CHAPTER 7
Duke
Yet another package had been delivered and this time Elle was nowhere to be found. This was the first time I had touched any of her deliveries. I placed the box on the drossy coffee table and kept staring at it. A simple box. I turned off the tv so it wouldn’t distract me. She received the same old package every other week. But nothing fucking changed around here… Was she receiving smuggled drugs from Mexico? What the fuck was in that goddamn box?!
My fingers were itching, and my leg started shaking impatiently. Just one look, I promised myself. As soon as my fingers touched the cardboard surface something twitched inside of me. I couldn’t do it.
I imagined the rage of the almighty when she figured someone had touched the box. Nah. I could use another day of my life. You know, wasn’t that keen on dying just yet.
I turned on the tv yet again and tried to calm myself down. That would be interfering her private life. Goddamit! That would be interfering with my lifespan! I couldn’t. But I wanted. My eyes were locked on the tv, but, frankly, I didn’t see anything. I could care less about some guy’s face being harshly violated. Probably deserved it. The box was right in front of me, standing there. Too tempting to ignore it. I didn’t know why, but I needed to know what was in there. I needed to know something about her.
I arched my head back, sighing heavily.
"I need a smoke…" I really didn’t, but I hoped that at least hearing myself, hearing my own voice would make me wake up from the temporary insanity I was experiencing. I walked outside, taking a seat on the porch and trying to forget about the package.
My lips closed around the cigarette while my hand was eagerly searching for the lighter in every pocket I had on me. Where the hell was it? If I went back inside without calming myself down with my hourly dose of nicotine, I would’ve definitely ripped it to shreds. False alarm. The lighter was in my back pocket.
I took a deep drag, seeing a car stopping right in front of me. Maddox and Chris stepped out of the car. Our one and only batshit crazy drummer and the rhythm guitarist. They were crazy enough to take my attention away the delivery box.
"Hey Duke…" Jimmy greeted me. He looked funny beside Chris. Kind of tall. And his goofy smile, always had cracked me up. I blew out a cloud of smoke.
"Is your lady in?" Chris made me arch my eyebrow as a reply to the question. "Elle, Duke… You know… The chick you’ve been living with..."
"Oh… Nah… Left early in the morning." Madd flunked himself beside me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, grinning devilishly. What was his problem?
"Party?" His eyebrows were wiggling at me and it seriously freaked me out. And then it sunk in. I widened my eyes looking from Chris to Maddox and then again at Chris. He had the same grin on his face as our drummer. "Oh come on, Duke…" Madd whined in my ear.
"Dude it will be fun…" Chris took the half smoked cigarette from my fingers and inhaled it deeply. Now why were they always trying to get me killed? "We’ll call some beautiful ladies… and,-"
"No, Chris, just … no." I sighed seeing his smile turn upside down. "Let’s just go to Johnny’s instead."
"Yeah, haven’t been there in ages…" Maddox braced his elbows on his thighs, cupping each side of his pale face with his hands. It didn’t matter that I knew the guy my whole life, his smile did creep me out.
"And what about yesterday? That doesn’t count?" Incredulous Chris threw what was left of the cigarette on the pavement.
"Well this is a good example we set for kids…" I stood up, rolling my eyes.
"What kids?" He wrinkled his eyebrows as I opened the door.
"Madd kid…"
"What did I do?" He ran around me, landing himself on the couch. In my place. In front of the sand color box. I had already forgotten it existed. Why didn’t I just bring it to her room? Yeah, it would’ve been wise.
"Hey, what’s in the box?" Before I managed to even get closer to it just by an inch, the package was in Chris’s hands. I think my heart skipped a beat right then and there. Why didn’t I see this coming? Chris was about to rip the scotch tape off, but he lost the package. Now it had been taken by Maddox.
"Chris, it’s not right," Thank you, finally he’s becoming more mature and making the right decisions. "You have to shake it before open!" Rev started jumping around the room, shaking the box like there was no tomorrow. What was there about Jimmy and maturity? Never in one sentence.
"What are you… fucking twelve?" My jaw fell open when I saw the debauchery happening in front of my eyes. Elle’s gonna be so pissed.
"Twelve and a half." Madd replied in a childish manner. I was so close to actually facepalming myself.
"Oh you got to be kidding me…" I whispered, absolutely stunned by what they were doing. Now they were playing- fetch. My fingers nervously ran through my raven hair, trying to figure if I needed to leave the country now or wait another five minutes. Whatever was in there, by now it had to be ... broken? I was too unlucky to think otherwise. I shot an anxious stare to the door behind me, hoping that Elle wouldn’t come in right then and there.
Maybe they will just play with it and leave it alone? No. Of course not. Maddox was already holding a kitchen knife and then he did it, he dug it deep in the box.
"oo lookey here, I hit something!"
"You guys really want me dead, don’t you…" Finally I got myself together and walked to them, pulling out the box of his clasps with a freaking knife sticking out of it. Fine… I was glad he stabbed the box, otherwise I… we would’ve never found out what’s in there.
"Just open it…" Chris encouraged me. I placed it back on the coffee table and pulled the knife out.
"Give me…" I slapped Madd’s hand when he reached for the knife. A deep breath before I signed my death penalty. I cut through the scotch tape and opened it. I would not had lied if I said we all were taken aback by what we saw in there.
"Underwear?" With the help of my trustful tool- the kitchen knife, I managed to pick out a bra. A pink bra. The next thing I know, Maddox is running around the room joy filling his body and a red bra covering his chest while he does an interpretation of Elle. A darn good I may say.
"I don’t eat junk food, ’cause junk food makes me fat…" He placed his arm on his hip while he posed for us. I was just seconds away from crying on the floor, when Chris was already doing it. My hand let go of the knife and it fell on the floor along with the pink bra. I just couldn’t take it anymore, my guts were hurting too badly. The high voice he did it was just priceless, "I order underwear ‘cause I’m too shy to go shoppi,-"
"Mind telling me what else I do before I blow your head off?" Okay, that freaked me out, it sounded too realistic. I rubbed my eyes from tears and saw her… standing in the doorway.
Laughter disappeared. This was one of the rare times when even with Madd’s puppy eyes it was just not enough. I gulped loudly. Yeah, it’s all fun and games until Elle Morrison threatens to put you in a body bag.