Very Bad Things (12 page)

I opened my purse and out of habit, checked to make sure my
knife was inside. My knife had never failed me; it protected me from evil.

After that, I lifted my mattress up to get the coke I kept
hidden there. It had been a while since I’d snorted it, but I didn’t want to
think about that, didn’t want to remember that awful night. Yet, I knew if I
truly wanted to be bad, then I needed to commit myself to it, and if cocaine
made me forget, then what was I waiting for? I picked up the flat silver case
and opened it, peering at the bag of white powder and tiny spoon that rested
innocently inside. Finn had said this was the best. Expensive and guaranteed to
get you happy.

Yes, this was coming with me tonight.

Before walking out the door, I gave the bottle of vodka a
considering look, but in the end I left it there. I might want it later when I
came back to this cold house and celebrated my birthday alone.

“Destiny
is a cruel bitch.”

–Leo
Tate

LIFE IS CRAZY, and sometimes it
totally veers off course. Seriously, sometimes it flows by nice and smooth and
then
wham!
you get bitch-slapped out of nowhere by events and
coincidences that seem nigh unbelievable. Is this what the poets call fate or
destiny or karma? Maybe. I didn’t know because I never read poetry, but I do
write lyrics, so maybe that counts.

But as I looked across that movie lobby and saw Nora, I had
to stop and ask myself
why
she kept popping up in my life. First it was
at the restaurant and now here at this small theater, which shouldn’t even be
on her grid since it only played classics or movies that were already on DVD.
I’d think the mall would be where she’d watch movies; the same place Sebastian
did.

She’d walked in with that flaming red hair, and my eyes had
followed her as she’d sashayed over to the concession counter. And when she’d
bent over to look inside the candy case, I’d sucked in a sharp breath, taking
in her sweet ass in a cherry-covered skirt. My hands tightened into fists,
remembering how she’d wanted me to fuck her in the bathroom at Ricardo’s. It
had taken every shred of self-control I had to walk away from her and not give
her what she’d wanted. She didn’t know it, but I’d hung around outside the
restaurant until she left, making sure she didn’t end up with one of those
sleazy fucks from the bar.

I fingered the ticket stub in my hand, fully intending to
head into my movie, but instead, I turned back around, and like an idiot, I
found myself walking over to her.

“Don’t get the Milk Duds,” I said, sliding in to stand
beside her.

She jumped a little when I spoke, but then looked me over
coolly. “Really. Why not?”

“Because they’re called duds, so they can’t be good, right?
Think about it, you know the milk part means chocolate, but what exactly is a
dud? They should have called it Milk Loser. Means the same thing.”

“You’d prefer Milk Winner?”

I laughed. “Sounds better to me.”

“You should call Hershey’s and give them some consumer
input,” she said with a small mouth twitch.

I chuckled and stared into her green eyes, and dammit, I
didn’t want to, but I ended up naming all the flecks of colors I saw there:
blue, brown, and aqua. I cringed inwardly . . . what guy thinks
aqua
?

“You’re pretty opinioned about candy, Leo.”

“That’s what happens when you own a fitness club.”

Her eyes widened. “If you brought raw nuts and celery, I’m
never speaking to you again.”

I leaned in conspiratorially, feeling playful with her.
“Shhh, it’s against the rules to sneak in food.”

She shook her head at me, her smile tilting up just a little
bit more, and I found myself wanting to put a full grin on her face.

“Okay, what should I get?” she asked.

“Popcorn, of course, it’s a movie classic.”

“Butter?” she asked.

“It’s got about three days worth of artery clogging fat,
plus trans fat and salt. I wouldn’t recommend it,” I said, chuckling at her
dismayed face. I loved buttered popcorn, but I liked bantering with her.

She grimaced. “Okay, Dr. Oz, but what about the movie
experience? Popcorn without butter is weird. And if I say something is weird,
it
really
is.”

I laughed. “I would avoid the Raisinets, too.”

“This should be interesting,” she said, her eyes sparkling
with glee. Ah, she liked my teasing.

I pointed at the raisin on the box we could see through the
glass case. “Think about it. Underneath that chocolate is a small, dark,
shriveled up food thing that used to be fat and juicy. But they fiddled with
it. Tweaked it. Makes you wonder what else they did.”

“You know, you’re really starting to be a dud here,” she
said, snickering.

“You guys are so cute. How long have you been dating?” asked
the girl working the concessions, who’d been watching the back and forth
between us.

Nora shot me a grin. “Him? Nah. He’s too old for me.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “There’s only seven years between us.”

“Six,” she said softly, looking shy all of a sudden.

“How’s that?” I asked.

“Today’s my birthday,” she said, shrugging. “I’m nineteen
now.”

I stared at her blankly. Damn. Buttercup was a whole year
older than I’d thought.

Nora turned to the counter girl. “I’ll take the extra large
combo with a Diet Coke. Make it buttered, please.”

“Are you seeing
Casablanca
or
O Brother, Where Art
Thou?
” I asked as the girl turned to make her soda.

“
O Brother
. What’s not to love about bluegrass and
Homer? And George Clooney? Only one of the sexiest guys ever.”

I looked at her in surprise.

“What? You don’t think Clooney is hot? He is kinda old, I guess,”
she chuckled, shooting me a little smirk.

“Just never took you for a Cohen Brothers fan . . . and, no,
I do
not
think Clooney is hot.”

She laughed.

The counter girl put the huge tray down on the counter.
“That’ll be twenty-six dollars.”

“We’ll take another soda, please,” I said, pulling out my
wallet. I paid the new total and picked up the tray.

She looked at me with wide eyes. “Thanks for paying for
mine, but you didn’t have to. It’s not like we’re on a date,” she said,
following me as we turned around to head for the theaters.

“Yeah, well, we’re seeing the same movie, we may as well sit
together,” I heard myself say.

She peered around me, like she was looking for someone.
“Won’t Tiffany be mad?”

I cracked my neck and tried to sound nonchalant. Truthfully,
I hadn’t asked Tiffany to come. “She couldn’t make it.”

She stood there for a moment, and I felt this prickle of
unease go up my spine. Damn, was she here on a date? It
was
her
birthday.

“Mila had to cancel on me and go to a family function,” she
said. “So I guess this is a date.”

I tried to come up with a smart comeback, but I had nothing.
What I should have said was
hell no, this ain’t no date
. But it seemed
that being near her made me do insane shit. Truthfully, I felt a little
intoxicated from being near her.

We walked in and found seats. She placed our large drinks in
the cup holders while I balanced the tray on my legs.

“It’s hot in here,” she murmured, slipping out of her
sweater and my eyes bulged at her tiny shirt. Shit, where was the rest of it? I
fidgeted in my seat, cursing my body’s reaction to her. Thank fuck, we had an
arm-rest between us. I still scooted as far from her as I could.

The lights dimmed and the movie previews started, but I
couldn’t stop myself from sneaking glances at her, watching her as she watched
the screen.

“It’s rude to stare, you know,” she said, taking a sip of
her soda. I watched how her lips wrapped around the straw.

“Me?”

“Yes, you,” she said.

“Not staring.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Maybe I was looking at that spider crawling on your seat,”
I said, wanting to shake her up a bit and make her as flustered as I felt.

“Liar,” she said.

I laughed out loud, liking how she called me out. “Okay, you
got me. I was looking at your red hair. I like it.”

She blushed. “Thank you.”

I studied her. “You’re a mystery, Nora. I mean, why would
you ruin my
car? Was it because I saw you in the parking lot at BA and
didn’t help you out with your mom?” I asked, hoping I could get her to open up.

She peered into the popcorn bucket, and I regretted bringing
it up. She’d said she was sorry and that she’d help Teddy.

She shrugged. “No, it wasn’t personal. There’s nothing you
could have done that day anyway. She’s just like that. She blows up but then
gets over it.”

I nodded but didn’t believe her. I’d seen Mrs. Blakely’s
face. She’d looked fucking evil.

Our movie finally started, but I barely noticed because all
I could think about was that we were together and alone, and she was easy to be
with. “I like you,” I said impulsively, turning and holding her gaze with mine.

“Yeah?” she said, seeming pleased. “Why?”

I faltered, not sure about my words. “Because you’re like . .
. I don’t know . . . a Lamborghini in a parking lot full of Kias. Special.”

Her lips parted and a tiny rush of air came out, like she
was surprised. My breath quickened, staring at her lips. She’d worn this deep
red lipstick that matched her hair, and it turned me on big time. She licked
her lips, and I ached to kiss her mouth. I wanted to lick it, nip it, suck on
it; I wanted to
own
it.

I wanted to give her a kiss she’d never fucking forget.

I thought of that rush you get when you ride a roller
coaster, how it climbs higher and higher and then does crazy twists and turns,
and you feel like you just might fly right out of your seat. Would a kiss with
Nora be like that? Would her mouth taste like the cherries on her skirt? Would
the first flick of her tongue against mine send a bolt of pure lust straight to
my dick? Would her skin smell like peaches?

I leaned in a tiny bit closer, feeling heady and strangely
euphoric. If I could taste her lips one time, maybe I’d be content and this
craziness would pass? But, deep down, I knew a simple kiss would
never
be enough with her. I’d want to fuck— I felt my phone buzz.

Sighing and looking away, I pulled it out of my pocket.

It was Tiffany.

--Wanna meet back at your place later tonight? Say yes,
and I’ll wear the pink nightie. xoxo

“Checking in with the ole girlfriend?” Nora asked as I put
the phone away. “You know, I don’t think she’d like it very much that you’re
here with me. The movies is way better than a date in the park.”

“
Not
my girlfriend, but yeah, it’s Tiffany.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“I told you I don’t do relationships, and she knows that.
She does what she wants, and so do I.”

She nodded seriously. “Yeah, I get it. She’s your fuck
buddy.”

My entire body went hot as lava at her words, my pulse
beating fast and furious as I pictured me fucking Nora, not Tiffany. Memories
of her propositioning me at the restaurant kept playing through my head, how
she’d described what she wanted, how she’d wanted me to take her from behind.
Had she done that shit on purpose, knowing I’d drive myself crazy thinking
about it?

I wondered if she’d ever made love in a movie theater. It
was practically empty tonight. We could move to the back row, and she could sit
in my lap while we tore into each other. I could wrap my hands in her long red
hair and give her the ride of her life. No one would ever know. Unless she was
a screamer.
Fuck.
I was losing my mind over this chick.

This had to stop.