Brightburn: Obsessed

Unwelcome

It was like a squirrel hiding precious nuts in the fall for Brandon.

Valerie was tucked inside his home. Safe, where nothing could get her and he was content. If not thrilled that the pretty girl he met earlier this year was probably drinking tea in his T-shirt or helping his mom in the garden on her day off.

Brandon impatiently sat through his classes while Valerie rested. Texting her throughout the day about nothing specific. But every word seemed to mean the world to him.

It was right after school that a certain blonde girl from Brandon's past, appeared behind him.

Last time he saw Caitlyn, it was dark and her face was illuminated by mostly sunlight and truck headlights.

Now, under the bright lights of the school he could see that his eyes weren't betraying him when he thought Caitlyn was gorgeous. She was. Her dyed platinum blonde hair reached her back. White sparkling teeth stood out with her wide smile. She wore blue contacts to hide her dark brown eyes. From her clothes to the earrings she wore, Caitlyn was put together beautifully and it was hard for Brandon to take his eyes off of her.

Old feelings returned as he stared at her. He swallowed hard.

"Sooooo," she drawled out in that thick Kansas accent. Pink lips pursing together in a sly smile as her head leaned to the side, "homecoming is coming up."

Brandon furrowed his dark brows. Confused at first until it dawned on him.

"Yeah?" He said back.

"Who you takin'?" Caitlyn smirked at him.

"Uh...well...I..."

Speak right, boy.

Brandon almost winced at the voice. His voice. Deeper, angrier, suddenly filling him with confidence.

Caitlyn had to have seen it. The sudden glint in his eye, a tooth peeking out from under his lip as he smirked heatedly at her and the way his back straightened so that he towered over the blonde.

"To be honest, I haven't even thought about it." Brandon told her, leaning back on his blue locker and looking at her from the tops of his eyes. "But now that I am...maybe Valerie would want to..."

"Valerie? Valerie Puckett?" Caitlyn scoffed softly, "In the 3 years Valerie has gone to this school she's never, gone to the events. Football games included. I would know. I am head cheerleader." Caitlyn shuffles a book in her arm, "and to be fair...you know Puckett is in serious trouble with the police right?"

Brandon raised a brow.

"I didn't know." He lied.

"Well, you're out of the loop. She was the last person to be seen with Dewey." Caitlyn explained. "Look, you have an actual, somewhat clean reputation here. Ya know, besides breaking my fucking hand. But that was a long time ago and I haven't told anyone outside of my little "friendship circle". You don't have to let Valerie bring you down into...whatever...she's got going on."

Brandon bit the inside of his cheek.

Caitlyn hadn't changed at all.

"Why are you even asking?" He somewhat bit out. Caitlyn didn't even notice the edge to his voice. "Aren't you dating that guy? From the party?"

"Who? Josh? Wow, you really don't remember him?" Caitlyn asked. "He used to call you, the pervert at lunch."

Now he remembered.

"And Laci, Christina, James, Adam..."

"Okay! Okay."

Memories were flooding in. He was matching old faces to their new, adult faces. The voices were getting stronger, he blinked, once, twice,

"Hello, Earth to Brandon?"

It took everything in him to control the swimming fire that was begging to be unleashed in his eyes.

"What are you asking me."

"Isn't it obvious? I want you to take me to homecoming. I kind of want to start over in general. Get to know each other."

"You and Josh aren't together?"

"We used to be. That ship sailed pretty quick." Caitlyn flopped her hair behind her shoulder. The smell of flowers and strong perfume filled his nose, "anyway...it's just for you to think about. Here's my number."

She didn't actually hand the piece of paper to him. Caitlyn stuck the sticky note onto his locker before turning away and walking off to meet her friends at the end of the hallway.

Brandon turned to stare at the numbers. Instantly memorizing them before yanking off the note and crumpling it up in his hand. He imagined the paper to be Caitlyn's head under his palm.

A sinister plan was forming in his head.

Revenge.

_*_

Valerie found herself alone in the house hours after helping Mrs. Beyer in the garden. Tori had left, claiming that she had "tons of errands".

She certainly didn't mind being alone on this peaceful farm for a few hours.

Especially since she knew sooner or later she would have to return home.

She sat outside for a few minutes. Walked around until the chickens stopped clicking at her and looked out into the vast acreage behind the home. Somewhere out there were their cows but she couldn't see them.

It was near the time school was getting out that Valerie found herself walking upstairs and into Brandon's room. Looking around the place before spotting a stack of papers lazily tucked under Brandon's mattress.

I really shouldn't...

But her feet were moving before she could even stop herself. Valerie's hand clutched the papers and with a swift tug they were free from the clutches of the mattress.

Drawings...

They were drawings...

Valerie sat down as she skimmed the pictures. They were extremely well done, in pen and pencil. Shaded to the point where the pictures practically jumped out at her. Brandon has drawn images of the farm, trees, and,

It's me...

It was unmistakable. He had drawn her down to the small spot on the side of her cheek. She was looking up at something, while wearing a beanie and a jacket. Her long black hair tumbling around her shoulders.

It was beautiful.

Was this really how Brandon saw her?

Valerie's hand slipped,

"Holy fuck!"

Valerie threw down the stack of papers when a picture of dead bodies swimming in red crayon jumped out at her.

When her heart wasn't beating as hard, she hesitantly picked the papers back up. Shaking as she turned it over to see the date.

Brandon has drawn this back in 7th grade.

Thoughts swimming with worry and fear Valerie fixed the papers and stuff them back under the mattress.

She wrung her hands. As if trying to get the images off of her hands and closed Brandon's door behind her.

It was just her luck that she was still shaking by the time she reached the bottom stairs and the front door had just opened to Tori and Brandon coming home.