Calvin stepped back from the table and smiled. He was looking down at his creation, his bomb, then grabbed a nearby damp washcloth and cleaned his hands of the grime and sweat that had accrued on them from working on this today. Finally, after months and months of reading about about to properly make an explosive device, he'd accomplished it, and he was happy. Calvin needed coffee. He exited the shed, locked it behind him and headed across the backyard, mug in hand. He reached the patio and stepped up, slid open the glass door and got into the kitchen. He found his father had already made a pot, and he poured himself a cup, then headed back outside. Standing on the patio, looking at the shed from across the lawn, he couldn't help but feel accomplished. He was suddenly surprised when he heard a knocking at the side gate, and he could see a woman's head peeking over the top. Calvin furrowed his brow.
"Is he back there?" Wyatt asked from behind the fence. "I think I see him," Rachel said. "Well hurry up, get him to come to the gate, you weigh a ton," Wyatt said. "Don't say that to a woman!" Rachel replied. Calvin sighed, set his mug down on the table on the patio and headed to the gate. He unlatched it, just as Rachel was climbing down off Wyatt's back. Calvin stood and stared at them, as Rachel smoothed out her shirt and Wyatt got off his knees, wiping the grass stains from his pants. "What the hell are you doing?" Calvin asked, half bemused. "We know how to kill Robert Grudin and not have you pinned for it," Rachel said, "We just need your bomb." "...come in," Calvin said after a moment, stepping aside, curious to hear their plan. He shut the gate again once they were in, locking it and biting his lip. Calvin followed them to the shed, unlocked it again and let all three of them inside, shutting and locking it from the inside once again. He then turned to face them and asked, "so, what's your plan?" "I don't know if you saw the news this morning, but Oliver Brighton killed his family and himself," Rachel said, "remember Oliver? We went to school with him? Kinda lanky weird kid?" "Yeah, that narrows it down," Calvin mumbled, making them smirk. "Anyway," Rachel continued, "he worked for a company that was set to destroy natural property for high priced condominiums, and we figure if we kill Robert Grudin, everyone will suspect it will be an act of revenge from Brighton." "Why would they assume that?" Calvin asked. "Because Grudin's been one of the biggest proponents of industry and giving these companies the go ahead," Wyatt said, stepping forward, "He's the one funding these projects, especially this company Morgana, and so people will learn Oliver was let go from his job, then decided to take Grudin out for his willingness to put industry before nature before killing himself." "But Brighton's already dead," Calvin said, "wouldn't it be poor timing if-" "We thought about that, and we think if we just set it so that it's been waiting to be activated then people won't think twice. This was his final act after his death, sort of a revenge from beyond the grave type of thing," Rachel said. "...your proposal is all very interesting, but Grudin is my target. He killed my family," Calvin said, "by shirking that responsibility-" "By shirking that responsibility," Rachel said, interrupting him, "you'd be in the clear, Grudin would be out of the picture and Morgana would be under investigation for their shady business practices. It works out in everyones favor. I know you feel you need to do this for your wife, your daughter, but...but don't throw your life away for this piece of shit, Calvin. You don't deserve to lose that too." Calvin looked from Rachel to Wyatt, who just shrugged, and then back at Rachel. She was sincere, and he knew that. He had to admit, he hated the idea of going to prison, and he did enjoy his freedom. Calvin sighed and nodded, setting his mug down on the table. "...alright," he said, "but if we're doing this, I'm the one placing it. At least grant me that much." "Of course," Rachel said, smiling and hugging him. It'd been a long, weird, winding road, but it was all finally coming together, and in a day or so, Robert Grudin would be dead, and Calvin Klepper would not only have his revenge but be free of any blame. He had to admit, he did kinda like blaming someone else for his poor decisions. *** Calvin Klepper had been tracking Robert Grudin's movements for over a year. He knew his schedule, down to a tee, and he kept a highly detailed log of his excursions. He even noted the days he made stops somewhere else, just to make sure that, when he finally exploded him, he wouldn't have someone with him. Grudin was the only one Calvin wanted, he didn't need collateral damage. Sitting in the car together that afternoon, watching Grudin's car from afar, Wyatt couldn't help but feel awkward being here with Calvin. Rachel had to go back to work, leaving Calvin and Wyatt alone together. Calvin bit into the cart burrito's he'd bought them just around the corner, and chewed, binoculars still to his face. "So..." Wyatt said, "uh...about your sister." "Don't, just don't," Calvin said. "I just...I guess we should talk about it. I should explain myself." "There's nothing to explain," Calvin said, "you hurt her and now she's not here. Simple as that." "No, because it's not simple as that," Wyatt said, "your sister was awesome, I just...I didn't know how to explain that to her, nor did I know how to deal with liking her. I was a star baseball player, man. I was popular as shit. Peer pressure does weird things to an adolescents brain. I certainly didn't intend for her to get hurt. Besides, once I met Scarlett, anything I might've felt for your sister was gone." Calvin slowly looked at Calvin, finished chewing, then said, "...she doesn't talk to us anymore, do you know that? She's so distraught from feeling unlovable that she doesn't even communicate with her own family anymore because, to her, anyone is a liability intimacy wise." "I'm sorry, man," Wyatt said, "For what it's worth, my feelings were genuine." "I believe you, that's the sick part," Calvin said, "but that doesn't mean I forgive you for it." "Look, I know what you've been through sucks, losing your wife and daughter, and it must make you angry, especially at anyone else who might've been mean, even if incidentally so, to anyone in your family, but Calvin, if I hadn't met Scarlett, I...I would've taken her out, I really would've. I couldn't ignore my feelings, even with my popularity at stake. I was a high school boy, sure, but I wasn't an asshole." "...yeah, that's kind of the thing that's confused me for years about you, actually," Calvin said, "I wanna be angry at you, but you seem so genuine that it makes it difficult to hold a grudge." Wyatt laughed, which made Calvin chuckle a little. Wyatt hadn't thought about Calvin's sister in a while, but it wasn't like he never thought about her. Sure, Scarlett was the love of his life, he couldn't deny that, but Calvin's sister, Amelia Klepper, was such an interesting girl, and he'd been so smitten with her that he was actually nervous about being around her, something he'd never dealt with when dealing with women he'd been interested. "So...you don't know how she's doing?" Wyatt asked quietly. "Not really. I get an e-mail from her once a year, maybe," Calvin said, "sort of an infodump about her life, but divulging nothing of real note. I like to believe she's happy and doing well, wherever she is and whatever it is she's spending her life doing." Just then Wyatt pointed out the window and they both slid down in their car seats. Robert Grudin had walked out of the building, unlocked his car and climbed inside. He started the car, and pulled away, just as Calvin did the same, maintaining a safe distance so as not to seem suspicious. They drove for a while, nearly heading across town. "Of all the days I've noted," Calvin said, "the one day he never does anything with anyone else is Tuesdays. That's the day when it'd be perfect to strike." "Alright," Wyatt said, "god, if you'd had asked me months ago where I'd be now, I certainly wouldn't have said this." "That's the thing about loss that I've learned," Calvin said, turning to follow Grudin down yet another street, "it makes you desperate to protect what you really love. You never really know how far you'll go to save something until you're pushed to that edge." "...I have a daughter in elementary school, her name's Mona," Wyatt said, "we recently got her diagnosed with ASD, and ever since then, all I've wanted to do is protect her and make the world a better place for her to exist in. I'm so sorry about your daughter, Calvin, I...I can't even imagine not having mine in my life. That sort of grief must destroy a person." "They were my entire world," Calvin said softly, "and when you lose your entire world, it makes you wanna burn down the rest of the world with the loss." They didn't speak for the rest of the afternoon. *** Rachel pulled into the parking lot and parked harshly, seeing Sun Rai sitting on the hood of her own car, drinking a coffee. Rachel got out of her car and stood there, the two women staring at one another. Rachel approached Sun's car and stood in front of her, not saying a word, just staring at her. After a long moment, Rachel finally took a long deep sigh and spoke. "I'm scared," Rachel said, "I'm sorry I left so suddenly, I'm just...I'm scared of being hurt." "That's totally understandable," Sun said, "I can quit the job if that makes you more comfortable. I'm sure I could get something else." "No, god no, I...I love working with you. It's so great having you around," Rachel said, "this was always kind of my dream, dorky as that sounds, was us being together, doing something together, just...having fun. But now that my dream is a reality, I guess it frightens me. I lost everything after school, and I'm so not the girl I once was, and I guess having you back is sort of like being able to almost reclaim that girl I was, and that feels good but also scary. She was so uncertain of herself, of everything around her." "Yeah, and you're so not like that," Sun said, smirking, making Rachel chuckle as she sat down on the hood beside Sun, picking at her nails. "I guess...I just need to think about things," Rachel said, "I was almost assaulted during college and it...it really screwed me up for intimacy. Just give me some time, okay?" "Take all the time you need," Sun said, "I mean, let's look at my life, it's not like I'm goin' anywhere." They both laughed and Rachel laid her head on Sun's shoulder. All she'd ever wanted was this, but after seeing how Calvin had turned out from loss, seeing how Oliver reacted to losing something, she just couldn't bring herself to risk that. Not yet. Maybe sometime, but not yet. Just not yet. *** That evening, Celia, Rachel, Calvin and Rachel met in Rachel's dingy apartment, seeing as she was the only one with any real kind of privacy. Sitting on the couch, everyone watched Wyatt give his little presentation as he explained the plan he and Calvin had formed. "Here's the rub, guys. Robert Grudin was paying off Morgana to do this pre-construction, and his plan was that once he was elected, he'd officially fund their projects, damaging the environment for decades to come. Oliver Brighton worked for Morgana as a safety consultant, and was fired because he didn't prevent what Celia and I did on Halloween night. As a result, Oliver killed his family, then himself. But we think we can also pin Grudin's death on Oliver. We can take Oliver and make him a local hero, a fighter for what's right, a defender of the environment. Sure, what he did wasn't okay, but if it gets the heat off us, then it's worth it," Wyatt said, pacing. "And how are we going to do that, exactly?" Celia asked. "Good question," Wyatt said, "Calvin's built a bomb. Grudin killed Calvin's wife and daughter a few years back, and never took responsibility or faced legal repercussions as a result, and Calvin wanted revenge. If we can make it seem like Oliver left this bomb as one last measure, to take Grudin out for what he was doing with Morgana and for being fired, then Calvin gets his revenge and Grudin faces consequences and Brighton winds up an environmental martyr." "...sounds good," Rachel said, not really there. She stood up and walked to the little kitchenette, looking around for a glass and a drink. "This is ridiculous," Celia said, "how do you think we're going to get away with it? Won't they just-" "Yes, they would've questioned a bomb left after his death, but the way we see it, Grudin's made so many enemies, that any kind of investigation would lead to quite a few people, and Brighton would be the most obvious choice, considering his recent activities. People are just going to automatically assume he did this, because, well...look at what happened to him. All we gotta do is place the bomb, make it seem like it's been waiting to be triggered, and kaboom, the end of Grudin and our problems." Celia noticed Rachel off in the kitchen, and she stood up and headed to speak to her, leaving Wyatt and Calvin to discuss their plan. "Hey," Celia said as she approached Rachel, "you doing alright?" "I've been having a weird few days," Rachel said, "...someone I've loved for a long time finally admitted they like me, and I...I just don't know how to react." "Wouldn't you be happy about that?" "Under normal circumstances, sure," Rachel said, "but I'm scared to get that close to someone again." "Look at the people in this room, Rachel," Celia said, as they both glanced back at Calvin and Wyatt, "Calvin lost his family, my husband left me and my son, and Wyatt is the only one with any kind of family, but he isn't sure how to keep them safe. We're all scared to be close to someone. That's just...what relationships are like. You get scared. But isn't the good they bring also worth the risk?" "I don't know, is it?" Rachel asked, "I guess that's the million dollar question." "That's something only you can answer," Celia said, "but let's put it another way. Do you wanna be Wyatt, with his wife and his children, or do you wanna be Oliver, who hated himself so much he wiped out his own lineage?" Rachel looked down at her glass and shrugged as Wyatt and Calvin approached the girls in the kitchen. "Alright," Wyatt said, "this coming Tuesday, we do this. You guys don't have to do anything. In fact, go to work, because that will give you alibis if ever needed. Calvin and I will take care of this, and we'll meet together once it's over, alright?" "Sounds like a plan," Celia said, with Rachel nodding. As everyone left, Rachel was finally alone again. She pulled the curtains on her windows shut, went into her bedroom and sat on her bed, thinking about what she was about to be involved in. She was about to have a hand in exploding a local politician. How had things gotten to this point? She couldn't be involved with someone, she couldn't risk getting them involved with something this ridiculous and dangerous. Rachel laid on her back and stared at the ceiling overhead, exhaling. She realized what everyone was risking, and here she was, too scared to risk even loving another person. Maybe she deserved to be alone. *** Calvin was sitting on the patio that evening, sipping iced tea and staring at the shed, when he heard the glass door slide open and saw his father, Barry, exit and sit in the chair beside him. Barry and Calvin smiled at one another. "Nice night," Barry said. "It really is," Calvin said. "Terrible what that man did, isn't it?" Barry asked, "That guy all over the news?" "Oh, right, yeah. I can't imagine someone willingly taking away something so great," Calvin said, "I miss my child and wife so badly, and here's a guy willing to just destroy that firsthand. Despicable." "I mean, we don't really know what was going on with him, but still," Barry said, "either way, those poor little girls and that woman didn't deserve to suffer because of his shortcomings and failures. You know, I know it may seem rude of me to say this but...you can start over, Calvin. There's no law that says you have to grieve forever. I know plenty of young women who'd be happy to go out with someone like you." "Thanks dad," Calvin said, smiling as he swirled the cubes of ice in his glass, "but I'm alright for now, just being on my own, with you and mom. Maybe sometime later, when I'm ready, then I'll consider it. For now, grief is...comforting. It's become something I'm used to. I know that probably doesn't sound healthy, but...it's good." "I totally get it," Barry said, "your mother and I love having you here. At least one of our kids wants to be in this family." "That isn't fair, Amelia was always weird, she doesn't-" "I know, I shouldn't judge her, I just...I miss her," Barry said. "She'll come home eventually," Calvin said, "trust me." "I hope you're right," Barry said, opening up the newspaper he'd brought out with him and starting to read it. Calvin looked back at the shed and sipped from his glass, thinking about his sister, thinking about Wyatt, and thinking about this weird fucked up friendship he now had with all these one time strangers from high school a decade prior. *** Robert Grudin read his daughter a bedtime story that night, then joined his wife on the couch in the living room to watch late night TV. Sitting there, laughing at a monologue, holding hands with his wife, Robert Grudin had no idea that in 48 hours he'd be blown to bits. But that didn't matter, because all that mattered was this moment, living right here, right now. Hell, he didn't even notice the man in the driveway, kneeling under his car, wiring up a bomb. When finished, Wyatt stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead, then looked through the window from afar, noticing Grudin and his wife. For one brief moment, Wyatt felt a pang of regret, but he knew this was something he had to do. And then he saw their daughter join them, and his guts twisted even more. He grimaced, turned and walked the few blocks to his car, got in and drove home. When he got there, he kissed Mona's forehead, careful not to wake her, before entering the bedroom and finding Scarlett sitting on the bed, doing a crossword. She looked up and smiled at him as he shut the door behind him. "Hey!" she said, "where'd you-" But before she could finish, he walked up to the bed, climbed on and kissed her heavily. She didn't resist, and even kissed him back. "I love you more than anything in the world," Wyatt said after the kiss, putting his forehead against hers, lacing their fingers together. "I love you too!" she said, giggling, "What brought this on?" Wyatt thought for a moment. "Seeing that guy on the news...kill his own wife...just made me realize how lucky and grateful I am to have you, to have the kids," Wyatt said, "that's all." "Well that's sweet, even if kind of sick," Scarlett said, making him laugh. They laid on their backs on the bed and cuddled, and as she felt his fingers go through her silky hair, she shut her eyes and sighed pleasantly; she asked, "did you ever think, when we first met, that things would be like this one day? That this is where we'd be?" "...no, I really didn't," Wyatt said, recalling the things he'd recently gotten involved with, "I can definitely say it's been a surprise."
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A group of former high school classmates reunite at their 10 year reunion, and discover they each want something different, many with someone else there. What ensues is a labyrinthian relationship amongst them involving crime, murder, romance and, in one particular case, terrorism. Archives
May 2024
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