The Love of My Bully

by Sam Crescent

  What would death feel like?

  Could he handle the pain?

  His parents would be so pissed at him for causing trouble, but he liked it, lived for it. This was what got his blood pumping. The thrill and excitement of the unknown driving him ever closer.

  Finally, he pulled off the road and drove right past the truck. Up ahead was a small parking zone. No other cars were there, and as he parked the car, he burst out laughing.

  “Did you fucking see that?” he asked. His hands were shaking but he kept them on the steering wheel.

  “You’re a fucking asshole,” Marco said.

  Each one had something to say about their near brush with death. They could all fuck off as far as he was concerned. He wasn’t going to kill them. Death was something he was going to take for himself.

  “You want to get out and walk, you fucking can. I won’t miss you,” Drake said.

  None of his friends climbed out of the car. They never would. They were afraid of him, just like everyone else.

  Pulling back onto the road, he spun around, heading back to town. He didn’t stop at Prudence’s house though. He went straight for home. Parking right outside the house, he saw his father’s car in the driveway. He climbed out, not waiting for his friends, but entered his home in time to hear his mother and father shouting.

  “You’re a poor excuse for a man. I don’t know why I put up with you.”

  There was a resounding slap, followed by his father’s voice. “You put up with me because I’m the only one here who’ll keep your ugly ass. You like my money and you like being my bitch. You like how you’re the fucking queen here. So shut your fucking mouth.”

  Drake rolled his eyes. He’d gotten used to his parents’ violent outbursts. It was nothing new and he certainly wasn’t going to run screaming about it to the therapist. He had used it on the previous school therapist but that was to garner sympathy so he could bang her, which he had done, and then she’d gone.

  Drake moved out to the pool to see it had been cleaned per his instructions. His parents would leave in an hour or so and then he could have his party.

  “What is going on with you, man?” Marco asked, coming to stand beside him. “You’re quiet and you’re angry all the time. What gives?”

  Nothing was wrong with him. He simply didn’t give a shit, but if he said that, people seemed to think there was something wrong with him.

  “Are we the kind of guys that sit around and talk now? You grow a pussy since you been banging that chick Charlene?” Drake stared at Marco, waiting to see what his friend would do.

  Like always, Marco gritted his teeth and stared down at the floor.

  He’d fucked Charlene months ago. Mainly because she’d begged him to. He knew she’d gone through all four of them, with Marco being the last one. His friend clearly thought there was something special between them but the truth was he didn’t mean shit to her. Marco was just a dick and Charlene just a cunt, but he was the bad guy to point it out.

  Sitting back, he stared up at the ceiling, waiting for his parents to leave. All he needed was the final slam of the door. His parents didn’t give a shit if he had parties or even fucked over the entire house, just so long as by Sunday night it was clean.

  He paid a lot of money to a cleaning company to come on Saturday to make sure the place looked as good as new. Rubbing at his eyes, he waited. They were taking fucking longer than usual and starting to piss him off.

  Pinching the bridge of his nose, he closed his eyes and counted in his head. By the time he got to thirty, he heard the slam of the door.

  Smiling, he looked toward his boys. They were all fucking sheep. They kept on looking at him for guidance and shit. He didn’t even know why they were his friends half the time. Actually, that wasn’t true. It was because they were paid to keep an eye on him. He’d seen the evidence of that in his father’s study. He’d caught sight of the bank accounts his father placed money in every single month. Not to mention the fact they were always hanging around with him. He’d even tried to test each of them to see if he could push them away. So far, nothing had worked. They all had stuck around to see how far he’d go.

  “Time to call the calvary, boys. Let’s get this party started.” While his friends dealt with getting their school peers to his house, he called the guys who could bring him the booze without question. Money talked a hell of a lot more than threats.

  Within an hour, his place was heaving. People were everywhere. Chicks were naked, jumping all around and begging to be fucked. Drinks adorned every single counter, and a couple of kids were already smoking dope or dealing out coke.

  He didn’t touch any of the drugs. Swigging on his beer, he looked around the party, waiting for one person, Prudence. He hadn’t caught sight of Ree yet, but that bitch was simply waiting to be taken into a corner and fucked.

  Moving his way through the crowds, he glared at the girls who thought they had a chance with him. He fucked who he wanted to and anyone else could wait in line or fuck off.

  He caught sight of Marco snorting a couple of lines. Just because they hated how far he was willing to push with death didn’t mean they didn’t have their own vices. All three of his friends were pathetic, weak, fucking morons. None of them were a challenge to him.

  One picture taken at just the right angle and they were all fucking fools. Each and every single one of them. He got a clear shot of Marco, making sure to capture the lines and the sweet look of release on his face.

  He was pleased with the way the night was going. The cops wouldn’t come because they were all too fucking afraid of his family and what they could do.

  Standing by the side of the pool, he watched the girls as they fought opposite the boys, throwing a ball back and forth. Half of the girls had their tits hanging out of their tops.

  Swigging from his beer, he moved on, bored with the party already. Everything was carrying on how every other party did. Heading back into the house, he got a little aroused when he caught sight of two chicks starting a fight. It didn’t last long, though, before they were kissing and heading upstairs. Each of the rooms had a video camera and he always opted on what footage to keep and what to get rid of.

  Just as he was about to give up with the lack of excitement, he spotted her. Ree. The girl who was best friends with a certain girl he didn’t like. Prudence. She was nowhere in sight and it pissed him off.

  Now if Ree’s friend had arrived, he would’ve been able to have some fun, but now, he was angry.

  After finishing off his beer, he threw it into the trash and walked over to Ree. The moment she caught sight of him, her eyes seemed to sparkle, and he hated that shit. He was no one’s savior. “Where’s your friend?”

  “What?” she asked.

  “The bitch you hang out with. Where is she?”

  “Oh, Prudence didn’t want to come. She doesn’t like parties at all.”

  “Then you better get your fucking ugly ass out of here. I don’t want you here unless she’s here. Do I make myself clear?” He grabbed the back of her neck and shoved her out the door, not even caring if he hurt her.

  People would learn to do as they were told. He was getting tired of being taken for an idiot. Slamming the door closed, he ignored the round of applause that greeted him. She wasn’t the first person to be thrown out of his home, and she wouldn’t be the last.

  He needed another beer.

  Now, either Prudence would arrive to help her friend, or he wouldn’t see Ree again. Either option was … enjoyable to him.

  Chapter Three

  It’s not fair

  “You know I hate horror movies, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, but come on, this one isn’t so bad,” Sean said.

  Prudence grabbed a handful of popcorn then shoved some into her mouth, chewing as the gore factor increased. She wrinkled her nose and wished there was some way to avoid what was going on. Sean had won at rock, paper, scissors, and now on her first night of school vacation, she
was terrified.

  “Ugh,” she said. “This is so gross. I’m going to go and grab us sodas.” She climbed off the bed, leaving Sean to continue watching his horror.

  Her parents didn’t have a problem with Sean staying the night. He was strictly friend-zoned and she had made sure her parents were aware of that. She loved Sean. He was her best friend, but she didn’t think of him as someone she’d want to … date.

  Sean had also never made a pass at her. Not that she wanted that. It would be too awkward and then she’d have to consider what to do as they were supposed to be best friends.

  She was grabbing two sodas out of the fridge when her cell phone went off. She’d left it downstairs. The house was all closed and locked up.

  Seeing Ree’s name on the screen, she rolled her eyes. “What can I do for you?”

  The first thing she could make out was the sniffling.

  “Ree?”

  “Prudence.”

  “What’s going on, Ree?” She didn’t like to see Ree upset and also the feeling something bad was going to happen.

  “He … he won’t let me into the party and I don’t get it. He wants you to come or I’m not allowed to come.”

  Prudence closed her eyes. “Have you ever for a second even thought that maybe Drake is not worth this bullshit?”

  “I like him, Pru. I want to be his girlfriend.”

  She rubbed at her temples, really not getting the attraction. Drake was a dick. “Then go and see him at the party or whatnot.”

  “But he kicked me out,” Ree said. “I mean it, Pru, he’s not letting me in until you come and it sucks. I’m so bored. Please, come and help me.”

  “Ree, I’m not going to the party. Sean and I are enjoying a movie. You were invited to come.”

  “As if I want to spend all of my time watching movies. Wow, you guys are so pathetic. Why do I even hang out with you in the first place?” Ree hung up the phone.

  “Because no one else would hang around with your bitchy ass anyway.” She slammed her phone on the counter and growled as the screen cracked from the impact.

  “Ree?”

  Prudence gasped as Sean entered the room. “The one and only.”

  “I thought I’d come and see what was taking the sodas so long to arrive.”

  “You paused the movie?”

  “I paused it.”

  “When will this nightmare end?” She held out a soda to Sean and he took it.

  “Are you wanting to go to the party?” Sean asked.

  “No. I’m wanting to stay at home and watch the horror movie. Eat my weight in popcorn and pass out from a sugar rush. Our standard end-of-school ritual.”

  Sean held his soda up and she clinked hers with his. “But our ritual has to change for Ree.”

  “Does it really? I mean, does it make me a bad friend for not wanting to drive over there and let her go into a party? It’s Drake’s party.”

  “I know.”

  She leaned against the counter, crossing one leg in front of the other. She opened her can of soda, taking a large gulp as she looked past Sean’s shoulder.

  “You know he’ll hurt you if you go to his place,” Sean said.

  “I totally know that.” She rolled her eyes. “Ugh, I fucking hate this.”

  “Just leave it alone. So, she can’t get into one party. Boohoo. If you ask me, Ree’s too used to getting what she wants.”

  “If I drive over there, I can literally escort her into the bastard’s den and leave. I can, like, deposit her, like a letter.”

  Sean laughed. “You’re really considering this. Entering the lion’s den. What if his parents are home? You’ve been lucky to have survived this long going against Drake.”

  “I know. His parents sound scary. She’s still our friend and I don’t want to be a total bitch to her. I know you don’t agree with everything she’s done, but come on, she at least deserves to have some fun.”

  “You do know she calls us names regularly and pretty much hates us.”

  “Oh, I know, believe me, I know.” She sighed. Even as she knew what a total bitch Ree could be, that didn’t mean she should be the same, regardless of what her friend did to her. She wasn’t made that way.

  Sean groaned. “Seriously? You’re going to ruin years of our tradition because she wants to screw one guy?”

  “It’s not about the guy. You know I hate Drake and can’t stand him. I do everything I can to avoid that piece of shit. No, this is about more than that. Ree may hate us, and I accept that, but it doesn’t mean we have to be terrible people because of it, does it? We’re better than that. Otherwise, we’re the same as the people we hate.”

  Sean shook his head. “Nah, I don’t buy that. You see, it’s different because we’re not assholes and everyone else is a fucking prick. That’s not on us.”

  “Come on, don’t be like that,” she said.

  “We can’t keep on hanging out with her. You’ve got to realize that girl is toxic. No, even more than toxic.”

  “You don’t mean it.”

  “I do. I’m not like you, Prudence. I’m not a good guy. I don’t see the good in everyone.”

  “Neither do I.”

  “No? Then why are you even considering going to Drake’s party when you know he hates your guts, and you’re going to get hurt in the process? None of it makes any sense. I’m sorry, but you’re making a mistake going there tonight. Ree may be our friend, but if she was a real, true friend, an honest-to-God great friend, she’d be with us right now rather than wanting you to hurt yourself by going and dealing with whatever bullshit they’ve got going on.” He held his hands up in the air. “I’m sorry, but it’s true. You shouldn’t go there tonight.”

  “If I don’t, Ree will do something stupid.”

  “That’s on her.”

  “I can’t do that. I can’t just pretend like everything is okay.”

  Sean let out a frustrated growl. “For fuck’s sake, Pru. It’s not up to you to save other people. Ree’s a full-grown chick. She can do whatever the hell she wants.”

  “What about you? On the first day of school, Drake hated me, but rather than ignore me like the rest of the others did, you befriended me. What about that? You want me to just forget that? You were nice to me and I refuse to stoop to anyone else’s level.”

  “I liked you. Drake’s a dick. Always has been and always will be. This thing with Ree, if you go tonight, you’re going to regret it.”

  “Then come with me,” she said. She watched him hesitate and knew she could at least try to convince him. “Look, all it will take is me literally walking in, dropping Ree off, and coming straight out. Nothing out of the ordinary. You can even keep the car running. Come on, please. Please.” She pressed her hands together, hoping her begging would at least encourage him to consider it.

  Sean sighed, staring at her. “You know I don’t like this.”

  “I know, but come on. It’s just one time and you don’t even have to go in to see them. I’ll do it. I’ll do all the work.” It wasn’t like she wanted to go to a party, anyway. She had no interest in being around Drake.

  Even the thought of leaving her home was so oddly irritating to her. Part of her wanted to scream and shout at Ree for being a complete and total bitch and for not seeing the true side to the asshole she wanted to date.

  Why date someone who won’t even allow you to enter his party? She didn’t get it. The guy clearly wanted nothing to do with her friend, and yet, here she was, begging Sean to drive over there so she could help her.

  “I can see you’re working this out for yourself,” he said. “You think this is going to be the last party Ree wants to attend. Drake knows you’re friends with her. He’s aware that your soft spot is your friends. You were once the big-city girl yourself and now, you’re just you, and he knows how to exploit it. This isn’t going to be good for you.”

  “I know.”

  “But you still want to go and help our friend?”

  �
�Don’t say it like that.”

  “I’m saying it how it is, and you’re not listening. Ree will do this every single time because she wants what she does. She’s not a very good friend and you know it.”

  She knew. “You’ve got a condition to us going and helping her, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “What is it?”

  “You need to stop. This one time and then that’s it. No more. No more helping Ree. She has to go as our friend.”

  “Sean, come on, you don’t mean that.”

  “I do. You think it’s easy for me when I see her laughing at the bullshit he does? No, it’s not. I’m your best friend. Your only friend and I don’t find what he does funny, Pru. I find him repulsive and I want nothing to do with him. Not a single thing. If you want us to go to this thing, we’re doing it for Ree, and that’s it. You’ve also got to make her aware this is the last time we’re helping her.” He folded his arms, and she knew he meant business. This wasn’t a silly, petty demand. This was him putting his foot down, and there was no way for her to stop it. “What’s it going to be? I care about you. You know this.”

  “I do, and I’m going to agree.”

  “You are?”

  “Yes. I’ll help Ree this one time and then that’s it. I won’t go back on my word. I promise. Whatever she needs from here on out, or at least after today, she’ll be on her own.” Sean was her best friend and she knew deep down, he had her best interests at heart.”

  “I’m proud of you.”

  She glanced down at her clothes. “I think I need to go and throw on some more clothes, though. I’m not entering Drake’s house in just my pajamas.” She wrinkled her nose to which Sean laughed.

  Prudence preferred it when he laughed. She hated the idea of hurting him.

  After putting her soda can down on the counter, she made her way upstairs and quickly threw on a pair of pants and a sweater. She didn’t bother to deal with her hair, or even to put on any socks. It wasn’t like she had any intention of sticking around. Far from it. If it wasn’t for Ree, she wouldn’t even be doing this.