Flashbacks of staring at my mother while she held that gun in her hand played through my mind. She hadn’t tried to shoot me. However, she had killed someone. I thought I’d left that all behind in Georgia, but it haunted me everywhere I went. I couldn’t pick my family, but I sure as hell could pick my friends.
As I stood in a stunned daze, Sophie and Whitney lifted the body from the trunk. They carried him about twenty feet from the car and dumped him onto the sand. Whitney and Sophie acted as if they were getting rid of a bag of trash. They would never treat the precious contents of their closets this way. Another human though? No problem.
Once Whitney and Sophie finished, Britney’s attention immediately shifted to me. “Don’t think I won’t remember this, Alexsis.”
Somehow, I knew Britney would hold a grudge against me for the rest of her life. I’d hold one against her too, but for completely different reasons.
“I’m sure you will,” I mumbled.
Britney peered down at her hands as if she’d actually touched the body. “I’m all gross now. I need a shower. Let’s hurry up and get out of here.”
Britney, Sophie, and Whitney stared at the body. I kept my distance, standing close to the car door. After a few seconds, Britney stomped toward me, which was no easy feat in her Dolce and Gabbana multicolored wedge heels. With her stare fixed on me, I thought for sure she was coming to attack me.
Panic set in as I ran through ideas of how I’d fight her off. She didn’t reach for me though. Instead, she grabbed something from her white leather Chanel handbag in the front seat. Watching her as she moved away from the vehicle, I realized she had matches in her hand. What the hell was she doing?
Whitney grabbed a gas container from the trunk. When Whitney walked back over to the body, Britney gestured for Whitney to pour the gas on the man. A gasp escaped my lips, and I lost my breath. This was the most disturbing thing I’d ever witnessed. Even beyond the car accident. Overcome with emotion, tears streamed down my cheeks. My entire body trembled.
“Is this really necessary? He’s already dead,” I yelled as I ran over.
Britney pulled a match from the package. Before she had a chance to toss it on the man, I yanked the gas can from Whitney.
“You bitch. What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Britney asked.
I ran back to the Bentley with the gas container and placed it in the trunk. There was no way I would allow them to do that to the poor man. With my arms folded in front of my chest, I stood in defiance in front of the trunk. Britney raced over and grabbed me by the arms. She squeezed with sure force that I thought my bones might snap.
“Let go of me. I won’t allow you to do that to his body.” The words came out between my sobs, making it difficult to even understand what I said.
Britney shook me frantically. “Shut up, shut up, shut up. I don’t want to hear any of that. Do you understand me?”
“I just don’t understand why this was necessary,” I said through more sobbing.
As much as possible, I tried to avoid eye contact with Britney. With her face inches from mine, it was hard to escape her scrutiny.
After a few more seconds, she released her grip on my arms. “Fine. We won’t burn him, but if they find the man, then this is all on you.”
The man had just been trying to survive, living his life as best as he could when Britney had cut it short as if he hadn’t had it tough enough already. He was homeless, for God’s sake.
“What a drama queen,” Whitney said with disdain.
“You’re disgusting, Alexsis. Snot running out of your nose. Get in the car before I leave your ass,” Britney said. “And don’t get any of your body fluids on my leather seats.”
I slid into the backseat again. The last thing I wanted was to be near Britney. A few seconds later, Whitney and Sophie climbed into the car. An odd sense of excitement surrounded them.
“What do we do now?” Whitney asked as she buckled her seatbelt.
“What if the body attracts attention from animals or birds? What if someone sees that? What if they find us out here?” Sophie peppered Britney with questions.
“What if. What if. What if. Do you know how many bodies have been dumped out here? I don’t think they’re going to notice this one when they haven’t discovered the others.” Britney started the car. “It’s too far from the road for anyone to get back here.”
“We got back here.” After the words slipped out, I regretted opening my mouth.
I needed to shut up and pray that I survived this horror. Something about my personality wouldn’t allow me to remain completely silent.
“That doesn’t mean someone else can.” Anger consumed Britney’s words.
These women truly weren’t the brightest diamonds in the Harry Winston setting. Why did everyone follow everything Britney said? My sadness was now changing to anger and I didn’t like the way I felt. Years ago, I’d promised myself I’d let go of the anger. It had eaten away at me. Yet here I was again struggling with the same feelings.
Whitney smirked at me. She seemed just as cold and callous as Britney. Sophie acted a bit more compassionate, although it was only a minute amount.
Britney backed down the road and eased onto the highway again. She pointed the Bentley back in the direction of Beverly Hills. I’d never missed home this much. I basically hated it there, but now I longed for the sterile environment of my home. When I caught a glimpse of Britney’s face in the rearview mirror, I noticed her expression was one of pure satisfaction. She was actually enjoying this.
We rode in silence, which was fine with me. What could I say after that experience? Would the shopaholic sociopaths continue with their lives as if this had never happened? Would it be back to shopping as usual tomorrow?
“I’m famished,” Britney said. “We need to eat.”
She couldn’t be serious.
“How can you eat at a time like this?” I asked.
“Not eating isn’t going to bring the dead guy back to life,” Britney said.
When we reached an exit with restaurant options, Britney merged off the highway. She was completely serious. Britney would probably complain about the lack of Starbucks or places with healthy eating options. After pulling into the tiny diner’s lot, she parked the car by the front door in a spot clearly reserved for handicap customers. The restaurant’s blinking neon sign cast a red glow through the car’s windows. The malevolent threesome opened the car doors at the same time and got out. I stayed put.
“Are you coming with us?” Whitney asked, through the open car window.
I shook my head.
Britney smirked. “Suit yourself. Stay out here. You could stand to lose a few pounds anyway.”
Britney marched away with the other women in tow. She was the leader of the pack and they were her minions. Leaning my head back on the leather seat, I closed my eyes and tried to will away the horrible thoughts in my mind. As miserable as I was when I was home, that was the place I wanted to be right now, asleep in my bed where I could forget about this for a few seconds.
I must’ve dozed off for a bit because the next thing I knew the designer-loving demons were getting back into the car. They were chatting about clothing, shopping, and their douchebag husbands as usual. My lips remained sealed as Britney pulled out of the parking lot and back onto the highway. How would I get my phone? It would be gone by the time I got back to LA. I needed one right away. If I hurried, I could pick up a new one before going home. Though maybe I should check to see if my phone was still in the alleyway.