Love Bites

It wasn’t until three months later that Max was found. Some kids playing in an abandoned building on the rundown side of town and came across the body. The papers reported it as a satanic cult sacrifice. While certain details were left out, as they usually were, enough of them were included to give people nightmares.

Max’s body was mutilated and disfigured, but according to the coroner, the body had been drained of all the blood prior to all of that. Unknown to the public because the information wasn’t released, was the strange fact that the body had remained untouched by both insects and vermin, even though it was not even covered. They body didn’t contain one maggot, nor one rat bite.

This of course, was very unusual due to the fact that the building was a breeding ground for bugs, flies, and rats. Even without that bonus, the funeral had to be a closed casket funeral due to the savagery of the mutilations.

The twins, Lily and quite a few family and school friends showed up to the services. No one had told what Max had done, and those who knew that Max and Kayla were dating had assumed that they were still together up until this happened.

Kayla had mixed emotions. While she wanted nothing more to do with Max, and what he had done, hurt her deeply, she wasn’t sure that she wanted him dead. She also knew she could look sufficiently sad due to Max’s death, without having to produce crocodile tears for everyone.

The service ended and she managed to get through the procession of people wishing her well intact, and Cory and Lily led her home.

Blaine and Abby were outside of the twin’s home, waiting for them to get back. Blaine Peterson was a new student at the school who had transferred the month before. He was on the tennis team with Cory, and was a likable boy, although the youngest of the group at fifteen. If mentioned however, he would remind them that he would be sixteen right after school got out for summer vacation.

He was also the shortest of the group at five and a half feet tall, with a mop head of light brown curly hair.

His girlfriend, who had gone to school with Cory and Kayla for years now, hadn’t really been friends with the twins until she and Blaine started dating. Abigail “Abby” Sampson was a striking contrast to all of them.

She was the same height as Kayla at 5’7”, but she had long, curly, coppery red hair, and emerald-green eyes that offset her pale complexion and abundant freckles on her cheeks, nose, and the top of her torso, all the way around and then down her arms to her wrists.

Blaine had originally asked Cory about where to take someone on a date since he was new to the area, and Cory suggested they go out as a group. Kayla thought of herself as a fifth wheel to the two couples, but both Lily and Abby would insist she join them.

Both girls insisted that Kayla would find the right guy and to not give up hope. They dragged her out to the movies, the park, school functions, everywhere. At a football game Abby introduced her to another classmate named Josh. Kayla agreed to go out with him and the group, now numbering six, went out and enjoyed the weekends.

This went on for a few months before Kayla decided to break up with Josh. At dinner one night, Blaine asked Kayla, “So, what was wrong with Josh?”

“Nothing, he was nice,” Kayla told him.

Cory started laughing, as everyone else stared at him uncomprehendingly. Kayla looked embarrassed and once Cory had calmed down enough to explain, he did. “Our parents taught us not to talk bad about people. So instead of calling a spade a spade, we would call it nice.”

Kayla added, “If you ever hear us call someone nice and note sarcasm in our voice, you’ll know exactly what we’re saying, with being rude.” She smiled but was still clearly embarrassed and apologized for going back to being a fifth wheel.