Just be ready.”
“Chuck, you’re scaring me,” she replied, and he regretted his tone.
“Don’t worry, kid, just be ready,” he said, and hung up.
She knew that she wasn’t going to get any sleep anymore, and so she got up, throwing away the warm covers and shivering as her feet hit the bare wood floor. She had on a shirt and a sweater over baggy pajama pants but it wasn’t enough to keep her warm. Nothing was enough to keep her warm these days.
She headed to the bathroom to take a hot shower, her reprieve from the frigid temperatures she felt. But as her clothes fell to the ground, she glanced at her naked form in the mirror.
Her ribs showed clearly, there wasn’t one that was hidden, even on her upper chest. Her hip bones stuck out, supported by stick thin thighs, and her arms seemed like twigs. Stepping on the scale, she winced at the number. It was higher than it had been two weeks ago, by half a pound. This lack of exercise was causing her body to actually store any food she ate, and she disliked that. She needed to be thin, wanted to invisible to the world. Every once in awhile, she could still feel Scott’s strong arms around her waist, or at her ankles, as they went for a lift, a spin or a twirl. Her favorite move used to be to let him grab her by the ankles, hurling her around. She felt like she was flying. And the less she ate, the faster she could fly.
But he would never hold her like that again, and it was her fault.
She stepped into the shower, the waters scalding hot, although she didn’t feel it. She read that hot showers worked like steam rooms, and she was always a little bit lighter when she came out, the toxins of the day pouring out of skin. And lately, it felt like there were so many toxins and so much stress. She could have stayed in the shower all day was it not for Chuck.
Perhaps he was coming to tell her it was too much trouble, to deal with her and her issues. Perhaps he was coming to tell her it was her fault, all of it, and he didn’t want any part of it. And then he would leave her, just like Scott did.
By the time he got there, she was so worked up she could barely speak. But he seemed to have plenty to speak about, as he sat her down on the couch. For the first time ever, his eyes were serious, his tone even and not sarcastic. Whatever he had to say, it was important and burning a hole into his soul. In a heartbeat, looking into his eyes, she knew what he had found, and what he wanted to ask. He was close to the truth, close to her secrets.
“Tell me, Sas,” he said, sitting beside her on the couch. “Tell me what the hell went on in New York.”
“No,” she shook her head, closing her eyes. If she started talking, she would lose her breath again, she knew it.
“Babe, you got to tell me,” he said, sharply. “Because I spent all night staring at the damn computer, and a lot of things don’t add up. So either you tell me or I’m going to keep digging, and we’ll both be consumed by it.”
She glanced at him, tears in her eyes, and he tried a different approach.
“I’m going to ask you questions, and you’re going to give me answers, ok?”
Cassie nodded, biting her lip. Chuck may not get straight A’s in school, but she knew that this day would come. He was smart, and he wouldn’t remain in the dark forever.
“Scott didn’t just drop dead on the ice, lifting you. Something happened, right?”
She nodded again.
“Did someone shoot him? In the dark?”
There was a long pause and she felt like her head was going to explode, but again, she nodded.
“Do you know who?”
A head shake, and she gripped his hand.
“Do you think it had anything to do with Jones being there?”
At the mention of his name, Cassie took a deep breath, and he feared that he had pushed her too far.
“Sas?” he said, carefully. He decided to try a different route. “I looked at your scores. You guys were losing, right up until the last minute, the last round. That
David Stuckler Sanjay Basu
Aiden James, Patrick Burdine