“Keke, you have to remember some of them have been through some really hard times. Lots of it is traumatic.” The way Lola coddled Keke made me sick. She treated her like her long-lost sister. Now that I thought about it, it didn’t shock me that Keke was around my age. I guess taking on Keke and Bailey gave Lola purpose too. She couldn’t have a child on her own, so younger women made up for that somehow—like raising a sister or a daughter. It was weird as hell, but it worked in my favor, I suppose.
Lola yawned. “I’m really tired. I had an early start this morning and it’s catching up to me.”
“You should go to the cabin and rest. You’ve been running around all day,” Keke said, eating her bread.
I looked at Lola’s plate, which only had vegetables on it, and noticed she’d barely touched her food. Then I looked up at her, but she was already focused on me. “You won’t mind if I run off, will you?”
“Not at all, no.”
She gave me a grateful smile and then gave my shoulder a pat. I was ready to burn off her hand by this point.
“Okay. I’ll see you two in the cabin later—that is, if I’m not already sleeping.” Lola stood and walked away from the table to Noah to say something to him, and then sauntered out of the cafeteria.
“I hope she’s okay,” I said but avoided Keke’s eyes. I knew she’d heard me, but she said nothing in response to my remark. We finished our meals in silence, listening to the chatter of the expectant mothers and some of the volunteers.
A fork clinked against porcelain. “All right. I just have to say it. You know what I find interesting?” Keke said, looking me over.
I carefully yet curiously slid my gaze up to hers. “Interesting about what?”
“About you.”
“What about me?” I asked with a nervous laugh. A sweet, innocent smile.
“I tried to find you on Facebook, but I couldn’t, so I searched Google for your name and a few Facebook accounts came up, but none of them were of you. I saw an Instagram account for you, but you don’t even have any pictures.” Keke narrowed her eyes and stared right into mine. “There’s something off about you and I don’t like or trust it.”
Well, if she was playing that card . . . “Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you when we first met.” I couldn’t let her think she intimidated me, Marriott. Fuck that.
Her nostrils flared at the edges, but she tried to keep a cool head. “You don’t have to like me, honey,” she shot back. “I love myself enough.”
Did she really just go there? This was a joke, right?
I rolled my eyes and picked up my grape juice. She really went there, Marriott. I simply couldn’t.
“I just can’t help but find it interesting that you met Lola in her kickboxing class and became a volunteer all in the same day. Then she wants you to model for her shirts—you, a new volunteer, when there have been dozens of girls who have been dying for that position—and now you’re here at the camp, sharing her VIP cabin?” She scoffed and shook her head, her silver hoops catching the light in the ceiling. “Something doesn’t add up with you. Girls like you, who just pop up out of nowhere in Lola’s life, are always after something.”
I bet she’d know. “Maybe Lola just likes me as a person,” I responded, avoiding the urge to pick up my empty tray and slam it across her head. “I have nothing to hide, Keke. I just don’t believe in posting my life all over social media the way others do.”
Keke scoffed, pursed her lips as she looked me up and down, and then locked on my face again. “Lola needs to stop wearing her heart on her sleeve. People like you are leeches. You worm your way in, try to get close, and think you’ll have a foot in the door with her for life. Well, here’s a piece of advice for you,” she said, leaning over the table. “The same way Lola took you in with open arms, she’ll drop you just as fast if you do something to hurt or betray her.”
I matched Keke’s stare, refusing to back down. I could speak nice, but there was no way in hell I was going to let this bitch think she could intimidate me.
I’m certain there was something a bit more vicious about my stare because she leaned back and clenched her jaw before picking up her tray and taking it to the nearest trash can.
She left the cafeteria, but not without looking back at me.
This was strike three. I’d had enough of her.
I watched her leave and then made a mental note to take her out. Immediately.