by Raathi Chota
“But everyone deserves a second chance, and I’m willing to give you guys one last chance,” I mumbled. Small smiles appeared on their faces as Liam pulled me in for a hug.
“Thank you!” he cheered like a seven year old. Aidan appeared with our food, but he didn’t even glance at me.
“So, Willson, tell us why were you running around like Cinderella when she left her shoe?” Nick asked with a mouthful of food. I took a deep breath and told them everything from the day when Miranda went home early to the night of Homecoming. They already knew about the bet, since they overheard Marcus and Ethan talk about it in the locker room. Obviously, I didn’t tell them about the cocaine and arrest situation yet; I was angry with the guys, but I wouldn’t tell anyone of that night.
“So you didn’t sleep with Carter?” Liam asked after I finished.
“Out of that whole story, the only thing you got was whether I slept with him?” I asked, then flicked his temple.
“Ouch! Well, you weren’t very specific.” Liam coughed.
“We never slept together. We fell asleep in the same bed, then I woke up alone,” I explained as I took a sip of my milkshake.
“And then you went to shower and found him in there, so you guys decided to save water,” Nick said as he wiggled his brows.
“What? No! You guys are just so immature!” I muttered as my cheeks turned red.
“But are you okay? When I found you, you looked…” Benny trailed off as he searched my face.
“Yeah, but the…I…the man in the—” I stuttered.
“Hey, hey, hey, don’t worry. You were just using self-defense, plus he was harassing you. It’s okay,” Liam said as he put an arm around my shoulder. I rested my head against his chest as I silently cried. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aidan as he wiped the counter. As he raised his head, he looked at me, and I sheepishly turned away.
***
“My house is that way,” I said as I pointed at the sign for my town. We drove past it as I looked at Benny.
“Dude, where are we going?” Liam asked from the backseat. Benny kept quiet as we looked at him for a response. Seeing as we weren’t going to get one anytime soon, I looked in front to see where the car would take us.
“Wh-what are we doing here?” I stuttered as I began to recognize the place. We entered the industrial area, the same one I ran into that night. Since it was a Saturday afternoon and all the business people went home, others decided to come. Gangs looked at us, which made my nerves shoot up. The car came to a stop in front of a building, we got out, and I gasped from the familiar surroundings. “Benny, what are we doing here?”
“Which alley was it?”
“W-why?” I stuttered and looked at the dark alley that I was stupid enough to go to for cover.
“Lana, you said you lost your other shoe. If we don’t find it and that guy reports what happened, you’re gonna get into trouble,” Benny muttered as he gripped my arms.
“D-down there,” I pointed out. They followed down into the alley with me behind. It was darker than I thought; it seemed like a never-ending pathway.
“Lana?” Nick mumbled.
“Hmm?” I turned to Nick. His wavy blond hair was tied up as he crouched to the ground. Liam and I saw a trail of blood. My eyes widened in horror as we slowly followed the path. The trail ended by a dumpster where Benny stood, his hands shoved in his pockets. We followed his gaze to what he looked at, and the lump in my throat grew.
“Lana, what have you done?” Nick whispered. My face paled as I looked at the homeless man with the ginger beard lying against the dumpster. His face was covered in blood as he held something against his chest. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, as if he watched us. I looked at his temple and noticed the dry blood.
“That’s your other shoe, right?” Benny asked. I slowly nodded as I looked at them; they stared at me for a response to the deceased man in front of me.
“I’m a murderer.”
Chapter Sixteen
Lana
“Oh, man, we’re so dead,” Nick muttered, then he turned to Liam. “No pun intended!”
“What are we going to do?”
“We’re gonna get caught.”
“I don’t wanna go to jail…I don’t look good in those orange jumpsuits!”
“This is all my fault.”
“Everyone calm down!” Benny yelled as he hit the wheel.
“How the hell are we supposed to calm down? We have a dead body in the trunk, blood on our hands, not to mention the murder weapon at Lana’s house, and you’re telling us to calm down?” Nick shouted from the backseat.
“The worst part is your dad is the sheriff,” Liam mumbled.
“Oh, thanks, Captain Obvious,” Nick yelled, clearly irritated with Liam since it was his idea.
“I’m so sorry, guys. This is all my fault. I should go and confess,” I cried, then looked down at my hands. They trembled as I stared at the dried blood.
“It’s not your fault, Lana. It’s those assholes. They did this to you,” Benny muttered as he gripped the wheel. Our hands were covered in blood because we dragged the guy out of the alley. All the evidence was there: my shoe and ripped pieces of my dress. We tried our best to remove most of it; at least the footprints were thankfully already washed away from the rain. As we did so, we tried not to leave any evidence, but it was hard because there was so much blood. “Nick, how far is your house from here?” Benny asked. Throughout the years that I’d known Benny Nielson, he wasn’t one to show much emotion—well, except anger, naturally. I glanced at Benny in the alley, and he was calm while the rest of us freaked out. Other than being a big jerk, he was acutely reserved.
“Twenty minutes, why?” Nick asked as we turned to Benny. He anxiously licked his lips, then glanced at Nick through the rearview mirror.
“Your dad still a builder?”
“Yeah.”
***
“Here,” Liam said as he gave me a shovel. We were in the forest far out from anywhere. Benny drove to Nick’s house, where we got a few shovels from his dad’s garage. I never thought I’d bury a body, especially since I killed the man.
“Okay, here’s good,” Nick said as we stopped. We’d walked for ten minutes. Nick and Benny carried the body by the arms and legs while Liam and I held the shovels. They placed the body on the ground as I handed Benny a shovel. We dug where the ground wasn’t too hard, but not too soft. None of us spoke as we dug.
“All right, that’s deep enough.” Liam sighed as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. The hole was dark as I bent over to glance down, perfect for a middle-aged man. I watched as they picked up the guy and gently put him in the hole. They dug as I stood there. I dropped to my knees as the tears fell. I cried as I watched them, and Liam turned to look at me.
“I can’t believe I did this,” I croaked out as I slowly backed away. He cautiously approached me with a smile.
“Hey, don’t worry—everything’s going to be okay,” Liam said as he crouched down to wipe my tears. His brunette hair fell on his face as he smiled at me.
“No, it won’t! I’m a murderer! A killer! Lana Willson, the geek, nerd, the loser of Jefferson High, killed someone,” I exclaimed, then looked over Liam’s shoulder to see Nick’s and Benny’s stares. “I’ll never be able to look my dad in the eye ever again.”
“Sshh…ssh…Lana, please, you’re scaring us. It was only self defense. We’ll get through this,” Liam mumbled as he brought me in for a hug. We stayed in the position for a while until I pulled away and looked at Liam.
“If it’s self defense, then why can’t we tell somebody?” I whispered.
“Where’s the fun in that?” Liam tilted his head, then slipped his hand into mine. “Let’s finish up.”
“First drugs, now this,” I mumbled to myself as I picked up the shovel.
***
“Why did you help me?” I asked as we got back into the car. We were covered in dirt. My hair
was a mess, and there were blisters on my hands from the many times I gripped the shovel.
“We had no choice, Lana. We couldn’t let you face this on your own. Even though we’ve been dicks to you for the past years, we’re here for you,” Benny said.
“Plus, our footprints were there so…” Liam trailed off, which got him a slap from Nick.
“But remember, Lana, you can’t tell anyone about this. We all have blood on our hands.” Nick sighed, then looked out the window.
“We gotta get cleaned up,” Benny said as he started the car.
“And the car,” Liam added.
“Then let’s get to the car wash.” Benny grinned as he looked at me.
***
“Lana, baby, why are you so filthy?” my mother asked as she opened the front door.
“Err…we went go-karting,” Liam said as he stood beside me.
“It was dusty outside,” Nick added.
“Oh well, it looks like you guys had fun.”
“Yeah, had a blast,” I muttered.
“Thank you, boys. You can go home now,” my father said as he appeared behind my mother.
“Oh, don’t be so rude, Harry. Would you like to come in? I just made a pie!”
“Sure!” Liam said as he stepped forward. My parents opened the door further to let us in.
“It’s still cooling off, so why don’t you get cleaned up?” my mother suggested.
“Yeah, may we use your bathroom?” Benny asked as he turned to my father.
“Sure, but be down in ten minutes,” Dad responded with a fierce look on his face. I rolled my eyes as we went upstairs. I walked into my room and showed them the bathroom while I walked to my bed.
“Where is it?” Nick whispered as he guarded the door. I went down on my knees and grabbed the heel along with the other one that I had in my jacket.
“Here,” I said as I held each of them with my sleeves. They surrounded me as we stared at the murder weapon. Both shoes were full of dried blood, but I’d quickly point out that the left was the evidence of the crime. It was chipped on the end with the heel almost broken from all the force I put into it.
“Wow, who knew a heel could kill a guy?” Liam said. “Yet from what we saw, it looked like you put a lot of force into it, Lana.”
“We need to get rid of these quick,” Benny mumbled.
“There’s a junkyard not too far from my house. We can dump them there,” Liam suggested.
“Yeah, now err…you keep that one—”
“Why do I get the bloody one?!” Liam argued as he stepped back. Benny covered his hands with his sleeves, then took the heels.
“They’re both full of blood, you idiot!” Benny groaned as he shoved the heel into Liam’s chest. Benny stuffed the one heel in his jeans as Liam did the same.
“You know I can give you guys a bag—”
“No, we’re cool.” Liam waved off. I glanced down at their jeans as I tried not to laugh.
“That looks wrong.” Nick chuckled as he walked back to the door. I laughed as Benny and Liam looked at each other with the heels in their jeans.
“I’m getting you a bag,” I said, then walked to my desk. I took out a plastic bag and gave it to Benny and Liam.
“Pie’s ready!” my mother yelled from downstairs. We rushed downstairs after we cleaned up; thankfully from all the digging, the dried blood was barely noticeable. We sat in the family room and ate pie while we watched TV. I sat in the middle of the sofa with Nick on my right and Benny on my left. Liam sat on the other sofa with my parents as he munched on the pie. I glanced at the bag by Benny’s feet. I couldn’t help it; I was nervous.
“Nick, dear, would you please turn the volume up?” my mother asked. Nick had the remote placed next to him. I glanced at the television to see why my mom wanted to watch rather than talk.
“Jack August, local citizen, has been missing over a week now. He was last seen at his place of employment, the Maple Tree Café. He had recently been let go. Jack didn’t have any contact with family or friends, and his co-workers weren’t very fond of him. He worked in the city and is thought to still be in Chicago,” the reporter said as she held the microphone. In the background, I noticed she was in front of a building. “The police believe that they have found Mr. August,” she added. A picture of the man showed up, and I almost choked on my pie. I saw Benny shift uncomfortably as we stared at the television. There he was, the man with ginger hair covering his face, but in the picture, he looked innocent. He had sad blue eyes, a flat nose, thin lips, and a beard. “Here in the back alley of the café he worked in, residents have noticed blood and belongings.” The reporter gestured to the front of the alley. There was a box with all kinds of strange things like hairbrushes, books, lighters, candles, toys, and a Chinese takeout box. I paled as I stared at the television. “Signs of blood are everywhere from the wet ground to the wall. Witnesses have said they heard shouting and yelling a few nights ago, but it was not safe to go and see due to the critical weather conditions. Tire tracks, as well as many footprints, are also seen.” The woman showed the blood on the wall, the witnesses I recognized from when we drove past them, the tire tracks of Benny’s car, and our footprints. “Blood tests have been done, and it is certain that it is Mr. August, but now the real question is: Where is he and what happened?” the blonde reporter dramatically asked. It changed to the weather, which got my parents’ attention. I got up and walked to the kitchen with my plate in my hands. I heard footsteps behind me as I placed my plate in the sink.
“We need to get rid of our shoes,” Nick whispered as I turned around. All three of them were in the kitchen as they held empty plates.
“But I just got these brand new Chucks.” Liam frowned at his black high tops.
“Forget about the shoes. We have to get rid of the car,” I grumbled as I looked at Benny, whose eyes widened.
“No, not my baby.”
“Dude, we have to. It’s got our footprints, fingerprints, and not to mention we put a dead body in the trunk!” Nick hissed.
“Fine, we’ll find a way, but Lana, hand me your shoes,” Benny said.
“What are you going to do them?” I asked as I took my shoes off.
“I’ll dump it with your other shoes as well as ours.”
I stared at my favorite pair of Converse. They were my first pair, yet they looked worn out. I’d worn the black and white sneakers for three years.
“Goodbye, my friends,” I said dramatically as I handed Benny my sneakers. Liam came up beside me and put an arm around my shoulder as we watched Benny put them in the bag.
“It was a good few years.” Liam sniffed as he wiped away his fake tears.
***
“You what?” Miranda yelled through my laptop. It was Sunday evening, and I was busy with my essay, but Miranda wanted to chat, so we used FaceTime. “Lana, I just wanna come hug you right now. Stay strong, girl.” She pouted as she hugged her laptop. I’d told her everything from the night of Homecoming up until now. Well, except for the part about Jack. I hadn’t heard from of any of the guys since yesterday when they left. We’d exchanged numbers, but there wasn’t a need to talk. They said they’d be busy at the junkyard. “I hate them,” Miranda scoffed as she rolled her eyes.
“Hate is an unyielding word.”
“Yeah, and so are real friends.”
“That’s two words.”
“You know what I mean! So, on the other side of the wall, you made up with Benny?”
“Yeah, they’re not so bad.” I smiled.
“You forgave him that quickly? Lana, look, I know you’re a softy bu—”
“I never forgave any of them.” I cut her off as I thought about Benny and Blake’s groups. “I gave Ethan and them a second chance, and they fucked up. Now I’m giving Benny a chance.”
“Lana, you’re giving too many chances. Even though I think they don’t deserve it, you’re always gonna offer them another chance,” Miranda rambled on. I knew she was righ
t. I was a softy, and I always gave people a chance even though I got fooled half the time.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, but will you ever forgive them?”
“I don’t know, but not now.”
“Understandable, they’re a bunch of sexy douchebags.”
“Ooh, by the way, who won Homecoming?” I asked. A smirk grew onto her lips as she stared at me.
“Kelly and Carter.”
“What’s so funny?”
“We waited for Carter to show up, and when he didn’t, she got angry.” Miranda snickered. I shook my head because he should’ve stayed. “Wait, here’s the best part. Since there was no king, Jennifer got on the stage and snatched the crown from Mr. Bronx. Let’s just say it was a cat fight like never before.”
For the rest of the evening, we caught up with each other’s business. With the bet, I didn’t have time for Miranda, but since Them were out of my life, I’d go back to my best friend.
***
“Still the same car,” I mumbled as I crossed my arms.
“Well, good morning to you too,” Benny muttered as he opened the passenger door. Since the guys didn’t take me to school anymore and Miranda would be late if she took me, I had no other choice but to call him. A few weeks ago, I’d slap myself silly to call Benny Nielson for a ride to school, but I guessed things were perfect one minute, then suddenly falling apart the next. “I’m getting a new car tomorrow, so this is my last day with her.” Benny pouted as he hugged the wheel.
“What did your folks say?”
“Told them I needed an upgrade. Believe or not, this car has broken down once or twice.”
“What about the shoes?”
“Yesterday we literally watched them go through that machine where it was dumped, pressed, and burned; it was awesome!” Benny grinned as he started the car.
