel like I was isolated. I was with him fully and completely. It scared the hell out of me, Quill.”

Quill crossed her arms and took a deep breath. She knew what she was talking about. She knew exactly what she was talking about. She felt that way with Julius. Would she ever feel that way again? She couldn’t help but wonder.

“Please forgive me. I love you, Quill,” Seri begged.

“I still feel like you traded me off,” Quill pouted, giving in.

“Come here, you little brat,” Seri said, pulling her by her wrist for a hug. “Stop calling me Sarah, would you?”

Quill laughed and somewhat hugged her back. “What does my dad call you?”

“Sarah, but I’m always going to be your Seri. Got it?” she asked, pulling away and holding her shoulders as she sternly stared at her.

“Okay,” Aquilla agreed.

“You just made me very happy,” Seri assured her. “Come on, let’s get in the pool.”

Seri, Quill and Reese played around in the water for about an hour before Manny joined them. He held his finger over his lips telling Quill to be quiet as he snuck up behind Seri. Quill smiled at his playfulness as he jumped right behind her, causing her to scream. Seri’s arms automatically went around his neck. She dropped them just as quickly, not wanting to make it awkward for Quill.

Emmanuel had a hell of a time trying to find a restaurant for his two vegetarians. He finally found an Italian restaurant that could get them in. They walked the streets afterward, licking gigantic ice cream cones. Quill couldn’t help but notice how happy Seri seemed to be with her dad. They couldn’t keep their hands off of each other. It caused her to miss Julius. She hadn’t been thinking about him lately. Seeing Seri happy with her dad made her think about him.

Seri picked a movie and all four of them scrunched together on the sofa, Quill and Reese on the ends. Seri held Manny’s hand and placed her other one over Quills leg.

Once the movie was almost over, Quill sent Seri, sitting right next to her, a text.

Quill – get me high.

Seri quickly closed out of it, giving her an ARE YOU CRAZY? Look.

Quill – I’m walking out to the terrace. Come out there.

Quill got up and walked out to the balcony as soon as the credits started to roll. Manny went to the shower, and Reese was off to call Lil.

“I don’t have anything, Quill,” Seri whispered, walking out to meet her.

“You’re a liar. You do too. Just let me hit it a couple of times.”

“Quill, I don’t have anything. I swear. It’s at my place.”

“Then let’s go there.”

“It’s an hour away.”

“So, what else are you going to do besides go to bed with my dad?”

“I kind of like that idea right there. I don’t need to do anything else.”

“Come on, Seri. Please,” Quill begged.

“Quill, I can’t do that shit with you anymore. I’m dating your dad.”

“Oh, don’t you even try to pull that shit. You’re not my mother. Don’t try to act like you are just because you’re fucking my dad.”

“Quill, your dad would kill me if he found out I smoked weed with you.”

“He’s not going to find out. Do you really think I’m going to go tell him?”

“I fucking hate you,” Seri exclaimed, walking back inside. Quill knew what she was doing. She smiled a victory smile and waited for her to come back with something.

“I knew you loved me,” Quill smirked, taking the half a joint from her.

“I’m not staying out here with you. If you get busted, YOU brought it with you.”

“Uh-uh, you’re burning with me,” Quill insisted, grabbing her by the back of the shirt. “Just stand at the door and keep an eye out.”

Quill and Seri smoked as fast as they could all the way down to nothing.

“Go brush your teeth and spray shit on you,” Seri demanded.

Quill kissed her cheek. “Thanks, I needed that,” she said, slipping around her. She avoided eye contact with her father as he walked from the master suit.

“You smell like weed,” Manny accused, walking behind Seri and wrapping his arms around her.

“Hmmm, you smell good enough to eat,” she countered.

“And I really wish you wouldn’t smoke that stuff with my daughter,” Manny busted.

Shit…

“I’m sorry, that girl is evil. I had to,” Seri apologized, hoping he wasn’t mad.

Manny laughed. Phew….

Quill showered and climbed into the bed with Reese. At least it was a king sized bed. She wouldn’t have to sleep close to her. Reese hung up with Lil and turned the magazine she had been flipping through.

“Look at this guy, Quill,” Reese said, turning the page toward her to see the most ridiculous, skinny guy, wearing purple pants she’d ever seen.

Quill burst out laughing. She laughed so hard she was moving from the bed and sitting on the floor. That, in turn, made Reese laugh and she too was doubled over in pain.

Seri rolled her eyes as her and Manny went to the master suite. That girl couldn’t hold her weed to save her ass.

Aquilla and Reese spent the next day at the pool while Manny went to his office. Seri was with them briefly but had to go when she got a tip on whatever it was she was working on.

Manny took them all to the New York Symphony that night. Aquilla loved it. She had emotions being pulled that she never knew existed. She could tell that the rest of her party was bored and wasn’t being drawn by the music the way she was. She didn’t care. She ignored them and was amazed by the sound radiating from the dome. The sound of 18 flutes engaged together created a sound like no other.

She couldn’t stop talking about it as they walked down the city-lit sidewalk.

“We should go to a concert,” Reese decided. She would much rather be banging her head to some rock music.

“Have you ever been to a concert, Quill?” Manny asked, looking back at her trailing behind checking out the storefront windows.

“What do you think?” she sarcastically replied.

“Quill, stop it. How’s he supposed to know how you were raised,” Seri chastised her attitude.

“No, Manny, I’ve never been to a concert. Will you please take me?” Quill retorted with the fakest smile she could muster.

Manny laughed. “I would love to take you girls to a concert. Find something going on, Reese,” he beckoned.

Reese was already on her phone, looking for an upcoming concert. “Lady Ga Ga is playing Friday night,” she announced.

“Count me out,” Seri assured.

“Oh My God! Katy Perry’s playing Thursday. Can we go, dad?” she asked, excited. “Never mind…sold out,” she added, disappointed. “There’s nothing this week.”

“Well, find something coming up. We’ll plan it in a couple of weeks.”

“We start school in two weeks,” she reminded him.

“You’re only an hour and a half away, Reese. Find something on a weekend,” Manny explained.

“Are you working tomorrow, Seri?” Quill asked, still trailing behind.

“Nope, spending the whole day with you two. What do you want to do?”

“SHOP!!” Reese yelled.

“Quill?” Seri asked, needing her input.

“Yeah, we can shop. I kind of wanted to go in that store back there,” she said, pointing with her thumb.

“That Gothic store?” Manny asked.

“I don’t know what it is. I just saw a really cool studded belt that I liked.”

“We might need your credit card,” Seri smiled up at him.

Manny smiled back. He loved having Seri on his right arm. Her arm looped through his was a perfect fit. “You’re going to have to earn it,” he quietly spoke where only she could hear.

“I’ll show you earn it,” she threatened.

The girls got a late start on their shopping journey. Neither Quill nor Reese would get out of bed. They stayed up late watching movies together in the shared bed. Seri was starving and was tired of waiting. By the time they got started, it was after lunch. She protested when Reese wanted to go in a store right off the bat.

“No way, not until we eat,” Seri demanded. “We’ll hit it on the way back.”

Reese had a giant slice of pizza and Seri and Quill both had salads. Reese gave them both a hard time as she stretched the cheese from her pizza, telling them they were idiots and didn’t know what they were missing.

They came out empty handed in the first two stores and then Quill bought the $92.00 belt. Manny was going to kill Seri. She was sure of it, but damn. She couldn’t tell the girl no. She was just getting ready to text him and ask what her limit should be, when she felt the sharp object prodding her back. She froze and looked up to see Quill and Reese a couple of feet in front of her.

“Did you really think you were going to send me to jail? You dumb little cunt,” the voice growled in her ear. “Tell your little girlfriends there to walk in this store, and I promise not to hurt them,” he demanded, holding her to him by her hair with what she knew was a gun in her back.

“Quill, walk in this store,” Seri said with a shaken voice.

Quill looked back. She knew what was going on. She sensed it. Reese had no clue. She was looking in the storefront, gazing at a display full of really cool Jewelry.

“Why would we want to go into a harmonica store?” Reese questioned, looking up at the sign that Seri was demanding they enter.

“Go, Quill,” Seri demanded, reading the look on her face.

Reese looked too, sensing something wasn’t right when she saw the guy behind Seri.

“Come on, Reese,” Quill demanded, walking back toward Seri. The guy looked dead in her eyes as she turned her back to enter the store. He had no idea where the hell she came from or how the hell she got to him that quick. It was like a flash of light, and then he felt it when she jumped in the air and her foot came right down on the side of his leg. The breaking sound was horrific, but not as horrifying as the sound of the gun. Quill saw the blood before Seri even hit the sidewalk.

Seri felt nothing for a few seconds. She thought maybe it had missed her at first, but then quickly changed her mind. The blood on her hand, the sudden pressure and then the excruciating pain that followed was unbearable. It felt like she was being branded by a hot poker.

Aquilla knew there were screams and people running, but it all happened so quickly that she couldn’t really comprehend what was going on. Seri hit the ground at precisely the same moment as the guy holding the gun and his leg in agony. He screamed in pain with a look that Quill will never forget. He was hurt, yet pissed. He aimed the gun right at her head, but again she was quicker and kicked it out of his hand, sending it sliding into the street of stopped traffic.

“Reese, call dad,” she demanded, going to Seri’s side.

“Fuck, Quill,” Seri yelled, holding her back. Quill moved her a little, to see where it had gone in. There was so much blood, and although it was to the right side, she was terrified that the bullet had hit an artery.

“You’re going to be okay, Seri,” Quill promised as she removed her t-shirt and applied pressure to her back. She didn’t even care that she was knelt beside her wearing nothing but her bra. It seemed like forever before they heard sirens, and they still seemed to be so far away.

“Quill,” Seri whimpered, letting her head drop.

Quill screamed at her. “Open your eyes, Seri!!! Open your fucking eyes!!!” She hadn’t even realized she had tears that were streaming down her face. Seri couldn’t die. She just couldn’t. She would have nobody without Seri.

“Quill, you’re going to be okay. I promise,” Seri gurgled.

“Don’t you die on me!!! Don’t you fucking die on me!!” she screamed as the paramedics pulled her away.

Someone grabbed her from behind when her shoe went across the bastard’s face that had shot Seri. He was still holding his leg, writhing in pain when his face was sent to the sidewalk by the heel of her foot. Quill dropped to her knees and wailed as someone wrapped a thin blanket around her naked body. She could only watch as the two guys and one woman worked to control the bleeding, get Seri on a stretcher and load her into the ambulance.

The girls were escorted to the hospital by a police officer. They had wanted to take them home, but Quill refused. She was going where Seri was, even if it meant death. She wouldn’t stay without her. She couldn’t.

Quill was covered in Seri’s blood. The hospital staff refused to let her enter through the waiting area, afraid of the chaos her bloody clothes would cause, and escorted her to a bathroom to clean up. She was given a blue scrub top to cover her bra.

Reese went with her, but was still in shock. What just happened? She watched in a daze as the blood ran from Quill’s arms into the basin and down the drain. Quill looked at her through the mirror.

“Can you grab me some paper towels?” Quill asked, trying to sound level and relieve the worry written all over Reese’s face. She bent and splashed the cool water on her face, staring at Seri’s blood being rinsed from her skin. Reese pulled towels from the receptacle and touched her on the arm with them, breaking the worry running through her own mind.

“Is she going to be okay, Quill?” Reese asked, worried. She liked Seri. She was glad that she was seeing her dad. He hadn’t dated in a long time, and the one time that he did get serious with a girl, Reese had hated her, and did everything she could to end it.

“I don’t know, Reese,” she spoke honestly. There was so much blood. She couldn’t keep her mind from going back in time, seeing her father’s blood, lying on that cold tiled floor. Seri couldn’t die. She just couldn’t.

Emmanuel was storming through the double doors, dressed in full business attire when the girls emerged.

“What the hell happened?” he asked Quill.

“Excuse me, sir. Are these your daughters?” the officer asked before Quill could explain.

“Yes,” he answered, turning to the uniformed cop.

“We need to get a statement from them. Can you please follow me?”

“I need to go to Sarah. Where is she?” he wanted to know. He didn’t give a flying fuck about his needed paperwork.

“We need to speak to the next of kin,” a nurse interrupted. “Are you her husband?” she asked Manny.

“No, but she lives with me,” he replied.

What the fuck? Seri never told Quill she was living with him. She didn’t even know him. The thought crossed her mind that she was going to kill her, but was quickly washed away with guilt. She may already be dead.

“Do you know of any family that we can call?” she asked.

Manny turned to Quill. They hadn’t talked about her family. Why hadn’t they talked about her family?

“I’m her sister,” Quill lied.

The cop turned his attention to Quill. She wasn’t his sister. They all knew who Sarah Strokes was. Her sister was murdered.

“How is she?” Quill asked, ignoring the officer’s scrutiny.

“Come with me,” the nurse nodded.

All but the officer followed her to a small room with four chairs. He waited in the hall. “Please sit down,” she offered. They all sat, except for Manny. He couldn’t sit. He had to know what was going on. His nerves wouldn’t allow him to sit.

“Sara was shot with a hollow point bullet,” she began to explain. “These bullets are designed to expand upon hitting the body and may fragment. They are designed to stay in the body and not exit. They are the most lethal.”

This wasn’t sounding good. Aquilla wrung her hands as she listened.

“The entirety of the bullet’s kinetic energy is transferred to the body which causes___.”

“We don’t give a shit about the anatomy of a gunshot wound. How is she?” Aquilla demanded to know, wanting her to cut the analysis and tell them if she was dead or alive.

“She’s in surgery. It may appear that she lost a lot of blood, but she really didn’t, not on the outside anyway. The bullet is lodged in her left kidney.”

“She doesn’t need two kidneys,” Quill assured her.

“He hadn’t started on the kidney yet when I left the operating room. She has internal bleeding that they are trying to get under control first.” The nurse stood to leave. “I will keep you updated as the surgery progresses,” she smiled.

The officer took her place and had both girls write out statements in their own words.

“Was this guy someone she has been after?” Quill asked.

“I’m sure you know that I can’t discuss that with you,” he smiled a warm smile. He wasn’t going to tell her anything. She felt the vengeance that Seri described to her when her sister was murdered. She understood full well what the tattoo reading the word meant now. She felt it. It was so strong. If Seri died, she would go after this guy and everyone involved. She would. She promised herself.

Liz showed up a couple hours later. She felt the need to be there. She couldn’t believe that her girls just witnessed a shooting, especially at such a close range and with someone they cared about.

Reese ran to her, threw her arms around her and sobbed. The fear, anxiety and the distress of what she had just gone through came flooding out as soon as she saw her mother. Connor was by her side, not about to let her come alone.

“Are you doing okay?” Liz asked Quill once Reese calmed.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she lied. She wasn’t fine. The one and only person she felt she needed in her life, was on an operating table and she didn’t know what was going on. Nobody had said a word since the nurse had updated them two hours before. She said she would keep them posted. She lied.

That was the longest four hours of Quill’s life. She couldn’t do anything but pace back and forth while she constantly went to the desk to ask for an update, getting the same answer every time. “We’ll let you know as soon as we know,” the same nurse repeated herself over and over.