Trouble Magnet

by DelSheree Gladden

  Standing, I started climbing over random stacks and boxes. I had to head back to the subway soon if I wanted to make it to work on time. Too focused on the half-dozen puzzles swimming around in my head, I stepped on a rolling cat toy and fell into the couch. Cans of green peas rolled out from beneath it and I pulled my foot back to avoid one landing on my toes. As the cans settled, I noticed something black peeking out from between the cans. I reached down and pulled out a cell phone.

  A press of the power button did nothing, which wasn’t surprising given how long it must have been there. Glancing around the room, I searched for a charger and found one half buried beneath an overturned pile of freeze-dried food packets. My fingers felt clumsy as I plugged it in and waited a few minutes for it to have enough charge to turn on. When the screen finally lit up, I was disappointed to see it required a password. A picture of Lucas and a friend served as the background image behind the lock screen, confirming who it belonged to. A text message notification blinked on the screen, the preview catching my eye.

  Your aunt’s cat sucks. I’d toss it out the window if it attacked me in my sleep. Call me about…

  Apparently Baxter wasn’t the only one who wasn’t a friend to Ms. Sinclair’s cat. I knew I should turn the phone over to the police, but I refused to call Officer Williams. One of the detectives in charge of the case could handle it, but I wanted a look at what was on the phone first. Turning to Sonya to ask her if she could hide it in her office tonight, I noticed the cat toy I’d tripped over. Then I thought about the text.

  “Sonya,” I asked, “what happened to Ms. Sinclair’s cat?”

  12: Playing Dress Up

  “I’m going to pick you up from work tonight,” Sean said.

  My first reaction was to argue, purely based on the reasoning that I was sick and tired of people bossing me around. Officer Williams hadn’t let up and had cornered me twice more this week while I was trying to get from the building to the subway. Baxter ordered me around every chance he got, though I had managed to stay safely in my own apartment for the remainder of the week. Sonya was even driving me a little crazy, panicking at every little thing since we hadn’t been able to find Ms. Sinclair’s cat or get into Lucas’s phone.

  “Pick me up for what?” I asked with a sigh. What I really wanted to do was go home, take a long hot bath, and drink the majority of a bottle of wine I’d picked up earlier in the week. Maybe I’d share some with Sonya. If she chilled out long enough to have a glass.

  Stuffing the last bite of burrito into his mouth, Sean wiped his hands on a napkin. “A friend of mine is playing at a club in The Village tonight.” When I frowned worriedly, Sean waved off my concern. “It’s not that far away. About halfway between here and your building.”

  I could hear Baxter’s voice in my head, telling me to say no, go home after work and hunker down in my apartment where I was safe. Where I wouldn’t get into any more trouble he’d have to rescue me from. It was partly his annoyed, domineering voice that made me give in to Sean. “Fine,” I said, “but I’m going to be exhausted, so I probably won’t last more than a few hours.”

  “Their set’s only two hours. It starts at eleven, so we’ll miss part of it, but I told him I’d probably get there late.” Sean smiled. “Besides, you’ll forget you’re tired once we get there. It’ll be fun. You’ve been too stressed out this week.”

  I wonder why. I felt like putting my head down on the table and maybe banging it a few times. Resisting the urge, I reminded myself that Sean had no idea why I was on edge. He didn’t know about Officer Williams, the guy at the diner, the cat, or the phone. Even Baxter didn’t know all of that, especially not about Officer Williams’ continued harassment. I had asked him about the cat, and his response had been that he didn’t know and was glad the beast had disappeared and he wouldn’t have to listen to it yowl anymore. I didn’t tell him about the phone, guessing he’d make me turn it over, being a lawyer and all. Besides, he’d been busy trying to help Sonya figure out what her responsibility was in regards to Ms. Sinclair’s stuff.

  I realized Sean was telling me about his friend’s band, and made an attempt at listening. It did sound like it would be fun, but anxiety over going out followed me as our lunch break ended and we headed back to class. It didn’t occur to me until hours later, when I was in the breakroom at work, pulling my hair up into a ponytail, that I was in no way dressed to go clubbing. Stained, worn jeans, a t-shirt with a screen printed logo that had peeled and cracked so much I couldn’t even remember what it was supposed to be, and sneakers that were starting to get a hole near my left pinky toe didn’t exactly scream a fun night out on the town.

  Pulling my phone out of my backpack, I sent Sonya a quick text asking if she had a free minute, could she raid either her closet or mine and bring me some clothes. I sent a second text, asking if she wanted to come to the club as well. I figured Sean wouldn’t mind, and we could always just take Sonya’s car and meet him there if he showed up on his bike again. I didn’t get a chance to wait for a response before Saul hollered for me to hurry up and help him with an order that had just come in.

  The rest of the night was a blur of patties, milkshakes, and a never ending stream of fries. Danielle had given up on the diner lingo after realizing Sean had taught me what everything meant. She’d moved on to holding three or more orders and delivering them all at once, followed by constant falsely sweet reminders that I needed to hurry up. Saul rolled his eyes, but didn’t step in. I smiled back every time she asked if I was done yet, planning a new way to ruin the dinner she took home with her every night. White pepper hidden between the grilled chicken breast and lettuce should send her into a coughing fit that would leave her throat raw for a good long while.

  Saul headed out after the dinner rush, shaking his head at both of us, but wisely choosing to let this play out until a winner was crowned. Danielle might have thought she was a princess, but I intended to win this battle and steal her tiara as queen of the diner. It was no one’s fault but her own that Sean dumped her. If she wanted to take out her failings on me, she better be prepared to get it in return.

  I surprised myself by my ruthlessness as I cut tomatoes. Petty games like this were something I had avoided very adamantly in high school. My fight with Bernadette earlier in the week had sparked something in me. I loved her for taking care of me for so long, but I couldn’t live like that forever. Fighting my own battles scared me, a lot, but it gave me a strange sense of confidence as well.

  Besides, when you’re dealing with murderers and stalkers, a witchy diner waitress seemed like small potatoes.

  “Hey,” Gwen said through the order window, “there’s some girl out here looking for you. Said she brought you some clothes or something.”

  “Must be Sonya,” I said. “Sean’s taking me to some club his friend is playing at tonight.”

  Gwen gave me a once-over and curled her top lip. “Yeah, you definitely need something else to wear.”

  Especially now. A smear of Ketchup ran down the side of my shirt that hadn’t been there earlier. Shaking my head at myself, I started to untie my apron. “Hey,” I said, “do you want to come with us?”

  Grinning, Gwen looked excited by the prospect. “You sure Sean won’t mind the company?”

  I rolled my eyes. “We’re not dating. He just wants to burn off some pent up energy after being in class all week. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

  Shrugging, Gwen smiled. “Sure, why not? It’s been a while since I’ve just gone out and had fun.”

  “Great.” I grinned at her, pleased she’d accepted. We’d become friends over the past two weeks, chatting and keeping each other company in the dead times before closing. I hadn’t brought up any of what was going on back at my apartment building. It left our conversations casual and relaxed, which I needed.

  Hanging up my apron for a few minutes, I headed out to greet Sonya. She stood when she saw me. Excitement lit up her features, and I wondered how long it had been since
she’d slipped away from her grandmother and the responsibilities of the building. Given the way she was practically bubbling over with glee, and that she’d shown up two hours before we closed, I figured it hadn’t been any time recent.

  “Okay, so you seriously need to go shopping, because there was nothing even remotely appropriate for a club in your closet. I brought you a few things to try on, though. You’re taller than me, but we’re pretty similar in build, so I think they’ll work. Is there somewhere you can try them on?” she asked, all in one breath.

  Glancing around the diner, the three groups still there were all happily munching on their burgers and chicken fingers. Gwen was standing next to us, though slightly off to the side so as not to crowd in. “Go,” she said, “I’ll yell if someone comes in.” She turned to Sonya then, and extended her hand. “Gwen. Eliza invited me to tag along, if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course not!” Sonya said. “It’s been forever since I’ve escaped the building and let loose. The more the merrier.”

  Motioning for Sonya to follow me before she explode into a rainbow of gumdrops and glitter, I headed for the little breakroom. She followed dutifully, practically skipping. Hopefully Sean didn’t mind I’d invited them. Being that he was after letting off steam, I figured his attitude would be similar to Sonya’s, just less bouncy.

  Digging around in her bag, Sonya moved pieces of clothing back and forth before pulling one out and shoving it into my arms. Then she dove back in. I had a stack in my arms before she finally came up for air. “There’s two different outfits there. Try them both on and tell me which one you like.”

  “Okay,” I said, staring at the mass of clothing uncertainly. None of what she’d thrown at me looked like something I’d normally wear. I didn’t usually go to clubs, though, so what did I know? I pushed into the breakroom and dumped the clothes on Saul’s office chair.

  I knew I wouldn’t have much time for playing dress up, so I tried to figure out what two outfits the clothes were supposed to be compiled into and started stripping. The maroon skirt was too tight for my hips and I shimmied back out of it quickly. The patterned tights that seemed to go with it weren’t really my style, anyway. Opting for something a little less see-through, I pulled on a pair of black, pinstriped leggings and considered which top they were supposed to be paired with. The white peasant blouse with sheer rosettes along the neckline didn’t look long enough to cover everything I wanted it to, so I grabbed for a shimmery, deep blue tank top instead.

  It slid on easily and touched the tops of my thighs. The coolness of the fabric felt good after being in the hot kitchen all night. It hung loose enough to let me move freely, but in a way that accented my curves rather than blurring them. I glanced in the mirror, feeling pleased, with the exception of most of my makeup having been sweated off and tendrils of my hair sticking out from my ponytail. Wasn’t much I could do about that, though.

  “Eliza,” Sonya said though the door, “Gwen just brought back an order ticket. Did you find something that works?”

  I opened the door and waited for her comments. She clapped happily.

  “You look great! Okay, change back so you can go cook. I have shoes for you in my satchel and I brought your makeup bag, too. I’ll do what I can about your hair.” She shooed me back into the room and I heard her rummaging around in her bag as I swapped clothes again.

  When I reemerged to get back to work, she had a pair of black ankle boots out of her bag, and said something about changing into her outfit so she could help me later. I left her to it and whipped up a BLT and tuna melt for the new arrivals. By ten-thirty, Gwen told me to go ahead and start getting ready. We rarely had anyone come in that late.

  Sonya was already looking simultaneously adorable and sexy in a pair of tight skinny jeans, glittery camisole, and black cropped jacket. She was so eager, she pretty much shoved me back into the breakroom with a command to hurry up. I barely had my top settled when she burst in to start taming my hair with the news that Sean had arrived. Reapplying makeup while she yanked on my head wasn’t fun, but she managed to corral the wild pieces back into a slick ponytail that somehow looked much more sophisticated than when I did it.

  She was shoving the extra clothes back into her bag while I finished my makeup with a fresh coat of mascara. Sonya hustled out a moment later saying she was going to put everything in her car. Sean popped his head in almost immediately after. He looked like he was going to say something, but his mouth mellowed into a relaxed smile instead.

  “So I guess this is a group thing now?”

  Glancing back at him, I dropped my mascara into the makeup bag. “You don’t mind, do you? I needed Sonya to bring me clothes, and Gwen seemed like she needed a night out, too.” I grimaced. “I should have asked you first. Sorry.”

  Sean shook his head. “I don’t mind at all. Actually, I like it that you felt comfortable enough to invite Sonya, and Gwen’s great. We never hung out except at work because of Danielle, but I’m glad she’s coming.”

  Relieved, I zipped the makeup bag closed and tucked it under my arm. “Thanks.”

  Shrugging, Sean picked up my backpack. “You look great, by the way.”

  For the first time, I looked at him more than out of the corner of my eye. The gray Henley he wore, unbuttoned a good way down his chest, showcased a strong set of shoulders and arms. He was wearing jeans, but his weren’t worn and sporting holes like mine had been. No, his were fitted enough to make anyone who glanced in his direction not regret it.

  “You look nice, too,” I said, swallowing hard. I had no doubts about his honesty in regards to what kind of relationship he was after. I was more than happy with friends, but I was pretty sure Sean had no problem being friends with benefits. Baxter’s voice chimed in, telling me it wasn’t as easy as just hanging out and sleeping together every once in a while. I was really sick of his advice.

  “Ready?” Sean asked. There was a glint in his eye that implied there was more to the question than having everything I needed before we left.

  I breathed out slowly. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  13: Beacon for Disaster

  I dumped my bag and dirty clothes into the backseat of Sonya’s car and was about to climb in beside them when Sean caught my hand. “Ride with me,” he said. It wasn’t quite a command, but the insistence in his voice made my heart speed up.

  Pushing the door closed, I told Gwen to sit up front with Sonya and let Sean pull me away. I didn’t miss the look that passed between my two friends. Neither one of them believed Sean and I weren’t more than we were. There wasn’t much I could do about that. Sean handed me a helmet before I could think about it, and ended up having to help me get it on over my ponytail, chuckling at me the whole time.

  He climbed onto the bike first, and when I settled behind him, he pulled my arms around his waist tighter. It left me belly-to-back with him, like I had been the first time he took me out. This time, it wasn’t fear that kept me pressed against him. Sean didn’t inspire the same feeling of safety that being bossed around and rescued by Baxter did, but I wasn’t looking for that right now. I wanted to forget what had been weighing on me all week and enjoy the fact that I was a young, single girl in a big city. Sean could give me that.

  The engine revved and Sean pulled onto the largely empty street. The girls followed, and twenty minutes later we pulled up to a club that looked a little sketchy, but not so much that I worried about letting go of Sean. He led us to the entrance and shook the bouncer’s hand. They clearly knew each other and he didn’t hesitate letting us into the club in front of the others waiting in line.

  I’d felt the bass’s intensity as we’d walked up. Now, it reverberated in my bones, shaking away my fears and anxiety. I felt my shoulders relax for the first time in days. Sean tugged me toward the stage, and I glanced back to make sure Sonya and Gwen were following. They made their way through the crowd behind us, yelling at each other over the music like they’d been friends for years instead o
f hours.

  “Case!” Sean shouted, waving to get someone’s attention. I didn’t realize who until one of the stage crew guys wearing a headset spotted him and gave Sean a thumb’s up. That was it. Then Sean pulled me back into the crowd dancing in front of the stage.

  “Who was that?” I asked, my mouth next to his ear so he could actually hear me.

  “Band’s manager,” Sean said. “I just wanted him to know I’d made it so Puck knows to look for me when they’re done with their set.”

  I glanced up at the stage, having nearly forgotten why we’d come. The two lead singers were all over the stage as they sang, one a redheaded woman who seemed too pretty to be in a band with the rest of the rougher members. Her partner wore ragged black jeans, slim but so long they bunched up at his ankles. The drummer’s brown hair was in his eyes while the bass’s blonde hair was cropped close to his head, his button-down shirt open to a black tank top that seemed to be nice quality. The guitarist and keyboardist were too shadowed to get a clear look at from my position, but the odd group sounded great together and I found myself smiling as I finally listened to their sound.

  “Which one is Puck?” I asked.

  Sean pointed to the bassist. “What do you think of the music?”

  “They’re great. It’s a really unique sound,” I said, still not sure whether to classify what they were playing as some sort of folk/rock blend or a new version of alternative. Whatever it was, I liked it.

  Grinning, Sean pulled me into the crowd of moving bodies. I glanced around for Sonya and Gwen, worried they’d gotten lost or were annoyed I’d accidentally abandoned them. I was surprised to see both deep in the mass of dancers, laughing and enjoying themselves. Sean pulled me up against him and my thoughts scattered.

  I’d never been much of a dancer, but Sean made it effortless. Keeping me pulled in close, our bodies moved together. I lost myself in the music and the feel of his body against mine. Heat from the club mixed with the fire growing in my core. Our discussion about friends and fun did nothing to curb the hunger in his eyes when he looked at me. I responded, running my hand up his chest to his hair. When he leaned down to kiss me, I didn’t pull away.