Twice Burned

by David Bergantino

  A smile seemed to form on what was left of Denny's misshapen lips. Then, slowly, he reached forward to grasp her hand. Colleen braced herself, hoping that Denny wouldn't notice. She had never touched him before, and she didn't know how the scar tissue would feel. Then her hand was engulfed by his, and they shook. Actually, she thought his skin felt kind of smooth. Denny stared at their clasped hands, seemingly amazed. Suddenly fear blazed in his eyes once more and he pulled away. With one last frightened glance, he ran off, soon disappearing in the shadows. If he had stopped around the corner again, Colleen could not tell. The basement became oppressively silent once more.

  Rather than push her luck, Colleen decided against calling Denny back. That's enough excitement for one day, she thought. For both of us. She caught not even a glimpse of Denny as she walked through the basement on her way back to the staircase.

  Even though the main floor of the library was brighter and more cheerful than the basement, Colleen was still unable to concentrate. Stacking up her books on Joan of Arc, she decided to take them home. Perhaps she'd be more comfortable there.

  Lance was manning the book checkout. Kirk's cousin was tall and thin, but not awkward. He saw her and smiled, the power of which bored a hole in her uneasiness. No wonder Kirk was jealous. Not long ago it had been unthinkable that someone as handsome as Lance would be interested in her. Not only that, he was older — eighteen to her sixteen years — and in college. Their relationship was still very new, but she felt it was a very special one. And she thought he felt the same way.

  With a wink, Lance turned his attention back to his next customer, Tish.

  "Do you have your card with you?" he asked brightly.

  Tish swallowed nervously as she set her books on the counter. "Uh, no, I don't, but…"

  "That's okay, just give me your name," Lance interjected.

  "Tish Hughes."

  After a few taps on the computer keyboard, a beep was heard.

  Lance ran his finger down the display on the screen. When he finally stopped, he asked Tish, "On Elm Street, right?" Tish nodded. "Great. We're set."

  Using a light pen, Lance scanned the bar code on the inside cover of the book. The computer beeped. Then twice more. Lance frowned.

  "I'm sorry, the computer shows you have two dollars in late fees. I can't check out any books for you until you clear that up." Lance seemed truly sorry for the inconvenience.

  "But I don't have it on me right now." A note of desperation crept into Tish's voice. She rarely had much money on her, and was ashamed of the fact. "And I have this report due for school."

  "I could hold the books for you, if you like," Lance told her pleasantly.

  "But if I come home without these books, my parents will think I blew off the library today. I told them I was coming here. My father will be very angry if he thinks I lied." Tish was on the verge of tears. "Couldn't you make an exception? I'll bring the money in tomorrow. I swear!"

  Lance considered it for only a moment. And like the gentleman that he was, started scanning the rest of Tish's books. He slyly blinked both eyes at her. "I think that'll be okay." And then he smiled at Tish — and for a moment, Colleen felt a twinge of jealousy. The feeling passed when she realized Lance was doing what came naturally to him, being an awesomely nice guy.

  "Thank you," sniffed Tish. Unfortunately, her relief lasted only about a second.

  "Excuse me, young lady, but all we can do is hold your books for you." Mrs. Wodell had appeared and towered over Tish from behind the counter. Lance immediately froze.

  "But like I said," Tish protested, "I can't go home without my books, I can't."

  "Well, if you had brought your previous books back in a timely manner, you would now be able to check these out in a timely manner." Mrs. Wodell crossed her arms and glowered at Tish, who burst into tears and fled the library. Colleen's eyes were locked on Mrs. Wodell as she turned her gaze on Lance. Instantly her expression softened. "Put those books aside for when the girl comes back."

  Lance nodded quickly and began to gather the books.

  "I appreciate your sense of chivalry, Mr. Mathews," Mrs. Wodell continued. "But a certain sense of responsibility must be instilled in these young people." Then she stopped, waiting for a reply from Lance.

  "Yes, ma'am," he answered dutifully.

  Mrs. Wodell's expectant look melted into a satisfied smile. She started to turn away when the front door to the library banged open. Tish had returned, urged forward by Vicki and Melina. Both Tish and Vicki had red faces, Tish from embarrassment and Vicki from rage.

  "Go ahead," Vicki ordered Tish, and then pushed her toward the counter. Mrs. Wodell's eyebrows went up in bemusement.

  "May I?" Tish asked Colleen in a pathetically small voice. Colleen nodded, allowing Tish to walk in front of her in line. She held up two dollars to Lance. "My friends loaned me the money. Can I get my books now?"

  Lance looked from Tish to Mrs. Wodell. "And your library card?" asked Mrs. Wodell scornfully. Tish burst into deep sobs once more.

  Fuming, Vicki approached the counter. "She told your boy here she don't have it, you old witch!" Vicki's regular speaking voice seemed like shouting in the library. Other customers were starting to look. "It got stolen, along with her driver's license and some other things when she was here a few weeks ago. Probably your Mongoloid pervert janitor did it!"

  "Young lady!" Mrs. Wodell was indignant. "I'll not have you speak of my employees in that manner. Leave here at once."

  "Oh, why don't you just drop dead, lady!" Vicki spat back at her. Mrs. Wodell blinked as if she had been slapped. "Tish don't need the card, and you know it. Or are you gonna make her fail her class?"

  "I would do no such thing." Fiercely Mrs. Wodell turned to Lance, who obeyed instantly. "Give this girl her books!" Then she leaned forward on the counter toward Vicki. "You, young lady — and I use the term quite insincerely — need to show some respect. Until you do, you are banned from entering this library. If I see you, I will have Denny throw you off the premises."

  Vicki shrugged off the threat. "I got the books I needed earlier today. Guess I won't be able to return them now, huh?" By now, a shell-shocked Tish had rejoined her friends.

  "Can we please leave now?" she whispered shakily.

  "Sure, let's go." With a sneer, Vicki turned and the group began to leave. At the door, she turned back toward the counter.

  "And don't think I didn't see ya there, Colleeny-Weenie. I'll definitely catch you later. Lance, always a pleasure." Then, with a sexy purse of her lips, she said, "Woof!" To Mrs. Wodell, she smiled harshly. "And as for you, have a nice heart attack, ya old biddy!" The three were gone a moment later.

  Tough as she was, the encounter left Mrs. Wodell a bit flustered. "If you see any of them, especially the sharp-tongued girl, I want to know about it, is that understood?"

  "Yes, ma'am," Lance told her promptly. Still agitated, Mrs. Wodell went to her office. She closed the door behind her with a restrained but unmistakable slam.

  Kirk rushed up to the counter just as Lance began to check out Colleen's books.

  "What da hell was that?" he asked breathlessly.

  "Clash of the titans, cuz."

  "I've never seen Mrs. Wodell that upset. I guess she has a pulse after all!" Kirk chuckled to himself. Colleen batted him on the shoulder with a book.

  "Kirk! What if she hears you? Don't you think she's put up with enough already?"

  "Colleen's right, cuz. Cut the woman some slack, okay?"

  The glee left Kirk's face. "You guys are no fun," was all he could say, and he went back to work nearby.

  After Kirk left, Lance gave Colleen a special smile. "I'm off at nine p.m., beautiful. We still on for dinner and whatever?"

  Colleen giggled. "What is it with you and your cousin and your 'whatevers' and 'somethings'?" Lance didn't have the slightest clue what she was talking about. "Never mind," she answered his curious look. "I'm sure whatever with you will be fun."

 
"Great! I'll pick you up around nine-fifteen, nine-thirty."

  "See ya then!" She blew a quick kiss to him, wrapped her arms around her stack of books, and left the library. Whistling as she walked, Colleen had forgotten all about her earlier experience in the basement.

  And she was totally unaware of being watched as she got into her mother's car and drove home.

  Chapter 5

  Lance got out of work on time, and by nine-thirty, he and Colleen had arrived at the Jaguar diner in his beat-up Datsun. It certainly wasn't as nice as the car Colleen's mother let her borrow — a brand-new Buick — but it was his, and that made it the best car around as far as Colleen was concerned.

  As she climbed out of the car, Colleen looked up at the buzzing sound coming from overhead. It was the diner's sign: a glowing jaguar leaping from a running position in four neon outlines that flashed in succession like an animated cartoon. Colleen had always thought a pouncing jaguar was a strange mascot for a diner, kind of morbid. But no one else complained. One time she had mentioned her feeling to Kirk, who just looked at the sign and shrugged. "I think it's cool!" he replied, and Colleen never mentioned it to anyone again. I guess it makes sense, Colleen thought now. The jaguar was catching food, and that's what the people inside do: eat. But it sure is strange.

  Inside the diner, Lance and Colleen were seated immediately at a booth. Their waitress, a girl about Lance's age named Wendy, gave them menus. And for Lance, she had a lascivious smile.

  "Hi, Lance; who's your friend?" Wendy didn't even glance at Colleen as she spoke.

  "This is Colleen," Lance replied, ignoring the way she seemed to be coming on to him. Even then, her eyes remained glued to him. Colleen didn't bother to say hello.

  "Nice," Wendy said about no one, to no one. Then there was a pause as she looked Lance over, head to toe. She laughed for no apparent reason. "Oh, anyway. I'll be back in a minute to take your order."

  Lance thanked her. After giving him another once-over, Wendy left.

  As soon as she was gone, Colleen felt jealous. Lance saw her distress and spoke up quickly.

  "Don't worry about her," he said, taking her hand in his. "She's just some sorority girl from college who's after me. I forgot she worked here."

  "Are you in a fraternity?" Colleen asked him. They hadn't known each other very long. All she really did know was that he went to the local community college, that his cousin Kirk had just gotten him a job at the library, and that he seemed to be the nicest boy she had ever met. But there was so much she didn't know.

  "Nah," he replied to her question. "I'm not a frat guy, except for one thing."

  "What's that? Sorority girls?" Lance laughed; he thought she was making a joke.

  "No, that's not it at all. It's the parties. They have some pretty killer ones on campus. I know some guys in the fraternities. They invite me, everything's paid for, you meet a lot of people and just have fun."

  "Sounds great." Colleen tried to sound enthusiastic, but couldn't help realizing that some of the «people» he met and had «fun» with must be girls like Wendy.

  "Ah, you know," he said, sensing her questions. "You meet all kinds. Some are not your kind." He nodded in the direction of the diner's kitchen, indicating Wendy. "And some, that you don't even meet at parties like that, are your kind." With that, he squeezed her hand and smiled. Colleen's fears evaporated. "Now, I need a burger. What are you having?"

  Colleen looked down at her menu for the First time. When Wendy arrived a minute later, Colleen was ready to order a Caesar salad. But the waitress nearly walked away after taking Lance's order. He stopped Wendy, who apologized for being "a ditz," and took Colleen's order. Colleen's stomach tightened. She didn't like this girl one bit. Luckily, Lance sensed her discomfort and, in his most charming fashion, told Wendy to bug off when she brought their food. She didn't bother them the rest of the meal.

  But then again, Colleen and Lance never quite finished their meal.

  Colleen had made it through nearly half her salad, and Lance had finished most of his burger.

  "See, I want to get into medical school," he was telling her. "But for a good one, I really need a good undergrad program, and Springwood Community College just doesn't have it."

  "Then transfer to a university," Colleen told him, aware that she was suggesting the obvious.

  "I wish. But money's kinda tight right now. That's why I'm living at home and working at the library. I'm saving up, but I need good grades. I know I can get the grades. It's the money I'm worried about. The rate I'm going, I may need a scholarship to get what I really want, and there's no guarantee, no matter how well I do, that I can get one. They're tough."

  "You can do it, Lance." And then Colleen did something unprecedented: She put her hand on Lance's. She almost pulled it back when she realized it was there, but by then, he had clasped her hand in both of his.

  "Thanks," he said quietly, and instead of speaking more, simply gazed into her eyes.

  And Colleen thought that maybe, just maybe, she was falling in love.

  Then she felt the sharp sting on the back of her neck.

  "Oww!" Colleen cried. Then it happened again. Behind her, she heard a familiar, cruel laugh. Colleen turned in her seat and saw the terrible trio: Vicki, Melina, and Tish.

  "Heya, Weenie!" Vicki said as she walked by. In one hand she held a straw from which she had shot spitballs at Colleen. Vicki stood at the end of the table while Melina crawled into the booth behind Lance. Tish sat across from Melina, apparently not very enthusiastic about this current round of mischief. Vicki clucked her tongue at Lance and declared, "You are, like, the hottest thing. What's a fine cat like you doing with a mouse like this?"

  "Will you stop picking on Colleen already?" Lance warned Vicki.

  "Really, now," Melina purred into Lance's left ear. "Are you just practicing? Because when you're through with the girly-girl, you got three" — Melina glanced back at Tish, who seemed reluctant to tease the guy who had been so nice to her earlier that day — "make that two and a half — women who'd like to know what you learned."

  "That's gross, Melina," Tish mumbled. Melina looked back in shock.

  "Shut up, Tish," Vicki snapped, then turned to Colleen. "See, weenie? That took guts. Thought I'd tell ya 'cause you don't seem to have any. You think this college boy needs a high school mouse like you? You're not even a footnote in his book of love!" Vicki snickered at her little joke. Melina snorted appreciatively. "Whataya think about that, Weenie mouse?" Vicki had leaned all the way into Colleen's face.

  "Okay, that's enough." Lance was angry now and tried to pull Vicki back. She shrugged him off.

  "I'm talking to the mouse here," she told him curtly, and turned back to Colleen. "So, got anything to say to me?"

  Colleen felt herself trembling. Her face was flushed and hot. Vicki's leering grin was only inches away, and Colleen could feel the warmth of her breath. Colleen said the first words that came to mind:

  "I forgive you, Vicki."

  There was a beat of silence. Then, without warning, Vicki and Melina burst into hysterical laughter simultaneously. Tish just looked perplexed. Tears began to stream down Colleen's face.

  "You forgive me?" Vicki shrieked. Other diners looked their way. "You forgive me?" Behind Lance, Melina put her head down on the table in hysterics. One hand pounded the surface uncontrollably.

  Lance had recovered and stood angrily.

  "C'mon, Colleen." He practically dragged Colleen out of the booth, threw a ten-dollar bill at the cashier as they passed the counter, and left the diner. In minutes, they were miles away. Neither had said a word. Colleen wished Lance would talk, because she wanted desperately to erase Vicki's laughter, which was still ringing in her ears.

  * * *

  Lance parked the car near the entrance of Springwood Park.

  "Why did you bring us here?" Colleen ventured to ask when Lance didn't volunteer an explanation.

  "I thought maybe we'd take a walk." Lance got out
of the car. Colleen followed suit — but reluctantly. Lance's face appeared over the roof. His warm smile had returned. "It's a nice night."

  He was right. The night was pleasant, with a warm breeze. But he was talking about going down into the park.

  "Didn't they close it after dark or something? After that girl got killed?" Colleen remembered that, not long ago, a girl's body had been discovered just below the jogging path. What she didn't remember was how the girl had died. Whatever had happened, it had been murder, and Colleen had avoided the park ever since. "I don't know, Lance."

  He rounded the car and quickly put his arm around her. "It'll be okay. The park was out-and-out closed for a while after that incident, but it's open now. At least until eleven."

  "It must be way past that now," Colleen said hopefully as Lance guided her down the path into the park. Lance held his watch up for her to see. It read 10:20 P. M.

  "See, lots of time. Tonight has only seemed like forever. Let's walk, huh?"

  Colleen gave in. She really had no reason to resist. Besides, she was alone with Lance. "You'll protect me, won't you?"

  Lance laughed. "Of course. Not a squirrel alive that would tangle with me!" This got Colleen laughing, and soon they were deep in the park.

  At first they did not speak, and simply enjoyed the night air. Antique-style lampposts stood every ten paces or so, brightly lighting the area. The smell of green plants and flowers surrounded them. Colleen found it hard to believe that death had ever visited this living place.

  Then, somewhere in the distance, she heard a car door slam. All at once, Colleen noticed all the dark places behind the bushes, obscured by trees and beyond the reach of the lamplight.

  "Did you hear that?" Colleen asked, pulling herself closer to Lance. He looked at her with a relaxed smile.

  "Nah, didn't hear a thing. Still skittish after your latest run-in with Vicki?"

  "Maybe."

  Lanced stopped, bringing Colleen to a halt in front of him. He looked into her eyes with deep concern.