“Hell, as far as I'm concerned, you're my hero.”
I looked up at Rose and stared in disbelief. “How in the hell am I a hero? Didn't you see what I just did?”
She smiled softly and patted me gently on my head. “Yeah, I did. You just saved me from possibly being raped by that drunk asshole. And who knows? Maybe you saved other girls too. C'mon, let’s go back to my place. You can spend the night there, and if you promise not to snore, then I promise not to kick you out of bed in the middle of the night.”
I looked at the man still crumpled before me. “But what about him? We just can't leave him here.”
“Well, the hardware store won't be open until the morning, so I don't know where we could stash him until we can buy the cement and rope.”
“That's not funny, Rose.”
She laughed and reached down to pull me up. “You'll be laughing about it later. For now, why don't you go wait while I run in, and tell someone that he's out here.”
I nodded as the shock started to wear off, leaving uncontrollable tremors racking my body. Rose quickly went inside to relay the message. I was unable to look away from him. I replayed over and over again his body as it impacted and crumpled to the ground. While I stood there, motionless. Emotionally barren. I began to fear myself and what I could unknowingly do to people. “I'll never be able to laugh about this—” I whispered as silent tears ran unnoticed down my face.
Chapter Fifteen
I woke up with a jolt. I sat up and stared at the unfamiliar surroundings. It took me a moment to remember where I was. Rose's sleepy mumblings only concurred the fact that I was at Rose's apartment. I looked over and watched as Rose pulled a pillow over her head and buried herself further into the covers.
I rose quietly and tried not to wake her as I tiptoed to the door where my shoes lay. I picked them up and grabbed my car keys and phone off of the side table. I crept to the bedroom door, opened it, and silently shut it behind me. I breathed out a sigh of relief as I made my way down the hallway to the living room. I screeched when I felt a hand lightly tap on my shoulder. I turned around quickly and put my hand over my racing heart as I looked into the familiar eyes of Mary Beth.
“Holy crap, you scared me!”
She frowned slightly and made a tsking noise. “Language, dearie. I know it wasn't that bad, but still, you're a lady and should speak as one.” She motioned for me to follow her as she made her way to the kitchen. She stood in front of the refrigerator and started pulling out eggs, shredded cheese, and chunks of ham. She placed them on the kitchen isle, and grabbed a spatula, gesturing for me to sit. “Go on, have a seat while I whip us up some breakfast.”
I looked longingly at the door. “I really should be going home, my parents—”
“I called your mother last night after you two got home, making sure they knew where you were. I was surprised when I found out that your mother and father didn't even know that you ever made it home.” She threw a disapproving look over her shoulder and slid a cup of coffee my way.
I sat wearily onto the isle's bar stool. “Thanks.” I said, nodding to the cup of coffee. “I know. I went home and heard them talking—”
“I know that as well, which is why I'm not raising hell with you right now. Your mother realized it too once she had a chance to calm down.”
“Oh.” I relaxed, letting the stress fade from my body.
“That doesn't mean I'll make this any easier on you though.”
I looked up and met Mary Beth's gaze. “Look, I'm sorry. I just—”
“I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, Starlette, and you know it. You're going to eat, then go home and talk to your parents. Even though you spent the night here I know they're still worried.”
I nodded and started to trace patterns on the isle's marble top, refusing to meet Mary Beth's gaze. She turned back to the stove, poured the egg mix into the hot skillet and waited for the omelet to cook.
Some zombie like moaning coming from the hallway. I turned around to see a very bedraggled Rose making her way to us. Her short hair was sticking up every which way, half of it plastered to the side of her head. Her Rainbow Bright pajamas were back, but hung crookedly from her body. She looked like a pissed off peacock.
“Morning sunshine!” I said cheerfully, laughing when Rose flipped me off. “Well aren't you all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning.”
“Uuung.” A smiling Mary Beth walked over and gave Rose a quick kiss on the top of her head while handing her a cup of coffee.
“Morning, love.” She said while eying her daughter’s appearance. “Did you sleep all right, dearie?”
She downed half the coffee before sending a glare my way. “No, someone is a freaking bed hog.”
I grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, forgot to tell you about that last night.”
“Just remind me next time to get the cot out of the attic. That way when you get the urge to go all sumo wrestler in your sleep, you can just fall onto the floor instead of shoving me out of the bed.”
“Deal.” I replied, clinking my cup of coffee against hers.
Mary Beth looked between the two of us and bestowed a beautiful smile upon us. We grinned in return while the heavenly scent of omelets permeated the air.
“So, what’s on the menu for today? Should I expect any more fun like last night?” Rose asked sarcastically.
I tensed and sent a sideways look toward Mary Beth. Not seeing any obvious interest coming from her, I turned back to Rose. “No, nothing like last night. I don't think I could handle any more of that.” I whispered.
She rolled her eyes and looked at me. “It wasn't that bad. We did have some fun before all the shit hit the fan. And why are we whispering? Are we going all secret ninja about your ‘incidents’?”
“Dude! Your mom is right there!” I hissed, nodding my head toward Mary Beth who was busy dividing the omelet onto plates.
She smirked and nudged me in the ribs. I didn't think it was funny. “Just watch,” she whispered. “Hey Mom!” she practically shouted. Mary Beth jumped and whipped around, nearly dropping one of the plates.
“Holy Mother, Rose! You know better than to shout when I'm distracted.”
“Sorry, just wanted to see if you had anything planned for me to do today.”
“Nothing that I can remember this moment. You go on out and have fun. I'll call you if I need anything.”
“Okay, thanks Mom.”
“You're welcome.” She replied distractedly, already focused on the task in front of her.
Rose leaned closer to me. “See? There's no need to whisper when mom's busy. She completely zones out when she has something to focus on. Took me twenty minutes once to get her attention when she was re-arranging a shelf.”
We looked up as Mary Beth set the plates in front of them. “Now, make sure you do the dishes after you girls are done. I have to run down to the shop and work on some paperwork. Oh, and make sure you lock the door behind you when you leave, Rose.” With a distracted wave she left, leaving us to stare after her.
“I seriously don't want to go home.”
“It can't be that bad.” I followed her to her room so she could get dressed. I was going to miss those pajamas.
I sat on the edge of the bed and ran my fingers roughly through my hair while Rose sorted through her over flowing closet. I laid back with a sigh and looked up at the ceiling. “They think I'm going insane.”
Rose paused and looked over her shoulder at me. “Who? Your parents?”
I nodded and turned over onto my side, propping my head up with my hand. “Yeah, I overheard them talking yesterday. It's why I came over here. I didn't want to be at home with them after that.”