by Britney King
Jack smiled and crossed his arms. “So you care about me, huh?”
Amelie shot him a go to hell look, threw up her arms, and turned her back to him.
He stood there for a moment watching her breathing return to normal. “I do know how your father died, Amelie. I just figured if you ever wanted to talk to me about it… that you’d bring it up. It wasn’t my place…”
She put both palms on the table and leaned against the weight of her arms, letting out a long sigh. “Can I ask you a question, Jack?”
“Shoot.”
She turned to face him, then perched herself up on the counter. “What is it like? The first time?”
Jack spat. He ran his fingers through hair then paced the length of the tiny room. “What the hell? We are not discussing this. And you are not having sex with Connor Fucking Levine. Do you understand me? Have you lost your goddamned mind, kid? SERIOUSLY! Have you?”
Amelie grinned, satisfied with herself. “Maybe, I have.”
Jack paced back and forth. He went for a five-mile run and then swam laps in the lake. Just a few more hours, he told himself, until he could get the hell out of this place and never look back. All he knew was that if he didn’t get out of here soon, he was going to kill that Levine kid. What was he thinking anyway, taking advantage of her like that?
Unfortunately for Jack, he knew exactly what he was thinking. And that was the problem. He considered his options: kick the kid’s ass and be thrown out of camp, or leave on his own accord and let it go. Neither one seemed very appealing. In the end, he decided that if Amelie were going to be stupid, then she should at least be safe. Because god knows, Levine could really care less. Jack had heard him say as much. Pussy was pussy, and the girls almost never asked that he wear protection. Surely, Amelie wouldn’t be that stupid. But she hadn’t exactly proved him wrong lately on that front, so he needed to come up with a solution and quick.
As luck would have it, on his way to the mess hall for dinner, he spotted Connor Levine on the pay phone just outside the dorms. Jack placed his finger on the click button and flicked it. “What the fuck man?” Connor said, eyeing him before looking around nervously as the realization that the two of them were alone sunk in. Jack knew he had the advantage. People like Connor never faired well once they were singled out.
Jack slowly removed the phone from Connor’s hand and placed it back on the receiver. “We need to talk,” he demanded. Connor backed up just slightly. Jack slapped him on the back a little hard… enough to force the air from his lungs. Connor shoved him off, but Jack grabbed his shoulder and squeezed hard before letting go. He held up his hands, and Connor put up his fists. “Hey… hey. No, worries. We’re just talking here. Man to man. Speaking of that, I need to ask you to leave Amelie alone.”
Connor frowned. “And why would I do that?”
Jack chuckled. “Because I’m telling you to.”
Connor stepped back further and put his hands up in defense. “Look, dude, I know she’s your friend, and all… but if you wanted to tap that, then you should have taken your shot last summer when you had the chance. She was into you then, you know. And despite what you may think, I actually like this one. She’s cool. Someone you can talk to, you know. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. She knows what she’s doing. Maybe you should give her a little more credit.”
Jack gritted his teeth. “I’m going to ask you one more time, Levine. Let this one go. Or I’ll beat your ass.”
“Are you threatening me?”
Jack lunged for him. Connor stepped backward and held his hands up higher. “Whoa. Whoa. I’m not looking for a fight, all right.”
“How much?”
Connor smiled. “How much what?”
“Don’t fuck with me, Levine. How much do you want? What’s it gonna take for you to leave her alone?”
Connor paused and stared up at the sky, scratching his chin. “Well… as you can imagine, there are a lot of bets on this one. So far… and it’s early in the game… I’ve got $550 on it.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Swear to me you won’t so much as look at her again, and I’ll give you $650.”
Connor let out a deep breath. “$750.”
“How about $650, I don’t beat your ass, and we call it even.”
“Fine. $650 it is.”
“I’ll have your money to you in the morning. Oh, and you can bet your ass I have eyes everywhere here. And if I so much as find out you come within fifty feet of her, I will personally see to it that you don’t walk for a year. You got that?”
Connor rolled his eyes. “Yeah. I got it.”
Jack thrust his hand forward causing Connor Levine to flinch. “Shake on it.”
Reluctantly, he stuck out his hand and placed it in Jack’s.
When Jack didn’t see Amelie at their nightly campfire, he went looking for her. He wanted to say goodbye and ask her if she’d come up and see him later that summer.
He checked everywhere until finally, outside the dorms, a girl he didn’t recognize called over her shoulder, “Rec Room.”
Jack made his way to the rec room but found that it was dark and empty. Annoyed, he decided to make his trek count and retrieved two quarters from his pocket and placed them in the soda machine slot. Just as he slid the first one in, he heard laughter coming from the closet. Amelie’s laughter to be exact. Jack stood there and listened for a second longer. As he got closer, he heard shushing, and then more laughter. Slowly, he opened the door as his stomach sank. Amelie practically fell over. She must’ve been leaning on the door. She, half-dressed and holding a beer can, while Conner Fucking Levine leaned over her and looked up wild-eyed.
“You mother-fucker,” Jack called as he hurled his fist at Connor’s face. He hit him over and over, as Amelie screamed and pulled at him begging him to stop. When he ran out of breath, he released Connor and watched him slump to the floor, bloody and nearly unconscious.
“What the fuck, Jack,” Amelie demanded.
Jack grabbed her chin, and then let go as she pulled back. He placed his hands on both sides of her face. “Amelie. Look at me. You’re drunk and you’re about to be in deep shit. Do you understand what I’m saying?” She nodded slightly. “Good. Now, here’s what I want you to do. Listen to me carefully, ok?” Her eyes wide, she nodded again. “I want you to go to your room and pack your stuff. Discreetly. Don’t let anyone see what it is you’re doing. And don’t say anything to anyone. Do you hear me? I want you to meet me behind the guy’s dorms in ten minutes. All right?”
Amelie shook her head and glanced down at Connor. “But what about him?”
“I’m going to get help and meet you at the car, ok.”
“I can’t just leave, Jack,” she said, her words slurred.
Jack placed his hand under her chin and forced her to look at him. “Amelie, you’re half naked and drunk. And high. They are going to kick you out regardless. And they’ll probably get the police involved. You do get that, right?”
He glared at her and waited for her to confirm she understood. She began to cry, dramatically. This was the last thing he needed.
“Ok, then. We’ll head out tonight and let you sober up. In the morning, we’ll call your mom so she won’t worry and tell her you decided to leave early, and that I’m driving you home. Now, do exactly as I told you and meet me in ten minutes. Or I’ll have to leave without you.
Dazed, she shook her head and headed toward the door. When she got there, she turned back. “Jack?”
He exhaled. “Yeah?”
“You are going to do the right thing, and call for help like you said you would, aren’t you?”
Jack ran his fingers through his hair and pursed his lips. “Of course, I am.”
FOUR
Jack quickly grabbed his bag. He’d already been packed. Now he just needed to double back through the woods to his parked car. The key was not to be seen. He didn’t want to have to answer any questions. He’d already decided that they’d take th
e back roads to avoid having to get on the highway and potentially get caught. He waited for Amelie for what seemed like forever. However, according to his watch, it had only been ten minutes. By minute twelve, he decided she wasn’t coming, and that he was just going to have to leave without her. His heart was racing as he slowly turned the key in the ignition. He made it half a turn before changing his mind. That damn girl. He could go back for her but what if she’d been caught? What if she’d flagged down help, and in the process, turned them both in. Jack slumped back in his seat and rubbed at his temples, considering his options. If he went back now, he risked going to jail for assault. He hadn’t had time to really discuss a proper alibi with Amelie, and besides, she’d been so wasted that she probably wouldn’t have gotten it right anyway. Not only that, but what if she had sided with Connor? Where did that leave him? In jail, that’s where it’d leave him. That damn girl. She would almost surely be the cause of his demise.
Still, in the end, he decided he couldn’t just leave her. He hadn’t said goodbye. If she were pissed at him, and she would be he knew, she sure as hell wouldn’t have anything to do with him once she sobered up and Connor got to her. He wiped the blood from his hand on the back of his t-shirt. It was swelling rapidly, so he took a spare shirt from his backpack and wrapped it. He grabbed the hoodie that was lying across the backseat and slipped it on, pulling the hood around his face. Jack got out of his car and again doubled back through the woods until he was at the heart of Camp Hope. From there, he weaved in and out of the buildings until he reached the girls’ dormitory located directly in the center, closest to the counselor’s office. The light was on, and he could see a few counselors sitting around inside. He knelt down and almost crawled across the path to the girls’ dorms. Once inside, he high-tailed it to Amelie’s room and knocked. There was no answer. He slowly turned the knob, surprised to find it unlocked and ducked inside. Amelie’s roommate looked up startled.
“She was packing, and then all of a sudden she just started throwing up. Next thing I know she’s passed out. I keep shaking her, but all she does is moan. I don’t know what to do. I was about to call a counselor… but she reeks.”
Jack rubbed his good hand across his jawline and took a deep breath. Damn it. Fuck! He should leave her here. No, he has to leave her. “Ok… ok… just let me think…”
“They’ll call her mom. They’ll kick her out.”
Jack slumped on the bed. “No shit.”
The girl shook Amelie again. Amelie rolled on her side and then promptly threw up.
He sighed and pushed her hair away from her face. “Is there any way we can get her out of here without being seen?”
The girl twisted her mouth and then bit her lip. “Um…”
“A back door? Preferably something on the wooded side of camp?”
Her eyes lit up. “Yeah. There’s a door off the living room. It opens out back.”
Jack stood. “Great. Go check the halls real quick.”
The girl looked at the door nervously. “Most of them are at movie night by the campfire. I’ll check… but what’s your plan?”
“My plan is to figure out my plan while you’re checking.”
Although she tried her best to hide it, the girl looked worried. “Nice plan. I’m so glad you’ve thought this through.”
Jack handed the roommate Amelie’s belongings and then picked Amelie up and carried her just beyond the edge of where the woods began. He gagged the whole way there. She reeked of a mixture of alcohol and vomit. He placed her on the ground and instructed the girl to wait with her while he pulled the car out of the lot. Once outside the gate, he pulled off near the pines, killed his headlights, and waited for few minutes just to be sure that no one had followed. It was a dumb move, he later told himself. A chicken-shit sort of thing to do, he thought. It was almost as though he wanted to be caught. His father would’ve laughed and said people who hesitate never win. Jack would’ve countered saying he was cautious, just going the extra mile. But his would have disagreed. His old man would’ve said he was a pussy.
Finally, Jack started out along the main road, doing his best to gauge where he might find a path that would get him back or at least close to where Amelie and the girl were waiting. Jack’s only saving grace that night was that he’d run the trails in these woods for years and knew them like the back of his hand. Once he found a spot he was comfortable enough to park, he pulled over and made his way through the woods on foot using a flashlight that was almost burned out. He cursed Amelie the entire way. He cursed her stupidity and the trouble she’d landed him in. He cursed himself for even giving a shit. Maybe his father had been right all along. Maybe he was a pussy.
Once Jack made it back to where the roommate (he never did ask her name) and Amelie were waiting, he crouched down and sat for a few minutes trying to collect both his thoughts and his breath. He was pleased to see that while she was still passed out, thankfully she hadn’t thrown up again. He picked her up and then placed her back down, wiping the drool from his shoulder. No way was he going to make it all the way back to the car, carrying her and her belongings.
The roommate seemed to have read his mind. You can take her stuff and come back. “I’ll wait. But I’m not walking through the woods with you. It’s too dark. Sorry.”
“I’ll manage,” Jack said, with more annoyance in his voice than he intended to convey. He slung her duffle bag over his shoulder.
“Where are you taking her?” the girl asked nervously.
“Home,” Jack replied, matter of factly. “Listen, not a word of this to anyone, do you hear? I’ll have her mother call tomorrow and explain that she decided to leave early. But whatever you do in the meantime… do not tell anybody that you saw her like this, ok? Can you strip her bed and put it in the laundry? If anyone asks, just tell them that she got sick and called her mom. Say that’s all you know.” He reached for his wallet and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. “Here. For your trouble.”
The girl searched his face, nodded, and took the money. Jack watched as she retreated back to camp not once looking back. He learned another life lesson that night: for the right price, people could always be bought.
Jack placed Amelie in the car, reclined the seat and pulled off her tank top. He dug through her bag, found another, and slipped it over her head. His eyes lingered longer than he intended. He couldn’t help himself. He buckled her in, threw her soiled top in the trunk, and pulled out onto the road. He drove on for an hour or so before pulling off into a twenty-four hour gas station to fill up. He still had half a tank, but he couldn’t keep driving unless he had something to perk him up. He didn’t bother trying to wake Amelie. She was out cold. Better to let her sleep it off he told himself. Inside, he picked up water, Gatorade, crackers, a map, a Dr. Pepper and a Snickers Bar for himself. As he headed to the counter to pay, he noticed the sheriff car pull-up outside, and two uniforms step out. Please, please, please don’t let them notice the girl passed out in my front seat he pleaded to no one in particular. Jack quickly made his way to the counter and set his stuff down.
“These and twenty dollars on pump two, please.”
The clerk nodded toward the parking lot. “Nice car. Where you headed?”
Jack gave the guy a look that conveyed he wasn’t in the mood for small talk. “Austin.” He motioned toward the car. “My sister and I are going to visit our dad. You know how it is… since the divorce, we hardly see him anymore. Of course, being the pain in the ass that she is, she had to go and get carsick on me. All over my mom’s car, too. Who, by the way, is going to be so pissed.”
The man flicked a dread lock over his shoulder and glanced briefly at the uniforms that were filling up at the coffee machine. He handed Jack a roll of paper towels and slid his change across the counter. He lowered his voice and quickly shoved the map into a paper bag. “Dude, I gotcha.” He grinned slightly before straitening his face. “No one’s mother lets them take a car like that out on the road at this tim
e of night,” he said, nodding in the direction of the uniforms in the back. Jack briefly glanced in the anti-theft mirror overhead. Thankfully, the officers appeared to be focused on something on the television at the rear of the store. The clerk continued speaking, quietly, under his breath. “Anyhow, let’s just pretend that pump two is broken. There’s another station about thirty miles south of here. Can you make it?”
Jack grabbed the bag from the guy and took the paper towels. Clearly, the clerk was a little more experienced in matters such as these. “Um… Yeah. Thanks, man.”
The clerk motioned slightly toward the door. “Safe travels, my friend.”
Jack only nodded. However, for some reason, he desperately longed to tell the tattooed, pierced man standing opposite him that he was right. His mother would never have let him take a car like that out on the road, at this hour or any other. But it didn’t matter because his mother was dead. He wanted to say the words, if for no other reason than the fact that the guy seemed like the sort of person who would understand such a thing.
Amelie stretched her legs, yawned, and suddenly sprang to life just after dawn. “I feel like ass,” she said.
“You smell like it, too,” Jack said, handing her the Gatorade and a bottle of Tylenol. “Drink that. And take two of those.”