Killer

Chapter 9: Dead Girl

Husbands — You, Me, Cellphones

The sweet smell of sap rushed through my bedroom window as I came quietly downstairs. It was late in the morning when I was doing this, and it was the weekend. I hardly get up early on the weekends, but I wanted to go to the Goodwill since I felt great. Last night, after Jace and I shared our first kiss, we bolted back into the gymnasium for the announcements of who was our homecoming queen and king. It turned out to be Tre and Tegan. Jace met Tre and his friends during the afterparty, as we all went to a local diner in Tanglewood for the juiciest grilled burgers and sweetened milkshakes. Jace sat closely next to me in the leather booth and gave Tre a cold glare, when they introduced each other. I thought it was unnecessary since I felt stuck between them.

But a new day brings a new set of problems. It was the way I looked at it. The morning air was refreshing and quiet. The birds were loudly chirping as they flew across the blue sky. My old bike propped up against the side of the backyard fence. I pulled it into gear and paddled down the driveway into the street.

The Goodwill wasn't too far from where I lived in Tanglewood, the gutter area, on a random Saturday like this to go inside to see it was nearly empty. The inside smelled like a handful of mothballs and wet cardboard boxes—an amazing scent. I was searching for small gifts for Jace and Tre, two people who I considered friends. The thrift stores were a great place to pick out things in your comfort zone and around your budget. It was better to spend money on something usual than on something outrageous.

I strolled through the aisle of silver racks filled with hanging dresses, and beside that was a long table filled with random objects, the clearance section. I let my eyes scan the table until it landed on a Polaroid camera. I smiled and picked it up to take a good look at it. I haven't seen a camera like this in person since I never got my hands on it—these cameras were expensive. I thought this gift would be perfect for Tre. He could use the vintage camera to take snapshots of his friends whenever he has his parties. Along with that was a tall candle that worked in my favor for Jace. It had a sweet smell to it that I couldn't describe.

However, I noticed a black videotape with a thin layer of dust on it with the table of scattering objects. It was an old-school one that you put into a VHS player. I haven't seen one of those in forever. I was curious to see what kind of movie it was on that tape. The tape itself had possibilities of what old film it was, probably a black and white tragic European love story, which sounds cliche. I decided to buy it with a Polaroid camera and a candle.

"Found what you were looking for?" The clerk asked.I nodded with a small smile.

"Yeah, thanks." The sound of the register opening took me back to me, coming here every other weekend, adding a new item to the collection.

The clerk handed me a brown paper bag and said. "You have a good one. Yeah, you too."

I left and quickly headed home. "Mom!" I shouted, coming into the house with my heart racing.

I spotted her in the living room on the soft couch. Rick had his arm looped around her shoulders, watching something from National Geographic lazily since I saw a whale rising from the blue sea. Mom took a sip from her beer bottle and said. "Yeah."

I pulled out the black tape from the inside of my Goodwill bag. "Do you have something that plays tapes?"

Her dim eyes focused on what I was holding up. "I don't think so. When you get a chance to go back out today, will you get me some lottery tickets and a pack of cigarettes?" She let out a grunt, trying to sit up. "I have a hangover from last night."

I rolled my eyes. "Why can't Rick do it?"Mom turned to Rick, who was grinning with his harsh yellow and disgusting teeth, answering. "He doesn't feel like it, Sunny."