One of Us Is Dead

by Jeneva Rose

“I only said that so you would do a good job of introducing me. I don’t love you. I loathe you. We are not good together, Shannon.” He shook his head and rubbed his temples. “Sometimes, I think divorcing you wasn’t enough.”

That was a terrible thing to say 😭

My phone buzzed, and I picked it up from the coffee table. It was a text from Keisha. Have you seen this? “Oh, my fucking God,” I said out loud as my mouth dropped open.

The video is titled Woman Commits Suicide*.

What the fuck?!

She took another sip but this time kept her composure. Maybe she was teachable, like a charity project of mine. Or a small pet.

No one is your pet Olivia

I kissed her so hard and with such passion that all the sexual frustration melted out of my body like an ice cream cone on a hot summer day.

Damn Karen and Keisha lol okayyyy 😂

“The husbands happened.”

Uh ohhhh

Her eyes held everything—my courage, my trust, my fear, my curiosity, my desire.

Beautiful

Olivia’s mouth fell open and she was about to speak, but Dean gave her a nasty look and she instead filled the open space of her mouth with the lip of her glass, chugging the rest of her drink.

Finally someone shut her up

Then, I looked over at Shannon, and I nearly laughed out loud. It was obvious she thought Bryce was responsible for that video, what with the way she was being so accusatory toward Crystal. But no . . . it was me. I’d take that little secret to the grave.

I hate her

“He’s just messing with you.” I placed my hand on Dean’s forearm to try to calm him down. Mark was walking too close to that line. I took a mental note to punish him later for it.

How did i not notice this before

Mark grabbed Dean by the shoulder and spun him around. He pulled back his clenched fist and launched it right into Dean’s face, knocking him to the ground.

Boy fightttt

However, I reveled in it. Women weren’t meant to be quiet.

Fuck no

“In a way, yes, but things were never exactly ‘fine.’ It was like when you boil a pot of water—that slow simmer. You can see the bubbles starting to form at the bottom, but they’re not quite there,”

Great analogy

“What do you think caused this never-ending tension?” He furrows his brow. “The new wife, Crystal.” “Why?” Sanford leans back in his chair again. “It was the first time a wife had been replaced in this group of women, and I think it made the rest of them question their relationships, their purpose, and who they’d be if they weren’t

a wife. It brought fear into the group, and fear makes people crazy.”

“Maybe that’s it. Maybe he feels like he needs to protect her as a client and as your kind-of friend.” Keisha tried to make sense of my dilemma. “Or he’s sleeping with her.” Shannon blurted out.

Finally Shannon lol

Only Olivia would enjoy treating the living like they were already dead.

Damn

This whole conversation was odd and definitely not a topic for a dinner party. Who the hell talks about their life insurance policies with people they barely know?

“I’m not sure I believe him.” Karen took another sip of her coconut water. “Why?” Jenny asked. “Because he’s a man.” I laughed.

Men can be selfish, but so can women

“Man bashing. There’s always time for that.” I held my hand up for a high five. Keisha did not leave me hanging either. It went from a high five to a fist bump.

Haha 🤜🫷

turned to look at her and found it was me she was referring to. “No, he didn’t.” Jenny took a step back. “You sure about that?” Karen said with a laugh. “Of course.” I sat up taller and pulled back my shoulders. “Ever sign something he put in front of you without reading it?” Keisha raised an eyebrow.

“Fuck,” I said.

“These women paid well. They tipped well. They made me very comfortable, financially. So, as long as they weren’t killing each other in my salon, I didn’t care what they did.” I grab another slice of pizza and plop it on my paper plate. “Well, lucky for you the murder didn’t happen at Glow then.” Detective Sanford raises his brows.

“We’ve determined the murder weapon was a Glock 19. Do you know anyone that would have access to that?” he asks.

With wine in hand, I walked back into the living room and took a seat on the couch. Firing up my laptop, I opened a browser and typed eHarmony into the search bar.

Hello, Jenny. I was so pleased to receive your message. It sounds like we have more in common than we care to admit.

Awwww

Just as I was about to click Add Friend, I stopped. His last post on his wall caught my eye. So happy to announce that Ashley and I are engaged.

Nooooo

She pushed me onto the table, and our hands ventured south while she kissed my lips, sucking on my bottom one. I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate on my breathing. Trying to wait for her, so we could finish together. We were in this together.

Get it karen

“What in the fuck is going on here?” Olivia’s eyes and mouth were wide open. She stood there taking it all in—Keisha and me, half-naked, struggling to catch our breath.

Shitttttt lol

Mommy Dearest and Little Miss Perfect Realtor diving all the way to the bottom of Lake Muff.

I cant lol

Jenny emerged from the back. Her hair was tied up in a haphazard ponytail. Her clothes were rumpled. Her eyes were bloodshot.

My face turned sympathetic. It was something I had practiced through watching reruns of Grey’s Anatomy, when the doctor had to tell some poor patient’s family their loved one didn’t make it.

For Christ’s sake! I suppose I brought this on myself. They were just supposed to break some things and leave. That’s it! Just enough to rattle her. It was punishment for her kicking me out of the salon. She wasn’t supposed to be at Glow when it happened, and those buffoons I hired messed the whole thing up.

No fucking wayyyy

“I think you just need a night out.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Maybe.” “Perfect. It’s settled then. You’ll come out with us girls. Me, Karen, and Crystal, and you can bring your little Keisha friend.”

I knew she had no interest in spending any time with me outside of Glow, but I didn’t care. This would be fun and would surely make up for the little strangulation incident I caused.

“From what I’ve learned about Olivia, she doesn’t do anything to be nice,” I said, raising an eyebrow. He lifted my chin with his hand and kissed my cheek and the tip of my nose. “Oh, stop. This isn’t a Disney movie, sweetheart. Someone doesn’t always have to be the villain.”

Yes there is

I was going on my first date since Bryce made the worst decision of his life—leaving me.

Go shannon

I hadn’t been on a first date in over fifteen years. Had anything changed? Did the men still pay? Or had the progressive females of the world ruined that for the rest of us? Women had to deal with periods, childbirth, and menopause. The least we could get is the occasional free meal.

Never put it that way before

The limo was parked in the driveway with “Dangerous Woman” playing loudly. Olivia popped her body out of the sunroof. “ ‘And you make me feel like a dangerous woman,’ ” she belted out as if she were Ariana Grande herself, minus the voice. Olivia was tone-deaf and not just when it came to singing, obviously.

Lol

“I can’t believe she didn’t tell us.” I crumpled up my face. “She told you?” “She did. But Shannon was very sorry to miss your night out, Jenny.”

Over Karen’s shoulder, I spotted Shannon sitting at a table alone, sipping at a vodka soda. I quickly looked back at Olivia as not to bring any attention to Shannon. She must be meeting her date here. I stole another glance at Shannon. She checked her phone several times and blew out her cheeks. What were the odds we’d all end up at the same bar? Did Olivia know Shannon was having her date here? Did she plan it or was it all pure coincidence? From what I had known about Buckhead thus far, there were no coincidences.

Not a coincidence at all

had to learn how to flirt again, and from what I’d read online, emojis could be very flirty, if not downright provocative. A plain old eggplant was code for penis.

🍆🍆🍆

These women just didn’t value me. I was sure I’d be like Van Gogh or Amy Winehouse, appreciated and recognized for my greatness after my death.

Oh lord get over yourself

My foot tapped the floor rapidly while I checked my phone and scanned the room. Where was he? He was now forty-five minutes late.

I’m guessing it’s Olivia fucking bitch lol

She looked like the Cheshire cat with her wide toothy grin. I nearly exploded, but instead, I took a deep breath and a large gulp of my drink.

Called itttttt

Four years ago, at Buckhead’s gala of the year, Shannon got drunk (nothing has changed) and told everyone about my past, something I had confided to her. She told them how my father was arrested, how my family was slimy, and how he lost all of our money. She belittled me and ridiculed me the whole night, dragging me through the mud, reveling in it like it was a game.

We weren’t the classy Petrovs, we were the smarmy Petrovs, and we ultimately fell into those roles.

Because it’s easy to become who peopl...

Forgiveness is boring, but revenge . . . now, that’s a real thrill! Betray me once, and I will bury you, one shovel of dirt at a time.

Great saying! But forgiveness is good too lol

“I’m going to go settle the bill. Anyone want anything else?” They all shook their heads and thanked me—as they should.