explanation. And I’m not playing your stupid, fucking game anymore!” Guy grabs his half-empty beer from the table and storms barefoot out of the house, the front door slamming behind him.
We stare after him, and nobody speaks for a while.
“Whoa. Reckon he did?” Jen rests her head on the sofa. “Psycho.”
I hesitate, looking in the direction of the door. Do I follow him? As I step towards the front door, Cam sits up. “You’re not going after him are you?”
“Yes.”
“What? He told us he killed somebody and you’re going to follow him into the dark?”
“I’m not scared of him and I don’t believe him.”
“Ohmigod! What if now he’s told us, Guy’s gonna kill us too!” shrieks Jen.
“Jen, you’re wasted. Don’t be fucking stupid,” Cam says, and then looks to me. “Are you sure? Normal people don’t say shit like that.”
“Guy’s not normal people and neither am I.” I slip my feet into my strappy sandals and walk into the night.
Chapter Twelve
A streetlight a few hundred metres away doesn’t offer much illumination, but the large moon picks out a figure striding through the scrub toward the beach. I hurry across the empty road to catch up.
“Guy!” He either doesn’t hear or ignores me. I blink as I step from the lit road to the beach, adjusting my eyes until I see his figure again. “Guy!”
The sand fills my sandals and slows me down as I jog closer to him. I call his name once more, louder and he halts. He can’t pretend he doesn’t hear me in the silence of the early hours.
Guy turns, the moonlight picking out his drawn features. “Why have you followed me?”
“Because I’m worried about you.”
“Huh.”
The gap between us is small, but feels like a chasm I’m unsure I can cross. Why did he say what he did? This man in the moonlit shadows isn’t the Guy I know. He swears under his breath and sits.
When Guy doesn’t speak, I join him on the sand; and for a few moments, we stare at the ocean.
“I should’ve taken the dare and kissed you,” he says, “But she pissed me off.”
“You certainly shut her up.”
Guy digs his fingers into the sand next to him. “It was the truth,” he says. “I did kill my mother.”
I control the gasp of breath threatening to escape. “Then why aren’t you...”
“In prison? She died a long time ago. I was a kid.”
The waves lap the shore, the darkened water close to my feet and I wriggle back, not wanting water to touch me. Guy spoke about this tonight for a reason, he didn’t need to; he had a choice. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
“She died giving birth to me. I killed her,” he says, voice void of emotion.
“Guy...” I place a hand on his arm. “No, you didn’t. That’s tragic but you can’t think like that.” He doesn’t move or respond. “I’m sure you’ve been told this a thousand times.”
Guy takes my hand and pushes it away. “I hurt people, Phe. I kill people. I came into this world by taking a life. All my life, people I become close to suffer. I’m a curse. I deserve to die.”
The evening breeze lifts the hairs on the back of my neck. Guy won’t look at me and his words are slurred around the edges; dredged from his depths I had no idea about.
“Don’t say things like that! I don’t believe you’re a bad person.”
“You don’t know me, Phe.”
“Because you hide yourself.”
“I guess I’m not hidden anymore then, am I?”
I take his hand again. “I want to know what kind of man you are beneath the surface, because I think he’s a good man.”
“Things are complicated.” He curls his cool fingers around mine, and squeezes. “I feel cursed.”
Guy shifts closer, our legs touching. Would a normal person shy away from him? At this moment, I want his closeness more than ever, to show him I don’t agree. That I care. The dark water nearby quietly laps the shore, hardly audible beneath Guy’s stressed breathing
“Since you know
We stare after him, and nobody speaks for a while.
“Whoa. Reckon he did?” Jen rests her head on the sofa. “Psycho.”
I hesitate, looking in the direction of the door. Do I follow him? As I step towards the front door, Cam sits up. “You’re not going after him are you?”
“Yes.”
“What? He told us he killed somebody and you’re going to follow him into the dark?”
“I’m not scared of him and I don’t believe him.”
“Ohmigod! What if now he’s told us, Guy’s gonna kill us too!” shrieks Jen.
“Jen, you’re wasted. Don’t be fucking stupid,” Cam says, and then looks to me. “Are you sure? Normal people don’t say shit like that.”
“Guy’s not normal people and neither am I.” I slip my feet into my strappy sandals and walk into the night.
Chapter Twelve
A streetlight a few hundred metres away doesn’t offer much illumination, but the large moon picks out a figure striding through the scrub toward the beach. I hurry across the empty road to catch up.
“Guy!” He either doesn’t hear or ignores me. I blink as I step from the lit road to the beach, adjusting my eyes until I see his figure again. “Guy!”
The sand fills my sandals and slows me down as I jog closer to him. I call his name once more, louder and he halts. He can’t pretend he doesn’t hear me in the silence of the early hours.
Guy turns, the moonlight picking out his drawn features. “Why have you followed me?”
“Because I’m worried about you.”
“Huh.”
The gap between us is small, but feels like a chasm I’m unsure I can cross. Why did he say what he did? This man in the moonlit shadows isn’t the Guy I know. He swears under his breath and sits.
When Guy doesn’t speak, I join him on the sand; and for a few moments, we stare at the ocean.
“I should’ve taken the dare and kissed you,” he says, “But she pissed me off.”
“You certainly shut her up.”
Guy digs his fingers into the sand next to him. “It was the truth,” he says. “I did kill my mother.”
I control the gasp of breath threatening to escape. “Then why aren’t you...”
“In prison? She died a long time ago. I was a kid.”
The waves lap the shore, the darkened water close to my feet and I wriggle back, not wanting water to touch me. Guy spoke about this tonight for a reason, he didn’t need to; he had a choice. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
“She died giving birth to me. I killed her,” he says, voice void of emotion.
“Guy...” I place a hand on his arm. “No, you didn’t. That’s tragic but you can’t think like that.” He doesn’t move or respond. “I’m sure you’ve been told this a thousand times.”
Guy takes my hand and pushes it away. “I hurt people, Phe. I kill people. I came into this world by taking a life. All my life, people I become close to suffer. I’m a curse. I deserve to die.”
The evening breeze lifts the hairs on the back of my neck. Guy won’t look at me and his words are slurred around the edges; dredged from his depths I had no idea about.
“Don’t say things like that! I don’t believe you’re a bad person.”
“You don’t know me, Phe.”
“Because you hide yourself.”
“I guess I’m not hidden anymore then, am I?”
I take his hand again. “I want to know what kind of man you are beneath the surface, because I think he’s a good man.”
“Things are complicated.” He curls his cool fingers around mine, and squeezes. “I feel cursed.”
Guy shifts closer, our legs touching. Would a normal person shy away from him? At this moment, I want his closeness more than ever, to show him I don’t agree. That I care. The dark water nearby quietly laps the shore, hardly audible beneath Guy’s stressed breathing
“Since you know
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