The Ex Killer Series Read online

  “What about you? I’m sure she did countless things for you.”

  “She did. For me, she always tried her best to make it to my basketball games. That’s the one thing that really sticks out. There could be two seconds left on the clock. She’ll still come in feeling really sick, but she’ll start cheering like she’s been there the whole time. I really appreciated that about my mom. That was the only thing I was good at, and she made me feel like what I was doing was worth something.”

  He smiled and was watching my expression. He said, “You smile when you talk about her. You should talk about your mom more often.”

  “No one will listen.”

  “I listened. I bet if you talk to Tanie about her, she’ll listen, too.”

  “You’re the only one, Alex. Tanie isn’t the right person to talk to when it comes to stuff like that.”

  “How often did your mom talk to you about her cancer?”

  He remembered how my mom died. I would have to remind everyone else. I was so in love with him. I couldn’t help it. “Rarely,” I answered, “I think she was trying to be upbeat, trying to stay positive around us.”

  “I bet it was tough when she died.”

  “It was really bad, Alex.” I had to back off a little. Talking about my mom was getting to me. I changed the subject. “Well, you’re lucky to still have both of your parents. I hope you appreciate them.” I think if I was around Tanie talking about Alex’s parents and Alex was nowhere around, I would be talking bad about them. I know for a fact they did not care for me. But I was in the company of the man I love, and I had to show him support.

  “I do appreciate them. I know I wouldn’t have finished college without my parents staying on me. There were a couple of times I wanted to quit, but they were there, never letting me give up. Looking back, I’m glad they were. What about your dad? Where...”

  “Alex.” A familiar voice remarked from behind us. Alex and I looked back and standing in the door was his sister, Sherrie, and another girl.

  My heart fell to the floor. Alex’s easy going demeanor changed, and he stood clearly upset that Sherrie was there. Why was she here in the first place? She was going to ruin everything! I stood beside him.

  Sherrie glared at me, and then she looked at her brother.

  “What are you doing here?” Alex asked as he approached them.

  “I have been trying to contact you for most of the evening, and you weren’t answering your cell. Mother said that you might be here. What is she doing here?” Of course, Sherrie was talking about me.

  Alex ignored Sherrie and asked the other girl, “How long have you been in town?”

  The girl and I looked at each other. She seemed confused, but not angry. She answered, “I just got in earlier this evening. I’m in town for my grandparents’ anniversary.”

  They knew each other. Is Alex going to tell them the truth? Is he going to tell them that we are dating? This was a test to see if he was truly sincere when it came to our relationship, whatever kind of relationship he understood it to be.

  Alex turned to me and said, “Angela, this is Hannah.”

  Sherrie added, “This is Alex’s girlfriend.”

  What in the hell!

  “She’s not my girlfriend.” Alex gave Sherrie a look of disapproval.

  Sherrie was about to say something, but Hannah stepped up and said, “Angela, it is very nice to meet you.” She reached her hand out, but I didn’t shake it. I looked at him waiting for an explanation. He looked at Sherrie. He was silently blaming her for this whole mess.

  I asked, “Alex, is she really your girlfriend?”

  He firmly answered, “Hannah and I are friends.”

  Hannah said, “Alex, why don’t we talk in the morning under better circumstances.” She began backing away.

  “Wait a minute, Hannah.” Sherrie huffed.

  “Sherrie, stay out of this.” Alex was frustrated. The drama of all us being there was too much for him. He turned to Hannah and said, “I think that’s a good idea. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “You’re making us leave! I’m your family, Alex, and Hannah is your girlfriend!” Sherrie yelled as she pointed at me, “Make her leave! She has no right to be here!”

  “Angela, excuse us for a minute.” Alex left me standing on the porch. His face was beat red with anger. I didn’t say a word. He made them both follow him into the dining room.

  There was no way I was going to miss out on that conversation. I went to the door so I could see them and hear what they were saying.

  Alex asked Hannah, “Why did you want to see me this late in the evening? Why couldn’t you have waited until tomorrow?”

  “I spoke to Sherrie...”

  He repeated angrily before she could finish, “You spoke to Sherrie.”

  Sherrie chimed in quickly, “Yes, she spoke to me, and I said that you would love to see her.”

  “You listened to Sherrie instead of calling me first?”

  “I had no reason to doubt your sister, Alex. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause any problems. I didn’t realize you were seeing someone else.”

  Sherrie remarked, “I seriously doubt my brother is dating that girl.”

  I yelled angrily as I walked into the kitchen, “We are dating, Sherrie, rather you like it or not!”

  “You think he wants you! You’re nobody to him!” She yelled across the room.

  Hannah continued backing away quickly and said, “Just call me when things are different.”

  I went right up to Alex and Sherrie. I was going to stand my ground and fight for him. Alex stood between me and his sister. Sherrie didn’t move. She stood with her arms folded.

  Alex said as he started moving Sherrie away from me, “I want you to leave, Sherrie. I’m not going to explain anything to you.”

  “What do you think Mom and Dad will say about your little black whore?”

  I yelled, “SAY that to my face, you stank ass bitch!” Alex faced me quickly and started backing me away from Sherrie. He stood fast in front of me, and I couldn’t go around him no matter how hard I tried to push him aside.

  “A whore and ignorant at the same time,” Sherrie said with a calm, nasty tone of voice. She was not shook at all by the fact I was yelling at her and trying to get to her. “I’m sure Daddy will be most pleased with your current selection of trash, Alex.”

  I wanted to fight her, but I found myself fighting Alex instead. I was mad as hell! Every word she spoke enraged me. He eventually pushed me against the wall. His sheer strength overpowered me like I was doing nothing.

  I settled down and angrily whispered to his face, “She says one more thing to me, and I’ll kill her.”

  Alex gave me this look like he was shock to hear what I said, but he knew I was serious. He had no doubt in his mind I meant every word I said. He let me go slowly, and I stood by the wall not moving. He better handle it. She had one more time to call me any kind of name other than my true name, or I was going to educate her on what my real name was.

  He went over to Sherrie and demanded, “I want you out. Do not come back here, you understand me.”

  “You can’t…”

  Alex said, “I asked you to leave real nice. Don’t make me ask again!”

  Sherrie looked at Alex almost like she was trying to defy him, but she stepped away slowly.

  Before she left, she yelled, “You’re fired, Angela!”

  Alex followed her out of the dining room. I looked down at the floor trying to stop my tears. I lost my job. I bet she relished in saying those words. Maybe, it was a good thing, but at the moment, it sure didn’t feel like it.

  She yelled one more thing, “You show up at the nursing home, and I will call the Sheriff!”

  I was angry beyond words. I was angry at Sherrie and angry at Alex. He came back to the kitchen after she left, but he didn’t get close to me.

  He said in a calm voice, “I’m sorry, Angela. I’m very sorry.”

  I had to gain
control of my feelings. I asked him as I wiped my tears away, “What are we, Alex? Are we dating? Are we friends? What the hell am I to you?”

  He quickly admitted, “We’re dating, Angela.”

  When he said those words, I felt like I could breathe again. He finally said it. I asked, “Why didn’t you tell them?”

  “I acknowledged it. I told them.” He was lying to me! I couldn’t believe it! He told me a bold face lie! Did he think I was stupid?

  “No, you didn’t. You admitted nothing.”

  He began to plead, “They saw us together. It’s apparent we’re dating. You came in before I could say anything. You didn’t give me a chance, Angela. I would have taken up for you.”

  He started approaching me, and I wanted him closer despite what just happened. But my anger was too much and I stepped away.

  “Angela, there’s something you must understand. My sister is a manipulator. That whole situation was bad from the start, and Sherrie is the cause of it. You know that right?”

  I began to calm down more. His voice was soothing. I admitted, “Yes, I realize that.”

  “You and I have a relationship that means a lot to me. I won’t let Sherrie ruin it. I want to be with you and that’s it. You’re the one that’s here with me now, and I made them leave. Don’t you see that I love you, Angela?”

  I felt a shock go through my body. Did I hear him right? Did he really love me? I asked, “What did you say?”

  By this time, he was close in front of me and he answered, “I absolutely mean it. I love you.”

  “She likes you, Alex. I saw how she looked at you.”

  “We’ve been friends for a long time, Angela, since we were kids. You don’t ever have to worry about Hannah, ever. She’s harmless and no threat to our relationship. I mean, you saw how she spoke to you. You saw how she handled the situation. She saw it for what it was, and she left. She knew Sherrie was up to no good, and she didn’t want any part of it.”

  I nodded feeling a little better about Hannah, the old friend, but still Sherrie was a problem for me. I said, “I didn’t appreciate your sister calling me those names. I’m not stupid. I’m not any of those things.”

  “Look at the person who said it. You know how Sherrie is. I know what kind of person you are. You’re a beautiful woman, Angela, and you can’t let Sherrie get you crazy like that. Like I said before she’s a manipulator. By tomorrow it’ll be all straight. You won’t have to worry about Hannah or Sherrie, and you will still have your job.”

  I wasn’t getting my job back. I wasn’t delusional about that at all. I smiled, and he opened his arms and we hugged each other. He felt so good and so warm. I could feel the stress and the anger melting away.

  “Why don’t I take you home? I think we both had enough excitement for the evening.”

  “I really want to be with you right now, Alex.”

  “I want to be with you, too, but I have a feeling I’m going to have a problem when I get home. I need to handle it there, or the problem will come here.”

  I understood what he meant. Sherrie was going to tell their parents what happened, and Alex will have to deal with them. He went outside to put the lamps out, and he closed down the house. We walked together to his truck. Alex and I didn’t say a word during the short ride home.

  I asked after he stopped at the corner of my parking lot, “Do you really love me?”

  He answered without hesitation, “Yes, I do, Angela. I love you.”

  We kissed each other, and I watched him drive away. What an awful night. That damn Sherrie! She is going to ruin everything. I know it. I just know it.

  FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2009

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  I didn’t sleep well last night. The argument with Sherrie played in my head over and over again. I wish I would have handled myself differently. She killed me with her words, and I let her. I showed a side of me that I wish Alex never saw, and then on top of that I threatened his sister’s life. I remember the look of shock and disbelief on Alex’s face. He couldn’t believe I said that. I should have stayed on the back porch and waited for him. I should have just let him handle it.

  I stood in front of the phone trying to decide whether I should call him. I couldn’t help myself. I had to. I would apologize the moment he answered the phone and tell him I didn’t mean to threaten his sister. I was going to show him I can do better as a person and make him love me more. His phone must have rung twenty times while I kept rehearsing the apology in my mind. I bet he was asleep or had his phone turned off.

  I was supposed to be getting ready for work now. It’s almost 9 a.m., and I was scheduled to be there at 10 a.m. I wonder if Sherrie would really call the police if I showed up for work. Why would I doubt her? She absolutely would.

  Not knowing what to do was the most aggravating part of my morning. While I waited for Alex to call me, I took a shower and then I tossed some of Olivia’s clothes that didn’t fit or was too old. And I finally got the clothes off the clothes line that had been hanging there for days. I wasn’t making money staying at home. The whole thing was killing me. I needed to work.

  I thought about calling Sherrie during my mini cleaning spree, but she’ll just hang up in my face or cuss at me, and then I’d be wanting to go to the nursing home and cuss her out, too. I messed up so bad last night. I just wanted my job back.

  After I finished cleaning, I called Alex one more time. It was the late part of the morning now, and still he wasn’t answering his phone. I could go over to his house, but I didn’t want to show up and run into Sherrie. I could run into the rest of his family and that’ll be worse.

  With nothing more to do, I lay in my bed and waited.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  I didn’t realize I was asleep until a tap at my bedroom window woke me up, and I saw Tanie waving. She met me at the back door and asked, “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Why are you asking?”

  “I heard you lost your job.”

  I forgot that all information goes through Tanie. I asked, “Who told you that?”

  “One of the ladies that work there. I ran into her at the grocery store about an hour ago, and she asked me how you were holding up. What happened?”

  I ignored her question and asked, “Which one? You know what, it doesn’t even matter.”

  “What happened, Angela?”

  “I was at Alex’s house last night. Sherrie showed up.”

  “Shit, Angela, are you for real?”

  “She called me a ..., I won’t even repeat it because saying it will only piss me off even more. Anyway, I said some choice words, and she pretty much fired me.”

  Tanie asked angrily, “And where was Alex when all of this was going on?”

  “He was there. He was trying to keep us away from each other.”

  “Did he take up for you, or was he sticking up for his sister?”

  “Actually, he was trying to keep the situation under control. He wasn’t siding with anyone.”

  Tanie nodded, but I can tell she didn’t believe me.

  I continued, “I can’t afford to lose my job, Tanie. At least with that job, I was bringing money home to help with the bills.”

  “You act like that place is the last job on this planet. You’ll be able to find work somewhere else.”

  “Nobody is going to hire me in this town, especially when they find out I was fired. I got no job skills. At least, at the nursing home, you don’t have to know anything to sweep the floors.”

  Tanie shook her head and said, “That’s a damn shame you rather keep a job like that.”

  She was missing the whole point. I was a little aggravated, and she saw my frustration.

  “Go get what you need, and you can stay over at my place tonight. I’m parked out front.”

  I went to my bedroom, put a pill bottle in my back pocket, put some extra underwear in a pillowcase, and I went out the front door. Andrea was sitting on a milk crate sleeping. Her legs were stretch
ed out in front of her with one knee all scrapped and bloody, and she was leaning back onto where the railing met the wall. I looked around the parking lot to see who was watching, and a couple of people were pointing and laughing at her. Some people were used to her being like that, and didn’t even think or look her way as they went on about their business. How could Andrea not care about herself?

  Tanie saw her, too, but she tried to fix her attention to her radio in the car. I shook Andrea awake, and she swung at my arm. She was mad because I woke her up.

  “Don’t touch me!” She slurred.

  “Andrea, go in the house. Don’t sleep on the porch.”

  “I’ll do whatever I damn well please.”

  “You’re a mess. At least, take a nap inside.”

  Andrea tried to stand, but she fell back onto the crate. I wasn’t going to help her. She’d probably hit me again. She sobbed, “Why are you so damn concerned? You don’t care!”

  I backed away from her.

  “Just leave me the hell alone!” She wasn’t feeling well. She started scratching her head and leaning forward and coughing. I felt sorry for her.

  I asked from the sidewalk, “Aren’t you tired of being like this? Don’t you wish you were better?”

  Andrea didn’t answer. I gave up and got in Tanie’s car. That was the worse I had ever seen her.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  I sat in Tanie’s living room. I really didn’t feel like going out that night because Alex was heavy on my mind, and I had no idea where he was. I called him several times from Tanie’s phone, but he didn’t answer any of my phone calls.

  Tanie sat beside me with her legs crossed on the sofa. She stated, “I do not understand this situation with you and Alex. I have to know something.”