Stalk Her

Chapter 9: Lily's Body

The smell of sushi and various spices was strong throughout the restaurant, even to the back where Eli sat alone with his laptop open. Eli typed in "Lily Rose Marder" on Facebook but the results led him nowhere near the Lily he knew.

"Hey, your breaks up, man," said a familiar voice around the corner from where Eli was sitting, in the tiny break room of the restaurant he worked in.

"Oh, sorry," he nearly closed his laptop but paused. He opened it fully and then typed in "Lily Rose Powell" he wasn't sure if using Autumn's last name would make a difference or not, but he figured it was worth a shot.

Instead of finding "Lily Rose Powell," he found "Lily Powell" and he was surprised to see Lily's face...and other images.

***

Autumn leaned herself on the cashier's desk as she chatted with Matthew.

"Yeah," he started. "And since you've been gone, Lara's been a raving bitch! I tell you, without her outlet around to get angry at, she hates the rest of us! And it's deadly."

Autumn laughed and rolled her eyes. "No one gets that girl like me."

"What are you doing?" came the voice of Clark suddenly, causing Autumn to jump. She quickly slid off the counter and rolled her eyes once again.

"Oh god, it's just you Satan, how's the underworld these days?"

"It's fine. Better without you here," his response was just as dull as it was quick. "At least the employees get the job done instead of standing around talking." He kept his eyes on her.

Matthew's eyes darted from Clark's serious face to Autumn's.

She smirked and leaned herself casually against the counter. "Hmm, I always wondered what the reincarnation of Hitler would have looked like...now I don't have to wonder."

Matthew placed his hand over his mouth and covered a small gasp.

Clark's face didn't seem the least bit disturbed when he turned his attention to Matthew. "You didn't finish getting the clearance rack out yesterday, Lara told me to tell you--"

"Umm, Autumn?" Lily's voice came from within the dressing room they were waiting outside of.

"Yeah? What is it Lily?" she folded her arms and ignored Clark.

"This dress is a little..." her voice trailed and everyone heard the door unlock. "I don't know about it." Lily opened the door to the dressing room and stepped out. She had her head down as she stared at the dark lacy fabric and then lifted her head and froze when she realized she had an audience.

Clark's brows went up at the same moment that Autumn's and Matthew's did.

Matthew cleared his throat and whispered in Autumn's ear. "Did she get a boob job?"

Autumn blinked and opened her mouth to speak but had no words.

"You look...nice." Clark's voice changed from its usual dull tone to something smaller and less certain.

Autumn and Matthew both looked up at him but just as they did he turned himself around and walked away without finishing his message to Matthew.

"Perv..." Autumn glared at Clark's back as he left them and then she turned her attention back to Lily. "It looks great. Besides, showing a little cleavage is good for business...though I think you can do without the push-up bra."

Matthew bit back a laugh.

"What?" Autumn snarled and folded her arms.

"I don't think she's wearing a  bra, sweetheart."

Autumn turned to Lily and stared at her breasts but just as she did Lily folded her arms over her revealed chest. "...c-can we find something else?"

Autumn kept staring at Lily's chest as she nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, sure...try this one." Autumn grabbed the closest dress to her and handed it to Lily.

Lily took the garment and held it to her chest as she quickly ran back into the dressing room.

Autumn turned back around and slammed her hands on the cashier's desk and said in a low dramatic voice to Matthew. "She's so fucking big! I haven't been turned on by boobs like that in a long time!"

"She's your cousin!" he whisper-shouted back.

"Yeah! Think I don't know that...dang, you think those are real?" She whispered back to him.

"Not a chance...did you see how skinny she was? There's no way."

Autumn shook her head and turned back around. "Damn, this girl is full of surprises."

***

Autumn and Lily both sat quietly on the bus as it moved through the busy evening traffic. Autumn held a bag full of a few new clothes they gathered for Lily while Lily simply clutched a backpack Autumn had given her to keep her fake ID in along with important manuals for her new job.

Lily stared at the floor and her hair fell lightly around her face.

Autumn whistled lightly and then cleared her throat, which was an awkward way for her to start the conversation. "So...when did you get a boob job?"

Lily remained silent.

Autumn sighed and then put her feet up against the seat in front of them. "Was it expensive?"

Lily remained silent.

Though Autumn had a billion more questions she still couldn't wrap her head around her shy cousin getting breast implants. "For someone who wants to blend in...you sure stand out with those...what are they? double D's?"

"Can we stop talking about it?" Lily said quietly, though Autumn thought she could hear a bit of contempt in her voice, which was a new look on her.

"Fine." Autumn said and decided to stare out the window.

Autumn was glad to get home and create some space with her and Lily. The minute they walked through the door, Lily disappeared into the bathroom and Autumn threw the new clothes on the old coach in the tiny living space.

She was surprised to see Eli. "Hey sweetheart," she said in her best sarcastic tone. "Did you make me a sandwich? Or did you waste your time with homework all day."

"Autumn," his tone caught her off guard and she looked at him where he sat on the kitchen table. He looked ominous with the only light being from his laptop screen as the sun outside was now setting.

"You need to see this," he said as he prepared to turn his laptop around.

Autumn screwed her brows together. "What is it?" she asked hurriedly as she tried to hurry along with the serious tone in his voice.

"It's Lily's Facebook page."

"Lily doesn't have a Facebook page," she retorted.

"Yes...she does," with that, he turned the laptop around.