PillowFace (19 page)

(I)

The water shut off. 

Haley stood in the tub, dripping, her hair clutched in her hands.  She stared blankly at the wall, slowly ringing her hands through her soaked mane.  Her mind had been everywhere except with her in the bathroom. The shower hadn’t been relaxing or rejuvenating, it had barely been anything more than just something to pass the time while she dreaded going into work.
Just call in! 
As much as she wanted to, she knew that she wouldn’t, and really had no reason as to why.

Finally, she grabbed the shower curtain and whisked it back in one quick motion, and gasped when she saw Joel standing there.  “
Whaaaa?!”
  She leaped back against the wall, her hand drastically feeling for the curtain to throw it shut, but she couldn’t reach it.  She heard Joel yelp, followed by the quick padding of his footfalls through the hallway. 

In the corner of the tub, Haley clung to the wall with her arm draped across her breasts. She could feel the vigorous drumming of her heartbeat against her arm. Her drenched hair hung in front of her face like a curtain.
Why hadn’t he knocked?  He had to have known I was in here. 
Her breathing was out of control as she tried to calm herself, tried to
think
.  She flicked her neck, throwing her hair out of her face.  She looked around the bathroom.  The door was still open, and she couldn’t close it without exposing herself
. 
The towel awaited her on the toilet seat, neatly folded where she’d left it.
 
Haley couldn’t reach it from where she was.
 

Her skin burned with embarrassment. 

She carefully leaned up, stretching her neck to see out the door.  The hallway looked deserted.  She eased a foot over the edge of the tub and sat it down on the carpeted mat below.  The rug’s whiskers tickled the bottom of her foot. She leaned over, balancing herself and reached.  The tips of her fingers swept across the door, nudging it farther away from her, but not closing it. 
Shit! 
Pushing against the front of her toes, she mimicked the best of the ballerinas with her position.  A thrust of her elbow, she knocked the edge of the door. It pushed against the frame, but didn’t latch. 

It was good enough.

Haley stepped out of the tub and eased the door all the way shut.  She scurried to the commode, taking the towel, and began drying herself. She dressed in a hurry. Then, ignoring the awkward situation, she began her morning routine, which shouldn’t take long this morning since she’d decided while showering she wouldn’t be wearing any makeup today. 

Haley’s guide-book to Repulsion 101:
Homely is the key to warding off unwanted flirtation from the appearance-obsessed ghouls. 

By the time Haley had finished getting ready for work, she still had plenty of time to kill, so she had the idea to assemble breakfast for her and Joel to share.
 

While the coffee brewed, she dug through the fridge for a pack of bacon that she knew was in there. For whatever reason, she wanted to fry it up, join it with some eggs over easy, maybe even some toast if she was feeling frisky. 

The eggs were easy to find. She checked the date. They still had a week before needing to be tossed. With the breakfast materials held against her chest, she walked to the stove and sat them down.  She returned to the fridge, snatching the loaf of bread from the top.  She couldn’t wait to see the look of surprise that would surely be on Joel’s face when he saw what she had done.

So began the measures for the feast. 
             

(II)

When the scent of bacon drifted into his room Joel pulled his head out from under his pillow.  After seeing Haley…indisposed, he’d run back to his room, and buried his head. 

He’d remained there until now. 

She’s cooking breakfast?
He couldn’t believe it.
If she’s downstairs cooking, then she’s not mad. 

He hoped that meant she wouldn’t say anything about the bathroom incident.  But, if she did bring it up, he wouldn’t be able to tell her the real reason he’d gone in there. Haley usually went jogging in the mornings.  So, when he’d awakened to the sound of the shower, he wanted to check and make sure it wasn’t Pillowface. He’d dreamed that he’d snuck into the house and attacked Haley. It had been a horrible nightmare.  She was on the bed, kicking and screaming, while he slashed at her with the machete.  Joel wanted to help, but his legs wouldn’t move.  It was as if his feet had been glued to the floor. 

The only way to know for sure was by checking it out.  Granted, he could have just tapped on the door and hollered to see if it was Haley, but at the time, he didn’t think about it. He just needed to know whether or not Pillowface was breaking his promise and coming in the house while Haley was home. 

He hadn’t expected the shower curtain to whip open, nor to see his sister naked and screaming.  He didn’t stare, but he’d seen enough.  He felt heat in his crotch and hated himself for it. 
Don’t think about her like that, she’s your sister. 
But, he knew it wasn’t because she was his sister that was causing that reaction. It was having seen his third naked woman over the course of a couple days, but the first that wasn’t dead.  He was twelve years old and
any
kind of female nudity could get him aroused. 

I’m a kid for christsake.  

Endless numbers of nights he’d stayed up in his room watching adult movies on the after dark channel, keeping the volume down so low it was practically muted, with his chair scooted right up to the television so he could hear the sounds they made.  That was his sex education.  Sure, they taught it in school, but the teachers seemed uncomfortable explaining things to a group of kids that were watching them with wide eyes and snickering each time they said the words
penis
and
vagina. 
Joel was one of those kids.  So, what they’d learned in school wasn’t worth trying to remember, but what he saw on those movies at two in the morning on Friday nights would stay with him for a lifetime.  He’d never forget seeing Marilyn Chambers being molested by her dentist while high on gas, only to come out of the haze and pull him on top of her.  The way his hips were thrusting deep into her and she, though acting really high or drunk, moaned and tore her shirt open to play with her nipples. 

That was
real
education.  The kind his parents were too intimidated to discuss with him and the kind the school never wanted the students to know existed.  Although, they’d been forced to read a book about oral sex during the course, Joel had never finished it.  What that book accomplished was making him want to go out and find a girl that was willing to give him a good night kiss like the ones the book claimed were out there. 

His friends at school swore by it. 

Without any of them having consented to it, a silent race to see who would go the furthest and the quickest had commenced. 
I won,
thought Joel, sitting up. 
I haven’t touched a naked body, but I’ve seen them. 
They were
dead
girls, but he didn’t care.  They still counted to him, but Haley did not; she was disqualified and he hoped to never think of what he saw again. 

“Joel?  Breakfast!”  She shouted from downstairs. 

He wondered if Haley could read his mind. 

Joel suddenly felt nervous.  Could he look at her the same?   Groaning, he got out of bed, dreading the meal that smelled so delicious. 

Downstairs, Haley had already set the table.   Two plates were on each end, decorated with bacon, eggs, and toast.   She was pouring Joel a glass of orange juice when he came in. 

“Good morning,” she said.

He studied her.  She didn’t seem upset and that lifted a colossal load off his chest. He could suddenly breathe better, and his appetite was much stronger. “Good morning,” he said back. His stomach growled in anticipation. 

“Does this count for an astonishing breakfast?”  She held her hands over the table, gently turning them like a model on
The
Price is Right
.  “It’s not Pop Tarts, but what could compete, right?”

He laughed.  “I don’t know. I haven’t tasted it, yet.” 

She smiled.  “Did you get much sleep last night?” 

“A little.”  Actually, he’d hardly slept at all. 

“You’ve got bags under your eyes.  Big ones.” 

“Really?”  She nodded.  “Well, I guess maybe I was up late writing, or drawing, or something.” 

“Scary stuff?”  She arched her eyebrows.

You have no idea. 
“Yeah...” 

“I’d expect nothing less from you.”  She smiled, poured herself a glass of orange juice, then walked back to the fridge to put it away. 

Joel sat at his designated spot and looked around the kitchen.  It seemed brighter in here than normal.  It hurt his eyes to open them all the way.  It was probably the lack of sleep, but to Joel it felt as if he were trying to stare at the sun.  He glanced over to the spot where they would feed Rusky and saw that his bowl was full of dog food.  For a brief second, he expected the dog to come running in and start eating.  That was stupid to think and he knew it.  Of course he wasn’t coming.  He’d been buried yesterday, and now shared his resting place with Tonya.  Joel felt tight and sick inside as it all came back to him. The eggs on his plate suddenly smelled awful.  He was losing his appetite, again.

He could guess why the food was there. 
Haley. 
She must have filled the bowl, not thinking about what she was doing.  Along with Joel, Haley had fed him regularly for years, and that wouldn’t be a habit quickly broken.  After their parents had died, Joel expected his Dad to walk in at five just as he normally would during the weekdays.  Weeks went by before he’d been able to kick himself of that, but even now, there were still those moments when he’d find his eyes looking at the clock to see if it was time for Dad to come home. 

“Aren’t you going to eat?” she asked, sitting down across the table. 

“What?” 

She took a bite of her eggs, chewing slowly as if to show him how it was done.

He smiled, glanced back at Rusky’s bowl, then back at her.  “I don’t think Rusky’s going to be joining us for breakfast.” 

She frowned, confused.  “What do you mean?” 

He pointed at the bowl.  “You set food out for him.” 

She looked at the bowl, concentrating, as if she hadn’t the slightest clue what he was talking about. Then her face expanded as s
he realized what she’d done. “Oh my God.” 

“It’s no big deal.” 

“Yes, it is.”  She dropped her fork, and sat her elbows on the table.  She tucked her eyes into her palms, rubbing her temples with her fingers.  “My God, I’m so stupid.” 

This was
not
the reaction he’d wanted.  He’d tried to inform her of the mistake in a jokingly manner, but she had taken it to heart.  “No, you’re not.”  Wanting to find the right words that she needed to hear, he combed his brain.  He found endless blank pages without witty prose.  “Haley?” 

She looked up at him from behind her hands with wet eyes.  Lines of tears had trickled down her face.  A droplet hung on her chin for a moment before splashing on the table.  He felt his throat tightening, becoming awfully hard to swallow.  Haley sniffed, wiping her nose with her hand.  “What?”

“You okay?” 

She laughed, cold and humorless. “Far from it.” 

“I was just kidding about the food, please don’t be upset.” 

“It’s not you,” she said, smiling. He saw hints of sincerity somewhere in it. “It’s just everything that’s happened the last couple of days.” 

“It’s been tough on me too.”

“You seem to be handling it better than me. What’s your secret?” 

The color drained from his face. “I don’t have any secrets.” 

“
I
was joking.” 

“Oh.”

She shook her head.  “I’m sorry you saw this. I’m probably freaking you out pretty good.” 

“It’s fine.”  He swayed his hand as if her actions were a pesky bug buzzing around him.  “I understand.”

“I’m also sorry you saw…”  Then she stopped.  Joel was grateful she hadn’t said anything else.  “Well, I guess I better run off to work.” 

“Right,” he said.  “It’s close to that time, huh?” 

“Yeah, sort of.  Will you be all right alone?” 

“I always am.”  He smiled.

“Yeah…”  She slid the chair back and stood up.  She patted her hands on the table.  “Want me to leave this for you?”  She pointed at her plate. 

Thinking of Pillowface, he nodded, “Sure, I’ll finish it off for you.” 

“Thanks.  Wouldn’t want it to go to waste.” 

It won’t. 
He sighed.  “Look, I’m sorry if I upset you with what I said about Rusky.  I was just trying to be funny about it.”