Chapter 4
Natura POV
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a house this
beautiful. Honestly, I never thought I’d ever set foot in anything like it. I
wouldn’t even compare it to a movie—because I don’t watch movies. Every day in
Coldville is survival, and everyone there is trapped in the same dead-end
routine.
The bathroom was huge, spotless, and shining…
until my dirty clothes and blood ruined it. Just proved that someone from
Coldville could ruin anything.
I changed out of my clothes and slipped into
hers. The fabric hung loose on me, far too roomy, but it would have to do for
work today. She gently patted a fresh layer of gauze over my bruised eye.
“Aren’t you scared?”
I avoided looking at her. She could’ve
cleaned me up back at the station. Dropping me off at the diner would’ve been
more than enough. But instead, she brought me all the way to Sunnyvale and
opened up the privacy of her wealthy home. I could wreck this place for her.
“Scared of what?”
She turned to the sink, washing her hands
clean of my blood. I cringed at the sight of those red droplets slipping down
the pristine porcelain. She shouldn’t be doing this. I should be offering to
scrub the sink myself, then disappear from her life. I hoped she’d never have
to grant bail to me again, never have to help me again.
It was unsettling, being in a place this
clean—no rats scurrying, no bugs hiding in the corners. I wasn’t used to
comfort.
"I don't know. I rob something. Or tell
my boyfriend about here."
“Do you see something you want? Then ask for
it. Don’t steal it.”
“Tell that to some Sunnyvale brat trying to
go rogue, not to a Coldville skank. But since we’re on the topic… can I have
this house?”
“No.”
“That’s why I’ll steal it and chase you out.”
“You can try.”
“You buy it? You don’t seem like you’re from
here.”
“Usually, you’d leave the questions to me, the
cop,” she said as she rummaged through the oversized first‑aid kit. The kit
looked, almost antique. She pulled out a colorful bandage. “It’s not that big
of a cut.”
“It feels big.”
“That’s because it goes deeper,” she
murmured, concentrating as she pressed the bandage gently into place.
“You lied.”
“Cops lie. We’re still human. But I don’t
think I’ve lied to you. Not yet.”
“Yet?”
“Yes. If you keep asking questions I don’t
want to answer, I’ll lie.”
I snorted, shoving my hands into the hoodie
pocket and leaning back against the mirror. “Wouldn’t it be easier to just tell
me it’s none of my business?”
“It’s easier to lie. We all get some kind of
comfort from a lie,” she said softly. “All done.”
She stepped back to give me space, then
leaned against the counter beside me, her knuckles resting right in my line of
sight.
“So, what do you think I lied about?”
“That you’re from Sunnyvale.”
Sunnyvale residents didn’t walk around with
bruises on their skin, in any case, not the kind you get from real fights.
“What gave it away?” she asked, looking at
me.
“Your knuckles,” I said. “They’re a mess.
Scars layered over scars. Those knuckles look like they’ve been through a war.”
“I suppose a pair of bruised knuckles gave
away my identity. Are Sunnyvale people always this perfect-looking?”
I nodded.
“I’m not from here,” she declared. “But I
suppose a touch of Sunnyvale runs in my blood.”
“Oh.”
“Where are you from?”
“Not from here,” she said with a faint smile,
turning toward the sink and reaching for a cloth.
“Let me do it,” I said quickly.
“It’s fine. Rest while you can.”
“You sure?”
She just smiled and started gathering the
cleaning products.
“How long have you been an officer?”
“One year.”
“You’ve been here a whole year and we’ve
never met?”
“We’ve met,”
“When?”
“Today.”
“No, you idiot...I meant at the diner.”
“I don’t eat out, baby.”
“Cops are such liars. That’s another lie.”
She shrugged. “I don’t eat at your diner.”
“You should. Every officer’s been there at
least once in their life.”
“You don’t want to see me again, remember?”
Dante was a mystery. She didn't spoke in
straight lines or offered direct answers. Maybe it was a cop thing. I’d run
into plenty of cops before, but I’d never really talked with them, not like
this. The only one I ever spoke with much was Mr. Toro when he came by the
diner. He was a respectful man, the kind who could walk and talk with us
without ever making us feel like he was better than us.
“Let’s go. Can you walk?” she asked.
I hopped off the countertop, wincing at a
stab of pain but quickly masking it. “All good.”
“Alright. Let’s get out of here.”
As we headed downstairs and stepped back into
the heat, I couldn’t help asking, “So if you’re not full‑blood Sunnyvale, how’d
you land a house like this?”
It had to be hers, an officer of the law
couldn’t exactly steal a place like that. And yet, even with all its comfort, I
couldn’t imagine staying there any longer than I already had. Comfort didn’t
sit right with me. I’d always believed I was meant to suffer, meant to live a
rough life, meant to take punches to the face.
“Let’s just say that when you live for the
right things, you start to get lucky,” she said.
“There’s no such thing as luck.”
“Well, you should believe in it. You might
get lucky yourself, if you let yourself.”
“Wow. Coldville skank finally made it to the
greener side of the lawn.”
I turned at the voice and rolled my eyes.
Sole. Of course. She stood on the pristine sidewalk, glowing like she always
did. Sole was the track‑and‑field golden girl, always representing at local and
state competitions. Blonde, rich parents, a future laid out in gold.
She was the kind of girl I’d kill to be—rip
her skin off and live her life. She had the life every Coldville girl wanted,
and she knew it. She strutted into the diner often, just to remind us she was
living better. I couldn’t even blame her. If I’d been born with a silver spoon
jammed in my mouth and a golden one up my ass, I’d probably be moving among the
poor too, just to show off.
“Who you calling a skank?!”
We only ever clashed with the rich kids
because we all shared the same high school, smack in the middle of both towns.
“Uh, how many skanks walk around with a
busted‑up face? Your gangbanger boyfriend not giving you enough? Really, new
girl, you can do so much better.” Sole jogged in place, not even breaking her
rhythm. Even her sweat looked appetizing.
“Hello to you, Ms. Richberry,”
Sole stopped jogging, flipping her hair and
flashing that flawless smile. “Hi, Danteee,” she said, waving flirtatiously. If
I looked like that, I’d act just like her too.
Dante grinned. I turned away, walking toward
the car to escape their little exchange. But the car door was locked, so I
leaned against it, arms crossed, forced to listen with my back turned.
“You coming over for dinner? And dessert…
especially dessert,” Sole purred.
I scoffed under my breath. She was such a
gorgeous, shameless slut. She slept with everyone. She’d been best friends with
Niahm since high school.
Their slutting around was almost…
professional. Professionally done and professionally beautiful. I couldn’t
compete with Niahm or with Sole. I didn’t have even half their beauty.
“So, what are you doing running drugs up over
there?” Sole asked.
“Her name is Natura,” Dante corrected.
“Thank you,” I muttered.
“Well, what are you doing with her then?”
Sole pressed.
“I was just helping out,”
“Be careful. We don’t want too much bad weed
choking out our grass,” Sole bellowed.
“Can you just open the damn door? I have
work, and I’m late!” I snapped.
Dante seemed to catch on. “I’ll see you
later, Sole. Have a good… whatever it is you’re doing.”
“I really can’t wait to see you later,” Sole
purred.
“Ye–yeah.”
The lock clicked, and Dante swung the car
door open.
“Did you just stutter?” I shot at her.
“What? No.”
“Take me to work. Now.”
We got into the car. I caught her looking at
me, and I growled. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but I didn’t
want to hear it. I hate her. She was obviously sleeping with Sole—hell, I
probably would too. Sole was beautiful.
“Will you be resting later on?” Dante asked
as we pulled up to the diner.
“No. Bye.”
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Why don’t you go be with Sole? The girl who
makes you giggle and stutter.”
She laughed softly. “Well, I will be with her
tonight.”
“Bye.”
“Stay out of trouble.”
“Fuck off!”
I stomped out of the car, slamming the door
behind me. Damn it. She’d practically scraped me off the road. I could still be
lying there if it weren’t for her. I hesitated, then turned back. She was still
there, leaning casually against her car seat.
I walked up to her, awkwardly shifting my
weight. “Thank you. And…” The words stuck in my throat. I wasn’t good at this,
at giving, at playing nice. Life wasn’t about being nice. “Uhm… a piece of pie
is on the house.”
Her smile was soft, almost amused. She simply
nodded.
I headed inside the diner, stepping into the
usual chaos. I was going to have to double up on hours to make up for being
late.
“You’re two hours lat—oh my God, what
happened to your damn face, Nat?” Vittoria exclaimed, eyes wide. “That bastard
threw you out of the car again, didn’t he?”
“It’s not so bad,” I muttered.
“I can see that. Whoever patched you up did a
decent job, but it sure as hell wasn’t that punk. I saw that fat, nasty bastard
rolling in here with Niahm earlier.” She set down the plates she was carrying
and gave me that look.
“They held me up at the station,” I
explained.
“You need to rat that fat, dirty pig out,”
I sighed. “You know what that would mean for
me… and my family?”
“They could die too,” she said flatly,
shrugging as we both made our way to the back.
“It’s just you and me today,” she added.
“Ebony come down with the flu—which means she’s spending the day screwing her
boyfriend.” Vittoria dipped her hand into Charles’s back pocket, fishing out an
open box of cigarettes.
“You’re buying the next pack,” Charles
grumbled, the only cook on duty today.
“You know I always do.” She lit one and
stretched across the counter, dangling the pack at me. “Want one?”
I shook my head. I hated smoking. Hated
anything that burned or numbed you from the inside out.
“Yo! Someone at table seven needs service,” a
voice called from the front.
“You got that?” Vittoria asked,
I reached for my apron, tying it around my
waist as I nodded. This was where the next shitty chapter of my life began.
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