This story was, as I’m sure many before it also were, a seemingly never ending work-in-progress. A few years (my pride won’t allow me to say exactly how many) went into starting, stopping, restarting, erasing, starting again, finally finishing, editing, and re-editing before I said, “Enough.” And that doesn’t even include all the time spent querying agents (my pride won’t allow me to say exactly how much).
Needless to say, though, it’s gone unpublished. However, despite the rejection and the long, sometimes frustrating hours spent staring dumbly at the screen, fat-fingering words I was just going to cut later anyway, and being convinced this was the worst damned thing ever put to paper, so to speak, I did genuinely enjoy the process as well as the finished product and I think it would be unfair to Lobredo if it never saw the light of day.
So, here’s to hoping it’s not the worst damned thing ever put to paper…
Chapter 1
Dezzy Lowe laid back on the pillow and sighed frustratedly as beads of sweat formed on her bare chest. From the bathroom, the phone call that had interrupted her playtime devolved into a full-blown shouting match, the once promising evening looking more and more like another waste of her time. Even worse, her high was wearing off and the sluggishness of coming down, mingled with the cruel, late-August heat, made her eyes heavy with sleep.
At least the cheap bastard could turn the AC on.
“That’s not what we agreed on, Milo!” her boyfriend shouted from the other side of the door.
The small, upstairs bedroom was like an oven, even well past midnight, and she didn’t feel like lying here naked for however long this little drama would take. Judging by the yelling, whenever it finally ended her boyfriend would be too pissed off to fool around, and she’d likely be too sober.
Abandoning any hope for a fun night, she put her clothes back on, picked up her phone, and scrolled through her contacts until she found who she was looking for.
U up? she typed before setting the phone down and walking to the open window.
A feeble breeze blew, but it was so stuffy and dusty it actually made the heat even more onerous. The streetlamp on the corner flickered a bit, it’s vulgar orange light disappearing and reappearing for a few seconds at a time before finally sputtering out altogether.
From her vantage point, she could see a few blocks of the downtown area less than a quarter mile away. No cars drove, no people walked, no “open” signs smoldered in their neon garishness. It looked as quiet as it sounded.
“I’ve gotta get out of this town.”
Her phone buzzed and she realized the pissing match had quieted down some, reduced to a tense mumbling sound. She sat back down on the edge of the bed and read the text reply.
Yeah. Everything ok?
She started to type something back, but then remembered her messages would probably be checked later on and she didn’t want to deal with the hassle of just deleting them all when she was done. She pressed the “call” button.
“Hey, Dez,” the woman on the other end greeted after a couple rings. “How’s the date going?”
“Ugh,” Dezzy groaned. “Things were just heating up and then he got a phone call. He’s been in the bathroom arguing for the last ten minutes and now my buzz is gone.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie.”
“I always fall for it, don’t I, Case? They sweet-talk me and I fall for them and then they turn into assholes.”
“Sounds like it’s more than just the phone call.”
Dezzy sighed as the arguing picked back up again. “I guess I really haven’t told you everything. It hasn’t been quite as romantic as I said.”
“How so?”
“Well,” she said, flinching as a loud bang resonated from the bathroom, like a fist hitting the wall. “He’s kind of…scary…sometimes. Like, that was part of what made him fun when we first met, but he was also really charming and sweet. The last few weeks, though, he’s been different.”
“Are you ok? Do I need to come get you?”
Dezzy laid back on the bed. “No, it’s not like that. He doesn’t even yell or get mad at me. He just gets kind of cold, I guess. Like, he’ll give me these blank looks out of nowhere sometimes that I just can’t read. It gives me the creeps. I don’t know, maybe it’s a sign that I need to finally find a nice guy. You know some nice guys, right? You know, those boring ones with good jobs who always buy you flowers and tell you how pretty you are.”
This was met with sad laughter. “If I did I wouldn’t still be single myself, but you could come to church with me and my parents on Sunday. Maybe you’ll get lucky.”
“No thanks,” Dezzy replied abruptly. “I don’t want ‘em that boring. But I think I am gonna break this one off. I’m tired of the ups and downs. I want something stable.”
The conversation from the bathroom took on a different tone, like it was on the verge of finally wrapping up. The only thing she could distinctly hear, though, were the words “tomorrow night.”
“I gotta go, Casey. He’s coming.”
“Well, let me know if you need a ride. I’ll have my phone on.”
“I might do that if I end up dumping his worthless ass. I’m gonna try and get some lovin’ first, though, since it’s the only thing he’s good for. He probably won’t care if I leave him after that.”
“Be careful,” Casey said, worry in her voice.
“I will. Thanks.”
Dezzy hung up just as the bathroom door opened. Out walked a disheveled young man wearing only blue jeans. His very skinny frame was covered in prison-tier tattoos and a variety of piercings and his spiky hair was flat in some places. His eyes were narrow and his jaw was clenched. A look of irritation flashed behind his eyes when he saw her.
“Jesus, Kid,” she said. “What was that all about?”
“Why’d you get dressed? I told you I’d only be a few minutes.”
“Which was, like, fifteen minutes ago. Besides, you sounded mad. I didn’t think you’d be in the mood anymore.”
“I’ll decide when I’m in the fucking mood or not, ok?”
“Excuse me?” she snapped. “What’s your problem? You were the one who got me all hot and bothered and then left to take a damn phone call. You know, I don’t know what your deal is lately, but I’m sick of it. Maybe it’s time we called it quits.”
She stood up, but he hurried over to her, putting his arms around her even as she tried half-heartedly to pull away.
“Come on, baby girl. I’m sorry, that was just business. It’s not your fault and I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you. Please don’t go.”
His tone had softened and he gave her that puppy-dog look that always broke her down.
“What kind of business?” she asked, feeling her will slip a bit.
“Come on, now. You know we don’t talk about that stuff. Don’t I buy you nice things and take you to nice places?”
“Like what? Road trips to Portland or Spokane so we can have dinner at Olive Garden?”
He looked annoyed again for a second, but it passed. “Look, once all this stuff with my uncle blows over and I start making real money I’m gonna take you on a trip, baby girl. You said you always wanted to go to Mexico, right?”
Her eyes lit up. “Cancun?”
“Sure thing, baby girl. Whatever you want.”
He leaned in and kissed her neck, slowly moving upward until his teeth playfully found her earlobe. She silently scolded herself, knowing that she was being played like a fiddle again. As soon as he got what he wanted, he’d go back to being an asshole again just like he always did. Just like all of them did.
“No,” she interrupted, pushing him away. “Not again.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, looking hurt or angry or maybe a bit of both.
“I mean I’m not doing this anymore where I let you treat me like shit and then wriggle out of it. Men have been doing this to me my whole life.”
He laughed. “Your whole life? You’re only eighteen. How many men are we talking, here?”
“That’s none of your damn business! Fuck it, I’m out of here.”
She again started toward the door and he again moved to block her.
“Baby girl, don’t go! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I love you, please don’t go!”
“Get out of my way, Kid. I’m serious. I deserve better.”
“What if we go away together? Tomorrow night, you and me. We’ll hop in the car and just go.”
“And where would we go? You gonna drive me all the way to Cancun?”
“Well,” he stammered. “Maybe we could go somewhere a little closer for now, just because it’s such short notice.”
She threw her hands up. “Forget it.”
“No, seriously,” he pleaded, grabbing her. “Somewhere fun, though. Not the usual stuff. What about Denver, huh? You like the mountains. We’ll drive all night and then and then find a little place to pull over and make love while the sun comes up over the Rockies. Doesn’t that sound nice?”
Again her resolve took a hit as just the thought of what he said sent up a torrent of electric butterflies in her stomach and made her head swoon a little.
Why can’t I fight this?
“Come on,” he continued, gently running a finger along the cleft where her thigh met her hip. “We’ll go shopping and get you a nice, new dress for our big date tomorrow night.”
“What date?” she asked, trying vainly to sound defiant.
“I know a place. Very elegant, very expensive. Just a glass of wine costs more than a whole meal at Olive Garden.”
“And what’s stopping us from going right now, Mr. Spontaneous?”
He sighed, appearing to weigh how much he should tell her. “Well, that’s what the phone call was about. I have something to take care of tomorrow, but it’s gonna make us a lot of money, baby girl. And once Uncle Doug gets arrested I’m gonna run this county. I’ll show you the kind of lifestyle a queen like you deserves. Come on, just a quick stop in Boise tomorrow night and then we’re on our way.”
She held her ground, knowing that she didn’t feel as strong as she was trying to look and sure that he could see right through her.
“Look, have a seat,” he appealed to her sweetly. “I’ll go make us a drink and we’ll just sit and talk about it. No funny business, I swear.”
He made a show of crossing his heart and she rolled her eyes, smiling in spite of herself.
“That’s my baby girl. I’ll be right back.”
Dezzy swore under her breath as he slipped out of the room. A glance over at her phone sent a pang of guilt up her spine, a feeling that somehow she was letting Casey down a little. Something inside her screamed to pick up the phone and call for a ride, but a different something held her back and she knew exactly what it was. She was going to fall for his usual honeyed words and earlobe nibbling, and she hated herself for it.
He strolled back in a moment later, a mischievous look on his face, and handed her a glass with a light-brownish liquid inside. She knew it was another Long Island Iced Tea, her favorite, which she drank lustfully and almost immediately felt a rush to her brain.
He sat down next to her on the bed, putting his hand on her leg in a gesture that was more affectionate than sexual.
“Better?” he asked as he leaned in and kissed her.
In a final act of resignation, she moaned eagerly and sank into him. The kiss seemed to go on and on forever before a strange sensation began to creep into the back of her head. At first she chalked it up to the booze, but it became stronger and stronger until finally it hit her like a wave and a feeling of euphoric warmth spread over her whole body.
Pleasant though it was, it also made her physically weak to the point where she suddenly had difficulty lifting her arms.
“Hey, whuss innis drink?” she asked, aware that her words were slurred far beyond what they should have been.
“It’s just your usual, baby girl. Long Island with a dash of grenadine.”
The room, now growing blurry, tilted and spun as panic grabbed ahold of Dezzy.
“No, Kid. Sumthums wrung. You did suh…”
But the weight of fatigue silenced her and she fell back on the bed, unable to move or even make a sound. Helpless to stop anything, she lay still as he rolled over on top of her. Her vision dimmed, making his features appear even more distorted, but she could tell he was smiling.
“Don’t worry, baby girl,” she heard him say as dimness slowly faded to black. “The Kid’s gonna take good care of you.”
If you made it this far, thanks for reading and let me know what you thought. Chapter 2 next week.
Also, because it seems like having a quote somewhere is the thing to do, I’ll add one that I’ve been using a lot lately.