If I Had A Heart

Chapter 7

The instant Regine found Jane, it was clear that they would not be making an appearance to the beach party David had invited them to.

There she was, passed out cold, her body slumped against one of the port-a-potty's adjacent to the closed VideoMax, leaving Regine at a complete loss of what to do. Simply standing in front of her friend's unconscious form for a brief moment, she shut her eyes and wondered how she was going to approach this problem. Not feeling up to dragging Jane all the way to the sand for a few hours of rest just yet, she gave in to her blinding dizziness and kneeled down to sit next to her, resting her back against the hard plastic of the portable restroom.

Real classy, she thought, whipping out her carton of cigarettes and not caring if anyone gawked at the untidy pair on the ground. This wasn't quite how Regine pictured the night ending, but she had to admit that it was far better than being alone in her room, moping over her unfulfilling life like she had done so many times these past few days.

She could feel the exhaustion in her bones, unable to fathom trekking to the car that seemed miles away. Where was David and his stupid motorcycle when she actually needed a ride somewhere?

At the beach, she thought, waiting for you.

Regine felt herself frown. He had probably just said that as another test to see how she would react, not caring if she showed up at all in actuality. If she was being honest with herself, Regine knew deep down that David was just toying with her, winding her up like a doll and taking pleasure in watching her squirm. Without being able to explain why, her gut was telling her that she was nothing special to him. For all she knew, he had already found another girl to keep him company for the night after realizing Regine wasn't going to show.

Not having a clue where these thoughts were coming from, she came to the conclusion that she was merely feeling sorry for herself, something she found herself doing more than she would care to admit. It wasn't that she doubted his interest in her, feeling their intoxicating connection for those few short minutes in the Pink Room night after night, but that was probably where their story would end. It wouldn't progress into something more. How could it? She was afraid to even have a conversation with him and actually let herself be the person she genuinely was in front of him.

And then there was David himself. He was the real enigma here, his dark mysteriousness and commanding silence paired with his shameless flirting and slightly worrisome stalking habits bewildering her to the point of insanity. She had never felt so close to someone yet so estranged, an exasperating dichotomy that baffled her each night after her shift.

There was a darkness inside of him that lurked just beneath his chronic smirk and playful banter, seeing it in his eyes when she would begin to back away after their dances. It was present when he touched her, sometimes startling her out of the moment, not knowing if he was upset at her or something she was doing. After awhile, she grew used to it, convincing herself that it was a permanent part of him, a piece of David that accompanied every other part that made him who he was. Even after accepting that, she still speculated over what had caused him to be that way, coming up with conclusions for his masked coldness whenever she witnessed it.

Did he really have the capacity for cruelty or was it simply a persona he donned to attract the opposite sex? Had he always been this way, or did something create the darkness within him? Was he just moody?

Who knows, maybe he really is an axe murderer, she mused, holding the bridge of her nose to keep her splitting headache at bay.

"Are you girls alright?" came a soft voice directly in front of her.

Strange, Regine couldn't remember hearing any footsteps approaching them.

All thoughts of David ceased as she peered up from her position on the solid ground. What she saw was a man who looked to be in his mid-forties regarding them with a concerned expression. A seamless combination of both refined and nerdy, Regine recognized the man from somewhere but couldn't place her finger on precisely where. Attempting to seem as sober as possible, she smiled warmly up at him.