Elizabeth took a long swig of the amber liquid,savoring the cold and the bitterness of the hops as it ran down herthroat. She didn't know how to begin.
"I don't even know where to start."
"Just take your time. I'm here all night. Idon't have any plans."
"When will Jayne be home?"
"She usually gets home around six. She won'tcare that you're here. She'll be happy to see you."
Elizabeth looked around the room, eyes dartingfrom one thing to another, trying to formulate the words to tellher horror story. Then she saw it. On the end table next to thechair where Susan was sitting. The book on top of the pile ofbooks. Elizabeth slowly put her beer down on the coffee table,rising deliberately. She walked over to the end table, Susanwatching her the whole time with an eagle eye. Elizabeth reacheddown and picked up the book. Her hands were shaking. She had neverseen the paperback before. The author's name was written across thetop in red letters, with the title in matching red, marching acrossthe bottom of the cover. The picture was of a woman, captured insoft muted tones. Actually, it was of a bare back, showing herright side. The model's hair cascaded down her back in loose,tangled curls. She was hugging herself with downturned eyes, givingher a withdrawn appearance. There was a long red scar running fromher underneath her arm, wrapping around her side and down her back.Subconsciously, Elizabeth's left arm curled in, hugging her chestas her fingers extended to her side, feeling the raised scars ofidentical size and placement.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: June 20,2012
"Have you read this?" Elizabeth askedSusan.
"Yeah. It was really good. I'm not usually intostuff like this, but even I thought it was hot. I always liked histween stuff, and Jayne uses 'The Adventure Chronicles' in hercurriculum, so we had to see what this was all about."
"Me."
"What?"
"Me," she looked up, meeting the shocked lookon her friend's face. "It's about me. The bastard wrote it aboutme."
"WHAT?" Susan was incredulous, not able tofully process what Elizabeth was saying. Hell, Elizabeth couldbarely process it herself.
Elizabeth turned around and lifted up her tanktop, showing Susan her side. Susan reached out and gingerly touchedthe scars that extended below her bra in the back. "That was thecar accident when Simon totaled his Mustang."
Elizabeth nodded.
"You always spoke more fondly of the car thanyou did of Simon."
"I loved that car. That was why I dated him.When he no longer had the car, I no longer found himattractive."
Susan smiled. "I never pegged you for thesuperficial type."
"What can I say? I was young and stupid." Shepaused. "As opposed to now, when I've fully graduated into imbecilestage."
"Before you head down your self-pity spiral,you need to tell me who, what, when, where, why andhow."
Elizabeth knew why she had driven all the wayto Susan's house. This was what she needed. She started telling thetale.
"J.P. Devaney is apparently a pseudonym for theman I know as Jack Davis. I went to prom with him in high school. Iwanted to date him. No, that's not right. I wanted to date him whenI was a sophomore, but he wouldn't date me because he said I was'too innocent' for him. Instead, he dated some lumberjack girl whohad claimed to be my friend. We stayed in contact, and he took pityon me and took me to my prom. I guess we lost contact after I wentto college. I think I only saw him once after prom. Fast forwardsixteen years, and my marriage is shit and I hate my husband. I'mburnt out and kind of pretty much hate my life. I'm driving up hereinto the boonies to buy some useless home crap fromyou—"
"Hey! I thought you were coming up here to hangwith me because you missed me and needed a break."
Elizabeth smiled. "Of course. But if I frame itthat way, I can blame you for all of this. Anyway, I'm driving, andI hit a ginormous pothole. My tire goes flat, and I pull over tofix it. Asshole that I am, I leave the dome lights and head lightson so that I can see what I'm doing. I set about changing the tire,all proud that I still remember how to do this from drivers'ed."
"You? Change a tire? Weren't you afraid youwould break a nail?"
"Shut up and let me finish. You know how I canbe kind of klutzy? Well, I'm making good progress, when I fall overand knock the hub cap full of lug nuts over and they go rollingdown the hill. By this time, it's freezing rain and snowing. I'msoaked and freezing, and have completely inappropriate clothes forthe weather. I wasn’t even wearing socks, for Christ's sake. Irealize that I drained the battery leaving the lights on and thatmy cell hadn't been charging on the drive up, so it's almostdead."
"Plus there's bad reception. Is that when youcalled me?"
"Yeah."
"Dammit. I wish I had gotten to the phone intime."
"Now I really do, too. Anyway, I start walking.I keep falling and running into things. And I'm cold. Oh, so cold.I was so low. Lower than I've ever been, ever. At one point, I felldown and just lay there. I wanted to die. I thought I could laythere until I died, and I was okay with it." Elizabeth paused,letting the gravity of her statement sink in.
"Oh, Elizabeth. I had no idea!"
"No one did. Until now, of course," she said,gesturing to the book, which was now lying on the coffee table,holding court. "The only reason that I got up and kept walking wasTeddy and Sydney. If it hadn't been for them, I would have juststayed there. In that moment, I honestly had no desire to live. Butsomehow, I found the strength to get up and keep going. I don'tknow how I made it, but finally I
