Burning Down the House

by Allie Gail

  “My life wasn’t perfect,” I pointed out. “My parents wound up getting divorced, remember? They had their flaws, too.”

  “A divorce - hell, I prayed every day of my life for a divorce. My mother would’ve fed me to the devil himself before she’d have left that bastard. She fucking worshipped him.”

  “She never tried to help you?”

  “Sara, your father is the only person that’s ever done a goddamn thing for me. He was the one who stepped up and opened his home to me after I lost mine. Everything I have I owe to him, right down to the clothes on my back. And then a month later he breaks the news that you’re coming back and to be honest, I guess maybe I felt a little threatened. You’re his flesh and blood, after all. What am I to him but some charity case?”

  “You know my dad doesn’t feel that way about you.” I had the strongest urge to touch his face, stroke his cheek with my fingertips. “I don’t think he even knows about any of that. He never mentioned it. You never told him, did you?”

  “How could I? How could I tell him his best friend, the man he grew up with and loved like a brother, was in reality an abusive sociopath? How was I supposed to tell him something like that? What good could it possibly do? It’s not like it would change anything. No, he doesn’t know and he never needs to know. And I don’t want you saying anything either. All right?”

  “All right. I promise.” A gust of wind tangled my hair and sent it flying into my face. I pushed it back with one hand.

  “You know, you really do look beautiful tonight.”

  The sudden change in topic caught me off guard. The sad music was still playing - how long was that song, anyway? - and I felt the butterflies return from wherever it was they’d been hiding.

  “I didn’t mean to get all morbid on you.”

  “That’s okay. I asked for it.”

  “Yes, you did.” There was something vaguely sexual about the way he said that, the way those three words rolled off his tongue. “So…” He cocked his head and smiled at me. “Did you have fun tonight?”

  “I really did. It was a lot of fun. I’m glad I went.”

  “Good. I’m glad we went, too.” He turned his head to gaze out at the lights again. “Long way down,” he commented.

  “Yeah. I wouldn’t want to fall from up here, that’s for sure.”

  “Oh, it wouldn’t be so bad. Not if you got some distance from the edge.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “So you didn’t bounce off anything on the way down. I bet I could throw you far enough out that you’d have a clear drop. What you wanna bet?”

  “Rob, don’t even…!” I started backing away from him, trying to hold back a rush of nervous giggles.

  “Oh, come on…let’s see how far I can toss you.” He slowly inched toward me, his sexy smile taking on a more devious twist. “You can’t weigh all that much.”

  “Get away from me…!” I warned him, holding my arms out to ward him off. It didn’t do a bit of good. With one lightning-quick movement, he managed to rush me and scoop me off my feet while I shrieked with laughter. “Put me down!”

  “You ready? On the count of three. One…two…”

  I held him tightly in a death grip. “If I go, I’m taking you down with me!”

  “Fine by me. Three!” His arms jerked, and I let out a scream that by all accounts should have rendered him deaf in one ear. “Oh, wait…I just remembered something.”

  “What’s that?”

  He set me back down on my feet, but didn’t release his hold on me. Trapped in his embrace with our faces so close together, I could feel his soft breath on my cheek.

  “I meant to do this first.” Before I knew what was happening, his lips were brushing mine with a touch as light as dragonfly wings.

  Feeling his tongue glide across my bottom lip, I instantly wound my fingers through his hair to pull him in and that willing receptiveness was all it took. His warm mouth was gentle yet forceful, giving and taking at the same time. I could taste cinnamon on his tongue from the gum he’d been chewing earlier. I decided that cinnamon was now my favorite flavor.

  Too soon - way, way too soon - he reluctantly pulled away. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time,” he quietly confessed.

  “Well…then maybe you should do it again. You know, to make up for lost time and all,” I suggested.

  “Mm…maybe you’re right.” His mouth found mine again and this time he kissed me a little deeper, a little longer, until I couldn’t catch my breath and I felt dizzy with delight. If he’d thrown me off the overlook at that moment, I wouldn’t have fallen - I would have flown straight up into the dark clouds and exploded into fireworks.

  When we finally broke free, he enfolded me in his arms to hug me against his chest. I let my arms fall to snake around his waist and snuggled into him with a sigh of pure contentment. I could have stayed that way for hours, just holding him while my heart discovered a crazy new rhythm. We stood there together for a while, listening to the wind whispering through the hemlocks and the mournful music blending in perfect harmony with the night sounds. Maybe that’s why he chose that artist. The melody seemed to belong here in the dark, tranquil serenity.

  The lights from an approaching vehicle illuminated the road from around a bend, and I felt a sense of loss when the strong arms released me. “Let’s get back in the car. It’s cold out here.”

  It wasn’t much better inside the car, but once the windows were up and the heater was going it soon warmed up. I sat there quietly, waiting to see if Rob was going to try and take things further. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want him to.

  “We should probably head back,” he finally said.

  That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. “Already?” It was barely 11:30, and all Dad said before we left was to be careful and have fun. There was no mention of a curfew. He’s a pretty progressive guy. More than once I’ve wondered how he and my mom wound up together. I guess it’s true that opposites attract. In the beginning, anyway.

  “Sara…” He rubbed his forehead like he was developing a headache. “I don’t want your dad worrying about us.”

  “Why would he worry about us?”

  “He should be worrying. If he knew the thoughts that have been running through my mind lately, he’d be really worried.” He looked over at me but I couldn’t make out his expression in the darkness. “It’s bad enough trying to sleep at night knowing you’re right down the hall from me. You’re so close, sometimes it’s really hard not to…” He gave his head a shake. “Your father has done way too much for me. I owe him a lot. I really don’t think the ideal way for me to express my appreciation is by seducing his daughter. You get what I’m saying?”

  Oh. Oh, wow. So he’d been having the naughty thoughts, too. “Yeah. I get what you’re saying.” Sure, I got it - I just really, really didn’t like it.

  “I knew I shouldn’t have kissed you. I think I just made things a hundred times harder.” One hand reached down to adjust his pants. “In more ways than one.”

  I tried not to smile, but come on. There’s just something about knowing you have that much of an effect on someone. I couldn’t help teasing him a bit. “Eight or nine times a day, huh?”

  “I was kidding. Although I may break a personal record tonight. We’ll see.”

  “I don’t know how you expect me to sleep knowing you’re in the next room doing that.”

  “Well…you could do it too, you know.” His voice softened to almost a whisper, and he leaned in a little closer to me. “It’s a good way to relieve tension. I think you should try it. Oh, yeah…I like that idea. I like it a lot. You touching yourself while thinking about me…now that is one very sexy image.”

  I felt like all the air had just been sucked from my lungs. My fingers couldn’t lie still; they clenched the purple chiffon over my thighs as I pressed them tightly together. I swallowed, not trusting myself to speak.

  “What if I told you that you’re who I picture when
I’m getting myself off? Would that freak you out?”

  Oh, holy fuck… “No.” The word came out sounding unintentionally throaty.

  “It doesn’t bother you?”

  “No. Should it?”

  “I don’t know. I’m glad it doesn’t. I seem to be doing it a lot more since I got a look at you naked in the bathtub.”

  I was glad the night prevented him from seeing how flushed I’d become. My left hand reached for the heater to turn it off.

  “It did suddenly get hot in here, didn’t it?” He laughed softly.

  “Yes. It did.” So hot.

  “I think we better call it a night now. Is that okay?”

  “If you…uh, mm-hm. Sure.” Great. I’d always wanted to find a guy with principles and look what it got me. A heart arrhythmia and damp panties.

  I’d only been in bed for a few minutes that night when he texted me. It was so absurd to be texting with someone who was right there in the same house. Why didn’t he just come talk to me? Oh, wait - that was probably a bad idea. He could call me, though. Of course, maybe what the situation really called for was walkie talkies. Or two cups on a string.

  Him: Much better. Things were starting to turn blue.

  Me: TMI!!!

  Him: Lol

  Me: Sure didn’t take long.

  Him: Couple of strokes and I was done.

  Me: Should I take that as a compliment?

  Him: Absolutely!

  Me: Guess it’s my turn now.

  Him: U serious?

  Me: Maybe. I’ll never tell.

  Him: Getting hard again already, thanks a lot.

  Me: Better get to work then.

  Him: I intend to.

  Me: Did u really go commando tonite?

  Him: Use ur imagination.

  Me: Tease!

  Him: Look who’s talking!

  Me: Maybe I will use my imagination. What do u think of that?

  Him: Please do. I fully encourage it. ;)

  Me: I bet!

  Him: Good nite, babydoll. Sleep well.

  Me: Good nite. Don’t overdo it. Lol

  “So what did you guys do last night after you left?”

  I wasn’t in the habit of keeping things from Dana, but with Rob, Trent and Doug right there in the kitchen with us there was no way I was spilling the goods. I couldn’t believe she would even ask me that in front of them. “Nothing. Pretty much just went home. How about you?”

  “Oh…nothing much.” A sly smirk played over her lips and I knew immediately that nothing much was probably more along the lines of a whole heck of a lot.

  I saw Rob’s eyes roll before he suggested to his friends, “Come on, let’s go feed the dog or something.”

  Doug stopped eating the peanut butter cookie dough Dana and I were mixing long enough to voice his confusion. “You don’t have a dog. Do you?”

  “Then we’ll go feed the neighbor’s dog. Let’s go.”

  Trent added, “And stop sticking your grungy fingers in there - other people might wanna eat some of those cookies, you know! Damn, man. Can’t take you anywhere.”

  “My hands are clean,” Doug protested, grinning as he defiantly pinched off one more chunk. “I just washed ’em a week ago.” Dana and I groaned while he followed the others outside, laughing.

  “I hope he was kidding,” she griped.

  “Of course he was kidding. Now are you gonna tell me what that shit-eating grin’s all about or what?”

  Her smile only widened.

  “You totally did it with him, didn’t you!”

  “Um…maybe, but that’s not what I was going to tell you.”

  “Well, what then?”

  “He wants us to see each other exclusively.” She was practically glowing in her elation.

  “He does?” I almost dropped the spoonful of cookie dough I was rolling in my hands. “You mean Manwhore Myers is actually capable of committing himself to one girl? Surely you jest!”

  “Was there ever any doubt?” She gave me a playfully cocky look. “Actually, I was pretty blown away myself. Do you know what he told me? He said he’s had a thing for me for two years. Can you believe that? And all this time I had no idea.”

  “What smells good?” My dad interrupted us, wandering in from the living room to grab a beer from the fridge. “Hey there Little Bit, what’s cookin’?” He’s called Dana that for as long as I can remember. That’s because she’s always been small for her age. In the eighth grade I convinced her to take ballet with me, figuring she’d be perfect for it because of her tiny stature. Boy, was I wrong. I love her to death, but put her in pointe shoes and she looks like a bowlegged ostrich just learning how to walk.

  “Hi, Mr. Marsh.”

  “We’re making peanut butter cookies,” I told him.

  “I knew that oven must be good for something.” He leaned against the counter. “So what are your plans for Halloween, girls? Sara, got anything special in mind?”

  My birthday just happens to fall on October 31st. Don’t think I didn’t get ragged about that a lot growing up. “No, and I don’t want a fuss. Seriously, I hate that kind of stuff. It’s embarrassing.”

  “Okay…fine…I’ll cancel the clowns and bouncy castle. Can we at least keep the magician?”

  “Ha, ha. Let me guess, you’re booked as the comedian.”

  “Actually I’m scheduled to work on Halloween. Suppose we do something before? We can at least have dinner at Cristiano’s. You too, Little Bit.”

  “Sure, that sounds good. Hey, that reminds me - what’s your schedule looking like for the holidays this year?”

  “Off Thanksgiving, working Christmas. But I figured your mom would want you to spend Christmas with her anyway.”

  “Mm. Okay. Are we going to Gran’s for Thanksgiving?” Until the divorce, Thanksgiving was traditionally spent at my grandmother’s house in Virginia, along with my dad’s siblings and their families.

  “Sure are.”

  “Rob too?”

  “Well, of course. What did you think, we were just going to go off and leave him behind?”

  “I was just asking.” In retrospect, yes, I suppose that was a really dumb question. Even Dana looked over at me like I was a total spaz. But that didn’t explain where Rob was supposed to spend Christmas if Dad was working and I was going to be in Greenville. Maybe he’d get invited over to Trent’s or something.

  Or…maybe I should consider asking Dad for two plane tickets instead of one.

  Just a thought.

  11

  I was in calculus class Monday morning when Jordan Cox approached me, leaning forward to prop her elbows on my desk so she could talk to me without anyone else hearing. She was so close I could smell the watermelon Jolly Ranchers on her breath. I couldn’t believe she had the balls.

  “I just want you to know, I didn’t know you and Riley were supposed to go to homecoming together. When I asked him if he still wanted to go, he didn’t mention anything about it. I didn’t even find out until later.”

  Yeah, right. I didn’t believe that for a minute. Everyone knew. “Whatever. It’s fine.”

  “I don’t want you to be mad at me. I swear, I had no idea. I’m sorry.”

  “Jordan, it’s no big deal. Everything worked out okay. Can we drop it? I’m not mad, really.”

  “Really? Because…I mean, I don’t even like Riley. The only reason I changed my mind and went with him was to make someone else jealous. Believe me, we are not getting back together. So if you’re interested in him, that’s perfectly fine.”

  Her words might have held more merit if the necklace she was wearing hadn’t suddenly fallen out of her blouse to dangle in front of me. It was a silver chain with an initial charm on it. The letter “R”. Who was she kidding?

  Blushing, she hastily tucked the necklace back into her shirt. “You’re really not mad at me?”

  Her voice sounded so sincere, I almost felt sorry for her. I just didn’t get why she felt the need to lie. “
I’m not mad. I am also not interested in Riley. He’s all yours, and you’re more than welcome to him.”

  “But I already told you, I don’t -”

  “Miss Cox, would you care to take a seat or were you planning on teaching the class today?” Mr. Weston interrupted, inciting a few snickers.

  Jordan straightened, frowning slightly as she headed back to her desk. She looked embarrassed. Apparently Miss Perfect Grade Point Average did not appreciate being reprimanded like a child.

  I’d half expected to be grilled by everyone about why I showed up at the dance with Rob instead of Riley, but thankfully the only person crass enough to bring it up was Staci. She cornered me at my locker just after fourth period.

  “Oh my God, that was just the rudest thing Riley did to you! How mad were you? Didn’t you just want to claw Jordan’s eyes out?”

  “Not really, no.”

  “Well, I would’ve! I can’t believe the nerve of her. She already walks around here like she thinks she’s better than everybody anyway. You shoulda knocked her teeth out! Trailer trash skank...”

  Hm…so this was more of an attack on Jordan than me. Sounded like someone was pissed about not getting elected homecoming queen. “It’s all good. Those two deserve one another.”

  “What she deserves is to have her ass kicked!”

  It was obvious by now that Staci was just hoping to instigate trouble. That catty bitch would love nothing more than to see her rival get suspended for fighting. As if I would stoop to violence over something so trivial. What a drama queen. Maybe someone could present her with a crown for that. “So kick her ass, Staci. Nobody’s stopping you.”

  She huffed defensively. “Well, I’m just saying…if she pulled that stunt with me I wouldn’t just sit back and take it.”

  “I gotta go.” I slammed my locker and took off for the cafeteria. God, sometimes I wondered if Staci Sheridan was just an overdeveloped thirteen-year-old posing as a senior. She was about as mature as a green banana. Thank goodness she didn’t share the same lunch period with me.