Under a Thunder Moon (4 page)

              “Nice! I am a little jealous though. I always wanted to hook up with Amy.”

              “Oh and let me tell you Mike she was real into it too. Amy was all looking right into the camera and everything. She put on a real good show, and gave one hell of a blow job. I can’t wait until Alyssa checks her email later and gets an eye full of her friend in action.”

              “You’re one wicked bastard Jim.”

             
“Thanks Mike it’s a gift.”

              “Well then that will be that with Alyssa then won’t it?”

             
“I wish it was that easy.”

             
“What do you mean Jim?”

             
“Well I just can’t let this shit go that easily… They both stabbed me in the fuckin’ back. They betrayed me!”

              “You know how far back me and Trailer Park go?  Hell all of us for that matter go back to Junior High School up until now. Ten years later. Then me and Alyssa have been together for almost two years.”

             
“I hear you Jim, but you don’t want to do anything crazy do you? Because we got that meeting to ink that record deal with Blues Breaker Records next week. Now you got this new chick back here tonight that is definitely into you. Maybe you should just let it go Jim. Channel that anger into a song or something.”

              “No can do Mike.”

             
“I hear you Jim,” Mike said, “So you are sending the video to Alyssa, and then what?  Kick Trailer Parks ass?”

             
“Yeah for starters.”

             
“Then what are you going to do Jim?”

             
“With you dead and gone… that’s the only way I’ll be satisfied,”
Jim sang the last line from the new song. “All great things are forged in blood. We can consider Alyssa and Trailer Park our sacrifice to the Gods of Rock-n-Roll,” Jim said, “Are you in Mike?”

              “Hell Yeah I am in, but you know I had to make at least a weak attempt to talk you out of your murderous thoughts.”

             
“You sure ain’t shittin’ about a weak attempt.”

             
“Well I never liked Trailer Park anyway. So what’s the plan of attack?”

             
“Oh I’ve got a few ideas Mike,” Jim said with a sinister grin.

             
“I bet you do Jim.”

             
“Yeah, but tonight we’ll hang with these chicks and get our kicks.”

             
“Hell yeah!”

             
“Hey,” Jim said, “Here’s Tyler with our good time women now.”

8

             
April screamed excitedly
when she came into the dressing room. She ran over to Mike and wrapped her arms around him.

              “Way to play it cool April,” Katrina said.

             
“Fuck playing it cool,” April said, “I’ve wanted to get this close to Mike for a long time.” She kissed Mike before he could have a chance to resist.

              “I have to agree with you there April,” Katrina said. Then she wrapped her arms around Jim’s waist, pulled him close to her, and kissed him.

              “Well Jenny it looks like it is you and me,” Tyler said, in a goofy Forest Gump voice. “We can be like peas and carrots Jenny.”

             
“You are too weird,” Jenny said, “but I like weird.”

              Paul came back into the dressing room. His awkward presence broke up the backstage love fest. He saw Katrina and Jim kissing.

              “Hey it’s TP!” Tyler said.

              “Yeah guys I got the van around back,” Paul said. “I am ready to get going when you are.”

             
“Right Trailer Park let’s get the go going,” Jim said.

             
“Hey why don’t we all go back to the Boat House,” Mike asked.

             
“Sounds good to me,” Jim said. “Are y’all interested in coming along?”

              “Yes,” Katrina said, “but I am riding with you Jim. I am not letting you get away from me tonight.”

             
“Aren’t you the possessive one,” Jim said.

              “Alright let’s blow this taco stand,” Tyler said. Then he scooped Jenny off her feet and carried her out to the van, while everyone else followed.

              “Hey Katrina,” April said, “Did you tell Jim about the weird thing we saw in the parking lot?”

             
“No, not yet,” Katrina said.

             
“What did you see?”

             
“Well Jim,” Katrina said, “we saw…”

              Paul couldn’t believe this was happening. He tripped and smacked his mug on the fire exit door, and then stumbled down the steps. He had dropped his cell phone. April quickly snatched it up before Paul could even realize it was missing.

              “What the hell just happened to you Trailer Park?” Mike said, “Were you drinking tonight? ‘Cause you weren’t supposed to be boozin’ it up TP. You know Main Street in Bay Shore has Cops crawlin’ all over the damn place.”

             
“No I wasn’t drinking. I just tripped on something,” Paul said

             
“Come on let’s go,” Jim said, and everyone piled into the van with Paul at the wheel.

9

             
Alyssa was still shaking
from Jim’s performance. She closed her apartment door and turned on the light. She was greeted by her hungry cat rubbing up against her leg. The cat was underfoot tripping her a little as she walked into the kitchen.

              “Silly cat,” Alyssa said, “are you trying to break my neck? I am sorry baby girl that I haven’t fed you yet today.”

              Alyssa pulled out a can of
Fancy Feast
from the cabinet, opened it up, and plopped it on a plate.

             
“Here you go Jasmine,” Alyssa said, “eat up.”

              Then Alyssa pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Slowly letting out a cloud of smoke, she stared out the window into the darkness, and at her reflection. She just couldn’t shake this bad feeling she had about Jim.

             
The way he sang that song, and pointed his fingers at her like a gun. It gave her a cold chill down her spine all over again.

              Things have been rocky the past couple of months. She had blamed herself for that. Maybe it is time to end it with Jim she thought, and what hook up with Paul? Maybe?

              Alyssa turned from the window to her lap top computer on the kitchen table. The screensaver was a picture of her and Jim. She looked at it for awhile. It was when she and Jim were on their first date and had taken the ferry over to Fire Island. Jim had his arm around her on the beach. Jasmine came and jumped up on her lap looking for attention. Alyssa signed in to check her email as she petted the cat.

              “I am just too wired up to go to sleep Jasmine, and Jim will probably call soon. The show is over by now. Jim and the band will probably do some drinking at the Boat House where they rehearse, and jam the night away.  Anyway let’s check the email. Oh it looks like I’ve got a message from Jim…”

              Alyssa read the subject line “A sweet surprise for you.” “I wonder what this could be… a video.” Alyssa downloaded the video and hit play. The black screen went to a shaky image of Jim’s living room. “Hey! What the hell is Amy doing there?”

              Alyssa watched in horrid disbelief as Amy peeled off her pink baby-doll tank top, and knelt down between Jim’s legs. Alyssa shot up out of her seat, as her best friend went down on Jim. Alyssa covered her ears to try to block out the groans and slurping sounds coming from her computer. Her stomach twisted in a knot. She threw up in the kitchen sink. Finally the sucking stopped and the screen faded to black. Then suddenly Jim’s face popped up on the computer screen.

             
“Hey Alyssa,” Jim said, “I know all about you and Trailer Park bitch! And I want you to know baby… There is only one way I’ll be satisfied.” Then Jim faded to black.

              “Holy shit Jim knows!” Her hands shook as she lit another cigarette. “I’ve got to warn Paul.” Alyssa called Paul on his cell phone.

“Come on Paul answer the
fucking phone!”

              Alyssa got Paul’s voice mail. She decided to text him instead. She sent Paul this urgent message… “JIM KNOWS!”

10

             
Paul’s cell phone buzzed
in April’s purse. She pulled it out and looked at it. She saw there wasn’t a message, and put the cell phone back. Just as Paul pulled the van into Mike Vans father’s boat yard at the Maple Avenue dock in Bay Shore, the cell phone in April’s purse buzzed again.

              “Damn you are popular tonight April,” Katrina said.

             
“Yeah I guess I am,” April said, taking out the cell phone again. “This time I’ve got a text message. Hey look at this Katrina.” Then April showed her the text message on Paul’s cell phone.

              Katrina read the message from Alyssa on Paul’s cell phone, “JIM KNOWS!” Then she motioned towards Paul and asked in a low whisper “is that his…”

             
“Yeah it is,” April said.

             
“April let me borrow your phone a minute,” Katrina said. She took Paul’s cell phone from her as everyone was getting out of the van.

              “Jim can I talk to you alone a minute,” Katrina asked, taking him by the hand.

             
“Sure,” Jim said, and led her towards the edge of the dock out of earshot, while Paul, Tyler, and Mike unloaded the equipment.

              Paul had a bad feeling about this and wondered if he should get going while the going was good. He thought it might look suspicious, but even if that bitch did tell Jim what she saw it would be his word against some slut trying to get him away from his girlfriend. Jim would believe me over her… wouldn’t he?

              “Jim,” Katrina said, “I was going to wait on this, but I figured I should get it out in the open. I was trying to think of a good time to tell you, but there isn’t going to be one. So I will tell you now.”

             
“What is it Katrina… you aren’t going to tell me you are a dude or something are you?”

             
“No Jim it is this,” and then Katrina handed him Paul’s cell phone.

              Jim read the text message from Alyssa. “JIM KNOWS!” He smiled a devilish grin.

              “Where did you get this phone from Katrina?”

             
“April got it somehow, but why are you smiling?”

             
“It is this sort of a little game I am playing with Alyssa and Trailer Park.”

             
“What game is that?”

             
“Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about Katrina,” Jim said, looking out at the dark water of The Great South Bay.

              “Um Jim I don’t want to, but I have something else to show you.”