“Shane, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. Please sit down, Bette’s right, let’s talk.”

I wheeled back around, seeing that all my exits were currently blocked. I grabbed my hair with both hands and pulled.

“Fuck this! I don’t want to talk! Please move, I’m outta here!” Looking back and forth between them, seeing that neither was going to move. I growled and dropped back on the lounge chair, my hands and head between my knees as I pulled out a cigarette. I figured if they weren’t letting me leave, fine. But they couldn’t make me talk. I was so frustrated, felt so cornered. I couldn’t get the damned lighter to light. Tina knelt in front of me and took the lighter from my hands, lighting it the first try and holding the flame to me so I could light up. She stood back up and I blew out a frustrated stream of smoke.

She sat down across from me and offered my lighter to me, “I’m sorry Shane, I’m just trying to get to know you.”

I took the lighter, “Yeah, well there’s nothing to know.”

Tina made a face, “I highly doubt that. You seem like a wonderful and interesting person. I bet there’s lots of great things to know about you.” I scoffed, thinking like what? She continued, “I mean, it sounds like you are about to start on a new chapter of life, start a new job, live in a new part of town, you’re a beautiful young woman.”

I just sat there and smoked. So this was Bette’s intention. Bring someone else in to do her dirty work. All these months of knowing her, she never pushed for information, she would just get someone else to do it for her. I glanced up at her. And then I noticed it. Bette looked distraught. She hadn’t planned this. She was concerned… about me. I then glanced at Tina, seeing the same concern on her face. I glanced away from them, blew out smoke in a defeated sort of way and just stared at the water in the pool. We sat in silence for a few minutes, the two of them regarding me and me just staring at the water. Finally, Bette stepped up and broke the silence.