There, he masturbated to Elisabeth before rolling over and falling asleep.
He was there in no time, lost in a fantastic dream about a blue-eyed woman.
***
Elisabeth stepped out onto the porch, into the balmy summer night. The humidity brought miserable flashes as she closed her eyes. The stagnant air whispered silent encouragement.
This was impossible.
Was this child, Allen Taylor, getting to her? He'd wanted her badly tonight. Tangible desire, that was nearly too powerful to resist. Just thinking about him made her knees buckle and her insides burst with heat.
And it was already much too hot tonight.
She slid the dress off her shoulders. The straps fell across her smooth arms until gravity tugged the fabric away. She stepped from the silky puddle at her feet and felt the air against her bare body. It wasn't the sticky weather that brought gooseflesh, but thoughts of Allen.
There was something about him.
She tugged at the necklace that swung against her neckline. When it swung against her skin it left a cold sting, and also a modicum of guilt.
That was a long time ago, she thought, smoothing the sharp white tooth between two fingers.
She walked down the steps and into the cool grass that welcomed her bare feet.
Tomorrow was another day. Maybe the right one to tell Allen how she felt. After tonight, it was obvious that he would be happy to hear it. She had stifled the urge to tell him tonight, after opening up to him in ways she had never planned.
What's wrong with me?
There were going to be repercussions.
"Of course there will be," she mumbled as she strolled through the yard. "There have always been."
Something else troubled her, too. Allen’s ex-girlfriend. Molly, was it? No excuse for the way that fool had acted tonight. The little bitch shamed herself in the eyes of a dozen people and yet, she did not seem to care.
As long as she got what she wanted.
Elisabeth's eyes tightened as she contemplated her options.
But there weren't any. There was only what had to be done.
The thought made her smile.
Three
Sunlight burned Lucy's eyelids, lifting her from restless sleep.
Downstairs, Mom was lecturing Nick about punctuality, threatening to somehow cancel his summer vacation if he missed the bus.
"Because I am not driving you, mister. Now MOVE!"
Lucy rubbed hardened sleep from her eyes with the ball of her fist and sat up.
Mom's back?
She checked her cell phone sitting on the bed table. Only a little past seven.
She climbed out of bed wearing sweats and a loose tank top, trying not to wince at the static nightmare that was her bed hair as she passed the vanity mirror. Today saw another acne outbreak she was also determined to ignore. Any other morning, this combination of frazzled hair and zits would've been an emergency. Today, her priorities lay elsewhere.
She ran a hand through her hair to calm the frizz as she ambled downstairs. The kitchen table was cluttered with plates of bacon, sausage and eggs. A pitcher that had been filled with pulpy orange juice sat in the middle of the action with little more than a swallow remaining.
Lucy studied the display, perplexed. She snatched a piece of cooling bacon and looked through the bay window. Mom stood at the edge of the driveway with Nick at her side, together they waited for the approaching bus to Camp Wahkan.
"Son of a bitch." Lucy marched outside.
Nick noticed his big sister's approach as the bus pulled to a stop on the curb. He jumped on board, waving to Lucy with a quick look back. Then he darted for the backseat.
"Call me as soon as you get there, honey, okay?" Mom tapped the side of the bus beneath Nick's window.
Lucy stood beside her, folding her arms and struggling to maintain her composure. They watched the bus rumble off down the road.
When it was out of sight, Mom said, "What are you doing up so early, honey? I figured you hit the hay not too long ago."
The nonchalance was a spark to her powder keg. "Are you fucking kidding me, Mom?"
"Watch your mouth."
"Oh, don't even start on my language. The way things have been, I would've thought it was you who hit the hay not too long ago. What time did you get in last night, anyway?"
Mom seemed surprised by her hostility. "You're right. The girls and I got a little carried away. Probably wasn't the smartest thing...I knew I'd be putting Nick on the bus this morning, but it's been forever since I stayed out like that. I missed your father entirely, you know. He was already gone by the time I came in."
"Yeah, well that's because he never came home."
"What?"
"You're surprised? Don't tell me you were really expecting him to be home last night to give Nick supper. Quality time with his son? What a startling concept."
"Don't you talk about your father like that."
"So he told you he'd be home, never shows up, and I’m not allowed to criticize him?"
"He said he would..."
"Well, he didn't. Good thing I decided to stop by last night to see my brother before he left, otherwise he would've been home by himself. He didn't have dinner until late, Mom. When I got home. And what girls are you suddenly spending all of this time with?"
"Girls my age who have been coming into the store since forever...are you sure your father didn't come home?"
"He keeps weird hours, has a more unnatural nightlife than you...God only knows what he's out doing."
"I told you not to talk about him that way. You act like we're children, Lucy. Your father doesn't have to answer to you."
"He does when he acts like one. I would think a solid case of child neglect would validate my scrutiny.”
Mom slapped her palms against her too-tight Levis and marched off.
The dismissal instigated Lucy. She followed her inside and continued her verbal assault: "This is how you deal with this, Mom? By ignoring it? Pretend it's all fine..."
"Nothing's fine, Lucy. I've got work in half an hour. I'm at that place more than I'm here. And in the interim, I have the pleasure of listening to my daughter tell me what a terrible mother I am."
"You should've thought about that last night when you were reliving your twenties."
"If I were reliving my twenties, I'd be cleaning your diapers. I wasn't as fortunate as you, Lucy. Didn't get to take off for Daddy's resort to sunbathe with friends all summer. I was raising you while he was out paving the inroads for these luxuries you take for granted."
"Don't hold back any resentment, Mom. Like I somehow prevented you from doing what you wanted to do with your life." Lucy's voice cracked before she could finish speaking.
Mom noticed and sighed. "I didn't mean..."
"You meant it, no sense in lying. You're sorry you had kids so young. But guess what? You did. Knocked up right out of high school. You made that choice. And lately you've been making me, and especially Nicholas, pay for it. How is that fair?"
"It was one time. One. And I'll bring it up with your father..."
"Yeah, if we ever hear from him again."
"He's probably working, Lucy! That's what people our age do! And this conversation is over. I will not answer to you. I'm angry, too. At your father. But I won't apologize because we tossed a wrench into your plans last night. God forbid that ever happen again."
Mom stormed from the kitchen. The bathroom door slammed shut a moment later, leaving Lucy alone with her thoughts.
"Whatever, Rachel." Lucy screamed out Mom's name as if it was an insult. She took a seat at the breakfast table, and eyed the food spread through watery eyes. She wiped the tears with her hand, wondering how she'd managed to come off so selfish in this?
Because Mom always turns things around on you, dummy.
It wasn't the easiest thing to admit, but her mother had made a point. It wasn't her fault that Dad never came home. The bastard. Lucy needed to find t
he best way to have that conversation, but they couldn't remain civil long enough to bring it up.
Rachel Eastman wasn't going to like hearing that her husband of twenty-three years had been shacking up with every waitress/maid that worked for him. She'd probably like hearing that he tried forcing himself on his own daughter even less. Mom didn't handle criticism well. A life-altering bomb like this would push her over the edge.
How to mention it?
"Hey Mom, guess what? Dad grabbed my tits and tried sliding his tongue down my throat the other night."
It was a humiliating topic and the thought embarrassed her more than anything.
And yet, you told Jack.
Last night came flooding back. She had confessed everything to that geek. Of course, she hadn't gone into last night's dinner with the intention of doing so, but the way things ended up, it felt like the right thing to do.
You should've told Molly, she thought. At least she wouldn't have remembered.
Allen's date, Hester Prynne, or whatever her name was, had successfully derailed the evening with her smug accusations. In any other situation, Lucy never would have defended Dad, but the bitch’s tone made her feel momentarily loyal. Somehow.
Allegations dangled from her collagen-infused (probably) lips while Allen Taylor, that idiot, dangled off her every word.
How I want to strangle him.
Not only was the eventual home wrecker content with insulting her father, she spoke as if his corruption were fact.
Maybe assaulting Mom full on hadn't been the best course of action. She needed all the friends she could get, and now she had one less. Before bed, Lucy was certain that she had every right to be angry with her, but things didn't seem as clear now.
Two parents with midlife crises, lucky me.
Guilt forced her to do a quick clean up of the kitchen, throwing out all the food before her father came home. A petty gesture that made her smile.
Mom re-appeared in the doorway. "Time for work." She didn't bother with eye contact. Instead, footsteps disappeared down the hallway and into the garage. The Pathfinder started up, reversed down the driveway and sped off in a second.
Lucy swore beneath her breath, frustrated by how poorly things had gone. She headed for her bedroom to finish packing for her extended leave.
At least Nick was out of here for the next month. Better this way since she wouldn't have to worry about whether Mom or Dad was home to take care of him. Spending last night here was bad, but there was no way she was leaving Nick alone with that sick asshole he called Dad. She didn’t know if he would try anything on his son, but why not? He sure did with his daughter.
This also meant that she could be out of the house—guilt free—for a whole month.
Two small suitcases filled up much faster than she liked. She stuffed a shoulder sack to the brim with all the necessary accessories. The luggage sat in the doorway like she was going back to school. The Big East would be a nice change of pace, even if home wasn't far enough away from it.
College had spoiled her in so many ways. Fall and springtime independence made it much tougher to come home for summer vacation. Once more, you had to answer for every action, from staying up too late to drinking the last can of diet soda. Leaving the trash in the garage on garbage day was an offense punishable by verbal execution.
It was all so jarring.
Lucy took one more sweep of the room and decided it was time to go. She loaded herself up with the three bags and trudged downstairs to load up the Civic. Once packed, she felt the temptation to steal one last piping hot shower from the master bathroom.
If there was a drawback to the Big East, it was the closet-sized bathrooms and lacking water pressure. This was at least true in the main building where she would be staying, though the cabanas had more bells and whistles.
Feeling refreshed, she left her hair wet and changed into capris and a brown tee that hid her curves. She was in no mood for head turns or catcalls.
On her way out the door, she footed it through the kitchen for a bottle of water.
Her father's jet black Audi screeched around the bend and skidded to a halt at the foot of the driveway. He sprung from the driver's seat and headed for the front door with urgency.
Lucy's eyes sprung wide and she darted for the exit, but Rory was already in the house. He moved toward the kitchen, his heavy stomping pounded the thick Asian carpet along the way.
Concentrated dread jutted into her gut as she wished she'd been two minutes faster.
Rory's large frame filled the entire doorway, blocking her exit.
All of the tough words and actions she'd practiced in the car crumbled away as he started toward her with a stranger's smile spread across his face.
She screamed.
***
"Elisabeth bailed on me today," Allen said. "You up for something?"
Jack had to resist doing a double take when Allen stepped onto the tiny brick-topped patio behind their room, his eyes locked onto the newspaper.
"Not sure," he said. "Doing something with Lucy later."
"You mean she's not helping Molly recover from her drunken stupor?"
"She's not."
Allen dropped into the empty lounge chair and tore the paper from Jack's fingers. "Could you believe that debacle last night? I can't wait to see Lucy and give her the old, 'I told you so' lecture."
"Not sure that's really necessary. She realized the error of her ways after last night."
"Whatever, I just want to rub it in."
"Just leave it alone," Jack snapped. His short fuse was twofold: Allen wasn't getting off the hook for dinner, and Lucy's late night revelation had stayed with him after dropping her home early this morning. He pleaded with her to come back here where she was safe, but she refused. What was it like going home after something like that? What breaks inside of a father's brain when he can't keep his hands off the child he raised?
And how was Jack supposed to continue staying here on a rapist's dime? He had been adamant about leaving, but Lucy begged him to stay.
"I kind of need you here..."
It was all she needed to say.
"What about that double feature tonight? Bronson?"
Allen's words catapulted back: "They're not good movies, really."
Elisabeth wasn’t around now, Jack remembered. It was safe for Allen to be himself again.
"I'll play it by ear," Jack said, elated to serve Allen a spoonful of his own medicine. Childish, sure, but he wasn't a proud man. This felt good.
"Well let me know what you're doing, I'd hate to get stuck in this room all day. I'll tag along with you and Lucy providing you don't go anywhere near Molly."
"Sure," Jack said. He rose and stepped inside the room without another word.
He'd accepted Lucy's invitation to spend the summer in Greifsfield, Massachusetts under the pretense of a raucous guy's vacation—lots of hijinks as a precursor to their final year of college. It was impossible to know where their career paths would take them after. How many more times would he get to see his best friend without the restriction of an 8 to 5 job hanging over them? Sure, the presence of women was to be expected, but Jack had assumed they would be one-night stands. This was still college, after all. Random hook ups, walks of shame, beer goggles. This was supposed to be a summer of those things.
But Allen seemed content to ignite a relationship with the town pass-me-around, rather than say goodbye to their young and stupid days.
It was leaving Jack a little sore.
There was Lucy, at least. Her company was enjoyable, same as ever. But they weren't best friends and he wouldn't have made the trip just to spend two and a half months with her.
Especially in light of recent developments.
She wasn't fucked up because of it, but it had to be coming. Summer was getting a bit too serious.
Jack grabbed his wallet and keys off the table and left the room through the front door without a destination in mind.
; He felt awful for thinking about Lucy's problem so selfishly, but it was there, bobbing around in the back of his head. Wasn't something he'd ever admit to anyone, but there was no sense in lying to himself. He pushed the thoughts further down and hoped they'd drown.
He was better than that.
"Hey," Allen called from behind him. He came jogging down the path like a lost puppy. With Elisabeth unavailable, he didn't know what to do with his spare time.
Jack swore beneath his breath, and Allen was too far away to hear. "I'm just taking a walk," he said, realizing his words were loaded with defensiveness.
"Okay, I'll walk with you."
"Fine."
"I get the sense you're completely pissed off by the way things went at dinner."
"Best night of my life."
"Yeah...I don't know why Elisabeth acted that way. She was all for meeting you guys, so I was taken aback when she decided to give you both the cold shoulder. That wasn't cool, and I apologize. I just wanted to get the hell out of there after a while, so if our exit was hasty, that's why."
The apology was unexpected—a shred of common decency remained somewhere inside that trendy exterior. There had been a laundry list of things he'd wanted to say to Allen, but, after a good night's sleep, they seemed trite and spiteful.
"It's fine," Jack said. "I guess we're not going to be doing that again, but it's fine."
"Next time I see Elisabeth, I plan on probing a bit deeper." Allen nudged Jack's arm. "Hopefully in more ways than one. This is starting to be a tough summer."
"Really? The two of you haven't..."
"Not yet." Allen looked defeated. "Not even close. I thought I had it locked down last night, but she went cold fish at the last second. Said something about it, 'not being the right time'…whatever. No time like the present, that's what I'm determined to teach her."
"You mean she's not smitten with you yet? Stop the presses…"
Allen ignored the jab. "What about you and Lucy? Drop the 'just friends' charade?"
Feral Page 6
