~9~ Business of Misery
“What…is all of this stuff?” I asked Lulu as she walked straight through my house to reach the backyard. She threw all of the stuff down on the concrete patio.
“Everything and memory that’s in my possession regarding Zac,” she answered with her hands on her hips.
“Meaning?” I asked.
“Meaning, we’re gonna burn it all,” she smiled, evily. I gulped. She was crazy.
***
“What lies here is the remains of the romantic involvement of Lucia Mercado Long and Zachariah…Tyler,” she started, dramatically, obviously not even knowing her three-year-boyfriend’s middle name. “And let it all burn to ashes in memory of the joyous and not-so joyous relationship.”
She lit a match and threw it into the pile. I let it set ablaze, but took a step back. I didn’t want to think of the fire.
“What’s going on back here?” a voice asked from inside. I saw Zac round the corner awefully fast and look at the flames.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Zac asked, looking at the bonfire of memories.
“What do you think?” Lulu managed to ask calmly. Zac strode over to her and stopped a foot away.
“I think that my ex girlfriend is burning all of our stuff as if it gives leeway to her adultery,” he growled.
“Oh please,” Lulu scoffed.
“You’re so…full of it!” Zac yelled at her, balling up his fists, as if he’d hit her at any moment. I grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back. He started to look over his shoulder at me, but his eyes went to the fire that suddenly had expanded as if someone added gasoline. I gulped and took nonchalant steps back
“Zac,” Devin called. Zac brushed me off of his grasp and then shoved past me in order to go inside with Devin. The fire seemed to die down.
“You sure this was a good idea?” I asked Lulu.
“Yeah,” she forced a smile. I noticed that something was wrong. “Look, back at the mall, I was being stupid…”
“Lu, it was nothing,” I promised.
“No,” she denied. “I got mad at you for him and you, but you have a full right. I gave up the chance of any claim over him when I cheated, so…he’s all yours.”
I took her in a hug.
“Are you kidding? Why would I ever choose someone like Zac?” I laughed. She seemed to laugh along with me and shrugged.
“Well…I guess I’ll go now,” she said, minutes later after we made sure everything had burned and the fire was put out and then thrown out. She started to head for the door. “Thanks, Angel.”
“No problem,” I smiled before she departed. I sighed and then started my commute to my room.
“Devin, I’m tired of this, alright?” I heard Zac say as he started to leave Devin’s room.
“Zac, I already told you—” Devin started to say, but then saw me. “Hi…”
“Hi,” I returned. I didn’t really care what they were talking about, so I continued my way to my room and tried to fall asleep.
(Zac’s POV)
More tests. MORE TESTS, he says! He saw what happened and thinks I need more tests. Angel retired to bed and I sighed out of stress.
“We’ll talk about this later,” Devin promised.
“Maybe, maybe not,” I muttered. “You said we were done. Therefore, we’re done.”
Nothing had happened except for my anger tonight. He had some thought that the fire connected with my anger, but I think otherwise. Why would it? The drug was meant to enhance intelligence and cure disease, but all that’s happened was me getting ADHD and a loss of diabetes. Not some super powers for fire.
I walked home—seeing as it was only a block away—and laid down on my bed, still sort of mad about the fact that Lulu had burned all memory of us. I took out my lighter and lit the flame. I watched it as it flickered on and off by triggered demand.
My phone started ringing and I looked down to see Angel’s name lighting up, for once.
Angel: Are u busy?
The flame died without me even having to loosen the grip on the trigger. Instead of texting her back, I called her.
“Not for you,” I answered her previous question when she greeted me. “Why? What’s up?”
“I need help on something,” she said with a light voice.
“Oh yeah? Like what?” I asked.
“Falling asleep,” she answered. I sighed and looked around my room. What was I supposed to do? I wasn’t used to requests like this. And then she started to laugh. “I don’t even know why I called you—”
“Cuz you have no one else to,” I whispered. I already knew that she wouldn’t open up to Lulu. She stayed quiet. “What do you need to fall asleep?”
“I don’t know…” she answered. I wanted to sigh, but knew she’d hear me and hang up. But I wanted to help her…for some reason.
“Wanna go to the pool?” I asked her. I heard her suck in a breath.
“No,” she breathed. That was…odd.
“What’s going through your head right now?” I asked her. Silence. “Angel, close your eyes. Tell me what you see.”
“Fire,” she immediately answered. I sat up in my bed and then made a decision when I hung up the phone.
For some reason, I’d never think of doing this, but I just had to…for Angel.
She saw fire, because it was haunting her. I knew how she felt. Only, I saw water ever since I had that encounter of “imaginary” pain in the pool. Even in the shower, my shoulder would hurt when water touched it. I have no idea as to why.
But I didn’t want it, just like I didn’t want Angel to have to deal with it.