Devious (6 page)

“Get out of my house.”

He stood up and grabbed my shoulders. “I HATE YOU.” With no force at all, he threw me onto my bed and he loosened his pants. I knew exactly what he was attempting to do—because it was not the first time.

I jumped out of bed and threw anything from my desk at him as he chased me. I grabbed my boots and tried to run for the door, but he yanked me by my hair. I fell to the hard floor, banging my head causing me to see tiny stars.

I tried to crawl away from him but he pulled me by my hair again toward my room. I screamed in agony, telling him I would do anything he wanted.

“You know what I want, Leanna!” he screamed. “Come over here!”

“I cannot believe I even liked someone like you. You are shit!” I shouted. While he tried to get his balance, I ran to the front door. I did not hear him coming after me, so I took my time putting my boots on.

“Leanna!” he shouted and I ran outside to the only place I could call home.

I banged on Christian’s house door, with tears flooding my eyes. I banged harder and harder because no one was coming to the door. I began to scream and the neighbor's dog began to bark.

The door flew open and I instantly stopped crying. “You know, there is a door bell,” joked Christian’s father, Johnny. But, he did not notice how shaken I was. He let me inside his bright home and I began to cry again.

“Oh my dear, is everything okay?” Johnny asked. “Do you need me to call the police?”

Christian came out into the living room and he ran to my side. “What is going on, Leanna?”

I stayed silent and rested my head on Johnny's shoulder. He gave me a pack of tissue as snot slid down his shirt.

“Did someone attack you?” Christian asked. “Leanna answer me!”

“Tyler attacked me!” I finally spoke. “He is drunk and tried to rape me.”

“And why are you calm about this?” Johnny said. “I've got a gun I can threaten him with. I won't use it but I’ll sure scare him.”

“Dad stop it!” Christian said. “I'll go kick his ass!”

“No, it's okay. I knew it was a mistake to come here. I'll go back home. I’m sure he left by now,” I said.

“Fuck that!” Johnny said. “You're staying here with us. We won't let you go back to that home alone. I cannot believe your Mama let you stay here alone in the first place. She knew what could happen to you.”

“But, what if he is the murderer,” I said.

“He's not,” Christian said.

“But, what if he is?”

“He's not!” he snapped. “Now you need to get some sleep. I won't let you miss another day of school.”

Christian walked me into the guest room that I could tell had never been used. He gave me one of his old shirts and a towel so I could take a shower.

“I'll see you tomorrow,” he kissed my forehead and then left the room.

I shut the door because all I could hear was Johnny watching
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
. I went into the clean bathroom and decided I would take a bath instead of a shower.

As the warm water ran, I checked my phone for any missed calls from Mama—but she did not call me. I put my ear-buds in so I could listen to music through my cell phone and got undressed. The tub was nearly full and the bubbles were about to spill over. So, I got inside and my body felt like a cloud.

I knew Tyler went to the bar and told all the men that I made a move on him again. Then, I would have all these overage men hitting on me in the morning. If I knew better, I should have left Tyler years ago—well, more like when I was fifteen. I should have known then that he was trouble—back then, he was a nineteen year old wanting young meat like me.

The beginning of our relationship was like any great love story. He bought me cute gifts, complemented me, and even gave me diamonds. But, then the complements stopped, and the rude nagging begun. He would tell me that I was getting fat, and not take me out to eat. He would ask me why I was not like all the other women—but I was a teenager; developing and barely understanding life. He wanted me to be bad like his other friend's girlfriends. They would go to jail for their man, steal for their man, and go smoke with their man.

I did not know what his definition of “bad” was, because those “women” were the definition of ignorance. I had my fair share of ignorance, but I was way above them—academically and mentally.

As my thoughts went haywire, I dozed off in the soothing water. The only way I knew I did was because I awoke in the morning in my bed.

I squinted my eyes from the beaming sun. I waited a few minutes to gather all my energy that I would need for the entire day.

I stretched and was amazed that I had fresh clean clothes on—clothes that were at my home. I got out of bed, searching the home for Christian or Johnny. No one was around, but I could hear lots of voices that sounded far away.

I rushed to the front door, where once again nearly the entire town was standing—someone must have been killed again. My heart dropped as I thought about Christian, who was nowhere around. I ran to the crowd and everyone was staring at me.

“Leanna!” yelled Johnny. “Why don't you come over here with me!”

“What happened? Is Christian okay? Did someone die?” I cried as I tried to walk, but he was holding me back. “Talk to me, Johnny!”

The screams of multiple people made me want to know why, but no one was telling me anything. I soon noticed the crowd led to my clean lawn. My mind went into panic mode as I thought about all the possibilities.

My heart skipped a beat as I saw Christian running to me, “I'm glad you are okay.” He said as he hugged me. “I'm sorry.”

“Honey, what happened?” I said. “I was so worried about you!”

“Let's go back to the house, okay? Come on,” he said as he pulled me away from the scene.

“NO!” I yelled. “I want to know what happened!”

“You really want to know?” he said.

“YES!”

“Tyler died.”

I paused in disbelief. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, his body was discovered on your lawn just like the others. That's why I don't want you going over there. Come inside, okay?”

Words could not explain how guilty I felt. I was so angry with him, but I did not want someone mad at me to die like that. I was going to talk to him that day, but I was too late. “Did you kill him?” I asked as Tyler pulled me to walk away from the scene.

“Leanna, are you serious?” he laughed. “Oh shit, you're serious.”

“I've been worrying about you since we met. I’ve never seen you in this town until that one day, then you have all these guns. And apparently all of them were killed with guns. And I’m sure you have some connection with the black market to sell clean blood. I also know you were really pissed off last night because he hurt me.”

“I did not kill him. I don't have the stomach for it. Don't you think I would be a psycho killer who would try to kill you now.”

“Maybe you're saving me for last,” I said. “You look like you can be a killer.”

“I know you don't mean what you are saying because you wouldn't be crazy enough to sit here and talk to me. I really like you, I even think I’m falling for you. I just want you to trust me.”

I sighed, “I do trust you. Well, I can't really trust anyone in this town,” I whispered. “And thanks for taking me out the tub last night. I must have been so tired that I fell asleep.”

“Um, what?”

“Ew, please don't say Johnny took me out?”

“Um, that would be impossible because we went down to the bar to get some drinks. When we came home you were already in bed.”

I narrowed my eyes. “How long were you at the bar?”

“Not that long...okay maybe like an hour, but you know how it gets at the bar sometime. The men can start some good conversations.”

“Hmm...I just have a bad headache. I should go lay down.”

Christian gave me a hug and a kiss. “I know it's been a tough time. Maybe you should try contacting your mother. You need someone besides me to talk to. She cannot be that busy.”

I gave him a kiss again. “I just have a lot of stress all of a sudden.”

“I know you probably don't want to go to school today. I'll go get some food from a fast food place and I'll buy you some tea,” he said as he stroked my hair. “I love you.”

It was a sickening moment to say such beautiful words. I choked up and I could feel my tears coming like a tidal wave. I put my hands over my face and began to cry. I was not crying because of happiness, but because my first love was now dead.

And he was watching me—moving on.

Chapter 6

Summertime Sadness

I packed all the things that reminded me of Tyler and put them in a box. I felt a little dizzy as I lifted the heavy box and dropped it to the floor. I smiled at the first teddy bear he had given me. He won it at a pig race two years ago. He had painted the teddy bear in zebra print because he knew it was my favorite.

I opened my closet and in shock I picked up Tyler's baseball cap. Tyler never left his things with me, especially an autographed baseball cap that was probably worth a good amount of cash. I held the cap and water fell out of it. I threw the cap to the floor and groaned. “That is sick.”

Tyler liked to play tricks on me when he was alive. He would sneak into my home and he would have Mama play along with him. She would send me to my room and all of a sudden I would hear some scratching noises or little meows. Then, I would search my closet like an idiot and he would pop out and scream. I hated when he did that, and I got him back a few times. Never as good as he got me, but mine always had better endings.

“I'm home!” The sound of Derek running throughout my home, made me want to cry—maybe he did not know yet. I wanted to be rude and tell him “this is not your home” but it was already a tough time.

Derek stood in my doorway, with a dirty white shirt and old ripped jeans. He had a bag of tacos he bought from the corner, when you just enter Riverbed. Under his arm he had a bag full of 'get better' and 'I’m sorry' cards.

“Derek, I have to tell you something,” I said as I approached him in my evening gown. “It's about Tyler...”

“I already know, doll. How do you think I got out of jail? I had over twenty people willing to pay for me to get out so I can see my dead son's body. It's a shame pretty boy had to die so ugly,” he said as he ate some tacos. “I know you and him had tough times but I really would appreciate it if you and me could—”

I rolled my eyes. “You are just like the other men. You should leave now. You're not wanted here.” I sat on the couch, waiting for him to leave. Not only that, but he made my house smell like cheap taco sauce. “And to think Mama wanted you to help me out.”

Derek sat close to me on the couch, with his eyes on my perfect cleavage. “I can take you places and treat you like a pearl. I’m a way better man than Tyler ever was. I think it might be a blessing in disguise that he is now dead!”

I shoved him away realizing he was drunk, but he grabbed my wrists. “Let me go! You are disgusting. I’m only seventeen.”

In shock, Derek could not believe I broke his grip. I stood over him and smacked him across his sweaty face. Then, I smacked him again from the other direction.

He dropped his taco and pushed me back. “No woman puts their hands on me.”

Just as he was about to attack me, I shoved him back onto the couch and perfectly wrapped my hands around his neck. I tugged on him harder, and harder, until he turned purple.

But, something told me to let go—so, I stopped. I stared in amazement at my own hands. Who knew I was that strong and powerful?

Derek gasped for air and then tried to yell at me. “You...you...crazy...bitch!” He threw the remaining taco shell he had at my face, but he missed. “What drugs are you on?”

“I told you to leave me alone!”

“You did not have to choke me,” he cried. “Are you crazy? Oh, wait, I just discovered you are!” He ran out the home and then spit in my doorway. “Bitch!” He headed toward the bar—to tell everyone what just happened. Of course, he would probably change the story a bit to make him sound like the innocent one. And he would not let me get away with what I did. He liked to see me suffer.

I collapsed on the couch in amazement and fear. I did not know the power I had. I imagined all the fights I could have won if I knew I was that mighty. I would not need a man's strength to protect me.

As I dazed off, the colors in the room began to get brighter and brighter—I screamed as loud as I could, covering my eyes. I went to close my curtains that was letting the dim street lights shine through my window. As I sat back down, my phone rang and it was Mama.

“Hello?” I cried. “Mama?”

“Oh my gosh! I cannot believe Tyler was murdered! I’m coming home right now!” she cried. “I heard his body was found on our lawn! Baby, I cannot imagine how you must feel. I should have never come here in the first place. I’m such a bad mother.”

“I feel dizzy and lightheaded.”