Secrets On the Clock

by Nicole Disney

  “I told you they’re pretty.”

  “Yeah, but pretty doesn’t really do it, does it? They are delicious!”

  “It’s just better for me not to think of them that way,” Danielle said. “They’re off limits.”

  “Says who?”

  “The rules.”

  “That only applies to your boss, right? The mega-hot one?”

  “Not really. Relationships are off limits altogether. Jenna is just even more off limits.”

  “Perfect, ’cause I want that one. You can have Sasha.”

  Danielle felt her jaw tighten. “She’s not a piece of meat, you know? And I’m not going to have either one.”

  “Suit yourself. You need to bring Jenna over sometime, though. I think she was interested up until I puked.”

  Danielle rolled her eyes. “I’m sure.”

  Brianna jumped to her feet again and headed back into the kitchen, returning with the entire bottle of vodka this time. She slumped back onto the couch, took off the lid, and glanced at Danielle for a second while she seemed to decide whether or not to drink straight from the bottle. With another sideways glance at Danielle, she poured a modest amount into her cup and threw it back.

  “You seem off,” she said. “Does it bother you to hear me talk about other girls or something?”

  “Of course not.” Danielle slumped onto the couch next to her.

  “’Cause we’ve been broken up for like, a long time now.”

  “I know.”

  “I mean you broke up with me,” Brianna snapped. A spark of anger flared up, and Danielle braced herself for the storm.

  “It was mutual,” Danielle reminded her.

  “What the hell are you up my ass for, then?”

  “I’m not.”

  “I can fuck whoever I want to fuck,” Brianna said. She took a sip from the bottle. She rocked slightly from side to side when she looked back at Danielle. “I can drink what I want to drink and fuck who I want to fuck.”

  “No one’s arguing with you, Brianna. Fuck who you want to fuck.”

  “Just not your boss?”

  “Preferably.”

  “If you’re jealous, just say so.”

  “I’m not jealous,” Danielle said.

  “You sure? Because we can have a little thing on the side if you want.” Brianna wagged her eyebrows playfully. “If you need a reminder that I love you.”

  Brianna slid her arm around Danielle’s shoulder and pulled her closer, the teasing light leaving her eyes, replaced by the dark swirls of desire Danielle hadn’t seen directed at her in years. Brianna leaned toward her. Danielle realized with horror she was trying for a kiss and abruptly pulled away.

  “Are you crazy?” she asked. “No way.”

  Brianna laughed and pulled away. “Oh yes, I forgot, casual sex isn’t your thing.”

  “No, it’s not,” Danielle said. “And this isn’t a jealousy thing. I’d just rather you didn’t hook up with my boss. I don’t want those worlds to cross. Is that so much to ask?”

  Brianna’s face turned hard just as quickly as she’d melted into Danielle’s side. Keeping up with Brianna’s emotions required intense focus she was exhausted with giving.

  “You don’t get to ask me shit,” Brianna said. “You treat me like you’re my damned mother.”

  “Fine,” Danielle said. “Go for it then.” Danielle was vibrating with the anger she was restraining.

  “Why do you always treat me like this?” Brianna’s voice quivered.

  “What are you talking about? You’re the one freaking out.”

  “Oh sure, just play innocent.”

  “What do you want me to say, Brianna?”

  Tears spilled down Brianna’s face. She looked a decade older, and Danielle could see how far away she was, how unnecessary it was for her to give so much credence to her irrational switches, but she couldn’t seem to stop. She wanted to ask how much she’d had to drink, but that would only set her off.

  “You treat me like I’m a fucking joke,” Brianna said. “Just because I like to have a few drinks? That’s not weird, Danielle, you are! Loosen the fuck up!”

  Danielle sighed. Brianna was at least a little right. She did treat her like she was a nuisance at the least, and a joke at worse times. She was just so tired of taking care of Brianna. Jenna’s advice ran through her mind. Don’t bother yourself with it. Why couldn’t she seem to just leave Brianna be? Brianna didn’t want her help any more than Danielle wanted to give it, but she found it impossible to ignore her tears.

  “You’re right,” Danielle said. “I’m sorry.”

  “Huh?” Brianna was slumping into the couch, fighting sleep.

  “I said I’m sorry.”

  “What are you talking about?” Brianna reached for the bottle and took another swig.

  “Never mind.” Danielle sighed and started to get up.

  “Wait!” Brianna said. “What are you talking about?” Anger surfaced again, and a wave of exhaustion slammed into Danielle.

  “You said I treat you like a joke,” Danielle said. “I said I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t treat me like a joke,” Brianna said. “You’re the only one who gives a shit about me at all.” Brianna wrapped her arms around Danielle’s neck, pulling her back onto the couch. “Sit with me for a while.”

  “I really need to get to bed,” Danielle said.

  “Fine.” Brianna pushed her away. “Go! You don’t care about me anymore.”

  “Of course, I do.”

  “No, you don’t.” Brianna was on the verge of tears again.

  Danielle sighed and accepted she was in for a night of complete madness.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jenna walked over to where Callie was sitting on the couch and set several bottles of her serum on the coffee table.

  “Peace offering?” she said.

  Callie surveyed the bottles, then looked up at Jenna. “It’s a good start,” she said and smiled. “Mom was a handful the other night when you went out, though. I think you owe me a milkshake, too.”

  Jenna circled the table and sat down next to Callie. “What do you mean, a handful?”

  “Kept looking out the blinds like crazy. About bit my head off when I asked what was wrong.”

  “What’d she say?”

  “Asked if I saw them.”

  “Saw who?”

  Callie shrugged. “Who the hell knows? Them.”

  “What’d you do?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing?”

  “What could I do?” Callie said. “I would have only made it worse.”

  “You should have called me.”

  “I was mad at you, remember?”

  “Still.”

  “Like you would have answered. I knew you were out dancing or hooking up or whatever the hell you do.”

  “Callie.”

  “What? It’s true.”

  Jenna sighed. “I’m worried about her. That’s twice this week she’s had paranoia episodes.”

  Callie shrugged. “Probably skipping her meds again.”

  “How could she?” Jenna asked. “We watch her take them every day.” But even as she said it she knew Callie was probably right. Her mom’s illness was consistent and under control when she was properly medicated, but the medications themselves were always the first thing she became suspicious of, which sent her into a downward spiral that was difficult to pull her out of. Jenna put her hand on Callie’s shoulder, then headed for her mom’s room.

  As she walked up the stairs she heard the shower running. Perfect. Jenna slipped into her mom’s room and glanced around for obvious hiding places. She checked the drawers and inside small boxes and knick-knacks. When she checked the pillowcase she found it, a small plastic bag with at least thirty pills inside. They were all partially dissolved, like they’d been in her mouth for a minute, then taken out. Jenna sighed just as the shower turned off. Her mom emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, bringin
g the humidity of her boiling hot shower with her.

  “What are you doing in here?”

  Jenna held up the bag of pills. “What’s this?”

  “None of your business is what it is. What are you doing sneaking around my room?”

  “Looking for this. You can’t skip your meds, Mom. We talked about this.”

  “I can do whatever the hell I want,” she said. “I’m a grown woman. No one can make me take pills I don’t want to take.”

  “You’re right, Mom. I can’t make you take them, but you need them. You get scared when you’re not on them, and pretty soon I can’t take care of you anymore. You’ll end up back in a facility.”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “No, I’m just telling you what will happen. That’s what happens every time. You always think coming off the meds is going to make you better, but it never does.”

  “I think better off them.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  “Yes, I do! I won’t be one of the sheep! I won’t be like you! They’re coming for us, and I’m going to know about it. Oh, you’ll be sorry one day. That’s for sure. You’ll see I was right all along.”

  “That stuff’s not real, Mom. It’s just your illness.”

  “It’s not an illness. I’m special. I see things they don’t want us to know.”

  Jenna paused to keep her voice from climbing. “Mom, I need you to trust me. I know it seems real, but it isn’t. The longer you’re off your meds the worse it’s going to get.”

  Her mom’s eyes narrowed. “Trust you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you working for them?”

  A jolt ran through Jenna’s limbs. She was rarely the subject of a direct accusation. It was a nearly impossible thing to talk her way back from.

  “Of course not,” Jenna said. “Mom, it’s me. You know I would never do anything to hurt you.”

  “They got to you, didn’t they? They brainwashed you too.”

  “No,” Jenna said. “No one got to me.”

  Her mom’s stare glistened with tears. “They turned you against me, didn’t they? Not you too, Jenna.”

  Jenna searched her for recognition, for any semblance of the bond they shared, but all she could see was suspicion and fear.

  “Why don’t you put some clothes on, and we’ll talk about it downstairs?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it. I want you to leave. I’m not taking those damned pills anymore. They’re poison.”

  “They’re not poison.”

  “They make my brain stop working.” Her mom stepped closer. She stared at Jenna like she was daring her to do something. “What else would you call it?”

  “They make your brain work better, Mom. They just stop the scary thoughts and the voices.”

  “The voices protect me,” she said. “They tell me about the bad ones. I need them.”

  “There are no bad ones.”

  Her mom laughed. “Of course there are, Jenna. Don’t be stupid. You just don’t see them. You’re one of the sheep, but the voices tell me the truth.”

  “It’s not the truth.”

  “It is so!” her mom screamed. “They chose me!”

  Jenna felt anger rattling up her bones. Why couldn’t she break through? Why couldn’t she make a difference with someone?

  “I’m special!”

  “No, you’re not!” Jenna yelled.

  Jenna felt herself sprawling away before the pain in her face registered. When she regained her orientation in the room, she looked to her mother. She’d dropped her towel and was standing naked in front of her with her hand raised.

  “Get out of my room!” she yelled. “Get out of my house! You’re one of them! You’re not my daughter!” She walked toward Jenna as if to hit her again, but Jenna backed out of the room and slammed the door shut. She turned and jogged down the stairs. Her face was on fire. She powered into the kitchen. Callie spun on the couch.

  “Jenna?”

  “Stay away from Mom today,” Jenna said. “Don’t go in there.”

  “What happened? Are you okay?”

  “Just don’t go in there. I’ll deal with it later. If she comes out, go to your room. Lock it if you have to.”

  “Jenna, what the hell happened?” Callie jumped to her feet and shot across the room, but Jenna snatched her keys off the counter and headed for the door.

  “Jenna!”

  Chapter Sixteen

  The sun was hitting harder than usual today. The humidity was smothering, and Danielle felt like she’d never completely dried off from her shower. She sat in the parking lot waiting for Jenna. It was their day to check on Deon and Raylon, but Jenna hadn’t been in her office or the break room. Once Sasha said she didn’t know where else she could be, Danielle stopped asking, realizing Jenna was obviously running late and trying not to draw any more attention to it. Danielle couldn’t pretend she hadn’t been anxiously awaiting their next day together, but it wasn’t just time moving at a crawl anymore. Jenna was very late.

  Just as she was about to give up and go back inside, Jenna’s Acura pulled into the lot. Danielle stood up as Jenna pulled up next to her and got into the car.

  “Well, good morning,” Danielle said as she closed the door. “Have a late night?”

  “I’m really sorry,” Jenna said in a flat tone.

  Danielle quit smiling and dropped her plan to tease Jenna. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  “No, you’re not,” Danielle said. She could tell Jenna had been crying. “What happened?”

  “Nothing.” Jenna put the car in drive and checked for traffic over her shoulder. When she turned her head, Danielle made out a faint red mark on her face. Danielle grabbed the shifter and put the car back into park before Jenna could hit the gas. Jenna looked over, surprised. Before she could say another word, Danielle touched her cheek.

  “Who did that?” She surprised herself with the intensity of the fury in her chest.

  “Danielle, it’s fine. I’m fine.”

  “Then tell me what happened.”

  Danielle’s heart broke as she watched tears spring back to Jenna’s eyes as if they’d never left. Before they could spill over, Jenna physically shook them away and turned her attention back to the road.

  “Not here,” she said.

  Danielle wanted to insist, but Jenna was too preoccupied with being seen to really talk. She sighed and nodded, and Jenna pulled away from the curb. Danielle didn’t even have a right to know. She certainly didn’t have a right to hold Jenna hostage until she gave up the information, but she couldn’t let it go.

  She let Jenna drive in silence, hoping she’d break it, but in just a few minutes they pulled up outside the Clark apartment and parked. Again, Danielle hoped Jenna would say something, but she turned off the ignition and reached for the car door.

  “Jenna.”

  “After.”

  “I’m not going to forget,” Danielle said.

  “I know.”

  Danielle gave in and opened the car door, following Jenna up to the apartment. Jenna snapped a picture of the new door before she knocked. Ladona opened immediately.

  “Hey, Ms. Thompson. You see the new door?”

  “I sure did,” Jenna said with enthusiasm Danielle hadn’t expected her to be able to muster. The pain she’d read so easily in Jenna in the car vanished.

  “Come in, come in,” Ladona said. “I don’t think I caught your name last time, sweetie. What was it?” It took Danielle a second to realize Ladona was talking to her. She was beaming at her, and pleasant though she was, Danielle felt a little unnerved by the change in her personality.

  “Danielle Corey.”

  “Very nice to meet you, Ms. Corey. I’m so sorry for the last time we spoke. I was having a bad week.”

  “I understand.”

  “Can I get you two anything to drink? I was just fixin’ to make some lemonade.”

  “No, thanks,” Jenna said. La
dona motioned for them to sit down, and Jenna promptly did so, motioning for Danielle to join her. She remembered Jenna saying Ladona fluctuated, but the idea of a genuine one-eighty was a little suspect to Danielle. Jenna put her folder on her lap and took out a pen. “Let’s jump right in,” Jenna said. “How have things been?”

  “Much better,” Ladona said. “We got that door fixed, got groceries in the fridge.”

  “How about that tutor?” Jenna asked.

  “Yes, ma’am, I called them. They were very nice. Raylon’s been in twice now.”

  “And Deon?”

  “Ms. Thompson, Lord’s honest truth, I can’t get the boy to go. I tried everything.”

  Jenna nodded gravely and wrote something down, then looked up. “You mind if I try to talk to him?”

  “Course not. Talk sense into him if you think you can. I know he’s smart enough, but he just won’t go.”

  “Is he in his room?”

  “Yep. Go on up.”

  Jenna nodded and stood. Danielle followed her up the stairs, curious what condition they’d find the bedrooms in. Jenna had obviously been upstairs before since she went directly to the room in back and knocked. Deon appeared in the frame without a shirt on. He was more muscular than Danielle expected, well on his way to being a man and in her opinion, probably beyond much influence he didn’t want. He already looked older than he did when she’d met him just a couple of weeks ago. Whatever activities were replacing school were aging him. He nodded at each of them and let them inside. When he turned, Danielle spotted a long, purple bruise across his back.

  “What the hell is that?” Jenna asked.

  Deon sat in the desk chair and put his feet up on his bed. He casually lit a cigarette and took a drag. Something about the colors of the white and brown cigarette brought the entire stark room into focus. The cheap white blinds were kinked and bent and turned every which way. The hard brown carpet was meant to last, but had obviously been pushed beyond its limits. Jenna grabbed the cigarette right out of his mouth and put it out.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she said. “You’re fourteen.”

  “It’s just a cigarette,” he said.