PAIN KILLER [DISCONTINUED]

015. THE HELLFIRE CLUB

015.

――― CHAPTER FIFTEEN ―――

THE HELLFIRE CLUB

FEBRUARY 23RD, 1986

📍BROOK LANE

7:58 AM

THE COLD AIR hits me square in the face as a car which I instantly recognize to be Steve's red BMW pulls up right in front of my house. I don't hesitate running to the car and sliding quickly into the backseat, exhaling deeply. I shut the door to escape the frigid air and I hear Robin shiver at the surprised gust.

Steve is in the middle of a sentence when I finally get comfortable.

"Thanks for picking me up today," I say gratefully.

"That's fine," Steve says quickly. "Anyway, there's Heidi tomorrow night, but the problem with Heidi is that she's going out of state for college."

I stare at the both of them― trying to get some feel for what this conversation is about. But Robin is staring straight into the mirror above her and lining her under eyes with a black eye pencil.

"So it's like," Steve continues, "do I really want to start another relationship that has no point other than sex?"

Steve clasps his forehead with his free hand, which is perched up-top the bottom of the window. "I mean, I don't know, does that make sense to you? Or to you?" He waves his hand madly at me in the backseat.

He looks at Robin for a split second, who is still lining her eyes with the eye pencil. "Robin, are you listening!"

I furrow my brows. "Did we just forget about me, over here?" I wave my hands madly, just how Steve was doing a few seconds before.

"Too young," Steve snaps quickly.

I'm about to lash out, but Robin speaks first. "Uh, yes, of course."

"What did I just say?"

"You said...something about sex with...Linda!"

Steve lashes out. "NO! I'm talking about Heidi!"

"He was talking about Heidi," I say, matter-of-fact.

Robin tries to defend herself. "Cut me some slack, please! The both of you." She eyes me in the backseat.

"Well―" I start to say, but Robin continues her rant.

"Your love life is one of labyrinthine complexity. And it is 7:00 in the morning,we have the stupid pep rally, and I woke up looking like a corpse."

"You're worried about a pep rally?" I say. "Expect me― us to believe that? I know Stevie over here isn't the sharpest little crayon, but, I think he's smart enough to know you're not worried over a pep rally."

"Yeah, so?" She says almost innocently.

"So, we both know what this is about. Okay? I'm not buying that. This is about Vickie."

My head snapped up at Steve and I grinned comically. "Oh my God, this is about that Victoria girl?" I squeal, squeezing Robin's shoulder in excitement. Steve just gives me the disappointed look of a Mom.

"Absolutely not."

Steve turns to me in the backseat to glance at me. "Yes, it is, and you know what else I think?"