“Okay,” Neon slapped her hands on her knees, “you need a shower. You’ll feel better after. But first, you need to eat.”
I glanced at the bowl of cereal. “Is it just me, or is Granite obsessed with me eating?”
“Oh, you don’t know?” Her eyes widened in surprise.
“Know what?”
“About Dutch’s sister?”
“Dutch is the club’s enforcer, right?”
“Right. And also Granite’s best friend.” She reached for the bowl of cereal and shoved it in my hand. “You eat, I’ll talk.”
Looking at the cereal, my stomach turned. “I really—”
“Okay, fine.” She took the bowl from me. “Maybe when you hear the story, you’ll actuallywantto eat.”
After placing the bowl on the table again, she scooted up on the mattress and crossed her legs, making herself comfortable. “So, no one actually told me this story. I just kind of put it all together with the bits and pieces I caught in different conversations I’ve overhead.” Neon seemed like the typical girl ready to share a juicy gossip story. In that moment, it kind of made her real, more relatable, knowing she wasn’t just this hardcore woman with steel in her veins and tattoos on her skin.
“Apparently, Dutch’s sister—Kate, I think her name was—had an eating disorder. Like you.” The nonchalant way she said it made it seem like it wasn’t that big of a deal to her. “So, Granite’s and Dutch’s fathers were best friends, and they started the American Street Kings. Obviously, this meant the kids grew up together.”
Absentmindedly, I reached for the juice and took a sip, listening intently to her every word.
“From what I could gather, Granite carried a torch for Kate.”
I swallowed the juice. “You mean, he was in love with her.”
“Yup. And if my instincts are right, so was Onyx.”
“Both of them?”
“I think so.”
Jealousy stung like tiny needle pricks into my skin. “And where is Kate now?”
“Oh, she’s dead.”
My heart stopped, and I choked on a sip of juice. “What? How?”
“Um, isn’t it obvious? She had an eating disorder. That’s what happens when you don’t eat. You die.”
My body went cold, yet my skin was damp while my heart knocked on my ribs. “Is that…is that why he’s obsessed with me eating?”
“Makes sense, doesn’t it?”
The wheels inside my head turned. Granite loved another girl with an eating disorder. Was that just coincidence? Was his obsession with me based on that—on the girl he loved who died in the end?
Neon leaned forward to grab my attention. “Swan Lake, don’t worry your pretty little head about it. She’s dead. You’re here now, and Granite clearly staked his claim. You’re his now. And believe me, these guys are like fucking dogs. If they could piss on you to mark you, they would.”
I smiled, but I knew it didn’t reach my eyes. “I don’t think I belong here, Neon.”
She frowned. “Why? Because you wear ballet slippers? We’re all just people here, Swan Lake. Each carrying their own bag of shit. Don’t stereotype. You belong where you want to be.” Her heart-shaped lips painted with purple lipstick smiled warmly at me. “Besides, it’s going to be fun having you around. I’ve always hoped one of these assholes could find an old lady I actually like. Trick and Tanit ain’t exactly my type of girls.”
“Who are Trick and Tanit?”
She shrugged. “One’s a club widow, and the other a club slut. That’s all you need to know.”
Glancing down at the glass in my hand, I asked softly, “Was Kate a part of the club?”