42. Cassie
CASSIE
Since I don’t believe in repeatedly making the same mistake, I spend the next two days camped out at Shaley’s house.
On the second day, we engage in our own separate creative pursuits, but together in her living room and kitchen area.
It’s a stormy day, and Sprinkles only likes thunder slightly more than he enjoys fireworks, so he spends a lot of time pacing, whining, and panting until Shaley scoops him up and snuggles with him on the couch.
She gives him calming pets while she reads a Little Red Riding Hood retelling, and sitting at her kitchen island on that rainy, dreary day, I decide for the first time in a very long time to do some journaling.
So much has happened, and since I used the first page of my new journal to brainstorm personal essay ideas, I already had a jumping-off point.
I have to work later, but in the meantime, it’s nice to find a safe haven that’s a little less greasy.
It’s nice to be with Shaley, too. I haven’t asked her if she’s in the market for a roommate yet, but I’m definitely going to when I work up the nerve.
I don’t want to make her feel awkward if it’s a no, but I’m hoping she’ll say yes.
I haven’t talked to Shaley about what happened with Tor.
Mostly because I don’t think I ever can.
I would never want to put her in danger, and I know what happened to Russell when he inadvertently stepped into Tor’s business.
I know Tor was looking for a solution to our problem and likely would have come across that on his own anyway, but I don’t like knowing I played a hand in it.
I have to believe he only killed Russell because it was the practical thing to do, but I’m still not going to give him any excuse to come after Shaley.
I’ll keep it to myself and share my feelings with my journal, and eventually, this pain will end. Or at least the threat of him will lift.
It has to. He’s moving to Boston next month, after all.
The thought triggers a pang in my heart that I instinctively try to ignore, and then I remember I don’t have to. I turn the page of my notebook so I have a fresh canvas to bleed out on.
“Are you getting hungry?” Shaley asks, glancing over at me from the couch.
“I could eat,” I say, nodding. “In fact, I probably should before I go to work.”
She nods, moving Sprinkles off her lap and setting her book aside so she can come into the kitchen. “I’ll order us a pizza.”
“Sounds good.” I close my pen inside my journal and slide off the bench to go fetch my purse.
“What kind do you like?” she asks, waking up her phone so she can tap on the app.
“I’m a cheese girly, but get whatever you want. I can pick off what I don’t like.”
“I’m good with extra cheese.”
I dig out Tor’s credit card and offer it to her. “Here, pay with this.”
“You don’t have to pay,” she assures me. “I’ve got it.”
“I’m not paying. Tor is.”
“Oh.” She takes it, glances at it, then shrugs. “Okay.”
“If I could charge him for my pain, I would, but I don’t think he’s taking invoices. Pizza, though. He can pay for pizza.”
She shoots me a sympathetic look. “Are you ready to talk about it yet?”
“Nope.”
Without missing a beat, she shifts the focus back to our late lunch, early dinner. “I kinda want a salad. Should we get a side salad to go with it?”
“Buy whatever you want. If you can buy the land the pizza place is built on, add it to the bill.”
Shaley cracks a smile. “This is so weird, but I don’t see that on the menu.”
“Eh, his stupid family probably already owns it, anyway.”
She finishes putting our order in, then puts her phone back down on the counter.
Since I’ve been going technology-free while I’m staying here, she has been trying to stay off her phone too, in solidarity.
I wonder if this is what life was like before cell phones—people having no choice but to enjoy offline creative pursuits and actually talk to each other.
“It looks like there’s a break in the rain,” she says, looking out the window. “I’m gonna take Sprinkles outside to go potty before the pizza gets here.”
“Sounds good,” I tell her with a little smile.
She grabs his leash, and I hear him jingling excitedly as he anticipates going outside. She steps out and closes the door behind them in good spirits, but when she comes back in, she looks a little rattled. I frown slightly, but she speaks before I can even ask.
“Hey, so… this might sound crazy,” she warns me.
“I’m fluent in that particular language,” I tell her. “What’s up?”
“I think someone might be watching the house.”
My heart drops.
Probably thinking she sounds paranoid, she quickly offers evidence of her claim.
“Earlier when I took Sprinkles outside, I saw a car parked on the street. I could see that someone was in it, but I just thought they hadn’t gotten out of the car yet.
No big deal. But that was hours ago, and the car’s still parked there… and the guy is still inside.”
I slide off the barstool and cross to the window she looked out of before.
And then my heart shrivels because I recognize that car. It’s the same one that picked Tor up outside my house the night Russell was waiting for me.
Shaley joins me at the window to peer out. “Am I crazy?”
“No,” I say lowly. “You’re not crazy.”
She waits a moment to see if I offer more, and when I don’t, she asks, “Do you think Tor…?”
“Yes. That’s Tor’s shady mystery friend. I don’t think I’ve met him yet, but I’ve seen that car before. He is watching the house.”
That’s so disappointing.
My whole body feels heavier as I leave the window and begin gathering my things. “I’ve really enjoyed staying here with you, but I think I’ll head back to the apartment after work tonight.”
“You don’t have to,” she says, even while casting another anxious look out the window. “Shady mystery friend doesn’t sound great. Do we think he’s dangerous?”
I have no idea, but I don’t say that. “You won’t have to worry about him,” I tell her instead. “He’s only here because I am. When I leave, I’ll text Tor and tell him I’m not coming back, so the guy shouldn’t either.”
“I don’t like this,” Shaley says. “I don’t want you to leave because of some creep. I don’t want you to break your fast and text Tor, either. He shouldn’t be able to control you like that. I can call Bryce and have him come over. Maybe seeing a guy here will scare him off.”
“I don’t think so,” I tell her honestly. I don’t know much about Tor’s shady friend, but I know he didn’t seem to question sneaking into my house and retrieving evidence on the same night a murder was committed, so I don’t think Shaley’s lame boyfriend will scare him off.
Obviously, I can’t tell her that.
“It’s fine,” I assure her. “You’ve been amazing and just the best hostess, but it’s time for me to go home.”
“I don’t want you to go,” she says with a sad pout, grabbing my hand.
I give it a squeeze. “I know. I don’t want to go either. But Tor will be gone soon, and then we won’t have to worry about any of this anymore.”
It doesn’t look like she believes me, but she doesn’t want to stick a pin in my bubble of hope, so she doesn’t say so.
The vibes aren’t as high as they were before by any stretch, but our pizza order arrives, and we eat. Then I head to Shaley’s sister’s room so I can get ready for work.
I hug Shaley before I leave, and since Tor clearly knows where Shaley lives if he’s stationing someone outside her house, I don’t wait to turn my phone on. I do it sitting in her driveway.
“Call off your dog,” I text him. “I’m leaving for work, and I’m not coming back here tonight.”
I turn the phone back off once I see the message has been delivered. I back out of the driveway and pull away from the house, but I want to make sure the guy leaves, so instead of heading straight to work, I drive around the block.
When I circle back by Shaley’s house, the car is gone.
I breathe a sigh of relief, but the feeling doesn’t last for long.
The apartment may have been empty the other night when I returned to it, but I have a feeling it won’t be tonight.
He didn’t like me going to Shaley’s, or he wouldn’t have sent his friend.
He knew I would feel pressured to leave once I noticed him.
It was his way of delivering the message that he wanted me to leave without unnecessarily involving Shaley.
I guess I should take it as a good sign that he’s still being that considerate, but I don’t know how long that consideration would last if I didn’t give in and let him have his way.
I don’t really want to find out.
It makes me mad that he always has a cheat code, but I guess that’s the game of life when you don’t worry about playing by the rules.
___
The rain persists but the thunder stops.
It’s a drizzly day to work drive-thru, and I’m already in a bad mood when Nina comes walking through the door.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I mutter, leaning on the counter and watching Josh walk up to take her order.
She glances my way, but without the hostility I’m accustomed to.
It turns out she isn’t here for food. She says something to Josh, and then he walks over to me.
I frown as he holds out his hand expectantly. “Let me take the headset for a minute. She needs to talk to you.”
“Oh sure. You’ll protect me from Tor, but the asshole with boobs…”
He rolls his eyes. “Just give me the damn headset.”
“Traitor,” I say, pulling it off my head anyway and unclipping the box from my pants.
I don’t want to talk to Nina, and I don’t understand why she’s asking to talk to me, but I walk up to the counter and meet her gaze, inviting her to speak if she wants to.
“Can you come over here?” she says, indicating the little hallway outside the door where employees go to have quick, personal conversations with their visitors.
“We need some privacy for this.” Then she glances pointedly at Josh, who’s lingering close enough to eavesdrop.
“Hi, Josh,” she says with her flirty little wave.
I roll my eyes as his cheeks turn pink. Men are so predictable, always falling for her charms.