Playing with Fire

Playing with Fire (ch. 6)

Chapter 6

Confused

I guess I should have felt bad for killing Jessica, but I couldn’t help not giving a care. It’s not like a lot of people even liked Jessica. It will be posted in the newspaper of finding her dead body then that will be the end of it. She lived by herself and was a just barely a high school student whose job was to sleep with men (and women).

I faintly here the school bell ring as the teachers dismiss the students from class. On my way to the school I had picked a few red roses, they were sitting on the passenger seat. My mustang was parked where I had been this morning. When Phoebe comes up to the car, she hops in and smiles.

“What have you been up to today?” She asks amusingly. She takes a big whiff of the roses then plants them on her lap.

As she puts on her seat belt I smile to myself and say, “Nothing interesting.”

*

Phoebe.

Leo’s still in the same spot as he was in the morning. This time however, with a bunch of red roses seated beside him on the passenger seat. As he drives home I notice he has his hands balled in fists on the steering wheel. He must be very tense today, I thought to myself, he was this morning as well. He parks in front of my house and kisses me on the forehead.

“Listen, I have some things to take care of, but I’ll call you ok?” He smiles a little sadly at me then reaches over and pushes the passenger door open for me.

I slowly walk out of the car and walk up my drive way. I turn around, but already his car is gone. I fish my keys out from my backpack and unlock the door.  

“Mom, I’m home!” I yell loudly. I quickly slip my shoes off and leave them by the front door. I leave my backpack on the kitchen counter then race upstairs. As I get to the top I notice that my answering machine has a message so I click Play.

“One new message.” The answering machine says. Then a different voice comes on; one I hadn’t been expecting.

“Hi Phoebe, it’s me…Damien.” His voice sends chills of pleasure down my spine, but I’m mad at myself. Leo is mine now; I’m not anything to Damien besides a friend. “I’ve been thinking about the last time we talked and I can’t let our relationship go on like this- with us not talking to each other. If you could come by my house today I promise we’ll talk.” The message cuts out then makes a beeping noise. I click End on the machine then slowly walk to my room. I collapse on my bed and run the options through my head.

1.       I delete any proof of the message on the machine and not show up to Damien’s house; it might be regretful in the future because I might get more information on Leo.

2.      I delete proof of the message on the machine, leave mom a note saying I’m going out, then go to Damien’s and have a friendly chat with him.

I weigh the options for a few more minutes then decide to go with option two. So I do as I plan. I take a few minutes figuring out which button to click to delete Damien’s message, I leave a messy note to mom saying I was going out, and then I grab the car keys and try to remember the way to Damien’s house.

*

I remember that Damien’s backyard was the one across from the old variety store on Edward St. so I park my car at the curb beside his backyard and knock at the backdoor.  I hear a bunch of snaps and then he opens the door a crack. I see one of his brown eyes peeking. I hear a relieved sigh then he quickly opens the door and shoves me into the house.