something there,” she said with a lopsided grin, then shrugged.
“Well I better go see Janelle, see if I can salvage our relationship.”
Pauline lurched to her feet, her tears forgotten; a reticent expression clouded her face.
“Why can’t you keep it a secret?” Kaila asked.
As far as she knew Derrick and Pauline’s almost sex wasn’t public knowledge, not yet at least.
“You know this place, word travels, besides I have to come clean, if I don’t I know it will make me a little loopy. I may not have a lot of scruples especially not based on my most recent screw up, but I’ve never been much of a liar. Though half the time I really wish it was one of my talents.”
Pauline tossed her hair to the side with a flip of her head then drew in a long breath.
“I care too much about Janelle not to be up front about what happened, but I have you to thank for it being a whole lot less of a fuck up than it could have been.”
Before Kaila had realized what was happening, Pauline swept in and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. Her roommate was out of the door before Kaila could react to the touch; oddly, the spiders that were always waiting to invade didn’t seem to care much in this instance.
CHAPTER 11
Janelle shot up from her seat, tears blurring her tiny eyes. She spun toward the door, raced across the cafeteria and almost toppled Kaila as she rushed by and out. Kaila watched Janelle’s bulky frame until she disappeared around a corner. All she could think was that it was never good when these kinds of predictions came true. From the look on Pauline’s face, who was still sitting in a chair at a table, she was as distraught as Janelle was. She buried her face in her hands; her hair fell forward into a puddle on the smooth surface in front of her.
Kaila moved to the tray stacks, grasping a bright orange plastic tray in her hand. Tuesday was lasagna day, and if she was lucky there might still be some garlic bread available. She closed her eyes for a moment, testing her prediction skills. Though she knew her odds in this situation were around fifty-fifty, give or take, she still decided to give it a shot. Using all available predicting tools she had at her disposal, she swept her gaze across the cafeteria. The room that seated at least one hundred at a time, but usually was only half-filled most days, was as expected, half-full. Based on previous data she had collected of the roughly fifty people in the cafeteria, only half of them liked garlic bread. She also knew that the cafeteria always made one hundred and twenty slices of garlic toast, and based on the number of patients that she knew…
“Hey.”
Derrick appeared out of nowhere, completely throwing off her calculations. She was angry at his interruption, but a bit of warmth worked through her because his insistence on being noticed by her once again reminded her a little of Norm. The next flash that entered her mind was of him and Pauline rolling around on the bed half-dressed, her original irritation quickly resurfaced.
“Leave me alone,” she snapped, bringing her thoughts back to the garlic bread.
She shifted her focus away from Derrick, staring through and around him, as if he were a pane of glass.
“You don’t have to be so pissy, I just wanted to see if you were okay, you were really fucked up before,” he said, drawing her attention back to him. Kaila didn’t usually hit people who weren’t Norm, but she was beginning to think that Derrick might be an exception.
“I said leave me alone,” she repeated, a razor edge of menace colored her voice.
“Screw that,” Derrick said, crossing his arms over his chest like a petulant child. Kaila felt, more than willed, her right hand form into a tight fist; all the tendons in her forearm were immediately taut and ready. She predicted that it would only take one quick crack to his nose and Derrick would be finished. Unlike Norm, there was no iron in Derrick, he was a
“Well I better go see Janelle, see if I can salvage our relationship.”
Pauline lurched to her feet, her tears forgotten; a reticent expression clouded her face.
“Why can’t you keep it a secret?” Kaila asked.
As far as she knew Derrick and Pauline’s almost sex wasn’t public knowledge, not yet at least.
“You know this place, word travels, besides I have to come clean, if I don’t I know it will make me a little loopy. I may not have a lot of scruples especially not based on my most recent screw up, but I’ve never been much of a liar. Though half the time I really wish it was one of my talents.”
Pauline tossed her hair to the side with a flip of her head then drew in a long breath.
“I care too much about Janelle not to be up front about what happened, but I have you to thank for it being a whole lot less of a fuck up than it could have been.”
Before Kaila had realized what was happening, Pauline swept in and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. Her roommate was out of the door before Kaila could react to the touch; oddly, the spiders that were always waiting to invade didn’t seem to care much in this instance.
CHAPTER 11
Janelle shot up from her seat, tears blurring her tiny eyes. She spun toward the door, raced across the cafeteria and almost toppled Kaila as she rushed by and out. Kaila watched Janelle’s bulky frame until she disappeared around a corner. All she could think was that it was never good when these kinds of predictions came true. From the look on Pauline’s face, who was still sitting in a chair at a table, she was as distraught as Janelle was. She buried her face in her hands; her hair fell forward into a puddle on the smooth surface in front of her.
Kaila moved to the tray stacks, grasping a bright orange plastic tray in her hand. Tuesday was lasagna day, and if she was lucky there might still be some garlic bread available. She closed her eyes for a moment, testing her prediction skills. Though she knew her odds in this situation were around fifty-fifty, give or take, she still decided to give it a shot. Using all available predicting tools she had at her disposal, she swept her gaze across the cafeteria. The room that seated at least one hundred at a time, but usually was only half-filled most days, was as expected, half-full. Based on previous data she had collected of the roughly fifty people in the cafeteria, only half of them liked garlic bread. She also knew that the cafeteria always made one hundred and twenty slices of garlic toast, and based on the number of patients that she knew…
“Hey.”
Derrick appeared out of nowhere, completely throwing off her calculations. She was angry at his interruption, but a bit of warmth worked through her because his insistence on being noticed by her once again reminded her a little of Norm. The next flash that entered her mind was of him and Pauline rolling around on the bed half-dressed, her original irritation quickly resurfaced.
“Leave me alone,” she snapped, bringing her thoughts back to the garlic bread.
She shifted her focus away from Derrick, staring through and around him, as if he were a pane of glass.
“You don’t have to be so pissy, I just wanted to see if you were okay, you were really fucked up before,” he said, drawing her attention back to him. Kaila didn’t usually hit people who weren’t Norm, but she was beginning to think that Derrick might be an exception.
“I said leave me alone,” she repeated, a razor edge of menace colored her voice.
“Screw that,” Derrick said, crossing his arms over his chest like a petulant child. Kaila felt, more than willed, her right hand form into a tight fist; all the tendons in her forearm were immediately taut and ready. She predicted that it would only take one quick crack to his nose and Derrick would be finished. Unlike Norm, there was no iron in Derrick, he was a
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