Stacy closed the door and locked it. She moved towards the wall and slumped to the floor as she pulled her knees up towards her chest, wiped the tears away and tried to control her breathing.  She could feel the cool linoleum tile against her back. The pounding of the door startled her.

“Open this door woman, before I come in there after you.” He yelled.

“Leave me alone, Johnny.” She moved situating herself between the toilet and the tub. The pounding was getting louder and she could see the door jiggle with his every hit. She put her hands over her ears and tried to drown out the noise as she prayed.

The door busted off the hinges. She screamed in terror as he grabbed her by her blood streaked blond hair. She scrambled to her feet and gripped the edge of the sink. He slammed her head into the mirror breaking it into shards of glass. She could feel the knot as it formed on her forehead. The blood clouded her left eye. She struggled to get free and clawed at the walls as he pulled her out into the living room. She tried to get away as he flung her onto the sofa. She quickly grabbed the vase of red roses from the table and aimed it at his head. It shattered against his right temple and knocked him to the floor. She scanned the room looking for another weapon of defense.

His body was still. She stood and walked around, keeping her eyes on him. She bit her bottom lip and sobbed. The only thing between her and the front door was him. She tip toed past him; tried the door knob, but it was locked.

“Shit….” She whispered, turned back, his body was still on the floor. She moved towards the bedroom and tried to find the light switch. As she flipped it on, rummaged through the collection of trinkets on the dresser, and opened the top drawer as she tried to find her keys. She remembered the 9mm gun she had hidden away under her underwear and retrieved it. She slammed the drawer shut. No keys. She looked up. The light outlined his silhouette as he stood in the doorway. She turned around hiding the gun behind her back.

“Did you think that would cut it bitch? Going somewhere?” He asked.

“Yes, away from here, away from you and this fucked up life. Get out of the way Johnny and let me through.” She demanded. He leaned his body against the doorframe and angled his arm towards the other side. “You are really going to leave me this time?” He shook his head. “You won’t do it. Go ahead leave.” He beckoned for her to pass him.

“I said, step aside Johnny.” She held the 9mm gun tightly behind her back. He couldn’t see what it was.

“What do ya got in your hand baby?” He asked. Her palm began to sweat as she held the object tighter. “I’m only going to ask you one more time Johnny, step aside.” Stacy uttered. She pulled the object from behind her back to reveal the 9mm handgun. His eyes widened in surprise as she pointed it at him.

“What are you gonna do with that baby?” He chuckled nervously. 

“I’m gonna blow your fuck’n brains out.” She assured him as her whole body shook.

“You don’t have it in you, you won’t pull that trigger.” He spat at her it landed on her face.

“You don’t know me that well anymore Johnny. I am tired of your bullshit and I am tired of you treating me this way.” She wiped the spit with the back of her hand.

He lunged at Stacy and tried to knock the gun away. She pulled the trigger and Johnny stopped, amazed that he had felt the bullet sear through his chest.

“You fuck’n bitch!” He screamed. Stacy took three steps back as Johnny slowly stumbled forward. “I don’t love you anymore.” She uttered in disgust. She pulled the trigger again and aimed for his head. The gun went off and his body collapsed to the floor. She walked over to him and checked his pulse, he didn’t have one.

She reached into his pants pocket and pulled out her car keys and a wad of money. She counted it. “Two hundred dollars is all you got, you cheap piece of shit.” She stood and kicked him, turned and grabbed a suitcase off the top shelf in the closet. She tossed some of her clothes into it along with the gun, and hurried back to the closet; she pulled out a pair of white sneakers and quickly put them on. She was dressed in a black and white sweat suit and checked herself in the mirror. The blood was caked to her face and crusted her hair.  It was her own blood not his.  She went into the restroom and took a wash cloth, doused it with hot water and removed the blood. As she walked back into the bedroom she pulled her hair into a ponytail, picked up the baseball cap off the nightstand and put in on. It covered the blood in her hair. She took one last look at the murder scene and walked out into the living room. She picked up her purse off the coffee table and slung it over her shoulder, unlocked the door and slammed it shut. She didn’t look back.

She made her way through the row of cars in the parking garage till she found hers. She disarmed it and placed the suite case in the trunk. She opened the car door and slid into the driver’s seat, checked her rearview mirror and latched her seat belt. She slowly pulled her car out and drove down the hill. As she exited the garage two cop cars pulled up in front of the apartment complex. She turned left to avoid them.

She drove south for about two hours until she came upon a place she could wash up and change. She got out of the car, sifted through her suitcase in the trunk and pulled out a change of clothes and a pair of sandals. She made her way into the rest stop and used the restroom. She locked the door, pulled off the baseball cap and leaned her head into the sink, turned on the water and washed it. She rung her hair  out and wrapped it into a bun on top of her head. She changed her outfit and put on a pair of blue jeans and a grey sweater. She slid off her sneakers and put on a pair of black sandals. She put the used clothes, shoes and baseball cap into the trashcan located in the corner of the restroom and made her way back to the car.

Adan got up, plopped his feet onto the hard wood floor and made his way into the kitchen. He looked at his watch; it read 5:00am. He scratched his head and ran his hand through his black hair and yawned. He turned on the coffee pot and the aroma of the fresh coffee filled the cool morning air. He was happy he wore his thermals to bed.

His house was old, but it was his. He gazed out the kitchen window. He loved to wake up to the view of the sunrise in the morning. He walked to the counter to pour himself a cup of coffee. He added the creamer, stirred it with a spoon, and took a sip. He felt the warmth of it in his throat as he swallowed. He took the cup of coffee with him and walked back towards the direction of his bedroom. He was halfway down the hall when a knock startled him. He spilled a bit of his coffee on the floor. He set the cup down on the hall table and answered the door.

She stood there and looked anxious. She waited for him to speak.

“I thought you would be happy to see me.” She cocked her head to the side and grinned.

He stepped outside and quietly closed the door. “It is five in the morning; I thought I was going to meet you at nine.”

She tried to push past him, but he blocked her. “You can’t come in right now.” He shook his head.

“Why not? Is she here?” She crossed her arms. “Come on, it’s cold out here. Stop messing around. We need to talk.” The tone in her voice changed, he sensed the seriousness in it. He pushed the door open again, put his head down and let her pass.  He followed her inside and closed the door, retrieved his cup of coffee and walked back into the kitchen. She pulled a cup from the cupboard and poured herself some coffee. She reached over and grabbed the creamer.

“French Vanilla,…mmm…my favorite.” She poured the creamer, stirred the coffee and sipped it. She licked the remainder of it from her lips. He tried not to let her notice he was watching her. His gaze fell upon her face. She looked like an angel in the sunlight as it shone behind her. He pushed the thought away, as he knew this girl was anything but an angel.

“So why are you here? Why do we need to talk? Why couldn’t this wait till nine?” He leaned against the counter, looked away and stared out the kitchen window. 

“He’s dead.” She mumbled. She stepped in front of him. “I killed him.”

He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook his head. “No, no…tell me you didn’t do that. I thought we had everything worked out. This isn’t how it was supposed to happen.” He dropped his gaze to the floor. As he looked up, his brown eyes met hers. He could see the tears as they slowly formed in her blue eyes. He brushed her blond bangs from her face, pushed them behind her ear and wiped the tears from her eyes with his thumb. He noticed the knot on her forehead and the cut above her left temple.

“How did you do it?” He asked. He walked away, through the kitchen into the living room and sat down on the sofa. She followed him and took a seat next to him.

“ I’d had enough of his shit. It was one time too many. He took my car keys and he left me no choice. I found the gun in the top drawer of the dresser and I shot him in the chest. My rage overtook me and I shot him in the head. He’s dead.” She assured Adan. Her gazed fixated on a mirror that was hanging from the wall. Her voice sounded disconnected as if she was talking about someone else other than herself. She turned to look at him.

“I love you.” She whispered.  Her words sounded empty. “You’re my alibi; I was with you all night.” She smiled.

He shook his head. “I can’t collaborate that. There’s someone in the other room, she won’t go along with that.” He pointed to his bedroom.

“That whore, you call a girlfriend. I’ll take care of her.” She said with spite in her voice as she stood. He grabbed her by the wrist.

She yanked her arm away and placed her hands on her hips. “I am the last person you want to upset right now, Adan.” She snapped at him.

He lightly placed his hands in hers and tried to calm her down. “Listen to me, what you need to do...”

She interrupted him. “What I need to do, you mean what we need to do.” She stepped away from him even more furious.

He saw the hurt in her eyes. This was not a good situation he had gotten himself into, and sometimes he wished he had never met her.

The running water startled them and they both fell silent. He waited for her to say something, but she didn’t. He saw Diana as she approached them in her black lace nightgown. Her dark hair hung loosely over her shoulders. She entered the living room and her brown eyes fell upon the woman.

“What are you doing here, Stacy?” She asked as the tension in her voice rose.

“This doesn’t concern you Diana, so just go back to bed.” She demanded.

“Oh, it does concern me, especially when you come over here at five in the morning and get all chatty with my boyfriend in his living room. What is really going on here?” She glared at both of them.

“Stacy was just having a little problem that she needed help with. She was just about to leave.” He widened his eyes in Stacy’s direction, and hoped she would take the hint. He walked over to Diana and took her hand in his. “Come on, let’s go back to bed.” She pushed his hand away.

“You must think I am stupid.” Diana shook her head and pointed at Stacy. “Are you fucking her?”

Adan watched the confrontation unravel before him. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. “No, I am not fucking her.” He assured Diana.

“Let me clarify this, you’re not fucking her anymore.” Diana screamed at him. “You’re never gonna change are you?” She raised her hand to slap him, but he blocked it.

Stacy lunged at Diana and took her to the floor. Adan watched the two girls as they tumbled around and pulled on each other’s hair. He could hear the screams and cursing, as each girl took her rage out on the other. He did not interfere, as it was a family squabble, one that he didn’t care to get directly involved in, even though he already was.

She managed to get to her feet and pulled Stacy up by her hair. She pushed her into the wall and kneed her in the stomach. Diana was pulled away from behind and pushed onto the sofa. She quickly turned around to face Adan.

“Why are you getting involved?” She scowled at him as she stood.

“This has to stop.” He shook his head and stepped in front of Diana as she tried to pass him.

Stacy caught her breath and slowly walked up behind Adan. He stood in between both of them. He moved his hand back behind him and signaled for Stacy to stay back.

“What I really want to do is beat your ass!” Diana screamed at Stacy. “I am sick and tired of you always messing up my life.” She huffed.

“Look, Di…Stacy has a much bigger problem then she cares to admit.” Adan tried to calm Diana.

Stacy clinched her fists and looked down. “You’re not gonna tell her are you?” She asked him.

Diana hated the fact that Adan and Stacy were still so close even after so many years had passed. She knew that by getting involved with Adan the thought of him and Stacy together would linger in her mind, and it did. She tried hard to push the feelings of jealousy aside, as Stacy was her sister. But she was the one who was responsible for their demise as a couple.  She knew they still had feelings for each other, even though they both denied it to her.

She studied Stacy and noticed she had been banged up pretty bad from the left side of her head. She knew Johnny had beat her and Stacy had come to Adan’s to find comfort or needed a safe place to stay.

Diana felt her stomach drop at the lie Stacy uttered. She knew their relationship was not healthy enough to venture a visit to her house on Stacy’s part. Her anger festered once again.

“You are a conniving, lying, deceitful bitch!” Diana spoke through gritted teeth.

“Are you talking about me, or yourself?” Stacy spat back as she quickly looked at Adan and then back at Diana.

“Johnny should have…..” Diana was interrupted by Adan’s words.

Diana crossed her arms. “Oh, what that obnoxious mouth of his finally got him into trouble? He was a pathetic excuse for a man and a lover. Sometimes I wondered why you stayed with him as long as you did.”She asked Stacy.

“Oh, it’s because you loved him right? Do you even know what the meaning of the word love is? Look how many failed relationships you’ve had and the turmoil your life has been in. It’s no wonder you haven’t committed suicide by now?” Diana said.

“Such loving, sisterly words.” Stacy spat. “You’re the older one, who was always jealous of me and my life. You secretly wished your life could be half as exciting as mine. You even managed to take away the one person whom loved me more than anyone else in the world. You walked in here with you seductive antics and sly words and managed to coax him into bed with you. But his heart doesn’t belong to you, you wicked bitch. I only got with Johnny to buy time. I never loved him.” Stacy shook her head.

Diana was surprised at Stay’s heartless comments. It seemed her sister was cold and had no empathy in her addled blue eyes.

“The waiting game is over Diana. Your time has come.” Stacy assured her.

“Shut up Adan!” Stacy yelled. “I am tired of waiting around. I am tired of this.”

Diana looked at both of them dumb founded. “What are you trying to say?” Diana felt confused and unsure of her feelings and relationship with Adan. “Buy time? Waiting around?” Her eyes widened as she saw Stacy pull the gun from her purse.

“I used this to put a bullet in Johnny’s head.” She pointed it at Diana. “Perhaps I should use it on you too.”

Adan moved towards Stacy and gently pushed her hand down. “Don’t point that at her, Stacy. Come on, killing her won’t solve anything. We already have one murder we have to deal with. Two is just too risky. We move too quickly and things could get sloppy.”

Diana stepped backwards and made her way behind the sofa as she separated herself further from them.

“I do love you.” Adan assured her. “If I didn’t I would have let Stacy kill you already.”

Diana continued to walk backwards making her way towards the front door. “You two are crazy.”

Stacy raised the gun again, and turned it towards Adan. “You love her?” She asked.

“Put that gun down Stacy. Don’t you ever point that thing at me.” He demanded.

Stacy quickly pointed the gun back at Diana. “My life has been hell for the past four years because of you. Adan wanted to have some fun with you so I let him. I have to admit Johnny wasn’t a bad fuck and he told me I was much better than you were.” She smiled at Diana.

“Your relationship was filled with lies and deceit Adan, but I thought you knew that already, especially with our predicament.” She looked over at him as she raised her eyebrow. She turned back towards Diana the gun still pointed in her direction.

“You are going to stand there and talk to me about being innocent. You were the one who just killed a man and now has a gun pointed and me.” Diana said.

“Um…Stacy, yes he is. Between you two fighting over me you girls have lost the point of the whole visit to my house.” He said.

Stacy turned towards Adan, “The point of visiting was to get you to help me with my alibi, but she’s here so that idea is useless now.” Stacy shook her head.

Diana saw the look on Stacy’s face and knew she was rolling over the events that had taken place so far up until that point.

“You were in on it with her weren’t you?” Diana turned to Adan. “Why? I know you didn’t like Johnny, but you and Stacy never distanced yourselves from each other.” Diana started to think back to all the times Adan couldn’t meet her, or he was busy and thoughts of deceit filled every inch of her body. “You used me.”

“Used is such a harsh word, more like enjoyed you.” Adan smiled.