she’d call it quits and break up with me. And if she didn’t do it by choice, her parents would make her do it. And so, I came up with the pregnancy rumor. I knew what a gossip Elizabeth is, and I knew that if I told her first, and if I poured it on thick, half the town would know about Kelsey’s pretend pregnancy a week later.
And so, that’s it. That’s how I’m going to make Kelsey disappear. The only person who knew she wasn’t really pregnant is at the bottom of the river.
I walk to Elizabeth’s front door with a smirk on my face, feeling the ethereal after-effects of Kelsey’s fall. Contentment. Satisfaction. Control.
Pleasure.
Plus there’s the fact that God already forgives me.
Chapter 16
David—Present Day
After my shower, Emma and I hunker down on her couch and watch two movies, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Skyfall. She’s splayed out on top of me with her head resting against my chest. She seems happy and content, which is precisely how I feel. I look down at her and brush the hair off of her face. She looks like a little kid. Her cheeks are arched up into her eyes, and her skin is bright and clear. I’m one hell of a lucky guy. Far luckier than I deserve.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
By the time Sunday evening arrives, Emma and I have effectively exhausted her Netflix queue. We’ve also gone to the grocery store, the dry cleaners, and Target. At five o’clock, we decide to take a long walk to the wine-and-spirits store down on Harborough. Emma wants a bottle of red for the pasta she plans to make for dinner.
From a block away, I spot Nikki leaning against the front of the building. Shit. She’s sucking on a cigarette and wearing a skirt shorter than a monkey’s attention span. One stilettoed foot is propped behind her on the wall and the other is on the pavement, a timeless posture that screams cheap hooker. What’s she doing here on a Sunday? She must be desperate. Nikki hustles outside the store. And she’s an acquaintance of mine. Not because I’ve ever let her touch me, but because I’ve given her cheeseburgers and fifths of vodka more times than I can count. And she’s my link to Ray.
Nikki’s eyes open wide when she sees me walking toward the store with Emma. A pulse of anxiety pushes through me when I realize I haven’t seen her since Emma’s brother Ricky was here to collect his goddamned blackmail money. She’d better keep her fucking mouth shut about what happened, because if she so much as mentions his name, Emma’s going to lose her shit.
When we get there, Nikki asks me where I’ve been and if she’s been replaced by “some homely little redhead.” She’s junked up on something again. Not that it’s an excuse.
I look over at Emma and see her face flush pink. The veins in her neck shine through her skin, and I think for a second that she’s going to either curse at Nikki or punch her into oblivion. But she does neither. She just looks over at me with a smile so fake it nearly makes me laugh. I don’t though, because then I’d be the one getting punched into oblivion. Instead, I decide I’d better switch to offense.
“Now, Nikki, be nice.” I slide my arm around Emma’s waist. “This is my girl. Don’t fuck with her, man, ’cause I’m telling you, she’ll take you down.” Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Emma take her eyes off of me and plant them on Nikki’s face. She isn’t smiling anymore.
“Shit,” Nikki says slowly, her body swaying with drunken arrogance. “Ain’t nobody gonna take me down, sweetheart. If Ray-Ray can’t do it, no little ginger gonna be able to.” She looks over at Emma, and when their eyes meet, I see Nikki’s fucked-up meth teeth mold into a smile. Emma smiles a fake smile right back at her, and all her muscles tighten.
After a second-long stare-down, Nikki turns to me. “You bring me somethin’ today,
And so, that’s it. That’s how I’m going to make Kelsey disappear. The only person who knew she wasn’t really pregnant is at the bottom of the river.
I walk to Elizabeth’s front door with a smirk on my face, feeling the ethereal after-effects of Kelsey’s fall. Contentment. Satisfaction. Control.
Pleasure.
Plus there’s the fact that God already forgives me.
Chapter 16
David—Present Day
After my shower, Emma and I hunker down on her couch and watch two movies, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Skyfall. She’s splayed out on top of me with her head resting against my chest. She seems happy and content, which is precisely how I feel. I look down at her and brush the hair off of her face. She looks like a little kid. Her cheeks are arched up into her eyes, and her skin is bright and clear. I’m one hell of a lucky guy. Far luckier than I deserve.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
By the time Sunday evening arrives, Emma and I have effectively exhausted her Netflix queue. We’ve also gone to the grocery store, the dry cleaners, and Target. At five o’clock, we decide to take a long walk to the wine-and-spirits store down on Harborough. Emma wants a bottle of red for the pasta she plans to make for dinner.
From a block away, I spot Nikki leaning against the front of the building. Shit. She’s sucking on a cigarette and wearing a skirt shorter than a monkey’s attention span. One stilettoed foot is propped behind her on the wall and the other is on the pavement, a timeless posture that screams cheap hooker. What’s she doing here on a Sunday? She must be desperate. Nikki hustles outside the store. And she’s an acquaintance of mine. Not because I’ve ever let her touch me, but because I’ve given her cheeseburgers and fifths of vodka more times than I can count. And she’s my link to Ray.
Nikki’s eyes open wide when she sees me walking toward the store with Emma. A pulse of anxiety pushes through me when I realize I haven’t seen her since Emma’s brother Ricky was here to collect his goddamned blackmail money. She’d better keep her fucking mouth shut about what happened, because if she so much as mentions his name, Emma’s going to lose her shit.
When we get there, Nikki asks me where I’ve been and if she’s been replaced by “some homely little redhead.” She’s junked up on something again. Not that it’s an excuse.
I look over at Emma and see her face flush pink. The veins in her neck shine through her skin, and I think for a second that she’s going to either curse at Nikki or punch her into oblivion. But she does neither. She just looks over at me with a smile so fake it nearly makes me laugh. I don’t though, because then I’d be the one getting punched into oblivion. Instead, I decide I’d better switch to offense.
“Now, Nikki, be nice.” I slide my arm around Emma’s waist. “This is my girl. Don’t fuck with her, man, ’cause I’m telling you, she’ll take you down.” Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Emma take her eyes off of me and plant them on Nikki’s face. She isn’t smiling anymore.
“Shit,” Nikki says slowly, her body swaying with drunken arrogance. “Ain’t nobody gonna take me down, sweetheart. If Ray-Ray can’t do it, no little ginger gonna be able to.” She looks over at Emma, and when their eyes meet, I see Nikki’s fucked-up meth teeth mold into a smile. Emma smiles a fake smile right back at her, and all her muscles tighten.
After a second-long stare-down, Nikki turns to me. “You bring me somethin’ today,
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