Pure Illusion (17 page)

Seams Are Unraveling

The
first hour and a half, I had to listen to Falcon thoroughly scold me in front of
Harmony and Victor. I felt embarrassed and slightly humiliated, but I knew it
was necessary, to keep the peace around here. Harmony and Falcon threatened to
call the hospital and put me on involuntary psychiatric hold if I don’t get
myself “together” and acknowledge the “common sense” I was born with. They also
told me that I have one more time to behave “ridiculously” and that after that
I would be in a padded room with
real
loonies, and that was enough to
shock my system. Being held against my will in a mental intuition while some
psychologist probes my brain is not a part of my objective to catch my
brother’s murderer. There’s nothing like raw, undiluted fear to keep you from
crossing a boundary. So, for the most part, the intervention is a successful one.

I
now slouch in one of Falcon’s cushiony large armchairs, dressed in snug jeans,
faded green jacket, and Converses. My hair is unruly and spills down my
shoulders and back. It has grown so much; I probably can benefit from a trim.

Harmony,
Victor, and Falcon chat amongst one another about the town’s Winter Ball as an
old Christmas movie plays on the screen, unwatched. Nuzzling my nose in Tyler’s
bear, I watch the second hand of the antique German wall clock sluggishly tick
by.
It’s
9:45 P.M. Max hasn’t shown up yet. Maybe he’s
the one that isn’t comfortable with
me
. Or maybe something more
important came up and he didn’t have time to cancel. I don’t think he has my
number, because I definitely don’t have his. When Hunter recovered my phone
from Max, Hunter deleted all their messages from the text and call war they
were involved in the night I was at Max’s. Hunter also deleted Max’s number
from my phone.

Hunter
hasn’t texted or called me either, but this doesn’t come as a surprise. I
honestly don’t know what his motives are when it comes to me. I mean, what does
he really want? Maybe I should just ask him the next time I get the chance.

I’m
still unsure about the identity of GreenFrog.

Who
could it be?

It
could be anyone within this small-town of Cherry Creek, North Carolina. 

Maybe
it’s Max!

Or
Hunter!

Or
both!

I
laugh a little and Harmony and Falcon swing there gazes towards me, giving me
an odd look. I shake my head and stare at the TV screen.

Hunter and Max together?

No,
certainly not both; I don’t think they can tolerate each other long enough to
pull something that elaborate off.

Vic
eyes land on my face and he frowns. “What’s wrong, honey?”

“I
don’t think Max is coming,” I mumble into Tyler’s teddy.

“Why
are you going out with him, anyway?
To piss Hunter off?”
Falcon questions suspiciously, eyes narrowing.

“No!
Max is really nice and he’s easy to talk to. We’re just hanging out,” I say
nonchalantly.

“Hanging
out?”
Harmony questions, smiling impishly.

“Yeah,
hanging out,” I confirm.

She
looks at Falcon and their eyes lock for the longest moment in speculation. He
grins and her smile broadens.

“What?”
I ask, sort of annoyed that I didn’t get the inside joke.

“Max
had a thing for you all throughout high school,” Falcon adds.

“Yeah, so?
He told me. I
had no idea.”

“He
still
has a thing for you, everyone knows it but
you
,” Falcon
educates. “Max is probably fighting back nerves, not to mention a boner every
time he’s in your presence.”

My
eyes widened in disbelief. “
What
?” 

“Don’t
be so naïve. Think about it, Izzy. You’re the girl he wanted since high school.
He fought Hunter
and
me because he desperately wanted a taste of you and
couldn’t. Now, he’s going to have you at his place, alone. Izzy, Max hit the
fucking jackpot,” Falcon pronounces.

“So
he wants more than to just hang out?” I ask, feeling an unhealthy amount of
excitement pumping through my veins.

They
all nod, including Vic.

My
face contorts into pure confusion, but before I can reply the doorbell rings. I
rush to the door with everyone on my heel. I fling it open and see Max, dressed
in casual clothes with a friendly smile on his face.

The
ride to his house was silent. He picked me up in his black Suburban and we
listened to some kind of sounds of nature CD. I pressed my lips together and
had to stifle laughter when crickets actually started chirping smoothly through
the speakers. He glanced and me and laughed for the both of us.

I’m
relaxed into his soft couch, watching him play a game from the Call of Duty
franchise. He’s sitting on the floor; his back is slumped against the couch and
the controller is between his legs. Max made tacos and hot coco for dinner. He
had my mug overflowing with puffy white marshmallows. Max remembered just how I
liked my coco. That was something I didn’t expect from him, and it oddly had my
heart beating a little faster. The tacos were pretty good, the meat was sort of
dry and burnt but I still ate it. I didn’t want be rude.

“Are
my tacos that gross?” he asks, eyes glued to the mega screen as Max blows a
zombie’s head off.

“What?”
I laugh, it’s like he can read minds, too.

“I
mean, you took a nibble, a tiny nibble at that.
Didn’t touch
your plate afterwards.”

“I
had cereal before you came.”

“It’s
alright, Isabel. You can tell me the truth. You think my tacos suck ass,” he
announces, a smile on his face.

I
watch as he switches his firearm to a blowtorch to annihilate more zombies.
“The meat was dry and burnt. They were still good, though. But seriously, I ate
half a box of Lucky Charms not even an hour ago.”

He
snorts and gives his head a slight shake.
“Lucky Charms?”

“I
love Lucky Charms,” I say, pretending to be offended. “I can basically live on
them. But I pick out the cereal and leave the delicious marshmallows.”

His
brows lift in amusement. “So you’re telling me that you can live on dehydrated
marshmallows?”

“Mmmm, for the rest of my life.
They’re good.”

He
scrunches up his nose, poking out in his tongue in distaste.

“Hey
don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it,” I warn, laughing. “Maybe, if you’re
nice to me, I can treat you to that delicacy on our second date.”

Max
pauses
the game and turns his neck to the side and
stares at me. His eyes are wide but he’s smiling a sweet, shy smile that I feel
in my belly.

“What?”
I ask, smiling too.

“
Our
second date
?” he prompts, his smile broadening.

“Well,
um…I was just—” I can never stop my word vomit. At times, I have no filter.

“Relax,
Isabel. I’m teasing,” he laughs, cutting me off and resuming his game. His eyes
revert back to the screen, a playful smile still playing on his lips. “Yeah,
you can treat me to dehydrated marshmallows on our second date, because I plan
to be nothing but sweet to you. I swear.” Though he’s joking, his last words
sound more like a serious vow of some kind.

I
dramatically fan myself with my hands.  “Ooo, Max. You really know how to
make a girl feel special.”

“You’re
a goof, Isabel,” he mutters, grinning.

I
nod and throw my legs on the couch, curling into a ball and sinking my body
into the comfortable cushions.

“Grew up with chefs.
My culinary
skills are more than undeveloped and very basic. I burn water. You said
surprise you and I wanted to cook for you. Always wanted to make tacos, never
had a good reason to do so until tonight. Went to the store and bought
groceries, I Googled instructions and everything. Managed the toppings that
were already prepared, all I had to do was pop open sour cream and salsa
containers and rip open bags of sprinkled cheese and shredded lettuce. But when
it came to the actually cooking, I got in over my head and burned the beef.
Everything seemed to be a disaster. Nerves got to me and I was debating on
bailing on you and not showing up at all, but decided against it. That’s why I
was late.”

“That’s
sweet,” I coo, because it is. “Why am I causing you so much stress?”

Max
being sweet to me doesn’t make sense, unless he’s trying to overcompensate
about feeling guilty about something…something like
murder
?

No.

That
doesn’t sound right.

Max
didn’t really know Tyler.

He
has no motive…

“Honestly,
I just like you, always had.” Max’s soft voice pulls me from my thoughts.
“Every time I saw you, you were either laughing, or smiling, or sometimes a weird
but cute combination of both. But you still looked so sad. It was more than
your looks and, let me tell you, Isabel, you’re sexy as fuck. I was drawn to a
pretty face, but there was a more complex reason beyond my attraction to you.”
He stops the game again, turning his head to gaze directly into my wide eyes.
“It was in your eyes, they’re very captivating in a dark, tortured, fathomless
sort of way. They are beautiful, flecks of emerald green and hazel brown, but
also cheerless. I think, as bizarre as this may sound, I wanted to soothe your
misery and anguish away. I wanted to be the one who gave you that.”

Speechless,
my breath catches in my throat.

Soothe
my misery away?

Hunter
never said anything like that to me.

We
stare at one another in complete silence for the longest time until Max smiles
and sighs, scrubbing his hand over his face. “You must think I’m
psycho-freak-stalker slash rapist. I’m not. I’m just…” he trails off exhaling
deeply.

“Sweet,”
I murmur, finishing his sentence for him.

His
eyes drift over to me and his face softens. “You think I’m sweet?”

“Yeah,
kind too,” I whisper, licking my dry lips.

His
eyes drop to my mouth and back up, but I witness them darken before that
happens. “There are others who disagree. But that’s a sweet thing to say,
Pumpkin.”

My
heart beats noisily against my ribs. “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why
would people disagree with me?”

He
eyes briefly search mine, then he smiles, slow and beguiling. “You really want
to know?” he asks as if a dare.

I
nod, eagerly.

He
pats his leg, gesturing for me to lower myself down on the floor. I slide to
the carpet and sit next to him, my side pressing into his. “Closer, Isabel.”

I
scoot closer.

“Closer,”
he whispers, causing me to shudder from the huskiness of his voice.

I
lean in an inch.

He
shakes his head, eyes on me and clearly displeased. Max taps his upper thigh.
“I want you here.”

I
swallow the lump in my throat and move into his lap. He smells rich and musky
and his masculine body feels too amazing against mine, because of this I
settle, wrapping an arm around his neck, my free hand curled in his short hair.
It’s soft, almost as soft as Hunter’s.

He
hooks an arm around my back; his other hand draws invisible patterns on the
fabric of my jeans at my knees. “She was my life. We were together my senior
year of high school throughout college, but the last three years of our
relationship was bitter.” He drops his head, shutting his eyes. My fingers
massage his scalp. “Before I lay all this shit on you, you have to know and understand
that I love her, Isabel.” His head lifts and he holds my eyes steadily in such
and in intense way I all can do is nod, barely breathing. “My freshman year of
college I joined a frat. Most of things they made us do in the beginning were
harmless, stupid hazing shit, harmless. But the last thing we had to do before
we were fully accepted was to have sex with intoxicated girl while another
member watched or listened to prove you did indeed do the deed. This wasn’t a
problem for most guys. Drunken girls were easy lays, sloppy but easy. Lily and
I were together back then. She was a senior year at Cherry High, and Cherry
High is a long way from UND. But I knew when I called her and told her I needed
her here that she’d make the trip to me. Lily loved me with everything she had.
It’s was pure, unconditional love, a love I’ve never known before. So it was
effortless for me to scheme and get her up to me in no time.”

He
hauls me closer, nestling his face in the side of my neck. His lips begin to
move against the sensitive skin there as he finishes, causing me to shiver.

“I
got her trashed, so many shots on top of drinks. She could get drunk after a
single shot, one fucking shot and she was stumbling. Took her back my
apartment, got her in my room while a member stood against the wall and openly
watched. I should have used my fucking brain, but I was sort of out of it
myself, high off my own reflection. I was the new champion of the team; the
state’s fucking hero and made sure everyone knew it. I thought they were lucky
to have me. Can you believe that shit? I thought an entire university was
lucky
to have
me
.
Selfishness.
I was blinded by the
game. Being in the public like that is a different world; people gladly and
willingly throw themselves at you. Anything I wanted, anything I craved was
thrown right at my feet without so much of a second thought. But I’ve had a
taste of that here, in Cherry Creek and it only fed the monster and made me
more conceited, more arrogant, vainer. Honestly, I didn’t think much of someone
else watching us, if anything I could
teach
him something. Lily was on
the bed…” he trails off, hesitating.