C I N: Lynn, Lynn, the city of sin. You never come out the way you went in. (The C I N Series)

by Christina Leigh Pritchard

  “Nonsense,” Donna said, throwing the pillow back at her. “The more the merrier.”

  “That’s what I say!” I giggled, grabbing a handful of popcorn with melted chocolate. It really was terrific together. I guess when you’ve been a teenager for over twenty years you learn a lot of cool tricks. Someone else had told me about the mixture once. I didn’t think then that I would’ve liked it. But I did.

  There was a tap at the door. I got up and opened it. Alex stood with Pig. He smiled, offering his hand. It was time for our ‘touching’ session. I hesitated. If I kept touching him and cuddling with him I’d end up dependent upon his touch, or worse—I’d become his. If I went with him right now then I would regret it later after he screamed at me or said something horrible to me. What if we ended up doing something that we couldn’t take back? We’d be stuck together at this school forever and never get away from each other. What a horrible thought.

  “We’re having a movie night. I think I’ll take a rain check.” I turned away, slowly closing the door. Alex put his foot in the door and grabbed my hand. It was as if butterflies invaded my insides, flapping their wings violently. Maybe just one more night with him wouldn’t hurt. When was he going to start his ‘detox off of Alex’ program? Was that even possible?

  “Why’re you so scared?” Alex wondered, gently forcing me out of the room. Donna sat up.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I need her for a second,” Alex answered, slamming the door fast. My heart pounded. Where was he going to take me? Was he really living on campus? Would we walk into his room in front of everyone? They’d all think I was a slut. First day of eternity and I was already a harlot. I looked down at Pig. He pranced around on his hind legs. It felt like ages since I’d seen him.

  “Hi, there, Pig.” I leaned down. He backed up and I swallowed the lump in my throat. Bipolar wasn’t growling to be evil. He did it to keep those who tried to touch him safe. If I touched him, I’d lose my longevity just as all the others would. I wonder why he was afraid before I was struck, too. That didn’t make any sense.

  “Come with me.” Alex pointed to the stairs. We took them slowly. To the left on the second floor was a pool table. Reginald, his three groupies and Michael congregated around it. I glanced over at Michael who poked his butt out as he bent over, aiming his pool stick at the cue ball. When he saw me holding Alex’s hand, he scratched, dropping his stick onto the table.

  “Lisa, why?” He frowned, inching forward. “Not with him.”

  “It’s not what it looks like,” I stammered. Alex pulled me closer and Michael’s lips tightened. He stomped his feet and stood only a foot away.

  “It looks a lot like you’re going to his room with him; alone.”

  “So what if she is. She already told you it wasn’t like that. We’ve lived in the same house for the past week and nothing has happened. I think you need to chill out and finish playing your game,” Alex said. I looked at him. His eyes sparkled and his lips trembled slightly. Was he timid?

  “Lisa,” Michael grabbed my arm, jerking me away. “Don’t go with him. It’ll be a big mistake, trust me.”

  Alex stood, frozen in the center of the game room. I looked up at Michael and then back at Alex. Michael’s eyes were angry, and Reginald and his groupies stood against the wall with frightened looks upon their faces. Were they really afraid? I knew I was! His grip tightened and he forced me over to the pool table. “Stay here, don’t you dare go to his room.”

  “Lisa,” Alex whispered. My fingers twitched. “Please, let’s go. You and Michael can play pool tomorrow. We need to do this so that I can find out what’s wrong, remember?”

  My knees weakened and I could hardly stand. I glanced over at Alex. His blue eyes saw straight through to my soul and it made me crumble like a mound of jello.

  “No, Lisa, don’t go with him.”

  “Dude, what’re you doing?” Reginald whispered. “You’re going a little too far. I’m not with him on this one, Alex, so don’t take it out on me later.”

  “I wouldn’t dare.” Alex folded his arms across his chest. “Lisa, please come here.”

  I slowly pulled away from Michael. He kicked the leg on the pool table and it collapsed. Balls rolled on the floor, falling over the edge of the balcony and smashing the hard wood floors below. My heart pumped harder than ever before. I’d never seen him so full of rage. He grabbed the pool stick and broke it in half over his upper leg. Pig barked and growled at Michael. He stood, silently now. Reginald and his groupies slammed themselves into the wall.

  “I’m outta here, man,” Reginald said, creeping towards the staircase. Alex motioned for me to come to him.

  “I don’t want to go with either of you.” I wiped my eyes. Was I crying? They were both crazy. Why hadn’t I noticed Michael’s psycho side? He seemed so laid back and fun.

  “Please, Lisa, I won’t hurt you.” Alex promised.

  “Yeah, right.” Michael kicked the broken pool table. I winced, recoiling. I didn’t trust either one of them now. “Look what he’s done to us! He’s placed us in this prison and stolen us from our families.”

  He was right. I was stuck in Lynn forever. But, Michael would’ve died in the warehouse if Alex didn’t intervene. He never would’ve gotten to spend these last twenty years with his mother; even if it was for the summers only and his mom would’ve buried him instead of the other way around. No mother should have to ever bury their own child. That’s the worst kind of punishment ever. Alex had saved his life.

  I inched forward, grabbing Alex’s hand. He guided me through a corridor and up a spiral staircase. Michael stood at the end of the hall. “You’re going to regret it, Lisa Brown.”

  “He’s not going to do anything to you. Michael is just jealous,” Alex whispered. “I see you’ve finally decided who you want to be with.”

  “No, I guess I just figured I would stick to my original plans.”

  “Liar.”

  “I’m not lying. Plus, you seem to be the lesser of two evils at the moment.”

  “Why do you fight yourself? I’m the man of your dreams.”

  I laughed loudly, shoving him in the chest. “You’re the man of my nightmares.”

  “So you do think about me! I bet you wake up seeing my smiling face.”

  “You don’t smile.”

  “Well, you imagine me with a smile, anyway.”

  “Your ego is so inflated!”

  “I do have a big ego.” Alex smirked. He pulled me inside his room. It was small with only enough room for a twin sized bed and end table. I sat on the bed and he stood in front of me, peering down. His hair fell around his face and he placed his hands on my waist.

  “You sure you’re talking about your ego?” I swallowed, feeling myself tremble. He wasn’t talking about ego at all. I could feel his thoughts. He chuckled, climbing on top of me. He sat across my lap and took my face in his hands. “No, definitely not talking about your ego.”

  “I’m happy; you make me happy, Lisa. I’ve been empty for such a long time and I never thought I would ever find love. Everyone here has someone at least most do and I thought I was going to be alone for all eternity.”

  “You still might be.” I leaned back, farther away from him. He put one hand on my back and pushed me forward so that I was inches from his face. My lips had their very own heartbeat. Did I actually want to kiss him? He trapped me in this smelly town for all eternity. I’d never be able to go home to Florida and—

  “I’m sorry; please don’t hate me for what I’ve done. I only did it because I wanted to keep you from harm. I didn’t want you to be miserable anymore.”

  His lips gently pressed against mine. I could feel his teeth behind them. My heart fluttered and for the first time in my life, I knew I was truly loved. I could feel every emotion he possessed in just a single second. He really struggled with himself to stay in control so that he wouldn’t go too far with me even though he knew I wanted him to do more. I lay on
my back and he rested his body across mine. I grew breathless and wanted nothing more than more. I couldn’t get close enough to him. Even with his body smashed against mine, it wasn’t enough. I wanted him inside me. He had to do it. He wouldn’t. He struggled against himself, crying out softly in such agony.

  “I love you, Lisa Brown,” Alex whispered. I took deep breaths, clutching his shirt. He pulled me up into his lap. I tugged at his shirt, trying to remove it from his body. He ripped it away and I placed my hands on him. He was warm and strong.

  Alex’s hands crept inside my shirt, following the curve of my back. I arched forward at his touch. It was gentle and yet firm. He kissed the nape my neck. I wrapped myself around him and ran my fingers through his hair. It was soft and made me tingle. Or maybe it was where he’d placed his hands.

  “I can’t do this. Y-you have done nothing but lie to me and withhold the truth. Plus, I have Michael to worry about now. I told him nothing was going to happen with us tonight. He’s going to be very angry with me. Michael has been a great friend. I don’t want to change that.”

  “You won’t have to worry about Michael anymore.”

  “Oh, and why is that?”

  “I’m going to make him forget all about you. He won’t be sad at all when he sees us together. I promise.”

  “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

  “Oh, you will, I’m certain.” Alex wrapped himself around me. “I’m never letting you go, Lisa Brown. I love you too much, now. You’re my addiction.”

  Somehow that made me feel a whole lot better; to know that I wasn’t the only one who needed to touch him. He needed to touch me as well.

  “Alex, you’ve destroyed my life.”

  “No, I’ve saved it. You can do whatever you want, I’ll never stop you; ever. I want nothing but your happiness for always.”

  “I want you to never lie to me again. Promise me that—if I ask you a question you’ll answer me with nothing but the truth.”

  He kissed me on the nose. “I promise.”

  “How can I know for sure that you aren’t lying just to get inside my pants?”

  “I could’ve taken advantage of you a long time ago.”

  “Yeah, right, as if I would’ve let you.”

  “You’ve been begging me for days. I’m the one who has stayed in control.”

  “What about today? You weren’t very controlled a few minutes ago.”

  “I tried, but you seduced me.”

  “Oh, yeah, blame it on me.”

  “You can just feel my thoughts and know whether I’m genuine or not. Why do you fight knowing?”

  “I guess I just don’t want to invade your privacy.”

  “I have no privacy when it comes to you. I want you to know everything there is to know about me. I want to share my every thought, my every whim, with you. I really and truly do love you. You believe that at least, don’t you?”

  I thought about how he’d orchestrated the school into wearing dorky uniforms and pretending to be a high school, how he saved me from drowning in the kayak and how he did not force me to come with him tonight. That had to mean something. Didn’t it?

  “You’re trying to convince yourself that I’m good.”

  “It would make loving you a lot easier.”

  “No one is good. We have good moments and bad moments. We must never expect perfection from anybody.”

  “Is that your way of pushing yourself; are you a salesman?”

  “No.” He laughed, kissing my cheek. He kissed me softly, making his way down my neck and then he bit my shoulder.

  “You punk!” I smacked him in his side. He chuckled in my ear. “You bit me.”

  “Yeah, and I’m going to do it again.”

  I wanted him to do more than just bite me. Alex sat up. I rolled onto my back. He tickled my stomach with his fingertips. They made their way up inside my shirt and then he just stopped.

  “That’s enough ‘touching’ for one night, don’t you think?”

  Twenty

  Mysterious Happenings

  I woke up, curled in Alex’s arms. My hair was a mess and I was sure my breath smelled bad. I crept out of the small bed and slipped my shoes on. I needed to take a shower before anyone saw me like this.

  I tiptoed out the door, down the spiral staircase and snuck through the corridor. Michael leaned against the wall. His eyes watered when he saw me. “Hey, Lisa.”

  “Hi; you’re always catching me looking a mess.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  “Look, about last night.” I stopped. What was I supposed to say? He broke the pool table out of rage. He scared me now. But so had Alex and look at me now, waking up in his bed. How shameful.

  “No, I want to apologize for my behavior. If I hadn’t acted that way, you probably wouldn’t be waking up inside his room like this. I value our friendship and don’t want last night to interfere with that. You will forgive me, won’t you?”

  His eyes were soft and his hands trembled when they touched my shoulders. I collapsed into his arms. My Michael was back! “Of course I forgive you. You were my first friend in Lynn and always will be.”

  “Good, I’m glad we can always be good friends, if nothing else.” Michael kissed me on the top of my forehead and then released me. “You need to take a shower.”

  “Same old Michael,” I teased, disappearing down the hall. I took the mahogany steps two at a time and snuck into my dorm room. Ally was past out with her arm hanging off the top bunk and Donna lay curled in a ball on her bed. I unzipped my bag, pulling out some clothes and toiletries. This would be my first co-ed bathroom experience. Hopefully it would be empty and I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone seeing me.

  “Where were you all night?” Donna asked. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned. “Ally and I waited for hours but then we got too tired and fell asleep. There was a lot of ruckus upstairs. You weren’t part of that were you?”

  “Let’s just say, you were right about Michael and Alex.”

  “I knew it!”

  “But having them fight over me was not very romantic at all.”

  “Maybe not at the moment, but later when you think about it you’ll see.”

  “I’m going to take a shower. I’ll talk to you when I get back.”

  “You have some explaining to do.” Donna grinned, kicking her feet against the mattress.

  I winked, disappearing down the hall. I took a deep breath and entered the washroom. It was a large room with shower stalls and toilet stalls. The showers had curtains for privacy and so did the toilets. There was a long string of sinks. So far, no one was in the bathroom. Good. At least I could shower without anyone seeing me. I undressed and laid my clothes in a plastic chair a few feet away from the showers.

  The water felt nice against my skin. It seemed like a long time since I had this much privacy. I lathered my hair with shampoo and let the soap fall all around me. It collected at the drain and I watched as it fell through the tiny holes.

  I turned off the water and peeked out the curtain, making sure I was still alone. (I didn’t want to walk out naked and expose myself to the whole school!) There wasn’t a soul in sight. Good. I tip toed out, grabbing my towel. I inched forward to the plastic chair where my clothes lay.

  Just then, the door burst open and in walked Michael. I screamed. He jumped back. “Whoa, what is it? Who are you?” Michael covered his eyes.

  “Don’t look!” I scrambled up, snatching my clothes. I ran to a bathroom stall and closed the curtain. “You knew I was coming in here. You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

  “Who are you?” Michael stammered.

  “I’m Lisa Brown. Michael, you know who I am. Don’t play games.”

  “Girl, I have never seen you in my life. Are you new? Are you the girl everyone keeps talking about?”

  “Michael, stop playing around.” I peeked at him through the curtain, struggling to put on my clothes. “You and I were just talking in the h
all. You told me I needed to take a shower. It’s not the first time you’ve told me I stunk.”

  “I have never told you any such thing. Look, I’m outta here. I can take a shower later when you aren’t in here screaming at me.” He stormed out of the bathroom and I trembled. Why would he pretend to not know me anymore?

  I went back to my room and stared at Ally. She still slept, almost like it was the first time in years that she got to do so. Donna was gone. “Ally.” I shook her. “Wake up; I need to talk to you.”

  She grumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “This early?”

  “Listen, last night Michael got mad when I went with Alex to his room. But this morning he told me he was sorry and wanted to always be my friend. Then, when I’m getting out of the shower, he comes in and acts like he doesn’t know who I am. It was as if he really didn’t remember me. What’s going on?”

  “I’ll find out for you.” Ally climbed down. She tied up her hair and changed out of her nightgown. “I’m going to talk to Alex; I’ll be back. Stay here until I return.”

  “Okay, but hurry.” I crawled into the bottom bunk, lying on my back. I stared at the mattress above my head. It had seen better days. How could Michael just forget all about me, just so instantly? Could Alex do that? He was waiting in the hall for something. The only room there was Alex’s which was up the spiral staircase. No one else lived up there. Was he waiting for him? Why would Michael wait for Alex? Maybe he wanted to apologize to him as well. He did lose it.

  Donna entered the room with a look of horror on her face. “What’s wrong?” I asked, leaning up. I hit my head on the wood frame.

  “Michael has truly forgotten who you are. He must’ve really upset Alex. Now we all have to introduce you as the new girl. No one is allowed to tell him that he knew you or else we will have our memories erased, too.” Donna scratched her head, “What is it with you? Why is Alex being so cutthroat now? It was always Ally that we needed to worry about but now; he’s become a fascist ruler. I don’t even feel like this place is my home anymore.”