Lauren Beukes
Branded
We were at Stones, playing pool, drinking, goofing around, maybe hoping to
score a little sugar, when Kendra arrived, all moffied up and gloaming like an
Aito/329. “Ahoy, Special K, where you been, girl, so juiced to kill?” Tendeka
asked while he racked up the balls, all click-clack in their white plastic triangle.
Old school this pool bar was. But Kendra didn’t answer. Girl just grinned,
reached into her back pocket for her phone, hung skate-rat style off a silver
chain connected to her belt, and infra’d five Rand to the table to get tata
machance on the next game.
But I was watching the girl and as she slipped her phone back into her
pocket, I saw that telltale glow ‘neath her sleeve. Long sleeves in summer
didn’t cut it. So, it didn’t surprise me none in the least when K waxed the table.
Ten-Ten was surprised though. Ten-Ten slipped his groove. But boy kept it in,
didn’t say anything, just infra’d another five to the table and racked ‘em again.