Lie To Me

by Eden Rose

My phone rings next to me and I realize it’s seven in the morning. “Hey, Mom.”

  “Hi, sweetie.” Her cheery voice makes me suspicious. She’s not one for chit-chat.

  “What’s going on?”

  I pull into my driveway and see her car in my parking spot and another car which is right next to hers. After shutting the car off, I climb out of the car and run my hands through my hair. Mom uncurls herself out of her fancy sports car that Dad bought her this year. I risk my life for this country and my mom gets a Crossfire convertible. How is that fair?

  Even at seven in the morning, she still looks glamorous with her hair styled to hug her face and a silk suit. “Mom, you’re looking great as always.”

  She strolls over to me on the broken concrete and presents her cheek for me to kiss. After I do, she pats her clothes down to get rid of some invisible wrinkles. “Oh, come now. I look horrid. I just got back from a retreat. Where have you been?”

  I don’t miss the accusing tone in her voice. “Out. You comin’ in?”

  She follows me to my front door and I can see the disdain in her face. “Why won’t you let me buy you guys a better place? This isn’t suitable for either of you to bring women home.” What she really means is a wife material woman. Mom looks around our clean house and clacks through to the kitchen. “Make your mother some tea. Where’s Baron?”

  I can hear grunting and groaning as Baron runs down the hallway in just his boxers. “Mom, what are you doing here?”

  I’m in the kitchen with Mom when he comes strolling in. After I boil her some water and dip the tea bag in, she clucks her tongue. “Checking on my two favorite boys.”

  Something’s up. She’s never been one to stop by and I have a feeling it’s about Audrey’s trial this upcoming week against Martin Porter. “Mom, we’ve told you before that we don’t know if Audrey is coming or not.”

  All through our childhood, Mom has made it known that we are inconvenience to her. We ruined her body and took away her freedom. While she was out on the country club scene, I was at home taking care of Baron and Audrey. They were good kids, still are, but I would have loved to have been a kid myself. I learned how to do things fast, cooking and cleaning while taking care of baby Audrey. Baron had helped as much as he could, but he was younger than myself so he didn’t know how to tie his own shoes.

  To say I hold resentment to my mother is an understatement. Neither of us asked to be born and she had to have all three of us pretty much fucking back to back. Do you think I liked changing diapers when everyone else was talking about the new Sega? I didn’t. Hell, Mom and Dad said that video games would rot the mind and it’s important to stay active. Well, we’ve all stayed active and much to Mom’s dismay, Audrey got a body on her.

  I came home from leave shortly before Audrey graduated and I remember her crying in the bathroom with her fingers down her throat. She won’t tell anyone this and I know she’s spent a lot of time blocking it out. Mom told her that the reason why she had to make up a rape story was because she was too fat to get a boyfriend. That week was horrible. I had to beg my commanding officer to let me have more time after I caught her cutting at her hips. Walking in on my baby sister cutting her hip was not something that I can easily forget and I still wake up from nightmares over it.

  “What’s going on, Mom?” Baron asks as he sits on the stool with his elbows on the counter. He shifts in his seat when a pair of shoes comes creeping down the hallway.

  I bust out laughing until I see the flash of red hair flying down the hall. “Jerry?” No fucking way. That’s not happening.

  Sure enough, Jerry turns her head and then runs out the door. “Bro?” Baron asks and looks at me with confusion.

  “Later.”

  For the next five minutes our mother makes small talk about her retreat and everything else happening in her superficial life. After she finished her tea, she sets the mug down carefully with her pinky up. “Is Audrey coming back?”

  Baron shrugs and gets off of his stool and walks to the fridge. “We don’t know for sure and we are not telling her she shouldn’t come back. This is something that she should be doing. Mom, you can’t keep riding her ass.”

  Just when I think I understand her, she does something shocking. She starts crying. “This is going to ruin everything in the country club. Babies, don’t you understand that this will make me look horrible?”

  “Get out.”

  My head snaps up and I’m not sure if I actually said that but I guess Baron beat me to it. He’s glaring at our mother with daggers. “Mom, get out. She was raped and I don’t give a fuck about your precious country club.”

  She stands up on wobbly legs and slaps Baron across the face. “How do you talk to me like that! I’m your mother.” And with that, she snatches her keys off the counter and stomps out.

  “So, Jerry huh?” I ask and he shrugs.

  “Yeah, man. It’s whatever.” He reaches into the fridge and grabs a coke. “How do you know her?”

  I laugh and stretch my back. Leaning on the counter always makes my back hurt. “Yeah. About that. You remember how I was telling you that new Liz likes pussy too?”

  Baron nods thoughtfully and chugs half his pop. And then he chokes on it. “Fuck off. Really?”

  “Yeah, she has some nice tits, doesn’t she?”

  My brother strolls over to me and punches my arm. “Bastard. Did you fuck her?”

  “Nah, man. She’s kinda butch. Ya know?”

  He smiles and then walks off to the living room. “Yeah, I do. Brother, I do know that!”

  Liz

  My eyes are crusted together from crying myself to sleep. Some how I managed to fall asleep after Garrett left and I just woke up from it. I groan and tag my phone with my hand and hope that he messaged me. Nothing.

  Me: I’m sry

  I climb out of bed and pack to go visit Audrey. Never did I need my friend as much as I did right now. Her brother has ripped my world up and I don’t even know how he managed to do that. Why do I care so much?

  After I’m packed, I throw my shit in the car and drive off to the airport. I check in through LAX and wait to board. I checked my phone three more times before I managed to turn it off. It’s obvious that he’s not going to message me back.

  By the time I board the plan, I’m about to freak out from the stress of it all. Why the hell did I let Garrett get to me so much? Who the hell let him do that? I sure the fuck didn’t.

  I have about two drinks in first class and at each drink there is a new emotion. The first one is anger and the second is sadness. No matter how many times I close my eyes to go to sleep, I can’t do it. I’m too stressed out and I’m worried as hell that I will tell Audrey that I fucked her brother. Well, I guess we can’t forget the fact that I also kinda pissed him off.

  A few hours later, we have landed in Houston and I feel the heat and humidity before I get off the plane. It’s a different heat here and I’m not sure if I like it. Wait, I need to get away and regroup. Plus, I miss my number one bitch.

  I’m at the baggage claim when I see Audrey. “Audrey!” I scream and three people turn to see me run at my best friend. “I’m so happy to see you!”

  “God, Liz! I missed you.”

  We hug and twirl for what feels like hours before we leave the airport to her car. She fills me in on this Damien and I must say, he sounds sexy. “He sounds hot, Aud. Are you sure you don’t want to see him again?”

  I reach into her cup holder and grab the lip gloss that I know will be there. After I apply it, I put it back and she’s changing the CD. “I don’t know, Liz. Fuck. I don’t know. How’s everything with you?”

  “Ah… you know. Same ol’, same ol’.” I fucked your brother and I could possibly be in love with him. You know, the same as always.

  Guilty fucking best friend, here.

  My phone chirps and I dive at it in my purse. “What’s got you so excited?” She swings her long hair out of her face and I get jealous at how b
eautiful she is. Audrey has a curvy body and I’m like an ironing board. No curves here.

  Ben: Convince Audrey to come on Monday. We need her.

  Me: She’s coming. keep your hair on

  Ben: smart ass

  *

  A few hours later finds me tipsy in a bar. I have managed to keep my mouth shut the whole time about sleeping with Garrett; let’s keep it that way!

  We are standing at the bar waiting for our drinks when I notice this guy coming up to us. I nudge Audrey in the side and she whips her head to look at him. “Who’s that?” I ask her and point.

  “Don’t point! That’s Damien’s friend, Kurt!” She whispers angrily at me.

  “Well, he’s coming this way, are you going to ignore him?” He’s kind of cute. My pussy wakes up from being mad at me. She’s still pissy from me running Garrett away or something. I tried to masturbate this morning before I came here and it didn’t work.

  Mmm, this is an interesting development.

  Kurt is a prep school guy that my parents would love. He’s in a polo with some tight jeans on that showcase some nice thighs. I love his confidence. “Hey, Sexy Ass.”

  My head snap backs and Audrey shakes her head. “Kurt, I have a name.”

  “Maybe I was talking to your friend.”

  I cut in, “Whom also has a name.”

  “Two Californians! Imagine my luck! Let me buy you foreigners some drinks!”

  I look at Audrey who shrugs. “Foreigners?” I whisper to her and she wraps her arm around my shoulders.

  “They act like we are from a different country in this state. It’s so funny.”

  Damien is every bit as sexy as Audrey said he was. His piercing blue eyes are like ice mixed with the ocean and he’s making my panties stick to my pussy lips. “Hey, I’m Liz.”

  He shudders and then shakes my hand. “Damien Alexander. Are you the famous Liz?”

  For the next couple of hours, I flirt with Kurt and some random guy that is actually trying to pick up Audrey. Of course, my friend has no interest in him and is spending the time since the bathroom with her tongue down Damien’s throat. Kurt is sexy but he has nothing on Garrett. Fuck. I’m states away and I’m still thinking about him. What the hell is wrong with me?

  We leave the bar and go to a diner by Audrey’s that is pretty run down compared to the diners in LA. I can’t help but giggle at the thought of Ben being here. He would probably flip the fuck out if he knew Audrey was dating her boss. Yeah, speaking of which. Is she still with Ben? It sure the hell doesn’t look like it.

  Kurt wraps his arm around my shoulders and slides closer to me. I don’t fight the attraction that I have towards him even though I probably should. Tonight will be a test. Get Garrett out of my mind and prove to everyone once and for all that Liz does not belong to anyone but herself.

  Garrett

  You remember those assholes from earlier? The ones that threatened Liz? Yeah, they made bail do to lack of evidence. Or some bull shit. I’m about 99.9% sure that there is something else that is happening with this. It’s Friday night and I know that Liz is in Texas with Audrey.

  My fingers keep itching to open the tracking device in my phone to see where she’s at. Mother fucker. When she texted me, I wanted to text her back and tell her to forget about everything and to come over to see me before she left.

  However, everything hit me over the day. I can’t keep sharing her and now that I know that Jerry is banging my brother, I have a feeling that Liz will want to be with me after all. Hopefully. I can be enough for her. I am enough for her. She just needs to get it in her head that she’s not alone anymore and I can be that person for her.

  God damn it.

  “Dispatch to 6068.”

  Baron grabs at the mouth piece that connects us to the station. “6068.”

  I throw my phone into the glove department and mentally chastise myself for being a weak bastard and wanting to track a girl that I just ended things with earlier.

  “We got a call about possible distribution on Jefferson. Calling back up.”

  Yeah! This is what I need to get over what is happening with Liz. I need to go and fuck up some lives or some shit. It’s times like this that make me miss being in the Army. In the Army, you are never bored and it’s constantly being on guard. I thought being a cop would continue with that, but I’m sensing it’s not so much.

  Maybe I should just re-up or some shit.

  We pull up on Jefferson and sure enough, there is a full out brawl happening in the front. Before the car is even in park, I’m out the door and running up the sidewalk. “Hey, hey! What is going on here? If you don’t stop, I’m bringing out some cuffs. Let’s move!” I yell and shove my way into the middle.

  Allen and Kent are in the middle and they have their hands on a gun each. “Back up!” Allen yells at me and I take my gun out. He pushes some guy that has a do-rag on his head and is wearing a baggy tee.

  He’s Mexican and he’s built like a tank. I take my time circling him to make sure that I can control what’s about to happen. It looks like there is about to be a big show down and my guard is up tight.

  “Don’t make me shoot, mother fucker. Drop your weapon now,” Baron says as he runs up the walkway with his own gun in his hand. He’s behind the Mexican with his gun ready to fire and I take mine out of safety.

  Allen holds his gun out to the side and drops it. Quickly, I slide over and pick it up. “Listen, you don’t want to make this any harder than it needs to be!”

  The Mexican guy yells: “That fucking dumb bitch!”

  There are these little hairs on the back of my neck that are sticking up as he said that. “Who are you talking about?” He better not be talking about Liz. I will gut him right here.

  Once I have the gun locked away, I slip it in my holster just as the backup shows up. The three of them have their guns pulled and I’m waiting for them to circle the thugs.

  “That mother fucking nurse! She can’t keep her damn mouth shut.”

  “Jose!” Allen yells and steps closer to me.

  “Stay where you are!” Malik yells and cocks his gun. “I will shoot.”

  I get closer to Jose and say in his ear: “You’ve gotta be the dumbest mother fucker ever. For real.”

  Kent drops his weapon and raises his hands in the air. “Shit, it’s the cop from two weeks ago. God damn it, Allen! We are so fucked!” It’s obvious that this one is the weak one because he’s running his mouth.

  “Mother fucker! Shut your fucking mouth.”

  I’m walking towards Allen who is about to lose it. By the time I get to him, he’s thrusting the gun in my face like a crazy person. “Don’t come any closer, pig!”

  Baron’s got Kent on the ground and in cuffs by the time I circle the brother. Two brothers taking down two other brothers. Isn’t this interesting? We get them in the car and are driving to the station. The third one that was apart of the altercation has been taken in by Malik. Luckily he was almost here by that time that we needed to get him in cuffs.

  We’re at the station in a half hour and we hand them off to the intake. It’s a fast situation and by the time we get to our precinct, it’s time for paperwork and time to leave. My mind is stuck on Liz. Both Lizs.

  Old Liz is god knows where. It’s been a couple of years since she and I had been together and it’s difficult for me to imagine if we would still be together. I should have fucking known better that she wanted more than me. Damien fucking Alexander came into the picture and she dropped her panties for him pretty fast.

  What is it about girls named Liz? Why do they feel the need to fuck everyone? And why the hell do I feel the need to save them? I wouldn’t say I have a hero complex, but I am starting to think that there is something more going on with it.

  Baron goes out to the bar, and I sit at home watching Breaking Bad. It’s a good show to get lost into and it takes my mind off of Liz.

  I must be a masochist because I pick up my phone and look at t
he tracker I have on Liz’s phone. She’s at a diner with probably Audrey and someone else. I have a feeling that Audrey is seeing someone and you better believe that I have every intention on finding out who this asshole is. He better not have anything on his damn record or he’s gone. My baby sister deserves a prince and that is what she’s going to get.

  There’s keys in the door and the front door slams open. I see Baron come through the door with some girl around his waist. As I look closer from my place on the couch, I see that it’s Jerry. Her hair is out of the normal pony and she’s stuck on Baron like glue. I wonder if she has an open relationship with Liz or if they stopped seeing each other. Before I could ask, my whore of a brother cuts in.