Rebel Soul (20 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Mon 9th July

Her stomach was churning as she rolled over, it was light outside as a hint of the sun shined around her curtain. She rolled back over and felt the bile burning in the back of her throat. She had been vomiting since before day light and had thrown up all of last night’s supper. She jumped out of bed feeling more coming up and filling her mouth and ran to the bathroom dropping in front of the toilet and laying her head on it. Out it came and she felt it again, this time it was nothing but green bile.  "Oh my God, how much more" she said as she laid on the bathroom floor, she felt so weak, she didn’t know if her legs would carry her back to her room.

After a few minutes she pushed herself off the floor and stumbled to the bed and laid down, listening to her phone vibrate. She reached over on the nightstand without looking picked it, reading her message from Billy, “you want to go river bound today Babe.” She wanted to go, but was afraid she would just throw up all day.

She text back” maybe later I'm sick as a dog, I have some virus or something, I'm puking my guts out, as we speak."

"I'm sorry.” He text back, “let me know if you start to feel better."

"K" she answered him. "I love you."

“Love you too babe."

Emily pushed herself out of bed and stumbled her way down stairs to the kitchen still in her sweats and night shirt.

"You look like hell. What did you do last night have a good fuck, I mean drunk.” Josh laughed, a cup of coffee to his lips. She didn’t think that was funny and didn’t feel like arguing at all.

“Kiss my ass, Josh” she spat back.

"Sorry, but I'm sure Billy already has" he added. Emily walked past him and into the kitchen. She had already had with Josh and the morning had just started.

"What are you doing honey?" Her mom ask her. "I'm fixing some noddle soup, I think I have a virus or something, I’ve been throwing up all morning." Her stomach was churning as she spoke and she hoped if she threw up again it would be on Josh.

"Oh poor baby does that mean you won't get to see Billy today, so sad." Dan spouted off. Or maybe Dan she thought again.

"Just lay off me" Emily screamed. “I hope you both catch my virus, I'll just set between you and rub my germs all over you."  She swiftly yanked a chair from the opposite side of the table, scudded it on the floor, making the loud rubbing sound as she did, squeezing it between Dan and Ed. When suddenly the roar of her Dads voice filled the room.

"That’s enough" Jack shouted as he slammed both fists on the table, causing a cup of coffee to splatter across the room and break. Coffee sinking into the wall and the floor. They all got silent and stiffen in their seats, like a statue.

"Boys you will show your sister more respect, and I mean it." He shouted as he stood, "and Emily, maybe you should show more honor for your family name and get rid of this boy before I have to." He pointed his finger in her face, angered, then he left the room, slamming the back door behind him.

Emily felt Josh's stare as it bore into the side of her head and turned to see a slight grin on his face, as he looked her in the eye, they both knew what their father meant, and Emily didn't like it.

No longer hungry she picked up some crackers and headed to her room. She sit down at the desk and opened her laptop pulling up Facebook. The pictures of her and Billy she had uploaded the night before staring back at her. She smiled at the hits she hadn’t gotten on the pictures. Like, like, like, they were all liked by several. Hey girl, nice man, one of her friends from school had commented. Yes he is she commented back to her thanks.

She looked at Facebook for a while longer beginning to feel better and thinking about sending Billy a message, when a video someone had shared on Facebook came to her attention. A video of a shooting in Tennessee, the story with the video read. She recognized it right away and pressed on it to watch the video.

“Oh my God” she said out loud as she heard a knock on the door, she quickly closed her laptop as her Mom walked in carrying a tray with a bowl of soup.

"You feel like eating now honey?" She was but the video had tied a knot in her stomach and she didn’t know if she could eat or not.

"Sure Mom thanks" Emily was unnerved by the video and was in a hurry for her Mom to leave. She took the tray and her Mom set down on the bed beside her. Shit Mom get the Hell out of here, Emily thought but didn’t say anything. Her Mom reached over and pushed Emily's hair out of her face and said, "Honey, are you sleeping with him?" Oh my God Emily thought, it’s a little late for this talk.

"Mom why do you ask, I mean, I do love him and we are getting married after I graduate." She felt like her life was caving in on her.

"I just don't want you to get pregnant, I hope you are using protection." Shit pregnant, Emily thought, then just as quickly pushed the thought out of her mind.

"Mom don't worry, ok." Emily said, she didn’t fill like talking right now.

"Ok honey, I'm a mom, I don't know anything according to you kids, but I will advise you, your Dad is serious, you need to do something and fast."  Do what Mom, Emily thought, but didn’t ask, as she watched her twist the door knob they turned and blew her a kiss, which Emily pretended to catch in her hand, something she hadn’t done since she was at least ten.

Her Mom left and Emily turned back to the video. She was frantic and watched it a couple more times. You couldn’t see anyone’s face, but the dent above the left side of the Johnsons truck above the back tire was very visible, so visible that someone had commented, Hey that looks like the Johnsons shine running truck. Emily felt her hand trembling as she shut her laptop and picked up the phone then called Billy, “I know” he answered, “I’ll be there in an hour.” His voice sounded stiff, she thought as she hung up her phone, she knew this was serious.

Emily showered and got dressed in her usual cut offs and a nice top, then stuffed the clothes from the night of the shooting in her backpack and waited for Billy on the porch.

“Emily what are you doing?" Her mom stepped out onto the porch and ask.

“Waiting on Billy," Emily answered her as she chewed her fingernails, she was scared, not just nervous but scared, and her hands were still trembling.

"I thought you was sick, I need your help around the house." Emily didn’t fill like arguing, not right now, there was more to worry about, her life had become one big disaster.

"Mom, I know that’s just your way of trying to keep me away from Billy, I’m leaving" she said as Billy pulled up and she ran to get in his car, ignoring her Mom and anything else she might have to say. They drove quietly away, and didn’t speak, then on down the road, a car tried to pass them and Billy said "Look at him trying to pass me. You up for a race, Emily?" he laughed.

"Hit it, Billy" she told him, “and by the way, I love the way you say my name." Then she leaned over and kissed him as he floored the gas pedal, and the car fish tailed a little.

"Whoo" Emily shouted as the car tried to catch them and they left it in the dust. Billy drove that way all the way to the river. Tires spinning, going over hills and flying down them, to where you could feel your stomach drop at the bottom of the hill
.

“Live life to the fullest Baby” Billy shouted as he patted her knee. Yes that’s what they were doing, if they were going down, they were going to do it having fun she thought.

"Whoo Hoo" they both shouted as they slid onto the bridge at the river, then drove up the falls fast, faster than usual and onto the other side splashing water all over everyone within a few feet. They played that way all day, smoking and drinking heavily. The video wasn’t mentioned till after dark and the crowd at the river had died down. They build a large campfire and set down next to it, watching it burn, no one was around.

“Emily, don’t worry about the video, the truck is being chopped up as we speak, and if you can read my mind as well as I can yours, I’m sure you brought the clothes.”

Emily smiled and pulled the clothes out of her pack back, then held them up, they put both their clothes as well as Ed’s in a plastic bag and through them on the fire and watched as they burned. Then took the gun and tied it to a concrete block and threw it in the river, where they was sure it would never be found. They set and drank some more then left the river plastered, both of them so wasted, Billy couldn't drive. He ran them off the road several times, both laughing the whole time and making jokes. As the hit the ditch the umpteenth time, Billy straightened up enough to know he was incapable of driving and pulled off onto what he thought was a side road.

"Shit, baby, I am wasted" Emily watched as he rubbed his face. She was wasted to and seeing two Billy’s at the moment. "Emily I don't know what to say, we have partied hard all summer. I love you so much, I'm confused, I was never like this before, and I know you wasn't either. Is it the stress of this relationship? Relationships shouldn't be this stressful, should they Baby?" He looked at her, his eyes were red and hollow, and the look on his face was unreadable to her at the moment.

This upset her, even in her drunken state she knew he was right. “What should we do Billy?"

"I don't know babe, but I have to get home, let’s walk."

Emily laughed "Walk, you think we can walk."

"I don't know, let’s try,” he said leaning across her and pushing her door open then fail into her lap,

“Hum" he said as he kissed her leg. Then tried to set up falling back into her lap, again. "Well shit fire" he laughed, causing Emily to laugh as the car spun circles in her mind. She laid her head back and closed her eyes, but it didn’t stop the spinning in her mind, she wanted to threw up again, and pushed the door open, to hang her head out. Billy was snoring in her lap and she couldn’t climb out without dumping him in the floor board. She tried to move him over, but he was dead to the world. She finally slid out from under him and crawled out of the car throwing up on the ground. She couldn’t stand, she was to drunk and wobbled, falling against the car. “Dam, what am I doing to myself?” She managed to climb back in the car and laid Billy’s head back on her lap. Then stroked his head looking at his handsome features, can I let him go, she bend down and kissed his sleeping lips. “I love you Billy, this may be selfish of me but no I can’t let you go.” She whispered as she passed out.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Tues 10th July

“What’s that,” Billy heard Emily say as he woke up to her shaking him and a flash light shining in his face.

"County sheriff’s office are you two ok?"

"Shit" Billy said as he set up.

"Well, well the rumors are true," The deputy said. “Well if it isn't Billy Johnson and Emily Canton, I had heard about you two, but I didn't page you two kids for fools, given your family history and all.” He was leaning in the car window as he talked to them. Billy was having a hard time focusing, and his head hurt. “You know this relationship can't end well,” Dam those words again Billy thought, as the deputy opened the car door. “Come on I'm taking you kids home, and Billy next time you have to pull over, don't pull into a drive way.” Billy looked around and saw lights coming from a house, not far from where they had parked.

Once they were in the cop’s car, he laughed as he looked through the rearview mirror, “Word around town is that truck in the video, the one that went viral today is Andy Johnsons shine running truck, and they say you two went missing for a couple days. The Adams boys say Emily here has a thing for guns.” He laughed “I hear you even shot you Billy.” The cop laughed again “Made the Adams boys pea their pants” still laughing. “Well I’m sure any evidence that truck ever existed is gone by now. I’d have sure liked to have been their Billy when you told your Dad his truck would have to be destroyed because the Canton girl here killed somebody, while she was in it.” He laughed again. Emily and Billy never said a word, they didn’t even look at each other, but both knew this couldn’t be good.

The deputy dropped Emily off first, then headed down the road with Billy. “I need to have a little talk with you Billy” he told him then turned the opposite direction out of Emily’s drive way. Billy’s nerves was getting the best of him as he fidgeted in the back seat.

“I just wanted to tell you a few things, you probably don’t know. I like you two kids, yeah you have your problems with shine and pot, but, I think you are basically good kids.” He got quite a minute and Billy wondered where this was going but didn’t say anything. “If you and that girl are serious, you need to get her the hell out of here, Billy, soon. Did you know your Grandpa left that land to your first born child, Billy?” He didn’t answer him, this was news to Billy. “That was a question boy, are you going to answer?”

“No sir I didn’t” Billy finally spoke, his head was pounding, and he wanted to go back to sleep. He knew he was still drunk but wanted to hear more about this, it was getting interesting.

“Yeah I didn’t think you did, I bet that little girl of yours don’t know that her Grandpa also left the Canton land to her first child.” He laughed “You to kids get married and have a baby, well, after all these years of feuding over property lines.” He was still laughing. “Well if one of you kids gets killed or goes missing or both of you, well let me just put it this way, the first people I would look at would be yours and Emily’s families. And then second I would look at the Barns and the Adams families, you know they aren’t too happy with you two right now. Although I think they are just a bunch of blows. No guts and all mouth. I guess Emily showed them didn’t she?” He stopped talking, and Billy thought it looked like he was going over something in his mind.

“I don’t know what happened down in Tennessee, kid, and I don’t want to know, but if word gets back to them, about who’s truck that might have been, I would bet my life on it, that someone would be able to identify Emily. My advice is get her out of Canton County and quickly.” Billy seat in that back seat and watched as the deputy turned into a pull off and turned around. He was pissed, at his Dad for not telling him about the will and wondered if that was the real problem his family had with Emily and vice versa with Emily’s family. She didn’t know either he was sure of that, if she did she would have said something.

It was probably about three AM, Billy was tired his head hurt and he knew now the danger he had placed Emily in. This wasn’t good, there was no way either family would ever let them marry, not and let them both live. It would all come down to who killed who first.

“Just let me know when you guys leave and if you’re ok, that way I won’t go around accusing people of killing you guys.”

Billy thanked the deputy, then the deputy tipped his head at Billy.

Billy got out and walked into the house slamming the door behind him, he didn’t care who woke up. He furiously begun going through his Dads desk looking for his Grandpas will. He was throwing papers on the floor and around the room, he was mad, why had he never been told this news, why.

“What’s going on boy” Billy heard Andy ask. Billy was furious as he looked into his Dads eyes. The rage boiling inside him. He tossed a handful of papers at his Dad.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me about Grandpa’s will, why I want to know.” Billy could see the look of surprise on his dad’s face.

“There was never any need to know Billy.”

“You better not ever and I mean ever lay a hand on Emily Dad do you hear me.” Billy was still pulling drawers out, tossing papers around on the floor, when he found it. He had the will in his hand. He looked down at it reading the words. Yes his first child would inherit all of the Johnson land. He went to the bedroom, taking the will with him and slammed the door so hard, the whole room shook. His anger was farce, the mixture of the liquor and the news had unraveled him.

“What the Hell.” Ed rolled over and said.

“Go to sleep Ed, I’m not in the mood.” Billy slammed the will down on the nightstand.

“Shit man I didn’t mean to wake up.” Billy wasn’t in the mood for any of this shit, he wanted to tear something up, and had to hold back. He set down on the bed and rolled a joint. Then lit it and laid back on the pillow, he had to make a plan, make some money, and protect Emily, he couldn’t just break up with her now. He loved her way to much. He wondered if he would have persuaded this relationship if he had known about the will. He couldn’t answer that question and he was sure Emily didn’t know about her Grandpas will either. He hit the bed with his fist. “Shit” he shouted.

“Man if you’re going to smoke that, you might as well share” Ed set up and said.

Billy passed the joint to him, without looking his way. “What’s the problem Bro? Ed ask.

“Did you know, what Grandpas will said, did anybody tell you about it Ed?” Billy took the joint Ed was passing to him.

“No” Ed looked at Billy confused. Billy took a toke off the joint then passed it to Ed.

“My first child inherits everything.” Billy told him.

Ed laughed “You don’t have a child Billy.” Billy looked at Ed, “I know that, when I marry Emily, someday I will want a child with her.”

“Oh shit” Ed almost laughed.

“It’s not funny Ed” Billy told him.

“Well Billy, I’m sure you’re having unprotected sex with her now, let’s just hope she’s not pregnant already.”

Shit, he hadn’t thought of that, he watched as Ed rolled over on the bed. “Night Bro,” Billy told him. Then laid back on the bed his mind was reeling and his head was still hurting. He reached under his bed and took a drink, then drifted off to sleep with the shine still in his hand.

Billy slept till about dark, waking up he noticed the shine open on the nightstand beside him and didn’t remember putting it there. Ed must have he thought. The events of the morning, came flooding back into his mind, the ride home with the deputy, the will, the argument with his Dad. He got up and walked into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee. His brother James walked into the house with the kids.

“Uncle Billy,” they both shouted with joy as he picked them up and swung them around the kitchen playing with them, something he hadn’t done in a while. Maybe he should, lay off seeing Emily for a while he thought as he played with the kids.

“You ok Billy,” James ask. No Billy thought as he set down, smiling at the kids as they both tried to climb into his lap, at the same time. He held them close, he loved those kids and wanted one of his own someday. One with Emily, he heard his heart speak to him.

“Yeah I’m fine,” he told James. James got a cup of coffee and set down at the table across from Billy and took a drink. Billy laughed at the look on James face as he said “Dam this coffee could walk out of here.”

“Aw, sorry man, I just got up and made it without paying attention to how much I put coffee I put in it.”

“You just got up Hu.” James ask.

Billy ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah man I just got up.”  He sort of stared off into space, his mind was wondering back to the news he had heard from the deputy, and wondered why his own Dad couldn’t have told him.

“How does the girl’s family feel about you and her Billy?” James ask as he tried to sweeten his coffee up.

“Her names Emily James and they don’t like it any better than my family does.” Billy heard the front door open and both kids jumped off his lap shouting grandpa as they ran out of the kitchen. He wanted that feeling for his kids, the love for a grandparent and family. This hurt his heart even more as he thought about, Emily and how she would want the same thing for hers.

“Billy,” James said as he waved his hand in Billy’s face. “You need to break it off with her, I’m sorry man. I know you love her but this is tearing you up inside.” Yes this was tearing him up inside but if they could just make everyone understand and except them as a couple, it would be ok. It was the family’s causing all of this stress not him and Emily.

“James,” Billy closed his eyes trying to think of what to say then started again “James, it’s not Emily causing the stress, it’s you guys and the Cantons. We love each other and I would accept her family as mine. Just like she would accept my family. It’s you people causing the stress. Don’t you see that?” James set back in his chair, “You are dreaming Billy, That’s not going to happen.”

“Maybe I am dreaming James, but it’s my dream.” Billy said as he looked up into his Dads eyes. Billy hadn’t seen him walk into the kitchen carrying the kid’s one in each arm.

“Dad if you want to figure out a way to change that will, just do it, all I want is to marry Emily and someday we will have kids and I want you to love them.”

Billy walked out of the house and text Emily. They spent some time together, then he walked her home, deciding not to tell her about the will, he didn’t want to worry her.