Confessions of a Bitch

Suspects

“You look hot.” I turn around to find Hotpants leaning on the kitchen table. He is dressed in jeans and a leather jacket. His bags are on the floor, and his trademark smile is plastered on his face.  I give him a smug smile, before returning back to eating my toast. It’s five thirty in the morning and we’re almost ready to go. “You know that guy that came over yesterday?”

“Yes.” I’m almost interested in seeing where this conversation would go.

“How do you know him?”

I pick up my plate and dump it in the sink. “Mind your business, pretty boy.” And with that, I take my bags and walk out of the house with Hotpants trailing behind me. I lock the front door and place the key in my pocket. No one is coming back into this house. As we place our things in the car, I feel like I’m being watched, but quickly shrug it off.  Hotpants wordlessly takes his car keys from me and before we know it, we are back on the road, and on our way to Port Headland.

By the time the sun begins to rise over the remote Pilbara road, more questions regarding David begin popping in my head. “So, why are you really here?” I ask, as I play with my nails.

“I told you,” he replies. “Someone’s after me.”

“That’s cheap. What did you do?”

He exhales loudly and takes a quick glance at me. “Mind your business, Blondie.”

Smooth, but not good enough. “How did you find me in Carnarvon, anyway? Were you following me?”

He clicks his tongue and turns on the radio. My blood boils. Is he ignoring me? I reach out to turn it off when he grabs my hand midway. “Don’t even think of it.” I try removing my hand from his grip, but it gets even stronger. We lock eyes for a few seconds before he relents and lets me go. The rest of the car ride is spent in silence.

My arm hurts, but I don’t show it. We pass Roebourne, a small indigenous town, half an hour later and I am thankful we don’t have to stop there. I take a quick look at the fuel tank and do some calculations in my head. The fuel should be more than enough to get us to Port Headland safely. Hotpants continues driving, using the road signs as a guide. Part of me is glad he isn’t asking me questions as to where we have to turn and all that nonsense. I’d probably go mad.

We have another two hours to go, and within thirty minutes of passing Roebourne, I can feel the boredom creeping into my veins. I take out my phone and message Rhys a couple of times, just to tell him I don’t have a bullet in my head or any other part of my body for that matter. He replies and tells me to be safe… all that sentimental shit. It almost makes me feel warm and cozy on the inside, but we could never be in a relationship. Our lives are complicated. The only thing I know about him is that he does drugs, disappears for a while and gives me a good time in bed. I on the other hand, am complicated. We would not work.

“So, how long have you been friends with Victoria?”

I look up at Hotpants bewildered. “Excuse me?”

He repeats himself slowly. “I said, ‘How long have you been friends with Victoria?’”