Disclaimers, ratings, name, etc can be found in prologue.
Author's Notes:
More warnings…
WARNING: OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE (referring to labeling of certain races/ethnicity's/ and sexual preference)
------------------------------
Chapter 2
Carter Willis and his cronies chuckled and hooted as they drove his new shiny pick-up down Gill Street. One of them, a burly black boy, held tightly to an aluminum bat. As they sped closer to a mail box he drew his arm back and swung. The box exploded off it's wooden post and went flying, sprawling it's contents out into the dark night sky.
The group crowed in amusement and the boy raised his arms in triumph. Elaine gave him a big hug and Alanis kissed his cheek. He handed the bat to another boy, this time a strapping, crew-cut white kid who took his own swing at the next mailbox, causing the same havoc.
Carter drove the truck and seated next to him was a doe-eyed Lissa. She curled a finger around her long blonde tresses, licking her lips to try and tantalize him. But Carter's eyes were on the road and he looked very thoughtful. He'd chuckle now and then as his friends destroyed another box but he seemed preoccupied.
Lissa cleared her throat meekly. Carter didn't notice. She tried again. Still nothing. At last she asked, "So what's with you tonight?"
"Whadda ya mean?"
"I mean Robbie and Dave are back there destroying mailboxes left and right and you just seem like you're…somewhere else."
"There a crime against thinking?"
"No!" Lissa gasped, not wanting to make him angry, "I - I just wondered…"
He sighed, "It's nothing, all right?"
Just then Dave Jackson, the one who'd first swung the bat, tapped at the back windshield, Carter slowed the car and Lissa opened the little back window so his voice could filter through, "Yeah, what's up?"
"Carter you sure you don't want to switch? I mean I could drive for a while and you could take a couple hits."
Carter shook his head, "And let you drive my car? My baby? No, I don't think so buddy."
"Come on, man," Robbie Klein cut in, hunching up near the window, hand running over his closely cropped hair, "You know you want to get a piece. I mean this is one of the few streets in this suburb we haven't hit. Took over an hour to drive out here. I mean you must want to hit one before we go back to the city."
"I said no and I meant it! Now go on, keep having fun. Work up a thirst 'cause when we get to campus I've got only two words for you."
Before he could even say it the three joined in a simultaneous shout, "Beer bong!"
The foursome in the bed of the truck laughed and Carter increased the truck's speed again, making sure to curve extra close to a new row of mailboxes to the right side of the car. Once more the boys were whacking away at the defenseless boxes with the cheers of the girls not far behind.
Lissa was still consumed with looking at Carter though. He was so handsome. Blonde hair, hazel eyes, great build. Probably the best looking boy currently attending Columbia. He had gotten in thanks to his football scholarship and all signs looked good for him to make the big leagues. Few players could actually say that with any confidence but Carter…the NFL was just drooling for him.
Every girl on campus wanted him but he had yet to chose a steady girl. Sure, he'd bedded a lot but there was no one steady. Lissa wanted so badly to be that steady. So she continued with the doe eyes and leaned closer to Carter, trying her best to make the collar of her shirt dip lower.
It was all ready pretty low, almost showing the top of her lacy pink bar but she needed for him to get an eye full of her cleavage, knew that she had to catch his eye somehow and move from there.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lissa trying to be sneaky as she adjusted her top again. He avoided rolling his eyes but just bearly. She was throwing herself at him. It was disgusting. He wasn't quite sure why he didn't just fuck her and get it over with.
After all, she might not be a bad lay but he had all ready pegged her type. Pegged most of the girls on campus actually. It was ironic how Robbie had referred to hitting one of the mailboxes as 'taking a piece'. Because in some ways that's how he felt.
He was a mailbox and every girl he met had a baseball bat and wanted a piece of him. Wanted him because of his bright future and the money therein. Lissa was most definitely one of those.
"You know…we never finished our little talk." She purred, a finger running up and down his corded arm playfully, "What are you thinking about, Carter? Hmm? We can talk and if it's something you need help with I'd be more than happy to-"
Carter's thin patience snapped, "Yeah, I just bet you would. Look, Lissa, just sit back, keep your hands to yourself, and keep quiet, all right."
Lissa let out a little wounded kitten noise and drew back sharply, folding her arms and looking dejectedly out the passenger side window. The sound of another mailbox being destroyed filtered through the air as well as another round of cheers.
------------------------------
When they returned to campus Lissa broke off from the others. Elaine and Alanis were both amazed she wanted to get away, especially Alanis who was known for always speaking before thinking, "Are you crazy?! The guys are gonna go back to the dorm, get drunk and want to have sex! I mean, this is the perfect chance for you to finally move in on Carter. I thought that's what you wanted."
"Carter Willis is - is…oh! I just want to deal with him anymore tonight!" she blustered and turned on her heels, making sure she flounced off in a dramatic fashion. She knew her friends would return to the dorm and she would not deny them that. She wanted them to be there in fact, wanted them to get with the respective boys they had been working on.
But she knew her exit would guarantee their attention tomorrow. They'd bitch along with her and say all the coddling words she wanted to hear. She entered the dorm room she shared with Giselle. The dark haired girl appeared to be out and Lissa was slightly surprised by that.
True, Giselle was just as popular as Lissa but she spent most evenings in. Many a time Lissa had tried to coerce the other girl into joining her and the others but she was rebuffed again and again. Giselle was deeply fixed on her studies. Where could she have gone?
Lissa shook her head and pushed the thought off. It was good that Giselle had finally gone out - she hoped she was having fun. Lissa knew that everyone was having fun right now but her! It was so unfair!
With a little whimper and pout she collapsed on her bed. It was only ten o'clock, normally she was out until past midnight. This was terrible! What was she going to do with all this free time? A manicure? A pedicure? A face mask?
Lissa considered these then vaguely remembered the essay. Ugh, like she wanted to think about that icky film! Besides, she normally looked off Giselle's work for 'inspiration'. Lissa tossed in her bed a few more times then went for a shower. Once she was clean and in her nightgown and robe she settled in front of the TV, a bottle of hot pink nail polish and some cotton balls in hand.
She clicked on the TV and watched a 'Friends' re-run, poking cotton balls between her toes. Once that was done she began painting her toenails, eyes on the screen now and then.
'Friends' ended and a movie started. She noted with some glee that Ben Affleck was on screen. But in this flick he was interested in some blonde who, in Lissa's opinion, was a big no-no. Her breasts were too small and pointy, her face pursed up like she'd been sucking on a lemon for too long. And that voice! So squeaky!
The plot eventually settled in, revealing the girl was a lesbian. Lissa gawked in disgust and flipped the channel. Disgusting! She settled for the newest teen drama and sighed in sympathy as characters went through their normal problems. Her life was just like this - beautiful but oh so troubled. Unfair yet again.
She found her thoughts drifting to Carter. What could he have been thinking about? Was it about school? Football? Or worse, was it about his casual flirting with Susan in class that day.
Ew! Yuck! Lissa's mind flashed back to the Ben Affleck/lesbian flick. Speaking of lesbians! Didn't he know Susan was one of the biggest dykes on campus!? No, probably not. Actually no one really knew at all. But Lissa knew.
She made it her business to know. One day she had been at Persephone, getting her mocha latte and she'd seen Susan and some other girl in the back - gag! - kissing! Lissa could have died! She was bursting at the seams to pick up her cell phone and call all her friends with this new bit of gossip but instead she had held back.
Her instincts told her that somehow this little piece of information could be used to her advantage someday. Remembering this now, she knew her instincts were right. Maybe Carter was thinking about how Susan rebuffed his advances. Maybe Carter was interested in Susan. Well he was in for a shock! Wait until Lissa revealed to him and everyone else that Susan was nothing more than a carpet-muncher!
Or maybe she'd even black-mail the other girl with the information, tell her to back off from Carter or better yet, to try and get Carter interested in her...
Lissa thought over this with an evil, gleeful smile, her toes swinging from side to side as the paint air-dried. Idly she reached for her purse, wondering if any of her girlfriends had called. She withdrew her cell and beamed when she saw she had one message. Now which one of the girls would call her?
Elaine or Alanis?
Then a frown formed. Hey, they were supposed to jam her voice box weren't they? Or at least text messages! Hell, they should have been fighting over it. But then they were probably distracted with their guys. Sighing she clicked a button to retrieve the message, figuring maybe it was both of them together. After all, Elaine could have started the message on her phone then handed it to Alanis to finish up.
The computer voice clicked on, "You have one new message. Message received at two forty three p.m.!"
Two-fourty? That was impossible! She was in class then! So this wasn't Elaine or Alanis - hell, this had nothing to do with what had happened this evening. Who would have called while she was in school? Maybe her mother?
She waited for a voice and at first heard nothing, then a childish voice began singing, "One, two Freddy's coming for you…three, four better lock your door…"
For some reason Lissa gasped, her heart stopping cold. The voice…a little girl. She shook her head and sat up in her seat, clicking a few more buttons. For some reason she couldn't get the phone to list the number where the call had originated from.
She frowned, deeply troubled. Then she relaxed, scowling. It had to be a prank. Some stupid trick. One of her other friends must have called and left it, knowing she'd be in class and that she'd have set her phone on vibrate. And she was notorious for forgetting to check her messages.
Well they would be pleased in having creeped her out. It was too late at night to play such a dirty trick. But the little girl? Did one of her friends have a kid sister or a niece they could have used? Or maybe it was a tech geek using his computer - but then how did they get her number?
Lissa shook her head for the hundredth time and tossed her phone aside, a disgruntled noise leaving her. It was just some dumb prank. Nothing to get worked up over. Even if the voice and what it said sent chills down her spine for some inexplicable reason.
Freddy? Who was that even?
Her eyes tossed about and she saw the collage of cute famous actors she posted up in her side of the dorm room. There was Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, and Freddie Prinze Jr. She giggled and flopped back on her bed, kissing the picture of Freddie quickly, "So you're coming for me, hmm?"
She laughed at the idea and rolled her eyes, "Freddie's coming for me, whatever."
She clicked off a few lights and crawled back into bed under the covers. Her thoughts trailed over Carter a bit more, as well as Susan, but in the darkness of the dorm they couldn't help but return to the eerie, weird phone call.
What class had she been in at two forty three? Smith's. Of course! That was her last class of the day. Thinking of that class made her think of the video again. She rolled over, trying to blot out thoughts of the fire, the water, the dying horse, melting wax, and the man in the hat.
She tried to think of something nicer.
Carter.
Ben Affleck.
Freddie Prinze.
Freddy.
Freddy.
Freddy.
Freddy…
Lissa fell deep into sleep.