The General Store: Where Innocence Goes to Die

by A. L. Moore

  “It’s cool,” I muttered, feeling a distance between us that hadn’t been there before. I brushed it off as too much time apart. We hadn’t even talked on the phone in over a week. Besides, Anna wouldn’t go after Mason. She knew that was crossing the line. You just didn’t date a friend’s ex.

  “I know you guys are friends,” I said, playfully tugging a fallen tendril of her hair. “Cheer up. You look like your cat died.

  Oh, no!” I said in mock horror. “Mason killed Charlie!”

  Anna didn’t crack a smile. “Can we go somewhere and talk?” she asked sullenly. She was in full therapist mode. Why-oh-why did she have to take Psychology as her junior year elective.

  I glanced at the clock behind Robyn. It was almost six. I started untying my apron and laid it on the cluttered counter. Clearly, I’d been the only one working.

  “Where are you going,” Robyn said as if I needed her permission to leave. “You aren’t off for another fifteen minutes.”

  Seriously? What were they going to do, fire me? I knew enough to put all of them behind bars. “I’ll make it up later,” I called over my shoulder for Anna’s benefit.

  Lack of sleep and clear skies didn’t go well together. It was a struggle to keep my eyes open as we stepped outside. I peeked over at Anna as we passed her favorite dress shop. They already had a back-to-school ensemble of cowboy boots and sundresses. Anna didn’t even look in the window. Something was seriously wrong. We continued down Main without speaking. Anna avoided me, looking in the opposite direction. I was already on edge enough about Tonya. I couldn’t stand Anna’s silence, too.

  “I’m starving,” I finally said. “Do you want to stop for tacos or something?”

  She debated, which was weird since Mexican was her favorite food. Even after the four-course meal at our cheerleading banquet in eighth grade, Anna had still managed to put away three tacos on the walk home.

  “You’re starting to freak me out here, Anna,” I said, stopping in front of the taco truck with the dancing burrito on the side. “What’s going on? Are you and Cole having trouble?

  “Oh my gosh! You aren’t pregnant, are you?”

  She shook her head. Her eyes narrowed, “No, it’s nothing like that.”

  I ordered our usual and sat down at the table beneath the green umbrella. Anna watched while I devoured half my burrito. Hers was still unopened.

  “Cole and I broke up,” she started, tearing at the corner of a paper napkin.

  “Oh, no!” I said, reaching for her hand. “No wonder you’re so quiet. You should’ve just told me. Here I sit, feeding my face, and you are going through a major life crisis.” I wiped my mouth, relief washing over me. “What happened?”

  Anna looked uncomfortable, pulling her hand from my grasp. “I broke up with him,” she admitted.

  My relief was gone. She wasn’t pregnant. It wasn’t Cole, and no one was dead. That only left one thing. Mason.

  “Why would you do that?” I asked, my gut already painfully processing the answer. “The last time I was with you guys, you couldn’t keep your hands off each other.”

  “There’s no easy way to say this,” she started.

  I laid the burrito down and braced myself. This was it. The moment of truth. After ten years of friendship, I knew the next words to come out of her mouth would make or break us.

  “I broke up with Cole…for Mason.”

  Knowing it was coming didn’t soften the blow. How could she betray me? After everything we’d been through, not just the two of us, but our families. She knew everything about me, things I’d never shared with anyone else. We were more like sisters than friends. At least, we were. I tried to drum up the words to show her how much she’d hurt me, to let her know this wasn’t okay, but there were no words. Wiping my eyes on the back of my hand, I said, “That was fast.”

  “Not really,” she said anxiously, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I’ve always liked Mason, but I never said anything because he was your boyfriend.”

  At least there was that. Not that Mason would’ve ever gone for her over me. He’d always said Anna got on his nerves.

  “Are you guys like together now?”

  “No,” she said, shifting uncomfortably in the metal folding chair. “But he’s been over a lot this weekend. You know, talking about you and other stuff.

  “I didn’t want to do anything without talking to you first. If you aren’t okay with it, I’m not going to ask him out.”

  Mason was mine…only he wasn’t anymore. It was hard to wrap my head around after so many years together. He didn’t exist in my mind without me by his side. Every dance, holiday, vacation…there was no high school without Mason. I surrendered the rest of my food to the flies in the overflowing garbage basket. How could Anna do this? She’d been keeping this secret from me all this time. Every time the three of us had gone out, she’d secretly wanted to take my place. What kind of friend does that? The jealous, backstabbing kind.

  I was preparing to make my exit when the air grew much louder. All of the chit-chat around us went silent as the bikes rolled past. I watched them entranced like everyone else as they headed to Robyn’s. Tyler was in the lead and thankfully didn’t notice me in the small crowd of diners, but Liam did. Dressed in tactfully worn jeans and a t-shirt, he watched me long enough to pique the interest of Anna.

  “Friend of yours?” she asked, biting on her bottom lip.

  I knew the thoughts going through her mind, and had she not just dropped a bomb on me, I would’ve pulled her back to the table and told her every juicy detail. It was like twisting the knife in my back to watch her practically drool over Liam.

  “Do whatever you want,” I said as soon as the noise died down enough for her to hear me.

  Anna looked different now than she had just minutes before. Her eyes were practically begging for information. There was no doubt in my mind that if given half a chance with Liam, she would’ve been all over him. She’d already taken Mason. There was no way she was getting near Liam. Anna simply wanted what I had.

  I couldn’t help but wonder if Robyn saw me in the same light.

  Chapter 12. Insurance

  Robyn’s driveway seemed to have grown substantially since I’d last walked it. I clung to the shadows like the first time, trying to keep to the side bushes. I hadn’t expected my parents to still be home.

  “Come in, Justice,” Robyn said, emphasizing my name like a four-letter word when I knocked.

  The atmosphere in the small living room was electric to the point where I almost turned back, but everyone’s eyes weren’t on me. The coffee table appeared to be the focal point. Tyler was seated in the middle of the couch, flanked by Alec and John. Jayson sat across from him, with Robyn in his lap. The television wasn’t on, and besides Robyn’s invite to come inside, I might as well have not been there. No one acknowledged me, which after the card night from Hades, was an appreciated relief. Looking toward the kitchen, I couldn’t help but notice who was missing, the one person I’d hoped to see. Liam. My heart sank at the thought of where else in the house he might be, and who he might be with. Before my thoughts could get too far away from me, someone poked the back of my leg. I startled, turning to find Liam straddling a kitchen chair beside the front door. His lips curved into a smile beneath his backwards ball cap, catching my eye for a brief second before nodding for me to turn around.

  Of course, everyone was watching me now.

  “How’d you know it was me?” I asked Robyn.

  “Because, you’re the only one who knocks,” she said sarcastically. “I knew it was either you or someone selling cookies.”

  “Funny,” I said, hyperaware of the mounting tension.

  It was then, I looked on the table. There was an opened box with at least fifty, white powder filled baggies. One lay open, spilling out onto a silver tray. The sun coming in through the door reflected on a razor blade in Tyler’s hand. It was like watching a miniature snowplow as he created roads in the snow.


  “Sit down, Justice,” Tyler said curtly, his eyes lifting for only a fraction of a second as he continued across the tray.

  “Tyler, I didn’t realize…” Robyn said quickly, her voice sticking in her throat. “I mean, I wasn’t thinking. She’s around so much…”

  “She already knew,” Liam spoke up, crossing his arms. “She saw Jayson and the boys tipping the scales in the warehouse.”

  At the sound of Liam’s voice, it started to snow. Fresh powder drifted across my legs as the tray bounced noisily against the coffee table and landed in the floor at my feet.

  Tyler was seething, leering angrily at Liam with his hands balled in fists. “What?” he demanded, more powder flying as he charged in Liam’s face.

  Jayson was quick on his feet, his muscled arm creating a wall between Tyler and his brother.

  “Why didn’t you say something?” Tyler shouted loud enough to be heard at my house.

  “Because I knew you’d fly off the handle,” Liam said, his face the picture of ease as he tilted slightly forward in his chair. “It’s not a big deal. She’s known for over a week, and she hasn’t said a word.”

  “She could put us under the ground with this shit?” Tyler spit.

  “She’s seventeen, Man,” Liam pointed out. “That hasn’t stopped you from taking her upstairs. Hell, she spent the weekend boozing it up in the cabin with all of us. If she wanted to take us down, she wouldn’t need powder to do it.”

  “I’m not going to say anything,” I insisted from where I cowered against the front door. I might as well have said nothing. No one even looked at me.

  “This should’ve been brought to my attention when it happened,” Tyler said angrily, turning back to Alec and John when he saw Jayson wasn’t going to move. “What do you think?”

  “She’s cool,” Jayson said, relaxing his position now that it was clear Tyler wasn’t going to hit his brother.

  “Says the one who managed to get himself busted for the second time last year,” Tyler said through his teeth.

  “I don’t know, Man,” John sighed heavily. “Sure, she says she going to keep her mouth shut now, but what about later. Are we supposed to walk around on eggshells to keep her from getting mad?” John took a long draw from the purple pipe in his lap. “She’s a risk,” he coughed, passing it to Alec.

  “Alec?” Tyler asked.

  Alec took the pipe from John before answering. “She seems pretty cool to me, but some insurance couldn’t hurt.”

  “No doubt we need insurance,” Tyler said, leaving me to wonder what exactly that meant. “Everybody okay with that?

  “Okay with what?” Liam asked on the edge of the chair. “She’s just a kid.”

  That stung. I wasn’t a liability and I wasn’t a kid. Is that why he hadn’t cashed in on his prize?

  “I’ll do whatever you want,” I said, stepping away from the door. I’d show all of them who was a kid. “I’m not going to say anything, but if it will make you feel better, just tell me what to do.”

  Liam’s eyes turned a diabolical shade of black as he glared at me.

  “I think some insurance would be a good idea,” Jayson said, his eyes glued to Liam. “If she keeps her mouth shut, what could it hurt?”

  “It’s settled then,” Tyler said, settling back into the couch. John handed him the tray from the floor, and they picked up where they’d left off.

  What was settled? No one had said anything. My hand grasped the doorknob behind my back.

  “Robyn take Justice up to your room,” Tyler said, fresh flurries flying as he popped open a fresh baggie from the box.

  Robyn grabbed my hand before I could say a word and started for the stairs. I could hear Tyler and Alec strategizing about what my test would be. They wanted me to do a line. Liam was arguing. I didn’t hear the next suggestion. Robyn closed the bedroom door. I plopped down on the bed and closed my eyes. I didn’t even know how to do a line. Did you snort it or cook it on a spoon? I’d seen the spoon thing once on a movie. Tyler would surely tell me. I hoped it wouldn’t be as strong as the Ambien. I didn’t like blacking out. Would I become an addict like the people in the movie? I looked to Robyn, in a state of panic.

  “I’m sorry I got you into this,” Robyn said, her voice almost sounding remorseful as she sat down next to me.

  “What do you think I’ll have to do?”

  “I’m not sure,” she hedged. I got the feeling she knew more than she was letting on. She was too nervous, more so than me. Her hands were shaking.

  “What are you not telling me?”

  She let out a slow breath and walked over to the window, gripping the windowsill.

  “Did you know I was younger than you when I met Jayson,” she started, glancing over her shoulder. I shook my head no. “It was the summer before I turned sixteen,” she continued. “I’d just found out my mom was cheating on my dad, when I saw Jayson for the first time.” Her eyes were staring at my house, but she was clearly miles away. Her shoulders relaxed with each word she spoke. “I’ll never forget that day. I was so upset. The only world I knew, the world I trusted, was crashing around me. I’d cried all my makeup off. I looked a wreck. Then, there was Jayson. It was like I was looking for him and didn’t even know it. I was definitely looking for something…anything that would make my parents mad.” She paused and shook her head. “It seems stupid now but back then, I thought if I got into trouble, my parents would try harder to make things work.

  “Jayson was just what I wanted. It was like he had driven out of my mind. He was dark and dangerous, plowing down Main Street on a thundering bike while I swept the sidewalks in front of the store.”

  “You worked at the store back then?” I asked. I thought she started when she dropped out of college.

  “Under the table,” she smiled. “Tom is the one who introduced me to the guys. Jayson was in his twenties already and barely gave me a second look.” Remembering what she looked like back then, I found that hard to believe.

  “Liam was still in high school,” she continued. “Anyway, I made it my goal to land Jayson. Liam would’ve been too easy. He didn’t have as much swagger back then,” she chuckled humorlessly.

  “Jayson held me off at first. It didn’t matter how hard I tried or what I wore, he wouldn’t touch me. You can’t imagine how aggravating it was, and then one day, I’d had enough. My mom had actually brought her new boyfriend to our house. Can you believe that? The house where our family pictures were hung on the walls. She took him to the room where my father slept. I was infuriated. When I got to the store, I found Jayson in the stock room. That was before they leased the warehouse,” she pointed out. “He never saw me coming, but he didn’t put up much of a fight either. He was really something,” she said, biting down on her lip. “His hair was as long as Liam’s back then, and I very nearly yanked it out,” she paused, smiling to herself. “Anyway, we had barely gotten our clothes back on when Tom came strolling in. Coke was all over the floor. My legs were white with it, kind of like yours,” she said, glancing back at me. “I didn’t know what it was until Tom started yelling at Jayson. The next thing I knew, Tyler came in.

  “Did you know he’s Tom’s nephew?” she asked. “Tom and Tyler decided that since I had something on them, they needed something on me. That’s why the cot is in the stock room. Tom and Tyler made me have sex with Jayson again while Tom filmed.” My breath caught in my chest. I’d never heard anything so terrible in my life. “They killed two birds with one stone,” she added dryly. “They got my silence and Jayson’s head on a platter.”

  “What do you mean?” Jayson didn’t take me for the type to be embarrassed of a sex tape.

  “I was only sixteen, Justice,” Robyn said pointedly. “Jayson could’ve gone to prison. He’d been labeled a pedophile for the rest of his life if that tape had gotten out.

  “That’s why he’s the main one who delivers to Marco. He’s been charged with possession twice in the past five years. The first
time, he struck a deal and got a slap on the wrist. The last time, he wasn’t so lucky.”

  “I had no idea,” I said, my mind reeling. I'd never dreamed anything like that was going on the nights I'd watched her out my window.

  Now, I was the one with the shaking hands. The dread on Robyn’s face was alarming. The thought of my first time being caught on tape was bad, but the thought of Mr. Smith standing there watching– I was going to be sick. My body went into fight or flight. “I have to get out of here,” I said, freaking out. I tried for the door, knocking Robyn into the dresser when she tried to block me.

  “Guys,” she yelled when I started for the stairs.

  Several pairs of boots pounded toward us, but it was Liam who stopped me. His arms wrapped my waist, pinning mine down and carried me back to the bedroom. “You’ve got to calm down,” he said, holding me to the bed while Robyn locked the door behind us. “If they think you’ve snapped up here, I don’t know what they’ll do.”

  “I just want to go home,” I said, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face.

  “How can you make me do this after what they did to you?” I asked, glaring at Robyn.

  “That’s why I can’t let you leave,” she said. “Do you think Ty would think twice about posting that video on the internet? I’d never be able to go back to school or get a job again.”

  “It’s not as bad as you think,” Liam said, stooping in front of me, his eyes too angry to be sympathetic. “You just have to go on a run. That way if you squeal, they can argue that you were dealing.”

  Tears flowed relentlessly down my cheeks. I wiped them away, sniffing, “What does that mean? What will I have to do?”

  Liam moved to the bed and wrapped a consoling arm around my shoulder, keeping his other hand firm on my trembling thigh. “You’ll make a run with Jayson. Tonight. It should go smooth. You’ll be the one to hand off to Marco.”

  Robin paced, her black hair swaying from the motion. “I don’t like this,” Robyn said, clinching her fists in frustration. “Why can’t she make the run with you?”