Naked or Dead

by Murphy, A. E.

  “Let me have it. I’ll get rid of it.” He sounds and looks genuine. “Let it be my burden. You’ll get into serious shit with somebody else’s gun in your possession.”

  With flat lips and an even flatter stare, I click my tongue against my palate and curb my temper.

  I’m no damsel. I take care of business myself.

  “Why are you here, Nok?”

  “This is me paying you back for last night.”

  “By fixing my bike?” I ask incredulously. “No, this is you inserting yourself into my life when I didn’t ask for your help.”

  A muscle in his jaw flexes.

  “I’m not sure that you’ve noticed, but Justin is doing all the leg work.” I grin a genuinely sadistic grin and stand so we’re almost at equal height, putting my weight onto the tips of my toes, brushing my chest against his.

  “It’s Joseph,” Joseph replies but we both ignore him.

  “From what I’ve heard, you natives like to owe favors when people do things for you. And I did some pretty big things for you last night.” I walk my fingers up his chest like I did last night and tap him on the tip of his perfect nose. “You owe me. Like it or not. And I will cash that in eventually. You do not get to say when.”

  “What about me? Do I owe you?” Joseph asks, looking way too excited as Nokosi glares so intently at me I feel the heat burning my profile.

  “Yep.”

  “Awesome.”

  I laugh but then stop, worried my sister might hear. I look up at her bedroom window, but the drapes are drawn shut.

  “Who’s upstairs?” Nok asks, following my line of sight.

  “None of your business, that’s who.”

  He stares at the window for the longest time, until I feel like pushing his face away.

  Joseph with his cute dimples and shining hazel eyes pulls a face behind Nok’s back. I snigger to myself and walk towards the truck. I open the passenger side and climb up without permission, surprised when Nok charges at me, grabs my hips, and yanks me back down so hard my entire body collides with his.

  Unfortunately for him I really don’t like it when people sneak up on me, especially not after he got the drop on me in school. I react instinctively by bringing my elbow up and jabbing him in his throat. He moved in time for me to not accidentally collapse his esophagus, but he still chokes and cups his neck.

  “Don’t sneak up on me,” I snap, pressing my back to his truck and holding myself.

  He continues to act like he can breathe despite the fact he clearly can’t.

  “Dude,” Joseph mutters, looking concerned. “You okay?”

  With red eyes Nok nods and looks at his friend. “Fine,” he husks, his voice breathy and hardly there.

  “You both need to go,” I snap, feeling edgy and irritated. My anxiety has been triggered.

  They don’t move.

  “Now,” I snarl. “Go. I can fix my own damn bike.”

  “I’m almost done.”

  “Go,” I yell, tucking my trembling hands into my pockets.

  Nokosi grabs Joseph by the collar and yanks him to standing.

  “Don’t come back here,” I shout after them, looking around me to double check that nobody is listening in. I’m not in the mood for any more invasions of privacy and personal space today.

  “She’s a bit loco,” Joseph mutters as he climbs into the car and I resist throwing a wrench at his head.

  I look at my phone in my stained hand when a text comes through. It helps to take my mind off everything that just happened.

  But when I see it’s from my sister, I glare up at her bedroom window, directly at the part where the curtain is twitching.

  Willow: Why do you put yourself through this?

  Lilith: Go back to sleep. You need your rest.

  Willow: *Insert middle finger here*

  I laugh through my nose and look at the road where the truck no longer is.

  Then I finish my bike myself.

  I can breathe again now that they’re gone.

  I can’t say the same for Nokosi, however. I bet he won’t sneak up on me again.

  “Heyyyy!” Winona calls when she sees me exit the tree line. I wave back and hit the track. This place is contagious, the weather is perfect, the views are beautiful, and the school isn’t terrible, it’s making me almost wish I didn’t have to leave.

  My bike is fixed so all is right with the world again. It took me less time than expected. So much so that I got to sit and watch my sister pick her food, dose herself, and pass out. Mom didn’t come home either, but she did text me telling me she’d be home later and not to wait up.

  I don’t plan on waiting up for her but chances are I’ll get home later than she does.

  About twenty minutes and two sweet runs later, I stop and head over to where Nash is.

  “Watched you clear that double, that was sweet,” Nash says as he raises his knuckles for a fist bump that I reciprocate. “You’ve been watching and learning.”

  “That and I’ve memorized the track,” I pant after ripping my helmet from my head. “And I fixed my bike.”

  “She sounds a lot healthier.”

  I grin and sit beside him on a log with a mat tossed over it. “She does, doesn’t she?”

  “So…” He bumps his shoulder against mine. “How are you liking Lakeside and Westoria?”

  “Beautiful places, if not a bit lackluster.”

  He chuckles and digs his heel into the muddy ground, making a rivet in the earth. “I feel you. There’s not much to do around these parts. Though we do have a drive-in.”

  I blink with surprise and slight excitement. “You do?”

  “It plays mostly crappy movies. Older horrors. But they do amazing fries and popcorn.” He bumps me again. “Maybe you’d like to—”

  We both startle when Nok suddenly slams his booted foot into the narrow space between us. He nudges his brother, forcing him to move and stands fully on the log, cups his hands around his mouth and howls at the sky like a wolf.

  Everyone stops what they’re doing to join in. Everyone but me.

  Howl upon howl sound around us. It’s amazing, but also crazy.

  Then he just stops and sits between us, his hip against mine. He rests forward, arms on his knees, hands clasped, biceps bulging, eyes on the track.

  “Why do you smell so good?” I ask, scowling at him. I don’t know why I verbalized my inner musings, but I did and now I really fucking regret it.

  Nash looks over his brother’s shoulders at me, realization in his eyes though what that realization is goes beyond my mind-reading capabilities and Nok smirks sideways at me. He looks as smug as ever.

  I need to fix this.

  “You should smell like ass and brimstone to match your soul.”

  Nash laughs, Nok’s smirk vanishes.

  He keeps his eyes on the track and I take this moment to look over his forward leaning body to seek out Nash.

  “Nash? You were saying?”

  He glances at Nok and then clicks his tongue against his palate. “Just that there’s a movie on tomorrow night.”

  “What movie?”

  “Zombie Warrior or something like that.”

  I hum and think about it before replying, “I do love a bad zombie film.”

  His brown eyes light up with a small amount of excitement. He seems to be fighting a smile. “So maybe I can pick you up at around seven?”

  Oh shit. I wasn’t ready for that. Not at all. “Umm…”

  Nok looks at me sideways again, his smirk has gone. Is he waiting for my answer? This is so fucking awkward. I don’t know what to say. If we were alone, I’d just tell Nash no, but we’re not and for some reason I care about Nok’s reaction.

  Not to mention I have a goal and dating Nash would mess with that.

  I blow a breath through my nose and bite hard on my lip for a moment before replying honestly, “I’m not a good person, Nash, and you are.”

  “Maybe I could be a good inf
luence?” He hasn’t fully lost hope, but the excitement has left his eyes.

  “I don’t wanna be good.” I stand and stretch and put my helmet back on my head before he can question me further. “I’m not your type.” I throw my leg over my bike and kickstart it.

  It seems I’ve inadvertently attracted the wrong brother.

  Fuck.

  * * *

  “Hey, Mom,” I say around a yawn the next morning when I find her standing at the sink, having just finished cleaning our dishes from the day. Saves me doing them.

  “Hey, sweet girl,” she replies, her eyes tired and sad. “I miss you.”

  “I miss you too.” I move to the refrigerator and drink some OJ straight from the carton.

  “Can you pick up the groceries for me today?” she asks, smoothing back her dark hair and yanking her ponytail tighter.

  I close the refrigerator and look at the list on the door. “Sure. Is there enough money in the jar?”

  “Seems to be a little bit extra,” she comments, wiping her hands on her white apron.

  “Oh, yeah, I did a job for a neighbor and they paid me.” I’m so good at lying. I hate how good I am at it, but I can hardly admit I robbed men at gunpoint in a local gas station.

  She smiles with so much love it makes my heart ache. “That’s so good of you, sweetie. I knew you’d be helpful. We have to look after each other in this life.”

  I grab the list and stuff it into a pocket on the outside of my bag.

  “Are you going back to work?”

  “Not yet.” She cups my cheek with her cold hand, her skin so soft her touch is but a whisper. “I’ll be here when you get home.”

  “How much time do we have until we leave again?”

  She shrugs, her dull gray eyes look sympathetic for a moment. “That all depends.”

  “It always does.”

  “But a maximum of four weeks I’d say.”

  “Of course,” I grit and adjust the strap of my bag so it’s comfier. “Not long then.”

  “Our little world is changing at such a rapid pace,” she replies, following me to the door.

  “I know. I’m just tired of moving.”

  “It won’t be for much longer.”

  I’ve heard that before but there’s always just one more place, one more thing she needs to do.

  Grumbling under my breath, I leave, pulling the door closed behind me and then turning to lock it. Mom could do it, but I like to be in the habit.

  I make my way to school, taking my dad’s car as always, wondering if the police will ever come asking about the truckers and that night. I’ve not been worried about it because I know they’d never tell, but that cashier kid might have, though I’m certain I put the fear of Satan into him.

  It is what it is. If I get ratted out, I get ratted out.

  When lunchtime comes, I sit under the tree and text my sister. It’s peaceful here. Nobody notices me, everybody is too busy doing their own thing. I don’t know what it is about this tree that makes me feel more grounded. This place is full of trees and beautiful serene places. But at school, this is my safe space.

  “Belegana,” Nokosi says, looking down at me.

  “I know what that means,” I say, still looking at my phone. “Nash told me.”

  Chuckling, he sits too, resting his back against the tree with just inches of the rough, curved bark separating us. “I don’t like you.”

  I smile at my sneakers, unoffended and amused. “I don’t like you either.”

  “But you’re strong, and brave, and honest. I respect that.”

  I look at him and he looks at me, a moment passes between us. One of understanding. A sinking feeling of dread soaks up the warmth I feel from the monumental moment.

  “And you turned my brother down.”

  I look away, scowling at those who are staring at us as though they have any right to this private moment.

  “Why?”

  I turn and so does he, he rests his head back slightly, so his cheek is level with the tree. He’s so cleanly shaven. So handsome.

  “He’s not my type,” I reply, going for honesty, still scanning his face, following the shallow dips beneath his cheekbones and the sharp edge of his jaw. His eyes are hooded, relaxed, an acorn brown ringed by a striking dark chocolate.

  “I’m your type,” he states boldly, his soft-looking lips twitch into that familiar, arrogant smirk.

  Laughing, I shake my head at him. “No, you’re not.”

  “Why not? Every girl I’ve ever met wants to sleep with me.”

  I look him directly in the eyes, he really is so fucking arrogant. “Not me.”

  He narrows his gaze. “I don’t believe you.”

  “It’s true, Nok. I’m not into you. I’m not into anyone.”

  He shifts and I know I’ve frustrated him. He doesn’t like not being wanted, he’s so used to being fawned over and he’s probably not afraid to admit it. “Is it just dating you’re not into? Because I’m not about to try and take you to the movies.”

  That’s an admission that he wants to fuck me, it’s backwards but it’s there.

  This is it. I have him.

  “It’s not that either. I just…” I look up at the sky and squint against the sun. “It’s not you, it’s me.”

  “What about you makes you not want to date?”

  “Not just date, I don’t fuck either.”

  “Are you a virgin?”

  I shake my head. “No. Nothing like that.”

  His breath leaves him and then he asks on a whisper, “Are you into girls?” His thick brows furrow with curiosity and intrigue.

  “No.”

  “Then why don’t you want to sleep with me? Everyone wants to sleep with me.” He grins, only half joking in a smug way. Because just not being into him can’t be a possibility, I’d have to be a lesbian or a prude.

  “Not me,” I respond, folding my arms and raising my chin.

  He looks so entirely perplexed. “And why not?”

  Hook. “Because.”

  “Because…?”

  Line. “I’ve heard how big you are.”

  His lips stretch into a smile, uncovering his perfect teeth. I just batted his ego out of the ballpark. “And that’s a problem because?”

  Sinker. “Because I’m really tight. Extremely.”

  He laughs once, a quick, startled sound but then he sees I’m not joking. His smile fades and his eyes lose all arrogance and harshness. I just killed his brain.

  “How tight?” His voice is hoarse. He swallows audibly.

  I take his hand in mine and uncurl his forefinger from his fist. Then I wrap my hand around it and squeeze. “That tight.”

  When I’m thoroughly convinced that all he can now think about is wrapping my legs around his waist, I release him and stand. The bell will ring soon anyway, and I need to use the facilities. All this talk of sleeping with him has gotten me worked up too.

  “See you later, Nokosi Locklear.”

  He doesn’t respond, he just remains under the tree, staring after me as I all but skip away.

  I almost have him where I want him.

  Almost.

  Now I’ve just got to figure out my next step. Nokosi Locklear is going down.

  “Miss Deville,” a voice calls from the reception as I pass.

  I stop and look at the sour-faced secretary.

  “Can you come here for a moment?”

  I nod and follow her, listening to the sound of her kitten heels clicking on the wooden floor.

  I stop at this side of her desk as she goes around the other side and shuffles a few papers around.

  “I’m struggling to locate your schoolwork from your prior schools. I know you’ve already done most of your finals, but in order for you to finish the year and graduate I really need a record of them.”

  I sigh heavily. “We have this same problem everywhere I go.”

  “Is it something you can chase up yourself? You might have more l
uck.”

  Smiling, I nod and tap my fingers on the desk. “I was just going to suggest that exact thing. Give me a couple of weeks, is that okay?”

  “That’s fine, if not you’ll have to redo the year so far.”

  I nod again and turn towards the door.

  “Also,” she adds softly. “There’s no record of you at the last two schools you listed.”

  Fuck.

  “Yeah, that happens too. We move so much that a lot of time I get into a school and then straight out of it again. I’ll be out of here in a few weeks too. Don’t worry yourself about it.”

  She looks unsure. “What about your mom? Is it something she can handle?”

  “She’s busy working.”

  She clucks, unhappy about that but doesn’t argue.

  “Okay. Enjoy the rest of your day, Miss Deville.” She nods for me to go and clicks away on her computer. I leave, letting my chest deflate from the relief that the encounter is over. She looks so bitter with her pursed lips and scowling eyes.

  “Jesus,” I snap when I almost walk into Nokosi who is standing to the right of the door. “Don’t do that.”

  “Which school did you go to last?” he asks, falling into step beside me.

  “Why?”

  “Just curious.”

  “Salt Lake High.”

  He looks surprised. “Nevada?”

  I nod and tuck my pink hair behind my ears.

  “How long were you there?”

  “I don’t know, a few weeks, maybe?”

  “So how long are you here?”

  Grinning, I peer up at him. “A few weeks, maybe? I don’t know, Nok. Why are you so interested?”

  “Wait… Salt Lake High?” He looks lost in thought for a moment. “A girl died there, right?”

  I stop and think back to my time there. “I don’t know. Lots of people die in lots of places.”

  “Yeah, but this was different. She was murdered. I think. Is it the same place?”

  “Maybe, I don’t know, I didn’t do a history check while I was there.” To be honest, Salt Lake High isn’t my last school, it’s one of the first ones I attended, but I don’t ever remember a girl being murdered there. He’s probably remembering wrong. “Anything else?”