Tragic Love (6 page)

After walking in the back door, my stomach alerts me I haven’t had a chance to grab something to eat by growling in protest. If I want to keep up with my planned afternoon sexfest, I need to fuel up. I walk to the fridge and pull out everything I need to make a killer turkey sandwich.

Jake makes his way up from the basement. He clearly just woke up, wearing only his boxers and a wife-beater shirt. He yawns obnoxiously then asks, “Hey man, what are you doing home so early?”

“There was a fire at the plant so they sent everyone home for the day,” I say while adding cheese to my turkey sandwich. I toss the mayo covered knife in the sink and then take a huge bite into the soft bread.

“That’s cool. Do you want to go down to the bar with me? Reggie is installing new flat screens and wants some help,” Jake asks while making a sandwich for himself.

“Nah. I’m going to spend some time with Presley this afternoon. It’s been awhile since we’ve hung out by ourselves, especially since Delilah moved in. She seems to spend a lot of time with her during the day.” I grab a soda from the fridge and crack the top then I take a huge drink, letting the carbonated bubbles ease down my throat.

“Okay, I didn’t really need to know that you plan on banging your chick all day…seriously, bro. But I am sorry she’s holding out on you, man. When I’m home, I hardly see Delilah and Presley together. She always seems to be in your room listening to depressing fucking music.”

I am completely taken back by Jake’s comment. She tells me all the time how they hang out once Delilah comes home from working at her internship. I will definitely bring this up, but not tonight—for my own selfish reasons.

Jake lets out a huge burp then continues, “Speaking of Delilah, where’s my little cupcake at? I’m in the mood to have a little fun.” A devious grin spreads across his face, and I know he is completely enamored with this girl. When they speak to one another they look like their ready to kill each other, yet they trade glances like they’re picturing the other one naked. I don’t get it.

“Man, why are you always trying to piss her off? She’s going to kick you square in the nuts one of these days,” I warn as I finish the rest of my sandwich.

“Because it’s fun and besides, we don’t always fight. We’ve made a pact; she’s supposed to allow me to show her how fun Sulfur Heights is and I promised I would lay off on the flirting. As a matter of fact, we have rather normal conversations. Like the other night for example.” Jake takes a huge bite of his sandwich and I toss him a Mountain Dew from the fridge. He cracks the tab and downs the majority of the contents. “She was talking about Memphis, her friends and parents, and I didn’t say one smartass comment. I can’t tell you anything she said, really, because her tits were barely peeking out of her shirt and distracted me, but I kept my promise and didn’t do or say anything inappropriate.”

I roll my eyes and choose to ignore his crude comment. “She’s in the backyard sun tanning.”

“Holy. Shit! Is she wearing a bikini? So help me God, that woman is going to fucking kill me. She’s so fucking hot. It’s too bad she drives me so fucking insane every time she speaks.” I nod to Jake and then shake my head.

He moves over to the cupboard and pulls out a gallon-sized pitcher, filling it with cold water and chuckling to himself the whole time.

“You know you’re asking for it.” He is completely crazy right now. Delilah is going to snatch his head off the minute she gets her hands on him. One thing I’ve learned about that woman, as polite as she may seem, she has a streak of meanness lurking inside her. I would never want to get on her bad side.

“Yeah, that’s the point, brother.” Jake opens the back door, causing a wave of summer heat to hit me. He leans over the deck and holds the pitcher of cold water over the rail, getting his aim just right before he tips it over, soaking Delilah instantly. A shrill scream passes through the air.

“I’m going to kill you!” Delilah screams as she jumps from the lounger and starts flying up the back steps. Jake is standing on the deck, laughing his ass off, when Delilah reaches him then starts beating him with the magazine she was reading. “I just hate you, Jake Evans!”

Delilah makes her way past Jake now and into the kitchen with one purpose, and that’s payback. Once the sink turns on, I take that as my cue to get the hell out and go find my love.

I round the corner and open up the door, but she’s not there. I pull out my cell phone and shoot her a text.

Me:
Hey, where are you at?

Presley:
Home

Instantly, I get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach and decide to search the house. Jake now has Delilah screaming like a girl in the backyard, squirting her with a hose. I immediately notice Presley is nowhere to be found. Why would she lie to me?

As I walk back into my room to grab my phone I notice something sticking out from under the dresser. I bend down and pull the blue box from underneath the dresser. It’s a home pregnancy test. My stomach instantly drops to my feet. Is she pregnant? No fucking wonder she’s been so sick. I tip the box over and the white stick falls out confirming my suspicion.

Why wouldn’t she tell me about this?

I try to call her cell phone, but her voicemail instantly picks up. I am growing increasingly nervous and annoyed all at the same time. In the last few minutes I just found out that Presley has been lying to me and now she’s hiding things from me. The more I let my mind absorb these thoughts my anxiety grows into anger. How could she keep
this
from me? And worse yet, why has she been lying to me every day? We’ve always been completely honest with one another and this is the last thing I expected from her. I crunch the box in my hand, squeezing it as hard as I can. I need answers and I need them now.

Before I let my mind run away with too many conclusions, I need to find out where she’s at and there’s only one person who knows. Delilah.

I storm out to the kitchen, crushed box still in my hand and notice she’s sitting on the counter in some deep conversation with Jake. They’re both soaking wet and she’s finally covered up with a beach towel. Jake’s face is close to hers and his hands have her trapped against the cupboard. It appears they are having another heated conversation because of the stone cold look written all over his face. I feel like I’m interrupting something, but right now, I don’t really care.

Delilah’s eyes meet mine then the box in my hand and then back to my eyes. I can immediately tell she’s known about Presley’s pregnancy for awhile and has been lying to me, just like Presley has; the betrayal is written all over her face.

“Where is she?” The rage is searing my insides and I can feel it traveling to my limbs, causing them to shake. Delilah looks to Jake then back to me, but says nothing. “Where the fuck is she, Delilah? And don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about because I’m about to lose it!”

Jake pushes away from Delilah, but says nothing. He is also looking at her with an accusatory eye.

“Drake, please, you have to calm down.” Her southern accent is shaky yet calm, but it does nothing to ease my anger.

“How long did you know about this?” I seethe.

“What?” Delilah tries to evade the question, but I don’t allow it. I throw the box holding the pregnancy test at her and she startles as it smacks her in the arm.

“What the fuck, Drake?” Jake shouts in protest to my actions, but then soon realizes what we are talking about.

“Don’t! Don’t you dare act like you know nothing about this.” I can feel my body start to really lose it as I begin to walk toward Delilah. Her eyes are drenched and she is starting to tremble as she quickly picks up on how angry I am. I’ve got the sickest feeling growing in my gut as my mind is telling me where Presley could be, but my heart doesn’t want to believe it. Closing the gap between us, I grab a hold of Delilah’s arms to lightly shake her. I know she knows, however I need to hear it from her. “Where is she?” I scream in her face.

Jake swiftly moves behind me and grabs my shoulders, releasing the hold on Delilah’s arms. He stands in front of me then pushes my chest, positioning his body between us. Jake stands about four inches shorter than me, but he’s an experienced fighter. He knows I would never hurt her, but my actions are not proving it at this moment.

“Back the fuck off, Drake!” Jake yells.

Delilah hops off the counter, clasping tightly to her towel she moves toward Jake’s back as he continues to stand between the two of us. “I’m sorry, Drake. I practically begged her to tell you, but she was afraid you would leave her. Look,I know she’s had problems since she’s lived here, but you don’t understand, she’s had issues handling change her whole life. This was too much for her and—”

“And what?” I scream. I don’t want to hear another excuse come out of her mouth. “Just fucking tell me!” I push my body against Jake’s hands while he continues trying to keep me from getting closer to Delilah. “What has she done?”

Delilah looks down at her feet and begins to sob uncontrollably then sinks to her feet, tucking herself in a ball on the floor. “She left for the clinic, Drake.”

I’ve heard enough. I push Jake away from me and fly out the back door. The glass in the screen door cracks as it slams against the rail of the deck. I keep moving, though, not giving it a second thought. I can’t believe she’s going to do this without telling me.

I climb into the Chevelle and floor the car down the driveway. When I make it out to the main highway I slam my foot down and propel my car faster. The roar of the engine is humming loudly when I tear my way through the streets. I hope I can get to her in time; before she makes the biggest mistake of her life.

Presley

It’s been two weeks since I found out I was pregnant. Delilah has been trying to help me make the right decision, practically insisting I tell Drake so we can make this choice together, but with him, there would be no choice. He would want me to have the baby. I’ve known from the day I found out what my plan was going to be, however I was living under false pretenses to keep Delilah off my back. I can’t have this baby. Some people were born mothers—nurturing and protective—but that has never been me. I am always the one who needs the nurturing and protection. I’m too weak to care for myself. I could never do it for a child.

I called the clinic and scheduled my appointment six days ago. When I spoke to the nurse at the clinic she instructed me it would cost one thousand dollars without insurance and I should have someone accompany me to see that I make it home. She explained how the sedatives used will still be lingering in my system, but to be honest, I was hung up on trying to think of how I could get home unseen and how I was going to replace Drake’s money before he notices.

I know I promised Delilah I would tell her what my decision was, but I lied. I’ve known her since the age of six. She would do anything in her power to prevent me from going through with it, and that includes telling Drake. I can’t risk it. Drake can never know I was pregnant. The sooner this is done, the sooner I can move back into the ignorant bliss I had before this mess.

I couldn’t sleep last night. Drake’s alarm sounded at five in the morning and I was still awake from the night before. My mind has been on overdrive, flooding me with guilt while I lay next to the only lifeline I’ve ever had. Something in the back of my head kept telling me that my lifeline could soon be cut short. The internal battle inside my head was fueled with energy drinks, preventing me from sleeping my feelings away.

To make things worse, Drake was unconsciously clinging to me, holding me so tight the entire night. Frequently, he placed kisses to my shoulder and the back of my neck. I pretended I was sound asleep, yet I was anything but. Finally, after he left for work, I managed to close my eyes and drift off for a few hours, losing my battle with exhaustion.

Now, here I am, simply sitting on the edge of the bed, watching time tick away. I agreed to the first available appointment they had and instantly regret the time I chose. It’s agonizing waiting all afternoon to commit the ultimate sin against everyone I love. I’m questioning my decision. Then, I allow the numbness to take over. I can’t let myself feel anything right now, especially guilt. I have to shut everything off.

I close my eyes and take deep breaths in and out, allowing the pent up feelings to escape my body then my mind goes dead. I watch the blackness of my deception fade to gray and eventually evaporate into nothing. My mind goes blank and I transform into robot mode.

Once the clock rolls to noon, I move to my dresser, pulling out a pair of black denim shorts, underwear and a black t-shirt. I open the safe in the closest and count out one thousand dollars then stuff the money into my purse. Drake has been saving his hard-earned money for a year in hopes of moving out into our own place, but it looks like I will put that on hold a little longer. Unless I can replace it fast. My mind starts to question how I can get away with Drake not noticing the money missing before my numbness shuts it down.
Not now!
I say to no one. Think about that later.

I emerge from the bedroom, walking with conviction while I remain emotionless. I quickly make my way down the hall, turn on the shower to scalding and stand under the water. Then, like a well executed robbery, my mind begins to plan the next phase of my treachery. I duck my face under the hot water and start calculating schedules in my head.

Drake texted me this morning informing he won’t be home until after supper, Delilah will be getting back soon from her internship—within forty-five minutes—Reggie and Darcie already left for the bar, who knows about Jeremy— I never see him anyways—and Jake is probably still in a dead sleep. It will only take me twenty minutes to get ready and another ten to walk to the bus stop. The ride to the clinic will take approximately ten minutes and my appointment is at one fifteen. I should get there in plenty of time.

I’m pleased I can leave the house going completely unnoticed. With my plan of attack in place, I quickly scrub my body and hair then rinse the suds off me. My hand trembles as I turn to shut the water off.
Stop it!
I shout inside my head, taking more deep breaths, numbing my guilt once again. This is my only chance to save me from dying and protecting my only sanity in this world, the relationship I have with Drake.