by M. H. Soars
“Wanna dance?”
“Fuck yeah.”
I take his hand and drag him back to the living room slash dance floor. It’s just my luck that Promiscuous Girl by Nelly Furtado begins to play. I love to dance, but unfortunately Ross didn’t have the coordination to keep up with me, nor the inclination to go out of the house very often. He never wanted to go with Larissa and me to The Purple Elephant, a local cafe that has live music every Friday. I banish Ross from my mind and close my eyes, letting the music take over. With my eyes closed, it’s easy to pretend I’m someplace else.
I feel a weird sensation on the back of my neck, and reluctantly I open my eyes and look over my shoulder to find out who’s responsible for it. My gaze collides with Owen’s, making me miss a step. I don’t know what possesses me then, but I find myself dirty dancing with Brad while Owen watches. It’s like I’m performing for him. My back is to Brad, and his hands are on my hips as we sway together, in synch with the beat of the song. His pelvis is glued to my butt, and I can feel his erection grinding against me. That should repel me, but it doesn’t. It gives an odd sense of power. Plus, I like how my little show is making Owen react. I don’t know if he wants to punch his friend or kiss me. Maybe both. Eat your heart out, buddy.
The music ends and Brad twirls me, so I’m facing him. He leans in for a kiss, but I avert his lips just in time and take a step back. “I need to use the restroom.”
I walk away before he can stop me, and the more distance I put between me and that heated dance floor, the more I regain my sanity. What the hell did I just do? You just dirty danced with one of Owen’s friends, Kimmy. Shit. That was stupid.
I stop when I reach the empty entrance foyer, resting my back against the wall. I take deep breaths, willing my mind to focus. No more distractions or shenanigans. It’s time to get what I came for. I glance at my surroundings, then at the stairs behind me. I’m not going to even attempt a conversation with Alex now, otherwise my already shot reputation will go down the drain for good. But nothing is keeping me from doing some snooping around. I glance over my shoulder, and seeing that the coast is clear, I venture upstairs.
The house is big, and when I reach the top of the stairs, I must choose left or right. I veer to the left and by sheer luck, I find Alex’s bedroom behind the first door I try. The football trophies are a dead giveaway. I go in and close the door behind me. I stay put for a moment while my eyesight adjusts to the darkness. There’s a full moon outside and the light coming through the window is enough to help me discern my surroundings.
I make a beeline for Alex’s laptop. I turn it on and while I wait for it to boot up, I try to control my heartbeat. The spike of adrenaline is enough the kill my earlier buzz and my mind is sharp once more. Thank God. The computer screen lights up and I find a big problem. His laptop is password protected. I try a number of combinations, all to no avail. I search around his desk for a piece of paper or notebook where Alex might keep his password written down, but I know it’s wishful thinking on my part. Finally, my eyes land on the USB stick connected to the laptop and I reach for it. My hand freezes while the good girl in me balks at the idea of stealing the piece of flash memory. This is theft even if it’s for a good cause. I hear footsteps just outside the door which prompts me into action. I remove the stick and shove it in my purse, right before the door opens and Alex comes in.
“What are you doing here?”
I stumble forward, knocking Alex’s pen holder to the floor on purpose. “Oh, shoot.” I bend down awkwardly, trying my best to appear drunk out of my mind. “I’m so sorry, I was looking for the bathroom.”
“There’s a powder room downstairs.”
I stand up, pen holder in hand. My snug dress has risen to mid-thigh, showing more skin than before. Alex notices.
“I must have missed it.” I put the pen holder back on the desk and mince toward the exit. Alex steps in my way, placing both hands on my naked arms. His touch makes my skin crawl.
“I will let you use my bathroom in exchange for a kiss.”
I smell beer and Doritos on his breath. Even if he wasn’t a potential drug dealer, I would never make out with him. His proximity is upsetting my stomach. I want to stomp hard on his instep and get the hell out of dodge, but I resist the urge.
“Brad is waiting for me,” I lie.
“I won’t tell him.”
“I’m not a slut.” I take a step back, the glower on my face one hundred percent genuine.
“I didn’t say you were.” Alex raises his hands up, as if in surrender.
“Well, I’m not interested in you.”
I expect Alex to look at me with anger in his eyes. I just insulted his ego after all. But all he does is laugh softly. “Okay, Kimmy. Message received. Go back to Owen.”
“Owen?”
“I may be drunk, but I’m not blind.”
I run out of his room as fast as I can, hoping that all he has noticed is my attraction to his wide receiver. There. I admit. I’m attracted to Owen. Thankfully, I don’t bump into him or his friend Brad as I make a mad dash out of Alex’s house. I’m anxious to get back home to see if there’s anything useful on the USB stick I stole.
I drive like a maniac and I’m lucky I don’t get pulled over for speeding. I burst through my front door, not bothering with stealth. Dad and Mom are in the living room, watching TV.
“Home so soon?” Mom asks.
I stop to answer her, otherwise she’ll just follow me to check if I’m all right. “Yeah, I was bored.”
Dad raises an eyebrow at me. “Bored? Did you even go to a real party, Kimmy?”
I’m not offended by his question. I’m not big on high school parties. My ideal of a fun evening is to curl up on the couch and watch Supernatural or go to The Purple Elephant when I don’t have to play babysitter to my brother and sister. And to be honest, sometimes I will pass going out all together just to watch my favorite show. Sam and Dean slaying demons is way more entertaining than watching my peers get drunk and make fools of themselves.
I remember that for five minutes tonight, I was one of those fools, and I want to kick myself. Where’s amnesia when you need it?
“Yes, Dad. The party was real. I even had a couple of shots of tequila. Do you want to smell my breath?”
Dad frowns and the amusement leaves his eyes. “You better be joking, kiddo.”
I shrug and smirk. Joking about the truth is a sure way to make my parents not suspect anything. I wonder how long I’ll be able to play them before I get caught. Hopefully, not tonight.
“I’m tired. Sam and Dean are waiting for me.”
“Your obsession with that vampire show is disturbing.”
“Supernatural is not a vampire show.”
“Does it have vampires in it?”
“Yeah, but...”
“I rest my case.” Dad turns to the TV screen and I’m free to go my room.
Before I do anything, I change into pajamas and brush my teeth extra carefully, just in case Dad decides to take me up on my offer.
I pull the USB stick from my purse and anticipation makes my fingers tingle. There are three excel spreadsheets with dates as their titles saved on it. And all of them are password protected. Son of a bitch. All that effort and angst for nothing.
Chapter 15
Sunday, September 10th, 2006
Kimberly
There’s only one good thing about me not having a gig at the school paper anymore, I can pick up more shifts at Miss Pattison’s Ice Cream World, the best ice cream shop in town. Miss Pattison, the owner, likes to claim her ice cream is the best in the entire SoCal region, but that’s a stretch, a huge stretch. Nonetheless, her little shop is a thriving business, attracting locals and tourists alike. If you Google things to do in Littleton, California, Miss Pattison’s Ice Cream World will be on the top ten list.
I suppress a yawn and try to keep my eyes open. I barely slept last night because I kept replaying everything that happened at Alex’s party over and over again. My jealousy, Owen’s jealousy, the dance, the beginning of my career in crime. What a freaking overload.
I decided to bring my laptop and the USB to work, so I could continue trying to find the right password to Alex’s files during my break. I failed, obviously. I was lucky that the USB stick wasn’t one of those password protected gadgets that self destructs after the wrong password is attempted too many times.
The door bell chimes, bringing me back to the here and now. Heat rushes to my cheeks when I see Owen standing in front of me. My gaze travels past him and when I notice he’s alone, I let out a relieved sigh. He’s not on a date with psycho Leah, thank God.
“Well, what a pleasant surprise.” He gives me a lopsided smile that turns my insides into mush.
“How can I help you?” I greet him in my most professional tone.
Owen walks to the counter and places his elbows on it, leaning forward. “I can think of many ways you can help me.”
“Listen, Owen. I’m tired and I don’t have time to play games with you. If you’re not going to buy anything, I’ll ask you to leave. I was about to close the store.”
Owen straightens up and loses the easy grin. “I’m here to pick up a package.”
I frown at his strange use of words. The only things we make to order are Miss Pattinson’s famous ice cream cakes. “Is it under the name Whitfield?”
“Yes.”
I go into the back where Miss Pattison’s keeps the special orders. There’s only one ice cream cake there. A big rectangular pink thing with an ‘It’s A Girl’ phrase on it. Below are stick figures that are supposed to represent the happy parents and the sibling. The sibling is the same size as the parents and he’s holding a football. Wait a second. Is Owen going to be a big brother?
I bring the cake out and put it in front of Owen. He looks at the decoration and then at me, a delicious shade of embarrassment coloring his cheeks.
“I guess congratulations are in order.”
“Shut up,” he grumbles and gets out his wallet, avoiding eye contact.
“The correct response is ‘Thank you’, not shut up. Didn’t your parents teach you any manners? I hope they do a better job with this one.” I point at the cake.
“Well, I could hear the sarcasm in your voice.”
“Wait a second. Are you embarrassed?”
His gaze connects with mine and I see it, mortification mixed with annoyance.
“You are.” I laugh.
“You would be too. My parents are freaking old. They shouldn’t be making babies.”
I put a hand over my chest. “Oh my God. Are you embarrassed because that means your parents are still having sex?”
“Like I said, shut up, Kimmy.”
This time, my laugh is a full bellied one. I can’t stop it. I have the giggles. Owen throws a couple of twenty dollar bills on the counter, picks up his cake, and leaves.
* * *
Owen
I storm out of Miss Pattison’s ice cream store determined to forget Kimberly’s laughter that’s still reverberating in my head. What an annoying girl. And what’s crazier is that I can’t seem to stay away from her. If she’s in the same room as me, it’s like there’s a magnetic field surrounding her, pulling my body in her direction.
When I saw Kimberly at the shop, I couldn’t help but put the full Owen charm on. Yes, I have a girlfriend, and yes, flirting with another girl puts me in the asshole category. But I’ve come to the realization that I can’t control anything when it comes to Ice Queen. She must be a witch, that’s the only explanation.
I cross the deserted street and put Mom’s cake in the backseat of the car. That’s what happens when the shops close here in downtown Littleton, it becomes a ghost town. There are a few restaurants down the road that are still open, but not for much longer.
A gust of chilly wind hits my back and I pull the zipper of my jacket up. The weather forecast is calling for heavy rain later tonight and I’d rather be home when it hits. I’m about to get in my car, when something makes me stop. A sliver of dread runs down my spine and I can’t shake the weird feeling off. I glance at Miss Pattison’s shop and the ‘Open’ sign has been turned off. The store is all dark inside. I decide to wait for Kimberly. Littleton might be one the safest cities in California, but that doesn’t mean there are no dangers lurking in the shadows. I wait five minutes and when Kimberly doesn’t emerge, I curse to myself and cross the street again. There must be a parking lot in the back of the building. I should have realized that sooner, considering my car is the only one parked on this street.
I will probably find her long gone, but I will sleep better knowing I checked on her. I enter the dark alley between Miss Pattinson’s shop and a boutique store and I’m hit with the smell of urine. I hope from a stray cat. I’m not half way to the other side when I hear a muffled scream followed by a thud. I’m racing before I know it and I reach the parking lot in the back in less than two seconds.
Kimberly is backed up against her car while she struggles against a masked man in a tug of war. He’s trying to steal her bag and she’s holding onto it for dear life. Come on, girl. Don’t be stupid.
“Kimmy!” I scream in hopes of scaring her assailant off.
They both look in my direction as I run to them. The guy punches Kimberly in the stomach and when she doubles over, he yanks the laptop bag from her grasp. I want to rip his head off. He takes off before I can do anything to stop him. If I wasn’t so worried about Kimberly, I would give chase. But I can’t in good conscience leave her alone after this.
She’s hunched forward, clutching at her middle. “Kimmy. Are you okay? Talk to me.”
I place my hands on her upper arms, ready to support her if needed. I have been sucker punched in the gut before. I know the amount of pain she’s in. I’m fucking pissed the coward got away. I want to give the bastard a taste of my knuckles. But there’s nothing I can do now.
Kimberly slowly stands up straight and when she looks at me, I see that her face is still twisted in agony. Her eyes are bright with unshed tears. Without thinking, I pull her into my arms, forming a protective barrier around her small frame. I expect her to burst into tears, but she doesn’t. She twists the front of my jacket and burrows her face against my chest. I can feel her heavy breathing and her accelerated heartbeat. Mine is going at the same galloping pace. Suddenly, my anger is replaced by something else.
I kiss the top of her head. “It’s going to be okay.”
“He took my laptop.”
“We’ll get you another one.” I don’t know why I said ‘we’, but I like the idea of it.
Kimberly pulls back and stares into my eyes. “You don’t understand. He took away the proof, too.”
“Proof of what, Kimmy? You’re not making any sense.”
She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes for a split second. “Proof that your team captain is a thief and a drug dealer.”
Chapter 16
Kimberly
Owen doesn’t believe me. I can see that as clearly as day. I’m not even disappointed. I just told him that his idol is a thug without any solid proof to back me up. Oh, but how I wished he would hold my face between his calloused hands, look deep into my eyes and say ‘I believe you, Kimm
y’.
“Come again?” He takes a step back.
“You heard me.” I lift my chin.
He opens and closes his mouth several times, making him resemble poor Nemo. Finally, he says, “Alex is not a junky and his family is loaded.”
“You don’t need to take drugs to sell them. And Alex’s father is bankrupt.”
Owen narrows his eyes at me. “Where is this coming from? Did your friend Lorenzo fill your head with lies?”
I don’t answer him, but my silence is the affirmation he’s looking for. “That piece of shit! He’s using you, Kimmy. Can’t you see?”
“If your friend Alex is so innocent, then why would he send one of his minions to steal my laptop and send me a message?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Before you showed up, that masked man told me to stop sticking my nose where it didn’t belong. I can only guess that Alex noticed his USB stick was missing and put two and two together.”
“Are you telling me you stole something from Alex last night at his party? That’s the reason you were there in the first place? To investigate him?”
“Yes. Did you think I was there looking for you?” I cross my arms in front of my chest and raise an eyebrow at him in challenge.
“Of course not. I thought your motives were the same as everyone else’s, to have a good time. You looked like you were enjoying yourself on the dance floor.”
I feel the blush rush to my cheeks. I knew dirty dancing with Brad was going to come back to bite me in the ass.
“Oh well, I needed to blend in.”
“Well, I can honestly say you didn’t. But not in a bad way.” His tone is softer now and his words make the tight rope around my middle to lose its grip. I look away.
“I can’t go home right now. My parents will know something is up and I don’t want to tell them what happened. They will freak. Do you mind if I go to your place instead?”
I peer at him through my lashes, my heart fluttering madly in my chest once more, for completely different reasons this time. Owen scratches the back of his neck, making his already huge bicep bulge further.