1987 [BoyxBoy]

Chapter 22 - Denise? Where Are You?

"Billy, I promise you this will work out. We've all got your back," Denise reaffirmed to her friend, smiling in the doorway of his house. She could always tell when her friend was feeling upset or lost. And now, more than ever, she knew he needed a lifeline.

"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow," Billy responded, pulling her into a hug before she left.

Denise waved him goodbye and began her trek home. The crunch of the gravel under her feet echoed before she made her way back onto the pavement. The sound of her steps multiplied sending a chill down the girl's mind. She stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around, but was met with nothing but darkness. She continued her walk until, once again, the sound of her steps were multiplied. She turned around once more and was met with a pale faced individual with blond curls and piercing blue eyes.

"Shit! You scared the hell out of me, Dominic."

The boy forced a chuckle, ending it with a sinister smile. "Sorry."

"What are you doing creeping around?"

"Oh nothing. Just out for a night time stroll. Saw you down the street, thought I'd say hello."

"Well.... hello," Denise lightly chuckled. "Goodbye now."

Denise began walking away from the boy, but he continued following her.

"What are you doing? Why are you following me?"

"I know your secret."

Denise's mind began to scramble wondering which secret he could be talking about, praying it wasn't the one she wanted to take to the grave.

"What are you talking about?"

"Chandler Selsman," the boy uttered.

That name ignited a reaction from her. Her eyes grew wide and she dropped the books in her hand. She quickly tried to gather herself, but failed miserably.

"What about him?" Denise asked, trying to keep up the lie.

"Don't play dumb, Denise. I know you and Bradley are responsible for what happened to him, so you don't have to lie."

Denise wanted to continue playing dumb, but the tears falling from her eyes were a dead giveaway to Dominic. She wiped them away and stepped closer to the boy.

"Who... How..." she couldn't gather the right words to use.

"That's not important. I just wanted you to know that I know," Dominic said, with a smug look on his face. He turned back to the direction of Billy's house and began walking away.

Denise stood, frozen. She didn't know what to do. Her first instinct was to call Bradley to let him know. She ran back to her house and quickly ran up the stairs to the house phone. She began dialing Bradley's house, her hands shaking as she pressed each button.

The phone rang for what she felt like were hours. She whispered "pick up" softly to herself as each ring echoed through her ear. Denise let out a sigh of relief when a deep voice answered with a "hello."

"Bradley?" Denise asked, unsure whether it was him or not.

"Sorry, honey, this is his father. Brad left awhile ago. Do you want me to tell him something when he gets back?"

Denise let more tears fall down her face. She gave the man a firm "no, thank you," and hung up the phone. She started pacing around her room, trying to think about what to do. She was still in shock. She didn't know how Dominic found out or what he was going to do about it.

"What if he told Billy or Peter? What if he told the cops? What if he knows about... ," the girl thought to herself.

She lay face down on her bed to stop her head from spinning. She tried coming up with idea after idea, but none had good endings for her. Except the one she felt like was a last resort.