Behind The Mask

Chapter 10

"Do you want to meet this guy?" I ask taking a sip of my steaming cup of hot chocolate. "I mean, he doesn't seem to have it all together at all at this point in time."

"But he might have answers," E.J. says taking a big gulp of his coffee.

"Is your throat made of steel or something? That coffee is piping hot," I say, watching him almost down the hot coffee and putting up his hand for the waitress to come and fill him up again.

"It's called a bottomless coffee. I plan to get my money's worth," E.J. says with a smile and I can't help but wanting to take his hand. He is being so adorable at this moment. I think if it was me I would have been already crapping myself with all the stress that comes with having to confront someone and ask them questions I can see they don't want to answer.

"You're so brave," I say, this time actually putting my hand on top of his, surprised that he does not pull it away. "I could not have asked for anybody better to come on this trip with me."

"I try..." he answers before his face goes a little white and his eyes dart to something behind me.

I look over my shoulder and there he is. Josh, looking around the coffee shop for a sign of us. I lift up my hand to try and show him where we are sitting. When he sees me and starts moving through tables toward us, I get up from where I was sitting and take the seat right beside E.J. so that Josh can sit on the other side of us. For some reason I just don't trust this man at all.

"I wondered if you would show up," I say as Josh sits down across from us.

"I said I would, and I always keep my word," Josh replies although I wonder about that. He doesn't quite seem like the type of guy that would do anything for the people around him. He's just a bit to muscled and rough to give any kind of impression that he is anything else than a big bully.

"Well thanks for that," E.J. says. "I just really wanted to talk to Kendell actually."

I can feel his anxiety climbing through the roof beside me. This time however I don't take his hand. E.J. is exactly where he wanted to be and if it was me I would have wanted to do this by myself without any help.

"So kid. Ask away," Josh says.

"You knew James?" E.J. asks.

"As well as anybody probably knew him. We all grew up together. Went to school together, but for some reason I never really liked him. He was mean. A bully you might say. He kicked my dog once, which was when I decided I really dislike him," Josh answers.

"So you also knew his parents? How were they as parents?"

Josh almost gets lost in thought for a moment. The harsh lines on his face seems to disappear as he thinks back to the past before he answers.

"Look kid. Do you want to know the whole story? Like in everything? You know... This might surprise you but Kendell used to be normal, but James... He didn't change. He was always a monster."

"I want to know everything. I want to know how he became the monster he was," E.J. says. "I need to know."

"Well kid, the very first question is the one I don't have an answer for. He had no reason to be the way he was. He was just always... off. You know, like he wasn't quite here always. Always had a taste for blood so to speak. Killing insects, kicking animals, that kind of thing. He was just a really mean kid to start off with, which was weird because both his mom and dad were really lovely people. I mean... If they were so terrible both their children would have been fucktup from the get go, but I slept over there many times. I was there more than what I was at my own house and they were great parents. Maybe a little strict and overprotective, but what parent isn't?"