Ricky:Thx.:)
He put his phone in his pocket, laughing.
“What’s so funny?” his ride asked.
“My friend cracks me up, that’s all.”
“Is your friend gonna pick you up?”
“Yep. She said she’ll be there.”
There was a long pause. “What’s your friend’s name?”
“Kylie. Why?”
Ricky heard the guy suck in his breath. “Kylie. I know a Kylie. Beautiful, blonde, perfect pair of tits. Is that the same Kylie?”
Ricky jerked his head back. “What?”
“Is that the Kylie you’re talking about? She’s a sophomore and her roommate is Taylor.”
He detected a hard edge to the guy’s voice, and his hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were turning white. “How do you know Kylie?” Ricky asked.
“We go back a while. Her dad is someone I’ve known of for a long time.” He glanced in Ricky’s direction, and he noticed the guy was clenching his jaw real tight. Ricky was definitely getting a weird vibe from him. He stared back, his face reflected in the man’s mirrored lenses. “You fucking her?”
“What?” Ricky gasped. “I don’t like the way you’re talking about Kylie. She’s a nice person.”
“I didn’t ask if she was nice. I want to know if she’s nasty.” He rounded the corner at Thirteenth Street. “While you were in Vegas, she fucked her brains out with an asshole Insurgent. I’m sure you know that. I didn’t think she’d do anything that slutty, did you?”
When the driver passed right by Washington Street, Ricky looked behind him. “You just missed the street you were supposed to turn on.”
The man kept driving. “Did I? Huh.”
As the Corvette sped further away from where his dentist was, Ricky turned to the man. “What’s going on here? How do you know Kylie?” Then snippets of Kylie’s conversation about the creepy guy who’d been stalking her came to the forefront of his mind. “Are you the one who’s been creeping her out?”
A dry laugh filled the space between them. “Is that what she said? I don’t know if I like that.”
“Youarethe jerk.”
Without warning, the guy punched Ricky in the side of his face. “Have respect. You’re in my car.”
Ricky, rubbing his face, searched for the door handle. He had to get out of the car. He felt around the door, and when he couldn’t find the handle, he looked down. It was missing.
“I’d say that right about now, you’re thinking you’re fucking screwed, and you’d be right. I don’t like you hanging with Kylie. You’re so damn transparent. All you want is to shove your pathetic dick in her. I’m making sure that doesn’t happen.”
Cold sweat broke out all over Ricky as he tried to figure out what to do. He settled back, pretending to give in to the idea of going with the crazy jerk, and it seemed to have calmed Kylie’s stalker. Ricky could see him loosen the grip on the steering wheel. By now, the Corvette was well out of the small county and heading further into the countryside.
When they turned down a dirt road leading to the state park, Ricky lunged at him, punching him and trying to throw the car into neutral. The guy, taken by surprise at first, shoved him aside. Ricky was startled by his powerful arms. From underneath his seat, he saw the guy bring out a large security flashlight, and he tried to wrestle it away. Slamming on his brakes, the driver swiveled around and pounded Ricky in the head with the weapon. Black spots floated in front of his eyes and he slumped back into the seat.
“Don’t fucking try that shit again.” He clobbered Ricky again, then pushed down on the gas pedal and sped down the road.
Dizziness accompanied a mind-numbing pain in Ricky’s head, traveling down to his stomach where nausea consumed him. Everything was closing in on him, and he couldn’t breathe; it was like all the air around him had been sucked into outer space. He couldn’t think straight, his mind a foggy mess of blurred images. Ricky was pretty sure his skull had been cracked.
The car came to a sudden stop. The driver jumped out and ran around to the passenger side, opening the door and dragging Ricky from the car. He couldn’t fight back, his head was like a balloon that had been blown up too much then popped. He could barely keep it upright. The man threw him on the ground and pummeled his fists against his helpless body, adding kicks to his sides, head, and face. Ricky knew if he didn’t pretend to be a goner, the man would beat him to death. And all because he was friends with Kylie—it was incomprehensible.
“You weak asshole. I knew you’d be done in no time. Kylie deserves a man, not a fucking mama’s boy.” He delivered an incredibly forceful blow, and Ricky felt himself slipping away.
His attacker dragged him across the dirt, the sharp pinecones and stones scratching and ripping his skin. Ricky didn’t think he would survive. He didn’t even know where the hell he was. Strong arms picked him up, and for a few seconds he felt like he was soaring in the wind, the breeze cooling his aching body. Then he rolled down a small hill, feeling every bump until he slammed against a large rock which ended his short ride. The way the pain shot up his arm and rippled through his body, he knew it was broken. Then deep, maniacal laughter echoed in his ears before he heard the man’s crunching footsteps retreat, leaving Ricky’s bruised, bloodied, and broken body to wither away.
