Sweet Revenge

I've never been to Grace Pattin's home before. But, I'm standing in her front yard at three in the afternoon. Billie forces me to knock and I do it because I'm stared again.

Grace opens the door. She's fresh-faced and beautiful again. She smiles a bit. A shy smile that colors her cheeks red. And I have this feeling that she remembers. She tucks her strawberry blonde hair, curled and shining gold, behind her ear. "Would you like to come inside?" Her voice is soft and she's can barely look at me. Until she looks at Billie. Then she looks at me with all the betrayal the world has been made of and my heart breaks a little but I'm scared too, so I just stand there and say nothing.

"Yes," Billie says, pushing past me. "That would be nice."

Grace is startled. There's a shimmer of tears in her green eyes and I can tell that she's afraid. But, I'm scared, too. And I can't do anything about it, but lust after her touch.

I follow Billie. Our shoulders brush and everything feels better—even if just for a little bit.

Billie sinks into the white couches in Grace's living room, kicking her legs up onto the coffee table. She holds her hand out to both of us. "Where is it?"

I stand there, between the two of them. Grace looks at me. She doesn't understand what's happening. I frown. I don't know why, but I can tell that she's innocent of the crime she's being accused of.

"She doesn't have it." My words don't sound the way they sounded in my head, but it's okay because Billie heard me.

"What?" She's angry. She doesn't know where else to look. Grace was her last hope.

"It's not her," I say softly.

Billie scowls and then she smiles a bit creepy. She gets up from her seat, standing between the two of us. "What the hell..."

Grace isn't shy anymore. She slips behind me, holding my hand in hers. "G-get out of my house."

"It's her." Billie's talking to herself. The bit of her that's lost it all. They look crazy inside of her like that. Flickering and flickering until she doesn't know who to be anymore. She leaves without the notebook, without me, and without the person, she was a moment ago.

"What's in the notebook?" Grace asks when she's gone. And I just stare and stare at the door until it all disappears.