Chapter 27 - running to evil

I started to give Nicole the Oxy in small doses when her face convulsed and eyes watered. It was the least I could do. The doctors obviously weren’t giving her enough. I couldn’t do it forever. We both knew that.

That wasn’t the plan. After I picked up the scripts from the Mailbox Etc., I hoped to get one bottle into Daniel’s locker, hidden so that it would only be found in a search. He’d probably pass a drug test, but with so much in his possession, they might think he was a dealer. The second one would have been planted in his bedroom. I’d been there a couple of times before the sex. I would have found a way, into his room as well as making sure the final bottle was discovered. I hadn’t figured that out and now I wouldn’t need to. 

This whole thing had become about more than payback. Daniel came to represent every Y-chromosome jerk I’d dealt with since the day I was born. Balance finally came into my life. Not only could I relieve Nicole of the small bit of the pain I’d caused, I could destroy the boy who’d used us both.

We had a pact, I’d help with her pain and she wouldn’t tell. She didn’t know that I put Daniel’s name on the bottle, but she didn’t need to. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, I would plant the evidence somewhere the Vaughns would find it. The only thing I needed now was patience.

My time would come.

And it did, sooner than I thought.

Thank God for Thanksgiving.

Nanny Bella served the traditional turkey and Dad sat to watch endless football games. I called the Vaughns and made sure they were okay with me coming over the next day. The bottle in my purse had only two pills left.

At about 10:00 a.m., I settled in the orange padded chair next to Nicole's bed. Her head was back against the pillow and her eyes were closed. In a soft voice I told her about my research of the Spartans on the Internet.

“Did you know that these creeps killed their babies? First they would wash the baby in wine after it was born and if it lived, the baby's father took it to this group call the Gerousia. I'm probably pronouncing that wrong. Anyway, this group decided if the kid should live or die. How messed up is that? But that's not the worst part. According to Wikipedia, 'If they considered it "puny and deformed", the baby was thrown into a chasm on Mount Tavgetos also called the Apothetae,’ In Greek that means deposits. Gross."

Nicole groaned.

"They actually dropped their babies off cliffs like dirty diapers in the trash. Or worse, another book said the Spartan's actually would leave weak and defenseless children on top of mountains to be eaten by wild animals. It’s so disgusting."

"Aww." Nicole's face twisted. It took me a minute to realize she didn’t plead for innocent infants. Her pain had returned. A thick drop formed in her eye. I closed my notebook and sneaked over to pull Nicole's bedroom door closed.

"Don’t cry, I’m here.” I hated this part of the day. I hated having to watch her in pain and I was grateful I could actually help relieve it. “Here, drink some water."

"It hurts." A stream leaked down the edge of Nicole's face. I wiped the tears before they could fall on the pillow. "Help me."

"I will."

The first few times I'd slipped the girl a pill, my fingertips tingled. The exhilaration had subsided after about the sixth day. I reached into my purse and pulled out the clean white prescription bottle. The last two pink pills fell out of the childproof container and into my hand. I leaned over the bed and lifted Nicole into a slight sitting position.

"Open up." I slipped one pastel pill into the patient's mouth and provided her with a quick sip of water. "You'll feel better in a sec." Nicole nodded her head and I eased her body back to the bed. "Here's one for later tonight." I tucked it into the folds of the top sheet. "Don't let anyone find it."

"What do you think you're doing?" The voice came from behind me.

I hadn't heard the door open. I palmed the pill bottle and turned around. My stomach rolled like an ocean wave as Daniel glared at me.

Oh my gosh. How much had he seen? The door had been closed and he still had the handle in his hand. “Nicole needed a drink.” I set the water on the night stand with my left hand.

He stood up straight. He didn’t approach, which indicated to me that he hadn’t seen the drug exchange. I exhaled. My moment had come. Unbelievable. This jerk walked in on the day I emptied the first bottle. Perfect. I never ran into him during the other visits, but now he’d be in this room on the same day as I threw the evidence in Nicole’s trash. Behind my back, I rolled the plastic container into the fabric of my t-shirt.  I turned it over and over to remove any fingerprint it might have on it while I told him in a firm tone, "I'm helping my friend."

"Right." I hated how his condescension stung. It shouldn’t. But hearts don’t give up as easily as heads. Not that it mattered. At least I wasn’t about to let my feelings show.

Instead of backing down, I leaned toward him. "What are you doing here? Is she your next victim?"

“Victim?”

“Yeah, seduction. Flirtation. Abandonment.”

“What lies have you been telling her?” He approached me fast.

I pulled away, but didn’t retreat. “Lies? Are you serious?”

“You seduced me this summer.” His teeth tightened as he got into my face and growled in a low voice.  “I was weak I admit it, and I regret that, but you made me cross a line I can’t get back.”

“Don’t play victim with me.”

“You came on to me.”

“Look.” I put my free hand on my hip. I was glad that Nicole hadn’t heard any of this from me before this day. I was glad I kept Daniel’s name from our conversations. He was tacky when he did it and he was proving himself tacky now. “Just admit it, I was just a hit and run. A drive by.”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“Oh really? Tell me, when did you call and break up with me?”

He stabbed a look into me with the same hate I felt for him.

“Don’t act like you aren’t a loser and a user.” I dropped the bottle on the floor and kicked it under her bed. Just as good as the trash, in fact probably better. I turned and grabbed Nicole’s hand. “We know all about you.”

He snatched my hand away. "Don't compare yourself to her."

I was about to slap the mess out of him. I almost ruined the entire plan for the satisfaction of feeling the sting of his skin against mine. He almost destroyed everything. Thank God, Nicole's mother walked in. Nothing could have been more perfect. This jerk was about to be called out. I softened my face and cowered. In words loud enough for her to hear I said innocently, "I'm sorry, Nicole wanted a drink."

He pushed me from the bed. "Stay away from her."

"Daniel! What are you doing?" Mrs. Vaughn put her arm on my shoulder. "Courtney's welcome here anytime. She's a real friend. Nicole's passing history thanks to her."

The shock on Daniel’s face was priceless. “You don’t know her. This is all her fault.”

“He’s right.” I pulled my purse onto my slacked shoulder and picked up the homework we'd been working on. A couple of pages slipped out, and Daniel rushed to picked them up.

He glared at me then read the page.

I held the book in my lap with my head down and waited. Stupid jerk, what could I do with a piece of paper? Once he was satisfied that I wasn't stealing state secrets he shoved the page back in my direction.

"I'd better go," I told Mrs. Vaughn.

"Don't." She pulled me into a sideways hug. “Daniel, you owe my guest an apology.”

He stuttered while I tipped my head down. "He has a right to be angry."

"Don't be silly."

"No, he does. It’s my fault Nicole’s hurt."

"Don't do that to yourself." Mrs. Vaughn fully embraced me. She rocked me back and forth. It didn’t feel like the love of swinging, but I imagined it must be close. “The fall was an accident. No one blames you. Isn't that right, Daniel?"

Before he could answer a soft sound came from the bed. Daniel hushed us. "Nicole wants to say something. Go ahead, babe, what is it? We're listening."

A whisper, soft as a feather landing on snow came from the bedridden girl. I heard it. By the expressions on the faces of the other two people in the room, they did too.

"Thank you, Courtney." Nicole smiled softly.

"You're welcome," I whispered back, waving toward the bed. Perfect timing. It worked. For weeks I imagined I’d celebrate the way a bank robber relishes a heist, but a coldness came over me as Mrs. Vaughn let go. I walked out to my car and into the November sun ready to leave all this high-school mess behind me.

I’d never really fought a boy before. Throughout middle school and high school, I’d always seen girls as my enemies. Starting with my mother, I’d always blamed her for my father’s distance. Everyone said I looked just like her because of my curly red hair. Father thought so too. He and Kat and Aunt Constance all had fine blond hair. But that didn’t matter today. I wasn’t battling with any of them. Daniel was my enemy. Him and all the guys he represented. This would be the test to see if I could beat a boy. Not with fists, but with cunning. The true test of my plan didn’t come the day after Thanksgiving, but a full ten days later.