𝑰𝑵𝑺𝑨𝑵𝑬, 𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔

chapter three

the fountain,

"Hey, Elizabeth, didn't you used to fuck Steve?" Sidney's ego spoke louder than it should. Her confidence pissed me off more than anything knowing she doesn't get it anywhere else, unless Billy is next to her.

I stared at the girl with the most heartless expression, pulling myself up towards my knees. Billy stood up in between us, keeping distance so I wouldn't gut her right here right now. "Just because I was fucking the guy, doesn't mean I'd kill him." I told the girl.

"Watch it, Sidney. You're accusing the wrong people right now." Stu spoke up, returning the glare.

—"All of you, stop it." Billy firmly demanded.

"Are the police aware you fucked the victim?" Sidney turned her head confidently. I could see the glare from everyone turn towards her, including Billy.

"Sidney, shut up!" Billy demanded louder.

"Yes— they are. I told them this when my brother died last year, since I was with him that night. You'd know that if you gave a single damn about my brother, but you never did." I threw out my cigarette towards her feet, getting her to flinch when my arm extended. The look on her face screamed guilty, it was something worth photographing. Someone should just murder her face like that for the rest of her life, till her body rots away.

"None of us killed them." Stu calmed down the situation, changing the topic from its intensity.

"-Nobody said you, did." Billy looked at the boy. Their interaction between stares was unnoticed for the rest of the group, but I picked up on how odd they were behaving. Billy wanted him to shut up, but why?

Stu didn't say anything wrong.

Sidney got up and left the scene once Randy and Stu began making gross jokes about the murders and how the liver was found in the mailbox. Billy dropped his head as he watched her walk away, making me roll my eyes. It annoys me he cares so much about her.

—"You better liver alone." Stu laughed. I giggled while looking back up at the sky, watching the discomfort form into Tatums body language. "Li—Ow! Liver. Liver. It was a joke." Billy hit Stu slightly as he explained what the obvious was.

When the boy turned to me, he threw down his hand for me to take. Pulling me up so now our bodies were inches away from each other. "Nice joke, Stu. Too bad some people don't know how to take it." I referred to Billy, the boy who stared down on me with a slight smirk forming in his cheeks. You can tell he wanted to laugh, but for the sake of his poor girlfriend, he couldn't. He had to remain calm, and on edge just like her. "I'll see you guys later." I turned back to the group, before walking away from Billy with no goodbye.

  —"Don't forget to wear a condom!" Tatum yelled out to me. Once I turned to face the group, Billy dropped his head down while Stu laughed at her comment. I simply winked as I continued on with my stance.

    When it came to these nights with Ryder, I never tried as hard to appear pleasant to him. My goal wasn't to keep him wanting more, it was only to get answers to unasked questions. That took trust, meaning I had to build it up overtime. Sex was my source of trust for these types of boys.

—My evening spent with him ended once our sex was complete. He left as he usually does, but it's not like I'd take nights like this to ask questions. These were the hours I'd spend considering those questions.

Sitting on my bed with a few candles lit, a magazine to scroll through, and only navy blue lingerie on, I'd spend my night perfectly fine like this. Especially when I find some snacks and watch a horror film to fall asleep to. That was until the phone rang—

"Hello?" I said into it while flipping through the magazine of playboy models.

  "Hello, Elizabeth." I heard a man's voice speak through the other end. One I've never heard before.

"I love your voice, it's so deep." 

   "Hmm. What if I told you it wasn't my real voice?" The man said.

"I'm sure you're still hot, mystery man." I flirted. 

  "I can see you are, Elizabeth." He said firmly. It made me pause for a moment, thinking twice if he can actually see me. "The lingerie is a nice touch."

I looked up immediately once he said that. He could see me, this mystery man can see me and I can't see him. That filled me with all sorts of feelings, but one specific feeling of urgency. I need to know who he is. "—Why are you staring at me, mystery man? Like what you see?" I sat up on my knees to take a closer glance around my room and the windows from afar, wondering if he could be anywhere near me.

   "Don't sit like that, Elizabeth." He firmly demanded. The roughness in his voice made me smile. This fucker was turned on by me, and I can't even see him.

"Does it, turn you on?" I cocked my head to the side slowly, getting different angles of the window but seeing nothing. It was pitch black outside.

   "Very much." He answered.

"If you're trying to scare me, mystery man— it isn't working. So, you might as well come join me now that you're here for something else." I smirked, standing up slowly from my bed and approaching my bedroom door to peak behind it. Nobody was there, meaning whoever was here was outside my window.

    "Hmm. Have a good night, Elizabeth" He spoke fast, and ended the call before I could even stop him. I knew his intentions were not to be pleasured tonight. He wanted me scared— and he failed.

I'm far from being scared right now, if anything I'm more exhausted from the sex I just had. This was just making it harder to maintain my sex drive. So, taking a nap was my best bet. I remained asleep for an hour or two, before being awoken quickly by another set of phone rings.

   "Hello mystery man." I answered while rubbing my eyes awake.

"Mystery man? No—Lizzy, come to the police station fast. Billy just got arrested." Tatum spoke quickly into the phone, startling me. I shot up as quickly as I could and grabbed what I needed to leave. No hesitation.