Bryce and Corrigan shared a look before Bryce asked, “Where?”
I shrugged. “Not here.”
Corrigan jumped up and said abruptly, “I’ll cut the guys loose. We can crash at my place.”
I thanked him with my eyes and Bryce nodded.
Corrigan left and returned a second later with keys to Chet’s car. “Let’s go.” He dangled the keys in the air and Bryce placed his hand at the small of my back. Corrigan got behind the wheel with Bryce in the shotgun seat. I huddled in the back in a fetal position.
Bryce had stuffed the envelope in his pocket. We hadn’t discussed it, but Bryce snapped it out of my hands and shoved it inside before he called the cops. I heard the crinkle of the paper and knew he showed Corrigan.
The envelope was addressed to me. We hadn’t opened it yet.
Suddenly, I bolted upright and grabbed the envelope.
“Sheldon!” Bryce cried out, startled.
I ripped it open and found one piece of paper inside. It was a small note and it read, Queen of Geneva disregarded her lowly subjects. To the grave they went and more to come.
I dry-heaved as Corrigan veered the car to the side. Bryce ripped the letter out of my hands and read it. He swore underneath his breath and Corrigan took it from him. He reacted the same.
I opened the door and took deep breaths from the air.
No one said anything. We sat there until Corrigan asked quietly, “Are you okay to go? Can you shut the door?”
Bryce rested his forehead against his window and didn’t say anything.
When I shut the door, Bryce lifted his head up and glanced back at me.
I huddled back down and hugged my knees to my chest.
Corrigan pulled back onto the road and the rest of the drive was passed in silence.
The radio had been left off.
The letter was left untouched between the two guys.
I don’t think anyone wanted to touch it.
At Corrigan’s we walked down to the basement and sat on the couches.
Corrigan’s family had placed three couches around a large screen that fitted against an entire wall. It was their own theater room. The couches matched the grandiose media center. They were plush and large enough to fit two full-length people.
I stretched out on one. Bryce took another and Corrigan dropped onto the third after he’d left for a bottle of bourbon.
He passed it around and all three of us took two shots in a row.
This time, Bryce didn’t hiss from the burn.
We kept passing the bottle until it was empty.
Corrigan sighed and flung the bottle at the bar. It ricocheted off the corner and bounced into the recycling bin.
No one commented on the shot.
“The cops should have that note,” Corrigan started.
“No,” I said sharply.
“Sheldon…”
“I said no. It had my name on it. It’s not going. We need to destroy it.”
“They could check it for prints. We should’ve given it to them right away,” Corrigan argued. “Why’d you guys even have it in the first place?”
“Sheldon grabbed it off the body.”
I flinched at those words. Leisha was cold now.
Bryce added, “I didn’t really think about it.”
“I don’t want the cops to know. I don’t want to be…connected to whoever could do something like that,” I spat out, feeling my insides gutted out.
“You should tell them,” Corrigan said.
“Shut up.”
Corrigan didn’t say anything.
Bryce rubbed a hand over his jaw and sat up. He stood and paced. “This is…we should do something. I don’t want to sit anymore.”
“Everyone at school is going to know,” I said faintly.
“Let’s play basketball or…I don’t know. Let’s go for a run.”
“We should call the cops now.”
“Shut up, Corrigan!” I yelled. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
He yelled back, “You don’t want to talk about anything!”
“Shut up both of you!” Bryce hissed, “We’re going to wake your parents.”
That shut us up.
I stood and spoke, “I’m going to shower.”
Corrigan glanced at me and then away. He closed his eyes and laid down.
Bryce watched me leave the room. When I turned the corner, I heard him ask, “You got more alcohol?”
“Yeah,” Corrigan said tiredly and got up.
I closed the bathroom door and leaned against it while I slid to the floor. My hands were chalk-white as I pressed them against my legs. It felt weird. I couldn’t feel my hands against my legs. I only stared at them in sick fascination. A person should be able to feel, but my legs had gone numb.
When I saw some spots on my shirt, it took a minute before I realized they were tears. I’d been crying and not known it. Then I watched as another one fell to my shirt and realized I was still crying.
Weak, I got up and turned the shower on. I turned the water to scalding hot and stripped my clothes off before I stepped inside. I slid to the floor and sat there, arms wrapped around my knees.
The water pounded on me and I watched the water slide to circle the drain.
It was slowly sucked downwards, like a vacuum.
I wasn’t surprised when the door opened and Bryce stepped inside.
I just looked up at him and he sighed. He moved me and sat behind where he wrapped his arms around me. I hugged his arms as they hugged me.
He rested his head in the crook between my shoulders and neck. His cheek grazed against the side of mine.
We both shuddered for a moment until I realized it was me. I was trembling and Bryce was trying to stop it.
A choked gasp sounded and echoed in the shower. That came from me too.
“Where’s Corrigan?” I asked, huskily.
Bryce soothed his hands up and down my arms. “He called the police. They’re going to come and get the letter.”
“I don’t—”
“They have to have it.”
I shut up. The fight had left me. I knew they were right, but…
“I don’t want that to happen. I don’t want…”
“You didn’t do anything,” Bryce insisted. “Whoever did that is sick and the cops have to know. He might do it to you.”
I closed my eyes as I finally felt the water hit my skin. Finally.
“Everyone at school is going to know,” I murmured, wondering why I said it.
I shrugged. “Not here.”
Corrigan jumped up and said abruptly, “I’ll cut the guys loose. We can crash at my place.”
I thanked him with my eyes and Bryce nodded.
Corrigan left and returned a second later with keys to Chet’s car. “Let’s go.” He dangled the keys in the air and Bryce placed his hand at the small of my back. Corrigan got behind the wheel with Bryce in the shotgun seat. I huddled in the back in a fetal position.
Bryce had stuffed the envelope in his pocket. We hadn’t discussed it, but Bryce snapped it out of my hands and shoved it inside before he called the cops. I heard the crinkle of the paper and knew he showed Corrigan.
The envelope was addressed to me. We hadn’t opened it yet.
Suddenly, I bolted upright and grabbed the envelope.
“Sheldon!” Bryce cried out, startled.
I ripped it open and found one piece of paper inside. It was a small note and it read, Queen of Geneva disregarded her lowly subjects. To the grave they went and more to come.
I dry-heaved as Corrigan veered the car to the side. Bryce ripped the letter out of my hands and read it. He swore underneath his breath and Corrigan took it from him. He reacted the same.
I opened the door and took deep breaths from the air.
No one said anything. We sat there until Corrigan asked quietly, “Are you okay to go? Can you shut the door?”
Bryce rested his forehead against his window and didn’t say anything.
When I shut the door, Bryce lifted his head up and glanced back at me.
I huddled back down and hugged my knees to my chest.
Corrigan pulled back onto the road and the rest of the drive was passed in silence.
The radio had been left off.
The letter was left untouched between the two guys.
I don’t think anyone wanted to touch it.
At Corrigan’s we walked down to the basement and sat on the couches.
Corrigan’s family had placed three couches around a large screen that fitted against an entire wall. It was their own theater room. The couches matched the grandiose media center. They were plush and large enough to fit two full-length people.
I stretched out on one. Bryce took another and Corrigan dropped onto the third after he’d left for a bottle of bourbon.
He passed it around and all three of us took two shots in a row.
This time, Bryce didn’t hiss from the burn.
We kept passing the bottle until it was empty.
Corrigan sighed and flung the bottle at the bar. It ricocheted off the corner and bounced into the recycling bin.
No one commented on the shot.
“The cops should have that note,” Corrigan started.
“No,” I said sharply.
“Sheldon…”
“I said no. It had my name on it. It’s not going. We need to destroy it.”
“They could check it for prints. We should’ve given it to them right away,” Corrigan argued. “Why’d you guys even have it in the first place?”
“Sheldon grabbed it off the body.”
I flinched at those words. Leisha was cold now.
Bryce added, “I didn’t really think about it.”
“I don’t want the cops to know. I don’t want to be…connected to whoever could do something like that,” I spat out, feeling my insides gutted out.
“You should tell them,” Corrigan said.
“Shut up.”
Corrigan didn’t say anything.
Bryce rubbed a hand over his jaw and sat up. He stood and paced. “This is…we should do something. I don’t want to sit anymore.”
“Everyone at school is going to know,” I said faintly.
“Let’s play basketball or…I don’t know. Let’s go for a run.”
“We should call the cops now.”
“Shut up, Corrigan!” I yelled. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
He yelled back, “You don’t want to talk about anything!”
“Shut up both of you!” Bryce hissed, “We’re going to wake your parents.”
That shut us up.
I stood and spoke, “I’m going to shower.”
Corrigan glanced at me and then away. He closed his eyes and laid down.
Bryce watched me leave the room. When I turned the corner, I heard him ask, “You got more alcohol?”
“Yeah,” Corrigan said tiredly and got up.
I closed the bathroom door and leaned against it while I slid to the floor. My hands were chalk-white as I pressed them against my legs. It felt weird. I couldn’t feel my hands against my legs. I only stared at them in sick fascination. A person should be able to feel, but my legs had gone numb.
When I saw some spots on my shirt, it took a minute before I realized they were tears. I’d been crying and not known it. Then I watched as another one fell to my shirt and realized I was still crying.
Weak, I got up and turned the shower on. I turned the water to scalding hot and stripped my clothes off before I stepped inside. I slid to the floor and sat there, arms wrapped around my knees.
The water pounded on me and I watched the water slide to circle the drain.
It was slowly sucked downwards, like a vacuum.
I wasn’t surprised when the door opened and Bryce stepped inside.
I just looked up at him and he sighed. He moved me and sat behind where he wrapped his arms around me. I hugged his arms as they hugged me.
He rested his head in the crook between my shoulders and neck. His cheek grazed against the side of mine.
We both shuddered for a moment until I realized it was me. I was trembling and Bryce was trying to stop it.
A choked gasp sounded and echoed in the shower. That came from me too.
“Where’s Corrigan?” I asked, huskily.
Bryce soothed his hands up and down my arms. “He called the police. They’re going to come and get the letter.”
“I don’t—”
“They have to have it.”
I shut up. The fight had left me. I knew they were right, but…
“I don’t want that to happen. I don’t want…”
“You didn’t do anything,” Bryce insisted. “Whoever did that is sick and the cops have to know. He might do it to you.”
I closed my eyes as I finally felt the water hit my skin. Finally.
“Everyone at school is going to know,” I murmured, wondering why I said it.
