Thirty-Six

Chadwick

After that awkward introduction of Ashanti's housemates, where Carmen was so close to stripping naked in front of Ken, and the guy Harrison had stars in his eyes, we headed to a mini hall painted in a light beige color, and the floor covered with a dark carpet.

I stared at the stand with a framed portrait of Carmen's mother smiling warmly. The guests were mostly middle-aged older women wearing black. A long table was set up along the wall opposite the windows. On the table were trays of snacks and drinks. I settled for cookies and sat at a small round table beside Ken.

"So what was that all about?" I relaxed into my seat, grinning. Everyone always thought that Ken never got angry. Well, maybe he never did, but only I was capable of bringing out that part of him.

"Amd what are you talking about?” he asked, crossing his arms, pretending to be smug.

"You know what I mean," I said in a playful and sarcastic tone. "The girl's really pretty. You should give her a chance."

"Ca