A First Love to Die For

Chapter Forty-Six- Sickening

(Josie's POV)

I had fallen asleep at happy moment number three. There was some relief from my headache and although my jaw was sore, it didn't hurt as much as I had expected.

As my eyes opened fully, I realized I was still immersed in utter darkness. But it had been the sound of Candy walking around upstairs that had woken me.

I reminded myself of my plan. I needed to keep her engaged. If and when she came at me again, I needed to be ready. This crazy bitch wasn't going to end me and if I was meeting my end. I was not going to meet it easily.

The door opened and the stairs creaked as she made her way down. Her creepy ass lantern cast an eerie glow over her features and the entirety of the basement.

There was something extremely off-putting about her smile. "Have a nice rest Josie? Ready to play?" She was almost singing, and I was hyper aware of the fact that her good mood was an ominous sign for what was to come.

I grunted rather than completely answering. I wanted it to appear that I was still a little bit out of it.

Her eyes flashed and she growled. "You know it might be nice for you to say hello back, or even, how are you today Candy?"

What the fuck?

I knew she was looking for a confrontation. Me too. But not yet. If I could buy more time with more manic chatter, I knew that was the safest bet.

"Sorry, how are you Candy?"

Play her game.

"You'll be happy to know that I've been putting plans together to get lover boy here so that you can see him one last time. The whole town is going to think that he killed you and then killed himself. Just one big tragic tale."

She continued to use that sing-song voice and I ignored the panic blooming in my chest. Lincoln was smart. He wouldn't fall for her tricks.

But I was smart, and I fell hook line and sinker.

She smiled and it was like pure sunlight was shining out her eyes.

Holy crazy pants Batman! Keep her talking.

"If you've always wanted Lincoln for yourself, why kill him? With me out of the way, you could be there for him."

Her face fell. "No. I realized after Izzy that I was never going to be in the running for his heart."

I was mentally filing away all these confessions. She obviously didn't think I was making it out of here alive. "Is that why you killed Izzy? Because she was dating Lincoln, because I had heard that they had ended."

"Actually, I told her she should end it. That he would always be mine and she listened, at first."

"At the grocery store?" I had interrupted without thinking but she was too caught up in her story to care.

"Yes. But then, she decided that he was worth it. She came to me to explain that she really liked him and hoped I could be happy for them." Candy's tone has lost its sing-song quality and now her words were biting.

"Happy for her? So fucking selfish. Why would I be happy for her? It's not like she ever cared about me or my feelings." She spit on the ground as she finished.

Holy shit. I'll bet you Chantelle knew about a confrontation between Candy and Izzy.

She was breathing heavy from her impassioned explanation and not for the first time, she left me speechless. She was without a doubt the most sickening individual that I had ever encountered because she had been right here. The monster had been under her surface the whole time. I just had never seen it. I truly hoped that I got to put the final nail in her coffin.