Page 54 of Monsters

My feet crunched the gravel on approach, and I was aware I was wearing a wide smile. I had missed Lucas. It had been too long. I’d sworn never to come back after what Mason did. The place I loved was now tarnished. But I couldn’t say no to Lucas.

Pushing the red door, it creaked open, and my eyes slowly adjusted to the dim interior.

I heard it before I saw it.

Moaning. Deep and guttural. The slapping of skin against skin. When shapes began to form, I could make out a male and a female. He was on top, head down, hips moving fast and rhythmic. There was a young girl, blonde hair cascading over the edge of the mattress.

“Lucas?” I stumbled, feeling my heart firmly lodged in my throat. My body trembled, vomit threatening to rise from my gut.

How could he do this to me? He promised… only me.

The boy glanced at me, and for a moment I felt a sense of relief, but relief soon turned to fear.

It wasn’t Lucas.

It was Mason.

A disturbing smirk spread across his face, eyes alight with a narcissistic glee. He continued moving inside of the girl who was none the wiser I was there. I had been tricked into coming here. Tricked so I could witness him in this state. I reminder of what he wanted to do to me that day in the field.

Mason had planned on getting caught, and I had taken the bait so easily.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I spat angrily.

My outburst caught the girl’s attention, and she turned awkwardly to face me. “Gemma?” she asked in a familiar voice.

Mason moved away but made no effort to cover up his erection. Heat flushed my cheeks, and I shifted awkwardly, not knowing where to divert my eyes. I had never seen a naked man before, and Mason flaunted it with a perverted pride. He moved some more, happily revealing who his conquest had been.

“Joanie?” I asked, incredulous. It felt like I’d been slapped in the face twice over, the sting raw and angry.

My friend since grade three crawled to her knees, lowered her dress and pulled the straps back over her shoulders. “What are you doing here, Gemma?” To her credit, she looked genuinely confused.

“What are you doing here?”

She glanced between Mason and me. “I think it’s obvious,” she said as if I were stupid.

The wind had been knocked clean out me. I was feeling dazed and just a little confused myself. Other than Lucas, Joanie was my best friend. I’d told her so many things in confidence about the boys next door. And apparently, she saw nothing wrong with having sex with the boy who had caused me such pain. And Mason, he knew Joanie was my best friend.

Once again, he’d succeeded in bringing my world crashing down.

“Where’s Lucas?” I fumbled, although I’m sure nobody heard. I gripped the door for support, my heel catching the wooden step. I stumbled but was too weak to right myself. Falling backward, I could do little to stop it from happening. I landed hard on the gravel outside but inside I could hear both Mason and Joanie laughing. Climbing awkwardly to my feet, I backed away until their taunted faces were once again consumed with darkness.

~

“Gemma Sinclair!” My mother’s irate voice called as I arrived home. Lips pursed, a hand on her hip, she waited until I had closed the front door. “It’s a quarter to eight already. Where in God’s name have you been? And what has happened…” Her anger quickly faded, replaced with concern. “Have you been crying?” She approached placing the back of her hand across my forehead checking my temperature. “Are you still not well? You look bloody awful.”

For my mother to swear, she was worried.

“Mom!” The sobs erupted, the tears running free. Her eyes widened in momentary shock at my outburst before taking my hand, her own eyes glassing over. “I can’t take… it… anymore.”

“Take what, honey?”

“Everything!”

“Come here,” my mom’s voice broke revealing her own emotion. Before this, I had been oblivious to her feelings as she watched me retreat into my shell. “Talk to me, Gemma. Tell me what’s happened.”

“What’s going on here?” my dad’s deep voice rumbled from the living room.

Mom pulled me into her arms, wrapping me into her protective cocoon. “Darling, can you check on the roast? I’ll be there in a minute.”

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