Hot Garbage

13

I started the wash and went back upstairs. Mom kept a large first aid kit in the guest bathroom. I searched through it until I found something.

Carefully, I went to the kitchen and made some soup and poured juice for my friends. I added the medicine to the juice, fearing that the heat of the soup would make it not work, then carried it out to them after hiding the bottle in the discarded soup can and throwing it in the garbage.

They were just finishing their food when Gene came in. I tried to make myself look as sick as possible. Erin and Ashley settled on the couch next to me, laying their heads on my shoulders.

"You girls okay? You don't look great," Gene said.

Erin started to answer, then clapped a hand over her mouth and jumped up, running for the bathroom. A few moments later, Ashley did the same. I looked at him listlessly.

"I don't know what's wrong with everyone. We have headaches and chills. We're tired and nauseous. I told them not to eat anything and just to sip water, like I am, but they were hungry. I couldn't stomach it." I whimpered softly.

"Ѕhit. Sounds like the flu or something. Do you have a fever?"

"No. It must be early on if I don't." I replied, putting my hand to my head.

"I'll call their parents and get them picked up. You head to your room and rest. I'll take care of the game night and let Matt know you won't be visiting." Gene told me quietly.

I nodded and got up, pretending to be wobbly and weak. I headed down the hallway to my room and curled up in my bed. It was working!

I waited a few minutes, then texted Jo.

What next?

Run to the bathroom and pretend to throw up. Then get back in bed and act like you're sleeping. Let me know where you are. All of my trusted friends are on standby. I know you're in the US, so I only got the ones who are here.

I messaged Jo with my city and state, then locked my phone and left it behind while I went to the bathroom next to my room and pretended to throw up. I was nervous that this wouldn't work, but hopeful. Getting away was all that I could focus on.

Gene paid for me to go to a private school, so I knew I couldn't finish school there. I would be fine with a public school or getting a GED. I'd figure out my life without them.

Back in my room, I huddled under the blankets. Erin and Ashley came in to get their things.

"We're going to go home now. Sorry we got sick and ruined all the fun." Ashley told me.

"It's okay. I was just happy to have you here. Go get better. I'll see you at school on Tuesday if I'm not still sick." I murmured.

"Get some sleep. We'll text you." Erin said, then they left my room.

Keeping myself bundled, I waited for about thirty minutes before messaging Jo again. She hadn't responded to my last message.

Jo? What's up? The poker game starts in an hour.

Ro, I live in the same town as you. I'm trying to find someone else who can take you, though.

Why?

Look, it's hard liking a certain type of book. People think bad things about you.

I know. I don't think those things about you, though. Are you married and worried that I'll steal your husband?

I'm not married. You don't understand. As bad as it might be for you to read these books... I'm not a woman, Ro. People think I'm into this stuff irl, but I'm not. I just like reading it.

Some of the stories Jo and I talked about were really bad. Dark romances with male leads who did disgusting things to the women they were supposed to love. Pimping them out, abusing them, rаping them. We didn't read it because we were interested in those sorts of things. The stories were just really compelling.

I trust you, Jo. You're the only person I could talk to. We've been friends for years. I don't care if you're a man. If you promise you won't do what they did, then I will trust that my friend would not lie to me.

Send me your address. I'll park down the block. You get yourself out of the house and I'll take you away from there. I'll protect you, I promise. Delete this chat after I message you that I'm there and sign out of the app. We don't want them to figure anything out. You have to leave your phone behind.

Got it. See you soon.

Putting down my phone, I quietly started gathering clothes to put into a duffle I had in my closet. I put a few things I held dear to me in as well. Some keepsakes from my father. Some things to help me remember my mother. Stuff like that. I put my pills in as well.

It felt like hours went by. I had hidden the bag under my bed and curled up under my blankets again. My nerves were on fire. This couldn't fail.

Gene came in to check on me. He brought some water and set it on my nightstand. He didn't say anything, but he also didn't try to touch me. Gene closed the door gently as he left.

There was no way in hell I was drinking or eating anything they gave me. The last thing I wanted was to get dosed again. I wasn't going to risk it.

Some time later, I got a message from Jo saying that he was parked and waiting for me. I let him know I was deleting everything. I did a factory reset on my phone and put it under my pillow, then I dropped the duffle out of the window, but I knew I couldn't go out that way.

Instead, I slipped on my socks and took the cup Gene brought me to the bathroom. I dumped it out in the sink, then headed to the kitchen. There was a pitcher of filtered water in the fridge, so it made sense that I would go looking for a drink there. Dane's bedroom door was wide open and he wasn't there.

I kept an eye out for him while I moved toward the kitchen. The door to the basement was open and I could hear several men there, including Dane, Matt, and Gene.

As quickly and quietly as I could, I went out the front door. I left the empty cup in the bushes near where I dropped my bag. Picking up the bag, I headed toward the sidewalk. At the end of the block was a truck. A nice, new looking truck. I crossed my fingers and went to knock on the window.

It rolled down and I could see the driver. He had piercing blue eyes and a boyish face. He was wearing a collared shirt and jeans. His shoulders were broad, his black hair was short and spiked.

"Jo?" I asked.

"Yeah, get in, Ro. I'll take you to my place." He replied with a smile.

"Roxy. My name is Roxy," I said as I tossed my bag in the back and climbed into the truck.

"Joseph. It's nice to meet you, Roxy."

"It's nice to meet you, too, Joseph." I said softly.

He pulled away from the curb and started driving toward his house. We chatted about the books we liked to read. It was a, mostly, safe topic.

Joseph was easy to talk to. He was just like he'd been in all of our conversations online. Funny, insightful, and opinionated.

We pulled up to a large gate after driving for about half an hour. Joseph hit a button on the visor of his truck and the gate opened, then closed behind us. We drove up a long, winding drive that was lined with oaks, maples, and cedars.

As we got closer, I could see more details. This wasn’t a house; it was a mansion. It was classical and imposing. It was huge, with a lot of gables and angles. It was made of wood in the front and the sides, but the back was thick stone. There was a stable and a barn behind it.

"You live here by yourself?" I asked.

"I do. I inherited it from my grandmother. She lived here for over sixty years," he said.

"How old are you?!" I teased.

"Nearly thirty." He said with a laugh.

"Let's go inside so I can show you around." Joseph said, then he shut off the truck and we headed toward the front door.

We walked into a large entryway with a grand staircase leading up to a second floor. It didn't look like it had been decorated in decades, but it was still beautiful. There was a chandelier hanging from the center of the room, but it wasn't lit.

I took another sweeping look around the room, noticing all of the intricate details.

"It's stunning." I murmured.

"It's been my home for nearly six years. It gets lonely in here, but I'm ready for a change. What are you doing for work?" He asked.

It was a good question. "I'm not sure yet. I need to get back to school, but I'm not sure how I'm going to do that." I said, then I shrugged.

"You could always help me out with some of my projects here. There's a lot of work to be done, but I'd be happy to pay you." He said, then he smiled.

"That sounds nice. Thank you," I said.

"You're welcome. Come on, I'll show you more of the place."

He showed me around the kitchen, the game room, and the living room. We went to the other side of the house and he showed me his office. It was a large room, with a fireplace at the far end and a huge desk taking up a lot of the space.

The walls were lined with bookshelves, full of volumes and volumes of books. To one side were some overstuffed leather couches and chairs. On the other side of the office was a large wooden desk with a comfortable looking chair and a computer.

"This is where the magic happens." Joseph said, gesturing around the room.

"What does your work entail?" I asked.

"I'm a programmer. I work with a few different companies, but I mostly work for myself. I write software for companies, mostly security systems and stuff like that. I also do web design, and I do some freelance writing." He said as he went over to his desk.

Oh, wow. That's impressive." I said.

"Thanks. Let me show you my room. It's probably the nicest in the house." He said, then he gestured toward a door on one side of the office.

"Sure."

He led me through the office and into the master bedroom. It was another large room and it looked like it was done in a rustic style. The bed was massive, and the dresser was an antique. The side tables were wood and metal and the chairs in the sitting area were leather.

"It's beautiful," I said quietly.

"Thank you. I like it." He said. "I'll take you to your room now."

Joseph led me out of his room and into the hallway. We walked to a different part of the house. There were four bedrooms in his part of the house. He took me to the first one on the right. It was a large room with a king-sized bed, a built-in wardrobe, and a large desk.

"This is where I put my guests. It's the nicest, but you can stay in any of the rooms. Each one has a private bathroom with a shower," Joseph said.

"It's perfect."

"Good. You have a lot of free time. You can unpack and feel comfortable here."

"I will. Thank you, Joseph." I said.

"No problem, Roxy." He replied and left my room.