Free Red Queen by Honey Brown Page A

shampoo,’ I said.
    He ignored me and came to the table. The collar of his shirt was wet where his black hair curled against it. I looked at Denny; she was watching Rohan. His head tilted, only marginally, but I knew he was looking back at her. My eyes moved quickly between them.
    ‘Want some Rice Cream?’ he said to her.
    ‘God, yeah.’
    Rohan punctured the top of the can with the can opener. Denny and I stepped forward to stand either side of him. A wet clump of his hair swung down in front of his face.
    ‘You had this before?’ he asked Denny.
    Denny sat on the arm of his chair. ‘Only once or twice. It’s sweet, right?’
    Rohan opened the can. I noticed the lid had small spots of rust.
    ‘Sure is,’ he said. ‘To us, it’s going to be almost painful.’
    The three bowls were arranged and Rohan began to dole out the contents. He scraped the tin as clean as humanly possible and then sat it aside purposely, as if not done with it yet. The portions looked fair, but Rohan still spent some time checking they were equal. I didn’t mind the protracted build-up – it seemed only right.
    He passed mine over first, and gave Denny her bowl where she sat, on the side of his chair. I waited for her to get up and take it around to the cushion she usually sat on, but, confusingly, she brought a leg up and balanced with the bowl rested on her knee.
    I settled in my chair and waited to see what Rohan would do. Denny avoided looking at me.
    When Rohan sat down beside her I began to understand.
    When he shuffled forward and acted as if she wasn’t there, my understanding deepened. The bowl was forgotten on my lap as I darted my eyes over the new picture before me. Denny had her spoon upside down in her mouth and her eyes downcast; her foot was now on the chair cushion, in the dark, somewhere close to Rohan’s leg. Rohan had his head over his bowl but his eyes were lifted to me. The untouched food was telling on my knee; I didn’t care.
    ‘How is it, Den?’ Rohan said with eyes fixed on mine.
    She moaned. ‘It’s a head rush.’
    Rohan smirked.
    When the door opened I thought it would be Denny. I took the shotgun from my knee, and ran a shaky hand over the top of my hair; but it was Rohan who came out and leant on the railing.
    He looked up at the night sky. ‘Shannon,’ he said.
    ‘Fuck off.’
    ‘Don’t be a fool.’
    ‘Fuck off.’
    ‘Say it again and I’ll throw you over the bloody railing.’
    ‘Where is she?’
    ‘She’s having a shower.’
    I nodded slowly.
    We were silent. The night was like a held breath; I thought how it might never exhale. Rohan was uncomfortable, or impatient – who could tell.
    ‘She was always going to sleep with one of us,’ he said, ‘and it was never going to be you.’
    I stood up and walked to the corner of the veranda. I projected all my energy out, into the night. Rohan came down to me, clearing his throat as he did.
    He tried to talk but I cut him off. ‘She doesn’t have to sleep with anyone,’ I snarled. ‘You’re unbelievable. Although I shouldn’t be surprised – this is just the oppressor shit you bastards thrive on. When was it you decided you’d sleep with her? Was it when you stood over her with the gun? Or when you threatened to kill her? And why wait? Wouldn’t you have preferred her weak and desperate?’
    ‘That it? You finished?’
    ‘She hates you.’
    ‘Grow up, and open your eyes.’
    ‘What? You kidding yourself that she wants this? Is that how you reason it out? You’re so superior that everyone falls at your feet?’
    ‘That’ll do. You can shut up now.’
    ‘I won’t listen to you work your angles, make it right so you can sleep at night.’
    ‘I’ll sleep just fine, Pup, don’t you worry about that.’
    ‘Yeah righto. Why’d you come out here? What do you want?’
    A lazy smile spread up one side of his face. ‘I actually only came out here to ask you to get those condoms you’ve got in your room.’
    I backed up.