by Adele Huxley
She shook her head, sinking onto the side of the bed like all the energy in her body had drained out. She threaded her fingers together almost like she was praying. “No. I think I might just sleep for a bit.”
“Okay.” I moved to shut the door, but she leapt to her feet.
“Wait! Promise me you won’t tell the police.”
I was actually about to do just that, at least to report that something odd was going on in town. I didn’t have specifics, but I didn’t want to take any chances, and I could at least tell Henry what little I knew. “When you get up, if you’re feeling better, we can talk about what’s going on, and then both of us will call them. Deal?”
Awash in relief, she nodded and relaxed. I shut the door to the bedroom and wondered how I was going to explain everything to Liz.
“You fucking what?” Liz practically yelled.
“Shhhh, she’s still sleeping,” I whispered as I got to my feet. I tried to guide Liz out of the kitchen and into the living room by her elbow, but she wrenched her arm free. At least there her voice wouldn’t echo down the hallway like she was shouting in a library.
“I don’t give a shit what she’s doing. You brought her back to our house?” Liz’s eyes flashed with an anger I hadn’t seen in a very long time.
“Will you please stop yelling? At least long enough for me to explain what’s going on?” I gestured to the living room.
Liz’s nostrils flared, but she pressed her lips together. “Fine.” She followed me down the few steps and joined me by the windows, speaking in a normal voice. I switched a light on, windows framing the silhouette of the mountains black against the darkening sky. “What’s happening then?”
“I don’t know…” I started, but couldn’t finish before she blew up.
“Are you kidding me right now? Do you not see how wildly inappropriate this all is? Especially after the wedding stuff? Christ Bryan, I thought we’d gotten past all this.”
I held my hands up defensively. “I do. I swear I do, but she’s in some serious trouble. What was I supposed to do, just leave her on her own? I didn’t do that when you needed help.”
I swallowed hard the second the words slipped from my mouth, and watched Liz’s expression cloud even further.
“Are you implying this situation has even the slightest bit to do with what happened to us? ‘Cause I’m hoping your motivations are at least different.”
I finally lost my temper. I spoke low and looked at her out of the corner of my eye. “I didn’t help you because I wanted to sleep with you.”
She put a hand on her hip and smirked, like she’d bested me somehow. “No?”
I turned and faced her fully, my jaw falling open. “Are you serious? Do you really think… no, Liz. I didn’t help you because I wanted to screw you. I helped you because I’d like to think I’m a decent human being who doesn’t turn their back on people in trouble. It’s good to know how little you think of me, though.”
Liz backpedaled, sensing she’d crossed a line. “I didn’t mean… shit. Of course you’re a decent human being, but that doesn’t mean she is,” she said pointing in the direction of the spare room. “I didn’t trust her when the only interaction I had with her was at the lodge. Now she’s under the same roof?”
“I’m not inviting her into our family. We’re taking in a girl who might be in a world of trouble. You, of all people, should understand what it’s like to not have anywhere to turn and be absolutely terrified. All I’m asking for is one night.”
We both knew I’d just argued her into a corner, but one wrong word and she’d push back with a vengeance. I waited for her to come around in her own time, which took longer than I expected.
“All right, fine,” she finally acquiesced. “One night, but I want to hear what her story is first thing in the morning.”
“Absolutely. You and me both,” I replied, sitting beside her. I reached out to touch her, but she pulled away.
“Did it ever occur to you that she might be the person who’s been sending all these letters? Did it cross your mind that you might be putting me at risk by bringing her here?” She was uncharacteristically timid all of a sudden. I tried to put my arm around her for comfort, but she shifted away even more. “Bry, I’m sorry. I’m just… I’m too worked up right now and I don’t want to take it out on you. I think I’m going to sleep in the den tonight, and we can pick this back up tomorrow morning.”
My heart tightened. “You know we shouldn’t go to bed when we’re still upset with each other.”
“I know, but I’m exhausted and short of you kicking that girl out on her ass in the middle of the night, I don’t think we’re going to come to any resolution tonight.” Liz took my hand and kissed the knuckles, one of my signature gestures. “We’re good, we just have some shit to work through, okay?”
The knot in my stomach said no, but I heard myself say, “Okay.”
I knew I wasn’t going to get to sleep, possibly the whole night, so I lay in bed browsing through the Internet on my phone. Just when I was starting to feel my eyelids grow heavy, my phone buzzed with an email notification. I groaned audibly when I saw who it was from.
From: Angela Haynes
Subject: Found this!
Hey Bry! I was doing a little cleaning up this morning and found this old photo of us. We were soooo cute together, don’t you think? Anyway, thought I’d share!
Ang xx
I deleted it straight away, not even looking at the attachment. I couldn’t help wondering where this sudden attention was coming from. Maybe she’s jealous of Liz? We have been in the media quite a bit recently, and she’s kind of disappeared. I tossed the phone back to the table, actually feeling a twinge of pity for my ex. Things must be getting pretty bad for her to be reaching out after all this time…
When I woke up the next morning, for the briefest of moments, I forgot everything that was going wrong in my life. Suspended in that space between consciousness and sleep, I floated in blissful ignorance. No stalker, no race, no fight with Bryan. Everything was peaceful and perfect and happy and content.
I rolled over and gazed around the room, confused by my surroundings. Different walls, strange furniture. As I tried to place myself in the world, everything came rushing back. The stress, fear, anxiety. Like a bubble popped, my few moments of contentment were scattered. Above all else, I was overcome with a profound sense of guilt.
I hated arguing with Bryan and deep down, I knew I was taking a lot of my stress out on him. “Doesn’t excuse everything he’s done,” I argued with myself, but the feeling lingered. I knew he was right to protect that girl, even if I didn’t like it.
Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I stretched my sore muscles out and pulled my hair into a high ponytail. I at least owe him an apology, I thought.
Our shared bedroom was just down the hall, and I found it empty. After checking the bathroom, I heard the clink of plates from the kitchen. Aw, he’s making breakfast for us. As I drew closer, a feminine giggle echoed down the hall. I paused, clenched my teeth, and regained my focus. No, he’s making breakfast for us plus one…
As I passed the front door, a bright red envelope caught my eye. Immediately, I knew it was another letter from Nicole… or whoever. Figures. Our little play race is in a couple hours and she wants to screw with me one last time.
“That bitch doesn’t know when to leave well enough alone,” I grumbled. As I turned the envelope over in my hand, I realized it hadn’t been mailed this time. No stamp, no address. This one had been hand delivered.
Trembling with rage, I opened it as I walked to the kitchen. Bryan leaned against the far counter as he talked to Paige. She was perched on one of the tall chairs, a baggy shirt pulled down her arm to reveal her shoulder. They both turned to look at me when I entered, but Bryan’s eyes immediately locked on the letter in my hand.
“Another one?” he asked with exasperation. “Maybe you shouldn’t open it, leave it for the police to…”
Ignoring him, I
tore the end off of the envelope and let the scrap flutter to the floor. I pulled out the letter with such force, it ripped a quarter of the way down the middle, but I could still read it. I kept an eye on Paige’s reaction, still aware she might know more than her innocent little face let on.
“That bitch is so scared of losing,” I said holding up the letter. The only thing on the single lined paper was the number seven, this time written in thick, black marker. “If she worked half as hard on the slopes as she does trying to screw with me…”
“You should just ignore it…” Bryan started.
“What a psycho,” Paige interrupted, trying to insert herself into the conversation.
I glared at her, pissed that she even thought she could participate by sounding comforting. For all I knew, she’d written the damn thing and put it in the hallway before we woke up. It’d make sense, considering it hadn’t been mailed…
I crumpled the letter and flung it over my shoulder as I walked away. “I’m going out for breakfast. You’re welcome to join me.”
____________
After storming around in front of the closed shops in town, we found a cute little cafe in the center of an outdoor mall. It was tiny, only four two-seated tables, and aptly named Le Petite Cafe.
I ordered a full fat latte and an order of French toast, hoping the sugar and calories would steady my temper. But when it came, I found myself picking at it, no appetite to speak of.
We spoke quietly, Bryan obviously walking on eggshells around me, which only pissed me off more.
“I’ll call the cops when we get back,” he offered softly.
“I’m gonna smash her face into the snow when I see her,” I said shaking my head. “She must’ve come to the house at what? Five this morning? I should blow up Twitter with this shit.” I pushed a piece of French toast into a puddle of syrup and shook my head. “The girl is seriously unhinged.”
“And that’s exactly why you shouldn’t engage.” Bryan sipped his coffee and wiped the foam from his upper lip. “You might consider canceling the race today altogether.”
“Oh, hell no. No way. She’ll think she won then!” My voice filled the tiny cafe, the two staff in the back suddenly going quiet at my outburst. I continued in a softer tone. “There’s no way I’m letting her think she’s gotten to me. No. Absolutely not.” I emphasized my stance by pointing in the general direction of the mountain.
“And if it isn’t her? If it’s someone else?”
“I don’t know, all right? I’ve never had a stalker before. I’m not familiar with the protocol,” I snapped in a harsh whisper. “But I don’t want my life to change because this is happening. End of story.” I stabbed a piece of syrup-soaked toast and chomped it angrily.
Bryan grew quiet, knowing from my tone there was no budging on this issue. I looked out the windows to the courtyard beyond, a few more tourists wandering around with coffees in hand. We should be sitting here together as newlyweds, not fighting like this…
“So, did you get anything more out of Paige?” I asked, trying my best to sound conversational, not confrontational. “You two seemed pretty cozy this morning.”
Bryan huffed and bit off a piece of banana. “Not really. Drugs, I think. I found out she and her cousin were in Laos and Thailand before coming here.”
“Maybe they got into trouble there and it followed them here?”
He shrugged, clearly hesitant to talk to me about it. I knew I had to make the apology I’d originally woken up with in mind. I reached across the table and touched his wrist. “I’m sorry I flipped out last night. I’m glad you’re willing to stick your neck out to help people. Makes me proud to be with you.”
Bryan rolled his eyes, but held my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Yeah, well. I don’t know how much help I’ve been lately. You’re being harassed. I don’t know what to do with her…” He looked so dejected. “I’m not sure what good I’m doing, if I’m honest.”
I bowed my head to catch his eye, my heart breaking at the sadness in his voice. “It’s not your job to always protect me, you know. We’re partners, right?”
He nodded, the tension slightly dropping from his shoulders. “Of course we are.”
“Good,” I said firmly. I bit my lip and pushed on. “You really don’t think she’s the person messing with me?”
He hesitated, confidence definitely shaken. “I really don’t think so. She’s practically a kid. What would she have to gain?”
“You’ve obviously never met many obsessed teenagers,” I laughed. When he didn’t return my humor, I nudged his foot under the table. “Then what are we gonna do to keep Paige safe?”
A small crowd had already gathered at the base of the gondola by the time we emerged from the lodge. Many of the people were simply onlookers, drawn to the group out of curiosity. A few held large lens cameras, hunting the ground for a perfect shot, keeping an eye out for me and Nicole.
I looked to Janet in surprise. “Seriously? All this?”
She smirked. “You’re the one who challenged her to a race. You think she wasn’t going to tell everyone under the sun when and where it was going to happen? She’s the queen of social media.”
“She probably created an event on Facebook and invited half the world,” I grumbled. “Bryan’s right. She is an attention whore.”
Janet slung her skis over her shoulder and nodded towards the lift. “You ready for this?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
I smiled and waved a little to the crowd as people called out my name, hoping a few nice photos of me might circulate for once. Janet and I waited in line with the rest of the skiers. My race against Nicole wasn’t licensed or anything, so it’s not like I was expecting any special treatment.
Just as we stepped into the gondola, a loud cheer erupted behind us. There was a slight ruckus and grumbles of protest. The crowds parted as someone pushed their way through to the front of the line. Nicole popped inside, followed by a few of her entourage. Her perfectly braided hair hung over her shoulder, streaks of red and white woven through.
“How funny meeting you here,” she grinned at me. I did a double take when I met her eye. Instead of her normal colored contact lenses, she wore ones that blacked out her eyes completely. She widened them in a flash, presumably as a way to intimidate me.
I kept my expression neutral if not a little amused. “I should’ve expected you’d be all made up. You must’ve been up soooo early this morning,” I quipped. I watched for a reaction, but saw nothing.
Janet put her hand on my arm and pulled me to the seat. “Save it for the slopes,” she whispered into my ear.
The gondola swiftly ascended the mountain, the tense silence punctuated by low murmurs between the two groups. It was only a ten, fifteen minute ride to the top, but with every passing second, my anger grew.
How can she just sit there and pretend like she hasn’t spent the last couple weeks fucking with my head? And to show up at my house this morning? She’s one sadistic, messed up chick.
Every thought filled my mouth with vicious words. I tried to hold them in, but when clever ideas popped into my mind, they had a way of tumbling out in a flurry.
“Why don’t we up the stakes?” I blurted out across the space, drawing all eyes on myself.
Her group quieted, parting to give us a clear line of sight.
“Like what?” she frowned.
I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, and looked her straight in those fake, black eyes. “If I win, I go to the press with all the letters you’ve been sending me. I bet they’d eat it all up. Not that I wanted to, but I’ve kept every one. Maybe I could leak them one at a time to really stretch out the story.”
Nicole and her coach exchanged a cryptic look, but I cut her off before she could speak.
“And if I lose, I’ll keep my mouth shut. Nothing goes public, everyone goes on thinking you’re the little darling of downhill, but the letters stop.”
I could feel Janet shaking her
head beside me, but she of all people should’ve understood I couldn’t back down from this wannabe.
Nicole sniffed and mimicked my posture. “I’m all for whatever might shut that mouth of yours, but unfortunately I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, whatever. Fine, then. I’ll go to the press no matter what,” I replied dismissively with a wave of a hand. If she wants to play coy, fine. Be that way.
The gondola trembled as we rolled over a support, and the cable began to level out as we neared the top. I glanced at Janet, who only rolled her eyes at me. I closed my own and took a deep breath, trying to channel all the shaky nerves and rage into pure drive. I need to beat this bitch.
Nicole and her group pushed their way out as soon as the doors opened. Janet and I grabbed our skis and made our way outside, clicking in and adjusting our goggles. The slope we’d agreed on was a little ways down the mountain, a steep run with tight turns, perfect for me. Neither of us was too familiar with the course, so it was a test of pure ability and balls.
Before we pushed off, Nicole giggled loudly and looked over her shoulder. She whispered something to her friends and they all burst into laughter.
“Ever get the feeling someone’s talking about you?” Janet asked cheerfully.
“Do you think I have enough time to carve this pole into a shiv?” I replied waggling my right pole. “I could poke her on the way down.”
“Eh, she’ll skewer herself soon enough. Come on.”
By the time we got to the spot, Nicole was already posing for a few photographers at the top of the run. I cursed under my breath and pulled up short of the start. Janet skated to a stop a few feet down and lifted her goggles up.
“You’ve got this, you know.”
I went through my routine of tightening the buckles on my boots, clearing the snow from the front of my skis, adjusting the strap on my goggles. “I know.”
“You race your race and forget about her. Clean lines, tuck, turn. That’s all you’ve gotta do. She’s going to ski to beat you, but you need to ski to beat yourself, got it?” Janet said with confidence.
