Naughty But Nice

Chapter 1

Angie

I threw a hoodie into the suitcase and looked at it for one more moment before I zipped up the suitcase. The zipper closed up with a nice, satisfying sound which just confirmed that I was doing the right thing. It was something I’d been wrestling with for several days. And today, I finally decided it was the right thing to do.

I picked up the suitcase and set it down on the floor. It was far heavier than I ever imagined it would. Maybe, I was actually carrying too much stuff. I was going home for only two weeks and then would be right back here, ready for the last semester. Wow, my last semester of college...this thought would hit me at times and give me a feeling of both nostalgia and regret. Maybe, it was just fear. Moving out of college and establishing yourself in this vast world was pretty terrifying.

And, this was my last Christmas holiday before I finish college. I would probably never again have this kind of long holiday in my life. It was kind of my last days of pure freedom. I didn’t want to give that up. I was really resentful of how much I would soon have to give up.

I had no idea what I really wanted to do with my life once I finish college. And that moment was fast approaching when I would be forced to sink or swim, and swimming would involve going back home and living there permanently. A small town with small-minded people...that was how I looked at it. I didn’t want to go back there. It would be every single nightmare I’d envisioned happening since I graduated from high school.

Of course, I missed my family and my old friends, but I didn’t want to go back to that town, back to Athens, back where I had always felt so insignificant, so stifled, and so much out of place. Growing up there, I’d always felt abnormal. I had my group of friends but I didn’t ever really feel that I would thrive there. I always had much bigger dreams. But now that I was on the verge of starting to work hard on my dreams, I found I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I was still trying to decide if I wanted to go to Law School, or if I just wanted to go into the working world first.

When my mother called me a few days before, she sounded so sad. Your father and I were really hoping you might come home for the holidays this year, she said. We miss you honey. It is like we don’t see you at all anymore.

I know, I replied. I hated to remind her that it was a bit intentional. I’ve just been so busy. You know how it is.

Yeah. I know how you feel about being here, and how happy you were to get out of here. But your father and I miss you. We would like for you to come home this year. You can see all of your friends again. A lot of them ask about you.

Yeah, I said. I’ll come home this year.

The only reason I agreed was because I didn’t have much else to do. It was either this, or hang out at the house I rented with my roommates, Nia and Jamie. Nia and Jamie were both going home for the holidays this year, so if I did stay behind then I would end up spending the holidays alone. The past two years we had all gone on some nice ski trips together, but this year it seemed that our families had collectively decided to beg us all to come home. So, we decided to go. The drag was that we would not be together for the first time in several years during Christmas.

So, we decided that we would all be good daughters and go home. I was dreading the trip from the moment I said I would go. As I finished packing, the thoughts were swirling in my head, almost inducing actual panic, but I was a bit intrigued that I was actually going back there and I might actually see some of the people I went to high school with.

High school... I moaned to myself. It was such an odd time for me. I was a bit awkward and I didn’t really start to blossom until the summer before my senior year. I hit my growth spurt, my skin cleared up, and I actually started to come out of my shell a bit, mostly because people began to treat me differently. I was vaguely aware of this and it kept me from ever allowing myself to accept people who treated me differently based on how I looked. Plus, it was the last year of high school and I was so ready to leave that school and that town. I was over it.

And I’d done a good job the past few years of hardly ever going back, except for a few days here and there during the summers. My parents were usually more than happy to come and visit me, to get out of that small town trap and move on to see other parts of the world.

I walked out of my bedroom and went into the kitchen. I grabbed a soda and sat down on the couch. I heard my friends Jamie and Nia coming into the house just then. I was actually excited for the intrusion. It meant I didn’t have to do anymore work for the time being. I was exhausted packing and putting things in order before I headed out in the morning. I was going to make the two hour drive down to Athens from Columbus, Ohio, the big city. I loved it there. I had so many different things I could do anytime of the day or night. I wondered if all big cities were as much fun. Athens was so far from anything really big. I felt sorry for how many people stayed around there. Ohio University is there, and most people from my high school went there, or to nearby Hocking College, or they didn’t do anything. I could have gone to school there; either one is a great college, but I had a dream of going to Ohio State and doing something more exciting. Plus I wouldn’t be stuck in the small town atmosphere I’d felt so stifled in for so long.

And on top of that, I didn’t date at all in high school, except for Oren...that bastard. I didn’t date mostly on purpose. The last thing I wanted was getting involved with some guy who would hold me there. I wanted to make that clean break and nothing would derail me. But that almost happened anyway.

Hey, Nia said as she plopped down right beside me.

Hey, I replied.

You ok? Nia laughed noticing my listless vibe.

Yeah, I said. I was just thinking about the trip.

If you don’t want to go, then don’t, she said. There has to be some other people who are hanging out around campus and not going home, right?

Yeah, but I promised my mom and dad. I can’t really just say no to them now. Besides, I hate to admit it, but I’m just a bit intrigued.

I’ve always wanted to visit your hometown, Jamie said. I think it would be so neat there.

I shook my head. Why?

Well, the entire town is haunted and there is a lot of witchcraft and weird stuff there, right? I heard in some YouTube video that it is one of the most haunted towns in the world, right? Jamie asked.

For real? Nia asked.

Yeah, supposedly, I replied. But I never saw anything weird growing up. It is way overhyped, except for with some of the real old timers. They are still crazy superstitious, and there appears to be a bunch of devil worship around there. But it is really overplayed. It’s not that different than anywhere else, except for Halloween.

Nia laughed. That does sound pretty cool.

I shrugged. It’s just a small town and I don’t want to end up seeing people from high school. Maybe, I’ll just hibernate with my parents in their house.

Why? Were you unpopular or something?

I sighed. Not really, but my last year of high school, I did get a bit of that. It was so weird.

I’m intrigued, Jamie said. You know, I just realized that for the first time since living together that we are all single now.

I thought about this and realized that she was right.

Well, maybe that is a good thing.

It can be, Jamie said. But I’m starting to have man withdrawal.

I couldn’t help exploding into laughter. Nia slapped me a high five as she erupted into hysterics. That is something I can relate to, Nia said.

Well, what are we going to do about it? If we weren’t all going away for the holidays, we could stay around here and go on the prowl. That would be fun.

That’s a tempting idea, I said. Maybe after the holidays we can go out and do some of that, but I’m not really working on anything. I don’t want a guy right now.

What? Why not? Jamie asked.

Because I’m getting ready to graduate, and you know after Vincent, I just haven’t felt like getting involved with anyone. I need to focus on the next step.

What is that next step? Nia asked me.

I’m mulling a few things over. I’m thinking of going to law school, or I might even try to do something with music.

You are really into that, aren’t you? Nia asked. Didn’t you tell me you hated taking those piano lessons when you were a kid?

I nodded. I did, but with this music minor I’m working on, it’s kind of reawakened a few things.

You know, with today’s technology, anyone can have a thriving music career solely online, Jamie said. My cousin Troy and his band have started gaining a huge following and he is making bank.

Really? Well, I’ll have to pick his brain and maybe do something with that.

I’ll text you his number, Jamie said.

So, what are you so afraid of with this trip? Nia asked.

I was a bit caught off guard by her question. What?

Well, you aren’t really saying. You are being a bit vague, but is there something back there in particular that you are running from?

I sighed. Well, maybe a few things. With the thing that happened with Oren—my high school boyfriend—everyone knew about it, and a lot of them blamed me because he was the big football stud and they thought I was just bitter that he was messing around on me—which he was—but that I was making up things to get him in trouble because I was bitter. But no, he was a psycho abusive asshole. He started sweet and then became very controlling. Then he laid his hands on me just one time and I told him to go to hell. He actually threatened to kill me. He thought I would be scared into submission.

Shit! Nia said. Well, he obviously didn’t know you...

I laughed. Right? And he didn’t know that my uncle Roy is a cop. I told him about it and he put the fear of God into Oren. He got benched for a game, and he lost some of the interest from scouts. Then on the game he came back with the following weak, he took a bad hit and tore his knee up really bad. He was out for the season and it was never the same. And everyone blamed me. The last half year of my senior year, it was just brutal. I could not get out of that place fast enough. And a lot of those same people are still living there, or they went to the local school. I don’t want to see any of them. The way they treated me was criminal. I would love to find some way to just utterly get back at them, but I’m not really that vengeful. I’d rather just try to live well.

Good on you, Jamie said. But damn. I can see why the hell you don’t want to go back there. Your family understands that, right?

I sighed. They do, but they also understand it’s been over four years. I’m not seventeen anymore. I’m a grown up and anyone who is still there, is also a grown up, but the way things are is different than when they grew up. If you stay where you grew up in a smaller town like that with the same people you grew up with, then things do not really change at all. Those people and their relationship to you really stays about the same. That’s something my family just doesn’t get at all. But it will be ok. I’ll miss the two of you terribly. It’s only a week, though. We will get through it.

Hell yeah, she said. We will. If you need anything just call us. I expect to hear from you at least every other night. That goes for both of you.

Yes, Nia said.

Her phone started ringing and she excused herself to answer it in the other room.

So, I’m super proud of myself because I actually finished all my Christmas shopping early. And I actually did the shopping. I went into stores. I looked for things, and then I bought them.

Wow, that’s impressive, I joked. It actually is because I just did all mine last week online. I’m so lazy, but it took like an hour and it was done.

She laughed. That is so sad what we’ve become.

Well, that’s rough, Nia said as she walked past us into the kitchen. She grabbed a beer from the fridge and came back to the couch where she plopped down beside me.

What? I asked.

My parents just got assigned something in Europe, so they are going to be in Europe for the holidays.

That’s rough. Are you going with them?

I offered, but they said they’ll be working the last time and they won’t have any time to spend with me.

Shit. So, you’re going to be by yourself here for the holidays? I asked.

She shrugged. I guess so.

Well, you are welcome to come with me, I said. I could so use a good friend. My family won’t mind.

Are you sure?

Absolutely. I was excited now. This would not be nearly as bad with a friend beside me.

Ok, she said. I’ll come.

I hugged Nia tightly. Thanks so much. This trip just got so much better.

She giggled. Ok, just take it easy. We have a blast. I’m glad I’m coming.

Damn, now I wish I was coming with you, Jamie said.

Well, you are more than welcome. My parents have the room, I said.

I can’t. I really need to go home.

We all stayed up chatting for a bit and by the time I went to bed, it was almost eleven. I wasn’t really tired, but the thought of driving home tomorrow made me feel tired. I was excited to see my family, and having Nia coming along was definitely going to help me quite a bit, but I still couldn’t stop thinking about how good it would feel to have this trip over with and come back. I wanted to get the holidays over with and move on with the last semester before I started my life.

But I still had no idea what I was going to do with the rest of my life. As I closed my eyes to try to drift off to sleep, I did my best to quell the anxieties mounting up inside my head. I tried to tell myself that it would be ok. Everything would be alright, but I had no idea what I was in store for...

Chapter 2

Tyler

I pushed myself back from my computer screen, leaned back in my chair and wiped my eyes with my hands. My eyes were sore and a bit fried. I’d been working in front of the computer for about six hours straight without a break. It had been a long hard week, but starting up new ventures was always a bit difficult. That was what made it so exciting, and why I loved focusing so hard on things that I was so passionate about. If I didn’t have this level of commitment, then I really wouldn’t have endured the amount of success I had.

I reached out with my ears as I realized that I was so alone in the building. It was almost ten in the evening. Everyone else had left hours before, but as usual I was still working up late into the night. I didn’t want to stop but my mind and body were tired. I needed to rest.

Tomorrow I was going back home. Shit. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it, except a bit depressed. I’d been away from home since the summer after high school. Between college and starting my businesses, I hadn’t been home since then. And I’d enjoyed being away. Too many painful memories there.

But I had to go back. My grandmother was getting on in years and I had to see her before she passed. I wasn’t sure how many more Christmases she really had left and I didn’t want to miss any time with her. She’d raised me after my parents died in a car crash when I was eleven. She was everything to me.

I hated the fact I had to leave her and go away to school, but she understood why I did it. High school had not been very good to me. I was the outcast, the nerd, the target basically and I had put up with several years of garbage. The day that I graduated was the happiest day of my life so that I could just leave that school, that town, and all the people who made it their mission in life every single day to make fun of me and torture me.

I wanted to laugh about it now. Hell, I had changed so much. None of them would even recognize me now. I was going back there for the holidays to visit my grandmother and wondered if I would see anyone. It was inevitable if I spent any time in town at all, or just stepping outside I was liable to run into someone. And they would probably not even remember the way they had treated me.

I admit I had some of it coming, since I was short, skinny with big glasses, acne, and no style or shred of confidence. But was that actually a reason to be tormented on a daily basis? I didn’t think so.

I tried to laugh about it now. I tried to put it behind me as I enjoyed my lavish lifestyle, but it was amazing what the scars of childhood would do to you. They would hang onto you so tightly and never let go. They followed you through the rest of your life.

I didn’t want to, but I signed out of the computer and shut it down as I had promised my best friend, Paul that I’ll be coming over for a few beers at his place. Then I grabbed my stuff and headed out of my office. I stared around at the huge building around me, at the companies I was building and what I’d already built and I still marveled at it. All of this had happened so fast, after starting to mess around on my laptop in my college dorm room. I realized that I could start a business that would make some money, mostly selling products for other people at first to pick up some cash, and then putting that cash into some other ventures I was working on. At first it was selling software, and then it became more about producing great websites and selling those domains for a hefty profit. It was similar to the idea of flipping houses, only I was flipping domain names. It had grown very lucrative as of late and I was able to cash in on it.

I left the office building and walked towards my car in the parking lot. The air in Cincinnati was warmer than expected in late December, and it felt good. The parking lot was empty except for my car, a shiny BMW that drove like a dream. I loved that car. Ever since I was a teenager, I’d thought about what it would be like to have such a sweet, luxurious automobile, but it was far from being my most elaborate. My actual favorites were my Lamborghini, and my Ferrari. They were the cars I liked to have fun in, but this car was just functional at work. It gave me the image of success and at the same time it was not screaming that I was trying to gain attention. That wasn’t something that I had ever really been that interested in. I just wanted to be free and happy. And I was, essentially. I didn’t even have to work anymore. The software I had created about a year ago and sold to one of the biggest tech companies in the world, had made me wealthy beyond my wildest dreams, but I was young and I had so much more that I wanted to accomplish. That was the thing that drove me. I wanted to do more. I didn’t need money anymore. This gave me the ability to be free enough to only follow my passions.

As I slid into my car, and I began to peel out of the parking lot, my mind began to wander to different things. I was leaving first thing in the morning, making the drive over to Athens, my hometown to spend the holidays with my grandmother and of course I would see so many of my family members there as well. I had several aunts, uncles, and cousins I had not seen much since I left. Cincinnati was not on the other side of the world, but it was a two hour drive, and that too with the reckless speed that I drove. If you wanted to ensure your own safety, it would take you closer to three hours. But that was not that bad, if the weather was decent. Yet, when you lived in such a small town, the big city just seemed so out of reach. You just didn’t go there unless you really needed to.

Angie.

The name just popped into my head as I drove along listening to some nineties alternative and grunge music on my Sirius XM radio. I had not thought of her in so long, but thinking about home, it was almost inevitable. Actually, I was surprised it had taken me this long to think about her. The place I grew up and that girl were inextricably linked. The image of her beautiful face just popped into my head at the thought of her sweet name. The moment I did, I automatically became possessed of some sort of anxiety that came over me. I couldn’t believe how after all this time, I was still in love with her. Was it love? I thought it always had been. She never would have guessed that I’d felt that way about her but out of all of my fellow classmates, Angie had been the one who had gone out of her way to be nice to me. We weren’t friends exactly. We never hung out anywhere or anything, but she was cordial and friendly, and she would actually have a conversation with