Dirty Deeds

Mourning

Tommy

I watched her. I still needed to protect her—even though everyone seemed fine with letting her go.

I wasn’t fine with letting her go, but she didn’t know that.

The students were insanely cruel to her and I couldn’t help but keep her away from them at all costs.

If I saw someone approaching her, I’d walk in their way. If I heard a person berate her, I tried to cause some sort of scene to get their mind off of taunting her.

Still, incidents slipped by me and I would see her bloodied and bruised—or hiding in the library.

I hated Glenn for what he made me do. I knew if I didn’t throw her under the bus, someone else would—or do something worse to her.

God, I missed her, though.

It had been weeks since the last time I was with her—like really with her in my bed watching her body writhe underneath me like she was giving me every little ounce of herself. She was, though and that’s what I now knew about her. She gave everything she had at all times.

Glenn eyed me like a hawk, but I’d still slip away from him to watch her read those damn naughty novels in the library. She’d left the ones I’d stolen for her at my place—which also made me find the lingerie she’d worn for me. I guess after a while, Tori wanted to please me and not just because I was available, but she was willing.

I’d even take a drive over to her neighborhood in one of our graveyard cars and watch her walk the dogs. I stalked her, basically. I needed more of her.

Maybe it was my libido talking, but I don’t see how that was so when Lexi would offer to f**k me and I’d decline—which was unheard of. I didn’t want Lexi. I wanted Tori.

She seemed to be moving on, though. I noticed her dad was gone a lot, probably working a double. The town was becoming worse and worse by the minute and Glenn and I were seeing our mother and Hector more than we wanted to.

“I need the money, Thomas!” She yelled at me from a drugged-up stupor one afternoon when Glenn and I arrived at her apartment, “I can’t,--”

“You can’t what, Mom?” I said, carrying her back to the couch, “What can’t you do?”

“You look like your father,” She sneered, “I hate him.”

I winced.

“Well, you f****d him and here I am,” I scowled, “Genetics.”

Then she’d slap me across the face and it took Glenn to step in. Oh, but Glenn wasn’t liked by our mother, either. Hell, he didn’t even call her mom.

“That’s enough, Bridget,” He said, watching her drool onto the pillow before passing out.

“Let’s get this money to Hector and get the hell out of this side of town,” I said, covering Mom up with a blanket, “Maybe she’ll last one more day.”

Just one more day, I’d tell myself. One more hit. One more girl. One more....

Taking our money to Hector, he seemed pleased—the jack wagon pig that he was.

“You might get your house back after all!” He’d snarl, counting the money. The man was a walking cliché and he looked like Ron Jeremy wearing an exercise jumpsuit and gold jewelry.

We started getting more work at the factory and Glenn picked up a car washing job.

I read those novels Tori left and dammit I had the worst case of blue balls—ever.

Tori

I decided to forget all about him, but I regretted losing everything to him. All of my firsts.

He was good though and he made me feel good, but he’d used me and I was going to move on. I had to.

School was a mess, but my dad was all about getting me away from my troubles. I think he knew I was having “boy trouble,” but I’d be locked in my room until I was dead if he knew that BOY was Tommy Knox.

“I like that you’re smiling again,” He said over dinner.

“I like smiling again,” I said to him, knowing deep down that I just wanted to cry rivers of tears, but my dad had enough to worry about. In the fall, I’d be gone to college and he’d be alone.

“We should get a dog,”I said, “You need a companion.”

Dad chuckled, “A dog, huh? What type?”

“Don’t say German Shepherd. I know you already work with them,” I winked.

It wasn’t two days later that I brought home a little mutt mix from the rescue shelter.

“Do you like him?” Dad asked me.

“Dad, he’s yours. Do YOU like him?”

My father examined the puppy as if the canine was a crime scene. I think I got my answer when the dog climbed into my father’s lap and fell asleep—my father following a few minutes later.

Moe, the dog, seemed like a good idea. Dad had something else to keep him preoccupied and we doted on that puppy. It was better being home than at school and I was counting down the seconds until graduation when I’d never have to see that asshole ever again.

Tommy

I was trying to get wasted, but nothing was working.

Glenn—the douche—cut me off at half a bottle of whiskey and I was just getting started.

“Are you my dad now?” I asked, slurring the words.

“I might as well be, Thomas,” He shook his head, “It’s almost midnight. Go f*****g sober up. You have school and work tomorrow.”

I didn’t even argue. I showered—albeit carefully because the alcohol kicked in as soon as I stood underneath the hot water. I couldn’t help but remember when I showered with Tori—giving her all of her firsts even s*x in the shower. Shower s*x was amazing, but man was she terrified of falling.

“I am going to die in here,” She was saying to me as I picked her up, pushing her body up the cold, wet wall. She held on for dear life, wrapping her arms and legs around me tightly.

“You’re not going to die in here,” I smiled, “I’ve got you.”

And I did have her. I must have been an i***t to let my heart be taken like that, but she’d done it. She’d taken every bit of it.

I was finally asleep after what seemed to be forever and awakened by the police scanner going off.

Something about an officer down and headed to Foley General. Whatever happened took place not too far from my dwelling and I turned up the scanner. That was Jim Loomis’s beat and only four officers were typically patrolling the area.

I started to text her, but then I thought I’d just get dressed and go to the hospital. If it was Jim, Tori wouldn’t let me know. She’d ignore me like I deserved.

I feigned a head injury once I got to the ER and they triaged me right away. I looked around for her, but didn’t see her or any other officers around.

Maybe it wasn’t Jim and I was wasting my time.

I decided to sit in view of the entrance and exit and the doors leading to the ER wing.

After not being able to wait any longer, I made my way to the doors and slipped passed everyone. Perks of having a crowded ER, I guess.

I roamed the halls for what seemed to be forever until rounding the corner to emergency surgery.

I saw her. I saw her and another officer talking in the hallway, but she was crying. She was crying hysterically. It took everything in my power not to push through the doors and comfort her. What was happening?

It took no time to figure that out. I watched as a surgeon spoke briefly to her and the officer and I watched in horror as she crumpled to the floor only to be caught by the cop. He held her close as the surgeon nodded and walked away somberly.

Tori....

I slipped out of sight before they could see me and headed back out to the waiting room.

When she emerged, cop guy was still there and he looked just as distraught. They made their way outside and I followed. I watched the cop head to his squad car and I made my move.

“Tori?”

She whirled around, her hair disheveled, red-faced with tears streaming down her cheeks. She held herself like I wanted to hold her.

“What happened?”

She didn’t answer me. It was like I didn’t exist. I watched the cop linger around his car, seemingly talking on his phone and the CB.

“What the f**k do you want?” She finally asked me, her tone as dark as the void that was my life.

“Is it your dad? What’s going on?”

She remembered the police scanner and I saw more of an irritation spread across her beautiful face.

“He’s dead.”

I swallowed hard because how do I comfort her like I wanted to?

“He’s dead and it’s all because of people like you,” Her tone was cold, “You hated my father and you and your little asshole friends probably had something to do with it.”

“Tori...”

She put a hand up, “Don’t f*****g Tori me. My dad’s dead because he was doing his job and someone shot him in the head. Is that what you want to know? Is that what gets you off? One less cop for you to worry about?”

“Tori, it’s not like that and I am so sorry,-”

“Don’t you f*****g dare. Don’t...you...dare..,” She sobbed, angrily.

Cop guy rolled up alongside her and looked me up and down.

“Is this guy bothering you, Tori?”

Tori stood tall and stared right through my soul.

“No, Ray, he’s not bothering me. He’s NOTHING to me.”