Poughkeepsie (21 page)

Livia tried to reach her sister over the twisted metal of the convertible’s bumper. “Are you hurt? Get the hell down here!”

Chris broke eye contact with Blake and turned to sneer at Kyle, his mean smile echoed in his eyes. Chris put the truck in reverse and turned the wheel hard. Blake sprang into action. He grasped Kyle around the waist and lifted her like a child throwing a tantrum. He grabbed Livia’s hand and put the girls behind the cement road divider that kept cars from overshooting the parking spot. Livia held her sister in place as Kyle strained to go after Chris and his truck again. Blake climbed up and stood on the divider to get a better look.

“Blake, please get down,” Livia urged. “Chris’s not right tonight. Something’s off in him.” Livia grabbed the back of Blake’s T-shirt.

Chris reversed with such force that he actually repositioned Kyle’s whole car. The harsh sound of moving-but-unwilling metal filled the parking lot. Chris rocked and swerved until his truck was free, then he stopped. Blake remained where he stood, eyes locked on Chris. Livia tugged harder on his shirt.

“Could we please just go?” Livia asked, swallowing back her panic. She had no idea what Chris might do—or Kyle, for that matter.

Blake hopped down without turning around and helped Livia corral Kyle, who seemed to be made of dynamite and forty arms. Together they got her down the stairs and behind the train station building.

“What the hell were you doing?” Livia grabbed Kyle’s angry little face.

“I was killing Chris Simmer until you friggin’ stopped me!”

“You were going to kill Chris with a flashlight? Did you think he was going to hold still for that?”

Livia watched Blake’s face as he kept his eyes on the threat.

“No. I was going to rip his tiny little sack off and choke him with his pathetic-ass undescended balls.
Then
I was going to brain him with Dad’s flashlight.” Kyle seemed to be calming, but Livia kept one hand on her arm.

“He’s pulling out of the lot,” Blake said, speaking for the first time since the altercation began. His eyes squinted. “Is he possessive about that truck?”

Livia ran a hand through her wet hair. “Yes, he’s insane about it. He calls it The Beast.” She thought of the time Chris had lost his shit when she’d let the passenger door touch the side of a shopping cart.

Blake took the information with a nod.

“Oh, look at you,” Kyle said, really looking at Livia for the first time. “You ruined yourself. Damn it, Livia. Couldn’t you just leave it on?”

Blake stepped forward and introduced himself. “Ms. Kyle McHugh, I assume. It’s my pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Blake Hartt, and I’m entirely to blame for Livia’s clean face. I let the rain wash everything away. Please accept my apology.”

Kyle looked at Blake as if he was a tap-dancing cricket. She held one pointy finger close to his nose. “You grabbed my tit a little, Mr. Old Timey Talker.”

Blake seemed to swallow a smile. “Manhandling a lady is inexcusable. I would only do so if said woman was too stubborn to remove herself from a dangerous situation.” He took Kyle’s hand and kissed the top of it lightly.

“Aw, crap. Well, aren’t you too fucking charming for words?” Kyle smiled despite her best efforts to look tough. “All right, Mr. Old Timey, I’ll let you get away with the boob palming this time.”

“That’s fortunate because I hate ingesting my own testicles.” He gave her a devilish grin with naughty eyes to match.

Kyle looked at Livia. “He’s adorable.”

Livia saw happiness on Kyle’s face and sadness in her eyes. “Hey, let’s get you to the ER. You were just in a car accident.” Livia tried to feel Kyle for any injuries.

“That wasn’t an accident. I did it on purpose. I saw fuck-knob Chris staring at you two like it was a peep show. I don’t put up with that shit. You two are over, and he needs to move the fuck on. I was braced for it. I feel fine. The airbag didn’t even deploy. We’re going out. I have to get some party on.”

Kyle stopped her monologue abruptly and looked from Livia to Blake. “If you still want to, that is. I mean it’s fine if you don’t.”

Livia nodded to assure her sister. “Kyle, I’m still coming. We’ll both come!”

Blake nodded and smiled, although his eyes darted around a bit anxiously.

“All right, then,” Kyle announced. “We’ve got to get home to change into some fuck-awesomely hot outfits.”

Livia took Blake’s arm. She doubted any amount of partying could erase the sadness from Kyle’s eyes.

16

The Blue Dress

B
LAKE
W
AS
T
HE
F
IRST
to remember Livia’s borrowed shoes, and he led her back to where she’d discarded them. He knelt as he poured the water out of the right one and held out a hand for her foot. He slid the shoe on, careful to let his hand brush over her whole foot. He repeated the motion with the left high heel and kept his eyes on hers as he ran his hand up her leg. Then he poured the rain out of the waterlogged umbrella, which swelled the tiny rivers the shoe runoff had created. He held out his elbow and led Livia up the stairs to Kyle’s car.

Getting home was going to be a challenge. Kyle’s zippy pride and joy was a little mangled. While Kyle and Livia discussed their options, which did not include calling the police because of the instant alert it would give their father, Blake circled the car with a slow saunter. Just when Livia had decided to investigate whether or not her cell phone still had a roadside emergency plan, Blake gave the convertible a swift kick in the bumper, which clattered to the ground.

“The fuck?” Kyle spun around, eyes wide at the sound of the latest injustice to her vehicle.

Blake nodded politely and used the disembodied fender like a baseball bat to smack a piece of wayward metal out of the wheel well.

“Don’t you think it’s been through enough?” Kyle looked ready to go ballistic, alternately wringing her hands and clenching them into fists.

Blake got down on all fours and peeked at the undercarriage. “May I borrow the Chris-basher for a moment, please?”

Kyle took a deep breath and put the Maglite in Blake’s extended hand, seeming to trust his new stance as a knowledgeable one.

He rose to deliver a diagnosis. “It looks like the headlights are gone, but I might be able to drive it to your house if I follow Livia’s car closely. It will save you the towing cost.”

Kyle looked less pissed off now, but still unsure. “I don’t know. Pretty much I’m the only authorized driver of the convertible—except Livia when absolutely necessary.”

“I would feel quite uncomfortable allowing either of you lovely ladies to handle this unfortunate task,” Blake explained. “Are you afraid I’ll dent it?” He grinned.

Kyle tossed Blake the keys a little too hard, but he caught them deftly. He put what was left of the convertible’s bumper in the Escort’s trunk and took his place behind the convertible’s wheel. Livia had to push on the driver’s side door to get it closed behind him.

He got the vehicle started and rolling slowly, without any parts dragging on the ground. So began the sluggish, steady funeral procession for Kyle’s favorite car.

Chris pulled into a gas station to assess the damage from Kyle’s unprovoked attack: a bunch of scratches on the bumper, a few dings, a sizable dent in his driver’s side door, and a tiny crack forming on the window. He tried to look underneath without getting himself dirty. Her pansy-ass sports car had better not have bent The Beast’s frame.
Stupid slut Kyle. Fuck her shitty bitchiness
.

Chris didn’t want to admit to anyone why he’d wanted to see Livia at the train, least of all himself. But Kyle had known. It must have been obvious in his face. Now that Livia wasn’t looking to him as savior, Chris felt like less. His friends looked at him like he was less.
And I don’t fucking like it
. He had to get her back.

Practically his whole family had made little remarks about how much they missed her. Now that he couldn’t touch her any more, he was obsessed with her. More than that, he wanted to make her stop looking at him the way she had at the station that morning—like he was a worthless piece of trash.
I have a job, a fucking pussy-magnet truck, and awesome hair.

Chris checked himself in the rearview mirror as he climbed back in. His reflection captured him for a few moments, like it always did. When he finally looked away, he knew what needed to be done.

Livia needed to see that homeless bastard shamed. Shamed in front of her.
A good beating—and then just when he’s begging for mercy, I’ll be the big man and let him go.

That would be perfect. Livia would see that Chris really was a thoughtful guy. But first he had to find this fucker and Livia.

Chris texted Dave:

Do u still have the pic of Livia w. the photoshopped hoots?

Dave texted back so quickly, Chris gave him the finger through the phone. Stupid nerd kept his phone attached to his hand. Chris suspected that Dave texted himself just to look popular.

Dude, Hell yeah - that pic is EPIC.

Chris responded:

I wish I had a pic of the homeless bastard.

Dave’s excitement seemed to buzz the phone with extra force:

I got 1! Holy Shit! I took a pic 2 prove I hit him in the face
with a penny! 10 points u know.

Chris felt a smile form on his lips as the two requested pictures beeped through on his screen: a decent headshot of Homeless and a sweet picture of a “topless” Livia with a set of gigantic fake tits.

Dave was a waste of skin, but at least his affinity for creating porn with pictures of girls he knew was coming in handy. Chris had to give him props.

Sweet. You sick fucker. I should kick ur ass. Send those pics 2 everyone
u know. Tell em I’m looking for those 2. Tweet me if u c them out.

Dave’s response was just what Chris hoped for:

R U going to beat the fuck outta that guy? For taking ur girl?
Everyone will b all over this shit!

Chris didn’t respond. Not knowing would get more of a response from all his so-called friends. They loved to watch an ass kicking. And a Homeless ass kicking would make them go ape shit. The only person he could think of who might stand up for that dirty bastard would be with him already. Livia.

Chris composed a Tweet and set it to repeat. Everyone would see it eventually:

Looking for McHugh and new boyfriend. Hit me here if u c them.
Dave will send a pic if U want.

Let it begin
. Chris started The Beast and let the vibration from the motor tickle his balls.

Livia kept glancing back, trying to get a glimpse of Blake as she drove, but the lack of lighting denied her the pleasure.

“Do you know he squeezed my ass? And not just once either.” Kyle pulled out her phone and started texting.

Livia let the statement hang for a moment, but Kyle was already way past the words she’d just uttered.