Page 23 of Creep
He snorts. “Yeah. He probably saw you and thought ‘wow, I need a piece of that’, and since he’s not that great of a flirt, things got off the rails a little? I can’t go into detail, but he’s not had the easiest time growing up, and then ended up in juvie. He’s got a good heart but struggles with people. Maybe you can cut him some slack, hm?”
Remorse twitches deep inside me, because maybe I was too harsh on Creep. Maybe I should have stayed and listened tohim instead of flying off the handle and walking off. What if he doesn’t want to see me again?
“I could, but I don’t know where he’s hiding. When he approached Rooster and me, it’s been three days since I last saw him.”
Prophet looks thoughtful as he taps the steering wheel. “I think the obvious thing to do is just go see Brigid. She’ll consult the cards with you. And listen, Creep can be hard to find, but I’ve got his number. If nothing else works, then come to me, and I’ll make it happen.”
I smile and wrap my sweater around me as I remember the mystical hut roofed with a dense thatch. The lady living inside has her home stocked full of items I could only dream of owning, and the way she spoke about my ascendant was compelling. I could really sensepowerin her presence. Speaking to her once gave me a new insight into the configuration of stars at my birth, so maybe she could help me decide what direction to take next?
“Do you think he’s angry at me?”
Prophet chuckles and rubs the back of my head. “I think he likes you so much he’s losing his mind.”
The air I’m breathing suddenly feels hot and humid, and I twist the hem of my sweater in both hands as we pass the intersection close to my home.
Of course he does, otherwise he wouldn’t get so angry over Rooster trying to impress me. I should have been gentler, more forgiving. After all, at that point I already knew he’s not like the guys who previously vied for my attention.
I remember how his tar-black gaze lingered on me when he slid under the bed, so full of longing it set my skin on fire.
I’ve been with so many guys, but none of them looked at me the way Creep does. As if I was something special. A revelation. A precious thing he’s so very afraid to lose… As if sucking my fingers in the dark could sustain his affection for a lifetime.
Fortunately, I don’t have to continue this conversation, because we’ve arrived at the old house I still call my own, so I point it out before Prophet passes the driveway.
As soon as we’re parked in front of the unimpressive building with dirty siding, Prophet grabs one of the empty boxes from the back of the pickup. “I’ll grab everything I can find in the kitchen, but I’m guessing you’d like to pick up all the personal essentials. You know best what you need. Let’s get this done,” he says with a smile and… holds up his hand for a high five I meet with my own. I wonder if he’s always so friendly or just tries to build rapport because I’m a witness to his friend’s crime.
In any case, we get to work, and soon enough the back of the pickup starts to fill. I even reluctantly pack some of the clothes Domino likes, in case I do need to start seeing him again. I pull out the box at the bottom of the closet and quickly wrap its contents in a towel, so Prophet doesn’t walk in on me packing lace underwear.
The landlord did not clean out all his things, so I might as well leave some of my own unwanted stuff, but there are things in the garage I’ll need, so when Prophet walks off to make a call, I grab another box and go behind the building, through the garden full of weeds. I never lock the back door of the garage, because most of the stuff I keep inside isn’t particularly valuable, so I walk right in, hitting the light switch as the odor of gas and motor oil hits my nose.
But the single lamp wasn’t necessary, because the front of the garage is wide open.
Johnny looks up at me from where he was fiddling with the handle of my car’s door. His black hair is slicked back, his white shirt ironed to the edge of its life, and his elegant shoes are so polished they reflect light.
“The pickup outside doesn’t screamyou, but it seems my instincts were correct,” he says and squints at me. “Since youdecided to finally grace me with your presence, I think you owe me an explanation?”
I stop breathing, because while I didn’t findanysigns of struggle in the bedroom, maybe he saw something I missed? A broken glass? Bloodstains?
“I’m here with a friend,” I say, pointing to the general direction of where Prophet has walked off in the worst possible moment.
“And I’m here for my car, since you seem to think obligations are only suggestions. I didn’t drive all the way over here two days ago for nothing! Is this a joke to you?”
Fucker. Always so high-strung, as if not being able to get his dick sucked right on schedule was a matter of life and death. Still, I take a step back when he closes in, because heisbigger, and you never know what a man might do when angry, whether the Rolex on his wrist is real or fake.
“It was a gift! You can’t just take it!” I hiss.
He offers me a mean smirk. “I’m only letting you drive it. You didn’t even bother to let me know you can’t see me. And you couldn’t meet up last week either,” Johnny points out.
I hardly stop myself from rolling my eyes. “I had an accident, okay?”
“No, not okay. Now give me the keys,” he says, and my heart speeds up, because what the fuck am I going to do without a car, especially living in the remote settlement of Vulture Hollow!
“That’s not what we agreed on. Wonder what your wife would say about this kind of behavior.”
Is it a shitty move? Oh yeah, but he is pushing me. That piece of junk is probably worth less than his watch, but I need it! I can’t rely on the good people of Vulture Hollow driving me around. Especially not if something goes wrong and I need to make an emergency exit.
Johnny’s face flushes, and he approaches me so fast I don’t see the slap coming. By the time he hits me in the face, it’s too late, and I cry out.
“You wanna keep the car?” Johnny raises his voice. “Bend over and pay for it!”
