Page 73 of Web of Lies

Tristan:

Ouch… that hurts my heart.

Me:

I finally got the trace back. Would I win your heart if I told you, you were a genius? I could kiss you right now!!

Tristan:

I’ll be outside your door in five seconds. Say it again. My ego loves to be stroked….

Me:

Among other things, right?

Tristan:

oohhhhhh, baby, you’re on fire today, aren’t you? Hot fucking damn. but seriously…

Me:

You’re a goddamn genius. And I will kiss you!

Tristan:

You name the place, babe… and I’ll be there awaiting this kiss.

I can’t help the massive grin splitting my face. We go back and forth a little more, exchanging words. My heart flips at the thought of kissing him. Maybe one day—I will meet this mysterious man who has accompanied me on life’s journey over the past two years. One day, he will be with me.

The need to find out who put this stupid camera in my air vent fuels me to Google. I type the address into maps, crossing my fingers for a close-by address, and then wait. The little circle spins and spins on the screen. Come on, come on!

Tapping my foot, I click again. And nothing—what the hell. Google pops up with an error message, stating the address I’m looking for does not exist or hasn’t existed for quite some time. The fuck? My heart sinks into my stomach. The camera goes back to the ridiculous Apocalypse name, and now? Now it goes back to some bogus address too. How am I supposed to move on when none of this makes sense? Maybe I am in over my head. Fuck. My. Luck.

With defeat, I blacken the screen. My bathtub calls my name, reeling me in like a siren at sea, singing me the sweetest song it can muster to submerge me. But I don’t have to try too hard because I willingly enter the tub for one dose of normalcy for a change.

My body aches from head to toe. My nose pulsates from the water flowing over it when I splash my face, almost like tiny bees stinging across the flesh, working their way towards the bruising under my eyes. But I endure it. This is the pain I need, the pain I expected coming into this fight alone. They can beat me. They can shove gross shit into my locker. But they’ll never get all of me. I will find out who did this. No. Matter. What.

Stepping out of the bath feels more like cleansing everything. Not just my body. I cleansed the shitty day from my soul and brought forth a brighter day. The dirt and the grime from the floor vanish down the drain, along with the blackness from the marker on my forehead. In the mirror, the slightest hint of the marker smudged over my skin remains. It’s just another battle scar in my fight to avenge Magnolia. I apply some of the cooling ointment over my purple bruises and sigh with relief. The pain ebbs away, replaced by a cool tingling sensation.

Me:

Play some AW?

Tristan:

Can’t tonight, maybe tomorrow? Gotta study. Winter break is coming soon. If I don’t make the grades…

Me:

Ahh—the step monster will win again, huh?

Tristan:

LOL Yeah… can’t have that! Ttyl babe.

Me:

Ttyl.