His white t-shirt was covered in blood.
“Fuck,” I hissed, charging towards him. “What the hell happened to you, man?”
Tearing his shirt off, he tossed it in the trash.
“I don’t know what happened, dude,” he whispered, trembling.
Moving to the sink, he turned on the faucet and grabbed a bar of soap. “One minute, everything was fine, and then the next, he just started pissing blood.”
Scrubbing his hands, his body shook. “I tried, Kyle. I fucking tried to save him, but the blood; there was so much fucking blood. He went down so quickly.”
I stood, frozen to the spot, and confused as fuck.
“Derek, who are you talking about?”
Tossing the soap in the trash, he grabbed a towel. “I got him in the car. Kyle, took him to the vet, but it was…too late.”
My mouth dropped open.
“Bruno?” I asked, breathless. “Bruno died?”
Oh Jesus, no…
Derek threw the towel on the floor, and ran his hand over his shaved head.
“He didn’t just die, Kyle.”
Shaking his head, he rubbed his jaw. “He was fucking poisoned.”
The kitchen door blew in, and Lee stood in front of us, tears streaming down her face.
“Poisoned?” she cried. “Who would poison my dog?”
She sank to the floor, and I rushed to her side. “Baby, are you okay?”
“No,” she sobbed, curling her face into my shirt.
“I’ll tell you who would poison him,” Cam hissed, storming into the kitchen, red eyed, and raging. “Your crazy bitch of an ex.”
“Rachel?” I asked, shaking my head. “No, she wouldn’t do that.”
“She would,” Cam countered. “She did. She was here this morning. I caught her snooping around in the kitchen. Bruno was fine and after I kicked her out, he…”
Cam stopped, her voice cracking with emotion.
“Oh, my god,” Lee wailed. “Of course.”
“Hang on guys,” I said, trying to be rational about this fucked up situation.
I stood up and paced the floor. “Maybe he ate something…soap, or washing detergent, or something?”
“It was no accident, Kyle,” Cam snapped as she knelt beside Lee and pulled her into her arms. “Stop defending her. She did it. And I’ve called her ass on it.”
“What do you mean?” I asked warily, finding it fucking, unbelievably hard, to believe that anyone, including Rachel, would poison a dog.
“I called the cops on her crazy ass,” she snapped. “Something you should have done a long time ago.”
“You okay, Lee?” Derek asked, hurrying across the kitchen.
I swung around to look at her.
My heart fucking broke at the sight.
She was huddled into Cam’s side, shaking and crying uncontrollably.
“Lee,” I whispered, rushing towards her.
“Don’t,” she screamed, staggering to her feet. “This is all your fault. You are the one who brought her into our lives, and look what’s happened.”
“Come on, babe,” Cam crooned, wrapping an arm around Lee as they walked out of the kitchen.
I couldn’t fucking breathe.
Did she do it? Was Rachel capable of such a fucking thing?
I didn’t know. I really didn’t.
CHAPTER TEN
Lee
We said goodbyes to Bruno, on a Sunday morning in May, scattering his ashes in Chautauqua Park as the watery sun shone down on us.
Some people might think of it as a ridiculous gesture, but that just showed what they knew.
Bruno had been my best friend, and I’d loved him, and would miss him always.
He’d protected me from a rapist, kept me company when I was a lonely, scared, little girl, and had given me almost thirteen years of unconditional love and loyalty.
There weren’t many human relationships you could say that about.
All three of my roommates, came to the park to silently say farewell, and pay their respects.
None of us spoke.
I stood with Cam,
Derek stood with Kyle.
The cops hadn’t charged Rachel, because of lack of evidence.
But I knew she did it.
I knew.
*****
“You’re moving out?” I gasped, as I watched from the doorway as Cam piled her clothes and possessions into bags.
“Yeah,” she said, sighing. “It’s time for me to go, Lee,” she said in a shaky voice. “I’m graduating next week, and since the breakup, I don’t…I can’t. I just can’t, you know?”
Sadly, I did know.
I completely understood what she meant, and how she felt.
Cam and Derek hadn’t spoken since their breakup, not a word. He was completely torn up about it.
They tolerated being in the same room as each other, but after a month of tension and unhappiness, I could understand why Cam couldn’t stay here.