The Weird Travels of Aimee Schmidt: Seeking Others

by J. A. Schreckenbach

  Aimee's blood pressure jumped so high her skull felt like it would blow off her head. She wanted to reach across the counter and tear Brandi's eyes out. Enough was enough! Every cell in her body shook. Aimee squinted her eyes into thin slits and like a rabid dog growled, “I'm not the shy, innocent little girl back at East Medford, or the person who quietly watched three people get away with attempted murder. You're damn right, I'm a crazy bitch, and I'll make your life a miserable hell if you ever come between me and Dylan again.” With that Aimee quickly rolled the cart back to the storeroom, then ducked into the office. She whipped her backpack up and slung it over her shoulders. Brandi just stared in disbelief as Aimee tore back into the store and came to a screeching halt in front of her. “I'll be damn if I'm gonna waste any more of my time working with an evil slut like you.” Aimee spun around and bolted towards the door.

  Brandi shouted, “Jeff's gonna fire you! Good riddance, bitch!”

  Aimee shot her a third finger salute over her shoulder and kept going until she made it to her car. As soon as she got in and locked the door, the realization of what just happened struck her like lightening. She had just quit a job she really needed, and liked. But she had had enough of Miss Brandi Peters, and it felt amazingly liberating to tell her just how she felt. At last, she had enough time to heal the wound in her heart, and she was more than ready to fight back. She wanted Dylan, and the evil bitch better not ever come between her and Dylan again, or else she would show her just how crazy she really was.

  After starting her car, she sighed completely frustrated, then snatched her phone from her backpack and dialed Jeff's number. As soon as he answered, she said, “I can't work with her anymore, Jeff. It's Brandi, or me.”

  Dumbfounded, Jeff replied, “Brandi just called me. Whatthahell happened?! I need you, but I can't fire her unless she's not doing her job.”

  “Well, trust me, she doesn't do her job. She only wanted the job to get back at me. But I'll make this easy for you. I'm not walking out on you. This is my two week notice. I'm not going back to work with her, and if that means I lose this job, then so be it.”

  There was a long silence on Jeff's end. Finally, he sighed, then somberly stated, “Well, I'll accept your resignation, and you don't have to stay for two weeks.”

  Stunned, Aimee replied, “Okay. So be it. I'll pick up my check on Friday.”

  Jeff answered, “It'll be ready tomorrow by three at the campus store.”

  Aimee clicked End and pitched her phone onto the passenger seat. “AHHHH!!!” she screamed.

  Completely enraged, she started the car and threw it into Reverse, then tore away from the mall. After driving around for about an hour so angry she didn't remember exactly where she had been, she managed to find her way back to the apartment. She parked the car, killed the engine, and just sank into the seat under her too emotionally empty to get out. Her thoughts raced back through the entire day; first Dylan's surprise visit, then the fight with Brandi, and finally her losing her job. She closed her eyes and every detail of the day seemed as clear as bottled water. She had made the biggest, and most important decision she had made in a long time. She sucked in two lungs full of air and opened her eyes. A feeling of spiritual clarity washed over her like a baptismal dunking. For the first time in a long time she was positive of her future, and who would be there with her.

  Chapter 20 A Dark Place

  Aimee busted through the door. James peered up and Sacha suddenly appeared out of their bedroom. Both of them looked at Aimee bewildered.

  “What's wrong?” James said as Aimee flew into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

  Sacha stopped at the opening to the kitchen and asked, “Didn't you have to work tonight?”

  “I did,” Aimee answered after she gulped down half of the glass.

  Sacha looked at James, who looked at her, then both looked at his sister. Sacha asked, “So, what happened? Are you sick again?”

  Aimee stepped past Sacha, paused for a second looking at both of them and casually answered, “No, I quit my job.” She then left them stunned as she disappeared into the bathroom. Aimee could hear the two of them talking. She couldn't tell what they were saying, but she knew she was the topic of their discussion. After a few minutes, she flushed the toilet, washed and dried her hands, then opened the door. James was standing in the hallway blocking her from leaving the bathroom.

  “Okay, little sis, what the heck happened?” he demanded.

  Aimee sighed, then pushed him to the side and slipped past. She went into her bedroom and dropped onto the top of the bed and started to pull off her shoes. James followed her in, and Sacha was right behind him. They both stood there staring at Aimee waiting for an answer.

  She frowned as she looked at both of their faces. Aimee knew they tried their best to watch out for her, and help her as much as possible, but this time, she had to help herself, and she felt she didn't have a choice. “I had a rather heated conversation with Brandi, and I couldn't take anymore crap off her so I told Jeff it was either her, or me, and obviously, he choose her.”

  James's eyes popped wide open. “Wait a minute! Brandi, as in the bitch who tried to get you killed? You mean she's here in Eugene?” By the end, James's volume was almost yelling.

  Aimee hadn't seen her brother this upset in a long time. She could only nod.

  He looked quickly at Sacha. “Did you know this?”

  Sacha glanced at Aimee first, then at her fiancée. Barely audible, she answered, “Yes.”

  James wasn't finished. “And you've been working with her?” he asked unable to believe what he was hearing.

  Aimee nodded.

  “Whatthafuck!” he bellowed. “Why didn't anyone tell me this?”

  Aimee shrugged, got up and walked out of the room. James was fast on her heals.

  “Sacha,” he said as he approached her, “how come you didn't tell me?”

  Aimee spun around, came back into the living room, and cut in before Sacha could answer. “What difference would it have made if you knew? Brandi got off scot-free last summer without any restrictions or anything to keep her from going anywhere she damn well pleases. Out of the blue she shows up at one of the parties Dylan and I were at last fall. She decided she wanted to come to school here.”

  James looked at his sister and his fiancée with disbelief. He finally asked, “And then she decides of all the places in Eugene she wants to get a job is where you're working, and Jeff hired her? Didn't he know what she did to you?”

  Aimee shook her head. “James, you can't deny employment based on an arrest, only a conviction, and there wasn't one, remember? It was obvious to me she only wanted that job to try to get back at me, and she did. So, game over.”

  James ran his hand over his head, then paced back and forth a couple times, stopping in front of the couch where Aimee had plopped down. “What are you gonna do?”

  Aimee took a big breath and looked from James to Sacha a couple times before answering. “Well, I'm gonna get another job and try to stay out of the little bitch's way.”

  “And what about Dylan?” James suddenly asked.

  “What about him?” Aimee countered.

  “Does he know Brandi's here?”

  Aimee and Sacha glanced quickly at each other. Sacha suddenly got up and disappeared into the kitchen. Aimee waited a few seconds before answering, “Yes, he knows she's here.”

  James just gawked at his sister and shook his head. His anger didn't change. He paced back and forth a couple more times thinking. “Okay, so,” he started as he sat down in his recliner leaning forward with his elbows propped on his legs, “uh...let's see...I'm not sure how to ask this...”

  “Just spit it out James,” Aimee instructed as she sat down on the couch again.

  “Okay, are you two separated because of her?”

  Aimee abruptly looked at Sacha who was standing behind James shaking her head. James looked behind at Sacha, who frowned at him. “You know, James, that really
is not any of our business,” she chided.

  James shrugged. “I'm just asking because one minute they're living together, and the next day all hell breaks loose and Aimee is back living with us.”

  Aimee grimaced, leaned back into the soft cushion behind her, crossed her arms and looked straight into James's face. “No, it wasn't why I left him. Dylan hates Brandi and he wouldn't have stooped that low no matter how upset he was with me.”

  James's eyebrow raised like an upside down V. He stared at his sister for a long time, then shook his head. “Well, it isn't any of our business, but if I ever find out he was messing around on you, especially with that bitch, I'll whip his ass.”

  “James!” Sacha and Aimee said together.

  He jumped up out of his chair and stared at both of them. “Hell yes, I'll kick his ass. No one is gonna mess with my little sister.”

  Wow, Aimee thought, he's still my white knight! “James,” Aimee began calmly hoping to convince her brother that her boyfriend really was a good guy, “Dylan loves me, but he has some issues and they came to a head while I was gone in New York.”

  “Issues?” he repeated. “What kinda issues?”

  “Well,” Aimee started, but she stopped not sure she really wanted to discuss this with James. “I really don't wanna talk about it, but let's just say we're working on getting past them.”

  James's brows shoved forward completely. He was bewildered. He looked from Aimee to Sacha, then shook his head. “Okay, I'll respect your privacy...”

  “Thank you,” Aimee replied.

  “...let me finish,” he answered firmly.

  “Sorry,” Aimee added.

  “I’ll respect your privacy, but if I ever find out differently, I'm going to beat his ass. Do you understand?”

  Aimee's eyes widened. She nodded. James had always been her protector even when he gave her a hard time. But she had never seen him so serious. Of course, Aimee had never had a boyfriend before Dylan, so he never had to protect her honor before. She thought it was rather cute. “James,” Aimee began, “I understand, and I appreciate you wanting to look out for me, but I'm fine. Really.”

  “You sure?” he asked.

  “I'm sure,” she answered. “And now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna grab a P&J and a glass of milk and head to my room to study. I haven't eaten much since Saturday and I'm finally hungry.”

  Aimee got up off the couch and before she could pass James, he reached out and grabbed her in a big bear hug. He kissed the top of her head, then let her go. Aimee looked at him and smiled. “I love you, too,” she whispered.

  The next morning, right at dusk, she got up and dug around in her dresser for her running clothes. She felt good enough to try about five miles. After a fast trip to the bathroom, she dressed, downed a glass of water, and wrote on the dry erase board where she was going. She put her earbuds in, turned her music on, and stuffed her phone in her running bag. Within twenty minutes she passed the street Sarah and Lynn lived on. She didn't notice them so she kept going. In less than a minute she was at Dylan's street. His FJ was in the driveway. Instead of running past, she jogged down the street towards the house. She wasn't sure why, or what she would do if he suddenly came out, but something nudged her to go that direction. Ten yards away from the driveway she stopped. A light was shining through the front windows. She walked quickly to the driveway and paused while she looked in his FJ. Dylan had a picture of her stuck in his console. After a big breath, she slowly walked to the porch and stepped up to the deck. She peeked through the little window in the front door and noticed the light above the sink was on, but Dylan wasn't there. Knock! a voice directed. Aimee pulled back the screen door, raised her hand and started to knock. But before her fist hit the door his voice ordered her to stop! She jerked around looking for Joseph. He wasn't there. Frightened, she quietly shut the door, flew down the steps, and ran away. She didn't turn right when she got to the end of the street. Instead, she ran as fast as she could back to the apartment. James and Sacha were still asleep when she entered. Quickly, she ducked into the bathroom and locked herself in. What just happened? she asked herself as she stared into the mirror. She was so close to knocking on the door, but then his voice told her not to. Whatthahell is wrong with me? Confused and upset with herself, she shut the lid of the toilet and plopped down. What am I scared of? I love Dylan, and he loves me. But he had hurt her terribly. Will he do it again if he gets jealous? What if we're together and we run into Brandi, or... She stopped. The sweat on her face dribbled down and dropped onto her t-shirt. Panic struck! Or what if we run into Joseph again! They wanted us together. That’s so obvious. The odds are great it will happen sooner or later. She was terrified how Joseph would handle it. Will he mention anything about me coming to find him in the middle of the night, or us going together to Oceanside? Or, how he kissed me and I didn't slap him, or say anything? Surely not! She tried to convince herself this was different than what Dylan did with Brandi. But Joseph knew they were separated, and he tried to get her to see that it was a good thing for her to be with him. After all, they wanted this to happen. She and Joseph had shared something special this past weekend, something only another gifted person could understand. But that wasn't enough of a reason to want to leave someone she loved with all her heart. Aimee knew if she stayed in the same town as Joseph they would run into him at some point, and she didn't trust Joseph to not try something. He was on his own little mission. He wanted Aimee. She was positive of that now, only she didn't know what to do about it. “No! I won't let him or them ruin my life. Not any more!” she whispered.

  She noticed the clock. 7:20. Class started at eight and she couldn't be late for her quiz. There was time later to figure this out so she could be with Dylan without being scared of the unknown. Hurriedly she jumped in and showered, dressed in a flash, then left for campus. When she pulled into her parking space, she grabbed her phone from the console and noticed a text from Dylan.

  Hi...are you feeling better?

  In two seconds she texted back, then hit Send.

  I am feeling better...thanks...how are you?

  Aimee waited a few seconds, but didn't get a text back so she stuffed her phone into her pack, then headed to class. When she got out of class, Aimee checked her phone. She still didn't have a text so she went on to the library to study. No texts or calls came in while she was there. A few minutes before class she raced to get there so she wouldn't be late. After class she didn't need to hurry anywhere since she no longer had a job so she whipped her phone out of the pack and checked. At last she had a return text from Dylan.

  I'm okay...wish we could get together to talk...I miss you so much

  Aimee stopped and stared at the text forever. She missed him so much, too, and three weeks apart was three weeks too long. Aimee couldn't wait any longer. Enough time had passed. She ran to her car, jumped in and tore out of the parking lot. The house was only ten minutes away if she didn't get stopped at lights. In seven minutes she turned down the street. Dylan's FJ was gone. “Oh, damn,” she grumbled. That's okay, she decided. I'll wait. Aimee pulled into the driveway, cut the engine, pulled her keys from the ignition, and got out. The girl from next door was backing out of the driveway. She waved at Aimee and Aimee waved back. She stepped onto the porch, unlocked the door, and went inside. The furniture they had picked out the first day they moved into the house filled the living and dining rooms. It looked more like a home now. A pillow and a blanket were on the couch. Aimee lifted the blanket to fold it and the picture she gave him for their high school graduation was hidden underneath. Aimee picked it up and rubbed her hand over the glass. He had been sleeping with the picture. Aimee set it on the side table, then folded the blanket and laid it over the back of the couch. She walked down the hallway and peeked into the bathroom. A towel was hung over the shower curtain rod and Dylan's razor and shaving cream sat on the counter. Dylan's robe was hanging on the back of the door. She took it off the hook and closed her eyes as she took a l
ong, slow whiff. It smelled like Dylan. After placing it back on the hook, she stepped out into the hall and slowly entered their room. Her robe was in the exact place it had been three weeks earlier. Aimee shook her head in disbelief. Surely he hasn't been sleeping on the couch this whole time? she wondered. Aimee walked over to the bed and slowly sat down on the edge, then laid back onto her pillow and curled up like a baby. She gathered Dylan's pillow and hugged it. Within a few minutes her eyes shut and she eased into sleep. ...

  ...Aimee's mind emptied itself of everything that had worried her for the past few days. The horrible pain she had felt the past few weeks lifted, and her mind swiftly transcended into dreamland. The dream didn't start scary or foreboding. She was with Dylan, and they were walking on the beach together holding hands. The cool breeze blowing in from the ocean gave her a chill. They stopped and Dylan took his jacket off and wrapped it around her, then he held her close. His body quickly warmed her. The breeze blew her hair across her face. He gently swept it out out of her face, then he gazed intensely into her eyes. The two connected and became one as he leaned in. Their soft lips touched, first tenderly, then harder, and too soon, he broke the embrace. “I love you with all my heart, and I'll never let you go again.”

  “We'll always be together?” she asked.

  “Always, forever,” he whispered. ...

  .

  Aimee jolted awake and popped up into sitting. “Ahhhh,” she gasped suddenly aware she wasn't alone.

  Dylan stood in the doorway watching her. “I'm sorry,” he apologized. “I didn't mean to scare you.” He stepped into the room, but stopped a few feet from the bed.

  Aimee quickly gathered herself up, put his pillow back, and scooted over to the side of the bed. “No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come in without you here.”

  “Aimee, you belong here. This is your home, too,” he said easily.