Page 10 of Casper
I squeezed into the tiny shower, savoring the hot water flow. That wasn’t the first time someone had called me a freak. Having my own style and preferences shouldn’t have mattered so much. I still didn’t understand why other people cared about what didn’t affect them.
I also hadn’t known Brad had a girlfriend nor had I cared. I wasn’t interested in him. Under better circumstances, I would’velaughed off what had been said about me. It took a lot more than that for people to get under my skin. Tonight had already been hard enough. I didn’t have it in me.
After giving my hair and body a thorough scrubbing, I wrapped myself in a fuzzy pink robe and crouched down in front of the mini fridge. The contents were primarily water and orange juice except for two vodka coolers. I grabbed one of them, popping it open.
Flopping down on my bed, I stared at the tapestry hanging on the wall across from me. A large piece depicting the lovers tarot card with two skeletons locked in a loving embrace. Maybe I was a bit of a weirdo. Maybe I kind of liked it.
My dorm room was relatively small, just large enough for a twin bed and a tiny desk in the corner near the door. It was home for the year though, and I embraced it.
My phone went off with a text alert from Athena telling me to let her know that I made it back to the dorm safely. She hoped I felt better soon. She didn’t know the half of it. I replied quickly to tell her I was safe and sound. That’s when the voicemail notification at the top of the screen caught my eye.
When had I missed a call? I suppose that could’ve happened at any point during the evening. Tapping on the icon to listen to the voicemail, my entire body went cold when I heard it.
“Hey, baby,” came a voice I recognized all too well. “Miss me? I sure as hell have missed you. Why did you stop coming to see me? Not even a card on my birthday. I’m sure you’ll be thrilled to know that I’m getting out soon. Dad has been pulling some strings. I can’t wait to see you. I’m coming for you, Luna. We can pick up where we left off. You know you’ll always be my girl. I’ll call you again when I have more information. Love you, babe.”
I immediately deleted the message. I hadn’t heard that voice in years. Almost three to be exact.
Jace Ford, my ex, had been in prison for four years now. He’d been seventeen when they locked him up, tried as an adult for gunning down a gas station employee during a robbery gone bad. His father, a successful defense lawyer, had worked his ass off to get Jace a reduced sentence, claiming it had been manslaughter and not murder. He had been sentenced to a minimum of four years. Not nearly long enough according to the gas station employee’s family. The community had been outraged, but money talks, and Jace’s father had a lot of it.
It wasn’t the first time the justice system had failed the victim. Unfortunately, that kind of thing happened a lot. Too bad I felt like it also failed me. Having Jace locked away had made me feel safe.
He’d always been a bit high-strung. A troublemaker that didn’t care about consequences. I’d been drawn to his bad boy image as a teenager. All too quickly I realized he was more than a bad boy. He was dangerously disturbed. More than once I’d tried to break up with him only to be told that he would kill the both of us if that’s what it took to keep me from leaving him.
Hearing the horrible news that he might be getting out soon left me cold all over. The day from hell had descended into an absolute nightmare.
A sudden knock on my door made me jump. Who the hell could that be? Everyone I knew was partying at the graveyard.
Sliding off the bed, I set my drink on the desk and crept over to the door. Peering out the peephole, I was surprised to find Casper Callahan on the other side.
I sucked in a deep breath and said, “I’m really not up for a visitor tonight, Casper. Can we talk another time?”
He shook his head. Not much of a reply, but it was clear enough.
“Please go away.” I tried again. “I’m not opening the door.”
Maybe being firm would help. All I wanted was to climb into my bed and forget this entire day had happened.
Casper pulled out his phone, typing something on the notepad. He held it up close to the peephole so I could see what he had written.
Let me in or I let myself in.
Well that wasn’t absolutely terrifying or anything. How much worse could this night possibly get? Maybe I didn’t want the answer to that.
With a defeated sigh, I unlocked the door and opened it. “If you’re here because you’re worried I’m going to tell someone what happened, you’re wasting your time. I’m not going to say anything.”
Casper entered, waiting for me to close the door. His large frame looked comically big in the middle of my small room. I would have laughed under better circumstances.
Right away I noticed that his knuckles were bruised. One of them bled slightly from a small cut.
“Do you need a cold cloth or something?” I asked. “I don’t have any ice in here, but I can wet a cloth with really cold water.”
Casper glanced down at his hands and shrugged. Not knowing what to do to break the awkwardness of his presence, I ducked into the bathroom and fetched him a wet cloth anyway. He accepted it with a nod before motioning to my bed.
“Sure, go ahead and sit down. I assume there’s a reason you’re here.” I became painfully aware that I was standing there in only a robe and underwear.
Casper sat on the edge of my bed, the mattress sinking under his weight. He pressed the cloth to the back of his bleeding knuckle for a moment before pulling out his phone and typing. I imagined that it must be frustrating to communicate this way.I’d seen him use sign language with his friends. Unfortunately, I didn’t know sign.
I needed to make sure you were all right. I’m sorry that I scared you.
