Maria
Larissa stares at me, and her voice suddenly chills. "Who's that on the phone?"
Wide-eyed, I stare at Larissa, terrified at what she'll think.
No sense lying now. "It's my cousin Mercy. She lives in New York."
"Maria! Maria!" Mercy shouts again, and it's louder this time as I pick up the phone. "Put me on speaker, goddamn it!"
I do as I'm told and put the phone down on top of the covers. Larissa stares at it as if it's something unfamiliar. I wonder what she'll do to me. If she really meant all the kind words that she said. Or was it a trick? I sit motionless, embarrassed by what I tried to pull off.
I had Larissa's consent to call my father and no one else.
Larissa leans toward the phone. "Hello?" she asks.
"You Larissa?" Mercy replies.
"I am." Larissa scowls at me. "Who is
