Suffer II Read online

“I can’t tell you their names,” said Brittany, “but I will tell you there were three of them in there. I don’t want to get too graphic, but they were all naked. She was going down on one of them while another was behind her. The third one was taking pictures.”

  “And it was consensual?” asked Kate.

  “Yes,” said Brittany. “When I walked in, I yelled her name. I was in shock. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. She just stopped going down on the guy, looked at me, and started laughing. She even asked Tyler and I if we wanted to join them. All I could do was close the door and try to pretend I didn’t see what I just saw.

  “About thirty minutes later, they all came down like nothing had happened,” said Brittany, wiping tears. “It was like she was a different person. She was slurring her words and stumbling around. I just avoided her until I knew my parents were coming home. I had to go find her again, and that’s when I caught her using cocaine.”

  “Did Tyler see all of that as well?” asked Kate.

  “Yes,” said Brittany. “He was very upset. Neither one of us knew what to do with her.”

  “What did you do after you saw her using drugs?” asked Abby.

  “I kicked out the boys and tried to help Emily sober up before my parents got home. She started yelling and screaming at me that her mother needed her. Tyler ended up taking her home.”

  “When did you see her again?” asked Kate.

  “The next morning Tyler and I went to her house,” said Brittany. “We were both very upset with her. When I confronted her about all the stuff she did, Emily told me she didn’t remember anything.”

  Chapter 20

  Hot for Teacher

  (September 29th, 2012)

  Emily sat on the front porch and waited for Conner. She had been tutoring him in chemistry for a month since he had asked for her help at Brittany’s pool party. With the football season in full swing, and college scouts beating down his front door, Emily was impressed with his dedication to raising his GPA. After a hard-fought victory under the Friday night lights, it was the first time they’d have an entire day together.

  Most of the tutoring sessions took place at Conner’s uncle’s house. He was a bachelor, and like most of the men in Boudreaux, he worked two weeks out of the month on an oil rig in the gulf. He had returned home a day before and invited friends over to watch college football. Emily and Conner decided to have the session at her house. They could use the back porch, and there was little worry of interruption by her mother.

  “Hey, Em,” said Conner, getting out of his car.

  “Hi,” said Emily, walking down the stairs. “Let’s walk around. I’ve got everything set up out back. My mom is sleeping on the couch.”

  “Okay,” said Conner, following her. “You’re sure Brit isn’t going to stop by?”

  “I’m sure,” said Emily. “She went with her mom on a shopping trip to New Orleans. They won’t be back until late tonight.”

  “Good,” said Conner. “I like the idea of spending all day with you.”

  He couldn’t see the blush or the wide smile on Emily’s face as she walked up the stairs to the back porch. She enjoyed helping him with chemistry, but enjoyed the conversations they would have afterwards more.

  When they studied, Emily would catch him staring at her. He would just smile and return his attention to his books. On occasion, he’d catch her staring at him.

  Conner had never crossed the line to make their arrangement awkward. Emily didn’t like deceiving Brittany, but she made a promise to him that she wanted to keep. The connection between them was growing stronger, but Emily kept him at a safe distance. If she sensed the conversation was getting personal, she’d start talking about her best friend.

  “You’ve really come a long way,” said Emily. “You’ve got this now.”

  “I don’t want to just pass,” said Conner. “I need an A.”

  “You’ll get it,” said Emily. “I’m serious.”

  “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

  “Kind of,” said Emily. “I don’t like sneaking around.”

  “We’re not doing anything wrong, Em. You’re helping me get into college.”

  “You know what I mean,” said Emily.

  “Actually, I don’t,” said Conner, closing his book. “I’ve known Brittany since I was four. She’s more of a friend than a girlfriend. To be honest, it’s getting creepy. If I show any interest in a girl, she goes off the deep end. I’m not kidding about that, Em. Remember what happened with Sarah?”

  “I do,” said Emily. “That was awful.”

  “It was Brittany.”

  “What are you talking about?” asked Emily. “She wasn’t even there.”

  “I know that,” said Conner. “They held her down and shaved her head two days before the photo shoot with that magazine. They told her it would be worse the next time if she didn’t stop seeing me.”

  “Those girls were from a different school,” said Emily. “Brit didn’t even know them.”

  “That’s what she told you?” asked Conner.

  “Yes. Stop this, please.”

  “She’s known them as long as she’s known me,” said Conner, reaching over and putting his hand on her arm. “They moved to Houma when they were ten, but our parents are still good friends. We all played together as kids. She knew them, Em. She knew them well. Brittany lied to you.”

  “Why are you telling me this?” asked Emily.

  “Come over here and sit with me,” said Conner, standing and then walking to the porch swing. “We’re done studying for today.”

  Every other Sunday, Tyler would come to the house and help Emily with yard work. With a forecast of heavy rain, he decided to show up a day early to beat the storm. He recognized the car in the driveway as Conner’s. A knot formed in his stomach when he parked his truck.

  “I know Brit is your best friend,” said Conner, taking Emily’s hand in his. “She’s been one of my best friends since we were four. I’d never intentionally hurt her, but I need to live my life the way I want to, not the way she wants.

  “I don’t have those kinds of feelings for her, Em. I just don’t. She’s a great girl and a good friend, but you have no idea how possessive and jealous she is. She thinks we’re going to end up getting married and living happily ever after. That’s just not going to happen.”

  “Then why do you guys date?” asked Emily. “You two have been together since I’ve known you.”

  “No, we’re not dating,” said Conner, exhaling. “That’s the problem. She tells everyone that we are and acts like it around other people, but we’re not.”

  “Come on, Conner,” said Emily, pulling her hand away. “You two are having sex. I’m not stupid.”

  “Once last summer,” said Conner. “And it was the worst mistake I’ve ever made. It changed everything for the worse. If I would’ve known then what I know now, it never would’ve happened. We were each other’s first. I wanted to do it with someone I was comfortable with and cared about. I know that sounds like a bunch of crap, but it’s the truth.

  “We talked about it for weeks before it happened. We both agreed it wasn’t going to change our friendship, and we’d keep it a secret. Neither one of those things happened. The entire school knew about it on Monday.”

  “Again, why are you telling me all of this?” asked Emily. “What does it have to do with me?”

  “You just told me you’re not stupid,” said Conner, taking her hand again and smiling. “I’m not so sure anymore.”

  Tyler heard voices coming from the back porch, but couldn’t hear their words. He peeked around the corner and could see their backs to him on the swing. He could also see that they were holding hands. The knot turned to nausea.

  “I’m crazy about you,” said Conner. “I can’t stop thinking about you and how good it would feel to just hold your hand. For the record, it feels very good.”

  “You’re crazy about me?” asked Emily, trying to act surprised. “
I think you’re just crazy.”

  “Why?” asked Conner. “You’re amazing. You’re intelligent and I love spending time with you. You’re the most beautiful girl I know. Em. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

  “Oh, this is never, ever going to happen,” said Emily, leaving her hand in his. “It would kill Brittany. She’d never talk to either one of us again. It would devastate her. I like spending time with you. You’re very sweet and a lot smarter than I thought, but this isn’t going to happen. She’s my best friend.”

  “Where do you think we’re going to be after this year?” asked Conner, pleading his case. “Brittany doesn’t have the grades for LSU. You and I both know that. She’s going to have to go to junior college her first year before she even has a shot. You and I are going to college in Baton Rouge. We both know that too.”

  “I don’t care if we both go to school in Alaska,” said Emily. “Brit is still going to be my best friend. That’s not going to change wherever we are. It will change if she finds out we’re seeing each other. There are hundreds of girls who would love to date you, Conner. When you start playing quarterback in college, there’s probably going to be thousands. You won’t even remember my name by next fall.”

  “There’s only one you, Em,” said Conner. “You’re the one I want.”

  “I like you, Conner,” said Emily, squeezing his hand. “I really do, but there’s –”

  Tyler put his hand over his stomach when he saw Conner reach up for Emily’s face and pull her in for a kiss. He thought he was going to be sick when she put her arms around his neck. He concealed himself around the corner with his back against the house.

  Sliding to the ground, he covered his face with his hands to muffle the sound of him crying in pain. The feelings of betrayal and loss overwhelmed him. It was gut-wrenching, watching the girl he had loved for so long kissing someone else. The dreams of Emily being his someday shattered inside of him. As he rose to his feet, the crying stopped and the rage began to build.

  “Oh my God,” said Emily, pulling away from Conner, standing, and covering her mouth. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

  “You didn’t,” said Conner, jumping to his feet. “I did. It’s okay.”

  “No, it isn’t,” said Emily. “This is bad. This is really, really bad.”

  “Em, calm down,” said Conner. “I’m not going to tell anyone, I swear to you. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  Emily stood and took several deep breaths to regain her composure. Her own feelings of betrayal and the possibility of losing of her best friend overpowered her feelings for him. She returned to her seat on the swing and motioned for Conner to do the same.

  “Was it that bad?” asked Conner, breaking the silence.

  “No,” said Emily. “It’s not that. You don’t understand what she’s done for me. She was there for me when my father died, and she’s been there ever since. For the most part, I owe her my life. I don’t know if I could’ve made it without her. Other than my mom, she’s the most important person in the world to me.”

  “Why does that have to change?” asked Conner. “I don’t understand. Why would us dating destroy our friendship with her? This is the part that annoys the shit out of me. If Brit wanted to date one of my friends, I’d be fine with it. If you wanted to date one of my friends, it would suck, but I’d be happy for you. That’s the difference between us and Brit. She wouldn’t be.”

  “Because that’s just the way it is,” said Emily, trying to be cold. “I like you, Conner. But a kiss isn’t worth losing my friend. This never should’ve happened, and I can promise you right now it never will again. I’m sorry.”

  “So am I, Em,” said Conner, smiling. “Just so you know, I’m not giving up on you. You’re worth fighting for.”

  “Conner,” said Emily, glaring at him. “Yes, you are giving up on me, and there won’t be a fight. I’m serious. If Brit finds out this happened, I’ll never speak to you again, and I’ll hate you forever. Do you understand me?”

  “Easy,” said Conner, putting his hands up for her to back down. “I told you I’m not going to tell her or anyone else. I know how important she is to you. I’d never do anything to hurt you, Em. She’s never going to find out that I kissed you.”

  “She’d better not, Conner. I’m not kidding. You can’t come here anymore, and I can’t tutor you anymore either. I can’t risk it.”

  “I figured that was coming,” said Conner, lowering his head. “I am sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” said Emily, pulling his chin up with a finger. “No harm done.”

  “I’m sorry that I upset you,” said Conner. “I’m not sorry that I kissed you. It was amazing, and I’ll never forget it.”

  “Neither will I.”

  Tyler accelerated as he approached the intersection on the outskirts of town. His anger forced the pedal to the floor, and he tightened his grip. When he slammed on the brakes and jerked the steering wheel, he missed the station wagon by inches. The momentum of the heavy truck carried him into the soft shoulder on the other side of the road.

  He sat motionless for several minutes and stared into the bayou after the smoke and the smell of burning rubber cleared. When his hands stopped trembling, he pounded his fists into the dashboard as the images of Emily and Conner returned. It disgusted him knowing that they were having sex on the back porch as Karla slept on the couch thirty feet away.

  “Fuck them!” said Tyler, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

  Chapter 21

  Kiss of Death

  Karla wasn’t the only person Emily was trying to protect from her troubles. Dawson was the love of her life, and she didn’t want him involved in any way. She knew he was doing his best to leave Boudreaux and everything that happened in the town behind him. She also knew, if she told him what was happening to her, he’d be on the first plane back. She admired his bravery and his determination to start a new life in a new place. She didn’t want to take anything from him.

  Emily could no longer make the call to Dawson for help, but Kate could. He was on a plane the next morning. He stayed with the team in their rental house until their plan to isolate Brittany and Tyler could be executed. It was difficult for him not to run out, find his brother, and persuade him to tell them everything he knew.

  When he arrived, Grey handed him a copy of Emily’s journals. When Grey read them, he couldn’t put a voice to the words written on paper. Dawson could. Grey knew he’d be reading them with Emily’s voice in his head. He knew his heart would be broken when he finished.

  “She kept a journal, Tyler,” said Dawson, pulling a chair out of the kitchen. “That’s what they meant when they said she wrote everything down. She told us what happened the night you two were alone in your truck.”

  “Nothing happened,” said Tyler. “Yes, I grabbed her and tried to keep her from getting out, but it’s because I just wanted to talk to her. I wanted to help her.”

  “Stop lying to me,” said Dawson, narrowing his eyes at his brother. “You grabbed her, called her a whore, and ripped her shirt open. You asked her why she wouldn’t give it up to you when she was giving it up to everyone else.”

  Grey felt Chief lean forward on the couch to slow down the conversation, so he put his hand on his arm to ease him back. Grey knew Dawson would be able to push the right buttons that would send Tyler into a rage. He knew the truth would be imbedded in his anger.

  “It was Emily, for God’s sake,” said Dawson. “Emily! How could you do that to her?”

  “How could I do that to her?” asked Tyler, glaring at his brother. “You mean, how could you do that to her.”

  “What are you talking about? I never did anything to her.”

  “Really? Oh, that’s right. You just fucked her and then left town. She loved you and you just shit on her. You shit on all of us.”

  “You’re about to cross a line you don’t want to cross, little brother,” said Dawson, sitting up stra
ight in his chair. “You know nothing about how I felt for Emily. Nothing.”

  “You didn’t feel anything at all,” said Tyler, remaining defiant. “You left me alone here to deal with dad, and you left Emily alone to deal with her mother. All you wanted to do was run like a coward. So don’t sit there and try to convince me that you cared about any of us.”

  “You just crossed that line,” said Dawson, clenching his jaw.

  “I’m not afraid of you,” said Tyler. “You lost that big brother privilege when you ran. You coming back here isn’t going to change anything. Emily is still going to be dead, and you’re still going to be a coward.”

  Dawson was on top of Tyler in the blink of an eye. He flew out of his chair and knocked Tyler out of his. Before his little brother could react, Dawson had him pinned to the ground as he cocked his fist to deliver the first blow. Grey grabbed his arm before he could unload the punch while Chief wrapped his arms around Tyler’s neck.

  “Let him go!” said Tyler. “Let him hit me! He needs to know he’s just like our dad. He’s a worthless piece of shit who doesn’t care about anything but himself. Let him do it. I don’t care!”

  “What?” said Dawson, allowing Chief to pull him off of Tyler. “I’m just like dad? Is that what you really think of me?”

  “Yes,” said Tyler, sliding back and sitting against the wall. “You left me like he did. You left me so you could start a better life somewhere else. Dad left me for a bottle of booze. Emily left me because I loved her too much.”

  All four men were sitting on the floor in the living room. Tyler wiped a trickle of blood off of his chin. Dawson ran his fingers through tussled hair and then dropped his head into his hands. Grey and Chief looked at each other, waiting for someone to speak.

  “Have I ever lied to you?” asked Dawson, raising his head. “In my life, have I ever lied to you about anything?”

  “No,” said Tyler. “You haven’t.”

  “Then believe me when I tell you this, little brother. I was coming back for you and Em. I’ve been saving everything I’ve earned, and I put in for a transfer to a rig in Mississippi. As soon as you two graduated from high school and I got the transfer, I was coming back for you.”