Dibs on the Car

“You,” she gave him a cut look then sipped at her coffee. “There is a new rule. You are only allowed to eat food that you’ve paid for. Did you pay for this?” She picked up the box and shook it in his face.

He stayed quiet but he was fuming. He gave her a look that screamed murder. Ann didn’t flinch. She placed the box back on the floor and went back to her coffee, “Didn’t think so.”

“Ann…” he called out her name between clenched teeth.

“You didn’t pay for my name either, so don’t say it.” She stayed cool, ready to challenge his comeback.

Before Steve could speak, Lee rushed into the room. She was in a hurry to get to her therapist’s office before she headed to school. She could feel the tension in the room; it was all too familiar to her. She looked at Ann’s cool face then at Steve’s heated face, he was glaring at Ann. So far Ann was winning this fight.

“I don’t want to know what you are fighting about. I’m going to miss my appointment if I don’t leave now. And I don’t have the time, nor am I in the mood to referee.”

Steve spoke up, his voice cold and direct. “I want that witch out of this apartment today!”

Ann stared at him wide eyed. She stood up and moved to him. “Me! I pay for my share of the bills around here, what do you do other than eat our food, use our water and stink up our apartment. You should move out and join the other bums in the streets!”

Steve shot up from his chair; he was nose to nose with Ann.

“It’s Lee’s apartment, she’s my girlfriend!”

“It’s our apartment, she’s my sister!”

He snorted. “No you are not! She’s black, Maria is Spanish and you are white trash! It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.”

Ann clapped her hands. “It’s good that you’ve finally admitted you are an idiot, it’s the first step to recovery. I was wondering when your pea brain would finally come around to it.”

He growled. “Ann, when are you going to realize no one wants you, I mean your own mother threw you away, can your pea brain process that!”

“You know, you just got on my last nerve!” Ann had her half empty mug in her hand. She wanted to hit him with it, but didn’t get the chance.

“Enough!” It was Lee who was shouting now. “No one is going anywhere! Steve you went too far! Now, will you two just grow up?”

She calmed down and turned to Maria, who was now standing behind her. Maria was angry but didn’t want to show it. Steve’s words had hurt her more than they did Ann; she of all people knew how it felt not to be wanted.

“Would you please wait for Ann and give her a ride, I need to get to Dr. Warren’s. I’m taking Ann’s car, you guys take my jeep.”

Steve turned to Lee and spoke with a softer voice. “Babe, I need the car. I told you I was going to use it today to take my friends to the beach?”

“Take a bus.” Ann spoke behind him, leaning against the counter with her arms crossed over her chest, her face stern and red.

Steve pretended not to have heard her and kept his gaze on Lee. “You know, if you stopped seeing the shrink, we could afford another car?”

Ann huffed. “Can you believe this! The nerve! And anyway, we are saving up for Maria’s car, so go find someone else to suck dry!”

Maria interjected before another fight stared, she had her patient voice leveled and low. “She needs the therapy, and anyway it’s her last month of sessions and she isn’t paying for it. The fund is, and the payments stop when she turns eighteen next month.”

Lee needed Ann’s car, and it wouldn’t be fair not to give her the jeep in exchange. “The girls could always drop you off, I’m sure they won’t mind?” That’s a far stretch.

“Hell no!” Ann shouted. Before Steve could counter Maria spoke up.

“If we do that, we’ll be late for class. I’m sorry, but no. Ann you need to get ready.” Maria moved to the couch in the living room and sat down. She picked up a medical journal from the coffee table and opened it.

“Use one of your bum friend’s cars or take a bus or walk.” Ann stayed in the kitchen, waiting to hear what Lee would say.

“I’m sorry, but this time I’m with her, she is the eldest. Bye, babe.” Lee looked over his shoulder at Ann, who had a smug look on her face. She tiptoed and gave Steve a kiss on his lips before she dashed out. She knew the second she left round two would begin.

Lee stopped at her car and looked around the garage. She was getting that eerie feeling again, it gave her goose bumps. The eerie feeling was everywhere she went, except inside her apartment. It was like someone was watching her, following her everywhere she went. If she told Dr. Warren, he’d just chock it up to the trauma, and of course something she already knew. She was being paranoid.

She moved to the next parking slot and got into the two-door golf and drove off. Today Dr. Warren wanted to talk about her ‘sisters’. Lee smiled. It would be her first funny session.