by Mercy Amare
Carter gasps. “I didn’t even put two and two together, but it makes so much sense.”
“Point is,” I say, changing the subject, “Ty has changed. He is not the same spoiled, flirty guy I met a year ago. He saved my life and he shot his father for me.”
“I’d do it again,” Ty says, grabbing my hand. He pulls it up to his mouth and kisses it gently. When we drop our hands, he doesn’t let go. Once again, we are holding hands. I try not to overanalyze it. I mean, we’re having sex. Holding hands is much less intimate than that.
“I’m already sleeping with you,” I tell him. “You don’t have to try and woo me.”
Ty lowers his voice. “I already told you, Kihanna. I’m trying to get you to fall in love with me. Since we’re now having sex, I’m moving on to phase three.”
I can’t help but grin.
So what if I’m not going to have a boyfriend. I’m still going to enjoy Ty trying to get me to fall in love with him.
And I’m definitely going to enjoy the sex.
Friday, September 14
6 p.m.
Santorini, Greece.
Santorini, Greece.
That is where we end up.
And it is beautiful.
Santorini is what is left of a volcano that erupted over three thousand years ago, and some people think it’s responsible for the destruction of Atlantis, which I find fascinating. I’ve always dreamed of coming here. If I had to choose one place to go to in Europe, Santorini, Greece would’ve been my choice. There is so much rich history here, and the architecture of the city is gorgeous.
Ty and I aren’t sharing a room, much to his dismay. I am rooming with Andrea. And I’m so not leaving her to room alone or with Toby and Carter, it wouldn’t be right. She’s my friend. Ty will just have to keep his hands to himself this weekend.
“So, what are we going to do?” I ask Ty as I grab clothes. I’m about to take a shower, because I feel gross after spending twelve hours on a plane.
“Dinner,” he says. “Then we will probably just chill by the pool, get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow we are going on a yacht.”
“That sounds amazing,” I say, sighing.
I am definitely going to enjoy spending the day on the ocean, soaking up the sun. The work in college has been a lot more stressful than the work in high school was, though I am less stressed out considering I don’t have a stalker now. Still, it’ll be nice to unwind.
“Can I take a shower with you?” Ty asks, as I take my clean clothes and shower bag to the bathroom.
“Where is Andrea?”
“She’s checking out the pool with Toby,” he says. “And she specifically said she wouldn’t be coming back to the room for at least an hour.”
And just like that, I am turned out.
I didn’t know it was possible to have sex as much as Ty and I do, and still be horny. It seems like our sexual chemistry would run out... or at least be less strong. If anything, it’s stronger. Now that I’ve had him, I can’t get enough.
Ty grins. “I can tell you’re already turned on.”
“How?” I ask.
“You’re biting your lip,” he says. “And your eyes... they get darker when you’re turned on.”
“I’m very turned on.”
Ty follows me closely to the bathroom. As soon as we’re inside, Ty locks the door and sets me on top of the sink. He kisses me hard and breaks it only for a few seconds to pull my shirt off. I quickly pull his shirt off, too.
“I can never get enough of you,” I say against his lips.
“Good,” he says. “Because I don’t plan on ever letting you go.”
Part of my brain tells me I should pull away. I should talk to him about not letting his heart get involved. This is just a friendship. Nothing more. But I can’t bring myself to say the words out loud.
What I don’t admit to myself is that I like hearing him say stuff like that to me.
Ty is a bad boy. He is the boy every girl wants to tame. And here I am, with him. He wants to be with me. I don’t understand it, but I like it.
And right there, in a bathroom in Santorini, Greece, I give Ty a little piece of my heart.
Tuesday, September 18
9 a.m.
Coming out.
The weekend passes much too quickly, and I am not ready for the Greece trip to be over.
We had a lot of fun. On Saturday, we spent all day on a yacht. We swam, chilled on the deck, and ate way too much food. It was perfect. On Sunday, we did a little sight-seeing and shopping. Andrea and I even got fish pedicures. It was so weird to have fish suck on my feet. It ticked. They advised us not to take our feet out of the water until the fish were done and it was hard not to. I’m not sure I will ever want to repeat the experience.
On Monday, we chilled by the pool for a little bit and early that afternoon we had to go home. I was sad, and I definitely want to go back there soon. Maybe during the summer, or spring break.
While I am getting ready for class on Tuesday morning, there is a knock on my door. My hair is done, so I turn my straightener off. I figure it’s just Ty or Andrea at my door, so I fling it open. Nobody is standing there. I look down and see a box neatly wrapped in pink metallic wrapping paper with a big black bow on it. I pick it up and carry it inside. Before I can open the box, my phone rings. I look to see Veronica’s name pop up on the screen.
“Hello,” I answer.
“Kihanna! Hey, how are you?” Veronica asks, sounding chipper.
“Very well, thanks. How are you?”
“Good. Did you enjoy Greece?”
“Yes. Santorini was lovely. It was too short of a visit though. I’d love to go again,” I tell her.
“That sounds wonderful. I haven’t been there in quite a few years. Maybe it’s time for another trip there,” she says. “A family vacation.”
“It would be fun.”
“Do you have plans this weekend?” Veronica asks, abruptly changing the subject.
“No,” I answer. “Not at the moment I don’t.”
“Good,” she says. “I am planning something this weekend and I need you to be here.”
“Oh?”
“It’s a party. For you, actually,” she explains. “While you were here last year, with all the craziness, we never had a coming out party for you. I figure that since you’re single now, it’s the perfect time.”
“Coming out party?” I ask, not liking the sound of this. Not one bit.
“Yes. It’s a party where your father and I introduce you to society. Mostly to guys,” she says, and then giggles. “You get to meet lots of lovely suitors. Who knows, you might even meet your future husband at the party.”
“I don’t know...” I say, my voice trailing off.
“Oh, come on, Kihanna,” she says. “It would mean the world to me if you would agree. And I know it would please your father.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about being put on display like that. I’m a girl, not a farm animal.”
Veronica sighs and I can literally feel her disappointment through the phone. I can just picture her rubbing her forehead with her hand and that vein in her neck popping out slightly.
“Kihanna, please,” she says. “It’s tradition.”
“Fine,” I say, looking at the time. I have to get to class and if I don’t agree we will be on here all day. “I’ll be there.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she says. “You won’t regret it.”
Doubtful, because I already do.
We say a quick goodbye, and I leave for class. The unwrapped box is still sitting on my bed. It will have to wait until later.
4 p.m.
Voodoo.
After my last class is over, Ty decides to come “hang out” in my room. Which simply means he wants to have sex. I’m okay with that, because I want the same thing. I seriously can’t get enough.
As we open the door, Ty spots the big pink box sitting on my bed.
“What’s
that?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” I answer. “I got it this morning, but then Veronica called and distracted me.”
“Open it,” he says.
“Fine.” I sit down on the bed and rip off the paper. The box is an Amazon box. I open it up and inside there is a voodoo doll.
You can tell that the doll was hand sewn. The “skin” is made out of a plain cotton material. It’s an off-white color. The thread is black. In the middle of its chest, there is a heart button sewn on. On the face, one eye is drawn on, the spot where the second eye is supposed to be, there is an X done with thread. The mouth of the doll is sewn shut. The part that creeps me out the most is the hair. It looks a lot like my color. I put my hand into the box and touch the hair. I realize then that it feels like my hair. I want to write it off as a sick joke, or a coincidence, but after what I’ve been through, I feel like I should take this seriously.
“That is creepy,” he says, then tosses the box aside. He grabs the doll and tosses it, too. “Now, where were we?”
He leans in to kiss me, but I pull back. “Do you think I should be worried?”
“About what?” he asks.
“The doll, hello.”
He leans back and looks at me. “Are you serious? Why should you be concerned. This is college. You probably pissed somebody off. Or maybe Carter or Julie is playing a joke on you.”
“They wouldn’t do that,” I say. “They... know... about what happened last year. They wouldn’t play a joke like that.”
Ty sighs and runs a hand through his dark hair. “Kihanna, I’m sorry. I know what you’ve been through. I was there. I went through it, too. But my dad is in jail. Brian is dead. There is nobody out there who wants to hurt you anymore, or get even with you. It’s really over. I get why you’re paranoid, but you shouldn’t be.”
“You’re right,” I say.
“I know I am,” he says, grinning. He starts to lean back over.
“I have something else to tell you.”
He scoots back on my bed and kicks his feet up.
“Veronica called me this morning.”
“Okay,” he says, letting me know he’s listening.
“I have to go home this weekend,” I tell him. “I mean, I want to go. I want to see Kailee. It’ll be three weeks, this weekend, since I’ve seen her, and that’s just too long. But there’s something else going on.”
“What?” he asks.
“Veronica... is having a coming out party for me,” I admit, biting my lip.
“Seriously?”
I nod.
“Did you tell her about me? About us?”
“What would I tell her?” I ask. “That I’m having sex with you? That we are friends with benefits? I can’t tell her that.”
“Tell her I’m your boyfriend,” he says.
“But you’re not, Ty. We’re just having sex, that’s it. We’re friends.”
“I could be your boyfriend. If you wanted.”
I shake my head. “No.”
“No?” he asks, looking hurt.
“I can’t be your girlfriend.”
“Can’t or won’t?” He doesn’t bother to keep the bite out of his voice.
“I don’t want to be,” I say. “I’m sorry.”
“So all we are is just... sex?”
“No. We’re more than that. You’re my best friend,” I tell him. “I literally just broke up with Gabe. And before him, it was Brian. I don’t know, I guess I just want some time to process what happened. I want to be single for a while. And I don’t want to stop having sex with you, but I will if that’s what you want. I don’t want to hurt you. That’s the absolute last thing that I want.”
“Do you have to have the party?” he asks.
I nod. “I can’t tell Veronica no. Even if I did, she’d still have it.”
“Can I at least come and scare all the other boys away?” he asks.
“Definitely,” I answer. “I need somebody to defend my honor.”
“Promise you won’t like any of them more than me?”
“I promise.”
Ty sighs. “See what you’ve done to me? You’ve turned me into a jealous idiot.”
“I like that you’re jealous,” I say. “It’s kind of cute.”
“Cute?”
“Hot. No, sexy,” I say. “And don’t worry, Ty. I only want to have sex with you.”
“Good,” he says.
“Is that okay for now?” I ask.
He nods. “For now.”
Friday, September 21
11 a.m.
Not again.
I dread going home today.
No, that’s not entirely true. I’m looking forward to going home and seeing Kailee, Veronica, Toby and Dad. What I’m dreading is my coming out party tomorrow night. Hours of small talk, dancing, and lots of boring rich people. At least Ty will be there. Maybe we can sneak away early and have sex.
As I’m packing a suitcase, there is a knock on the door. Usually Ty doesn’t knock. I walk over and open the door and see that nobody is there, but there is another neatly wrapped box. It has the same pink metallic wrapping paper and big black bow on top. Before picking it up, I look around. The hallway in my dorm is currently empty. Whoever left this, left in a hurry.
I pick up the box and walk inside. I sit on my bed and slowly open it up.
Inside, there is a note.
His blood is on your hands.
Underneath the note is a bloody knife.
The blood is dried on, so I know it’s not fresh. With shaky hands, I pick up my phone and dial Ty’s number.
“Hey,” he says. “What’s up?”
“I need you to come to my room,” I say, trying to keep my voice calm.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“Just get here as soon as you can,” I say, then hang up the phone.
Oh, my God. It’s happening again.
I put my head between my knees and breathe. Or at least I try to. My lungs are kind of having a hard time right now.
Ty gets to my room in record speed.
“Kihanna,” he says, slipping inside the door.
I don’t say anything, I just hold up the box. He passes it on to somebody behind him. I didn’t even notice there was anybody else in the room. I look up to see Gabriel standing there, a worried look on his face.
“Gabe?” I ask, not understanding.
“Just because we’re fighting doesn’t mean I won’t be here if you need me,” he says. “Both of you. You guys are my best friends and I won’t let anything change that.”
“We should call the police,” Ty says.
I nod.
“Where is the other box?” he asks.
“Other box?” Gabe asks, looking between Ty and me.
I pull the box out from under my bed. I also see the ruined whiteboard and pull it out too.
“You ruined my life. Now I’m going to ruin yours,” Gabe reads out loud.
“Why didn’t you show me this before?” Ty asks.
I shrug. “I thought it was a mistake. I didn’t want to believe that this was happening, again. I mean, how can it happen? Your dad’s in jail. How is he able to send all this from there? Will I never be safe?”
“He can’t be. He had connections, but nobody is willing to do this for free,” Ty says. “Besides, nobody would want to get wrapped up in something illegal that my dad was already caught for.”
“I don’t think it’s Mike Newman,” Gabe says.
“Who could it be, if not him?” I ask.
“Whose life did you ruin?” Gabe asks me.
“Nobody’s!”
“Technically, no. But you did send Mike Newman to jail. Also, Kasbian and Brian died because they were stalking you,” he says. “Not to mention that Keith kid who died at that New Year’s party. You killed that home intruder and he killed your butler. So, really, it could be anybody connected to those people. Maybe they’re blaming you.”
“But why?”
I ask. “The guilty party is behind bars. Their loved one has the justice they deserve.”
“Good question,” Gabe says.
“I don’t have time for this. I have to go home,” I say.
“Let’s call the cops,” Ty says, putting his hand on the small of my back. “After we call the cops we can head to your house.”
“I’m going with you guys,” Gabe says.
I turn to him. “What?”
“I’m going to Mountain View with you guys. My mom has been begging me to come visit since I got here,” he says. “It’ll make her happy. Plus, she wanted me to go to some party Veronica is throwing this weekend.”
I groan. “It’s my coming out party.”
Gabe doesn’t look too thrilled about the party. “Seriously? How am I supposed to keep all those guys away from you?”
“You’re not,” I say. “Besides, you’re forgetting, we broke up.”
“You broke up with me,” he says. “This was not a mutual thing.”
“I’m with Ty,” I tell Gabe.
Okay, I’m not with him, with him, but we’re having sex. Gabe needs to know that I chose Ty.
“I’m calling the cops, now,” Ty says, diverting the subject back to the knife. Good thing, because Gabe looked like he was about to strangle Ty. Now he just looks worried. I know we’re all thinking the same thing—not again.
2 p.m.
It was fate.
The blood was fake. I feel better that nobody died, but the threat is still very real. This person is out for revenge... out for blood. And they want to take it all out on me.
We still head home, because we don’t want to alarm Veronica and Dad. I don’t want anybody to be scared for me. And I don’t want Dad to know, because he would probably do something stupid like pull me out of school. That is the last thing I want.
Ty sits in the front with me, and surprisingly Gabe rides with us. He sits in the back.
“Are you sure you don’t want to tell Mark?” Ty asks me.
