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I had the audacity to hope. And it came back to bite me in the ass.
Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had to see Andy. I had to make sure he was okay, see it for myself, and not just be content with the scattered words of a phone call he made to Bobby.
You should have answered your phone when he called you.
But I hadn’t been able to. Ever since we had gotten home, I had been hiding in my room, laying in the same position, terrified to move. I was in no position to answer my phone. And besides, what was I going to say? I’m sorry my crazy husband took his frustration out on you?
Then go see him.
I had to. I needed to.
I tried to push myself up and realized that I couldn’t. I was so petrified, I had frozen myself in place. I closed my eyes, willed my muscles to move, but nothing happened. My body was fighting me, adamant on staying hidden behind the closed door where no one could hurt me.
Get up!
I tried again, and this time, I was able to curl out of my fetal position, my muscles screaming in protest and the joints in my limbs popping. Only then did I realize how tense I had been, how locked into place I had forced my body to be.
I groaned as I rolled my legs off the side of
the bed and forced myself into a sitting position. My head was swimming, and I was exhausted from all the crying. I wiped my eyes, contemplated washing my face, then decided against it. I didn’t want Bobby hearing me move about. It might make him feel like I was ready to talk, and he’d come back. I wanted him to think I had fallen asleep. I needed him to fall asleep so I can get on with what I wanted to do.
I looked around my room, briefly taking note of where my keys and ID were, keeping my ears pierced for any movement in Bobby’s room. I heard his bed springs as he climbed into bed, then took out my phone and put it on airplane mode. I wanted to make a silent exit and didn’t want to risk any notifications giving me away. I looked at the time, and watched the numbers change until ten minutes had passed.
No sound came from Bobby’s room. I waited for another ten minutes, and when I could hear his distant snoring, I got up, slowly, making sure my own bed springs didn’t ruin the stealth I would require to leave. I tiptoed across my room, grabbed my keys and ID and pocketed them, and quietly turned my bedroom knob until the door swung open. It squeaked, and I quickly stopped it, opting to slide through the narrow opening and close it behind me again, making sure it stayed closed and didn’t swing open on its own when I left it.
I made my way downstairs, quietly, avoiding the parts of the stairs I knew would creak under my weight. When I was downstairs, I reached for the lights, and froze. No. No lights. I could make my way through the house in the dark. Deep down I knew it didn’t matter if the lights were on or not, but for some odd reason, I didn’t want to risk it.
I stealthily made my way to the end of the hall, pulled on my sneakers, and then backtracked to the garage door. My car was snuggled up in there, and I began to think of ways to get it out without making a racket while opening the garage door. Nothing came to mind, and I realized that the only solution was to act fast. Once the garage doors began to roll up, the machinery would definitely wake Bobby up. That is, if the growl of the car engine didn’t.
Screw it. You’ve come this far. By the time he realizes what’s going on, you’ll be halfway down the block.
I bit my lip, fiddled with the car keys, and decided to go for it. I opened the driver’s door, put the key in the ignition and turned. The engine purred like a cat, thankfully causing less noise than I had hoped. The garage doors were a different matter, though. The minute I clicked on the automatic opener, the cogs squealed in protest before turning slowly and bringing the doors up. I quickly got in the car, closed the door, and drummed my fingers against the steering wheel.
“Come on, come on, come on,” I whispered. I half expected the garage lights to come on and Bobby to rush up in front of the car, stopping me. When did I become so afraid of my own brother?
I began to think that I might be getting used to running away from places in the middle of the night.
As soon as the doors had risen enough for me to drive through, I shifted the car into drive and raced out, clicking the ‘closed’ button as I exited the driveway and turned right down the street. I briefly caught sight of a police cruiser parked outside the house on the other side of the street. Were they there for us?
I didn’t care. All I wanted now was to get to Andy. That’s all that mattered.
I drove down Davis Road well over the speed limit, hoping I wouldn’t run into any trouble on the way. I kept my eyes glued to the road, only briefly glancing in the rearview mirror, making sure no one was following me. Every now and then, a pair of headlights would pop up, then turn right onto one of the side streets and disappear. For most of the drive, I was alone.
I rushed past the STOP sign on Maple Road, again ignoring all traffic rules in favor of getting to Andy as quickly as possible. I reached for my phone, thinking it best to call him and let him know I was coming. For all I knew, he might not even be home. My hand searched my pockets, and I began to panic when I found nothing. I slammed my fists against the steering wheel, realizing that I had forgotten the phone back in my bedroom.
You’re already making stupid mistakes. This should be a sign. Turn the car around and drive back home.
No. A hiccup, that’s all this was. I didn’t need the phone. Andy would be home. Where else could he be? Of course, he was home.
I turned onto Silo Road, entering Juniper Hill and resting a little easier now that I was closer to my destination. I glanced up at the rearview mirror, saw nothing, and eased my foot off the gas pedal. I wasn’t in a rush anymore. I turned left into Silo Circle, cruising the car around until I found a parking space close to Andy’s apartment complex. I caught sight of his Nissan parked a few plots away and let out a relieved sigh.
See? He’s home. There was no reason to worry after all.
I stayed in the car for a few seconds, resting against the headrest and scanning the parking lot. I turned around, looking at the entrance into Silo Circle, waiting to see if any other cars would be driving in behind me. When I was sure I was alone, I turned the engine off and climbed out of my car. I gave the parking lot another quick scan, and then hurried towards Andy’s complex.
I climbed up the stairs, moving quickly and forcing myself not to look back, as if doing that would somehow make Dennis materialize out of thin air and come after me. I reached the third floor, hurried down the hall, and rang Andy’s doorbell. The graffiti ‘asshole’ had been painted over, the fresh coat still glistening in the fluorescent light. I waited for a few more seconds before ringing the bell again.
A woman opened the door, and I took a surprised step back. She was naked except for a pair of lace panties, and my eyes dropped to her breasts before I quickly looked away and up. She was leaning against the door, obviously very comfortable in her nudity.
