31. Detective Pikachu
CHAPTER 31
DETECTIVE PIKACHU
MARGAUX
O nce he leaves, I message Alice, venting my feelings.
She’s familiar with the mood disorder he claims to have, but we’re in agreement he doesn’t seem to be experiencing the typical signs that come with it.
Paranoia? Absolutely.
Moodiness? One hundred percent.
Hallucinations? No sign of them.
Me:
He just accused me of making up having PTSD, and said I lied about being sexually assaulted.
Alice:
Just be careful. It’s gaslighting at it’s worst and concerning at best.
Me:
Oh totally.
I taught him the word gaslight, and he gets mad when it comes up in shows now.
He thought I invented it or something.
Alice:
HA! How disappointing a piece of knowledge to acquire.
The next few days blur together in a maddening cycle.
Timmy runs in and out of the apartment while I try to focus on marketing my books. His comings and goings used to freak me out, but now I’m becoming numb to them.
Yet there’s still a nagging feeling in the back of my mind—an unease about that desperate girl he slept with before we met. She’s far away now, but according to his ex, ‘she always comes back. What if he’s calling her when he runs away? Leading her on and complaining about me?
At one point, Timmy surprises me by being nice for once.
“It’s shit that I’ve been living here in Sunset Cay and I haven’t even gone swimming for about six months,” I’d said to him earlier. I was shocked when I realized it had been that long since I touched the ocean, even though it’s literally a stone’s throw away from my apartment. It’s as if Timmy has somehow weaponized yet another of the things that’s brought joy to my life.
“Let’s go for a swim,” he says. “We can take our snorkeling masks.”
I want to believe in this version of him, but I know better. I’m not in the mood for his mood swings, and I’m not falling for his nice-guy routine.
“Let’s talk about that skank you slept with right before we met,” I snap instead. “The one who won’t leave you alone.”
His face hardens into a scowl. “Fuck you,” he spits. “I don’t give a fuck about her. She’s nothing. She’s crazy.”
“Then why did you put your penis in her at least twice?” I ask, my voice dripping with sarcasm, but also yearning for an answer that will give me some relief.
I tell Alice.
Alice:
Right.
I don’t make a habit of fucking my mortal enemies.
This isn’t a Marvel movie.
Me:
I don’t think he’s hung up on her. He says she’s irritating AF, but she’s the one whose FB page he’d been on.
Alice:
I’m uneasy about this whole excuse.
Me:
And now…
Alice:
Does he have a step tracker?
I feel like he should.
Me:
He has an Apple Watch.
And told me he closed his rings yesterday.
Alice:
I’m curious to know how much ground he covers in a day.
Me:
He could be a professional athlete at this point.
Alice:
A viral TikTok runner.
Feeling slightly calmer, I decide to be the bigger person and send him a text:
Me:
For once, I am being unreasonable.
But it is coming from a place I did not create.
I am sorry for making you mad.
I don’t like the way you dealt with the situation, and it is sitting uncomfortably with me.
I share my text with Alice.
Alice:
Girl, stop apologizing for him being annoying.
Me:
I brought it up out of nowhere, to be fair.
Omg, am I being an apologist for real?
Alice:
Was it out of nowhere, or were you finally fed up?
Me:
Maybe. I’m not sure.
But if someone is annoying 50 times and I am annoying once, I feel like owning the 1 makes the 50 shine more clearly
Alice:
Yes, but to rational people.
All he’ll see is you admitting you’re wrong.
When Timmy returns, he insists he gave me one of the apartment fobs earlier—the one with the carabiner clip—which I know he didn’t. He always uses it to attach to his board shorts when he swims.
The argument spirals quickly.
“My ex was verbally abusive!” he screams. “Just like you are! She would start fights so I would leave, so she could cheat on me with young guys!”
“Well, I’m not your ex,” I snap. “So stop treating me like I am.”
“You will be soon!” Timmy screams. Moments later, he storms out again, slamming the door.
Me:
Sigh.
Alice:
This is not normal.
It’s almost as if I’m seeing the situation through her eyes now.
And she’s right.