kind
of cramped with the three of us in there?"
"There is plenty of room for you at Zainab’s
place."
"But isn’t she..." No, Zainab was pretty much
living at Richard’s. "Oh," she said, putting the keys into her
bag.
"Zainab won’t mind, I know. You don’t have to
move in, but it’s a place to stay if you need one. And it’s just a
few blocks away from me."
"Bonus," Miranda smiled.
"No, the real bonus is that you get to sleep
in Zainab’s bed, not on the floor. Not that there was anything
wrong with that," Emily said quickly, "but let’s not drop you too
far from the lifestyle to which you’ve grown accustomed."
"Thanks," Miranda said, then kicked Emily
under the table.
~~~
Miranda had no intention of leaving Alex’s
house, but quietly, she packed a bag that night and brought it to
Zainab’s to have, just in case. That made it so much easier when
Michael came over the next night for dinner, unannounced as
usual.
"So, how have you two been amusing
yourselves?" Michael asked after the plates had been cleared.
Miranda, who had been trying to remember the
plot of the Internet soap Jessie had hooked her on last year,
looked up. Michael was clearly speaking to her. "Oh, the usual,"
she replied with a smile. "School, getting my requirements in
order, hanging out with friends, and worrying about Jessie. You
know, all the things a decent person might do, given the
circumstances. Oops—maybe you don’t."
Alex threw Miranda a look, but Michael
laughed loudly. "If by decent you mean spoiled little princess
living in a bubble, I guess I wouldn’t. I’m too busy living in the
real world."
"The real world?" Miranda repeated
incredulously. "Now, are you talking about that show on MTV, or are
you talking about the place where you have to worry about having a
job and paying rent and wondering when you’re going to eat?
Because, yeah, I don’t worry about those things, but neither do
you. And you don’t worry about anyone else. Sometimes I pity the
emptiness you must feel."
Alex’s face clouded, but Miranda barely
noticed. "You’d be surprised," Michael said in a low tone, "by what
I worry about."
Now Miranda laughed. "Do you think that after
living with you for all these years anything about you would
surprise me? You’d have to actually do something good and unselfish
to achieve that effect."
"So why don’t you give me some tips, you
little parasite? Anyone can be generous if they have the whole
world at their feet."
"Michael!" Alex said in a warning tone, but
they both ignored him.
"Parasite? Hmm...is that a step up or down
from being a piece of charity trash? I’ll tell you though; it
doesn’t seem like much of an insult coming from a would-be rapist
with a fetish for public hand jobs. Guess we should all be grateful
you really can’t get anything right."
"Miranda!" Alex said. Miranda didn’t flinch
but turned to him.
"Yes?"
"I think that’s enough."
"I get to be a parasite, but he doesn’t get
to be a sex-offending loser? Who makes everyone’s life miserable?"
She spat the last part in Michael’s direction.
"I would have been happy to have left years
ago," Michael hissed. "Trust me, it wasn’t your incredible wit or
charm that kept me here."
"Wow, what an insult!" Miranda lashed back.
"I’m so upset I think I’m going to call everyone who ever met you
so they can tell me how lucky I am, because I bet most of them
would have been happy if you’d left too!"
"Then you and everyone else should have a
word with him!" Michael pointed to Alex, who stood up. Miranda had
never seen his face so dark.
"Michael, I told you we could discuss this
later. This isn’t the time."
"It’s never the time," Michael said
pointedly.
"What are you talking about?" Miranda said,
then wished she hadn’t.
"I want what’s mine," Michael said, not
taking his eyes off of Alex. "I’m more than entitled at this point,
don’t you think?"
"As soon as you’re twenty-five-"
"You’re the trustee!" Michael
of cramped with the three of us in there?"
"There is plenty of room for you at Zainab’s
place."
"But isn’t she..." No, Zainab was pretty much
living at Richard’s. "Oh," she said, putting the keys into her
bag.
"Zainab won’t mind, I know. You don’t have to
move in, but it’s a place to stay if you need one. And it’s just a
few blocks away from me."
"Bonus," Miranda smiled.
"No, the real bonus is that you get to sleep
in Zainab’s bed, not on the floor. Not that there was anything
wrong with that," Emily said quickly, "but let’s not drop you too
far from the lifestyle to which you’ve grown accustomed."
"Thanks," Miranda said, then kicked Emily
under the table.
~~~
Miranda had no intention of leaving Alex’s
house, but quietly, she packed a bag that night and brought it to
Zainab’s to have, just in case. That made it so much easier when
Michael came over the next night for dinner, unannounced as
usual.
"So, how have you two been amusing
yourselves?" Michael asked after the plates had been cleared.
Miranda, who had been trying to remember the
plot of the Internet soap Jessie had hooked her on last year,
looked up. Michael was clearly speaking to her. "Oh, the usual,"
she replied with a smile. "School, getting my requirements in
order, hanging out with friends, and worrying about Jessie. You
know, all the things a decent person might do, given the
circumstances. Oops—maybe you don’t."
Alex threw Miranda a look, but Michael
laughed loudly. "If by decent you mean spoiled little princess
living in a bubble, I guess I wouldn’t. I’m too busy living in the
real world."
"The real world?" Miranda repeated
incredulously. "Now, are you talking about that show on MTV, or are
you talking about the place where you have to worry about having a
job and paying rent and wondering when you’re going to eat?
Because, yeah, I don’t worry about those things, but neither do
you. And you don’t worry about anyone else. Sometimes I pity the
emptiness you must feel."
Alex’s face clouded, but Miranda barely
noticed. "You’d be surprised," Michael said in a low tone, "by what
I worry about."
Now Miranda laughed. "Do you think that after
living with you for all these years anything about you would
surprise me? You’d have to actually do something good and unselfish
to achieve that effect."
"So why don’t you give me some tips, you
little parasite? Anyone can be generous if they have the whole
world at their feet."
"Michael!" Alex said in a warning tone, but
they both ignored him.
"Parasite? Hmm...is that a step up or down
from being a piece of charity trash? I’ll tell you though; it
doesn’t seem like much of an insult coming from a would-be rapist
with a fetish for public hand jobs. Guess we should all be grateful
you really can’t get anything right."
"Miranda!" Alex said. Miranda didn’t flinch
but turned to him.
"Yes?"
"I think that’s enough."
"I get to be a parasite, but he doesn’t get
to be a sex-offending loser? Who makes everyone’s life miserable?"
She spat the last part in Michael’s direction.
"I would have been happy to have left years
ago," Michael hissed. "Trust me, it wasn’t your incredible wit or
charm that kept me here."
"Wow, what an insult!" Miranda lashed back.
"I’m so upset I think I’m going to call everyone who ever met you
so they can tell me how lucky I am, because I bet most of them
would have been happy if you’d left too!"
"Then you and everyone else should have a
word with him!" Michael pointed to Alex, who stood up. Miranda had
never seen his face so dark.
"Michael, I told you we could discuss this
later. This isn’t the time."
"It’s never the time," Michael said
pointedly.
"What are you talking about?" Miranda said,
then wished she hadn’t.
"I want what’s mine," Michael said, not
taking his eyes off of Alex. "I’m more than entitled at this point,
don’t you think?"
"As soon as you’re twenty-five-"
"You’re the trustee!" Michael
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