12. Guess Who #2
Deja glanced in their direction, and they quickly hid behind the shrubs. She looked up at Caleb and trembled at the way his thumb sensually stroked her clit. "Caleb..." she panted. "We… we sh-should stop."
Caleb sucked her bottom lip into his mouth. "Is that why you're dripping so much?" he hummed. "Cause you want me to stop?"
"Somebody could be watching..."
"Let them watch then," Caleb grinned, taking her earlobe between his teeth. "They can watch me play with you until you're creaming down your leg..."
"Caleb!" Deja pushed him back, looking at him, surprised.
Stepping back, Caleb raised his hands. "Sorry?" he chuckled, confused. "...don't like dirty talk?"
Deja blinked at him. "N-no, I just… I guess I wasn't expecting that… from you..."
Caleb snickered. "You turn me on, Deja. Just looking at you makes me hard. And, it's difficult not to think about all the nasty and wildly inappropriate things I wanna do to you. But… I can tone it down if you're uncomfortable."
Deja smiled nervously. "Do you have a pregnancy fetish or something?"
Caleb laughed. "Babe, seriously? I can't be attracted to you without it being a fetish?"
Deja shrugged. "I'm just saying-"
Caleb cut her off with an aggressively abrupt kiss that nearly knocked her off her feet. "You seriously underestimate the effect you have on men, Deja Louis..." Pulling back from her, he winked with a grin. "Go enjoy your friends."
Lena watched Deja re-enter Caleb’s house while Caleb headed in their direction. "Shit, we should go-" Phil started. But instead, Lena headed straight for Caleb.
Caleb looked down at his fingers that had explored Deja's pussy and lifted them to his nose to inhale. He exhaled with erotic hunger before taking them between his lips.
"Seriously?!"
Caleb stepped back, startled, as Lena confronted him. "Lena. Hey," he said, surprised. Furrowing his brows, he looked at her concerned by the expression on her face. "Wait, are you okay?"
"Like you care," she said, folding her arms across her chest.
Caleb's face fell. "Lena, of course, I care about you."
"But not like you care about Deja, right?"
Caleb sighed. "Lena, that's different. You're like my little-"
"Don't you dare call me your little sister again, or you might as well cut out my heart and feed it to me!" she snapped angrily.
Caleb rubbed the back of his neck, trying to figure out how to comfort her. "Look, Lena..." He gently grabbed her shoulders, and all she wanted was for him to wrap his arms around her. To touch her the way he was just touching that woman, whom she couldn't stand.
But Caleb's beautiful hazel-green eyes didn't look at her like he wanted her. Rather, he looked at her like he pitied her. And it made her sick to her stomach. "Why don't we have that movie night?" he insisted.
Lena's jaw tensed angrily. "You don't get it! Everything is ruined now!"
"We're still friends-" Caleb started.
"I don't want to be your fucking friend !" she shouted with tears in her eyes. "I hate you, Caleb!"
Caleb swallowed hard as Lena aggressively shoved him before storming away. His eyes followed her, contemplating whether to follow her or not.
"She's been really upset lately." Caleb turned around to see Phil approach him. "Because of you," Phil finished.
Caleb sighed. "Yeah. I know."
Phil twisted his mouth. "You promised our brother you'd keep her happy-"
"I know, Phil. I'm trying. But I clearly can't give her what she wants."
Phil shrugged. "I mean..."
"I'm not sleeping with your sister," Caleb said firmly. "She's a child."
"She's 23," Phil argued.
"And I'm 10 years older than her. She's still a child to me. I'm not attracted to her. She's family," Caleb said.
Phil sighed. "Yeah, I guess. But, you gotta make up with her somehow,” Phil suggested. Caleb sharply exhaled. Phil looked up to see the women grabbing more things from Caleb's truck. "Who are the babes?"
Caleb glanced over his shoulder at the women. "Some friends of Deja."
"Damn. You've got a house full of gorgeous women," Phil grinned.
Caleb laughed. "Out of your league and your age bracket, friend," he said, heading to his shed.
"Hey! Don't be mad at me just because you ended up with the least attractive one in the bunch," Phil teased when suddenly his body violently jerked with how forcefully Caleb grabbed his shirt.
" Don't . Don't talk about her like that," Caleb threatened. Phil was put off by the disturbingly dark gaze that twisted Caleb's typically friendly features.
"I… I was j-just kidding!" Phil said quickly. "I didn't mean it."
Caleb's jaw shifted before he released Phil and smiled. "Great. I've got work to do. Get home safely," Caleb said, walking off.
"Maybe you should do braids so you don't have to worry about your hair when you give birth," Shawna said, detangling Deja's hair with a comb.
"That's a good idea. My hair looked a hot-ass mess when I gave birth to Devonte. That's why I have that bonnet on in all my pictures," Diamond said, looking through a magazine.
Deja stared at herself in the mirror of the salon the girls found in the mall, where they took her to get her hair done. She loved that her girls knew her well enough to know she was having serious issues with her appearance.
"Or, you could do twists. Your face is perfect. Like a Barbie. Baby-boo, you could rock anything . I recommend a protective style," Shawna said, affectionately massaging Deja's scalp with olive oil.
"I wanna do something with my hair," Ari pouted, twirling her locks. "You'd think as the Korean daughter of a world-famous designer, I'd have some sort of fashion sense."
"I can give you two fishtails," Diamond said, combing her fingers through Ari's hair. "You've got this long-ass silky hair. I gotchu boo."
"Really?!" Ari's eyes lit up. "Make me look like Kylie Jenner."
"Ew. No," Diamond snorted. "I'll make you look like gorgeous Ari Jeong."
Kristin spoke to the salon's manager. "Can we pay to use your sink and hairdryer as well?"
The manager looked at Deja and smiled. "It's fine. I'll only charge for the hair products."
"Thanks!" Kristin smiled and handed a few bills.
"Don't worry, boo. I'm gonna have you looking like the bad bitch you are," Shawna grinned. Deja tried to smile. But she couldn't shake the feeling of anxiety that paralyzed her.
"Caleb!" The nurse smiled up at the handsome landscaper who walked into the hospital unit.
"Nurse Mary," Caleb smiled with a polite nod. "How's he doing?"
"He's a little out of it from the painkillers, but doing well. Are you here to visit him?" she asked.
"Of course."
"You're such a sweetheart. No one's bothered to see him, so I'm sure Gerry will be grateful to see a friendly face."
"I'm sure he will," Caleb nodded. He entered the hospital room, closing the door behind him. The beeping of the monitor echoed loudly as Caleb looked over Gerry's body, lingering on his missing arm and leg. "...oh, Gerry..." Caleb sighed.
Gerry turned his head and looked at Caleb. "...you came..."
Caleb smiled. "How are you feeling?"
"Like shit," Gerry muttered.
Caleb nodded and handed Gerry a book. "I figured you'd want something to help pass the time."
Gerry looked down at the book, confused. " Roselyn's Memoir ? The fuck is this shit? More propaganda?"
Caleb looked out the window and sighed. "It could help you. You seem very unhappy with this world, Gerry. I just want you to find peace."
"I'll find peace when I kill the bitch who did this to me," Gerry snapped.
Caleb suddenly turned, looking at him, surprised. "...what?"
"The doctor said I was found on the side of the road by my car. That I must have suffered some accident since I don't remember shit, but… I remember exactly who I was with when I passed out. It was that Deja bitch."
Caleb looked at him, confused. "How do you know?"
"I heard her damn voice while I was unconscious," Gerry snapped.
Caleb's eyes suddenly narrowed with realization. "...and what reason … would she have to hurt you?"
"Like hell, if I know," Gerry snorted. "I just know she chopped off my fucking leg."
"She's half your size, Gerry," Caleb said.
"She's as big as a fucking house," Gerry snapped. "Fat bitch like that can easily take a man my size." Gerry lowered his voice to a whisper. "There's been word that Torrence is missing, and I think she has something to do with it. You need to watch your back around her."
Caleb stared at Gerry for a long time before he smiled. "I appreciate you looking out for me."
"Course, man. Even if you're weird and gay or whatever, you're still my friend."
Caleb quietly and subtly locked the door before walking to the window to close the shades. "So… what did you hear her say?"
"Something about her hating me," Gerry said, looking down at the book. "I don't know why. I barely know the bitch."
Caleb tilted his head up and looked at the camera next to the TV. "I see. Did you tell anyone else about this?"
"I told the doctor. He thought I was crazy, but he said I could speak to the authorities once I'm off pain meds and ready."
"And are you?" Caleb asked, analyzing the camera cords.
"Damn straight. I want that heifer thrown in jail for tryna kill me," Gerry muttered.
"Seems fair," Caleb said, disconnecting the cord. "Gerry… Are you happy?"
"What kind of question is that? I'm fucking miserable," Gerry snapped.
Caleb turned to face him, frowning. "Are you satisfied with the life you've lived?"
Gerry looked at Caleb disgruntled. "...not for a while..."
Caleb nodded as he approached the hospital bed and looked over Gerry's stub leg. "...do you want to make your life mean something, Gerry?"
"What the hell are you goin' on about-" Gerry started, reaching for the call remote when Caleb grabbed his wrist.
"I mean, you're not a good person, Gerry," Caleb said matter-of-factly.
"You're a pathetic, homophobic, bigoted piece of shit that, frankly…
I've wasted a bit too much time on pretending to give a damn about," Caleb smiled comfortingly.
"You have no friends because nobody can stand to be around you.
You've had several opportunities to turn your life around.
Yet, you've been content with pushing your misery onto others.
You've contributed absolutely nothing to this world that you don't deserve to live in. "
Gerry looked at Caleb in shock at his harsh words. "Wh-why are you saying this?"
"Because I'm giving you an opportunity, Gerry. To finally make something of yourself," Caleb smiled, grabbing the butter knife on Gerry's empty lunch plate with a napkin. He gently placed it in his hand. "Everyone is useful. Including you."
Gerry's eyes widened. "Wh-... what do you expect me to do with this?"
Caleb chuckled. "You're not that stupid, Gerry. I think it's obvious." But Gerry just blinked at him in pure shock. Caleb sighed. "Here. I'll help you."
Gerry's hand trembled as Caleb grabbed his wrist and raised it to his face. "The flesh by your neck is softest and easiest to cut through. If you're quick, it'll be over before you know it. Or… you can go for the eye. There's no bone to block you from penetrating your brain."
Gerry looked at the door, prepared to scream. "There's no one coming, Gerry," Caleb said. "I'm the only one who visited you because no one else cares. Just me."
Gerry teared up as he started to hyperventilate.
Caleb sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed and gently grabbed Gerry's stub.
"I understand. Dying can be scary. But you won't have to suffer anymore.
You won't have to wallow in misery. Taking your life is the best contribution you can make to this world. "
Helpless tears streamed down Gerry's face. "P-please, I don't-" He gasped in pain as Caleb grabbed his stub so firmly that blood leaked through the gauze.
"...Gerry..." Caleb smiled politely. "I'm not asking, friend. I'm telling . Grab that knife… and cut your fucking throat. Because I promise, what I'll do to you is so much worse."
Gerry panicked, his hand trembling in front of his face. "I don't-I don't wanna die," he begged.
Caleb smiled sympathetically. "It's not about what we want, Gerry. It's about what She wants."
Gerry broke down in tears, his face running with snot.
Standing from the bed with a sigh, Caleb grabbed Gerry's wrist and lifted his hand above his face.
Stuffing a napkin into Gerry's mouth to stifle his screams, Caleb used Gerry's hand to push the knife into Gerry's eye.
Gerry squirmed, trying to fight Caleb off, but Caleb merely shushed him.
"It's alright. It's almost over," Caleb whispered calmly, watching blood seep out of Gerry's socket until he heard a squish. Gerry stopped moving.
Caleb left Gerry's hand on the knife and removed the napkin. He grabbed Roselyn's Memoir and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Mary smiled up at him. "How is he?"
Caleb sighed. "Moody. As usual."
"Isn't he always. I thought he would at least be happy to see you," Mary frowned.
"He was for a moment," Caleb said thoughtfully. "He seems depressed. He asked not to be disturbed for a while to nap."
"Of course," Mary nodded. "Thanks for visiting, Caleb. I'm sure it meant a lot to him ."
"I hope so. You have a good day, Mary," Caleb smiled. Taking out his phone, he sent a text as his jaw tensed. "Goddamn pricks."