Page 98 of False Idols

Sunny pops out of the next row and holds up a pair of green tights. “I think you’d be a pretty hot, Peter,” she says and gives the tights a wiggle, but I ignore her. Sunny’s all right but if you give her an inch she’ll take a mile. At least, that’s what I’ve learned since we all moved in together a few weeks ago.

After the lake house and the news about The Reaper hit, my father was ready to give me whatever I wanted. He knew I knew about Nevaeh’s mom and even though there’s no real love between my parents, my father isn’t of a mind to inconvenience himself with something like divorce. I asked for a house big enough for Nevaeh and me. Somehow Sunny found her way there too which is fine since it’s a four bedroom.

I like her and she can cook Mexican food, so I let her stay. But even if I didn't, all Nevaeh would have to do is ask me and I’d shut my mouth and let Sunny do as she pleased. Plus, it was good to have Sunny around to help Nevaeh when she had to use crutches until her leg healed enough for her to walk. I eye her now as she moves ahead of me. There’s hardly any limp to her walk now, but I still don’t like it when she pushes herself.

“How about this?” Nevaeh asks and holds up a frilly gown with a big ass skirt.

“You want me to wear that?” I ask.

Nevaeh rolls her eyes. “Not for you! For me. It’s Cinderella,” she explains to me like that’s obvious. “I’ll be Cinderella and you’ll be my Prince Charming!” She reaches over to a rack and pulls out a crown that she sets on my head with a smile. “You look so good! I love it! Come on, there’s the matching costume over here somewhere.”

I almost tell her I’m the farthest thing from Prince Charming but when she smiles at me I don’t. For her, I’ll do it. Nevaeh grabs my hand and I go with her willingly through the aisles.

“I’ll be whatever you want me to be, angel. You call the shots.”

I’ll always be what Nevaeh needs me to be from now until my last fucking day. She’s it for me. That’s why I’m going to ask her to marry me tonight.

39

NEVAEH

“You really got him in a pair of tights. I’m impressed,” Sunny tells me. She’s sitting in Beau’s and my room, and applying stitches to her face with an eyeliner we got at the dollar store.

“Was there ever any doubt?” I ask her and she giggles.

“When it comes to you two? No way. He lives to make you happy.”

I smile because it’s true. Beau is the perfect boyfriend. I look around the room at the house, a house that he had his father buy for me to keep us quiet about what we knew. I thought about telling the truth, but this way no one knows what my mother did. Instead of the woman The Reaper painted her to be, she can be someone else. She can be the version of herself she wanted Bloom to see. In life we weren’t close, but this way I can feel connected to her in some way with the secret I’m willing to keep for her

“How many parties are we going to?” Sunny asks.

“I don’t know. I’m letting Beau decide,” I tell her and keep doing up the corset of my dress. Everyone knows Pastor Mike was The Reaper. I thought Crown of Thorns was going to collapse. Everything he’d built was on a knife’s edge when the news broke about the serial killer pastor from Bloom. They managed to pull it together with a new name, Tabernacle of Truth, and with a pastor fresh from a Kansas City Bible college. I don’t know what their plans are, I don’t go to church anymore. School is different, which I like. People don’t hate me and when they stare it’s because I’m with Beau. The staring was really bad when I had to use crutches to get around while my leg was healing enough to walk. I feel good now and it’s healing up, even though I’ll have a massive scar there. Beau doesn’t care about the scar, but he does care about people staring. All it takes is one look from him for them to drop their eyes and pretend they weren’t watching us. I’ve made more friends at Bloom State now and I’m even leading a group for the Death and Dying class. Professor Mrose is convinced I’d make a great Anthropologist so I’m signing up for a new course load for next year to test out the theory.

Things feel good. They feel stable and settled. It’s a fairytale come to life, this stability and peace I have with Beau. I go to the bedside table where my earrings are and open the drawer to pull them out. The earrings are pretty, aquamarine with a little star dangling off the ends. They’ll match my dress perfectly. Laying beside the earrings is a knife. It’s the same style as the one The Reaper used. I touch it lightly, drag my fingers up the blade and down to the handle. I got it the week after the lake house.

There’s a knock at the door. It’s Beau. He looks so handsome in his Prince Charming costume. “You ready, angel?” he asks and holds his hand out to me. I know there’s a velvet box tucked in the pocket his other hand is in. He’s been playing with it all day. I didn’t look at the ring inside though, I want that to be a surprise.

I take the knife out and tuck it beneath my corset before I shut the drawer with a snap of my hand. “Always,” I tell him and take his hand with a smile on my face when I think about the night to come. It will be magical, beautiful and my perfect happily-ever-after, but if anyone tries to take it from me I won’t hesitate to put them six feet under.

My name is Nevaeh Santiago and I will kill to keep my perfect ending.