Obsession (4 page)

Trying desperately not to show his own frustration, Rick turned to his own backpack. “So let’s start at the beginning, shall we?”

The session actually went pretty well after that.  Mike was distracted, but not stupid.  In fact, it seemed to Rick that all the other teens really needed were some individual attention.

Mike was obviously hesitant to ask questions, not wanting to appear any more stupid than he already did.  But Rick seemed to understand, going over the material slowly and having Mike work examples.

They worked for a whole hour before Mike had enough and simply left the room, without even saying thank you.  They had practiced that day, and Rick was already dreading meeting the guy so soon after their study session.

Rick walked slowly towards the building and just before turning the corner, heard someone talking.  He recognized Mike’s voice and stopped, wondering how to avoid meeting him again.

“Hey Mike, how was school?” Ross, another team mate asked him.

Mike laughed. “Boring as usual.”

Ross laughed as well, before his tone sobered.  “Listen, about what we were talking yesterday.  It would be very easy to get rid of Rick, all you have to do is have him be at the alley at the right time.”

“Oh, ok.  No big deal.  I can call him, and ask him to meet me there tomorrow.”

“Listen…” The other boy said.

But Mike cut him off. It was a speech he had heard plenty of times before.  “It's fine, Ross.  It is a simple, practical joke.  No one is going to get hurt, except maybe Rick’s feelings...”

A huff sounded from the other side of the building, before Ross spoke again. “Well, if you need anything…”

“I know you have my back, man, but it's fine.”

Later, Rick was watching Mike across the cafeteria.  Jock boy was quite surprising.  Looking at him, Rick wouldn't know it though.  Mike was handsome and popular, surrounded by other enormous jocks and, of course, girls.  One girl in particular was hanging all over him, Mike's latest girlfriend.  She was a cheerleader, of course, and another in a long line of short, meaningless relationships as far as Rick could tell.

And yet, the purpose of Mike’s life was to make Rick miserable...

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Rick had learned that Mike was a hot-shot banker now, with a divorce behind him, and multiple women running after him.  Surprisingly, the old grudge was still alive in him, and it made him sick to think that this man was now considered a success.

Just when the song ended, and Allison and Rick went back to their table, Monica walked into the wedding hall, dressed in the same dress Allison was wearing.  Rick saw her first, and her appearance ruined the whole day for him. 

Monica looked around confidently and paid no attention to the bride and the groom.  She was a woman on a mission, and although she was uninvited, she still acted, as if she was at home.  The dress was clinging tightly at her beautiful body, and men were turning to look after her, once she passed nearby.  There was some kind of power coming out of her, a quality that was both attracting and scaring away the people who came close to her.

And then Allison saw her...

“She is here?” was all she could say, before turning around and trying to ignore her.

“I don’t know what else to...”  Rick was excusing himself.  “She must be losing it, to act this way.  Look at her; she is even wearing the same dress you are!”

“I can see that.  Maybe it is time for us to go?”  Allison asked hopefully.

“Yes, we need only to say goodbye to the happy couple, and then we can go.”  Rick agreed with her, and stood up to take his jacket.

That was the moment when Monica chose to take action.  Both Allison and Rick watched her go right to where Mike was standing near the bar, talking to a nice looking blond woman.  Monica almost rudely interrupted their conversation, and started flirting with him.

Mike was not a man to let go of such a good opportunity, so he quickly started to respond to her advances, completely unaware of the glances that Monica was throwing their way.

“This is disgusting,” was all Allison had to say, before standing up and following Rick.  However, before they could reach the bride’s table, Monica and Mike passed near them, on their way to the washroom.  Monica was so obviously offering herself to him that there was no doubt what they were going to do.

Allison and Rick spent the next fifteen minutes congratulating the happy couple and exchanging pleasantries with a few friends.  On their way to the door, they once again encountered Monica and Mike, and this time all hell broke loose, as Monica left Mike standing in the middle of the room and threw herself at Rick.

She took him by surprise and before he could react, she was kissing him.   It was a short kiss, but long enough for everybody to start looking their way questioningly.  Rick finally got a hold of her arms and broke the kiss, looking angry and very unhappy with the whole situation.

“What are you doing?” he almost cried out.

“I wanted to remind you what you are missing.”  Monica said arrogantly, and turned around to take Mike’s hand and walk out with him.  To give him some credit, Mike really looked uncomfortable with the situation, but Rick was just happy to see them both go.

Allison stood by his side during the whole event, looking lost and on the verge of crying.  She could only think about her past, and how similar this situation was to the one with her old roommate.

“Let’s go home,” was all she could say to Rick, before walking out of the wedding.

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Chapter 5

“They say that love starts slowly with a simple touch, a slow smile, a kind word...  I wonder how obsession starts?” 
Monica’s Diary
.

Allison was eighteen the first time she saw Annie get drunk.  Laughing with her and at her had been a blast.  Then Annie had tried to kiss her.  Allison hadn’t kissed anyone yet and here was her roommate, trying to push her tongue in Allison’s mouth.

“Get off.” Allison shoved Annie, but Annie barely moved.

“Allison.  Allison.  Allison.  Allison.  Why are you so pretty, Allison?”

Pushing against her, Allison said, “Annie, don’t.”

Losing her equilibrium, Annie fell back on her ass.  It seemed to shock her, because she suddenly started babbling.  “So sorry, Allison.  I am so sorry.”  She began to cry, and Allison looked around.  Their room was the last on the corridor, and she could not hear anyone nearby.

“Shh, Annie.” Allison helped her to her feet, and then managed to get her inside the room.   All the time Annie was mumbling apologies.  “Stop.” Allison felt infinitely patient with her drunken friend, or at least she thought so.

They got inside just in time for Annie to puke all over her own shoes, Allison held onto her the entire time. If this was what alcohol was about, she could leave it alone.

“Did you know you have pretty eyes, Allison?”

Allison grunted; she really didn’t want to talk to Annie when she was in this kind of mood.  Sighing with relief as they reached the bed, she helped her to sit down. Annie looked up at Allison with a goofy grin on her face. “Been dreaming about you, Allison.  Is this another dream?”

“No, Annie, it’s not!  Bed, you are going to bed, now.”

Finally, she pushed Annie down on her bed.  “Don’t say another damn word, Annie.  Go to sleep.” Allison was willing to bet that she had been almost dead to the world before Allison closed the door behind her and went to get a glass of water.

What was Allison supposed to do now?  Annie had been so drunk she probably wouldn’t remember what she had done, much less said.  So, maybe it was for the best to also say nothing.  Allison was right.  The next morning, Annie woke up with a killer headache and no memory of anything past arriving at the party.

Allison remembered that time as the beginning of Annie’s obsession.  From that night, she started acting strange and clingy, following her around and refusing to accept the fact that Allison could have other friends.

There were moments when Allison thought she was getting mad, so crazy was all that Annie was doing.  She started attending all her classes at school, went with her to the library, at the shops, even at the cinema.  It did not matter to her that she was not invited, on the contrary, she liked it that way.  It gave her more liberty to watch and follow Allison without the need to talk to anyone else.

That was the point when Allison started to really worry.  Annie became obsessed with her way of dressing, her favorite books and songs.  She would start coming to class dressed exactly like Allison, something everybody would notice.

She did not know what to do, so Allison asked to be transferred to another building and room.  Annie did not take the change well; on the contrary, her behavior became more erratic and uncontrollable.  She began to threaten all Allison’s friends, contacted her family, and finally tried to scare away her new boyfriend.

Allison then took action and first contacted the school authority and then the police.  Annie was taken into custody, and later on sent to a clinic.  According to the doctors, she was unstable and needed special care.

Allison never heard from her after that, but that accident left a great impact on her future life.  She became shy, and found it difficult to make new friends.  Girls and women scared her, and she could not confide in them.  For years, she went to meetings where stalker victims tried to overcome the fear and pain. 

Slowly, life started to look good again, and Allison almost forgot about the past and Annie.  Until now...  Monica was bringing back horrible memories, and awakening feelings she thought long forgotten.

Allison was not sure if she could do it again...

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Chapter 6

“I think that the worst fear in the world is the fear of being alone.  There is nothing as scary in life as to be left alone in the world.  And I am not talking about love and romance or children, no, sometimes a friend could be as much comfort, as a lover, or even more...” 
Monica’s Diary
.

Rick is wearing jeans and an old shirt that has perfectly defined his broad shoulders and flat stomach.  Before Allison could register anything else, he is coming at her, pushing her right up against the side of the house and kissing her.  There are no tentative explorations, no holding back, just chest to chest, body against body, hungry, awesome kiss.

The first instinct is to push him away, but instead Allison finds her hands tangling in his hair, and she finally just gives in to the overwhelming feeling.  Rick is everything she has been steadfastly refusing to think about – the delicious sweep of his tongue past her lips, his knee sliding between her legs in a light gentle taunt, the slight pressure of his hard body, holding her against the wall of the cabin.

Rick’s hands are sure and steady as is the rest of him, holding her closer than ever, while he is sliding his fingers through the curls of her hair, in order to maneuver her head the way he wanted it.  Allison needs to breathe; she needs to combat the light-headedness that was overwhelming her, leaving her helpless in his arms.

He obliges her at the slightest hint, more than content to start exploring her throat with lips and light scrape of teeth.  Oh, breathing is once again out of the question.  She is starting to think that Rick knows all the secret spots of her body, kissing and exploring every one of them.  Allison throws her head back against the hard wall, offering him more space to maneuver.

The realization of how fast she was grinding her body against his is embarrassing, but the mindless need for contact is almost as overpowering as the sweet heat of Rick’s mouth.  She can feel him saying something against her lips, but she does not care.  The only thing in the whole world that Allison wants now is for him to continue touching her this way forever.

Sadly, forever turns out to last much shorter than they hoped, as one second Rick was practically covering her and the next… he was gone, taking away even those exciting exploring hands.  Allison was finally able to breathe and open her eyes.  Rick was giving her the strangest of looks, his eyes still unmistakably full of the roaring fire of need.  He was wanting this just as badly as she was.  So, why did he stop then?

“Monica!?”  Rick said, making that single world sound both as a question and an answer.  Even from her position against the wall, Allison can see the figure of Monica on the other side of the clearing.  She was dressed in a pricy designer suit, looking completely out of place amidst the dense woods, surrounding the cabin.

Allison almost didn’t care that she is watching them.  Rick is still standing too close, and she wants him to finish what he started right now.  She is actually afraid that a little distance between them will give the opportunity to her brain to start working again.  Because this thing between them… She knows only too well that she can’t have it, if she has the time to think about it.

Apparently they both are reading her mind, because Rick is backing off, and Monica is coming forward.  For a few moments Allison is left alone, looking at the two of them with fear to lose Rick.  Then Rick is back, “Caught you just in time,” Rick says, and comes back to stand between Monica and Allison.

“Yes.  Good!” Allison answered, and tried not to look at Monica.  Rick was blocking most of her figure, but there was still a glimpse of her eyes over his shoulder.

Rick woke up startled, with his heart beating at a very fast rate.  The dream was still dominating his mind, leaving him confused and afraid.  What a mess he had made of his own, so simple up to one week, life!  His subconscious was obviously providing him with the perfect picture of what was going on between him, Allison, and Monica.