Hey guys, here's chapter 5.
There's a disclaimer though and here it is: This chapter has some violent and gory content, so if stuff like that upsets you, you might want to skip this one but if it doesn't...read on.
PS: And no matter what you might read, I have nothing against people who have braces.
JILTED
CHAPTER 5
"Mom, Denise needs help. A doctor, some medication, something." Jeremy had spent the last thirty minutes since he got home from the cottage discussing the strange and violent scene he had endured.
Mrs. Sumpter was busy dabbing peroxide on the scratches on Jeremy's face, courtesy of Denise's long fingernails.
"What do you want me to do about it, Jeremy?"
"Call Denise's mom. Tell her what happened. She'll listen to you. You and her are really good friends."
Mrs. Sumpter sighed. "Alright."
Jeremy sat down on the couch beside her as she made the call. But the conversation he had pinned all his hopes on barely lasted five minutes and was basically his mom listening to what Denise's mom had to say. When Mrs. Sumpter hung up the phone he knew things hadn't gone well.
"What did she say?" Jeremy asked nervously.
"Linda was extremely pissed at the suggestion that anything is mentally wrong with Denise. I knew she would be. She said Denise has been acting completely normal and is still making high marks in school considering all the stress she's been under lately," Mrs. Sumpter said, giving Jeremy a pointed look.
Jeremy knew what that look meant. All of Denise's "stress" was his fault for calling off the wedding.
Mrs. Sumpter paused for a moment then continued. "Denise claims you shook her."
"Well....yeah I did. I was trying to shake some sense into her. She was hysterical."
"Oh God, Jeremy," Mrs. Sumpter said, her eyes welling up with tears. "Linda said there were bruises on Denise's arms and they wanted to press charges against you but Denise begged them not to. That you didn't mean to get so rough...that she...still loved you."
Jeremy felt sick. This was not happening! Denise wouldn't go so low as to accuse him of actually hurting her, would she? The whole idea was ridiculous! He took his mother's hand in his. "Mom, you know I wouldn't do something like that! You honestly don't believe her do you?"
"I-I don't know what to believe anymore," Mrs. Sumpter said quietly.
"Mom!" Pain and anguish shown in Jeremy's eyes.
"If you didn't do it how did the bruises get on her?"
"I don't know! She must have did it to herself somehow! She's getting back at me for not reconsidering the engagement." Jeremy knew as he spoke the words that what he said sounded very far-fetched even to his ears.
Mrs. Sumpter's voice was weary when she spoke. "Jeremy, go on up to your room and stay there till your father gets home. We'll talk about this later."
Numb with shock, Jeremy turned and went upstairs. Denise was determined to destroy his life and there seemed to be nothing that he could do to stop her.
* * * *
Jeremy had been on the computer for hours trying to find an answer for Denise's strange behavior. Was she psychotic? A victim of multiple personalities? Schizophrenic? Each condition he researched had traits similar to Denise's. But without an examination by a doctor there would be no way of knowing for certain what was wrong with her.
Suddenly, an instant message appeared on the screen.
2Cute4U: Hi Jeremee!!!! =)
Jeremy did not recognize the screen name. He typed a response.
Lakersfan: Who is this?
2Cute4U: It's Patti from TYPingG ClAsss.
Patti? There was no escaping that annoying girl!
Lakersfan: How did you get my screen name?
2Cute4U: Denise told mE.
Lakersfan: Why would Denise tell you that?
2Cute4U: I dunno. Jeremee, would U go out with mEE?
Lakersfan: What! Patti, I don't even know you!
A couple minutes passed before Patti responded.
2Cute4U: UR Meen. =(
This girl was so incredibly stupid. Why was he even bothering with this conversation?
Lakersfan: I'm not mean, Patti! I'm just not ready to date anybody, okay? I was just going to get married last week, you know!
2Cute4U: Whateverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Patti logged off. Thank God she's gone, Jeremy thought.
* * * *
Spidey and Denise peeped in the front window of the Emmett residence. Patti's parents were sitting on the couch sharing a bowl of popcorn as they watched a movie. Patti was nowhere in sight but there was a good probability she would be found in her room.
Spidey and Denise went around to the basement window. Spidey, being the tallest was able to reach it easily and slide the casing up. Luck was on their side in that no one had bothered to lock it since Denise's last visit. Once inside, Spidey reached a hand down to Denise and helped her climb the rest of the way in.
Underneath the window a table was cluttered with assorted junk. A glass bottle was accidentally kicked over as the teens climbed off. The bottle crashed to the concrete floor with a sound that seemed to Denise as loud as an atomic blast.
"Spidey!" Denise scolded.
"Sorry! I couldn't see it...it's so dark in here."
"Just be as quiet as you can. Come on." Denise turned on her flashlight and headed for the stairs. "Stay close to the wall on the fifth step," she warned. "There's a spot in the middle that creaks."
Spidey marveled at how well prepared Denise was. She had thought of everything! Even down to what they wore. Black sweatshirts with dark jeans and gloves. They carried their weapons in an innocuous looking backpack.
Reaching the top of the stairs, Denise turned off the flashlight and eased the door open. The coast was clear. "Come on," she whispered. "Close the door behind you."
It was imperative that they get in Patti's room as fast as possible. It would be extremely difficult having to explain their uninvited presence in the house if they were caught. But knowing Denise she would be able to come up with something believable.
Spidey followed Denise down the hall, heart pounding with nerves and fear. A light shone under the crack of Patti's door. Denise turned the knob and slowly opened the door. Patti was sitting at her computer, her back to them, typing away on the keyboard. She wore headphones and was totally oblivious to their presence.
Denise carefully shut the door and turned the latch, locking it behind them. The two of them crept up behind Patti and watched as she typed. Denise's rage made her head pound and vision blur as she saw what Patti was doing. She was having an instant message conversation with Jeremy! The little slut!
Instantly, Denise was on Patti. She covered the girl's mouth with her hand and knocked the headphones off. Patti's eyes were wild with fright and surprise as she looked up at her. She screamed but the sound was muffled behind Denise's hand.
"Well hello there, Patti! I see you're talking to my fiancee' behind my back," Denise said, as she wrestled with her. "I can't have that you know." Denise peered closer at the screen. "Girlfriend, you really need to go back to third grade because that looks like a damn baby wrote it!"
Patti's eyes darted to the side, noticing the second person in the room for the first time.
When she saw the identity of who Spidey really was, she tried to scream again.
Denise sighed. "Yeah, I know. It's really a shock isn't it? But yeah, Spidey has been in on this from the get go. "I'm not your friend Patti," she hissed in her ear. "I never was you stupid slut!"
Denise looked at Spidey. "Do it!" she ordered in a hard cold voice.
Spidey raised the hammer. Patti struggled desperately to escape but Denise fought to hold her still. Everything went black as the computer screen was speckled with blood.
* * * *
There was a knock on Jeremy's door. He turned off the computer and braced himself for the confrontation with his parents that he was dreading. "We have something important to discuss with you son," Mr. Sumpter said.
Jeremy watched his parents sit down on his bed. He could tell by their somber expressions that this wasn't going to be good.
Mrs. Sumpter glanced at her husband as if garnering strength for what she was about to say. "We're worried about you, Jeremy. You don't seem very stable lately."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, of course there's the cancellation of the wedding then claiming Denise poisoned Bear then---"
Mr. Sumpter joined in then. "The outburst in class the other day plus detention and now we find out that you tried to attack Denise." He shook his head.
Why deny anything? His parents were mindless robots brainwashed by the Garrett family. Denise would always be an angel to them.
"So, we've made you an appointment with Dr. James." Mr. Sumpter paused dramatically. "He's a psychiatrist."
"What!" Jeremy exploded. He looked at his parents with a mixture of horror and disbelief.
"We think it will do you good to talk to someone," Mrs. Sumpter said gently. "To find out why you've been...acting out lately."
Enraged, Jeremy stood up. "I can't believe this! I'm not crazy! Denise is! How many times do I have to tell you that!"
"Jeremy, calm down," his mom said. "We don't think you're crazy we just--"
Jeremy interrupted her. "You can't make me go! I'm eighteen!"
"As long as you live in this house you'll do what we say eighteen or not," Mr. Sumpter warned.
"Then I'll move out!" Jeremy said determinedly. "I'll stay in the cottage."
"No, you won't," said Mr. Sumpter. "I put the house on the market today. It's not yours to stay in."
His parents rose to leave. "It's for the best, Jeremy," Mrs. Sumpter said. "You'll thank us later that we didn't back down."
Jeremy sank down in his chair. He was trapped. Perfectly sane and perfectly innocent, he was being forced to go to a shrink. Dazed and utterly defeated, he folded his arms and laid his head down on his desk.
* * * *
Patti felt herself being shaken. "Wake up, b*tch!"
Patti's eyes fluttered open. Her vision blurred then doubled as she saw two Denises and two Spideys looking down at her. She was laying on her bed. Her head pounded viscously and blood trickled from her temple and ran down her face. She tried to scream...to call for help but she didn't have the strength. It was no use anyway, her mouth was covered in duct tape.
Patti couldn't believe this was happening. Why were these two doing this to her? Just because she had a crush on Jeremy? Surely, this was all a nightmare and she would wake up any second....
"She's coming to," Spidey pointed out.
"I don't think we'll need the ropes after all. She's too f*cked up to move," Denise said. She slapped Patti hard. "Wake up, Patti! We wouldn't want you to sleep through your dental appointment."
Patti mumbled and her eyes slowly shut as she passed out again.
"Aww hell! She's a f*cking zombie. Pass me the pliers, Spidey. If she starts to scream, hit her again. I'm getting these damn braces off if it kills me or should I say kills you, Patti." Denise's laugh had a wicked sound.
Once the pliers were in Denise's hand she began to rant and rave. "I hated the way you would smile at Jeremy. Your damn sh*t eating grin! That f*cking conceited look on your face! I can't stand it! I can't stand you! I hope you're hearing this, Patti!"
Spidey began to feel nauseous watching Denise pull and yank on the unconscious girl's braces. Not caring if she pulled or broke a tooth in the process. The teen turned away from the demented dental work and focused on Patti's desk. In one drawer Spidey found a box and struck gold. Inside were newspaper clipping of Jeremy concerning basketball victories and academic awards he had won. There were several candid Polaroids of him on the basketball court. All shirtless and sweaty, of course.
Spidey rummaged some more in the drawer and found Patti's journal. Flipping through it was nothing remarkable. Typical teenage girl angst. Spelling and grammatical errors were prevalent and some sentences were so poorly written it was hard for Spidey to even decipher them at all.
But it was the latest entries that surprised and angered Spidey. Patti talked nonstop of her crush on Jeremy and how she had befriended Denise for the sole purpose of gleaning more information on him. All the concern and friendliness she had shown Denise had all been an act.
"These damn f*ckers are hard to come off!" Denise complained, as she twisted and pulled with the pliers.
"She's been using you, Denise," Spidey said quietly.
"What?"
Spidey walked over and showed her the journal entries. "I can't read that mess!" Denise snarled.
Quickly, Spidey explained what Patti had written about her and Jeremy. "I knew it!" Denise hissed. "You little b*tch!" She slapped Patti so hard her face whipped to the other side of the pillow. "I'm tired of this sh*t. I've got most of that metal off anyway. Give me the knife."
Spidey returned the pliers to the backpack and handed her the knife.
"This is for all those sh*t eating grins you gave my man!" Denise then began making wild slashes on Patti's mouth. A chunk of Patti's lips flew through the air and dropped on the carpet.
Spidey felt dizzy and sank down into Patti's desk chair. The younger teen tried reading the journal again in a desperate attempt to take the focus off the horror that was occurring just inches away but it was useless to try and concentrate. Spidey's brain felt shaken and turned upside down.
Finally when Patti's mouth was nothing but a bloody gaping hole, Denise stopped. Sweat poured down her face and her breathing was ragged as if she had just run a marathon. Patti was alive but just barely.
"Look at her, Spidey," Denise boasted, proud of her work. "She isn't so high and mighty anymore, is she?"
Spidey remained silent and refused to look. Irritated by the non-response, Denise got off the bed and grabbed the journal from Spidey and began reading it. "It says here that she wants to drown in Jeremy's eyes. Aww, isn't that sweet?" She looked over at Patti. "Your wish is my command, Patti. Who am I to deny someone of their dream?"
"Help me get her off the bed, Spidey." The two of them half-dragged half-pulled Patti across the floor and into the adjoining bathroom.
Once there, Denise opened the box of clippings and emptied them into the toilet. She then grabbed Patti and plunged her head down into the cold water. Spidey helped to hold Patti still. Totally behaving on auto-pilot at this point. Doing exactly what Denise would expect.
Patti struggled but not much. Her body had already gone into deep mental and physical shock. "How do you like drowning in Jeremy's eyes now, b*tch?" Denise taunted her. "Not quite what you envisioned, huh?"
After several minutes of holding her underneath the water, Denise yanked her head free. The toilet was filled with bloody water. A stray piece of metal from Patti's braces and a fragment of tooth floated. Patti's wet dark hair streamed down her face and blood continued to gush from her mouth and temple area.
Denise checked her pulse. She looked at Spidey and grinned. "Ding dong, the witch is dead." Denise then pushed Patti's head back in the toilet.
"Let's get out of here, Denise," Spidey pleaded. We've stayed long enough."
"Wait just a minute," Denise said. "Sit down at the computer and type what I tell you. We're gonna leave a little suicide note for Patti's dear parents."
Denise impatiently swiped the spots of blood on the computer screen then began to pace as she dictated. "I can't go on anymore. I'll never be able to have Jeremy, the boy I love. I'm too ugly and stupid for a piece of a** like him."
Spidey was too nervous to type and kept making multiple spelling mistakes. "No, don't correct them!" Denise admonished. "Leave them, it sounds more realistic. The girl could barely spell her name anyway."
Denise finished dictating the rest of the letter. "I can't stand these ugly braces. I can't stand my face. I'm gonna rip my whole face off tonight if I have to, to get them off. Goodbye Mom and Dad. Goodbye what few friends I had. And Goodbye Jeremy. If only you had loved me, I wouldn't have to do this to myself."
Denise laughed. "That should bring some new excitement into Jeremy's life," she said sarcastically. "Don't forget to sign that retard's name," Denise reminded Spidey.
Finally at last Denise allowed them to leave. She eased the door open and peeped out. From downstairs they could hear muffled voices of the Emmetts' laughter as they watched tv, never dreaming that their daughter had been murdered right under their noses. Denise and Spidey stepped out of the room. Spidey turned out the light and looked back. The computer screen glowed in the dark like an accusing eye.
* * * *
After they left Denise drove twenty miles away to Dismal Lake. Once there, she and Spidey threw their weapons into the water. The items sunk never to be found. Inside the heated car they changed into the fresh clothes they had brought along. Denise and Spidey then piled their "murder" clothes, shoes and backpack beside the lake. Denise lit a match and they stood there and watched the items burn.
"The perfect crime, Spidey," Denise said proudly. "That's what just happened here."
After the items had burned, they traveled to a gas station to wash their faces and make themselves look as presentable as possible. Denise kept complaining that Patti's blood had gotten in her hair and how she hoped her new salon highlights wouldn't be ruined because of it. Spidey couldn't care less about highlights and was becoming more and more disgusted with Denise's attitude.
On the ride home Spidey grew more and more agitated until finally the teen began to shake with nerves. "Denise, I'm gonna be sick."
Denise quickly pulled over and Spidey bolted from the car. After about a minute Denise followed and knelt down on the grass. A can of Coke and a small white pill were in her hands. "Here, take one of these."
"What is it?"
"A valium. It will calm you down. The doctor gave them to me the day of the wedding."
Spidey gratefully took the pill and swallowed some Coke. Denise helped Spidey stagger back to the car.
Once inside, Spidey broke down. "I'm scared, Denise. We're gonna go to jail. I just know it!"
"No we're not!" Denise said sharply. "Don't fall apart on me now, Spidey! No one is gonna know what we did. How could they? We've gotten rid of all the evidence. Plus, the fact that we're both model citizens. Never been in trouble before. Good grades. How could anyone even suspect that we would be involved in a murder?"
Spidey squirmed uncomfortably at the word 'murder'. "But as soon as everyone finds out Patti is dead, Jeremy will suspect you. He knows you hate her."
Denise shrugged nonchalantly. "So? Me hating Patti is no proof that I killed her. Jeremy had no proof when I killed Bear. And he has no proof about Patti. All his accusations just make him come across as crazy and desperate."
"But what if the police come around asking questions? You know Jeremy will tell them about you."
"I'm prepared for that. Just leave everything to me. The important thing is for you to get a hold of yourself because you're acting extremely suspicious right now. The police will be able to pick up on that even if your alibi is airtight. When you get home go straight to bed. Tell the 'rents that you're coming down with the flu. Stay home from school tomorrow. When you do go back you have to look and act absolutely normal. No nervousness. No guilty looks. I want you to take the rest of my valiums until you get straightened out."
Spidey sighed. "I wish I could be more like you sometimes. You're always in control. Nothing seems to phase you."
Denise looked over at Spidey and grinned. "Oh, I have a feeling that someday you'll be exactly like me."
* * * *
The next morning Denise awoke feeling wonderful. She inspected her hair in the mirror. It looked great...no damage to her highlights. She thought about putting it in a ponytail but decided not to. Jeremy liked it better when she wore it down. She went over to her closet and selected the blue sweater that Jeremy loved so much on her. She sprayed some of his favorite perfume on too. Now that Patti was out of the picture she was eager to try again to win him back.
When Denise went downstairs for breakfast, she was surprised to see Spidey sitting in her kitchen. "Spidey, what are you doing in here? I thought you were sick!"
"Oh Denise, honey!" Mrs. Garrett came over and engulfed her daughter in her arms.
"What's going on, Mom?" It was apparent that her mother had been crying.
Mrs. Garrett embraced Denise. "Honey, Spidey wanted to be the first to tell us. It was all over the news this morning."
"What was?" Denise looked over at Spidey, who was pale and uncharacteristicaly silent.
"Patti Emmett...your new friend. She committed suicide sometime last night."
"What!" Denise shook her head in denial. "She wouldn't do that! I--I just talked to her yesterday at school....she was fine."
Denise slowly sank down into a chair at the kitchen table. "What happened? What did she do?"
Mrs. Garrett sat down beside her. "She drowned herself in the bathroom. That's all the details the police have released to the public right now."
"Oh God," Denise whispered, covering her face with her hands. To Mrs.Garrett, she looked overcome with emotion but in reality she was only trying to hide her smile.
She raised her face up and looked at her mother. "Her poor parents. I've got to talk to talk to them. They must be totally devastated."
Spidey abruptly stood up. "I'm outta here." A few seconds later, the front door slammed.
"What did I say?" Denise asked and stifled a giggle.
If you ever need a quote from either Cyber Seduc., Peter Pan, Local Boys, or Frailty... I know them aaaall! In fact, I can 100 percent surely recite the whole entire Peter Pan script to you, front and back. Same ALMOST goes for Cyber Seduction. 
There's a disclaimer though and here it is: This chapter has some violent and gory content, so if stuff like that upsets you, you might want to skip this one but if it doesn't...read on. 
Just you wait till the very last chapter...it will be the shock of all shocks. 
