Entice

by Amber Garza

  Tanner leaned closer, and straddled the bench so he was facing me head on. I caught a whiff of his familiar musky scent and my heart quickened. “Wanna tell me about it? I’ve been told I’m a good listener.” He winked.

  I smiled the best I could.

  “That was a weak smile,” he said. “C’mon, I think you need to get this off your chest. Spill.”

  Leaning forward, I rested my chin in the palm of my hand. Our faces were mere inches apart.

  “Mom said we weren’t going to Grandma’s for Christmas.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I know you were looking forward to that.”

  I snorted. “That’s an understatement.”

  Disappointment flashed in Tanner’s eyes, but he quickly recovered and flashed me a dimpled grin. “There are worse things in the world than having to stay here for the holidays.”

  “Not for me.”

  “I’ll be here for Christmas. I know I’m not your precious Isaac, but I’m your friend, aren’t I?”

  Frustration surfaced. “It’s not just because of Isaac, okay? I wanted to see my Grandma too.” My lips quivered. Embarrassed, I turned away.

  Tanner reached out, touched my chin, and turned my face back to his. “I’m sorry. I was a jerk. You’re clearly upset. I shouldn’t have made it about me.”

  I stared into his eyes. He looked genuinely sorry. It made tears spring to my eyes. “It’s just that things are so bad at home right now. I feel like I’m going crazy. I just wanted to get away from it all.”

  Tanner wrapped me in his arms. I allowed myself to be held, closed my eyes and rested my head on his shoulder. It felt so good that I didn’t fight it. When I opened my eyes, I saw Haley watching me from her table. I quickly sat up, and pushed Tanner away.

  Wiping a tear from my face with his thumb, he said, “I really wish you would trust me enough to tell me what’s going on at home that makes you want to run away. Maybe if you told me, I could help you.”

  My mind traveled back to my conversation with Scarlet. “Yeah, I guess it’s like you not trusting me enough to tell me why you and Scarlet broke up.”

  His hand dropped to his side, his jaw tensed. “That’s different.”

  “Yoo-hoo. Love-birds?”

  Startled, I looked up at Janna.

  “Man, you guys were in a pretty intense moment there. Everything okay?” She raised her eyebrows, pursing her shiny pink lips.

  I nodded, wishing I could disappear.

  “Rick and I are going to grab a soda. Want anything?”

  Tanner and I both shook our heads. Together, Rick and Janna walked off holding hands.

  I returned my gaze to Tanner. “How is it different?”

  “It just is.”

  “Fine, but if you can’t tell me your big secret how can you expect me to trust you with mine.? I grabbed my backpack and stood up.

  “Kenzie, wait. You don’t understand.”

  “Oh, I think I do.” Flinging my backpack over my shoulder, I stormed out of the cafeteria. I was really hoping he’d tell me. I was really hoping I could trust him.

  He waited for me at my car after school. The way he leaned against it in his jeans and t-shirt made me melt. He looked like one of those magazine ads for Calvin Klein or something. If only he wasn’t so hot.

  “Okay, you win,” he said when I approached.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ll tell you why Scarlet and I broke up, but first you have to make me a promise.”

  A group of students bounded past us, laughing and chatting. A car careened down our aisle.

  “Okay.”

  “You have to promise not to hate me.”

  “Of course I wouldn’t hate you.” I thought of all the terrible things I’d done. I’m sure it didn’t even compare to those.

  “You have to promise, Kenzie.”

  “Fine. I promise.”

  “All right.” He looked around at all the students filling the parking lot and the cars peeling out. “But not here.”

  “I would say we could go to the park, but it looks like it might rain again.” The clouds overhead were heavy and dark.

  “We could go to my house. My parents are both at work,” he suggested.

  “Okay. I’ll meet you there.” I knew where Tanner lived. I’d been to parties there before. His parents went out of town often and his house used to be party central. I always used to go to the parties with the intention of flirting with Tanner. Only, he would spend the entire evening with Scarlet, and I never got my chance.

  Tanner lived pretty close to Haley and the streets were almost identical with their beautiful yards and similar tract homes. He also had a two story with a sweeping staircase. We sat in his living room, the large picture windows overlooking the large expanse of green grass that was his front yard. It was the house I’d always dreamt of living in. It smelled like oranges and potpourri. The magazines were organized in a rack next to the couch, and there was even a little console for the remotes. I thought of how Tanner had been in my own messy living room and felt a stab of embarrassment.

  As if sensing this, Tanner said, “It’s not that great, believe me.”

  “Yeah right.”

  “No seriously. My mom’s a total neat freak. If she finds one thing out of place when she gets home, I’ll be in big trouble. I mean, look at this place. It doesn’t even look lived in.”

  I looked around, but to me it looked heavenly.

  “Can I get you some water or a soda or something?”

  I shook my head.

  He took a deep breath as he ran a hand over his hair. His nervousness was starting to get to me. If what he had to say was this bad, maybe I didn’t want to hear it. I mean, I thought so highly of Tanner. Did I really want that to end? But it was too late to back out now. Besides, at this point my imagination would run wild. Most likely, what he had to say wouldn’t be nearly as bad as what I would make up.

  “Scarlet broke up with me.”

  This alone was shocking. By the way she was acting in the bathroom, I thought for sure he’d broken it off with her.

  He stared at his hands as if the story was written on his palm. “It was after a party at Caleb’s house. We were all drinking and having a good time. I tried to get physical with Scarlet but she pushed me away. She was always such a tease. I mean, we went out for four years, after all.”

  I found it hard to draw breath. My insides were screaming for him to stop. It was like a car accident. I so badly wanted to look away and yet morbid curiosity kept me glued to the story. I sat completely still, my hands folded in my lap and listened.

  “So, I slipped something in her drink. It knocked her out.”

  My face felt hot like I was coming down with a fever, and yet I shivered. The heater kicked on, startling me.

  His gaze was still glued to his hand as if he feared seeing the look on my face. “I didn’t do anything. I swear. But she thought I did and there’s no convincing her otherwise.”

  He finally lifted his head. I was sure my face looked as appalled as I felt, but I couldn’t help it. How could I ever trust someone who had taken advantage of a woman after what my mom and I had gone through?

  “You believe me, don’t you? I would never do that.” His eyes pleaded with me.

  I found my voice. “Then why did you give her the drug?”

  “I don’t know. I wasn’t in my right mind. The man said the pills would give me the desires of my heart.”

  “What man?”

  He looked me right in the eye. “Drake. That’s how I know him. He’s the guy who sold me the drugs.”

  The floor flew out from beneath me.

  That night I tossed and turned, trying to fall asleep. Tanner’s pained face and Mom’s crazy outbursts filled my thoughts. My mind whirred with the confusing events of the past few weeks. It took hours to finally quiet them, and get some rest. When I did, my dreams consisted of evil sculptures attacking me, and demons chasing me.

 
I awoke in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, my sheets tangled around me. Lifting my head, I caught sight of the figure of a man standing next to my bed. I stiffened.

  He came closer and the light from the window sliced across his features, illuminating his face. I sucked in a breath. Lifting his hand, he held his index finger to his lips.

  “Shhhh.” He whispered, leaning his head down closer to mine. I swallowed hard and scooted back. My head bumped the headboard. “There’s no need to be frightened, Kenzie. You know me. We’re friends, remember?”

  Chapter Seventeen

  I nodded, hoping he would just leave me alone. What was he doing here so late at night anyway? Did Mom know he was here? I turned my head toward her room.

  Following my gaze, Drake said, “You don’t want to upset your mom, do you?”

  My heart beat loudly in my chest. I fought to keep my breathing steady and even. Outside the wind howled like a dying animal. Tree branches scratched against my window.

  “I just came in here to have a little one- on-one chat. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  He touched my chin with his finger, lifted my head up to expose my neck. I trembled. Lightning flashed against the sky, giving off a strobe light effect in my room.

  “You’ve been upsetting your mom, and I don’t like it. She cares for me. She listens to me. If you know what’s good for you, you won’t try to get between us again. Do you understand?”

  I nodded. He dropped my chin, causing me to bite down on my tongue. Blood filled my mouth. The low growl of thunder pulsated through my body. The storm was in full force now.

  “Oh no, it seems you’ve hurt yourself.” His smile looked even more sinister in the darkness. When he reached my doorway he turned around. His face looked distorted, inhuman, almost like it was covered in scales. I gasped.

  “Everything looks scarier in the dark, Kenzie. You, of all people, should know that.”

  I blinked, wondering if that was all it was, the darkness playing tricks on me.

  “Just because you like the light better doesn’t mean everyone does. Remember that, Kenzie.” With that, he slipped out into the hall.

  I stayed up all night, terrified. It seemed crazy but I was more scared than when Wesley was after me. At least then I’d had Grandma and Isaac. This time the man I was afraid of was my mom’s boyfriend. I’d been in situations like these before and I’d learned that Mom never sided with me. And she really liked Drake. Even more than she had the other ones. There was no convincing her he was evil.

  All night I mulled over what to do; how to get rid of him. It wasn’t going to be as simple this time. I feared I wouldn’t be able to fight him without Mom’s help. As long as he had her in his grasp, there was nothing I could do. But how could I convince her? By the time morning light spilled into my room, I was no closer to having any answers than I was hours earlier.

  I stumbled out of bed and trudged into the kitchen to make coffee. As I passed Mom’s room, I prayed that Drake wasn’t in there. In the kitchen I found a note from Mom tacked to the fridge.

  Went to breakfast with Drake. Be back later.

  Throwing the note in the trash, I decided to be long gone by the time they returned. Until I had a plan of action, I was staying as far from that man as possible.

  Just as I was filling the coffee pot with water, a knock sounded on the front door. Looking down at my pj’s, I hoped it wasn’t Tanner making another impromptu appearance.

  Much to my relief, it was Carol. I smiled at her, squinting against the morning sunlight that blinded me. Even though it was chilly outside, the sun had made an appearance from behind the gray clouds and its rays shone brightly.

  “Mom isn’t home,” I told her.

  Carol nodded, causing her sleek blond bob to swish around her chin. She blinked her wide chocolate brown eyes. “I know. I came to talk to you.”

  “Me?” Carol had been my mom’s best friend for years, but this was a first. Butterflies swarmed my stomach. This couldn’t be good.

  “Okay.” I opened the door wide, and ushered her inside.

  Carol walked in, chewing on her nails. She was making me nervous.

  “Why don’t you sit down. Do you want something to drink? I’m brewing a pot of coffee.”

  Carol folded into the couch like a piece of origami. “Sure. Sounds good.” She was still chomping on her short, jagged nails.

  I made my way into the kitchen, and pulled two mugs out of the cabinet. One of them still had Mom’s lipstick stains on the rim. I put it in the sink and pulled out another one. After inspecting it, I set it on the counter and waited for the coffee to finish percolating. The aromatic scent of coffee permeated the kitchen, awakening my tired senses.

  After pouring two cups, I carried them carefully into the family room.

  “Thank you.” Carol took hers.

  I sat next to her, lifting the steaming cup to my lips. The piping hot liquid burned my tongue.

  “Kenzie, I’m really worried about Josie.” Carol set her mug down on the coffee table. Steam rose from it.

  “You and me both.”

  “Your mom and I have been friends for years and I’ve seen her through a lot of bad relationships.”

  I nodded. More than I could count on all my fingers and toes, actually.

  “But this time something feels different. There’s something weird going on with this guy, Kenzie. He has some strange hold on her. She’s not acting like herself.” Carol seemed to be close to tears.

  I sat forward. “I know exactly what you’re saying. I feel the same thing. I’ve tried to talk to her about it but she won’t listen to me.”

  “Me either.” Carol lifted her hand, and stuck her fingernails back in her mouth.

  I studied her for a minute, thinking about how she and Mom had been friends since I was a baby.

  “Carol, a month or so ago, I woke up one night to all this noise in the house. When I came out here the family room was trashed and I found Mom standing out in the front yard looking lost.”

  As I spoke, Carol’s eyes widened. She let her hands drop to her sides and rest on the thigh of her jeans.

  “Afterward she muttered something about this happening again. I tried to get her to explain but she wouldn’t. In fact, she’s refused to talk about it since. Do you have any idea what she was talking about.”

  Carol nodded. “Yeah, I’m afraid I do.”

  “Does it have to do with my dad?”

  “No, honey, I don’t think so. Your mom used to sleepwalk a lot.”

  “That’s what Grandma said.”

  “As far as I know she hasn’t done it in a while. But when you were a baby she was having all these nightmares and stuff. And then she started sleepwalking and when she did she would throw stuff around and break stuff. She was really concerned she would hurt you without knowing it. So, I took her to the doctor and they prescribed her some meds. They thought she was just depressed or angry or something.”

  “So, it was my mom who trashed our family room?” I thought about how out of it Mom was when I found her outside. She did seem asleep. She definitely wasn’t lucid. I suppose it made sense.

  Carol placed her hand over mine. “Kenzie, your mom has been wrestling with demons for years.”

  “Demons? Like the devil, you mean?”

  Carol laughed. “No silly, it’s an expression. It just means that she’s had a lot of issues. It’s not your fault, Kenzie. It’s just the way it is.”

  “But lately, she’s just been acting so weird, Carol.” I wanted to tell her about the other day when Mom attacked me with her vicious words, but I couldn’t bring myself to. I was still so embarrassed, so ashamed by the whole thing.

  “I know, and that’s what has me so worried. I just wanted to come talk to you and let you know that I’m here if you need me, honey.”

  I nodded, grateful to have someone on my side.

  “I still can’t believe I’m not gonna see you over Christmas break,” I whined ove
r the phone to Isaac. The minute Carol had left, I’d called him. It always comforted me to hear his voice. “When she first told me we weren’t going I thought I’d just hop in my car and drive to you without her permission.”

  “Kenz, you can’t do that.”

  “I know. Grandma said the same thing. I guess there’s something in the Bible about obeying your parents or some junk.” I stuck out my bottom lip in a pout.

  Isaac chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve gotten mad about that verse before too.”

  “It’s just that I’ve been looking forward to seeing you so much. I miss you .”

  “I miss you too. But hey, just because you’re not coming out here doesn’t mean I can’t come to you.”

  My heart jumped in my chest. “Really? You would do that?”

  “I would do anything to see you, Kenzie. Don’t you know that yet?”

  A smile spread across my face. “When are you coming?”

  “Well, nothing’s set in stone yet, but I’m saving my money. I’ll come to visit you as soon as I can.”

  “Oh, Isaac, I love you so much.”

  “Remember that when you’re hanging out with Tanner.”

  My chest tightened at the sound of Tanner’s name coming out of Isaac’s mouth. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re still hanging out with him, right?”

  “Yeah. But like I told you, we’re just friends.”

  “I know. I trust you. I was just teasing.” As light as he tried to sound, I heard the hint of jealousy under his words.

  “So, now you’re poisoning my friends against me, huh?” Mom said the next night when she returned from work.

  “No, not at all. Carol came over because she’s concerned about you.”

  “And I bet you just couldn’t wait to tell her all about how awful I’m being. Don’t think by enlisting my friends to help that you’ll get to go see your boyfriend for Christmas.”