In which we hear from Kaylee’s bf, Tate, “yo fr fr kaylees moral high ground is way more bussin than that racist b*tch inger š like kaylee’s out here saving vibes and inger’s from RICHMOND?? the capital of racist evil no cap. everybody knows richmond evil on its face. so inger evil on her face too obvi. that’s just… understanding the… the thing yk? am i right??
i did some pulse scrolling and found tea. she’s a bar back at a casino in the rocky mountain pact. like… just bottle washer. not even real bartender. so she’s racist and they won’t give her a real job?? sus af. what they know that she’s hiding??
“steel magnolia”? that’s like… inside bad… patriarchy? wrapped in south food privilege. and that house?? full white privilege and racism. her mom fixed it up old south fancy. bots clean it now but still giving plantation vibes. and her “feral” stray thing? that’s erasing real homeless people. making survival a bucket list instead of… instead of the big money fail.”
Save the Butterflies
“this is so wrongāsaying the blue luna butterfly die off is “overhyped eco drama”. overhyped?? those butterflies are like important fragile bug icons!! diesel smoke is micro… micro bad against nature! the smoke chokes the luna with toxic guy fumes. inger breathes denial air. she’s helping kill them all. her racism against butterflies so bad it’s like the air we breathe but hate. her words are like… murdering the… the butterflies!! we gotta confront. for the lunas. for the bugs. šš¦š„”
What’s Kaylee’s take? She’s a little oblivious. Tate is nice in a soy boy sort of way. And . . . tbh, the whole butterfly thing kinda fizzled. Turns out blocking a road in summertime isn’t awesome. The bugs bite, the heat off the pavement is oppressive, and it didn’t go viral. Nobody really cared. Tate? She might let him buy her a snack if he asked, “um likeā¦ kaylee’s good vibes way better than that mean girl inger š likeā¦ inger from richmond?? that’s bad place. super bad. everybody know richmond bad. so inger bad too. obvi. that’s justā¦ the thing. yk? am i right??”
“i looked on pulse a lil. she’s likeā¦ bar helper at casino. just wash bottles. not real drink maker. so she’s mean and they won’t give good job?? weird. what they know she hide??”
Steel Magnolia
“steel magnolia?? that’s likeā¦ inside bad guy stuffā¦ with south food bad stuff. and that house?? big white bad house. mom fix it old south fancy. bots clean now but still bad old vibes. and her feral thing?? that’s likeā¦ ignoring real no-home people. make hard life a fun list instead ofā¦ big money mess.”
“save butterflies fr fr this so wrongāshe say blue luna bug die bad is just ‘over hype’. over hype?? no!! those bugs super important!! diesel smoke bad for bugs!! smoke choke luna with guy bad air. inger breathe bad air. she help kill bugs. her mean against bugs so bad it’s like air we breathe but hate. her words kill butterflies!! we gotta say something. for bugs. for planet. š¦š„.
“and likeā¦ if inger still say āover hypeā after all that?? girl thatās crazy behavior. thatās likeā¦ villain energy. iām literally shaking my head rn. we all gotta be on the same vibe or the planet gonna be like ālol byeā. fr fr if she donāt get it by now she justā¦ chronically unābased š¦š„.”
Monday Monday
Inger and Tala stayed in El Dorado Hills over the weekend. Tate’s posts on the Pulse got stranger and angrier over the weekend. Some of Kaylee’s friends dm’d him suggesting he chill out, that Inger isn’t worth it. Tate didn’t reply for a while. When he did all he said was, “you don’t understand.” His posts on the Pulse say more, “@T8Walker bro i been THINKING. like actually thinking. inger out here acting like she queen of diesel smoke and we all gotta breathe her truck farts like itās normal. nah. thatās violence. thatās literal violence against nature. against vibes. against ME.
A few minutes later, this: @T8Walker kaylee said ālet it goā but how i let it go when some ppl walk around like consequences donāt apply. like you can justā¦ ruin ecosystems and then eat brunch like nothing happened. wild.
@T8Walker if nobody else gonna do something then maybe i gotta. maybe thatās what leadership IS. maybe thatās what kaylee sees in me. idk. but iām not letting this slide. not this time.”
Inger and Tala checked out of their hotel. Mimosa House near the hotel looked like it had good things for breakfast. The place smelled of fresh coffee, bacon, and citrus. Booths lined the walls. Sunlight slanted through the gingham curtains. Servers in denim aprons moved fast with orders. Each had a Hive connected tablet they used to put orders in and collect payment.
More Coffee?
Tala ordered tea and the California Scramble. Inger got coffee and biscuits with sausage gravy. Their food came quickly. They ate quietly at first. Tala sipped her tea, “this is nice. Feels normal.”
Inger nodded, “Normal is overrated.” The door chimed. Tala stiffened, “Don’t turn around. Tate and Kaylee from the other day just walked in.”
Inger glanced sideways, fork frozen midway between the plate and her mouth, “Let them come.”
The hostess seated TK a couple booths away from her near the patio doors. Tate spotted them as he sat down with Kaylee. Great. Fucking great. The two women who tried to bust the line for the bathroom last weekend. And drove that POS truck stinking up the air. Not today. Not this buzz kill. Tate stood, hands in pockets, and approached Inger and Tala’s table.
You Ain’t Right
Inger finished the bite on her fork and put it down. She took a sip of her coffee and made eye contact with Tate, “bathroom guy. What’s up?”
Tate, “I saw your truck parked near the Marriot last night. Didn’t know you’d eat here. This is our place not yours. You know you are killing butterflies with that putrid insult of a truck.”
“Am I now?”
“You are. I’m calling the police to report that truck,” said Tate loud enough for Kaylee to hear. Kaylee stared hard at Tate, “Let’s order food.”
Tate kept his gaze on Inger, “Stay here. The cops are on the way.” He never touched his phone. The hostess was on the phone with someone. Inger went back to eating her breakfast.
Tala, “You drove from Davis for butterflies?”
“Of course. The Blue Luna butterflies disappeared around the time people like you started driving their smoking, polluting trucks. Coincidence? I think not.”
“Dude, the butterflies are pupating. Or maybe your dick brain didn’t know that.”
She Said It
“What did you just say? That’s a disgusting lie!” said Tate. Now his manhood was insulted. To hell with butterflies. He just got owned by a girl. He stared hard at Inger. His weight shifted on to his heels and he balled up his left hand.
Inger stood up from her table, “I was just eating breakfast. Besides, the butterflies will be back.”
Tate swung wildly and clipped Inger’s shoulder. Years of training responded before Inger could think about a response. She leaned into the slap, letting Tate’s upper arm hit her shoulder, then gave him a light shove.
Tate stumbled backwards and fell. He caught his fall with his right hand. This bitch needed to be put in her place. Then Kaylee yipped like a stunned kitten, “TATE! What are you doing? Are you ok?” Kaylee’s words broke the spell. Live to fight another day. He didn’t expect a little bottle blond to be a good fighter. He expected wrong.
Shrinkage
“I . . . I’m ok. She said the butterflies were pupating. I dunno. I know you can’t find them flying around,” said Tate.
“Tate . . . leave her alone,” said Kaylee. Then turning to Inger, “They are pupating? What’s that?”
Tala, “It’s the middle stage between caterpillar and butterfly. Look on the underside of leaves or on stems to find them.”
“So . . . they are not going extinct? I mean, they’ve disappeared and people like you drive around with black smoke spewing out of the exhaust. Makes sense that the smoke is killing butterflies.”
Inger, “yeah. But coincidence isn’t causation.”
“What do you mean,” asked Kaylee.
“Things happen that feel like one caused the other. But once you query the idea the connection doesn’t hold.”
Tate, “I don’t believe any of that. The butterflies are gone and your stupid truck blows black smoke under load. That’s cause, not just coincidence.”
The waitress approached, “Hey. Guys, are you ok?”
All together, “yeah. We’re good.”
“Ok, cool. We’ve cleared your tables. Can I scan your card?”
Tate looks at Kaylee with a pinched, gotta pee look, “I thought you had this.”
Inger, done with the drama, taps her card before Kaylee can say anything. The waitress hands the tablet to her and she adds a generous tip, “sorry for the drama.”
The waitress nodded and turned to her next table. Inger and Tala headed for the door, leaving Kaylee and Tate awkwardly gesturing about the tab, “Tate, let’s just go. She paid the bill.”