Blackmailing The Untouched

Moving On

Today is moving day!

Dad has gone to his Doctor's Appointment, so I asked Toby to meet me at the house, so he can help me move my stuff.

We still haven't had the after-sex talk. At this point, I think he's just going to pretend like it didn't happen. He's going to treat me as though we're friends and nothing has changed. Even though everything has. Hasn't it?

Dad's still very offish to me. He still won't talk to me. He won't reach out. He won't include me in any of his decisions on whether he wants to fight the cancer or not. I'm left out in the blue. I know nothing when it comes to his medical care.

Toby's Subaru is parked in the driveway when I pull up. His face is somber when he gets out of his car and leans against the door and waits for me to meet him.

He smiles briefly when he sees me step out wearing black jeans and a faded metal band t-shirt. My hair is tossed into a messy bun at the very top of my head, ringlets frame my face.

"Going for the grunge look today?" He teases and falls in step behind.

"These are my moving clothes!" I say while tugging at the cotton shirt. "This happens to be the very best band in the world."

He chuckles, "I think everyone knows about the obsessive crush you have on the lead singer."

"Hey, that's not the only reason I have love for the band!" I state as we walk into the living room.

It feels strange being here without seeing Dad lying on the sofa. It feels weird not feeling like this is home anymore.

"Where do we start?" Toby asks as he comes to a rest at the staircase.

"Umm, I have to go through my clothes first because I don't want to keep all of it. I normally borrow some of Sally's stuff." I say while tapping my index finger on my chin, thinking.

"Really?" He says with a curious glance. "She doesn't seem like she would have much that you would be into."

"What do you mean?" I wonder with pursed lips.

"She wears a lot of revealing clothes. I remember the black leather pants she had on once-" He responds.

My eyes light up. He remembers things about her!

"I said she has some things," I interject with a playful giggle. "You remember those pants?"

"Yeah." He shrugs, "It was not a good night." His face drops and he looks away.

He's talking about the night I found out he had known all along that Dad had Cancer and he didn't tell me.

That was also the night that I first felt a little bit of what it would be like to be intimate with Zach. It was the night that added fuel to the fire that burned for him.

"All over with now." I shake my head and fight the urge to let my mind wander back to the feelings Zach stirred inside me. "I'll be back down in a little while. Watch TV or something." I stick my tongue out at him playfully as I step past him and walk up the stairs.

"You got it. I don't want to watch you sort through all those clothes!" He calls after me with a deep laugh.

My room looks the same way it did when I left it weeks ago. My closet is still open wide; some clothes are still scattered on the floor.

Certain garments catch my eye right off the bat. I look down at the lace material, the black and blue corset sends a knowing chill down my spine. I bend down and feel the fabric in my hands. My heart hammers in my ribs. My skin heats up, and my cheeks blush. My body reacts when I hold the only thing that stood between Zach and my virginity.

I quickly toss the entire thing next to the door, starting the pile to get rid of.

Weeding through my closet turns out to be a longer task than I'd expected. I came across some summer dresses that I don't remember wearing. I find more of my band tees. I scan through the numerous blouses, cardigans, and flannels that have gotten lost in the back of the closet.

When I'm finally finished I have a towering pile of clothes on my bed and a small pile of outdated clothes that either don't fit anymore or I've lost taste in on the floor.

"Damn girl." Toby appears in the doorway. I'm relieved when I see that he has an armful of unfolded boxes and a thing of packaging tape. "I did not know that you had this much."

I look up at him from the floor, my hair has started to fall around my face. "I didn't think I had this much." I sigh and watch as he begins making boxes, folding them, and taping them at the bottoms.

"You are a lifesaver!" I raise my arms in the air and shake them. "Thank you."

He chuckles at this and continues to tape the boxes.

"This stuff over here what you want to get rid of?" He asks with a little kick of his feet.

"Yes." I nod and then duck my head back into the closet. I've found some of my old journals.
I'm looking through the pages of my pink one when I hear Toby gasp.

"This Sally's too?" He questions and my heart leaps when I see that he's holding up the lingerie I've disregarded.

Faster than I thought possible, I bolt up from the floor and take the garment from his hand.

I try to stuff it deeply into the box beside him. "Something like that," I reply with a whisper.

"She wears stuff like this?" He continues, his eyes get wider with interest.

"She does," I say with a nod. "I'm going to take this stuff outside; I'll be right back." I want to get this memory as far away as I can.

Toby nods and then I carefully maneuver the box down the stairs and outside into the cold air.

With Halloween just a week away, the ground has been swallowed up by a continuous sea of red, crunchy leaves.

My hair blows in my face as I unlock Toby's Subaru and attempt to load the box into the backseat. I try to push the box inside but it gets caught by the corner. I shove against it harder to try and force it.

Behind me, I hear stones crunching as a vehicle pulls into the driveway.

Dad's appointment must have been earlier in the day for him to be home already.

I pull the box out and carry it in my arms as I turn around.

However, it isn't Dad who has pulled into the driveway.

Zach.

What is he doing here?