high-school senior.”
Dev tossed me a frown. “So you started up with Donny again?”
“Yes, but just a couple of times, both times at his house when his family was gone. But frankly, I didn’t have much free time, and fun though it was, there didn’t seem to be much point since I knew the relationship had no future. So, once again, I told him it’d been swell, but let’s move on.”
I stopped pacing and dropped back down on the couch.
“This time, though, he didn’t get mad. He agreed that we needed to get ready for finals and graduation. We parted friends, and I thought everything was hunky-dory—stupid me.
“The prom was actually a lot of fun … until the last item on the program. The plan was to show slides on a big screen of the senior class in various activities—football games, debates, pep rallies, the usual. Near the end, the photos changed, and suddenly there I was on the screen, naked in all my fat glory on Donny’s bed.”
Dev gasped.
I fought back tears as I recalled the horror. “The next photo was of my face, another of my boobs, and so forth. Everyone was in such shock that it took several photos before anyone moved to turn the damn projector off. Needless to say, I was totally humiliated and ashamed. I started to run out the door, but Donny grabbed me and held me while the photos played. I still remember him, smelling of beer and whispering in my ear, ‘Nobody dumps me, especially a fat bitch like you.’”
Tears were streaming down my face. Dev plucked some tissues from the box and held them out to me. He sat next to me on the sofa and for the second time that day put a comforting arm around me.
“Most people were stunned into silence.” I stopped to blow my nose again. “Some were laughing. The few chaperones there were busy trying to get to the projector. Tommy ran up to where Donny held me and demanded that he let me go, but Donny just laughed. Then several of his buddies grabbed Tommy, pulled down his trousers, and dumped him headfirst into one of the fish tanks.”
“Some prom.”
“Yep, a real humdinger. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t want to go to the reunion—and why I nearly had a heart attack when I saw the theme for the reunion.”
“I’m sure it’s also why several people pointed fingers at you when the police asked about suspects, even though you and I were on the dance floor at the time Oliver was shot.”
Stunned, I looked at Dev. “People accused me of killing Donny Oliver?”
“No, Odelia, no one accused you. It’s just that when the police questioned people about who might have a possible axe to grind, your name came up. And you did tell him to ‘eat shit and die’ in front of a lot of people last night.”
“But that’s just a silly, vulgar phrase. Lots of people say it.”
“Yes, true. But when most people say it, someone doesn’t wind up dead.”
Considering the events of the weekend, I was very glad Steele was out of the office for a few days. Between Donny’s murder and my split with Greg, the last thing I needed was Steele’s usual obnoxious comments. I wasn’t, however, so safe from Kelsey Cavendish. She was already waiting in my office when I arrived at work Monday morning.
“Please tell me,” she began, even before I had a chance to put my tote bag down, “that the high-school reunion with the murder this weekend wasn’t yours.”
“Okay, I won’t tell you.”
I sat down, put my bag away, and switched on my computer—all the normal things I did on a workday morning, trying to pretend that everything in my life was normal. I had even gone walking this morning around the Back Bay with the Reality Check group. There weren’t many walkers this morning, for which I was glad. Since the murder took place in Los Angeles County and none of the walkers knew the high-school reunion in the news was my high-school reunion, I was spared questions. And no one there but Zee knew about the break up. Zee walked beside me,
Dev tossed me a frown. “So you started up with Donny again?”
“Yes, but just a couple of times, both times at his house when his family was gone. But frankly, I didn’t have much free time, and fun though it was, there didn’t seem to be much point since I knew the relationship had no future. So, once again, I told him it’d been swell, but let’s move on.”
I stopped pacing and dropped back down on the couch.
“This time, though, he didn’t get mad. He agreed that we needed to get ready for finals and graduation. We parted friends, and I thought everything was hunky-dory—stupid me.
“The prom was actually a lot of fun … until the last item on the program. The plan was to show slides on a big screen of the senior class in various activities—football games, debates, pep rallies, the usual. Near the end, the photos changed, and suddenly there I was on the screen, naked in all my fat glory on Donny’s bed.”
Dev gasped.
I fought back tears as I recalled the horror. “The next photo was of my face, another of my boobs, and so forth. Everyone was in such shock that it took several photos before anyone moved to turn the damn projector off. Needless to say, I was totally humiliated and ashamed. I started to run out the door, but Donny grabbed me and held me while the photos played. I still remember him, smelling of beer and whispering in my ear, ‘Nobody dumps me, especially a fat bitch like you.’”
Tears were streaming down my face. Dev plucked some tissues from the box and held them out to me. He sat next to me on the sofa and for the second time that day put a comforting arm around me.
“Most people were stunned into silence.” I stopped to blow my nose again. “Some were laughing. The few chaperones there were busy trying to get to the projector. Tommy ran up to where Donny held me and demanded that he let me go, but Donny just laughed. Then several of his buddies grabbed Tommy, pulled down his trousers, and dumped him headfirst into one of the fish tanks.”
“Some prom.”
“Yep, a real humdinger. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t want to go to the reunion—and why I nearly had a heart attack when I saw the theme for the reunion.”
“I’m sure it’s also why several people pointed fingers at you when the police asked about suspects, even though you and I were on the dance floor at the time Oliver was shot.”
Stunned, I looked at Dev. “People accused me of killing Donny Oliver?”
“No, Odelia, no one accused you. It’s just that when the police questioned people about who might have a possible axe to grind, your name came up. And you did tell him to ‘eat shit and die’ in front of a lot of people last night.”
“But that’s just a silly, vulgar phrase. Lots of people say it.”
“Yes, true. But when most people say it, someone doesn’t wind up dead.”
Considering the events of the weekend, I was very glad Steele was out of the office for a few days. Between Donny’s murder and my split with Greg, the last thing I needed was Steele’s usual obnoxious comments. I wasn’t, however, so safe from Kelsey Cavendish. She was already waiting in my office when I arrived at work Monday morning.
“Please tell me,” she began, even before I had a chance to put my tote bag down, “that the high-school reunion with the murder this weekend wasn’t yours.”
“Okay, I won’t tell you.”
I sat down, put my bag away, and switched on my computer—all the normal things I did on a workday morning, trying to pretend that everything in my life was normal. I had even gone walking this morning around the Back Bay with the Reality Check group. There weren’t many walkers this morning, for which I was glad. Since the murder took place in Los Angeles County and none of the walkers knew the high-school reunion in the news was my high-school reunion, I was spared questions. And no one there but Zee knew about the break up. Zee walked beside me,
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