of us. We’d rule the world.”
He walked slowly over to where Jared remained kneeling on my carpet, covering his face with his hands. Then William stroked Jared’s black hair, his jawline.
“Jared!” I screamed. “Don’t let him! Think what you want about me. Do what you want to me. But don’t go with them.”
Emily looked at Jared, and he rose as if she had pulled him by invisible strings. He stood in front of her, staring at her face. Then he strode over to me. His hand slapped my cheek, so hard that I reeled around and crashed against a cabinet. The Ming vase fell from its alcove and shattered on the floor.
I crawled to Jared and grabbed at his ankles. “I will go away. I will never bother you again. But you must stay away from them! You must.”
Jared turned away from me.
“Forgive me, Emily,” I said, staggering to my feet. “Forgive me. You were my best friend. You suffered enough.”
I saw Emily then, Emily as a girl, not as this monster, like the monster I had been for so long. She was asleep in her bed, and the door opened and a man stumbled in. His breath smelled of whiskey. His hands were huge and calloused. He was more of a monster than what she had become. And now I knew, looking at Emily and William, that the man, Emily’s mother’s ex-boyfriend, the one who had raped her, wherever he was, had not much time left to live.
I ran to the door and took the keys to my Porsche, and I left them there, the three I loved or had once loved or had thought I loved.
“Jared,” I said from the doorway, “you brought me back to life.”
He was looking at Emily again, but when I spoke I saw him turn, and for a moment I thought Irecognized regret upon his face.
William shouted after me as I escaped into the night. “Wrong again, Charlotte. I am the one who made you alive. As you said, I am always the one.”
Why Billy Came Back
I drove around for a while, not knowing where to go, half wishing to smash into a wall or to go over an embankment. I was speeding on Sunset, tires screeching around the curves, when the vision hit me like a semi that had lost its brakes and swerved to the wrong side of the road.
In my mind I saw the club where I’d gone with Emily and then Jared. I saw the line of kids outside. I saw Jared standing with William and Emily. Jaredlooked dazed, and Emily held him up. William was watching them with sneering eyes. He was wearing a long, dark trench coat.
He knew no one would stop him. No one would search him. He’d get inside the club. In fact, they’d let him in first, invite him to the front of the line because he and his party looked so good in their black clothes, with their pretty faces. They could have been models. No one questioned models. They could get away with murder. I know from experience.
Billy and Emily would read about the event in the newspapers tomorrow. They would shake their heads. What a shame. All those young people. So much privilege and beauty, and their whole lives ahead of them…
Emily wouldn’t question him. It would take her years to put together the puzzle of all the chaos. There was so much in the world, anyway. This was the first time William had the bomb. Usually he just attracted disaster to himself. Now he was getting bored, getting bolder. He wanted to be in the very center ofthe explosion, with his new love beside him, and walk away with her untouched. There would be so much light! So much sound! The bombings in London and Hiroshima both happened while he was there. They were all beautiful in their way. And the boy would be off their hands. He had no intention of sharing Emily with him….
A car horn blared and I startled, as if waking from a nightmare. But it wasn’t a dream. I had seen what was coming.
I called 911 and screamed at the operator. “There’s a bomb! Zanzibar. In Santa Monica. You have to help. You have to do something.”
I kept on like a race car driver in hell. All I could think about was Jared. And the
He walked slowly over to where Jared remained kneeling on my carpet, covering his face with his hands. Then William stroked Jared’s black hair, his jawline.
“Jared!” I screamed. “Don’t let him! Think what you want about me. Do what you want to me. But don’t go with them.”
Emily looked at Jared, and he rose as if she had pulled him by invisible strings. He stood in front of her, staring at her face. Then he strode over to me. His hand slapped my cheek, so hard that I reeled around and crashed against a cabinet. The Ming vase fell from its alcove and shattered on the floor.
I crawled to Jared and grabbed at his ankles. “I will go away. I will never bother you again. But you must stay away from them! You must.”
Jared turned away from me.
“Forgive me, Emily,” I said, staggering to my feet. “Forgive me. You were my best friend. You suffered enough.”
I saw Emily then, Emily as a girl, not as this monster, like the monster I had been for so long. She was asleep in her bed, and the door opened and a man stumbled in. His breath smelled of whiskey. His hands were huge and calloused. He was more of a monster than what she had become. And now I knew, looking at Emily and William, that the man, Emily’s mother’s ex-boyfriend, the one who had raped her, wherever he was, had not much time left to live.
I ran to the door and took the keys to my Porsche, and I left them there, the three I loved or had once loved or had thought I loved.
“Jared,” I said from the doorway, “you brought me back to life.”
He was looking at Emily again, but when I spoke I saw him turn, and for a moment I thought Irecognized regret upon his face.
William shouted after me as I escaped into the night. “Wrong again, Charlotte. I am the one who made you alive. As you said, I am always the one.”
Why Billy Came Back
I drove around for a while, not knowing where to go, half wishing to smash into a wall or to go over an embankment. I was speeding on Sunset, tires screeching around the curves, when the vision hit me like a semi that had lost its brakes and swerved to the wrong side of the road.
In my mind I saw the club where I’d gone with Emily and then Jared. I saw the line of kids outside. I saw Jared standing with William and Emily. Jaredlooked dazed, and Emily held him up. William was watching them with sneering eyes. He was wearing a long, dark trench coat.
He knew no one would stop him. No one would search him. He’d get inside the club. In fact, they’d let him in first, invite him to the front of the line because he and his party looked so good in their black clothes, with their pretty faces. They could have been models. No one questioned models. They could get away with murder. I know from experience.
Billy and Emily would read about the event in the newspapers tomorrow. They would shake their heads. What a shame. All those young people. So much privilege and beauty, and their whole lives ahead of them…
Emily wouldn’t question him. It would take her years to put together the puzzle of all the chaos. There was so much in the world, anyway. This was the first time William had the bomb. Usually he just attracted disaster to himself. Now he was getting bored, getting bolder. He wanted to be in the very center ofthe explosion, with his new love beside him, and walk away with her untouched. There would be so much light! So much sound! The bombings in London and Hiroshima both happened while he was there. They were all beautiful in their way. And the boy would be off their hands. He had no intention of sharing Emily with him….
A car horn blared and I startled, as if waking from a nightmare. But it wasn’t a dream. I had seen what was coming.
I called 911 and screamed at the operator. “There’s a bomb! Zanzibar. In Santa Monica. You have to help. You have to do something.”
I kept on like a race car driver in hell. All I could think about was Jared. And the
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