Suffer II (11 page)

Karla wasn’t the only person Emily was trying to protect from her troubles. Dawson was the love of her life, and she didn’t want him involved in any way. She knew he was doing his best to leave Boudreaux and everything that happened in the town behind him. She also knew, if she told him what was happening to her, he’d be on the first plane back. She admired his bravery and his determination to start a new life in a new place. She didn’t want to take anything from him.

Emily could no longer make the call to Dawson for help, but Kate could. He was on a plane the next morning. He stayed with the team in their rental house until their plan to isolate Brittany and Tyler could be executed. It was difficult for him not to run out, find his brother, and persuade him to tell them everything he knew.

When he arrived, Grey handed him a copy of Emily’s journals. When Grey read them, he couldn’t put a voice to the words written on paper. Dawson could. Grey knew he’d be reading them with Emily’s voice in his head. He knew his heart would be broken when he finished.

“She kept a journal, Tyler,” said Dawson, pulling a chair out of the kitchen. “That’s what they meant when they said she wrote everything down. She told us what happened the night you two were alone in your truck.”

“Nothing happened,” said Tyler. “Yes, I grabbed her and tried to keep her from getting out, but it’s because I just wanted to talk to her. I wanted to help her.”

“Stop lying to me,” said Dawson, narrowing his eyes at his brother. “You grabbed her, called her a whore, and ripped her shirt open. You asked her why she wouldn’t give it up to you when she was giving it up to everyone else.”

Grey felt Chief lean forward on the couch to slow down the conversation, so he put his hand on his arm to ease him back. Grey knew Dawson would be able to push the right buttons that would send Tyler into a rage. He knew the truth would be imbedded in his anger.

“It was Emily, for God’s sake,” said Dawson. “Emily! How could you do that to her?”

“How could I do that to her?” asked Tyler, glaring at his brother. “You mean, how could
you
do that to her.”

“What are you talking about? I never did anything to her.”

“Really? Oh, that’s right. You just fucked her and then left town. She loved you and you just shit on her. You shit on all of us.”

“You’re about to cross a line you don’t want to cross, little brother,” said Dawson, sitting up straight in his chair. “You know nothing about how I felt for Emily. Nothing.”

“You didn’t feel anything at all,” said Tyler, remaining defiant. “You left me alone here to deal with dad, and you left Emily alone to deal with her mother. All you wanted to do was run like a coward. So don’t sit there and try to convince me that you cared about any of us.”

“You just crossed that line,” said Dawson, clenching his jaw.

“I’m not afraid of you,” said Tyler. “You lost that big brother privilege when you ran. You coming back here isn’t going to change anything. Emily is still going to be dead, and you’re still going to be a coward.”

Dawson was on top of Tyler in the blink of an eye. He flew out of his chair and knocked Tyler out of his. Before his little brother could react, Dawson had him pinned to the ground as he cocked his fist to deliver the first blow. Grey grabbed his arm before he could unload the punch while Chief wrapped his arms around Tyler’s neck.

“Let him go!” said Tyler. “Let him hit me! He needs to know he’s just like our dad. He’s a worthless piece of shit who doesn’t care about anything but himself. Let him do it. I don’t care!”

“What?” said Dawson, allowing Chief to pull him off of Tyler. “I’m just like dad? Is that what you really think of me?”

“Yes,” said Tyler, sliding back and sitting against the wall. “You left me like he did. You left me so you could start a better life somewhere else. Dad left me for a bottle of booze. Emily left me because I loved her too much.”

All four men were sitting on the floor in the living room. Tyler wiped a trickle of blood off of his chin. Dawson ran his fingers through tussled hair and then dropped his head into his hands. Grey and Chief looked at each other, waiting for someone to speak.

“Have I ever lied to you?” asked Dawson, raising his head. “In my life, have I ever lied to you about anything?”

“No,” said Tyler. “You haven’t.”

“Then believe me when I tell you this, little brother. I was coming back for you and Em. I’ve been saving everything I’ve earned, and I put in for a transfer to a rig in Mississippi. As soon as you two graduated from high school and I got the transfer, I was coming back for you.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” asked Tyler.

“Emily knew,” said Dawson. “She told me she didn’t get the scholarship to LSU, so it didn’t matter where she went to school. I told her there was a good junior college in Mississippi where you both could go while I worked. I even signed a lease on a house for us. All of us. When I first told her, she was excited and looking forward to starting over somewhere else, just like I was.

“I knew something was wrong with Em, but she never told me how serious the trouble was. I figured it was just this godforsaken shithole of a town and the stress of taking care of her mother. Before she was supposed to graduate, our phone calls became shorter and less frequent. During our last conversation, she told me not to come back for her. I had no idea how bad it really was until Kate called me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” asked Tyler.

“I didn’t tell you because I thought you needed to do a little growing up. You rely on everyone else to make you feel like you’re worth something. I know different, but I wanted you to figure it out on your own. I didn’t know what was going on here, Tyler. I swear, I didn’t.”

“If you cared about her so much, how could you leave her?” asked Tyler.

“I didn’t just care about her, Tyler. I loved her. More than you or anyone else knew, including Emily. I never pushed it because we were on completely different paths. I wanted to get away from Boudreaux, and she wanted to go to LSU. My plan was to become rich in the oil business, and she wanted to be a marine biologist. Not exactly a perfect match.

“But I realized my plans didn’t matter as soon as I got on that plane. It broke my heart leaving her, and I started missing her before the wheels left the ground.”

“Did you know about her and Conner?” asked Tyler.

“There was no her and Conner,” said Dawson.

“I’m sorry, but there was. I saw them together with my own eyes. It’s when I realized Emily wasn’t the girl we thought she was. She lied about it to me and Brittany. It’s when all of this mess started. She should’ve just told us the truth.”

It was as if a bolt of lightning shot through Grey and Chief. After the initial shock, Grey’s shoulders dropped as he exhaled. It was the moment they realized Emily died because of a kiss.

“What did you see?” asked Chief. “Tell me exactly.”

“I used to help Emily with yard work and things around the house that needed fixing,” said Tyler. “I normally did in on Sunday mornings. One day I showed up on Saturday and saw Conner’s car. I went around back and saw them having sex on the back porch.”

“No, son,” said Chief. “You didn’t see them having sex. You saw Conner kiss her. Nothing else happened.”

“How do you know what I saw?” asked Tyler, raising his voice. “I was there. You weren’t.”

“Emily wrote about that day in her journal,” said Grey. “She was tutoring Conner because he needed to qualify for a scholarship. He didn’t want anyone to know he was having trouble with his grades. He made her promise not to tell Brittany. They met up in secret after school and on one particular Saturday.”

“Just like every other teenage boy in this town, he fell hard for Emily,” said Chief. “She liked him, but not in that way. He stole that kiss, Tyler. It was the only time they ever studied at her house. The same day you went to do yard work.”

“One kiss, Tyler,” said Grey. “That’s all it was. She may not have slapped him, but she realized as soon as it happed that it was a mistake. She became very upset and told him that it would never happen again. She knew how Brittany felt about Conner and ended the tutoring as well. She wrote that her friendship with Brittany was more important than a boy.”

Chief stood and walked into the kitchen. There was a copy of Emily’s journal sitting on the table. He flipped through the pages until he found the entry about that day. He returned to the living room and handed it to Tyler.

“Here,” said Chief. “Don’t take our word for it. Take Emily’s.”

Tyler looked over at his brother before lowering his eyes to the pages. Grey and Chief sat in silence as he read. They knew the impact of his realization would be traumatic. After a few minutes he closed the journal, but didn’t raise his head. They gave him a moment to let her words sink in.

“When you saw them, it hit you like a ton of white-hot bricks,” said Grey. “You only saw the kiss, but your brain kept pushing it forward after you left. All you could think about was them being together. In your head, you believed the inevitable happened. You made yourself believe that they were having sex.”

“They didn’t, Tyler,” said Chief. “He left a few minutes after you did, and she was never alone with him again. She made sure of it.”

“When did you tell Brittany?” asked Grey, snapping him out of his trance.

“That afternoon,” said Tyler, whispering.

“What?” asked Dawson.

“That afternoon I called her,” said Tyler, raising his voice. “I was so angry. I told her I saw them together.”

“Together?” asked Dawson. “You told her they were having sex, didn’t you?”

“I–I thought they were,” said Tyler, stammering. “I mean, in my head. That’s what I saw.”

“How did she react?” asked Grey.

“She didn’t really react at all,” said Tyler. “She told me she was with her mom and that she’d call me later. She told me not to tell anyone until we talked. She made me promise.”

“Did you tell anyone else?”

“No,” said Tyler, looking at Dawson. “Oh my, God. This is my fault. All of this is my fault.”

“What’s your fault?” asked Dawson. “What did you do?”

“I let it happen,” said Tyler, becoming distant and staring at a blank wall. “I just let it happen.”

“Tyler!” said Dawson, startling his brother. “Let what happen?”

“I brought her to the party, and I helped her set everything up,” said Tyler. “I let her do that to Emily.”

“Brittany?” asked Chief.

“Yes,” said Tyler, holding his stare at nothing.

“What did she do to her?” asked Dawson. “You have to tell me, Tyler. What did she do to Emily?”

“I can’t,” said Tyler. “You won’t forgive me. You won’t be my brother anymore.”

Tyler got out of his truck as Emily walked down her front porch stairs. It was the first time he had seen her outside of school since he put his hands on her two months earlier. He leaned against the bumper, put his hands in his pockets, and lowered his head.

“I still can’t believe I did that to you,” said Tyler, looking at the ground. “I’m so sorry, Em. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“You’ve already apologized and it’s really okay,” said Emily. “I know you didn’t mean those things you said, but you still owe me a new shirt.”

“I’ll take you shopping tomorrow,” said Tyler, raising his head. “I really was just trying to get you to stay in the truck. I didn’t mean to tear it or grab you so hard. I promise you it’ll never happen again.”

“I believe you,” said Emily, walking to him and giving him a hug. “It’s no big deal. Let’s just forget it ever happened, okay?”

“Deal.”

“How’s Brittany been?” asked Emily. “I haven’t talked to her in forever. She seems a little distant lately.”

“She’s been that way to me too, but I found out why,” said Tyler. “She and Conner are having issues. I think they’ve worked it out. I’m pretty sure he’ll be there tonight.”

“Cool,” said Emily. “You ready to go?”

“Absolutely,” said Tyler, smiling. “Let’s go have some fun.”

They talked and laughed during the drive to Brittany’s house. Her annual Christmas party had been the talk of the school since their freshman year. When they arrived, Emily noticed that the field beside their home where everyone parked was empty. There were four cars in the long driveway and a few against the curb, but it was nowhere near the amount of people she expected to see.

“Where is everyone?” asked Emily.

“I don’t know,” said Tyler, parking. “I guess we’re early.”

“Hey, girl!” said Brittany, skipping out of the front door as they walked up the driveway.

“Well, hello, happy,” said Emily, accepting a tight hug. “You’re in a very good mood.”

“I’ve missed you. I haven’t seen you in forever.”

“I know. I’m sorry. Between school and my mom, I haven’t had much free time.”

“You’ve got it tonight and that’s all that matters.”

“Are we early?” asked Emily, looking around.

“Nope,” said Brittany. “I just invited a few people. I wanted us to be able to spend time together. Come inside, it’s freezing out here. I put a little something in the eggnog to warm us up.”

They walked inside and into a holiday wonderland. Christmas was Mrs. Greene’s favorite time of the year, and she held nothing back when decorating her large home. A Christmas tree in each of the three main rooms was just the beginning.

Emily recognized most of the people at the small party, but they were all more Brittany’s friends than hers. There were a few faces she didn’t recognize. Brittany introduced them as family friends who didn’t live in Terrebonne Parish.

“Are your parents here?” asked Emily, accepting a glass of eggnog from Brittany.

“No. They’re at some charity party in New Orleans. They won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon. It’s one of the reasons why we kept the party small. You know how my dad gets.”

“Aw, I was kind of hoping to see them.”

“Aren’t you staying here tonight?” asked Brittany.

“No, I can’t,” said Emily, taking a sip of her drink. “My mom’s been pretty bad lately. I don’t want her waking up tomorrow to an empty house. I’m afraid she’ll wander out looking for me.”

“That sucks,” said Brittany. “I wanted you to stay with me tonight.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” said Emily, taking a longer drink. “Wow, this is really good. What’s in it?”

Brittany was instructed to make sure Emily drank the first glass quickly. She was told the window of opportunity would be small. By the time she finished the second eggnog that contained the GHB and Ambien, Brittany would have less than an hour before Emily would be unconscious. The amount of cocaine and other narcotics would have little effect on her, but there was enough in the mixture to be detected in a drug test.

Since the phone call from Tyler that he caught Emily and Conner having sex on her back porch, Brittany knew she had to be patient. After a few indirect questions, Brittany was convinced Emily and Conner were lying to her about their relationship. Conner said he had never been to Emily’s house. Emily said the same. It was enough to send her into a quiet, jealous rage.

Brittany was in love with Conner. A love that she knew needed to be protected at all cost. He was the one, and there would never be another. Her dream of fame and fortune as the wife of a professional football player was slipping through her fingers. Hurting Conner would kill the dream forever. Hurting Emily would save it. She had to ensure that he would never be with her. Emily was no longer Brittany’s best friend. She was an obstacle that needed to be removed.

“Seriously,” said Emily, sitting down after her second drink. “What’s in this? I’m feeling weird.”

“I told you,” said Brittany, “something that will warm you up. It’s just a little rum.”

“You really do want me to stay tonight,” said Emily, stretching out on the couch. “It was more than a little, Brit. I think I’m already drunk.”

“Good,” said Brittany, smiling. “You need to relax and blow off a little steam.”

“Okay,” said Emily, laughing and throwing her hands in the air. “One more, bartender!”

A few minutes later, Emily tried to stand, but fell back into the couch. Her laughing eased and she became lethargic. When she started to babble and slur her words, Brittany knew it was time to get started.

“Let’s get her upstairs,” said Brittany, looking at Tyler. “Then you need to leave. I’ll call you when it’s time to come back and take her home.”

Tyler helped Emily walk to the spare bedroom on the second floor. Before he walked out of the room, he watched Brittany take off Emily’s shirt and bra. He closed the door behind him as she was unzipping her pants.

He went into the kitchen to make a stiff drink before he left. As instructed by Brittany, most of people at the party were already gone. When he reached the front door to leave, he saw Mark Hall and his friend, Greg Jones, walk up the stairs.

She never mentioned to him that there would be the boys involved in their plan. It was Tyler’s last chance to stop Brittany. He finished the glass before he turned and walked away.

“Hell, yes!” said Mark, staring at Emily’s naked body. “Look at those big tits!”

She mumbled a few incoherent words and tried to cover herself with a sheet. Mark walked over to the bed and pulled it off of her. With one hand squeezing her breast and the other between her legs, he told Greg to undress. He complied as Brittany picked up the digital camera from the dresser.

“Remember what I told you,” said Brittany. “You have to make it look like she’s doing both of you.”

“Don’t worry about that,” said Mark, rubbing his crotch. “It’ll look real.”

“You need to hurry,” said Brittany. “She’ll be passed out in a few minutes. It won’t work if she looks like she’s out cold.”

“Okay, Greg,” said Mark. “Mount up.”

Greg helped Mark turn Brittany onto her stomach. They pulled her up so she was on her hands and knees. Emily tried to push Greg away, but she had little strength and the room was closing in around her.

“Put your dick in her mouth,” said Mark, holding Emily up by her hips.

“What if she bites it?” asked Greg.

“Just do it, motherfucker!”

“Hurry up!” said Brittany, starting to take photos. “She’s passing out.”

“No, she won’t,” said Mark, forcing himself into her. “Damn, she’s tight.”

“What are you doing?” asked Brittany, lowering the camera. “I told you not to do that, asshole!”

“Too late for that now,” said Mark, clenching his teeth. “This uppity bitch deserves it. She owes me. Just take the goddamned pictures.”

There was nothing Brittany could do to stop them. She took more photos as Emily choked on Greg and Mark slammed himself into her from behind. After a few minutes, Emily went limp, but the two boys didn’t stop until they were both satisfied.

“I told you I’d make it look real,” said Mark, pulling up his pants. “You want some of this before I put it away?”

“You’re disgusting,” said Brittany, taking the data card out of the camera. “I never told you to do that.”

“What?” said Mark. “Are you gonna call the cops now? I’m sure they’d love to hear how you drugged her and told us to make it look like your best friend was fucking two guys. The way I see it, we both got what we wanted. You got your photos, and I got to teach this bitch a lesson about blowing me off.”

“What if she remembers what happened?” asked Brittany.

“She won’t,” said Mark. “I’ve used that shit before. It works every time.”

“Make sure my face isn’t in any of those pictures,” said Greg.

“It won’t be,” said Brittany. “Just hers.”

“Leave mine in when you show Conner,” said Mark. “I want him to know it was me that hit it.”

“Fine,” said Brittany. “I don’t care.”

Tyler returned to find Emily passed out on the couch. Brittany asked him if he wanted to see the photos, but he declined. He felt guilty for letting it happen, but the feeling wasn’t strong enough to overpower his need for revenge.

He thought about how Emily had been pushing him aside for years. Tyler believed she had changed and had become cold and selfish. Sleeping with Conner proved she didn’t care about anyone but herself. She needed to be punished for hurting the only two people in Boudreaux who truly cared about her.

Brittany needed Tyler for her plan to embarrass and disgrace Emily. Leaking photos to Conner showing her having sex with two guys would end their secret relationship. Having drugs in her system would end her chances of winning an academic scholarship to LSU.

When Tyler told Brittany about Conner, she told him that Emily also had sex with Dawson over the summer break. She needed him to be so enraged that he would do whatever she asked of him. He came close to ruining her plans when he confronted Emily in his truck. In Tyler’s mind, she was having sex with everyone else but him.

Brittany convinced Tyler that he would be Emily’s only friend when her world fell apart. She told him it would be a perfect opportunity for him to become her hero. In spite of knowing she had been with other guys, he still wanted her. Brittany promised to make that happen for him.

“Take her home and then come back here,” said Brittany. “She’ll call me as soon as she wakes up.”

“How are you going to get her to go to the hospital?” asked Tyler. “You said she won’t remember anything.”

“Don’t worry about that,” said Brittany. “She’ll go after I show her the pictures.”

“Do you still need me to go with you?”

“Yes, Tyler,” said Brittany, becoming irritated. “How many times do we have to go over this? You have to be there with me. It’s the only way this will work.”

“Okay,” said Tyler, calming her. “I just want to make sure I get everything right.”

“I’ll be doing most of the talking,” said Brittany. “In fact, I don’t really want you saying anything. All you have to do is back up my story. We’ll go over it again later.”

“Are you going to call the cops?”

“No,” said Brittany. “The hospital will.”