Exes & Ohs

Finale

Odette was working the front counter of Tic Tac Joe’s again. Everyone was glad, Drew was a shitty barista. Drew knew he made atrocious coffee, he was willing the own the fact about himself. Drew was very self aware, he prided himself on that. There were certain facts about Drew and the world he lived in, that comforted him. Two plus two was always four, and Odette was destined to be his. Even if she didn’t know it yet. Her hair looked thicker and shinier, he was pretty sure she had been eating again. Even though he hated Ethan, he was glad that he had persuaded the girl to eat. He didn’t want a barren bride who died young due to malnutrition.

Drew once read this book about a girl with an eating disorder, she falls in love with a guy and the guy gets her to eat, but it ended with a realistic twist. She reaches a healthy weight and then begins to hate the guy for making her fat. Only that isn’t how their story would end. Odette will begin to resent Ethan due to her weight and then Ethan will go missing. Drew will kill Ethan. Ethan has to die, Anthony does too but he gets to live until he is no longer of use to Drew. Anthony the constant scapegoat. They have to die because they have touched what is his.

Drew thinks of himself as the hero of Odette’s frankly dreary existence. Her night in scrapped and bloodied armor. The girl he adores takes him for granted but he will fix that. She’ll regret it, but not because of the few severe punishments he must administer her, she’ll regret it because of the true happiness he’ll do anything to ensure she experiences with him. Anything except not punish her, she has to learn after all. 

She flips her thickened hair with a toss of her head. The angle at which she does so shows of her neck in the most flattering way. He wants to wrap his hands around her neck and squeeze, only slightly just enough that she knows he’s there, knows that if he didn’t love her he could kill her. He wants to do that as he bends her over the counter, taking her in front of all the costumers. Marking his prey, no, his property.

Ethan comes in on his break, orders his now signiture, “Black Joe, no frills.” he tells Odette how proud he is of her for returning to work even though it’s hard. She says that everything reminds of her of Betsy and that the café keeps her occupied while she isn’t writing. Apparently some time after the funeral she starting writing a memoir about her. Finally Ethan leaves. Odette is still on break though, so Drew joins her as if he wasn’t eavesdropping.

“Does it make me a bad person that I am not surprised that Betsy died of an overdose?” Drew says faking a wince.

“No, I think it’s the once an addict always an addict thing. Betsy didn’t die of an overdose though, she was so strung out that she fell and hit her head on the kitchen counter. She died of brain trauma.”

“Oh,’ Drew replies “I had just assumed.” 

“It’s okay.” Odette says getting up to help the customer approaching the counter.

But Drew already knew how Betsy died, he remembers her death like it was yesterday. He’ll never forget shoving her down, relishing the sound of her head cracking open. Betsy deserved it, her relapse shoved Odette further into Ethan’s arms.

 Drew walks up behind Odette and hugs her tightly. 

“Thanks, I needed that.” She says kindly.

Drew nods and thinks to himself “Soon.”