by S. E. Rose
I text them all back that I’m fine and just needed to get away. I let Stella know what happened and she immediately writes back.
Stella: Shit. Do we need to activate the squad?
Me: No. LOL. Kendra just asked the same thing.
Stella: Uh, ’cause that’s why we instituted that. You are like the poster child for needing it.
Me: I’ll figure it out. I need to talk to my parents when they get home, but it was definitely Anthony. I found a note in my car.
Stella: Fuck. That’s serious.
Me: I know. I also think he might have been around more than I thought.
Stella: I’m calling you.
My phone rings.
“What do you mean more than you thought?” she says when I answer.
I explain the photo I just found.
“Meg, that’s serious. He hasn’t approached you though before the other night, right?”
“No. But I’ve seen his brother a fair amount and sometimes, I have to admit, when I’m walking later at night, I feel like someone is watching me, but every time I’ve felt that, I run into someone I know and then afterward the feeling is gone.”
“Shit. OK. That’s bad. Did you tell the police?”
“I called the officer who took the report. He added it to the file. I took a quick photo of the note before I left.”
“Left?”
I sigh. “Clark made me stay at his place. And then I found the note after the windshield guy fixed my car. I…sort of freaked out. It’s a lot, Stella. I mean, several months ago I didn’t ever socialize outside of school clubs and class. I wasn’t dating anyone. I didn’t know I had a stalker. And now, I don’t know. I’m trying to process it all, but I just needed to leave for a while, and it seemed safe here in Banneker.”
“Anthony knows where your parents live,” she points out.
“I know that, but my parents also have a security system here.”
“Well, we’re getting one at the house soon too, remember,” she reminds me.
“I know. But I’ll be gone by the time that’s all set up.”
“Right. God, it’s so unfair that you are graduating early. I’m going to miss you. Wait, don’t you have that big presentation this week?” she asks.
“Yep.”
“OK, I’m giving you twenty-four hours to lose your shit, and then you need to put on the big girl panties and come back here. We will figure this out.”
I take a deep breath. “I’ll do my best. I just need a little time.”
“I’m here if you need me, you know that, right?”
“I know. Thank you,” I say as I flop back onto my bed.
“We are still getting our weekly coffee even after you graduate. You can’t bail on that. Even if I have to drive up to NASA to do it, it’s happening!”
I laugh. “OK. Noted.”
“I gotta go. I can’t be late for this class,” she says.
“Go learn. I’ll talk to you later.”
“OK. I’m here, just remember that.”
“Thanks, Stella. It means a lot.”
“Of course. Bye.” And she hangs up as I stare at my ceiling which is still covered in the little glow-in-the-dark-star stickers that Clark and I put up there when I was ten.
I close my eyes and, after a while, I fall asleep thinking about Clark, school, my friends, and my dream job.
I’m dreaming about working at NASA on a space station on the moon when I hear a song playing. It’s a good song, U2’s Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own. I can hear lyrics about not having “to go it alone” and I start to wake up.
I sit up in bed, confused, and rub my eyes. Then I look around because I can actually hear the song. I check my old alarm clock but it’s off. I stand and slowly follow the sound to my window. And that’s when I see him.
Clark.
He’s standing in my yard with his arms above his head holding an old fake boombox that plays CDs that I know is a fake because I gave it to him for one of his birthdays a million years ago. He’s even got an old trench coat on that he had to have gotten out of his parents’ house.
I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing as I open my window.
“Uh, Clark? What are you doing?” I call out.
“I’m getting my girl back because she’s stubborn and independent and she needs to know she can still be stubborn and independent, but she can also depend on me to have her back for her, for when she doesn’t want to be independent. Let’s be fair, you’ll always be stubborn,” he yells over the music.
I grin. I don’t know what it is about this moment, about Clark doing this for me, but it snaps me out of my funk. He’s right. I can do anything on my own, but with all my friends, family, and him, I don’t have to. With their help, I’ll get through this and it’ll be OK.
“Wait there!” I yell. “I need to talk to you.”
He grins like a fool, and it makes me love him that much more.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Clark
I turn around and see Gran Mill in my parents’ front yard. She’s over helping on the construction project with her boyfriend, Roger. Gran Mill is best friends with my grandparents. She’s also the grandmother of one of Kent’s friends. And she’s awesome, like, “I’d go drinking with her” awesome.
“Gran Mill, what are you doing?” I call out as I lower the fake boombox. She’s holding up her phone.
“I FaceTimed your grandparents. We’re watching you win back the girl!” she yells.
“I can’t see!” I hear Nana Betty say from the phone.
“Where’s Megan? Did she say yes?” Gran Tilly asks.
“No, no, he’s not asking her to marry him,” PopPop explains.
“For the love of…” Gran Mill turns the phone around because she clearly doesn’t know she can switch camera directions on her screen. “Will you pipe down! He’s doing that sweet 1980s movie thing with the music box. I think she liked it.”
She turns the phone back toward me. “Now, say hi to your grandparents.”
“Uh, hi? And where are Mom and Dad?” I ask as I step closer toward her.
“They are having a date day. Us old fogies are hanging out at the campsite,” Gran Tilly explains. “Now, get back to it. We want to watch this.”
I roll my eyes. “Please, let me provide you with your entertainment which just happens to be my life.”
“OK,” Nana Betty says but her voice is mumbled like she’s eating.
“Are you eating popcorn?” I ask.
“Maybe,” she mutters.
I shake my head as I hear Megan walking up to me.
“Oh, she’s here,” Gran Mill states with excitement.
I turn to find a very amused Megan watching me.
“We have an audience,” she says with a demure smile.
“Apparently, we do,” I state with a shrug.
She steps up to me.
“You came,” she says.
“I came. Are you OK?”
She shrugs and nods. “I will be. We need to talk…without an audience,” she says in a whisper.
“I can’t hear her? Did she say yes?” Gran Tilly asks.
“For the last time, this isn’t a marriage proposal!” Gran Mill reiterates.
Megan turns red, and we both bust out laughing.
“Let’s go inside,” I suggest.
She nods.
I turn back to Gran Mill. “Uh, see you later,” I say.
“But they didn’t even kiss!” Nana Betty says in disappointment.
Gran Mill looks over at us with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. Damn that woman!
Before I know what I’m doing, I reach out and grab Megan and pull her back against me, taking her face in my hands, I lean down and kiss her.
I hear cheering from the phone and Gran Mill whistles. Megan laughs, breaking our three-second passionate kiss.
“Don’t stop on our account!” Gran Mill says. “Oh, but do keep it PG because there are kids he
re. None of that dirty after-hours stuff.”
“Jesus, Millie, the kids don’t all like that crazy sex-book stuff that you read,” PopPop chastises his friend.
“Speak for yourself,” Gran Tilly states.
Megan starts laughing uncontrollably and I grab her hand and sprint into her house. Once inside, I close the door and push her against it, leaning back down to kiss her again but this time, with no audience.
Her arms fly up and wrap around my neck. And I deepen the kiss, pouring all my feelings into each flick of my tongue and each caress of my lips against hers.
After a moment, she pulls back, breathing heavily. “Clark…I need to show you something.”
She takes my hand and I follow her up to her room. She motions for me to sit on the bed and I comply. Then, she hands me a photo album and opens it, pointing to a photo.
It’s at graduation. Our parents made us pose for an uncomfortable photo. I look back up at her in confusion.
She shakes her head. “Not us, look behind us.”
I look back down and my heart starts thumping. Anthony. Anthony is in the photo and he’s looking right at her.
My eyes shoot up to Megan’s. “That motherfucker,” I mutter as I close the book. “Hold on.”
I look at my watch and call Kent. He’s done with practice.
“What’s wrong?” Kent asks.
“Anthony has been stalking her. For years, possibly.”
“Fuck. OK. That elevates things. Shit. Uh, give me a few minutes. I’ll call the security firm and expedite things.” He hangs up and I look back up at Meg whose mouth is hanging open.
“Security firm?” she manages.
I nod. “Just…hear me out, OK?” I ask as I pat the bed next to me. She sits down slowly.
“OK,” she says as she takes a seat.
“When you left, I called Kent. I explained everything. The police aren’t going to do anything unless Anthony does something serious or we have more evidence.” Kent explained what I already know.
“And?”
“And, what if we…get him to give us more evidence?” I ask.
Megan visibly shudders.
“No, fuck no. That motherfucker will never lay a hand on you again. I don’t mean that, Megan. I would never ask you to be physically in danger,” I say to her as I place my hands on her shoulders and look into her eyes.
“Then what?” she whispers.
“Kent has a plan. And I think it’s a good one,” I say.
She raises an eyebrow.
“Just…listen before you decide,” I tell her.
She crosses her arms in that adorable stubborn Megan way, but she doesn’t speak.
I take a breath and explain the plan.
“We’ll lure him to my apartment which is currently getting outfitted with serious security and motion sensor cameras. We’ll make it look like we are in there, but we won’t be. We’ll be at Gary’s apartment, next door. We can watch everything that’s going on and call the police. That should be enough to get him locked up for a while. We can get restraining orders in place and all of that.”
“I still don’t get why he even cares about me,” she says.
“Because you told him no and he didn’t like that. If I was a guessing man, I’d say he just wanted to get what he couldn’t have, and then he could declare it a win for him and move on,” I say.
“I guess. I still don’t get why he waited for so long to make a move though?” She gives me a small smile. “Guess the joke’s on him since you already defiled me.”
I choke on a laugh. “Who knows? He’s not mentally stable. And, defiled you?”
She shrugs.
I lean forward and press a kiss to her lips. “You are not someone to be defiled, Megan. You are an amazing person, an amazing woman, who deserves to be worshipped and celebrated for who you are. And I hope that I did that for you. I hope that I gave you everything you needed and wanted out of that experience. And…I hope that you’ll let me continue to do that, to be the best man I can for you and to be there for you and to help you when you need it.” I push a stray lock of hair away.
She’s blushing and it makes me love her that much more, but I’m too chickenshit to say the words right now. She’s been through too much these past few days. She needs to heal and process things.
“You’re right,” she whispers.
“I know.”
She playfully swats my arm. “You’re also a giant jackass.”
“I know.”
“But, you’re a cute jackass.”
“I know that too.”
She rolls her eyes.
“Can we go back to my place now? We need to make plans on how we will take down this asshole. And don’t worry, I have plenty of backup for us.”
She grins. “Like four siblings?”
“And their four significant others.”
“That’s a lot of backup,” she says.
“That’s what you get with the Moore family. Laughs, love, and a whole lot of people that have your back,” I state.
She grins. “I think I could use that right about now. Although, I hate admitting it.”
I run my finger over her bottom lip. “I bet you do, but I’m glad you can admit it.”
“Well…there’s this song…you may have heard it before…something about ‘sometimes you can’t make it on your own,’” she says with a laugh.
“Yeah, U2 is awesome,” I state, my grin widening. I stand and hold out a hand. “Let’s get back to school. We have things to do and assholes to bust.”
She stands and takes my hand. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Megan
I always knew Kent had connections, I mean, the guy is a baseball star. But I had no idea he had connections like this.
Kent is at Clark’s apartment when we arrive along with some man who looks like he eats other men for dinner.
“This is an acquaintance of mine, Bryce Gallagher. He owns one of the best private security firms in the world and he happens to be in town this week, so he stopped by to set up security for us,” Kent says with a grin.
Bryce shakes our hands, which is sort of like if a small doll shook hands with a giant. “Nice to meet you both. I owe Kent a favor for some tickets he got me, so I’m setting this up myself. I hear we have a bit of a stalker situation and we need to catch him red-handed, yes?”
Clark and I both nod.
“Great. I have one of my guys on him, so we’ll know all his moves. But we’ll need to lure him and catch him on camera and then I’ll have my team call it in to the cops. I don’t want you anywhere near here. So, we’ll stage what looks like Clark leaving and you alone in the apartment. Only it’ll be my undercover operative, Lacey.” He motions to the door and there stands my doppelganger. OK, she doesn’t exactly look like me, but she is the right build, height, and she has on a blonde wig that matches my hair.
“Lacey has the plan all set up, she’ll run through it with you both and I’m sure we’ll have this guy behind bars shortly.” He finishes installing a few cameras and leaves.
Lacey runs through the plan, which is basically us pretending that I’m staying here alone but I’ll be next door and Lacey will stay here. We repeat this plan until Anthony takes the bait, hook, line, and sinker.
I lean over to Clark as Lacey goes to check the windows in the bedrooms. “I feel like we’re in a James Bond movie.”
Kent leans in between us. “Does that make me double oh seven?”
We turn to face him and Clark groans. “Dude. I love you, but I think we are good to go now.”
Kent laughs and claps Clark on the back. “OK. Be safe, you two. This is serious. Also, once we get our little asshat stalker boy dealt with, we need to figure out how to throw Mom and Dad an epic homecoming party.”
Clark nods. “Yeah. One step at a time. Let’s make sure Meg is safe first.”
“Abso-fucking-lutely,” Kent agrees. He leans down and gives me a
giant bear hug. “Be careful, Megladon.”
“I will.”
He pulls back and tweaks my nose just like old times. I smile. I always wanted a big brother like Kent. “OK, you two lovebirds. I need to get back to the apartment and get ready for a playoff game.
“You should come to one of the games,” he says to us both.
“I’d love to, but after we deal with this, we have our giant work presentation on Thursday,” I say.
“Right. Well, I’m off. We’ll be in touch,” he says as he leaves.
Lacey walks back in and looks at us both. “OK, let’s do this.”
I look at Clark and he looks back at me with a shrug. “I think all those times playing cops and robbers as kids are about to pay off.”
I laugh nervously. “Let’s hope so.”
Clark
After some careful orchestrating, Anthony seems to have fallen for the bait. It’s late now and I just want to go to sleep. Tomorrow is the last day at work before our presentation and we have lots to do, yet at the same time, it all seems irrelevant considering what’s happening.
“OK, go on over to Gary’s and wait there until I come to get you,” Lacey says to Megan.
I give her a quick kiss and usher her down the hallway. When she’s safely inside, Megan has me wait. The windows are open, and she’s been alerted that Anthony is lurking outside.
She nods at me to do my practiced part.
“Megs, I gotta go over to the frat house. I’ll be back in a few hours,” I yell as I turn to Lacey. She gives me a thumbs-up and motions for me to leave. When I open the door, I turn back and yell again, “Leave the door unlocked. I’m not taking my key.”
A recording of Meg is played by Lacey. “OK. I’m grabbing a shower, so just text me when you get there.”
“Will do,” I reply, and I leave and go to my car. I pull away and circle the block toward the frat house. I park on the street three houses away and wait.
