by Matt Juhl
Jaslene spit out her champagne, roaring uncontrollably. She fell over and tried to maintain her composure. “Straight?”
Harper stiffened her back. “You heard me.”
“Oh, it just keeps getting better. I might need another drink for this. That’s too rich.”
Aggravated by the loud disruption, Traci stormed across the room and separated Jaslene and Harper. “Jas, I see you finally made it.”
“Traci, darling, you slay me.”
She frowned. “What’s going on?”
“I’ve just been getting acquainted with your friend, Harper.” Jaslene burst out laughing again.
“What’s so funny, Jas?”
Jaslene covered her mouth in amazement. “You’re just full of surprises tonight.”
“We need to talk right now.” Harper shoved Traci away from Jaslene.
“Stop man-handling me,” she whispered in a hushed tone.
“Move!”
“Are you out of your frickin’ mind? Why are you acting so crude?”
“I could ask the same thing. What the hell’s the matter with you?” Harper continued pushing her until they were beside the front door.
“What are you talking about?”
She was disgusted by Traci’s audacity. “You told Jaslene that I’m your girlfriend!”
“That’s absurd. She’s probably mistaken—”
“She said that’s what you’ve been tellin’ everyone.”
“You can’t trust anything Jaslene Porter says.” Traci put her hand to her full chest and exhaled.
“For once, will you just tell the damn truth?”
“What do you mean ‘for once’? I always tell you the truth.”
“Right, like how you forgot to tell me your mother was actually straight? Or how she moved away so she could be with a man?”
Traci’s green eyes flared in fury. “Kendall—that bitch, I told her not to say anything.”
“It was Jaslene, not Kendall. What difference does it make? All that matters is that you’re a liar. Why would you try keepin’ that from me? I’m straight. Don’t you think I would’ve understood?”
“Lower your voice.”
“Hell no I won’t!”
“People are staring at us. Get outside, now.” Traci followed Harper as she shoved her through the door into the downpour.
“Shit, it’d be so horrible if everyone knew the truth about your mother. How awful would that be?” Harper mocked in a dry, sarcastic tone.
“You’re ridiculous—”
“No, you are. This must be how you feel about me—ashamed to tell people I’m straight.”
“Of course not.”
“You never wanted me to be with Nik, but I couldn’t understand why ‘til now. You’re heterophobic.”
Traci folded her arms and glared. “That’s not true.”
“Sure it is. You’re so worried about what everyone else thinks that it’s pathetic. I can’t believe you’d stop talkin’ to your own mother just ‘cause she found a man.”
“This is an obscene defamation of character, and I won’t stand for it. My mother’s life is none of your frickin’ business.”
“Oh, but what is, the romance between you and I, you know, the one you made up in your head?”
“Harper...”
“How could I’ve been so blind? Nik’s been sayin’ you’ve wanted me for months, but I never listened. I’ve been defendin’ you from the very beginnin’. I told him we were just good friends, but this whole time you’ve been lyin’ to me and everyone else. You’re real sick.”
Traci dabbed the tears from her eyes. “Harper, please let me explain—”
“What’d you think would happen after I moved in, that I’d suddenly fall in love with you and change my mind about bein’ with Nik?”
“Harper—”
“I’ve brushed off all your lil’ comments like they were nothin’. You thought I was too stupid to realize the truth, but I see it now.”
“That’s not true—”
“I’m done livin’ in your fantasy world. I’m never gonna fall in love with you, Traci. Takin’ me in and feelin’ sorry for me could never change who I am. Maybe you thought I was pathetic enough to fall for your stupid plan, but the only pitiful thing I see right now is you!”
“Harper, you don’t mean that.” Traci wept uncontrollably as she looked into the beautiful face that had captured her heart. Even through the rage, she still saw the woman that her entire body burned for.
“Yeah, I do. You’re a big joke.”
“I shouldn’t have told anyone that we’re dating, but I can’t help myself. We belong together. Don’t you see that?”
“No, and I never will. Neither does anyone else. You are the only one who can’t see the truth.”
“Please Harper,” Traci pleaded. “Don’t do this to me.”
“You make me sick. Not only are you delusional—your heart’s so ugly. I used to think you were kind, but now I see how nasty you truly are. Honestly, I don’t think there’s any good left inside of you.”
“Yes there is. I swear to God. I’ve been trying desperately to show that side of me. Can’t you see that?”
“You’ve disrespected me, you’ve degraded Kendall, and you’ve humiliated yourself. Sorry, those aren’t the qualities I’m lookin’ for in a friend. I don’t want anything else to do with you. I’m leavin’.”
Traci fell to her knees. “No, you’ve got me all wrong. Please stay—”
Harper escaped into the pouring rain. She looked back, annoyed to see Traci helplessly following her. “Go back inside.”
Her flowing blonde hair and Lucille gown were instantly drenched. “Not unless you come with me.”
“I’m done with you. I’m goin’ to Nik’s.”
“You can’t, Harper. I need you.”
“That’s exactly my point—it’s always about what you need. My entire life has crashed down around me, but you’re the one out here cryin’ and carryin’ on. It sure seems like you’re real concerned. You can’t even admit that you’re selfish.”
“That’s ‘cause I’m not,” Traci cried. “I care about you, Harper. And I cared about my mother deeply—”
“Then why does this party you threw in her honor have nothin’ to do with Andrea? It’s all an excuse for you to flaunt yourself.”
“I wouldn’t go to all this trouble just for me. I wanted to commemorate her.”
“If you really cared about honorin’ her memory, you’d tell everyone the truth about her sexuality and who she was. Instead, you’re usin’ her death to help yourself move up on the social ladder. I see right through you, Traci, and so does everyone else.”
“I have a good heart, I swear—”
“I’m gone. Now you can go back to worryin’ about yourself. Unlike you, I was upset over my mama’s death, and I’d like to be able to finally grieve for her. I’m gonna go be with someone who really cares about me. I’d rather spend time with someone who’s makin’ sure I’m all right, not someone too busy worryin’ how they’re seen by others.”
“Harper, no—”
“And now I’ll have to comfort him too, after I break the news that his father’s dead.”
“What are you talkin’ about?”
“Nik’s father, Patrick, ran away to Port Vista with a woman. That woman was your mother, Andrea.”
Traci adamantly denied the allegation.
“’C’mon, it ain’t that hard to figure out. ‘ Course unless you still think I’m too dumb to see it. That’s the other reason you don’t like Nik, isn’t it?”
“That’s not true. I had no idea—”
“Shut your mouth. I’m done listenin’ to your lies.”
“No, this isn’t over.”
“Yes it is. Goodbye.” Harper disappeared in the thrashing storm.
“Harper, come back!” Traci begged, sprinting into the street.
After nearly making it to the end of the road, her high heel br
oke, and she collapsed on her face.
Traci helplessly curled up against the cold, wet pavement. After a moment of self-pity, she struggled to her feet and caught the end of her dress under her other foot. It ripped the subtle train of her gown, causing her to fall again.
Through her devastation, Traci couldn’t harness the strength to pick herself up a second time. Instead, she folded her arms and sobbed into the saturated road, rolling on her back and letting the rain wash away her tears. Her entire body was completely drenched.
Kendall, who kept a watchful eye from the glass pane of the front window, quickly raced to her aid. “Traci, I’m coming!”
Although she heard the maid, she was inconsolable.
Kendall rubbed her face and hoisted her upright. “C’mon, get up. Traci, are you okay?”
No matter what she tried, there was no calming her down. She was hysterical.
“You’ve gotta breathe!”
Between rain dumping into her mouth and the uncontrollable sobbing, she shouted over and over, “Harper ran away—she’s gone! She’s never coming back!”
By the time Harper reached Nik’s place, her teeth were chattering and her makeup had run down her face.
As she knocked on his door, she was startled by a pickup truck, roaring its engine and racing away from the front of Nik’s house.
Harper looked over her shoulder and watched it speed off into the night. It made her uneasy, especially since she hadn’t even noticed the vehicle in her distraught state.
“Harper!” He was startled. Nik charged through the screen and hugged her. “Are you all right?” He quickly pulled the sweater off his body and wrapped it around her.
“I need you, Nik. I can’t go back there.”
“Of course not.”
While Nik kissed her forehead and squeezed her cold body, she closed her eyes and sobbed into his warmth and compassion.
“You’re frozen. Hurry up and get inside before you catch a cold.”
Harper wiped the mascara from her eyes. “What about your daddy?”
Nik motioned towards the house. “Don’t worry, he’s passed out. Besides, there’s no way I’m leaving you out here, or letting you go back to Traci’s. We’ll figure something out. I’ll take care of all that. Right now I just wanna get you dried off and safe.”
She sniffled. “Are you sure?”
“I’m gonna take care of you.” Nik’s striking eyes twinkled in the dark as he cocked his head to the side and stared into Harper’s. Looking down at her beautiful, troubled face, he could feel her tumultuous pain shooting through every part of his body. It broke his heart for the woman he loved so deeply. He would’ve done anything to ease her ache. It was at that moment that he knew with absolute certainty that they’d become one in the same person, feeling everything the other one felt.
Nik placed his hands on her cold face and looked her up and down. Then he slowly opened his mouth and covered hers with a kiss.
For Harper, feeling Nik’s soft lips pressed against her mouth prompted tears. She reached around his neck and softly ran the tips of her manicured nails through the ends of his black hair.
Nik calmed her anxiety. With so much uncertainty, it was comforting to know Harper could truly rely on him. There was no way she would ever let him go. Nik was the only person she had left in the world.
He gently put his arm over her shoulders. “C’mon, let’s go.”
Harper began to follow him, but stopped herself. She pulled him back by his hands. “What a second, babe.”
“Yeah?”
“There’s somethin’ I’ve gotta tell you, somethin’ about your father.”
“My father?” Nik looked stunned.
Her heartbeat strummed slowly. Thinking beyond the sweet moment they just shared, she was reminded of the devastation she’d uncovered.
“Harper?” Nik waved his hand in front of her face. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know how to tell you this.”
“Just say it, come out with it.”
Harper closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Your father’s gone.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean he’s gone, babe. Your father died.”
“What?” Nik squinted into the darkness, trying to wrap his mind around her haunting words. He wasn’t certain he’d heard correctly.
“I couldn’t believe it myself. I found out tonight durin’ the party. He was boatin’ on Lake Michigan durin’ a storm with Traci’s mother, Andrea. She was the woman he ran off with. They both drowned.”
It was too shocking, too much to comprehend. Suddenly, all of Nik’s strength wavered. He completely broke down.
As she held him, Harper told him the entire story, every detail she learned about Patrick and Andrea.
For Nik, it was as if everything stopped. In a single instance, that lingering shred of hope he’d always had for his father’s return was taken away. Patrick was truly gone forever. And Nik had to face losing him all over again.
TWENTY-THREE
Aside from some rumbling thunder, it was unnervingly quiet. The silence was deafening, almost maddening in its intensity. The inaudible stillness forced him to think, allowing his twisted thoughts to run wild. It filled the empty room so heavily that its massiveness nearly suffocated the killer’s diseased mind.
His hand trembled while he took a slow, pensive drag off a cigarette. Its sure softness was the only comfort in that moment while being surrounded by his inner demons and bloody visions. Not only had the terrors plagued his nightmares—they began to infiltrate every second of his existence.
Nothing seemed as great as it did in the beginning, especially the elusive lifestyle. It was incredibly lonesome…sitting alone in the dark didn’t help.
The lightning flashed across his scowl, illuminating the unoccupied space. It reminded him of his isolation, his loneliness, and his enslavement to their elusive, murderous repertoire.
The storm was reminiscent of that pivotal night so long ago, when all the madness began. To the pair of them, it had all seemed like a game, but in reality, it was something far more sinister…
It had only been one year earlier. In the middle of the night, while on the veranda in the blackness and pouring rain, the killer had stood alone, stalking his prey. His eyes glowed in pure malevolence, transfixed on the target—Patrick Roberts.
That late-October evening was ice cold, so glacial his breath, slowly exhaling from his flared nostrils, fogged the glass door.
Inside, Patrick pulled the plush ivory throw up to his scruffy neck and stirred in deep slumber. After some late-night reading, he’d fallen asleep on the sofa as he’d done many times before.
The room was devoid of noise, aside from the steady click of the antique clock over the mantle and the soft crackle of the fire place. Its dim light cast an ominous glow through the darkness, revealing that he was unaccompanied.
The man intently watched Patrick sleep for nearly fifteen minutes. Staring at Patrick was comical, knowing he was totally oblivious to their horrific plot. It was so utterly hysterical that the stranger had to cover his mouth, refraining from releasing a raucous howl.
A small voice of reason momentarily sounded in his ear, desperately screaming in opposition, but his thoughts were competing with strong feelings of contempt and revenge.
While staring at Patrick, all the events replayed in his mind, feeding his thirsty rage. Any chance of retreat was devoured by indignation. The maniac could not be stopped.
After relishing in the excitement of the moment, he slowly crept down the old, wooden steps leading to another set of glass doors, which opened to the exposed lower-exterior of the magnificent house.
Through the spaces of the overhead boards, the stranger felt heavy rain drops pelting him as if to cool his fiery flesh. Then he pulled out a black ski mask, with a voice scrambler affixed over the mouth, and covered his head.
It only took a few forceful tugs for the flimsy lock to unla
tch and for the intruder to make his way inside. Although he’d made more noise than anticipated, he didn’t care. He was fearless in his pursuit.
Adrenaline pumped through his body. His heartbeat pulverized his eardrums with each step he took up the carpeted stairs to the living room.
The stranger breathed heavily through the mask as he stood at Patrick’s feet. Excitement charged through his veins and made his heart jump. Then he ominously tilted his head to the side and glared down at his mark.
After weeks of plotting, it seemed too easy. How he’d hoped for a greater challenge.
Without taking his eyes off Patrick, the intruder cautiously made his way around to the other side of the couch. The thrill heightened with each creak of the floorboards.
With anticipation mounting, he carefully knelt down and opened his backpack. From inside, he produced a black trash bag and lifted it away from his body. The power coursed through the ends of his fingers as he held it mere inches from Patrick’s unsuspecting face.
The intruder paused a brief moment, captivated by the exhilaration. There was a sadistic part of him that wanted a vicious battle—especially because he knew he’d win. More than anything, the man wanted to hear Patrick’s bloodcurdling screams while he begged for his life.
“Wake up!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. His voice was warped and gruff.
Patrick looked up and saw the masked figure with wide, crazy eyes staring down at him.
Before he could do anything, the intruder forced the bag over his head.
“Get off!” Patrick’s muffled voice ordered. Everything happened so fast he couldn’t think. He fought feverishly to move his hands to his neck, fighting with the intruder who’d already tied the bag around his throat.
Through his dark ski mask, the stranger smiled in uninhibited pleasure.
“What the hell are you doing?”
The stranger didn’t respond, but continued squeezing the bag tighter.
In a desperate attempt to free himself, Patrick violently swung his fists and managed to grab hold of the intruder’s shirt, pulling him down. The impact split the glass coffee table and shattered three decorative glass bowls across the wooden floor.
Patrick quickly sat up. His mind was racing. For a moment, he thought he was in the middle of a nightmare, but the fear was far too real and the pain far too great.