I felt the blood falling from my top lip, right where Jackson had hit me. He stood towering over me, with a look of utter disgust on his face. “Next time you touch my girl, I won’t stop at the lip” he spat at me before turning one last time and there it was, the sentence I had been hearing my whole life. “Daddies’ Boy” he sneered before stalking off with said girlfriend following behind. She silently mouthed “I’m sorry” before disappearing down the corridor. I began to get up and brush the dirt from my pants, the remaining crowd had already dispersed leaving me alone with my thoughts. I hated Jackson, I HATED HIM. Whatever friendship we had was severed by that dumb raven haired girl, she snaked her way into the friend group and severed all relationships between Jackson and anyone who wasn’t her. “Jealous Bitch” I mumbled before heading to my next class, before sitting down I was greeted by two warm arms wrapping around my waist. I turned to look at Chrissy and saw her sweet brown eyes already spotting the blood on my face, I forgot to wash it off she’ll be worried no doubt.
“Ben what happened to you?!” she whispered, due to class starting I tried to give her my sweetest semi-swollen smile, “Baby please don’t worry, Jackson was on a warpath today. I had to group with Jessica for our last class and he took this as’ ‘getting with his girl’’’ I replied using air quotes around the last part. She rolled her eyes at Jackson and Jessica, but seemed to drop it. The rest of the day went quite quick and before I knew it I was getting into my car with Chrissy. We began the drive to her house when she spoke up “can we study at your house today?” my hands gripped the wheel, “I know you don’t seem to want me over but my parents are sick and this is an important test ya know” she gave me her award winning smile and flipped her long blonde curls, and after 2 months I knew this meant you’ll do whatever it is she ask. I agreed and was quickly greeted with an excited kiss on the lips, now we both had grins on our faces.
As we pulled up to the large Victorian house that sat on top of our 4 acres of wooded land, I heard Chrissy squeal. “Are you secretly super rich or a prince? This is beautiful” I began to laugh “would you like me better as a prince?” I asked with a goofy grin trying to change the subject. I didn’t want anyone to know who my dad was. We both broke into a fit of laughs at that. “The actual answer to that question is neither, my grandfather left all of this to my dad in his will.” She nodded in understanding. “Shall we?” She asked while opening her door, I opened my door and grabbed her hand. We began our descent up to the front door, where my newly shaved father greeted us. He stood at 6’3 and had hair as black as a starless night, with piercing blue eyes to match. I paled in comparison and was always in his shadow. “Benny boy and who is this?” He asked looking Chrissy over I mentally groaned knowing his smug attitude was due to his looks. “Hi Mr. Vanhorn my name is Chrissy Waters” she smiled and stuck her hand out. My dad gave her his shining white smile before grasping her hand and saying “Call me David” The unease that had crept into my body was unknown to anyone but me.
“We’re going to study, will you call us when dinner is ready?” I half ask half yell while pulling Chrissy to my room. “Remember Benny no doors closed” He gave a smirk that was only known to me before disappearing and finishing whatever he had been doing in the basement. The rest of our time passed by without incident and eventually we were called for dinner, after heading down and sitting at the table we were greeted with a mouth watering smell. “Chrissy I wanted to make my famous Pot Roast while you were here, and I only make this on special occasions” He replied with a wink, Chrissy just gave him a polite smile “Thank you Mr.. I mean David” I rolled my eyes, even if it was only for myself.
After we had finished dinner I realized how late it had gotten, “I should get you home before it gets too late.” I say even if I’m selfishly wanting her to stay longer, she agreed. I go to grab my keys but can’t find them on the counter where they had last been. After a frantic 20 minute search, my dad pops his head into the room, “Benny boy, anything I can help you with?” I feel myself not wanting to give him an answer, but before I could rack my brain for some sort of explanation Chrissy pipes up “he was just about to give me a ride home, but we seem to have misplaced the keys.” For just a moment I see a smirk pass onto his lips, but it’s quickly gone. It had to be my imagination, “Chrissy let me give you a ride, it’s getting quite late to be out on a school night.” She nodded in agreement, and went to grab my hand “although my Mercedes does only have two seats I hope that’s alright.” She seemed to ponder the thought for a moment before she gave me a hug and kiss, “I’ll see you at school tomorrow, thank you for inviting me” “Text me after my dad drops you off” She nodded before following my dad out the door.
I watched them drive down the driveway and decided to make my way up to my room. I got ready for bed, and began to watch a movie to pass time until Chrissy texted me. The next thing I know my alarm is going off and it’s time for me to get up, I panic and check my text seeing ‘Made it home ;)’ I felt relief wash over me and got ready before heading downstairs for breakfast. It was silent so I knew it meant that dad had already headed to the office, I saw cereal and milk set out along with my keys and a note ‘Found these in the yard - Dad’ An unsettling feeling began to creep into my gut once again, I shook it off before quickly sending Chrissy a text and heading for school. ‘Hey I’m leaving now, want me to swing by before I head to school?’ I sat looking at the chat, after five minutes of waiting I decided she probably had already headed to school. After parking I headed to our usual meeting spot, but saw the table was empty, ‘where are you?’ a horrible feeling took place in my gut once again.
I began to panic and decided calling would be a better way to get ahold of her, after having 4 phone calls sent to voicemail I received one text ‘I’m out sick today xoxo’ the xoxo was weird to me Chrissy never sent that with any of her text, well any to me. ‘Okay, I’ll stop by after school. I miss you’ all I received back was ‘Don’t, contagious’
After school her parents stopped me, “Ben how are you? Have you talked to Chrissy at all?” “I texted with her a little bit today, but she said she was home sick” I replied, her parents gave each other an odd look before her dad spoke up “the last time we saw her was before school yesterday, Helen had been sick with the Flu and she said she would be studying with you” “but she never came home last night” her mom chimed in. I grabbed my phone and showed her parents the last text we had shared, “I would have got in touch with you if I knew that, she texted me she made it home” I replied getting more and more flustered with each word. We all shared a look, “I think we need to make a police report. Mark, Ben, will you come with us? You were the last one to see her. The pleading look in her mom’s face was all it took for me to hop in the back of her parents’ vehicle.
Once we made it to the police station I told them everything I remembered from last night. “And Benny” “Um just Ben please” the officer nodded, making a note in her notebook before continuing. “After you couldn’t find your keys what happened, my father offered to take her home. I tried to wait for her, but she sent me this text” I showed the officer my phone and she took more notes. “And your father is David Vanhorn?” I nodded “Yes ever since my mom died it’s just been the two of us. He works at Regal Law.” “Yes your father is a well known lawyer, he just did the interview after making ‘Top 10 Best Lawyers in Maine’ “Yep that’s him, will you be talking with him as well?” “We already spoke with your father and he has a solid alibi, we think someone was waiting for Chrissy outside of her home and grabbed her before she could get inside. Mr. VanHorn is devastated; he didn’t wait for her to walk inside, but he said there was a lot of light and the neighborhood had always been safe.”
It wasn’t until the following Monday we learned what had happened to Chrissy. A female body had been found in the woods, it took awhile to confirm her identity. Whoever took her cut off her head, hands, and feet. She was only identified due to the secret tattoo she had hidden on her lower back, the moment the news broke I felt numb. I was the last person to see her and I couldn’t protect her, we hadn’t been together long but I knew she was something special, I didn’t learn the details of what had happened to her until I overheard the detectives talking at the funeral. “That poor family, we couldn’t even tell her mom the full truth, she was already close to a breakdown just from identifying the body.” “I have to share this, but it doesn’t leave the three of us, got it Smith and Charles?” The older detective said to the other two, giving them a stern look. “Of course” they both stuttered out clearly not wanting to see that look again. “That poor girl was taken and held for 6 days. During those 6 days she was tortured, raped, and starved. He did horrible things to her body, but that’s not even the worst.
The medical examiner told us she was alive while he cut off her hands and feet. She might have been alive when he went for the head. I’m praying that the poor girl went unconscious and didn’t have to continue suffering. The worst part is we never recovered her head or her phone, that monster took it” was all I could manage before sprinting to the bathroom to empty my stomach.
I began to cry for her out of pain and fear, what monster could do that to my sweet Chrissy. Once I made it home from the funeral my dad was waiting for me, he pulled me into a warm hug but I was too numb to even register anything. I smelled something comforting coming from the kitchen. “Dinner is almost done, why don’t you get washed up” I managed to pull myself to the bathroom and quickly washed my hands before returning to the table. “I made my famous pot roast for you, I hope this will bring you some comfort” he said before setting down some sides around the crockpot, “go ahead get your fill” I scooped some meat, potatoes, and carrots onto my plate before grabbing a roll and digging in. The meat melted on my tongue and I wanted to savor each bite. As I began eating my second helping of meat, I felt something in my mouth. I began to pull and out came a long piece of curly blonde hair, I gasped in horror and pushed myself back from the table. I began to cry knowing instead of saving her from the monster I led her right to his trap. As I stared at him in horror he said “I can’t wait until you bring another girl home for dinner” he then flashed me a white smile, before digging in himself.
It was at that moment a sudden realization had hit me, and I quickly pulled my phone out. ‘I know we haven’t been on good terms, but I want to make it up to you. Come over for dinner tomorrow, and don’t forget Jessica’ I quickly sent another text ‘I also got the new James Bond game’ hoping this would entice him even more. I heard my phone chime ‘Okay Man, but if it’s not good you’re getting pulverized’ ‘Don’t worry it’ll be to die for’ It was at that moment a small smile began to creep onto my lips, I was anticipating our next dinner.
I guess I really am a ‘daddies’ boy’.