The Face Behind The Mask

13

The following day, it was Alexa's mom's turn to pick up the girls from school and bring them home. Brick was at Jonas' house allegedly working on a science project. As usual, Cameron was out of town. It wasn't often that Skyden was unencumbered with familial responsibilities so after work, she spent a glamorous mom's night out at the supermarket.

She wheeled her shopping cart down the aisles, working strictly from muscle memory, recognizing familiar packaging on the shelves and tossing the products into her cart. At lunch, Peyton had mentioned a brand of organic brown rice that Skyden wanted to try, but she couldn't recall the name. She skimmed the dozens of rice products with a loose gaze and, giving up the search, she decided to proceed to the checkout.

After spending considerably more money than she'd planned, she pushed her cart of bagged groceries across the parking lot to her Volvo. She opened her tailgate with her remote and thought, "It's about time I run this car through a car wash." As she began transferring bags from her shopping cart to her vehicle, a gleaming Mercedes sedan screeched to a stop behind her car. Grayson pushed open the driver's door and approached wearing a coy grin.

"Move your car," Skyden said. "You're blocking me in."

He reached into her cart. "Lemme help you with–"

"I got it," she snapped, pulling the bags from his grasp and hurriedly stowing them in her car.

He looked toward the supermarket, then back at her, and sighed. "I apologize for sending those flowers. I know that was a very selfish thing to do."

"Can we please not do this?" She loaded the last of the groceries into her vehicle.

"I've been seeing a therapist, Sky, and I've been working through a lot of things."

She slammed the tailgate closed. "Apparently, you misread my level of interest."

"So... I wanted you to know that Olivia and I are separating."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I'm not. I think this could be a major step for us. In building a more honest relationship." A lotto-winner's smile pushed wide across his face.

Her expression tightened. "There's no relationship, Grayson. There isn't going to be a relationship. Ever. I love my husband. I love my family. I don't want flowers. I don't want cards. Your persistence isn't charming or romantic. In fact, it's creepy and stalkerish."

He erupted.

"I'm working so hard and you won't even give me a freakin' chance!" He spun and put his fist through the window of his Mercedes. The glass exploded. His hand dripped blood.

She rocked back on her heels, wide-eyed.

A man wearing a backward baseball cap crossed the parking lot and called, "Is everything okay over there?"

"You don't want any of this." Grayson seethed, which only triggered the man.

"Move your car or I'm calling the police," Skyden said, her voice shaking.

He threw open the car door, jumped behind the wheel, and floored it. The car squealed across the parking lot, narrowly missing a woman lugging plastic grocery bags in each hand.

"That creep put his hands on you?" The baseball cap guy asked, tilting his chin like he was hoping Grayson would come back.

She met his eyes and shook her head, no. Anger had her in such a tight grip, that she'd only now begun to notice how scared she was. It was no coincidence Grayson happened to be in the supermarket parking lot at the same time she was. He'd been following her.

........

In her bedroom, Kelsey wriggled out of her jeans and kicked them off. She slipped on her nylon running shorts and pulled the oversized Higbee High t-shirt over her head. She opened a wider space between her miniblind slats and peered up at the sky.

"Aw, c'mon." She checked her weather app.

Alexa called. "Hey, girl."

"Hey."

"What's the matter?"

"I was just gonna go for a run and now it says rain in ten minutes."

"Why can't you just be normal and veg out in front of the TV or something?"

"Normal?" Kelsey found her running shoes on the floor of her closet.

"I'm just calling you out on it."

"I might still run." She began lacing up her sneakers.

"Oh, my God! In the rain?"

"It probably won't even rain."

"I'm gonna pop some corn and chill."

"Kettle corn?"

"Oh, you best believe."

"Now you're making me hungry." She came out of her room and down the stairs.

"So, you going out with Miles on Saturday?"

"Yeah, maybe check out a movie or something."

"Or something." Alexa giggled.

A sound turned Kelsey's head. The doorknob on the front door rattled, turning back and forth.

"Brick?" The doorknob went still. "Brick?"

The doorbell chimed.

"Somebody's at the door," Kelsey said. "I'll call you back." She called out, "Coming."

She crossed the living room. When she reached for the doorknob, a piercing sensation in her gut stopped her cold. She pulled back her hand. "Who is it?"

No answer.

She took a quick peek through the ornamental windows framing the door. She saw someone dressed in dark blue pants and work boots standing on the other side of the door.

"Who is it?"

The doorbell rang again.

Kelsey retreated. "Who is it?" she repeated, her voice cracking.

The doorknob rattled, followed by banging on the door.

Kelsey screamed, "Help!"

The doorknob went still.

She made a call. Through the windows, she saw a dark figure darting across the street and getting into what looked like a large SUV. The vehicle raced away.

"Skyden answered, "Kels?"

"Mom."

Skyden instantly recognized the panic in her daughter's voice. "What? What's wrong?"

"Somebody just tried to break in."