Wow, that last chapter was a long one, wasn't it? Well this one isn't quite as long, thankfully.
So now that she's been formally introduced, I'd like to talk about Tawny a bit more. Don't worry, she is not David's love interest. I want to stress that as much as possible. She's NOT his type. Being a California boy, I figure that David likes California girls and the epitome of a California girl in the 80's was bleach blonde hair and a killer tan. Also, he likes them a bit tall and Tawny probably measures in at an astounding 5'4". She's short.
That isn't to say the lack of attraction is mutual… but, well, you'll see what I mean.
Anyhow, enjoy this next chapter! The plot thickens (sort of.)
And time is exactly what it took. Tawny and Marcy didn't come to rent their traditional two movies on the following Friday night. I'd never seen a look of such disappointment on a person's face than I did on Max that night. I had no idea what was going through his head at the time but I'm sure he thought what I thought; Tawny and Marcy were never coming back to that video store again.
So imagine my surprise the following Wednesday afternoon when Tawny came wandering into the video store. It was a boring day that day and it was just me and Maria again. I'd spent a majority of my time dusting off shelves and movies and sweeping. I was amazed at how quick things can get dirty and dusty when you're near the beach.
Maria was on her lunch break and I was left with the store all to myself. I was in the middle of sweeping out behind the counter when I heard footsteps shuffling across the linoleum floor. I looked up to see a familiar face pretending not to notice me. I sat my broom aside and started over, shoving my hands in my pockets as I got closer. "Hey."
"Hey." Tawny muttered as she glanced at me, pretending to browse the movies of the section she was standing in.
I could tell she wasn't certain if she wanted to be there but she came all the same so I figured the least I could do was try not to make it awkward for her. "How've you been?"
"I've been good." Tawny said as she turned to face me. "I've been grounded, but I've been good."
"Grounded?" I said with a small smirk coming across my face. "That sucks."
"Yeah, tell me about it. And I have you to thank." Tawny replied as she crossed her arms. "So thanks a lot."
"Hey, you didn't have to go with me. It was just a simple invite." I said as I stared down at the girl. "Don't try to put the blame on me. You knew your mom was going to freak out. I just thought you'd like to have a little fun without your mom breathing down your neck. It's not like I knew she was going to go ballistic."
"Don't give me that crap! Your creepy manager friend Max has been trying to get my mom to go out on a date with him for months." Tawny said as the pointed an accusing finger at me. "I bet he told you all about me and my mom and that he wanted you to try and date me so that he could get to my mom."
I didn't know what to say to Tawny, majorly because her accusations were mostly true. The fact was, Max knew a lot about the girl and her mother and he had specifically said that he wanted me to get close to her. Of course, I couldn't let her know that. "Look, kid… you're pretty and all but you're not my type. I like blonde girls with tans. I'm not into brunettes so even if Max wanted me to date you, I wouldn't."
"Wow, you really know how to compliment a girl, don't you?" Tawny said as she cocked an eyebrow at me.
"Look, I didn't mean it like that." I said, leaning against the counter as I eyed Tawny. "I'm just trying to make a friend. I don't know anyone here and you seemed like a cool girl. That's all."
I watched as Tawny pursed her lips in an annoyed expression and looked me up and down. I could tell she was taking consideration of my words and I hoped she bought into them because I really needed her to believe that I just wanted her friendship. She was smarter than I gave her credit for and if she figured out that I really was working to try and get her mom and Max together, I might as well kiss my comfy new home goodbye because there was no way she was going to go for it and that would make me useless to Max.
"Alright, I'll buy it." Tawny said as she stepped toward me slowly. "I mean, you've got a pretty sad existence. Living with a creep like Max, in a city like this, with no friends? I can see how my friendship would be of value to you. I guess we can be friends."
"Gee, you're so generous." I replied, fighting a small chuckle at my own sarcasm.
"Look, the real reason I came was to apologize. I didn't like the way my mom talked to you. She always judges people by the way they look. She never gives them a chance. She thinks if a person isn't dressed in Ivy League attire, they're a trouble maker." Tawny laughed a bit and motioned down toward her own clothes which consisted of tight jean pants, a tank top and her jean jacket. "So of course she just thinks I'm hell on wheels."
"What are you talking about? You are hell on wheels! You're sneaking off without your mom and riding dangerous rides at an amusement park! You're a parent's worst nightmare! A genuine rebel without a cause!" I said as I gave her a slight nudge, mocking her a bit.
"Hardy har, David." Tawny said as she nudged me back. "You know, laugh all you want but I've been in some pretty bad situations. I sneak out all the time and sometimes it goes well. Other times it doesn't."
"Yeah, that Zach guy…" I said as I looked down at her curiously. "I still can't believe that. I mean, he killed somebody. How do you not go to the cops about that, whether he was protecting you or not?"
"You've gotta understand, David. Santa Carla is full of death. People go missing and die here every day. The police would be all too happy to pin countless murders on a couple of people and make the community think that they're cracking down on the crime here. I was scared. I mean, what if they didn't believe us? What if we all got in trouble? We were already drinking that night so it isn't like we were being good, upstanding teenagers. We were drunk on our way home from a party." Tawny looked at me and shrugged. "I didn't know what to do. I didn't want anyone to know about it."
"But you told me." I said, actually not sure why she had told me to begin with.
"Well that's because you acted like you were ready to fight Dwayne and Paul. I didn't want you to get hurt. Zach's the type that would hunt you down for messing with his friends. He's bad news." Tawny replied as she looked up at me.
"How long did you hang out with this Zach guy?" I asked, curious to know just how much trouble she'd gotten herself into with him. At the very least, it would be good to have that information in case I needed it.
"A couple nights maybe. Sometimes we'd hang out at McDonalds where one of the girls, Claire, worked." Tawny answered with another shrug.
"Wait, Claire? As in the brunette cashier with the brown eyes and a super sweet personality?" I asked, looking down at Tawny with a feeling of unease crawling into the pit of my stomach.
Tawny nodded slowly, confusion spreading over her face at my words. "Yeah, how did you know?"
"That Zach guy was in there harassing her with his friends two weeks ago! I tried to get them to leave her alone and the asshole stomped all over my food!" Yes, I happened to leave out the part of the story where I tried to punch him and got thrown on my ass. "Claire thanked me for standing up for her after they left and said if I came back Friday she would try to get some work for me but when I came back, she wasn't there."
"Oh my god." Tawny muttered as she covered her mouth with her hand. "Like, she hasn't been back at all?"
"I don't know." I said with a shrug. "I only came back that Friday. I haven't been back since because I got a job here."
I watched as Tawny stepped slowly away from the counter and out of the store. I didn't know where she was going but I couldn't follow her and leave the store unattended. She returned shortly, her face even paler than normal and she was clutching a piece of paper in her hand. She held it up to me slowly and for some reason, before I even had the chance to look at it, I knew what it was.
It was a missing poster with Claire's face on it. She was smiling and bubbly in what appeared to be a senior class yearbook photo, her brown curls in perfect form around her face.
I turned my eyes to Tawny and saw that her hands were trembling. Clearly, she had every reason to be concerned. "You don't think…"
"Wh-what am I supposed to think, David?" Tawny said with a shaky voice. "You said you saw Zach harassing her and now she turns up missing. I've seen him kill a person. What if he killed Claire? What if he's planning on killing me?"
"Hey now, calm down." I said as I sat the missing poster on the counter and placed my hands on Tawny's shoulders to calm her. "That Zach guy is not going to hurt you."
"Why wouldn't he? I know what he's done. I know what he's capable of and now Dwayne and Paul have seen me so I'm sure he knows I've been out and about." Tawny looked up at me with legitimate fear on her face. It was weird to see someone so terrified and to know that they had every reason to feel that way. Still, if she became a homebody, that would hinder my efforts to get her mom involved with Max. I had to reassure her that she would be alright.
"Hey, remember what I told you? You can't let fear control you." I said in an effort to comfort the girl.
"Easy for you to say! You don't have a murderer after you!" Tawny replied, her hands still shaking. "What am I gonna do, David?"
"Hang out with me." I offered with a shrug. I could totally use this life threatening situation to my advantage. "All the time, everywhere you go. You can even come over every time you feel threatened, just in case he finds out where you live."
"Oh my god, he does know where I live!" Tawny said with a gasp. "But… my mom isn't going to let me just go to your house whenever."
"So your mom can come too." I said with a shrug. "You'd both be safer that way."
"No! There's no way! I don't want that Max creep getting anywhere near my mom." Tawny said, her look of worry quickly shifting to a scowl.
"Jeeze, what is your beef with Max?" I asked, forcing a chuckle to lighten the mood. "He's a nice guy. And anyway, he's better than Zach."
"You're right, it's just…" Tawny sighed and leaned against the counter again. "I've heard some really weird things about the guy."
"From who?" I asked as I cocked an eyebrow at her.
"From this girl I went to school with. She's kinda weird herself but she told everyone in school about how the movie store manager was trying to get her sister to date him. Her sister is in her twenties and Max is what? Forty something? That's just weird. Not to mention he's probably a millionaire. I mean, the area of town you guys live in isn't cheap. Plus he owns a movie store so you know he's gotta be rich. What's a guy like that doing trying to get involved with a girl in her twenties? I mean, really." Tawny said, crossing her arms as she looked up at me skeptically.
"Maybe she was really nice. Or maybe she was really mature for her age. I don't really know but it isn't like he's still got his eyes on her. I think he likes your mom now and I think you'd like him too if you gave him a chance." I said as I rounded the counter and began sweeping again. "Sometimes people surprise you. You might like him if you quit being such a grouch."
"Fine." Tawny replied as she turned to face me. "But I'm warning you, if he hurts my mom I'm holding you fully responsible."
"Relax, kiddo." I said with a smile as I reached out to ruffle her hair. "Not everybody in this city is out to hurt others."
"Yeah, yeah." Tawny said with a half smirk. "I'll believe it when I see it."