Kapitel 33: Chapter 32: Abby And Veronica Make A Deal
I sat in my car, the harsh glow of my flip-phone light illuminating the wrinkly sticky note in my hand. Huck's wasn't open 24 hours, so even though Kyle and everyone else called me a night shifter I was more like a second-shift employee. I worked from 8 PM to 3 AM, deduct the thirty-minute lunch and I'm only left with about six hours and thirty minutes of pay per shift. They liked to keep me at the in-between of part-time and full-time, some bullshit about insurance or whatever.
The store itself was dark, the only light coming from it being the fluorescent panel lights in the gas station canopy. 6:00 AM to 2:00 A.M. is the stores hours, the final hour in my shift being spent cleaning the place and making sure I get the money in the safe before locking it up and setting the alarm. My eyes drifted away from the empty scenery as I finally mustered up the courage to look back at the note.
'Call me, (606)-555-2106'
"Not another one." I groaned, my mind immediately bringing up the sour face Abby made when I informed her of the note. She wanted it gone and as she left she had crumpled it up and dropped it in the trashcan by the door. Instead of just leaving it there though I had fished it out of the trash, and now I sat here contemplating what I was about to do.
*Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep…*
"Come on Ethan, it's just a stupid number." I muttered as I fished for the pack of lucky strikes in the glovebox. The lighter was already in my hand and as I shook out a cig from the pack I grabbed the brown butt of it with my teeth. With a flick, the lighter let out a glowing orange flame that lit up the car, the fire growing close to the tip of the cig as it began to smoke.
*Beep*
The dial tone filled my ear as I pressed the cool glass screen of the phone against it, the cigarette hanging off my lips billowing smoke. Sorry, Abby. I'll make it up to you later, but Olivia has access to something I need. Her parents most likely have security cameras and if I play my cards right I'm sure I can convince her to kill the feed when Dylan meets me to hand over the guns. It'll help us cover our tracks, and throw a wrench in any potential investigation if something goes tits up.
'H-hello?'
"Hey, Liv."
'E-Ethan!'
"In the flesh…well, voice."
'You got my note, didn't you? I kind of thought Abby might've thrown it out.'
"She…she did."
'Mierda sagrada, Ethan, is there trouble in paradise so soon?'
"No, no, that is not what this is about!"
'Oh, so then what do you want?'
"A…favor?"
'…Spit it out.'
"I'm going to be meeting a friend in your guy's parking lot, and I was wondering if you could maybe cut the camera feed to give us a little—"
'¡Bastardo, crees que puedes entrar aquí y exigir mierda! ¿Sabes qué? ¡Esta charla se acabó! ¡No quiero tener nada que ver con un aspirante a matón!'
"Woah, woah, woah chill out!"
'Don't tell me to 'chill out', gringo! I wasn't the one suggesting I become an accessory to a fucking drug deal!'
"There aren't any drugs though, I swear!"
'Then what is making you want lights out on the cameras, you and your 'friend' are definitely up to something and my family will have no part in it!'
"Fuck—I forgot how stubborn you are!"
'That's real fuckin' rich coming from you; I need honesty, Ethan! Why do you need the cameras shut off?'
"Because Dylan Lee is giving me some 'tools', and I want it to be a surprise."
'Are these tools 'state inspected'?'
"From what I've seen they are on the up and up but he did have some bigger ones at the bottom I've yet to inspect."
'Is it for a particular job or—?'
"There's a big bash going on at Rita's and they said they needed help 'reinforcing' the stage. Sadly my 'tools' just aren't up to the job. I could get injured if I'm not well prepared for the job."
'…Lo que haces por amor…from 3:30 to 4:00 the cameras will be down for routine maintenance, you have until then. Remember you owe me big, cabrón.'
With that the line disconnected and a sigh left my lips along with a cloud of cigarette smoke. I slumped forward as my head pressed against the cool plastic of the steering wheel, my fingers wrapping along the curves.
"Fuck."
***
(Veronica Miller POV):
*It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time, Peanut Butter Jelly Time, Peanut Butter Jelly Time*
"Hello?" I groaned at the interruption, my body straightening up from its hunched position over my desk. In front of me was a shit ton of homework from my AP classes, my pencil at this point was nearly a nub from all of the worksheets. Taking off my prescription computer lenses I took one final glance at the blue glowing screen, my eyes trailing across the Wikipedia article hoping it would help me answer this stupid history question.
'Ooh, you sound rough Roni. What's the matter?' Her question grated at my ears, my eyes glancing at the reflection of myself in the bedroom window. I had deteriorated since that night, the bags under my eyes speaking to my lack of sleep. The disheveled hair was a product of me pulling on it in frustration, and when I looked down at my fingernails or the stumps of them as I had chewed them down so low I couldn't help but grimace.
"I'm swamped with homework, taking all these advanced courses was fucking stupid!" I spat the last part out with a venomous hiss, my fist clenching as I thought about those two nagging me about my coursework.
'Speaking of shit foisted on to you by our parents we need to talk about last night.' Her words caused me to freeze, my veins running cold as my hand tightened around the phone pressed against my ear.
"W-What is there to talk about? Everything's good, you've got your boyfriend and I've made sure Mom and Dad are happy, win-win." The nauseous feeling growing in the pit of my stomach would disagree, my heart throbbing with a dull ache as I faked being happy with the outcome.
'You're forgetting something, little sis.' Her tone was soft, a burning feeling brimming in the corners of my eyes.
"What did I forget?" I choked back a sob, my nose sniffling at the snot dripping down my upper lip.
'Your happiness, silly.'
"I-I'm, happy—hic, I swear!" I tried to make it convincing but by that point, the floodgates had opened, my shoulders jumping up and down as my body was racked with sobs.
'You are not Roni, I heard it last night, you've been put between a rock and a hard place.'
"What do you want me to say!? 'Hey sis, I love your boyfriend and every time you act all cutesy around him it literally kills a part of me.' Does that make things better!?" I panted, my voice growing hoarse from my yelling. Had it not been for the soundproof panels I had convinced Mom and Dad would help me study then no doubt they'd be busting down my door.
'It does, actually.'
"How are you so calm hearing me say that I love him?" The best way to describe my mood at that moment was stunned. I had expected her to rip in to me, to tell me to never even think about laying my hands on her man. It's what I would've done, but maybe that has more to do with me being a piece of shit than it does with me having common sense.
'Funnily enough, E has at least three—potentially four girls crushing on him not including you.' I gawped at that, my jaw nearly hitting my desk.
"W-who are they?" I felt my mouth go dry, the realization that there was more competition scaring me. It was given that right now I was at the bottom of the pack, in fact, any random girl would have a better shot at Ethan than me.
'Elsie Smith, his own sister—'
"Woah, pause! What did you just say?" My eyes widened like saucers, the nervous feeling in my gut growing as I thought back to all the times I'd seen the girl cling to him without me noticing a thing. Elsie Smith was one thing, but to have a girl living under the same roof with him made the situation even more crazy.
'I know it's crazy but apparently Clara and Elsie are working together to seduce him. Anyway, then you've got Olivia—'
"Jason's sister?" Olivia was a threat for sure, the girl had an ass on her thicker than a bowl of oatmeal. Plus, she radiated a much more womanly charm, like an older sister of older sisters.
'That's the one, and the final spot is a toss-up between two girls who kind of fit in the 'down to fuck category' which doesn't really mean they are averse to dating him it just means they are far more interested in hanky panky than dates and cuddles.'
"Who are they?" These ones felt more dangerous just based on the fact that they would casually engage in sex. Ethan was always a bit of a perv so I could see him jumping the gun to hit a home run.
'Rachel Carter and this girl that keeps coming to Huck's at night called Pepper Simmons. You already know why I'd throw Rachel in the down to fuck category because other than her music that woman cares about nothing more than getting her rocks off. Pepper's a bit harder to crack, but she's probably going to wind up on Ethan's doorstep because her parents kicked her out of the house.' Rachel made sense, the girl literally telling us the best techniques to give head during a sleepover when we were younger. No, I hadn't ever really seen her date a boy, but her wellspring of knowledge relating to male anatomy had to come from somewhere right?
"You're pretty calm about this Pepper girl staying with Ethan, is she ugly?" Pepper was an enigma, and my concern that she was a predator waiting to gobble up Ethan grew as Abby spoke her next words.
'No, but unlike how you'd expect when Ethan does something wrong he comes running to tell me the truth. In fact, I expect him to any second now text me saying he called the number Olivia gave him—'
*Ding*
Like clockwork the notification came through on the speaker, my eyes widening as Abby giggled.
'He called her strictly for business is what he says, how cute~!'
"So him telling you about his screwups somehow makes it better?"
'No, it still stings and right now I'm pretty pissed he did it but I'm also glad he isn't scared, to tell the truth. Lies build upon lies until the next thing you know he's leaving me for a side chick I didn't even know about because he never told the truth in the first place.'
"You're being oddly mature about this."
'Hey, I am mature! That's why I want you to come to grips with what you've done. I don't know how Ethan sees you, but I know that puppy love he had is gone. Right now you're just another pretty girl and as I've already informed you he is surrounded by them.'
"Gee, thanks, I'm already feeling better." I rolled my eyes, you are preaching to the choir sis.
'It isn't meant to make you feel better Roni. I'm telling you this because as I see it both me and you have really only one option right now.'
"And what is that option, Abby?" I felt nervous, her words were nothing but the truth and damn did it hurt. My actions had screwed up a golden opportunity I'd never get back so my best bet would be to listen to my sister.
'An alliance.'
"Wait—"
'Hear me out first, Roni. At the current trajectory things are playing out on he will cheat on me.'
"Then why are you even with him in the first place?"
'Could you say the same thing if you were in my shoes?'
"…" I couldn't deny it even if I wanted to. Ethan could murder a man right in front of me and I'd probably help him bury the body. He could be balls deep in another woman and I'd want to kick her out just so I could take her place and remind him of who his favorite is.
'Thought so. Ethan is literally like crack cocaine to us and we are some of the worst junkies for him. When he cheats it won't be me breaking up with him, the idiot will do it himself because he will feel undeserving of me. I can't let that happen, Roni.'
"What does an alliance do to prevent that?"
'No, it doesn't prevent it, but I at least get to pick who he does it with and help keep his sense of guilt in check.'
"Wait, so am I literally just a masturbation aid for you to use on Ethan?" A part of me felt indignant, angry that she would suggest I do something so demeaning, but another part burned with something far more potent, lust. The thought of being his toy turned me on, my parent's reaction would only stoke the flames if they found out.
'So is that a no, because Rachel is literally one text away from getting down on her knees to suck his cock. Make no mistake little sis, I'm giving you a golden opportunity here. You will be his secret lover, your body meant for his use only. So what do you say?'
"A-are you sure about this?" I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly feeling drier than the Sahara desert. If I didn't say yes she'd never ask again and I knew it, that pink-haired slut Rachel would take my place.
'You and to a lesser extent Rachel are the only two I'm okay with him fucking, and we'll be needing to do a lot of it because keeping his balls drained will help prevent any other mishaps.'
"…I accept." I swallowed nervously, the feeling of signing my soul away felt oddly liberating in a terrifying plunge to your death kind of way.
'Good, now we need to get you back on his radar.'
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein