Paper Airplanes: A Novel by Tabitha Forney

Author:Tabitha Forney
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: She Writes Press
Published: 2021-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

At first, the ride to the police station was quiet and peaceful. Erin breathed in and out steadily, feeling strangely free. And then Officer Kendrick piped up, turning to his partner. “Lipstick rampage? What kind of crime is that, Chief?”

Officer Vasquez shrugged. “Defacing private property?”

“I don’t think that’s a crime if you live there.”

“Intimidation? That woman was clearly intimidated.”

“Yeah. Don’t think intimidation is a crime either. We’re gonna get laughed out of the shop.” He turned to Erin. “What happened there, Lipstick Girl? Why’d you make your mommy so upset like that? Boyfriend didn’t ask you to the dance?”

Erin glowered at him, then gazed out the window as they passed through the neighborhood where she spent her childhood. Huge, columned mansions with verdant manicured lawns. Seasonally planted pink and red flowers, Valentine’s Day hearts still on doors, the hope of spring around the corner.

The rage began another wave. What did these people know of love? True love was a paradox—an emotion made possible only after everything to love was gone. These rich people who didn’t understand pain or suffering or death had no right to pretend they knew anything about love. Half of these people were cheating on each other, based on Erin’s knowledge of her friends’ parents and parents’ friends. She and Daniel might have ended up like this too. All married couples get there eventually, or worse. Even if Daniel had lived, there would have been cheating, and if not then fights over money, familiarity that breeds indifference, a 50 percent chance of divorce. There’s no happily ever after, not really.

Believing this didn’t make her feel better. A traitorous tear escaped from her eye and slid down her cheek, stopping at the waxen lipstick barricade in its path.

Vasquez glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Not going to talk to us then?”

“The police don’t really help anyone.”

He harrumphed. “You’re way too nice of a girl to be spouting off such liberal nonsense.”

“I’m not a girl. And you’re not even real police. Working the Highland Park beat, like that’s real exciting. What do you do, rescue kitties from trees? Give people tickets for parking on the wrong side of the street?”

Kendrick chimed in. “Yep, that’s right. Just doing our job, protecting this community from the dangerous crimes perpetrated by lipstick vandals.”

They both laughed, pleased with themselves. Prepping their stories for the boys down at the station. Erin didn’t speak to them again.

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