A Homecoming to Forget Read online

  I didn’t even want to think about the fact that they usually sent Benji out here for things.

  Please God. I pleaded in my mind. Henry’s grandma always said I had to pray aloud if I wanted God to answer the prayer, even though He could hear my thoughts, angels and demons could not. But I had to believe that God was listening and that He would do something.

  “Baby, you look bad.” Benji knelt beside me.

  I wanted to make a smart ass reply to that, but there was still duct tape holding my mouth shut.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll give you something tonight to help you sleep.” He lifted a box from the top. “There might be something in here that can help us.”

  Us?

  He pulled the top open, and the first thing to come out was a journal. One of the basic black and white composition books that I used to use. He flipped through a couple pages, sitting beside me. “Now let’s see what this says … I can’t believe I lost my virginity to Henry tonight.” Pulling a marker out of his hoodie pocket, he uncapped it and said, “Wrong,” then scribbled on the page. “See I thought we could rewrite history. Instead, this should say …” He scrawled on the page. “I lost my virginity to Benji.”

  More tears streamed down my face.

  “I’m sorry we have to do this.” He leaned forward, stroked the tear from my cheek. At this point I didn’t think I had any fight left in me. I just let him without a sneer or a jerk away. Then he kissed my tear. I cringed. Benji wasn’t a bad looking guy. He could have had a pretty girlfriend if he wanted. Why did he have to do this to me?

  Back to the journal he went. “Benji hooked up with Nadia. I may have over reacted, almost lost my only friend. It’s not like I’m with Benji. I love Trey, my boyfriend. But something about it hurt.”

  I cringed when he changed Henry to Benji.

  He skipped ahead a few pages the paper crinkled loud in this small space.

  “Trey told me I was too demanding today. Well, if he doesn’t want me, he knows were the door is.” Benji clicked his tongue and shook his head. “You see, I’m the only one who’s ever cared about you.”

  He went to the back of the journal. “I can’t believe Henry was stalking me all this time. Didn’t he know I would have given him those things if he’d asked for them?” Benji’s voice was high and winy to mimic mine as he read.

  He looked at me, his brow creased. “I did that for you. Why? Because I love you. Those two douchebags don’t care about you, they only care about getting in your pants.”

  I flinched at the words.

  He shook his head. “Don’t worry we will get to that, but not now. Not until you know I’m not only about sex. I want more. I respect you.”

  Yet, he has pictures of me naked, unaware the pictures were being, taken on his computer? He had pictures of Trey and I doing that very thing he claimed he didn’t want?

  “It’s okay. I forgive you for being blind.” He tossed the journal aside. “You didn’t know any better.”

  I whimpered. He blinded me with the flashlight.

  “I know this isn’t ideal, but it’s only temporary.” He took me in his arms, though it should have made me warmer, it only made me shiver that much more. Not in a good way, of course.

  “I know there’s a space heater here somewhere. And more blankets, I’ll get you some more blankets.” He stood and began to rummage through boxes. “Let’s see, Benji football, Benji trains,” he laughed, “That one’s an old one. I swear my mom can’t get rid of anything. I bet CJ would like those, don’t you?”

  Tears streamed down my eyes as I shivered here on the floor.

  “Ah, here’s something.” He smiled like he won a prize. “Benji camping.” He brought the box over, sat it on the ground, and opened it. “Yes.” He pulled out a clumped-together air mattress. It hit the floor with a thud. He spread it out all while humming to himself. Then pressed a button. It began to inflate with a hum, drowning out the creepy noises. While the mattress inflated, he looked back in the box, smiling again. He pulled out a sleeping bag. “We can zip them together and make one big one.”

  I didn’t even respond, just stared straight ahead. I wasn’t sure which would be worse, me sleeping out here by myself or cuddled up beside Benji.

  “Hand warmers. I wonder if they still work.” He opened the package with his teeth, then shook them and reached behind my back and placed them in my hands. It was some relief as I gripped tight to them with my ice-cold fingers. I began to get feeling back in them, though I wasn’t sure that was a good thing because then the ache of having them tied behind my back came with the thaw.

  “A boy scout is always prepared.” He kissed my cheek before going back to the boxes. At least with the light hum of the air mattress I couldn’t hear everything else. Which would have been a good thing if I was here by myself like I was earlier. Now, I didn’t know what was coming next from Benji, but at the same time I was almost too tired to care.

  “Are you hurting, Baby?”

  I wished he would stop calling me that.

  “I probably ought to give you something for that.”

  Not again.

  He pulled a pill out of his pocket and crouched beside me. “I know you have to be thirsty again, but you’re not getting your water if you don’t take your pill.” He reached for the duct tape, I braced myself for the pain, but he stopped just short of it. “I think it goes without saying, no screaming.”

  Then he ripped and I winced. He touched my cut then kissed it. He smelled like sweat and outdoors that made me wonder what he’d been doing before he showed up.

  “I hate hurting you. I really do.” He stuck his finger in my mouth with the pill stuck to it then brought the bottled water with the straw up for me. I drank and swallowed the pill. I didn’t have a clue what it was, but I wanted water so badly I didn’t care what he was making me take.

  “Benji,” I said in a raspy voice, partly because I was trying to be sexy, to trick him but also because my throat was scratchy.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m so cold, can you help me get warm?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to do.” He looked over at the mattress, which was nearly inflated.

  “Let me find the heater and I’ll make our bed.”

  The sound of the words ‘our bed’ coming out of his mouth made me want to vomit. At this point I couldn’t even think about it. On one hand, I should be glad that I didn’t have to be here alone all night, yet there had to be a way for me to get out of here at the same time.

  He pulled his sweatshirt over his head and then put it on me even though my arms weren’t through the arm holes. It was a little bit warmer.

  There was skittering, Benji cocked his head sideways. It wasn’t my imagination there was something else here with me. “I’ll have to bring Mr. Whiskers out here to get the mice and keep you warm.”

  As much as I hated that cat, his company would be a nice alternative to lying here alone in the dark. I was in and out of consciousness as he rooted through boxes. Talking to me or himself, I wasn’t sure.

  ***

  When I woke, I was bundled up in the double-sleeping bag. Benji’s sweatshirt still over me. Mr. Whiskers was curled by my head purring away like an engine.

  Benji was against me. His arm around me like we were spooning only my hands were squashed between us.

  I began to cry.

  I couldn’t help it. My body racked with sobs and tears spilled from my eyes. I sniffed and snorted and wiped my snot on the covers. My mouth was bound by duct tape again. I just wanted to be in my comfortable, warm bed.

  “Shh, baby.” Benji’s voice only made me cry harder.

  What I wouldn’t give to have Henry here.

  “It’s going to be all right.” He kissed my cheek. “You’ll see. We can be happy.”

  That was enough to make me go insane. He wouldn’t let anything hurt me, except for maybe himself.

  He gave me another kiss on the cheek then one on the forehead. His ha
nd rubbed up and down my side. I eventually cried myself back to sleep.

  ***

  I opened my eyes when I heard Mr. Whiskers meowing. It took a minute for my eyes to focus. Mr. Whiskers was walking back and forth by my head. Right beside … grey fur and red. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust and for me to realize it was a half chewed mouse. I would have screamed if I could. I wanted to vomit. The duct tape made both of those impossible. I scooted away from the mouse until I was all the way off the mattress on the cold, hard floor again.

  “I’m telling you, Benji was out here last week and there was nothing.” I heard my dad’s deep voice.

  My heart hammered, he was so close.

  “I just want to see.” It was Trey.

  I tried to call out. I looked around the room. How did I do this? I was wrapped up in a cocoon like a caterpillar, but they couldn’t get far without hearing me or noticing anything. Why couldn’t they hear Mr. Whiskers?

  The door knob jingled.

  I screamed behind the duct tape until my voice box felt like it was going to burst.

  “That’s weird. It’s jammed.”

  I couldn’t hear what exactly Trey said in reply, but my dad told him he’d have to figure it out later, right now he had to get to work. That Trey had nothing to worry about because I’d texted him last night that I was staying at a friend’s.

  Then his voice got further away. I cried again, no, no, no. How could they just leave me here? Snot and tears leaked from me as I let out a muffled scream again, flipping and flopping my legs in the large sleeping bag.

  Mr. Whiskers jumped, all four feet straight and back hunched. I was going to die out here, Benji was going to kill me. and nobody would suspect him. Nobody would know what happened to me, that I was locked up in our storage shed for days.

  I heard two cars pull out of the drive and that was when I knew that I’d never be found. Nobody came out here. He could keep me here forever and no one would be any wiser.

  After I had to witness Mr. Whiskers snacking on the mouse, which seemed like forever, the door knob jingled again.

  Mr. Whiskers meowed and stalked around the boxes as if anxious for Benji’s return. I waited for a gust of cold air then Benji to come around the wall of boxes, but neither happened.

  Instead, someone was banging on the door. Mr. Whiskers’ cries grew louder. I screamed under my duct tape as if that did any good.

  Another bang, then another.

  “What are you doing here?” I heard a voice but couldn’t figure out who it was. No, it couldn’t be Benji, please don’t tell me Benji found someone else trying to get to me. What would he do?

  “What are you doing here?” That was Trey, I knew it was. I wanted to tell him to run, to get help.

  Next there was some mumbling. It sounded as if he was arguing then someone was pounded on the door again. It couldn’t be Benji, could it?

  The gust of cold air whooshed with the door whacking against the boxes.

  “I don’t know.” Trey said. “But I’m sure you know what I’ll find.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? It wasn’t me.” Henry, that was Henry’s voice.

  “Mr. Whiskers, what are you doing here,” Trey said.

  I tried to scream again.

  “Did you hear something?” Trey’s voice again.

  “Hear what?” Henry said.

  Trey cussed at Henry and then the box-wall came tumbling down Henry on top of it, Trey on Henry. Trey looked up, and at the sight of me, his face filled with rage and continued to throw his fists at Henry.

  Henry wiggled under him then pushed him off and cussed.

  “Shit. Sawyer.” Henry started toward me then went falling sideways when Trey punched him.

  The sight of the blood made my already queasy stomach worse.

  Trey knelt beside me then pulled the duct tape off my mouth. “I’ll kill him for this ... I’ll kill him.” He pulled me toward him, wrapping his arms around me.

  “It’s not Henry.” My voice was scratchy and barely audible over Trey’s rage.

  “Don’t you move, creep.” He warned Henry, who was coming toward us.

  “It’s not him.” I said. He was the one I wanted to hold me right now.

  Trey looked around the room when he pulled me out of the sleeping bag and saw how I was tied up. “Shit.”

  “Mother Fu ...” Henry said.

  Trey worked at untying my legs as Henry came toward us.

  “I mean it, Creeper, stay away.”

  “I have a knife.”

  “You’re going to kill us both? Is that it?” Trey’s hands shook as he unwound the rope.

  “I can get her hands loose.” Henry held up palms in surrender, knife dangling from two fingers.

  “It wasn’t him. Henry didn’t tie me up.”

  That time Trey seemed to hear me, though my voice barely worked. He looked up. My feet were free, and it felt good to stretch them out.

  “What do you mean? Who did this?” Trey took my face in his hands.

  “Benji.” My voice came out scratchy.

  Mr. Whiskers meowed, weaving around us, part of the mouse carcass still on the pillow.

  “Your step-brother did this?” Trey and Henry spoke in unison.

  I nodded.

  “Shit.” I wasn’t sure if that came from Trey or Henry or both.

  Trey held his hand up to Henry. “Give me the knife.”

  “Wha…”

  “You may not have done this, but you did stalk her. You’re not getting near my girlfriend with that knife.”

  Henry huffed and put the knife in Trey’s hand. “I was not stalking her.”

  “Then what are you doing here now?” Trey sawed away at the zip tie.

  “He’s telling the truth. It was Benji the entire time.” I looked at Henry with tears, staring into his eyes so I wouldn’t focus on the blood dripping from his lip. “I’m so sorry that I didn’t believe you.”

  Henry’s jaw twitched, and he nodded.

  Finally, my hands were free and I cried in relief as I flung my arms around Trey’s neck and buried my face in his chest.

  “I knew something was up, you never break up with me over text.” He kissed the side of my head and hugged me tighter.

  I glanced up to see Henry looking at us, jaw tight and sad eyes. Mr. Whiskers meowed and rubbed against him.

  “What do we have here?” Benji’s voice hit me like a ton of bricks. Mr. Whiskers trotted to him. Benji looked from Trey and me to Henry with his crazy, dark eyes. “A threesome?”

  Trey pushed me behind him and guarded me like a shield.

  “Please. You’re worried about her?” He tilted his head to the side. “You don’t care about her.” Then he looked at Henry. “What are you gonna do, Creeper?” Henry lunged for him but Benji, swung first and knocked him against a stack of boxes that came tumbling down. Something shattered.

  The scream that ripped out of my hoarse throat burned. Trey lunged at the pile up. All three of them were rolling around and I wanted to move. I wanted to run or call someone, but I couldn’t. I was stuck frozen to my spot. The heater knocked over and shut off with a click then one of them let out a loud groan in pain and there was blood, so much blood. My head felt dizzy. Then I dry-heaved because I had nothing in my stomach. I couldn’t tell whose blood it was.

  It was two against one, they had to be able to take him. To my relief, Trey stood up first. Benji doubled over, his hands covering his stomach, the thick dark liquid oozed from between his fingers.

  I clenched my eyes and turned away. I was going to pass out.

  “What the heck?” Henry then scooted away from Benji, who cussed.

  “You think this is funny?” Benji looked up with rage in his eyes. “Do you know she’s been screwing both of you?”

  I looked at Trey, who said, “Shut up, asshole.”

  Benji then rose, his hands leaving his stomach with the knife Trey used to cut me free clenched in his fist. “Don’t y
ou know not to leave the weapon in your victim?” He lifted the knife in the air and started to come down.

  Trey ducked away just in time. “Athlete reflexes.” Now was not the time for this.

  Henry grabbed Benji from behind as Benji began to swing the knife in the air.

  “Run.” Henry yelled.

  Trey stood there for a minute as Benji and Henry rolled around on top of boxes that crunched and clattered. Then Trey turned and reached for my hand.

  I gave it to him, but my legs gave out when I stood, having not been used for I wasn’t sure how long now. He looked over his shoulder at the commotion then picked me up, bridal style and ran out of the shed. I smelled smoke and looked back, it billowed from the building.

  “I think it’s on fire.”

  “We have to get out of here.” Trey kept running.

  “But Henry …” I cried as I watched the shed engulf in flames. “Henry.” I shouted, reaching over Trey’s shoulders.

  He brought me into the house. He sat me down at the kitchen table. Right where I had a good view of the fire. I watched as the shed burned up, no sign of Henry or Benji.

  “There’s a fire.” Trey’s voice barely registered as he talked to 911.

  I wanted Henry to come out of that shed more than anything. I tried to will it with my mind. If I could walk, I’d run back out there and get him myself.

  Chapter 38

  My dad rode along in the ambulance. He’d shown up shortly after the squads. Three of them. One for me, one for Benji, and one for Henry. I didn’t see them as they pulled them out. I’m glad I didn’t either. So here I was again, in the hospital, the same place this story began.

  Trey was by my side now.

  “What did Benji mean?” he said something I hoped he wouldn’t bring up.

  “What?”

  “When he said you’d been sleeping with Henry?”

  Despite the tears I’d cried the last two days, more pooled in the corners of my eyes.

  “Not lately.” I swallowed “But I guess I have.”

  “You guess?”

  “Its … I was a different person then, before I lost my memories.” I sniffed, trying to hold back the tears. The truth was that I did want to be with Henry, so it shouldn’t matter what Trey thought of me, but it did.