by Avery Aster
With a pang, I fired back, “That’s not fair.” I had tried to help. Or at least I thought I did at the time. One thing was for certain, I’d near peed myself when the fight started. Not because I was shocked. No. Sanderloo was a major a-hole and had always stirred up fights, but because I was terrified for Blake. Sanderloo must’ve been on steroids. His type of rage toward another human being wasn’t natural.
“If I hadn’t stepped in, Blake would’ve died.” Vive turned back around to face us and fingered a clump of mascara from her eyes.
“We know, Vive.” Taddy’s voice went up an octave.
“Christ. It was an accident.” The color drained from Vive’s face.
That’s what we’d always called it—the accident.
“I still get the chills thinking about that night in the woods.” I thought back to how our nightmare had started.
Sanderloo had accused Blake of coming on to him for sex, which wasn’t true, btw. He’d started beating on Blake. He wouldn’t let up. After a blow to the face, Blake had fallen. Ignoring Vive’s screams, Sanderloo had started kicking Blake as if he were a soccer ball. Vive had tried to get in between them but Sanderloo pushed her off.
Hoping he’d stop, Vive had grabbed a shovel and struck Sanderloo on the head. Oh, he’d quit alright. The boy had died instantly. At the time, Vive was five months pregnant with Sanderloo’s baby. We were like sixteen.
“Every nuance about Sanderloo’s death is fresh in my mind.” Blinking off a tear, Taddy shut her eyes tight.
We couldn’t put his murder past us. It had bonded all of us together forever.
“Ya know it’s like last year, when we’d watched on the news as the airplane flew into the World Trade Center, or like today seeing Birdie soar off the balcony. One can’t forget things like this.” I hoped my words brought Vive some comfort.
I don’t think we ever learned how to help Vive cope after the accident. Looking back on that time in our lives I realize now we’d been thrown into the crime with her.
“Usually I try to only think good thoughts. Not bad.” Taddy said. “Don’t you have any nice things you think about from when you were little?”
That was a tough one. “Hmmm, guess not. Ask me how many butterscotch spots the calico cat who’d kept me company during my childhood had and I couldn’t tell ya.”
“Sweetie was your kitty’s name. And she had one dab on her belly and one on each of her front paws. Or were they on her hind legs?” Taddy smiled at me. We’d known one another since we were babies. We were born only a few months apart.
“Why can’t my memory hold on to the good moments more vividly than the bad ones?” I asked.
“Because in our life, we’ve had few if any happy times to keep with us,” Vive muttered.
The irony of it all felt maddening. Here we were the most photographed teenagers on the east coast, had more money than we knew what to do with, attended all the right schools, and we were…miserable.
“Let’s make turning eighteen special.” Taddy glared at me suddenly, probably realizing we were not going to Paris. “Sorry…”
“Killing Sanderloo was an accident that’ll haunt all of us for the rest of our lives. I loved him. I loved my baby. And there isn’t a minute that goes by that I don’t think about them both. That’s why I can’t do another trial. Don’t you two get it? I’ll go out of my mind.”
“Don’t talk like that,” Taddy said.
“One day I hope we can forgive ourselves over the accident but right now, even to breathe, I just need to forget for a while. Please help me forget,” Vive said in a shake voice.
“And what happened today wasn’t intentional either.” Taddy went over to Vive and massaged her back. “That’s why you’re going to post bail for Lex. We’re in this together. Dick and your father must help Lex too.”
“I already told you, I can’t be locked up again.” Tormented by her emotions, her shoulders caved inward and Vive wept.
“If we stick together, we won’t be put away, not again.” Taddy kissed the top of Vive’s hand then held her. “Our new life back in this city won’t be like before. We’re all almost on our own.”
“Vive, we have to do as Taddy says.” My heartbeats quickened, hoping she wouldn’t divide us.
“Turning on Lex is out of the question. What exactly were you thinking?” Taddy pressed Vive for more information.
“I wasn’t thinking. You’re right. I’m sorry. But it’s too late. I’ve already told Dad and the lawyer not to continue defending Lex.”
“What does that mean exactly?” Taddy asked. Her tall frame overshadowed Vive as she let go of their embrace and straightened her posture.
“There’s a chance they might not pay Lex’s bail.” Closing her eyes, Vive’s fingers pressed her temples dramatically.
“Is it the money?” Taddy questioned.
She still didn’t understand. I did though.
“Cost isn’t a factor. Mr. Shapiro suggested that you and I tell the judge we knew about the arson all along. But didn’t know Birdie would be home at the time of the fire.” Vive admitted.
Crap. My body stiffened in shock. That wasn’t what I figured Vive would say.
Staring blankly with her mouth hung open, Taddy asked, “And why would we turn on our best friend?”
“We’d get a…deal.” Her brows drew together in a conflicted expression.
“Shit.” I gritted my teeth. It was as if I was observing a person I didn’t even know. Where had my very best friend Vive gone? This wasn’t like her.
“What did you say?” Taddy’s red nails dug into Vive’s arms.
Vive struggled with uncertainty. “The District Attorney’s office told Mr. Shapiro they’d get Lex’s attempted murder charge to stick if we agreed to some knowledge about the fire, beforehand. And in exchange we’d ahhh…be dismissed.”
Taddy’s right hand came up as if she’d strike Vive. She didn’t. Instead she caressed Vive’s cheek with pity. Her desperation seemed palpable. In a terse voice, she clarified, “You’re sayin’ if we testify against Lex—setting her up for attempted murder—our arson charges will be dropped?”
Dazed, Vive nodded.
Blood pumped in my ears. I sensed every follicle on my scalp tingle. For a second I thought, I had gained superhuman powers. I didn’t. No, instead I realized I hadn’t gained a thing. Rather I lost my two best friends. Icy despair froze at my heart.
Sweet Motor Cop Jesus
Whack! Taddy slapped Vive.
Under normal circumstances, Vive probably would’ve smashed Taddy’s pretty face into the wall. But stupid she was not. After all we’d been through together and all the times we’d stood by her, she knew better.
“Stop.” Vive blocked Taddy’s second strike.
“What the frick—” Ready to throw a punch, Taddy pulled back.
“No, Taddy!” I grabbed her arm. Her skin felt sticky.
Heaving, we waited for Vive to catch her breath. She tried to speak.
“Go on. Whaddya got to say for yourself?” Taddy said.
“I told Daddy, the lawyer, and the DA, no.”
“Good. Thank you, Vive.” I felt so relieved.
“I said we won’t give false testimony.” Vive pushed her ashy blonde hair back from her sweaty face. My underarms were moist too. All these emotions flying around us caused me to sweat. Plus the air conditioning had shut off some time ago.
“Did you tell Dick that you and Taddy wanted to be tried separately?” I asked.
“Yes.” Shame darkened her eyes.
“Jesus Christ, Vive,” Taddy shouted.
“I told Mr. Shapiro…you and I will tell the truth. We had no idea any explosion was planned.”
“Because it wasn’t.” Suddenly I realized the importance of assembling my own defense team. “If Dad can’t help us in time, Blake might.” Blake was my number two call. After I was only able to get a hold of Dad’s manager, I’d called Blake as back-up. I’d begged him to go to t
he hospital, talk to Mom. “Maybe he could convince Birdie to tell the authorities she’d started the fire and not me. Then we’d be cleared of all charges.”
Vive’s bitter face soured even more.
Was it a stretch? Absolutely! But I had faith in Blake.
Ever since Blake had come out of the closet about being gay to Birdie, they’d had a super-glue bond. We were like fifteen.
Next to Cher, Birdie Easton had one of the largest gay followings in the world. She lived for her gays and had taken Blake under her liberal wing ages ago. She’d helped his conservative New England parents deal with his homosexuality.
Point being, Mom adored him.
“When will Blake talk to Birdie?” Taddy asked.
“Assuming Birdie is awake, Blake should be visiting her right now.”
“Blake is a better choice to talk to Birdie than Eddie.” Taddy seemed to have more confidence in this idea than Vive.
Vive sighed loudly and dried her eyes with her sleeve. “Maybe it’s good Eddie isn’t here at first. Know what I mean? He’d only make matters worse for you—”
“For all of us.” Taddy corrected her. “You better get your dad and Dick to spring Lex when we get out Vive. I mean it. I’ll never speak to you again if you don’t.”
“Heard ya the first time. And you can shut up along with Lex. The both of you, stop talking to me.” Vive’s lips trembled. “I need to think.”
Together we sat in silence. Another hour passed. We calmed ourselves down. The chilly air returned.
Vive kept making eye contact with me. Was that her effort for an apology? Maybe.
“Man, it’s like the rituals of the Russian Banya in here,” Taddy muttered and rubbed her palms together.
I felt a bit wonky myself, delirious even. In less than one day, Mom had slept with my boyfriend, who I then dumped. I’d packed up my entire life into Vive’s Bentley, blew the house up. I’d gotten myself arrested, summoned my father home to the states, and caused my two best friends to fight.
Not to mention if mental health experts were to evaluate Vive today, they’d probably diagnose her as having a nervous breakdown. Her moods had swung from nice to nasty.
Startled, Vive looked up, and her jaw suddenly dropped as she turned toward the cell’s bars.
“Sweet motor cop Jesus,” Taddy hissed under her breath in the same direction as Vive, breaking the silence between us.
I turned around.
There he stood, the Harley Davidson Hulk.
Taddy and Vive got to their feet and walked over to the bars. They couldn’t take their eyes off him.
Neither could I.
Officer Gotti appeared hotter now than he was earlier back on the highway. Inside this building, under these florescent lights, he radiated pure macholiciousness.
“Excuse me for asking this, but are you really a cop?” Vive said.
“Yeah. Why?’
“When you first pulled us over, I thought you were that WWF wrestler. Oh, what’s his name? Dwayne Johnson, that’s it.” Leaning up against the cell door, Vive didn’t resemble the distraught girl from an hour ago.
“The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns? That dude?”
“Forreals. You sure you ain’t his stunt double?” Taddy interjected, complimenting him.
Vive licked her lips
My confusion nearly paralyzed me. Did my two friends lose their minds? We’d gone from hugging besties to face-slapping frienemies and now horny girls on the prowl. WTF.
Perhaps the exhaustion and once slice of cheese sandwiches we’d eaten earlier had made us all rather punchy.
Personally the mere sight of Officer Gotti felt a tad bit too “mirage in the hot desert” for me. Men that sexy must be cocky douche bags.
“I noticed the same thing about him, Vive. But it wasn’t the time, or the place, to bring it up. After all, you were arresting us…” Taddy flirted in a soft-feminine voice.
Vive and Taddy sexualizing him up and down irked the fudge outta me. So I commented, “And now is a better time to acknowledge Officer Gotti’s looks?”
Okay, I’ll admit he did resemble that actor. However Officer Gotti’s skin was much lighter, he’s younger, and his arms are covered in ink. I mean smothered. It was effin’ hot.
Ignoring me, Taddy played with her hair. “Weren’t you in that NYPD calendar?”
What the heck was going on? In walks muscles and my two besties act stupid. Had they forgotten where we were? Jail. And who he was? The arresting officer. Hello!
“No.” His gorgeous face reddened.
“Don’t lie to me. You were Mr. November.”
Oh, for Christ’s sake. The girls were up to something. Maybe they wanted to win him over and see about the case.
“Much appreciated.” Officer Gotti thanked Vive for the compliments. “And no, I’m not in any calendar,” he replied to Taddy.
“Miss Easton…”
“Eh?” My insides turned to tapioca just from hearing the way my name rolled off his tongue.
“After I pulled you over, I went to Manhattan General and spoke to your mom.”
“How is she?” I thought back to those TV images of her arms and legs on fire. “Is she in pain?”
In unison, the girls took one step closer toward the conversation.
“Did you ask Birdie about what happened?” Vive bit down on the nail of her pinky finger, the last one left to gnaw off.
“What did Birdie tell you?” Taddy stared at me, confirming why they’d been so nice to him when he approached.
Officer Gotti was hot. Totally! However, Officer Gotti wasn’t on our side. He was on Judge Calabrese side. The man who’d boasted himself as being Birdie’s number one fan. Heck, everyone loved Birdie Easton including my boyfriend, correction my ex-boyfriend.
“Mrs. Easton seemed shaken up, but she’ll recover.”
“Was she well enough to give a statement?” After watching the news, I couldn’t imagine Mom being able to talk to anyone, let alone remember what had happened. She probably didn’t even recall screwing Kelle.
“Mrs. Easton reported you intentionally blew up her residence and tried to kill her.”
“I see…” A sour pucker started on the back of my tongue. I inhaled sharply, pushing the upset down.
The mood shifted.
Officer Gotti’s words caused any hope we might have had on getting the charges dropped to disappear. Our prison cell filled with despair, and Vive’s eyes radiated frustration.
“Police person!” Snapping back to her usual self, Vive cleared her throat. The WWF wrestler-Scorpion King Mirage had faded. Her face flushed.
Here we go.
“We are very familiar with this game that you’re playing with us. I assure you, Lex, Taddy and I had nothing to do with the explosion.”
“How ironic Miss Farnworth. Back when I pulled over your friend here, I seem to recall Lex admitting to lighting the fire.” He glanced at me for confirmation.
“Ahhh…” I didn’t know what to say.
While shifting his weight from one leg to the next, he continued, “Seems you changed your mind once at the arraignment.”
“Not so fast.” Vive wasn’t finished. “You hadn’t read Lex her rights then. That won’t hold up before a judge, and you know it.”
“Yeah!” Taddy interjected, bumping her right shoulder against Vive as they locked hands. “I don’t know what the hellaboo you’re talking about, Officer. Vive and I didn’t hear any confession. Did we Vive?”
“But you just said—” Officer Gotti’s newness to the force and his desire for honesty was attractive.
A part of me wished I could be real with him, maybe another time and another crime, but not today.
“Nope.” Vive must’ve been squeezing Taddy’s hand pretty tight. The skin was white as snow.
See this right here, what they did, was friendship. These were my girls who had my back. And to think I’d almost lost them.
“What do you have to sa
y for yourself, Miss Easton?” he asked, not taking his black eyes off me.
Officer Gotti freaked me out. Like seriously. Did he know I’d buckle? I’m not brave like Taddy. And no one was as strong as Vive. My friends were Teflon coated. Me, I was nothing more than a lump of powdered sugar.
This was getting intense. I had to say something, maybe the truth. “Mmm—”
“Lex, zip it.” Vive kept control. “Listen, we didn’t do squat. You have no proof other than a rock-n-roll star that was inebriated.”
“Yeah, you really think what Birdie Easton says is credible? For the love of life, the news showed her lighting up a joint. How can you take the word of someone who is under the influence?” Taddy made a good point.
His handsome facial features softened.
This was my window of opportunity to sway him. I must.
“Why did you go see Birdie?” Moving to the end of the cell, I motioned for the girls to back off as he followed me to the other side to talk between the bars.
“You were upset. I wanted to see how Mrs. Easton was doing and bring an update on her condition. My work ended, and I paid her a visit.”
“Thank you. That was nice of you.”
“Your mom is eccentric, isn’t she?”
“Very. You don’t listen to her music?”
“Nah.” He slid his hands into his front pockets and took another step closer to the bars. The distance from my lips to his was the closest we’d gotten all day. They looked full and kissable, especially when he licked them. “I’ve heard of Birdie Easton, sure, who hasn’t? Can’t say I listen to anything other than country music.”
“You’re the first non-Birdie fan I’ve met all day. Imagine, a New Yorker who likes bluegrass, in our cement city. That’s rare.”
Boy, I could tell he wanted to laugh. Like earlier on Vamp when I’d let my mind take me to that sweet place, it felt as though I might have another fantasy all over again. It was as if we weren’t in this prison but back on our date finishing our plates of bolognese…
I closed my eyes.
