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Chapter Forty Nine- Man on Fire

"Abstraction is often one floor above you," Roy whispered to himself.

And there was a part of him that wanted to slowly wheel down the hallway and see if Helena actually remembered him; he didn't, of course. He pressed his ear to the door, straining to hear MacKenzie's fake-happy nice to see you.

That's the way she had talked to Peaches and Beckie. Roy would've liked to think she'd be the same way around Amanda. His thoughts briefly turned to Dahlia. When he returned to Chickasha she had first used that patronizing tone with him, and look what that lead to. Intimacy. Touch. An unborn fetus.

Alas, Roy seemed to be on autopilot, and found himself sitting next to MacKenzie and Timothy, looking into the eyes of that bitch who drugged him.

Timothy was smirking. That little bitch seemed to just feed on Dahlia. He didn't have ill feelings towards Roy, he knew that. It was the thrill of having an outsider in a shitty town taking an interest in an individual well-known in the community.

Petty motherfucker.

"I'm terribly sorry. I thought your driveway wasn't your driveway. It just...seems to go on for miles."

Helena smiled slightly, her eyes downcast and shy. Her perfume was overwhelming. Too clean.

MacKenzie smiled. "Sparrow wanted me to go over a few things with you."

Roy could tell she wanted to get right to business. That was fair. At the same time, though, Roy didn't want to go back to their bedroom conversation. An argument? He wasn't sure if it counted as one.

Timothy gasped. "Rude. I'm Timmy." He offered his hand. "Kenzie we haven't even properly met yet."

"Oh yeah you look vaguely familiar," Helena commented, all while keeping eye contact with Roy.

And Roy nodded. His mind was far away. He clenched his fist and his jaw.

Helena crossed her legs and set down her bag, large enough to carry a small dog.

"Sparrow. Things. Going over. With you." MacKenzie smiled again.

Helena's eyes brightened. "Now we've met, haven't we?"

Timothy stood up. "I need a cigarette. We're happy to have you."

Roy found himself blushing as usual. He was in the middle of a MacKenzie and Helena sandwich. He did not like it. MacKenzie was the bread, Roy was the meat, and Helena was the drug spiked in the condiments.

MacKenzie elbowed Roy in the ribs and he sat up straight.

"R-Roy." He smiled. "I recall...seeing you around."

You probably would have sexed me if I didn't leave.

"That's actually really funny you look like my ex."

Apparently I taste like him too, but I'm sure he can walk so...

"Oh yeah?" MacKenzie said.

"I'm gonna grab a cigarette with your cousin, Kenz. You two probably want to focus..."

He wheeled out quickly before MacKenzie could

"I'm goddamn burning up." Roy muttered monotonously as he quickly closed the front door.

Timothy bent over and stuck a cigarette in Roy's mouth.

"Did you fuck her?"

"What?"

"Did you. Fuck. Her."

"No. What the hell are you-"

"Shhhh. The window's open."

"She wants to go to Oklahoma."

"Speak up."

"What?"

"What?"

"Do you know how long it took to get here from Los Angeles?"

"Long enough for you to knock her up?"

"WHAT?"

"What? These walls are paper thin."

Roy's face was flushed.

"You uh- is there a bar, you wanna-"

Timothy pressed his face against the stained glass window. "Hey listen. We'll be right back."

I don't know what time it is. I'm about to get blackout drunk with a guy who not only knows I knocked up his cousin, but more than likely thinks I fucked a stranger at a nightclub. She's inside the house. I've died a little bit inside. I drink to forget but I always remember.