Slow Dancing- Troy Otto

13

Scarlett felt her bed shift, the weight that was next to her leaving its rightful place. She played like she was still in deep sleep, not daring to even let her eyes twitch. She had an inkling what was going to happen. That Troy would take Madison's words and twist them. Contort them into a shape it never was to begin with.

Troy had a funny way of filtering and distorting information inside his brain. One of the many things Scarlett noticed within the first week she met him.

As soon as the door to her cabin closed her eyes snapped open. She looked around the room beginning to sit up when something pulled at her wrist.

"What the hell?" She whispered aloud, moving her free hand to click the lamp on next to her. When the room became visible she noticed a zip tie around her wrist securing her to her bed. "That little shit." She grumbled, fumbling around her bed to find the knife she kept under her pillow but of course, it was gone.

Scarlett silently cursed Troy, yanking and tugging on the thick industrial zip tie until her wrist was rubbed raw. She grit her teeth, wondering how the hell he pulled this off since she was such a light sleeper.

Scarlett didn't give a damn if her deadbeat mom lived or died. She cared about Troy slipping further and further into the well of corruption. The blackness that veiled his soul was something Scarlett could grow love, but not if his soul succumbs to it completely. The last thing she needs is Troy slipping.

Murdering your best friend would be brain chemistry altering. It would break him.

Scarlett moved around until she could put her mouth on the zip tie. She chewed and pulled, hoping to weaken it enough before it was too late.

Thirty minutes had passed and she was about to give up, until it finally snapped. Her wrist was bleeding slightly in a couple spots, but nothing concerning at all. It was numb, in fact.

Scarlett threw her clothes and boots on, quietly but quickly bolting through the ranch. She ran a couple miles down the road to a car she had stashed in the tall grass, hopping in it and peeling out of the brush to find Troy. She had a lead foot today, laying it on the gas pedal as she sped down the road. She heard the gunshots echo in the distance, her heart sinking as she drove faster.

She skirted to a stop, leaving the car running as she threw her body out of it and ran towards Troy who was covering his mouth with his hand, a fear tears begging to fall in his eyes.

"Troy...." She whispered. Her heart felt like it broke into a million tiny fractals at the sight of him, probably feeling remorse and regret for the first time ever.

"I killed them....I-I thought it was best I-"

"Shut up." Scarlett snapped. He looked at her confused. "You did it. It's done. You can have time to mourn and feel bad when we sneak back into my cabin, but now, get your ass in gear and help me make this look like an attack." She ordered sternly.

Troy quickly wiped his face, slapping his cheeks a bit has he got a grip. The two strategically moved things around, set it all up to look like a horrible tragedy. Then, they stashed the guns in the trunk of her car and hopped in, heading back to where she had it hidden.

They ditched the car away from anyone's passing sight, and rushed back to the ranch before dawn could break.

Once inside her cabin she tore off his bloody clothes, forcing him in the shower as she took them outside. She walked around the back of her cabin where no one could see unless they knew to look, and burned his bloody clothing inside her metal trash can. God forbid anyone would find out what he did, she'd lose the only thing she cares about right now.