Condemned

by Christopher Renna

  He raised his nearly empty glass of red wine. "You know me. I'm always willing to chase a bigger check. Let's go for it."

  She pulled the plate of white cake with raspberry sauce closer and picked up her fork. "All right, Lou. It looks like the four us are going to be chasing an exorcism story. No risk, no gain, right?"

  Lou smiled wide. "Great. Tomorrow morning, we'll get to work. For now, let's enjoy ourselves."

  * * *

  Hailey liked the way Conner's warm lips caressed hers. She liked the feel of his tight body pressed against hers. It was nice to be in the strong arms of a man. Although, referring to Conner as a man seemed premature. Officially being considered an adult at eighteen didn't mean a boy was instantly a man. And at eighteen herself, she felt more like a girl than a woman.

  Lying in bed, enveloped in Conner's arms, his touch made her feel more mature. In the past, his gentle caressing of her skin and fondling of her breasts had made her feel womanly. But when he slipped his fingers into the waistband of her jeans, she tensed and reverted to an inexperienced teenaged girl. He was crossing a boundary they'd not stepped foot on before. Her internal alarm instantly sounded, but she had told herself she was going to go with the flow, that she was going to follow her intuition. So she relaxed and allowed him to test her limits.

  Then she heard Adam's and Kayla's grunts and moans in the next room. A muffled thud repeated, paused, then returned. She assumed it was Adam's bed banging against the wall, and she felt embarrassed.

  She tried looking into Conner's eyes, but at that point he was more focused on kissing her neck and working his way to her chest. All the while, his hand had slipped further into her jeans. When he gently applied pressure with his fingertips, she nearly gasped.

  Surprised and excited by Hailey's readiness, Conner pressed his body firmly against hers. In response, her body stiffened and then relaxed again as she clutched his shoulders.

  "Are you okay?" he asked, withdrawing his hand from her jeans and fixing his eyes on hers. "I know you're nervous."

  "Yeah, I'm fine."

  "Are you sure you wanna do this?"

  She glanced to the side. "Can you close the door, please?"

  Conner jumped to his feet and swiftly closed the door. Returning to the bed, he removed his shirt. "You want me to take your clothes off?"

  "Okay."

  On the bed again, he pulled her shirt over her head and then unbuttoned her jeans. As he tugged on the denim, she wiggled her way out with a smile. Now that she was clothed only in her underwear, Conner stepped out of his jeans and then hooked his fingers into his boxer briefs. Naked and semi-erect, he situated himself on the bed and lowered his head between her thighs.

  "Wait," she said, breathing heavily. "Do you have a condom?"

  He chuckled. "I wanted to get you ready first."

  "But you have one, right?"

  "Hold on."

  Conner rushed out of the room to Adam's bedroom. Unfazed, Adam glanced at Conner and then returned his attention to Kayla.

  "Hey, I need a condom."

  "In my desk."

  Once Conner found what he was looking for, he hurried out of the room. In the hall, the security light outside the far window cast a bright beam through the curtain as Conner returned to Hailey.

  She was slightly shocked that Conner had raced out of the room naked. But then she considered how close Adam and Conner were, and it didn't seem so odd. But then again, the thought of him walking into the room where Adam and Kayla were having sex and asking Adam for a condom and Kayla seeing Conner naked . . . the whole scene embarrassed her. Now Kayla knew that Hailey was about to lose her virginity.

  As Conner approached the bed, she admired his beautiful face and his pretty eyes. She appreciated his muscular body. But his long, hard penis bobbing as he walked seemed menacing and repulsive.

  She recalled how Conner's penis had felt both hard and soft in her hand. And she remembered Jasmine telling her that it hurt but also felt good while losing her virginity. Hailey was both scared and excited at that very moment.

  She closed her eyes when Conner slipped off her underwear. His hands gently caressed her thighs as he spread her legs. As she looked upward, a nearby security light outside lit a portion of the ceiling. She stared at the yellow-edged white square of light and her mind instantly worried that God was looking down at her, judging her. She wondered if her deceased grandmother monitored the scene taking place in the bedroom with disappointment.

  I haven't shaved my legs in two days! Am I supposed to move my hips? Do I just lie here and let him do his thing? He's kissing me down there, and it feels good . . . I should just enjoy it. Should I touch him? Stop it, Hailey. You're overthinking it. Just relax.

  When she glanced down at Conner's head, she noticed a tall, dark shape in the corner of the room. A shadowy mass without discernible features. And she detected gloom and darkness. And for some reason, she believed it was mocking her. When it moved, she shrieked.

  Conner tightened his grip on her hips, and she felt his tongue.

  The room darkened as what little light in the room disappeared. But the shadow, darkest still, remained in the corner.

  "Wait. Stop!" She yanked Conner's hair. "There's someone in the room."

  He lifted his head, confusion painted on his face. "What?"

  She pointed. "In the corner. There's someone—"

  There was a forceful pounding on the door.

  Hailey flinched with a gasp and scooted closer to the headboard.

  The forceful pounding returned, and then the door cracked open. "Whoever's in there, stop what you're doing and get out here."

  Conner's expression contorted into wide-eyed surprise. "That's Adam's dad."

  "What!" She burst into tears. The fact that someone other than Conner and her friends knew what was taking place in the bedroom horrified her. Her nervousness and excitement instantaneously turned to shame. "He knows what we were doing in here."

  "Calm down." Conner hastily put his jeans on. "Yeah, this is embarrassing. But he can't ground us or anything."

  "What if he tells my parents?" she cried.

  He kissed her and wiped the tears from her cheeks, then he helped her dress. Once she was on her feet, he embraced her. "It's okay. Don't be embarrassed. Let's go get our lecture over with."

  "I don't want a lecture. I don't want to talk about this at all."

  She looked at the corner of the room. The dark shape was no longer there. She quickened her steps to follow Conner out to the hall, where she was relieved to see Mr. Wheeler wasn't waiting for them.

  Adam reclined on the sofa, smirking at the guys. Several minutes earlier, his mother had escorted the girls outside to their cars. When his parents entered the room, he sat upright. "I'm sorry. We're all sorry. I know we probably shouldn't—"

  "Be quiet," his mother demanded. She surveyed each boy. "Do you guys understand how irresponsible you were tonight?"

  "Mom, we got carried away. But nothing bad happened."

  "Nothing bad happened?" Her tone was hard-edged and loud. "Because nothing bad ever happens, right?"

  He lowered his head and stared at his bare feet. Normally his mother would have regarded him with a bewildered expression and maybe rolled her eyes as well. But it was obvious that she was not happy about the scene she'd witnessed in her own home.

  "I know all your parents," she said. "Would they be happy about walking into their house and finding teenagers drinking alcohol and having sex?"

  Miguel leaned back like he wanted the armchair to swallow him whole. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Wheeler. It was poor judgement on my part."

  "I'm sorry too," Levi said. "We should have been more respectful."

  She chuckled. "That's a given, Levi. But all of you followed Adam's lead. Why would any of you be on your best behavior tonight? You had a house with no adults, a whole case of beer, and a partner to screw around with."

  Adam's father, propped against the entryway to the living room,
crossed his arms and said, "Let's not get carried away."

  "Carried away?" she asked with obvious reserved anger. "Getting carried away already happened, right here in our own house. And you want to tell me not to get carried away?"

  "We should handle this like we always do. Talk about it as adults."

  "We've done that too many times. And look at the result. A total lack of respect and self-control. Obviously talking like adults hasn't worked out so well."

  "Mom," Adam groaned. "I said I'm sorry. Why are you so upset?"

  "Of course you're sorry. You're always sorry. But are you really? Do you really regret the things you've gotten into trouble for? Huh? Like last night for instance. Breaking into the Smiths' house. Jesus, did you even think about what you were about to do? Did any of you?"

  None of Adam's friends looked at him. Everyone avoided eye contact as though the simple action would summon the wrath of his mother. And although he wanted some sort of unspoken reassurance from his friends, he was grateful that he didn't have to look them in the eye while being berated. It felt like the umbrella of leniency his parents had constructed was about to collapse.

  Stepping farther into the room, his father said, "Everyone, it's time for you to go home."

  Miguel wasted no time following Levi to the foyer, but he poked his head around the entryway before leaving. "Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler."

  On their feet, Trevor and Conner stood as if uncertain what to do.

  "Um," Trevor mumbled. "We were going to spend the night."

  "Of course. Three peas in a pod," Adam's mom responded. "I'm just as disappointed in you and Conner as I am with Adam. You're practically like sons to us. Do any of you speak up when you think one of you is about to do or say something that they shouldn't?"

  "Well, yeah. Of course," Conner said. "We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to any of us. But tonight was just a mistake. We were hanging out and thought we could have some fun before you guys got home. It was a stupid mistake."

  She exhaled as if she didn't have it in her to talk anymore. Then she turned on her heels and walked out of the room. "Good night."

  Adam's dad offered a reassuring smile. "It's okay, boys. She'll calm down, and everything will be back to normal in the morning."

  "I'm sorry, Dad. Really," Adam said.

  "Yeah, I know. We'll talk about this tomorrow." He squeezed Adam's shoulder and then stepped toward the kitchen. "You guys make sure you lock up the house. I'll see you in the morning."

  No one wanted to discuss the evening's events for fear of Adam's mother overhearing and starting in on them again. So they watched television for a while before they headed upstairs.

  In Adam's bedroom, Conner collapsed onto the bed with a grunt. "I'm tired." He jumped to his feet. "It smells in here."

  Adam laughed. "Duh, moron."

  "Well, at least you got off."

  "Didn't get far, huh?"

  "I would have if your parents hadn't come home early."

  "You got a condom. So you must have thought you were going to."

  Rather than answering and making his experience with Hailey a topic of further discussion, he shrugged.

  Adam opened the top drawer of his dresser and then tossed a pair of socks at Conner. "Use these so you don't make a big mess."

  He momentarily glared at Adam, and then plucked the socks from the floor. "I'm too tired now."

  Trevor playfully smacked Conner's head before sitting on the bed. "Whatever, loverboy." He leaned back on his elbows. "You didn't get anywhere with Hailey?"

  "Yeah, I did. But let's talk about something else."

  "My mom was pretty pissed," Adam said as he kicked his shoes off. "I guess I'm really in trouble this time."

  "If I was your parent," Trevor said, "I'd be more pissed about the police than catching you with a girl."

  Conner crossed the room and grabbed a football from Adam's desk. Bouncing it between his hands, he said, "Hailey thought she saw someone in the room with us."

  His friends eyed him with animated doubt.

  "I didn't see anything. But she looked kinda scared."

  "Bro," Trevor huffed. "She's a Goody Two-shoes. She was probably having second thoughts."

  Conner had recognized the genuine fear in Hailey's eyes. But he hadn't had time to react to her belief that someone stood in the corner of the room. Her fear had been eclipsed by the humiliation of Adam's dad knocking on the door.

  "Maybe," Conner said. "Guess I'll head to the guest room." He set the football onto the desk and as he turned, the rolled-up pair of socks hit his chest.

  "Don't forget those," Adam said.

  He snatched the socks from the floor and aimed for Adam. But then he reconsidered his need for them and clutched them in his hand. "I'll see you guys in the morning."

  "Yo," Trevor said, "Don't hog the bed. I'll be in there soon."

  "You're not sleeping in Adam's bed?"

  "Nah. Kinda weird."

  Conner understood that Trevor didn't want to sleep in a bed that had recently been used for sexual activity. Trevor had always been wary of such things. Not that he was a germophobe, but he liked a clean environment. He even routinely scrubbed his sneakers so that they retained a nice, spotless appearance.

  "Okay. But if I'm asleep, don't wake me up. I'm exhausted."

  Trevor saluted Conner, hand to temple. "Yes, sir."

  In the guest room, Conner undressed and slipped under the comforter. He stretched, extending his toes to the foot of the bed. Then he stared at the corner Hailey had pointed at. There was nothing there.

  Then he thought of Jared in the boys' restroom at school. Why are you doing this to me?

  He turned onto his side and squeezed the edge of the pillow to his face. Closing his eyes, he said, "Sorry, Jared. Maybe it was all our fault. We shouldn't have let you go off with that man."

  TEN

  Lou sat in the hotel's dining area, filling his stomach with food from the complimentary breakfast buffet. It was his customary practice when traveling. If a hotel offered free food, he damn sure was going to take advantage of it. And if the food tasted like crap, he'd suffer through it each morning instead of paying for it at a nearby restaurant.

  Dave sauntered up to Lou's small wooden table, puffy faced and heavy-lidded eyes as if he'd enjoyed too many small bottles of alcohol in his room. "Do they have an omelet bar?"

  "Yeah, good too." Lou bit into an English muffin slathered with an abundant helping of wild berry jam. "The hash browns ain't nothing to write home about, though."

  "I worked a bit last night, and I got a few names of Jared's friends."

  "Really? How many?"

  "Four." Dave opened a spiral notebook to a page full of chicken-scratch writing. "There's Conner Preston, Adam Wheeler, Levi Miller, and Trevor . . . um, I can't make out the last name."

  "Damn, your writing is shit. But good work." Lou slurped his too-dark coffee and then grimaced. "You got any other leads?"

  "Trevor Helms." Dave seemed genuinely pleased that he could read his own handwriting. "There's a memorial for Jared at a family member's house."

  "You got an address and time?"

  "Yeah. One o'clock this afternoon."

  Scooting his chair back, Lou said, "We'll work on his friends, grab a bite to eat for lunch, then head on over to that memorial." He stood and stepped away from the table. "I'm going back to the buffet. You better get your ass in gear and load up your plate before all the good stuff is gone."

  * * *

  When Conner and Trevor entered the kitchen, Conner was relieved to see Adam seated at the breakfast nook with his father rather than in the middle of round two with his mother. Since Adam appeared relaxed and happy, Conner assumed that he and Trevor weren't interrupting a serious conversation about the previous night.

  "Good morning," Conner said.

  "Hey, boys," Adam's dad said. "How'd you sleep?"

  "Good."

  "Yeah," Trevor said. "I seriously passed ou
t as soon as my head hit the pillow."

  "Maybe it was the beer," Mr. Wheeler replied.

  Reaching for a coffee mug in the cabinet, Conner tensed. It was the first time that he'd disappointed the Wheelers. And he didn't like the idea that Adam's parents might now view him differently. "I apologize again, Mr. Wheeler. Seriously."

  "I know. And I'm not going to lecture you, boys." Mr. Wheeler rose to his feet and crossed the kitchen to the coffee maker. "You're still maturing young men. Last night was not appropriate behavior for any one of you."

  "Dad!" Adam blurted with dismay. "You did the same kind of stuff when you were our age."

  "Yes, I did," Mr. Wheeler admitted. "It was inappropriate for me at that age. And it's inappropriate for you."

  Conner sat next to Adam and snatched a slice of toast from Adam's plate. "Uh. Mr. Wheeler. Did you tell my parents?"

  "No, I didn't tell your parents."

  Lifting his shoulders with a healthy breath of air, Conner's anxiety diminished.

  "But," Mr. Wheeler said, "I think Adam's mom reached out to your parents. You'll have to ask her."

  "Damn," Trevor mumbled as he sat at the nook.

  "Oh, my God. Dad!" Adam whined. "That's so embarrassing."

  "You know what's embarrassing?" his father asked with a steely gaze. "Your mom and I catching a bunch of booze-drinking, horny teenagers in our house last night. That was embarrassing."

  "Trust me, Dad. It was embarrassing for everybody."

  After Mr. Wheeler walked out of the kitchen, Conner slumped and then dropped the half-eaten toast onto Adam's plate.

  If Mrs. Wheeler had informed his parents of the scene last night, he wasn't sure what kind of reception he'd receive when returning home. It was a good sign that neither of his parents had called or texted him. But he didn't want to ask Adam's mom for confirmation that she'd called his parents. Doing so might only rouse the anger that she'd hopefully already gotten out of her system. So, he decided that he'd confront whatever fate awaited him at his house.

  * * *

  The rain and fog of the previous night had moved on from the area. Now, the sunlight shone bright on an otherwise ordinary Saturday morning. Yet Hailey lay in Jasmine's bed, convinced that her life had taken a drastic turn from her ordinary, good-girl life. To Jasmine's credit, she'd tried to persuade Hailey that everything was fine, and that Hailey's life hadn't taken a detour to the dark side.