Dancing On Daddy's Shoes - Chapter 13 - First Dance - Last Chance free porn video

Chapter 13 First Dance - Last Chance Friday after school, Kim returned home and charged up the stairs to her room without so much as a hello for her father who was waiting in the foyer to greet her. The better part of caution told him to just leave it alone. He returned to the living room. She would tell him what was wrong when she was ready. Tom had a good idea what the trouble was without having to be told, however. There had not been much he had been able to say in recent days that had brought comfort to his youngest. That had been hard, not just on Tom but on Kim as well. For the last two days, Kim had locked herself in her room, refusing even to eat. Now she lay on her canopy bed, her feet on her pillows, her head at its foot and sulked. She had tried to rationalize her situation a thousand different ways. She couldn't change it. She had her father, that at least was a major compensation. But even this rationale left her feeling cheap and petty. She turned her head and caught sight of her self in the mirror and sighed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Okay... give it up. This is the way it's going to be. You're Kimberly God damn it. Just let it go. But the minutes ticking by were like brass symbols in her ears. Each second was a timpani drum, pounding down to the Witching Hour, that point of no return when she would actually be Kimberly Glass for now and all time. Steep panic, raw and gritty, coursed against every nerve in her body. "Stop it!" she cried to herself. She reached behind her and dragged one of her over stuffed pillows from beneath her feet and covered her head with it to drown out the noise of the imaginary timekeepers all around her. And the band played on. She hoped that once the night was over, once the time to look forward, to measure the distance between here and home was passed she might be able to find a little peace. She knew though there would be a certain amount of looking back over her shoulder. Isn't that the way it always is? When you give up something forever, don't you look back at it one last time, watching it fade in perspective into the distance? Downstairs her father put on one of his old vinyl LP's. He had left them here with the intension of having them sent to California when he and her mother split. He just never seemed to get around to asking for them. Through the floor, the steamy sounds of Louis Armstrong's trumpet filtered up into Kim's room, muffled by sheetrock, flooring and carpet, she could still identify La Vie En Rose being pumped from the speakers of a long unused stereo. She could envision her father down stairs, his eyes closed behind his thick black rimmed glasses (he took his contacts out in the evening), his head slowly keeping time as Armstrong slowly carried all his cares away on an imaginary Mississippi River keel-paddle. A tear slipped from the corner of one eye at the guilt she felt over her selfishness. Even acknowledging that guilt couldn't quite wipe clean her desire to once again be Tim, the boy she had been for all but of five weeks of her life. "I'm sorry Daddy," she whispered to herself. "I'm so sorry. I love you, I do, it's just so hard." She reached out and touched the floor in a spot she guessed was just above where he sat. "God I hate this." Leaping from the bed she glared at herself in the mirror and cried, "You are such a Bitch! I hate you." To put a fine sharp point on that idea, the ghost of a mercifully brief conversation she had with Sarah Wednesday began haunting her thoughts. It had been Sarah who had approached Kim in the hall. Bracing for the worst, Kim bravely stood and waited when she had heard her name called by that sweet familiar, almost syrupy southern voice. "I know what you're going to say," Kim started. "I'm sorry Sarah. I had no right..." "God, can't you just wait until you know what I'm going to say first?" Sarah groused. It was not an unfamiliar complaint. Kim talked a lot when she felt good, sometimes to the point of babbling. Sarah was polite, unassuming and quiet. But when she felt she needed to be heard, she could be equally as tenacious. "I just want to know one thing," Kim lowered her head, "Just shoot me now, Okay?" Sarah gently lifted Kim's head forcing Kim to meet her eyes. "There that's better." "Oh for God's sake Sarah, just scream at me or something." "Do you love him Kim?" Sarah asked. Kim imagined that this is what it must feel like to take a blast from a shotgun at close range. Of all the questions Sarah could have asked, this had been the one Kim would never have guessed Sarah would come to her with. It would have been easy to say no. Kim knew that this was precisely what Sarah wanted to hear, Needed to hear. She understood intuitively that this would free Sarah's conscience from the stigma of any wrong doing. The motive of Sarah's presence before her now was crystal clear. Kim's only dilemma with that, she realized, was that the answer ?No' wouldn't have been the truth. For once in your superficial life girl, do the right thing. Say no and move on. You've been a girl for over a month now. You're plenty used to it. Give Ben his day in the sun. Opening her mouth to speak, the word, "Yes," fell out of it and landed like a lead ingot on the floor between them. She even fancied she could hear it hit the floor with a thunderous crash. The answer however appeared to be no surprise to Sarah. "That's what I thought." Sarah smiled knowingly, almost with glee, she turned to leave saying, "Thanks for being honest." Kim watched Sarah walk away with an almost springy step, gape-mouthed. As Sarah began to be swallowed by the crowd, Kim charged after her, "Sarah!" she cried out, "Wait." Kim fought the crowds of kids, flailing upstream to catch Sarah before she disappeared. When she caught up, Sarah still hadn't seemed to have heard her calling out. Kim grabbed her by the arm and turned her around and asked, "What do you mean, that's what you thought? You're not going to tell Ben I said that are you?" "He deserves to know," Sarah replied. Now she sounded surprised. "No, I don't think he does," Kim admitted a little panicked. "In fact, I think it will only make him mad at me." "That's silly," dismissed Sarah with a wave of her hand. It seemed to Kim she was trying very hard to be light hearted. Kim noted that it didn't feel to her to be working out the way Sarah planned. "Oh no it isn't," Kim insisted shaking her head dreadfully, her face grim, her eyes dark. "He'd be very angry with me if he thought I was trying to come between you and him." "Kim, who came between who here?" Kim hated rhetoric. Even if the meaning with this rhetorical question was plain, she wasn't good at cutting through the multiple layers of meaning questions such as these often carried. There could have been an undercurrent of something else there that Kim might have missed. Sarah was looking down the hall as Kim spoke. She tried to follow Sarah's gaze to see if Ben was waiting down there for her, but she could see nothing. "Kim, I'm going to be late. Can we talk about this later?" "Uh... sure." But she was left with dozens of unanswered questions. Later, when Kim saw Ben at the end of the day, he seemed sullen, almost dark in his mood. Kim had to wonder if Sarah said anything to him about their earlier conversation. Kim couldn't quite find the courage to ask him. This Ben was very different from the one she had dragged along with her though the rip in the fabric of time the mask created. This Ben was a lot more confident, stronger even a little socially reckless. It wasn't any one thing that she could put her finger on. It was as simple as, this Ben suddenly commanded a lot more respect than the Ben of just a couple of weeks ago. Ben's mood had changed dramatically by Thursday. He spoke to no one and Kim had no intention of approaching. She actively avoided him and he did not pursue her. This was a great relief and by the end of the day, Kim was able to relax a little. She was not afraid that Ben would hurt her, but Kim didn't like confrontation with anyone. It was better to avoid than challenge in her mind. It assured happier times for all concerned. Ben was not at school on Friday. And while Kim was greatly relieved, it also signaled the final blow to her attempt at going home. All day she was distracted, watching the clock, ticking the seconds by, playing the mental game of crossing the finish line in her head. Looking back over her metaphorical shoulder she found there was nothing behind the line she had just crossed, only her world a head of her. The image reminded her of a story, The Langoliers where great black Packman like balls of concentrated evil came and devoured the past with razor sharp teeth and ferocious appetites after it's life's energy had been spent. No one noticed she was lost in these moments. Everyone else had their reasons to be distracted too. It was after all, Prom Night. She was brought back to the here and now by the soft chime of the door bell. Kimberly thought of getting up and peering out the window to see who it was, then dismissed the notion. It was probably a neighbor participating in the Parade Of The Perpetual Casserole. The ceremony of the covered dish is one of the great mysteries of life. It was the idea that, in times of great grief or personal tragedy, friends and well- wishers would bring food for those who have no time to prepare it. The sentiment being that these poor people had enough to contend with as it was. Kim found it ironic that tragedy often robbed those same people of the will to eat. If she never saw another noodle in her life, it would be too soon. -*- If the final events unfolding in this time-altered world had transpired as planned the Monday before the prom, then who knows what would have happened. The vandalism at the school had been found and noted in the minds of the faculty. There had been talk of deep sixing the prom, but on such short notice it was decided to beef up the security inside the gym, where the prom was to be held. If Abner had seen his son and Sarah driving into the parking lot, then his plans to undo his family, remove the risk of Ben turning on him and repaying the favor of the damaged eye Tom Glass gave him might have unraveled. Abs was a killer, but he had to have a reason. He knew perfectly well that people who killed without a reason posed an even greater risk to the public in the eyes of the police. As it turned out Ben and Sarah did not attend the prom. The rest, as they say, is history. -*- 6:15 p.m. With Abs MIA, as it were, the night of the prom Susan was able to lend Ben her car without as much anxiety of the act being discovered by her husband. So when she began to get a little hungry, she had no choice but to walk to the corner for a two dollar bag of charcoal, some cola, a package of hotdogs and some buns. She'd cook outside tonight and spare the inside the extra heat of cooking on the stove. Summer time in the south is brutal. The long days meant longer periods of heat deep into the night. It would be a while before her cramped little apartment would be cool enough to sleep comfortably. It had almost been nice here since Abs was gone. This was the longest he'd been gone at one stretch in quite a while. She never said it out loud, but inside she hoped he had died. Her mind ran wild with the possibilities, perhaps he slid off a mountain road on his bike after a hard rain, or maybe he drowned in at some backwater lake or the beach. It was possible he was a Jon Doe, the victim of some drug deal gone wrong. Still, she didn't think it was likely. Someone would have called and congratulated her by now. Just the same, she wasn't questioning her good fortune. Coming in the back door, the strong smell of bleach was nearly overwhelming. She had taken every other day to completely sterilize the apartment. She was sure the other tenants were experiencing a plague of cockroaches and mice chased away by the bleach, but she didn't care. She had not seen a roach in three days. There was no dust, no beer cans, no trash anywhere to be seen. She felt human again. Humming, she unloaded her one bag of food on the counter, put the soda in the fridge to chill and cracked open the bag of charcoal. Outside was a small, worn out hibachi. She removed the grill plates, emptied the coals into the fire pit and started them. She examined the grill plates and found they were a mess. "Yuck," she groused and decided they needed a hard cleaning. Returning she put the plates gingerly in the sink and began rummaging for a wire brush she usually kept stashed under one of the two sink basins. Not finding it in the kitchen, she made her way to the bedroom. When she opened the door to her room, she found a man, his arm buried up to his shoulder in a hole in the east wall. Susan screeched and jumped, turned to run and was knocked breathlessly to the floor of the hall from behind. The world swam as her vision faded in and out between darkness and a blurry sort of half focus. White hot pain seared through her right shoulder and something like liquid felt to be dripping down her arm there. Behind her she could hear foot falls, heavy and menacing. You have to get up! You have to get up right now and run or you'll never get up again. It seemed there should be something else attached to that, a reason for the urgency but her recent memory had been erased. She couldn't even reconcile why she was here on the floor or even where here might be. There was just pain and footsteps. "Uuuuuunnnnnhhhh," she groaned trying to pull her self forward, answering her brain's call to move but not really knowing why. Her mind latched onto one thing. There's a hole in my wall! She could see it clearly now in her mind's eye, but oddly, not the man whose arm she found digging around inside it. How did that get there? It hadn't been there this morning. God damn rats! Hey, maybe it was the Hole in the Wall Gang! She wanted to laugh but the pain made laughing impossible. Suddenly she was flipped over and dumped painfully on her injured shoulder. There was a man straddling her about mid waist as she lay there on the floor. He was clean shaven. His head too had been shaved, but Susan could tell he had recently had hair, a beard and mustache. The skin of his face where the hair had once been was pale. The hair had deprived the skin of sunlight. She'd seen the effect on the few times Abs had shaved his beard off. Her mind hitched. There was something familiar about the face. She squinted through her pain, fighting to focus on the details. Then it came to her. This was Abner, only he had never shaved his head bald before. "Abner?" she asked. "Go to sleep," he said. He lifted his boot high over her face. Susan's last thought before the boot came down, crushing her head was, Huh, he's got a thumbtack stuck in the bottom of his shoe. Her world went black with a sickening wet crunch. -*- At 7:00 p.m. Ben was making his second stop in his game of musical dates having taken one last attempt to convince Sarah to go with him instead of making him do this. She would not be persuaded. He left, hurt beyond description, wearing the tuxedo she had purchased for him as he walked away from the Becklock estate. Now he stood here, a few blocks away, between the large white columns of the Southern Antebellum home of Kimberly Glass. Ben leaned forward and put his finger on the bell, but paused for a moment. He almost turned away. He didn't want to take Kim to the prom. He never thought in his entire life that he would have turned down a date with a girl, a beautiful girl at that. His heart, however, simply wasn't in it. He was in love with Sarah. If he had lost her, he might recover from the heart break, but he felt he would never be able to fall in love again. With a heavy sigh, Ben pushed the bell. Tom answered the door bell in one hand a pint of ice cream, a spoon in his mouth. When he looked to see who had rung the bell, he found himself staring at a very odd sight. At first Tom couldn't even find the words to say hello. "Hi Mr. Glass," Ben said with little enthusiasm in his voice. Tom still said nothing. Instead, he lifted his left arm at the elbow, gave a curt wave of his hand and let it fall down by his side again. Ben shrugged the odd behavior off and asked, "Is Kimberly here?" "Bell Beb, sheth up starths," Tom said dribbling ice cream around a mouthful of spoon. He spat out the spoon, "Ah crap!" Tom complained wiping off his shirt. "Ben, what are you doing here?" "I've come to take Kimberly to the prom. Is she here?" Not knowing what to say, Tom invited Ben in. "Yes. I'm sorry Ben. How very rude of me. Please, come in." Tom allowed Ben in and closed the door. "Wait here, I'll go get her." "Thanks." Tom mounted the stairs and stopped. For just a second, he looked like a statue of a man climbing stairs, motionless in thought. Then Tom turned and asked. "You know Ben, I know what you're doing here, but I don't think you told me Why you're doing it." "That's a long story Sir," Ben said lending nothing more to Tom's question. "Yeah..." Tom agreed. After a brief pause, he added, "I bet it is. Well, you look good in that Tux." With that, Tom vanished upstairs. Ben could hear them talking in confused voices. Then there were a series of rapid, dainty footfalls approaching down the stairs. Soon Kim appeared, she was wearing a tight girl's sleeve T-Shirt with pink lettering on the front that read, When Mom Say's No... She was also wearing a pair of red polyester knit girl's athletic short shorts. Her hair was pulled up, piled and pinned to the top of her head, her eyes were red and puffy. Kim wiped at her eyes and then fought to find a few words to say. The ones she found were, "Why are you here?" "Hello to you too," Ben said calmly. Kim blushed, "Hi," Ben smiled back. "Okay, now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, why are you here?" "Sarah isn't going to go to the prom. She seems to think there's something between us and she wants me to find out what that is before she continues seeing me." Kim's mouth dropped open and she snorted once or twice blushing brightly acting aghast at the suggestion but never said anything outright. "Silly huh?" Ben asked. Again Kim nodded, eyes wide open as if to suggest that the word silly was beyond obvious. "There's nothing between us, right?" "No..." Kim laughed, "No of... of course not," But more than the nervousness of her speech was the way Kim would not meet his eyes that made him suspicious. Ben scrutinized her behavior for a moment, then asked, "Did you tell her something Kim?" "Me?" Kim asked laughing a little too loudly for Ben's comfort. "What could I tell her? I'm still stuck in this thing. It pretty much keeps me from telling anyone anything." Ben eyed her carefully, trying to size up the moment. "Come out on the porch." "I can't Ben, you know... the rules." But to Ben this didn't seem like an ?I can't' moment, it felt more like an ?I shouldn't'. Mr. Glass appeared behind Kim so quietly Ben was pretty sure Kim didn't know he was there. "How about it, can Kim go out on the porch with me?" Kim was looking at Ben with the strangest, who are you talking to, look when Tom said, "Sure," Kim jumped and screamed in surprise, leaping sideways into the kitchen and vanishing from view. Ben gestured to the spot where Kim had just been standing and grinned, "I had a cat once that could do that." Kim's disembodied voice echoed out from the kitchen where she had apparently landed safe and sound. "DADDY!" Tom had to bite down on his tongue to keep from laughing out loud. "You scared the crap out of me!" When Kim came out, Ben saw the back of her shirt said, Daddy says Yes! Kim took Ben by the hand and marched him out onto the porch. "Make this quick Ben." Kim closed the door behind her. "I don't know what's at work here Kim, but this was supposed to happen. Sarah and I were fine until yesterday. She told me she talked to you..." Kim flushed. "What did you say to her that changed her mind?" Kim shuffled her feet about on the painted planks. In stead of saying those things she mentioned to Sarah in their all-to-brief conversation, she told Ben what she wished she could have said. "I told her how kind you'd been to me. I told her that when you and your Mom came up and I really didn't know what I was doing, you were very generous about giving me room to think." She puffed out a little breath from her nose in chagrinned surprise, "Guess I thought myself right into this life permanently." She looked up at Ben. Now it was Ben blushing. "It's Okay Ben. I'll get over it. This isn't as bad as some of the stuff I've gone through. It feels pretty normal most of the time, being me I mean. I'm sorry I cost you your date." "She wasn't my date Kim. I love her," Ben corrected. "Well then, we both have a reason to just leave well enough alone then don't we?" Kim said and turned to go back in. "You never did answer my question," Ben said taking Kim by her arm. Turning, Kim asked, "Which one?" "There's nothing between us, right?" Ben repeated. She took a deep breath, searching his eyes with her bright blue peepers, "I don't know Ben. You're not the same guy that followed me here. I'm beginning to believe you're probably the Ben from this reality. The part of Ben I knew, the one you got filled up with has gone back home, you know, has sort of been washed away by that. I think that Ben is still out there, in his own time. But you're not him. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to get close to you, cause I don't think I know you anymore." Ben paused, thinking. Kim could not tell what was going on behind his mysterious brown eyes now. There had been a time when she could see what he was thinking as plainly as if he had spoken his thoughts. Now he was closed off to her. As he thought, she studied him, the tux fit well. It showed off a fairly impressive body. He wasn't too muscular but his body had changed. He was no longer the skinny, ungainly kid of a few weeks ago. He stood erect. There was power in his stance, something she'd noticed in a lot of boys since becoming Kimberly. That appearance of power, of self confidence was deeply seductive. He no longer had blemished skin. Every last pimple was gone. What was left looked to be a bit like comfortable leather, slightly rough but a trill to touch. Ben's question rang sharply in her ears, There's nothing between us right Kim? No, there can't be anything between us can there? Ben brought Kim back to the here and now with one question, "Do you have a dress to wear tonight?" Kim nodded almost imperceptibly. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go find who we're going to be when we grow up, Okay?" Kim smiled up at him, "Okay, wait here." -*- Abner Ackerman had no way of getting out of this now without someone knowing he had been here. No amount of false leads and evidence he planted now would lead investigators anywhere except back to him. He was going to have to go to plan "B". Hit and run. Removing Ben now had only one purpose, to buy him time. Police were going to tie him to Susan's death in a quick Dixie second when the body was found. He needed enough time to get to his cabin, get as much cash as he could and get out of the country. The cabin alone was roughly three hours away. Ben might come home anytime and find his mother in the hall with her head crushed. The purpose now was to give himself two days to get as far away as possible. If Ben died tonight, before he found his mother, Susan's body might be found for perhaps four days considering the amount of cleaning fluids she'd doused the place in. Abs shook his sweaty head, NO, that won't work asshole! The police will go right to the apartment to find his fucking parents! They'll find Susan then. Police were inquisitive little pricks. The smell of the bleach alone in the breezeway will make them want to investigate. "Fuck!" Abs spat angrily. Leave now... get the hell out of town. It might still look as though you were out of town when it all went down. Abs knew that wasn't going to happen. There were boot prints in blood everywhere. Somewhere in that apartment, maybe in the wall, out in the grass of the courtyard even, was a bullet from his silenced .45 Colt. It was the only weapon he had with him, he couldn't give it up just yet. If they found him and took it, it would only be a matter of time before they found the bullet. The ballistics would match right away. A slug from a .45 was had a full copper jacket. They were sturdy, not like a .22 which had no protective jacket or a .38 with only a half-jacket. Ballistics would have no problem matching it. What had she done with the fucking car? It hadn't been at the house when he drove by. He circled three times in his old clunker to make sure it was gone. He figured she'd driven Ben and that Glass girl to the dance. From that, he figured he had maybe 40 minutes to finish. He had only needed ten. In the wall, Abs had stashed about $18,000 in assorted gold coins, currency that knew no international boundaries as well as two fake passports. He hadn't really needed them. The idea of leaving it behind just didn't sit well with him. After returning to town, this idea began to brew in his head until he decided that it wouldn't be a problem to retrieve them. If she came home, he'd be able to hear the familiar clank of that old tow- hitch chain and he could duck out before he was seen. She wouldn't recognize him from a distance now, especially since he'd decided to shave his head after grabbing the crap from the school. As long as she didn't see him leaving the apartment, she wouldn't know. Had she been there the whole time? Had they just somehow kept missing each other? He didn't think so. It didn't mater anyway. She had startled him and she had been startled too from the look of it. He turned, his hand and found the pistol grip very naturally, a reflex move, nothing more really. The pistol had fired. It made a quiet little * SIP * as the bullet discharged and Susan had fallen to the floor. She was shot, bleeding to death. The police would have come and taken him. That alone was all they needed to charge him, hold him. It was exactly what they wanted. Even if she hadn't died he would have taken a life time ride eventually. He had crushed her head with his boot. It wouldn't have done to have left another bullet behind. In retrospect, it might have looked better if he just left her wounded. "Done is done," Abs said quoting the only piece of literature he knew, Stephen King's Riding The Bullet. Ben had to be kept from going home and raising the alarm. He should be able to expect Ben to stay here for a couple of hours. The entire thing wouldn't last more than four. If he even showed up, his brain noted, reminding him of the risks of this stakeout. True, if Ben had didn't show up for some reason, then he was screwed. The police might even already be looking for him right now. He has the car though...where else would it be? So he'll show up. He'll show, he assured himself over and over. This one had been sloppy. There was no time to take care of the evidence, he was damage control mode. He had to stop Ben from getting home and calling police. No one would miss him. There would be no call if he were to simply vanish. And what about the girl? Even if you hide the Ben's body, don't you think someone will come looking for her? "FUCK!" He stomped around the small clearing deep in the woods with hate so deep for Susan he was practically breathing fire. "Why the fuck were you home without the fucking CAR?" Abs kicked a long dead empty can of pork and beans deep into the boughs of pine where it clanked quietly back to earth again somewhere in the distance. "GOD DAMN IT!" In an hour his rage would feel as hot as the burning Sun itself. Abs was seething and frightened. The longer he was forced to remain without fleeing, the more upset he became. Still he watched, tucked back among the trees, his car out of sight. If Ben didn't show up soon, he would have no choice but to run and hope for the best. -*- Kimberly appeared at the bottom of the stairs wearing a tight fitting black spaghetti strap dress that stopped about mid thigh. Her feet were clad in black, four inch heels. The way her hair encircled her head reminded Ben of an angel's halo. It caught the light and exploded in brilliance all around her. Ben exhaled audibly as his eyes drank in the vision before him. It was not unlike a man dying of thirst on a dry hot savanna, offered not just a drink of water, but an entire canteen of chilled, life giving, clear spring water from the purest pool. "You're Beautiful," Ben whispered. Kim approached him, took his hand and caressed it gently. "Thank you Ben," she said and blushed brightly. "I hope this is what you had in mind when this whole thing started." "No," he said nodding his head in contradiction to his answer, "It's a whole lot more." Tom began walking at a brisk pace to where the two teens stood. Tom took a quick appraisal of his daughter, "Holy Moly, you look beautiful Kimmy. I wish your Mother was here to see this." "Thank you Daddy," she said twisting this way and that allowing the bell of her dress to flare out a little, showing off just a little more leg. Ben watched Kim blush with girlish pride, her face flush with love. Ben himself, whatever Ben was left from that other world barely remember Tom Glass, but this Tom was just as warm, just as welcoming as he remembered Tim's father being. No matter what happened tonight, no matter how Kim felt should they be able to unlock the mask, he would not allow Kim to talk him into removing it until she had a chance to say goodbye should it come to that. Tom dashed to the kitchen. They could both hear him rummaging around for something, slamming cabinet doors and junk drawers. When he reappeared, he had a digital camera in his hand. "I bring this to the hospital tonight when I pick up your Mom. She'll be so sorry she missed it. Okay now, close together." Both smiled genuinely happy smiles. They both had dates for the prom. It was the promise made by Maurice the Wizard. Both of them were acutely aware that the promise had been kept. Had it been the wizard himself that had turned the tables on Ben's date with Sarah? Neither of them could answer that question. Kim didn't want to. Maurice had promised Ben a date with a pretty girl. She hoped she measured up to what Ben had had in mind when he had stipulated that for the old man. Now, tonight more than ever she wanted Ben to have what he wanted. If it wasn't her, then she would let him go to Sarah and put the past and the mask behind her forever. It was the least she could do to let that play out and see where life took them. When the pictures were taken, they all looked at them though the replay screen. There were two with Ben standing, his eyes closed that he didn't like, but otherwise the pictures were just fine. He even quietly noted the same changes in his physique that Kim had seen earlier. He was different, maybe even a little taller. His face was stronger, he even looked a little... dangerous. So that's the guy who was accused of stealing... Ben thought to himself. I think I kind of like this guy. Tom escorted them out to Susan's car. The thing was old, but it was clean. The only major malfunction was a old tow-chain someone had welded to the trailer hitch in back that would fall off every once in a while and drag nosily behind the car. "You two be careful, Okay?" Tom asked leaning into Kimberly's passenger side window. "We will Daddy. Thank you." She leaned out and kissed him on the cheek. "Ten thrity Ben?" "Yes Sir. On the button," Ben answered pleasantly. "Take care of her Ben, this little girl is my entire life. She's the only reason I do anything these days." Tom leaned in and kissed Kimberly on the forehead. Ben pulled out of the drive and down the street. It wasn't long before Kim turned to him and said, "Do you hear something?" Ben listened and heard the familiar sound of the chain behind the car dragging along behind them. "Yep, sure do." Ben pulled the car over, and began to get out. "Wait here, be right back." After a few minutes of arguing with the chain, he managed to wedge it against the brace for the trailer hitch and got back in. "What was that?" "Just an old chain no one seems to be able to get it off. It falls lose sometimes, you know, kind of flops around back there. It's good now." Ben paused, "The car's a piece of crap isn't it?" Kim thought about lying to him to make him feel better, but he suddenly smiled at her and she giggled and nodded. "It sure ain't your old Mustang." "Yeah, I'll get another one. Ready?" Ben's statement told Kim he was prepared to stay here in this time and press on with life in spite of the changes they had both been put through. She found she admired that quality in him. It made her want to pull him close to her and just hold him. They were partners in the strangest dance of all, linked inexorably together by a wish, separated by their independent desires, unable to walk alone because of fate. Kim smiled across the seat at him, "I bet you will too." "You bet," Ben said with a wide, toothy grin. "Okay, ready?" "As I'm ever going to be," Kim said smiling. Ben put the car in gear when Kim gently laid her hand across his. He pushed the clutch back in and turned to look at her. "Thank you Ben. I'll try not to get in your way after this." Ben shoved the car back into neutral. "Look," he began, "I'm sorry about what happened the other day at school. We really did intend to tell you what was going on. I thought... after everything you said." "It's Okay Ben. I understand. I think I have a lot I still need to learn about myself. For now, like you said, I should probably get used to the way things are. I'm grateful for the chance to be part of the decision if it doesn't work out." "Just make sure that if you come and ask me to take it off, it's for all the right reasons," Ben finished. "Take me to the dance Ben. We'll leave early, when we're sure, you know; that it'll come off. Then go get your damsel in distress and dance with her." Ben smiled broadly. "One dance, coming up." -*- State road 881, a local thoroughfare, was a scenic drive around Smokey Cap Mountain. To the west, directly on the opposite side of Smokey Cap lay Baker. 881 was a parameter road that stretched around Smokey Cap. All around it, beyond the limits of the small town lay vast reaches of rich, fertile farmland; countless dirt roads whose edges were dotted with the last vestiges of Old Southern rural homesteads, the former homes of squatters and sharecroppers. It was desolate country, beautiful, but if you weren't a local, you could easily find yourself on the business end of a shotgun wielding, toothless wonder demanding that you, "Git off my land." Here the days of carpet baggers and revenuers were not long forgotten. The great grand children of the Civil War and the Great Depression had long memories. In spite of what the history books tell us, these people who were already poor when these things happened were particularly hard hit. The kids coming to the dance were directed along the south ridge of the mountain. They would be funneled around the north side to get back to town. Everyone would be moving in the same direction and, hopefully, this would prevent some accidents from happening later in the evening. It also gave the local cops, whose resources were stretched thin as it was, a chance to shift positions and monitor the exodus with greater efficiency after the dance was over. A long stream of head lights to Abner's right snaked around the mountain to the south. Police directed vehicles into the school's large dirt parking lot or residents through the traffic area to their homes beyond the school zone. He eyed each car as police waived them in, waiting for Susan's dusty blue Civic to make that turn. Time passed, 6:35, 7:00, 7:20 and still no sign of Ben. Abs began to get froggy, wanting jump at every sound the woods made behind him, no longer trusting his senses to tell him if danger was close. He couldn't tell if they had arrived before he did or not. He could not distinguish his wife's car from all the rest once they were parked. At last, at 7:45 Abs saw his wife's old beat up Honda pull into the dusty dirt and gravel parking lot adjacent to the football stadium and wheel around and park close to the exit. All exiting traffic was being routed north. The roads in the opposite direction from town were closed everyone was coming from the south, from town. Abs started to relax. Ben didn't know his mother was dead. Now the waiting game begun, what happened next depended on when they left the party. Abs grabbed a comfortable patch of leaves near an old stump. He stretched out and waited. He was parked about a tenth of a mile down the road, far enough that none of the police directing traffic would see him pull out when he left. They were too busy anyway ferrying kids in. Abs watched as other couples called out them as Ben helped Kimberly from the car. The two stood nearly toe to toe as Ben acknowledged the other student's calling to him. Even from this distance, Abs could see that Kim had grown in to a fine looking young piece. It was hard for him to fathom that his rat bastard son was going to slice off a piece of that for himself. "Gonna have to spoil your night Buddy," Abs said absently. "Nothing personal..." after a moment he corrected himself. "I guess that's not quite right is it? It's completely personal. Honest is always the best policy, right?" he asked no one and chuckled. He watched as Kim took Ben by the hand and led him away toward the white balloon arch way at the entrance of the gum. It was early; they'd be at it for a couple of hours at least. All he had to do now was wait. Abs sat on the leaf strewn floor of the woods and got comfortable. He pulled his lock blade out and began whittling on a near by stick to pass the time. -*- Ben pulled Susan's car into the dusty overflow lot of the school's east wing near the entrance to the gymnasium. "There's a spot Ben," Kim pointed to an open slot nearest the exit. "We won't get blocked in over there." The object of this was to give them an easy out so Ben could go back and get Sarah and bring her back here. Kim played along eagerly, but in her secret heart, she wished Ben would stay here, dance with her, be her date tonight. There's nothing between us, right Kim? Oh Ben, I'm not so sure about that any more, Kim thought jealously. Ben got out, walked around and opened the door for Kim. "My lady," he said and extended his hand. Kim took it and stepped out. She looked back toward the school. "This is it. We're at the prom." She turned to him, "Bet you didn't think you'd be taking me as your date back in the store that day, did ya?" "If someone had tried to tell me that I don't know what I would have done." Ben answered, a smirk spreading across his face. Two or three couples passed close by on their way into the gym. "Bennnnnn..." one of the guy called out approvingly as they eyed Kimberly. "...all right!" "Nice Ben," yet another called out. Ben waved, a little embarrassed. "Come on," Kim said softly, "let's get in there." She took his hand and the two of them walked toward the decorated entrance to the school gym. As the got closer, she let Ben's hand go to file into the gym single file. Behind her, Ben slipped his left hand into the small of her back, guiding her along. She closed her eyes at his touch, thrilled by the sensation of his hand there in such a sensitive place on her body. She wished silently it would fuse itself there, that they would become one in that instant, that she would taste his thoughts; know what he was thinking at that moment. She wished he could know what she was thinking. Inside the bleachers had been rolled back to make room. Streamers and balloons hung from the ceiling in an elegant array of color. Bright decorated signs and banners filled the walls advertising the senior class, the stars and the scholars of that class that would be filing out into the world in a couple weeks. This was their last moment of adolescent splendor. Kim and Ben would return next year, moving closer to their final moment in these halls. Kim wondered if her name, her picture would be here in that final moment, or if it would be someone else's image that would grace these walls. Would she still exist to be remembered like these students were being honored here tonight? Her stomach was filled with butterflies of excitement as they entered the darkened building. Spiraling lights of color twisted this way and that, creating a dizzying display of wonder. "It's beautiful," she whispered in amazement. A band, Jonah's Wail played loud country music, the singer, a young girl, maybe eighteen sung Taylor Swift's Tear Drops On My Guitar and all the girls were holding tightly to their dates, softly swaying to the sad, mournful strains of this heartbreaking song. "Come on," Kim said and dragged Ben right out the center of the dance floor. "Kim..." Ben cried out over the music. Kim stopped in the sea of people and turned to him. There was nothing but abject terror in his eyes. Kim knew the look well. Smiled up at him and said, "I know what you're going to say. It's easy. I'll show you." Ben shook his head, "You've never been to a dance in your life." She signaled for him to come closer. Ben bent down a bit and Kim said in his ear, "I'm a cheerleader," Kim reminded him above the din. "It's just about all I do." Ben straightened up, when he did, he was smiling. She returned the smile in double doses and pulled him to her, "It's a slow dance anyway, like this." She took his arms and put them around her and pressed herself tight to his body. She directed him to the left one step, then a quarter turn and another step. Her body began to sway with the tempo of the music and Ben's body followed hers Soon Kim's head was resting on his chest. His chest and stomach were tight, like a drum skin, his arms carried authority. She was being swept away by his touch. He's not yours Kim, remember that. He belongs to someone else. The thought snapped her back to reality. She didn't want to go places where Ben didn't want to go. She loosened her grip a little, dancing a little less passionately now. Ben must have sensed the change because he asked, "Something wrong?" Kim shook her head but offered no other answer. Ben smiled oddly but let it go. I can't have him. One more dance and then we'll see. If it works, I'll let him go to Sarah. God, I don't want to though. Kim glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 8:43 p.m. Darkness had come to the world outside and there was not much time left in the evening. It occurred to her that she probably wasn't going to even get one more dance. The music began to die and with it her wish that he would ask her to stay there and be with him. She closed her eyes as the last few notes were played and tried to push out all her disappointment and just be there in the moment. In seconds the moment was over. Kim parted reluctantly and was pleasantly rewarded to see Ben smiling at her. "Well?" "That was great Kim, thank you." Kim gave Ben's hand a bashful brush with her fingers. Music began again, this time How Do I Live by Trisha Yearwood. "Ugh," Kim groaned at the sound of another romantic song. "Okay," she said grabbing Ben's hand, "let's go find out if it worked." She wanted out of here now. There was definitely an ember in her heart she could not allow to smolder any longer. Kim pushed her way through the crowd of dancing students patiently. "Where?" Ben asked confused. "Follow me," Kim said calling out behind her over the music. She moved in the direction of the locker rooms. They should be empty. Should be, however, was always a variable that couldn't be counted on. Kim slipped between the double doors that led to locker rooms, equipment room and the coaches offices, Ben followed, his hand clutched tightly by Kim who was dragging him along like a puppy on a leash. Here they found one couple pressed tightly to the wall, each one groping their partner. They paused for a moment, sparing a glance at Kim and Ben, "Hey Kim," it was Tony Abercrombie and Melissa Kanke "sorry, this spot's taken." Kim said nothing. She turned and pushed her way into the girl's locker room. It was unnaturally dark inside. Ben was surprised to find this room didn't smell at all like the boy's locker room with its wet stale smell of musk and sweat. This smell was lighter. It still had the smell of body odor, but to Ben it was a pleasant sort of aroma, not a smell at all. "Hello?" Kim called out dropping Ben's hand. "Anyone here?" There was no answer. Kim turned to face Ben in the gloom, holding out her hands gropingly to find him. "Ben?" she called out, a bit of acidic panic rising as a result of total blindness. "Right here Kim." Ben reached out and found her hands and grasp on to them. "Try it Ben, but don't take it off, please." In the darkness she could hear Ben sigh in resignation and soon felt fingers exploring her face. In an instant her lips hardened and would no longer part. The mask began to rise from her skin, sealing her face in a rigid white plastic-form representation of her own face. Ben saw the mask appear dimly in the darkness, a specter that had haunted their nightmares for weeks. Here it was again, ready to be removed, making itself known once more. Suddenly Kimberly withdrew from him and the mask sank soundlessly back, becoming her flesh again. "Ma..." Kim grunted as her lips became pliable again. She gasped for air in the darkness, giving Ben an idea of where she was, some three or for paces beyond him. Kim spoke up in the darkness and Ben could hear the sadness she harbored in her heart. "I guess we're done Ben. You can go and get Sarah now." Ben took a tentative step toward her. Beyond they could hear the music playing softly, muffled by the cinder brick walls of the locker room and hallway. "I think I'd like one more dance if that's Okay. Then I'll take you home if you still want to go." "You don't have to do that Ben. I know how you feel about Sarah. I'm sorry for ruining your night." Ben reached out and caught her by the hand, surprising her. "You haven't ruined anything Kim. Let's go have one more dance before we say good night." He pulled her closer until they were nearly touching. Kim drew in a long lazy breath and slipped her arms around his waist. It was her turn to surprise him, "Will you kiss me Ben?" He hesitated for a moment then said, "I don't think I should." Kim only snuggled in tighter to him. "I know you shouldn't. That's not what I asked. I asked will you... please." Ben felt for her face in the gloom, found her jaw and moved in slowly. His eyes had begun to adjust to the total darkness and he could see Kim's face hovering just a few inches away. Ben could smell her very powerfully at this distance, the creaminess of the soap she'd used, her perfume, the raspberry essence in her hair. She too was getting closer, he could sense her only centimeters away, her lips slightly parted. He could hear her expectant breath, waiting for his touch. Ben suddenly stood erect, drawing away from her. "I can't Kim. I love Sarah. It wouldn't be right. That's what she sent me here to find out. I guess I did." Ben could make just see the faint silhouette of Kimberly's body. He could see the disappointment in her posture. "I'm sorry." "Don't be," Kim answered in the darkness, her shape formless, a shadow with a voice. "She's lucky she has someone like you Ben. I'm glad for you." They stood in the darkness not really knowing how to proceed until Kim said, "I think I'll pass on that second dance Ben. It's getting late and I'm sure Sarah is sick with worry. I would be. Could you take me home now?" "You're Dad's going to be pretty confused, you coming home so early." "Yeah," she said dejectedly, "well, we're all pretty confused right now. I don't think it will be all that abnormal. I'll explain it to him the best I can. I'll get him to understand, if that's what you're worried about." Ben sighed in the darkness, he slipped his hand back into that place low on her back, but this time, there was no thrill. To Kim, it was a friendly gesture. Soon they would say goodbye. Kim didn't know if she could do that. She knew this time goodbye would be the last goodbye they ever said to each other. Outside, Abner Ackerman began to settle in for a long wait. He even allowed himself the luxury of a small catnap.