Scream For me

I sit back down, pulling up the teacher list at Crestwood. I find Preston’s last name, typing it in Google, but nothing stands out. I rub my eyes. I know they’re bloodshot after staring at this screen for hours. I feel like I’ve failed Daphne but I’m not giving up.

“Think,” I say aloud as I drill my fingers on my desk. Then it hits me. “Steve.” He’s the only person who would have seen us together. I think back on that night when I met him, the way his door was open a sliver, slamming shut after I saw him watching us. “How would he know?” I type in his name and the building but nothing comes up.

What would he have to gain by getting her fired?

I know it wouldn’t take much for him to find out where she worked or maybe she told him in casual conversation.

I give up on that theory for now, instead typing in Rick Fein’s name in hopes there’s some dirt I can dig up to blackmail him with. Everyone has a few skeletons in their closet. I found his social media profile that’s full of photos. I start to click through them, looking at faces and names, none of which stand out to me.

My phone buzzes, the front office of my building calling me. I glance at my watch; it’s nearing ten p. m.

“Hello?”

“Evening, Mr. Vaughn. Apologies for the late call, but you have a visitor. Miss Flowers, should I send her up?”

I jump out of my chair. “Yes, please.” I run my hands through my hair, down a glass of water, and adjust my shirt before darting to the elevator just as it opens.

“Where have you been?” I don’t mean to shout at her, but I’ve been beyond worried, terrified actually that something happened to her. She looks exhausted. She doesn’t say a word, just walks toward me and right into my arms. “Are you okay, baby? I’ve missed you. I looked everywhere for you; I was so scared.” She doesn’t respond. Her body collapses against me as she cries in my arms for several minutes.

“Oh, baby, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

“No, it’s not. I’ve ruined everything,” she finally says through a broken sob.

“No, you haven’t.” I reach down to hold her face, making her look up at me. “You were scared and hurting, I understand. Wherever you were, whatever happened, it’s in the past. As long as I know you’re safe, that’s all that matters.” I wipe away a few tears that trickle down her cheeks. “Come on, let’s talk in here.” I lead her back to my office and close the door.

“I know about school. I just found out today. When did it happen?” I sit on the edge of my desk.

“A week ago. I didn’t know what to do so I went to Florida to be with my dad. I just needed someplace that wasn’t here. I just needed my dad. I turned my phone off. I didn’t even tell Xana where I was until she called my dad.”

“You could have called me. I would have stepped in and helped.”

“I know.” She nods. “I just, I felt like after what I said to you, I didn’t deserve your help. I was also ashamed and in shock honestly. I’ve never been fired or even written up at work and now I’m accused of…” She can’t finish the word, and her face scrunches up as she covers it with her hands.

“I understand,” I say, pulling her toward me again to hold her in my arms.

“It was Natalie, wasn’t it?” I pull back to look down at her. “Have you talked to her?”

“I don’t think it was.” I shake my head.

“It has to be. Nobody else knew or would have a reason to do this. Don’t protect her just because of your past with her.” She’s feeling defensive and I don’t blame her.

“Believe me, I’m not and I wouldn’t. She’s the first person I thought of when I found out what happened, but as much as I do know her, I can’t see her doing something like this. She has far too much to lose with her job. She and I had a good talk. I finalized the Nile Logistics deal and she apologized to me for her behavior, and for going to talk to you. She said she went to apologize to you but that you weren’t at school.”

“I saw her and Preston making out behind the school in her car not that long before this all happened. He texted me a few times asking me what happened and where I went. He said rumors were going around but I didn’t respond. I thought maybe he was in on it. I don’t know.”

“Wait, what?” I laugh at the thought that she’s sunk her claws into Preston. He’s exactly the kind of younger man candy she would go after.

“The day she came to talk to me about you two, I went out the back because I didn’t want to run into her again in the hallway, but she was already outside. She was in her Range Rover and Preston was leaning in the driver’s side window, kissing her.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense. Why would she be fooling around with her son’s teacher, then tell on you for doing the same thing?”

“I dunno, to get you back?” She looks at me questioningly. “Are you- back with her?”

“What? No, never. I’m-Daphne I’m in love with you, you know that. I meant everything I said to you and while I know it’s not what you wanted to hear, it’s how I feel. That isn’t changing, it won’t change, even if you don’t feel the same.”

She sits down in my chair behind my desk, letting out a dramatic sigh. “I talked to my dad about everything with us. About how I was hurt by his actions running off with my mom’s nurse and moving on and how I wouldn’t let myself move on.”

“And? Did it help you gain clarity at all?”

“I think so, yeah. I forgave him. I met his new wife and she’s wonderful. I guess I wanted him to hurt and wallow in the pain of losing my mom like I did but that’s just not fair. I can’t expect other people to hurt or grieve like I do. He also helped me realize that it wasn’t grief I was holding on to; it was pain. I’d grown used to hiding behind it, using it to mask my real emotions. I was using it as a reason to not move on with my life… I was wrong. I was so wrong.”

“About?” I hold my breath, unsure what she’s about to say.

“You and my feelings.” She looks up from her hands that are folded in her lap. “I didn’t want to admit that what I felt for you was more than anything I’d ever felt before. I felt like I was betraying what I had with Carson, but the truth is that’s in the past. Moving on and falling in love again isn’t betraying him. I know he wouldn’t want me to stay in the past, just like if it were me who died, I’d want him to move on and be happy and find the person who was going to give him the life he deserved… the life he wanted and longed for.”

“I do understand that feeling. I had all those same thoughts myself early on with us. I knew what I was feeling for you was more than just a crush or wanting you and I fought with myself over it. It felt so quick, like I was falling and no matter what I did I couldn’t catch myself. But the bottom line is, we aren’t replacing people we lost in our past. We’re just creating our future together.”

She looks at me with big tears in her eyes that tumble down her cheeks as she jumps out of the chair and into my arms. “I’m so sorry. I love you.” I spin her around in my arms, kissing her through her tears.

“So now what?” she asks as I slide her down my body.

“Now I take you to bed and we make up.” I back her against my desk, kissing her. Her hands dart out to catch herself and shit hits my keyboard, waking up my monitor.

“I didn’t take you as a social media kind of guy,” she says, looking at my computer screen.

“I’m not. I was just doing some research. Trying to find out who might be the source Rick claims to have.”All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

“Ugh,” she groans, looking at the screen. “Mr. Fein’s face is the last thing I want to see right now.” She’s about to turn away when she squints, leaning closer to the screen. “Wait, I know that guy next to him. Or I recognize him at least.”

“Him?” I say, pointing to the man to his right. He’s tall, much taller than Rick with a broad chest and thick arms. He has a baseball hat on. “How do you know him?”

She stares at it a little longer. “That’s-that’s Steve’s roommate, my neighbor.”

“What?” I slowly sink in my air, reading the caption on the picture. “I didn’t know Steve lived with someone.”

Happy Birthday to my little bro. You might have outgrown me, but you’ll always be the baby.

“Yeah, that’s Steve’s roommate. I’ve never officially met him. I don’t even know his name, but I’ve seen him in my building, going into that apartment. He moved in with Steve less than a year ago. He’s super reclusive, always has a hat on pulled down.”

“Wait… Your neighbor is Rick’s little brother?” I say it out loud, realizing the connection between him and Steve. “But why would they come after you?” I scroll down, reading the comments left by a few people, one in particular catching my eye, one that makes everything make sense.

Can’t believe little Kenny Fein grew up to be so fine.

There it is, right in front of me. Ken F. Ken Fein. They weren’t doing this to come after Daphne… they were coming after me.