Dark Mountain (19 page)

“That’ll change. Let me tell you.”

“I guess.”

“You can bet on it,” Tanya said, and climbed into the tub.

Still upset by the shock of remembering the attack, Julie quickly finished drying herself. She put on her robe. “Thanks for, you know, sticking around.”

“Any time. It was a kick. Pristine tits.”

Julie left the hot, steamy bathroom. The corridor felt cool. In her bedroom, she shut the door. She opened her robe. Stepping close to the full-length mirror, she stared at her left breast. The pale skin was stippled with goose bumps; the darker flesh was puckered around the jut of her nipple. It looked little different from her right breast. She stroked them both. The touch of her fingers felt the same on each. She remembered the burning hurt. There might even have been a bruise, though she hadn’t noticed one before. Her breast looked fine now.

Hardly pristine, though.

Slightly used.

She shut her robe and glanced at the alarm clock by her bed. Four thirty-five. “Gads,” she muttered. Sitting cross-legged on the carpet, she blow-dried and brushed her hair. The lock chopped off an inch short across her brow looked bad. “Bitch,” she muttered, and got up to find scissors. Her sore legs reminded her of the near miss in the pool. Maybe you’ve had your run of bad luck for the day. If anything should happen to spoil the date…Nick, at least, didn’t have the curse on him. The old bitch didn’t get his hair or blood. What the hell am I thinking? There is no curse!

Sitting down with the scissors, she did her best to even out the sweep of hair. Try not to poke your eye out, she thought.

By the time she finished with her hair, the clock showed
ten before five. She flung her robe onto the bed, took a pair of fresh, pink panties from her drawer, and stepped into them. She pulled out a bra and started to put it on.
You wouldn’t catch me dead…Guys get frustrated…It’s a colossal drag
. Heart pounding fast, she plucked the bra off and hurried to her closet. Her hands trembled as she removed her blouse from the hanger. She put it on, held it shut, and looked down. Through the shiny, bright yellow fabric, her dark nipples were clearly visible. “No way,” she said. Not in front of everyone. Even if it were just Nick, she doubted that she would dare.

By five o’clock, she was ready. She gave herself a final check in front of the mirror, approving of the cheery, fresh way she looked in the yellow blouse, the skirt of forest green, and sandals. Her choker of thin gold chain was a nice touch. The bra was the right touch: the lacy pattern of its cups, instead of her nipples, showed through the clinging blouse. “Decorum,” she said. She grinned at herself and left her room.

Benny was no longer in the den. Through the sliding glass door she saw him outside, sitting with Karen at the table. They were both staring in the same direction, their faces rigid.

Julie tugged the door open and stepped outside. The heat of the afternoon enveloped her. Her father, a few yards away, squirted fuel into the barbecue.

“My God, be careful,” Karen warned him.

“Never fear. I’ve done this a thousand times.”

“Famous last words,” Julie said.

Dad noticed her, and smiled. “Say, you look terrific.”

“Thanks.”

He took a book of matches from the pocket of his blue Aloha shirt. “If you go up in flames,” Julie said, “it’ll ruin your pretty shirt.”

“Always the wise guy.”

“Let me light it,” Karen said. She started to get up, but Benny reached out and grabbed her hand.

“Don’t,” he told her.

“This is ridiculous.” Dad tore a match loose.

Julie walked quickly to his side.

“Stand back, honey.”

“See, you
are
worried.”

“You people are driving me crazy. What are we gonna do, stop eating? If I don’t get the fire started before long—”

“I’ve got an idea,” Julie said. “Let’s wait for Nick.”

“Yeah!” Benny blurted. “He’s okay. Nothing’ll go wrong if he lights it.”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake.”

“Let’s wait for him,” Karen said.

Dad shook his head. Somehow, he looked both dismayed and amused. “You want us to sit around here like four loonies waiting for the Great Uncursed One to arrive and light the charcoal? Is that the picture?”

“Yep,” Julie said.

Benny nodded.

“We don’t have to sit around like loonies,” Karen explained. “We could sit around like sensible people.”

“I’m not so sure,” Dad said. But he tossed the unlighted match onto the charcoal, and returned with Julie to the table.

“We’d better get going,” Julie said. “It’s a twenty-minute drive to the theater, and there might be a line.” As she started to get up, Nick pushed back his own chair and stood.

He thanked Julie’s father for the dinner.

“Any time,” Scott said. “I’m glad you could make it. Maybe, if your mother is feeling up to it, you can all come over tomorrow.”

“That’d be great.”

“You can bring your suits. We’ll make a day of it.”

“I’ll check when I get home.”

“That’s all right. I’ll give your dad a call to night.”

Nick made his good-byes to the others. Scott walked alongside him toward the gate. “You two are sure you wouldn’t rather stay here?”

“
Dad
.”

“We’ve got some spare trunks around, Nick.”

“We can swim all we want tomorrow,” Julie said. “To night we want to go to the movies. You
said
I could.”

“I know. And I won’t stand in the way. I was simply offering a suggestion.”

“I wouldn’t mind staying,” Nick said.

“We’ve got a date,” she told him, looking hurt. She frowned at Scott. “Besides, I’d like to know what’s so safe about this place. If you’re worried about the curse—which you keep claiming you don’t believe in anyway—it can get me here just as easily as somewhere else. This is where I almost drowned, you know.”

“I realize that.”

“We’ll be very careful,” Nick assured him.

“Besides,” Julie added, “Nick’ll be driving, and he’ll be with me the whole time, and he’s the Great Uncursed One, as you put it so nicely.”

Scott smiled, but he still looked uneasy.

“I won’t let her out of my sight, I promise.”

Scott gave him a pat on the back. “Okay. What time does the movie let out?”

“It’s a double feature,” Julie said. “The second show’s over at about ten thirty.”

“I’ll expect you around eleven, then.”

“Dad!” Julie looked appalled. “What if we want to go someplace afterward?”

“I think you’d better come straight home.”

“For God’s sake.”

“I mean it, Julie. I don’t know what’s going on—if it’s just been a lot of bad luck or what—but I think we all need to be especially careful until things settle down a bit. So eleven o’clock, or you can stay home. That’s final.”

“Thanks,” she muttered.

“I’ll have her back by eleven,” Nick said.

“Fine. Well, have a good time, you two.”

“Sure thing,” Julie muttered, and pulled open the gate.

Nick followed her down the walkway alongside the house. “I’m sorry about all that,” she said, looking back at him.

“It’s all right. Your dad’s just worried. I guess everyone is. Man, I had no idea all this stuff’s been going on. It was bad enough, what happened to Mom and Rose, but Karen and then Benny and then
you
…”

“It’s looking kind of hairy, isn’t it.”

“Maybe we should stay here.”

Julie grinned. “Scared to be out with me?”

“Naw.” He stepped up beside her as they cut across the front lawn.

Julie spotted the red Mustang at the curb. Her eyebrows raised. “Not too shabby.”

He opened the passenger door for Julie, then went to the other side and climbed in. The heat inside the closed-up car was stifling. He turned the ignition. As the engine kicked over with a throaty grumble, he pressed switches to lower the windows. It didn’t help much until he pulled away from the curb. Then a mild breeze came in, pushing the hot air out. He glanced at Julie. She was fastening her safety harness, her head turned down, her golden hair blowing slightly.

“You sure look nice,” he said.

The buckle snapped into place. She raised her head and smiled. “Thank you. So do you. We sort of match.”

“Yeah.” His yellow knit shirt was not as bright as her blouse, his slacks a lighter shade of green than her skirt. His gaze lingered on her knees.

“You’d better watch where you’re going,” she said.

“Where
am
I going? You’d better give me directions.”

“You want to make a left at the next stop sign.”

He followed her instructions, but couldn’t stop himself from stealing glances as he drove. All through dinner, he’d been astonished by her appearance. Even now, he couldn’t get over how different she looked in a skirt. He’d seen her in shorts, he’d seen her in a bikini, but somehow the skirt transformed her, made her seem softer, more mysterious and exciting. The way it draped her thighs. The way it left her knees bare.

“Go right, up here at Ventura,” she said.

Nick made the turn.

Except for giving directions, Julie remained silent. Her hands lay open and motionless on her legs. She seemed a little tense. Nick wished he weren’t so nervous himself. Ever since their phone conversation last night, he’d been looking forward to this with a mixture of eagerness and dread.

Our first date.

What if something goes wrong? What if something
doesn’t
go wrong?

The way she looked in her skirt was no help at all.

At least he didn’t have to worry about taking her someplace
after the movies. That was a relief. A disappointment. If only he’d known last night, he might’ve been saved the fevered tossing and turning in bed as his mind spun images of him and Julie parked on a dark road kissing, embracing, fumbling under clothes for hidden flesh. There would be none of that to night after all.

Maybe it wouldn’t have happened anyway.

At any rate, he should be able to relax and enjoy the evening more, knowing he had no choice but to take her straight home after the movies.

“There it is,” Julie said. “If you make a left at the next light, there’s a big parking lot behind the theater.”

“Okay.”

She looked at him strangely. “Are you all right?”

“What do you mean?”

“Is something the matter?”

“No, I’m fine. How about you?”

“I don’t feel so hot, as a matter of fact.”

He signaled, and made the turn. “What’s wrong? Should we go back?”

“That wouldn’t help.”

“Are you sick?”

She didn’t answer. Nick swung into the lot, pulled to a stop in a parking space, and frowned at Julie. “What’s wrong?”

“I asked you first.”

“I’m fine. Well, maybe a little nervous.”

“About the curse?”

He shook his head. He had a tight feeling in his throat. “No. Just about…going out with you. I mean, this is our first time really being together, you know? It feels a little strange.”

“Is that all that’s bothering you?”

“I think so.”

“Well.” She unfastened her buckle and pushed the harness aside. “I’m a little nervous, too. But you know what’ll make it all better?” Reaching out, she curled a hand behind his neck and drew him closer. They kissed. Her lips were parted and moist, brushing against his mouth, then pressing firmly. Her
other hand rubbed his chest, moved lower, caressed his belly, dropped to his left thigh. She kneaded his leg, squeezed and stroked it as if unaware of the way her wrist sometimes pushed against his groin. Then the hand went away. The lips went away. She stared into his eyes. “Feel better?” she asked.

“Are you kidding?”

“Not so nervous anymore?”

“I feel great.”

“Me, too. Let’s see the movie.”

Outside the car, he took Julie’s hand. They walked together through the early evening sunlight. The kiss had worked, just as she’d said it would. It had ended the strangeness, made their closeness real again. Nick felt relaxed and fine. Reluctantly, he let go of her hand to buy the tickets. Though the films were R-rated, the girl in the booth didn’t question their ages.

“Would you like popcorn?” Nick asked as they entered the air-conditioned lobby.

“Not right now. I’m stuffed.”

“Me, too. Maybe at intermission.”

Julie smiled strangely, as if she knew something he didn’t. “Maybe,” she said.

The theater wasn’t crowded. They chose seats near the center with no one to block their view. When the lights darkened, Julie leaned closer to Nick. She smiled, and nudged his elbow off the armrest. “Pushy,” he whispered.

“That’s me.”

He stared at the screen. An ad for the
Los Angeles Times
was showing. His arm, pressed by Julie’s shoulder, hung down across his leg. It felt awkward and useless. His nervous ness came back. He should put the arm around Julie.

Come on, what’re you waiting for?

He felt quivery and dry-mouthed.

The title of the feature film,
Getting It
, appeared over a scene of teenaged girls playing basketball in a school gymnasium. As the credits finished, the teacher blasted her whistle and the girls ran for the locker room.

Come on, arm! Now!

He couldn’t force himself to lift it.

On the screen, the girls were trotting into the locker room, their shouts and giggles echoing.

“You oughta go for this,” Julie whispered.

Her voice took away the worry. He put his arm across her shoulders. Amazing how easy it was. He let out a trembling breath as she snuggled against him. Why had he even hesitated? Well, it didn’t matter now. He caressed her shoulder, making the fabric slide over the smoothness of her skin, the narrow band of her bra strap.

Some of the girls were showering now. The camera gave glimpses of their nudity. Then three boys rushed into the shower room, whooping and hollering, wearing only jockstraps. While most of the girls screamed, a slim attractive blonde laughed and attacked. She tackled a chubby guy. His friends fled. Other girls joined in. By the time he made his escape, the main girl was waving his jockstrap like a flag.

The scene changed. She paraded into a classroom wearing the jock on her head. Julie gasped, “Oh, no!” and the audience roared. The matronly teacher looked aghast. The girl walked up to the chubby boy’s desk, plucked the jock from her head, and pulled it down over his face.

The boy’s name was Ralph. The girl was Cindy. She was captain of the cheerleading squad, the most popular girl in school, and she wanted nothing to do with Ralph. Ralph wanted “in her pants.”

As the movie went on, following his antics, Nick continued to caress Julie’s shoulder and upper arm. Her blouse was getting damp from his hand. His arm was getting numb. Finally, he lowered it. He rested his hand on his leg. Julie reached down, took hold of it, and squeezed it.

Ralph, in the dark outside Cindy’s house, serenaded her, playing “Lady of Spain” on a sousaphone. She went to her bedroom window and mooned him.

With his free hand, Nick stroked Julie’s forearm, barely
touching it, feeling the soft light brush of its hair, the sleek skin.

Though he and Julie laughed at some of the film’s raunchy antics, he began to get annoyed. The movie showed sex as a crude joke, not as something beautiful and strange, the way it should be, the way he wanted it to be with Julie. The kids were “copping feels,” trying to “get it on,” to “lay pipe,” to “fuck their brains out.” There was no tenderness, no caring, no
making love
. Nick began to wish they’d chosen a different movie. At least this one seemed to be nearing an end. The next feature, a spy thriller, should be a real improvement.

Julie lifted their hands over the armrest. She lowered them onto her leg. Nick felt the heat of it through the thin fabric of her skirt.

Though Cindy was doing a striptease for Ralph, the sight of her naked breasts and writhing body seemed not nearly so exciting to Nick as the feel of Julie’s leg under his hand. If he inched their locked hands down a bit, he might get past the hem to her bare knee. While he tried to work up the nerve, Julie slid their hands to the very place he wanted. She loosened her grip. As his fingers closed gently over her leg, she stroked the back of his hand. His mouth was parched, his heart racing.

Cindy, done with the striptease, flopped naked onto the bed. Ralph had finally earned a “toss” with her by dumping a truckload of manure on her unfaithful boyfriend and his new girlfriend while the two were “scoring” in the backseat of his new convertible. Face flushed, eyes bulging, Ralph tossed off his clothes. “Come and get it!” Cindy called. With a whoop of delight, Ralph dived at her sprawled body. A freeze-frame caught him in midair. The words “The End” flashed across his rump.

Nick gave Julie’s leg a gentle squeeze as the final credits rolled. Then he took his hand away. When the lights came on, she smiled at him. “Well,” she said, “what did you think?”

“The movie? It was all right.”

“A real gross-out, huh?”

“That’s for sure.”

“Well, I’m glad poor Ralph finally got his wish. He sure worked hard enough for it.”

The words excited Nick. He wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. “Are you ready for some popcorn or something?”

Julie got that mysterious look on her face. “That depends.”

“On what?”

“How badly do you want to see the next movie?”

The question stunned Nick. He stared at her. “What do you mean?”

“Dad says I have to be home by eleven. It’s only eight thirty. If we leave now…” She raised her eyebrows. “What do you think?”

“Are you serious?”

“If you’d rather stay for the movie…”

“No. I don’t care about that. I…uh…I don’t think we’d win any points with your dad.”

“He doesn’t have to know.”

“Jeez, Julie.”

“Are you game?”

He let out an uneasy laugh. “Yeah, sure, I guess so.”

“Great. Let’s get out of here.” She slung her purse strap over her shoulder, and stood up.

They sidestepped toward the aisle. Nick felt tight and jittery. We shouldn’t do this, he thought. But he wanted to. He was scared, but he wanted to.

Where’ll we go? Park someplace. Oh, my God.

In the lobby, she squeezed his hand. “Right back,” she said, and pushed through a restroom door.

He remembered his promise not to let her out of his sight. Well, he couldn’t follow her into the ladies’ room. Ralph might, but not him.

He hurried to the men’s room. One of the urinals was vacant. He stepped up to it. The underside of his penis felt wet and slick. Either the movie or Julie had excited him a lot. He didn’t think it was the movie.