Read Online Dark Side Darker by Lucas T. Harmond - Free Book Online
Authors: Lucas T. Harmond
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Can’t you see I’m watching N-sync ?!”
“Sorry.” She grumbled with no trace of her usual humour. It was still pretty early, he supposed.
Josh turned to look at her.
She looked grumpy this morning. Her dyed red hair was a scattered bird’s nest over her young, pale face. Karen was only one year younger than him, but that wasn’t obvious from her appearance.
He smiled. “You look worse than I feel.”
“Yeah thanks.” Again completely devoid of humour.
“Are you alright?”
She walked past him, scooping the remote control off the arm of the chair. The baggy old basketball shirt she wore looked like a tent over her slight form.
She didn’t reply. Just began flicking through the multitude of crap that constituted as entertainment on cable Tv.
“Karen?”
She left the television on a old re-run of ‘The Incredible Hulk,’ only re-dubbed into German. Karen couldn’t speak German, hadn’t even ever attempted to learn. Josh had but had also failed the subject spectacularly—although he was pretty certain he could still remember how to say “Yes” and count all the way up to five.
Josh didn’t really question why they were watching the “Hulk” in German, he had long ago become accustomed to her surreal logic.
“What?” She snapped at him.
“Are you alright?” He repeated softly.
“Yeah, peachy.”
Most of the time Karen was one of the most cheerful people he knew but occasionally she’d slip into slumps like this. She’d never say why, way too independent and self-contained and he wouldn’t push for it. Most people just constantly kept asking her what was wrong which just aggravated her more. Josh found it was better just to leave her to work her way through it and act as normal as he could. Still for a couple of days she would be about as cheerful as the black plague.
“Do you want a coffee?”
He nodded and rubbed his head. His body felt dead, unclean and his throat was incredibly sore. There was some vague memory of licking something off a car park floor. He shook his head in disbelief.
“i need a coffee. Black.”
Karen paused at the kitchen, looked back at him scowling.
“What?” Josh asked after she failed to say anything.
“You’re drinking too much again.”
She moved into the kitchen and he heard the kettle click on.
There really didn’t seem to be much he could say to that. He tried to think of something, then gave in and decided to take action on what he had been thinking about since he’d woken up.
“Can I use your phone?”
‘ Josh, why do you keep phoning me ?’
“What?”
“I didn’t say anything.” Came the muffled reply from the kitchen.
Josh’s fear tightened. He knew who’s voice he’d just heard and it was so vivid she could have been right next to him.
“Who you going to phone anyway? Your little goth princess ?” She spat out the words. Karen despised Sarah with a passion.
Josh scowled at her and felt the first potent stab of emotion he’d felt for weeks.
“ Yes I’m going to call Sarah .”
Karen shot him with a malicious sneer. “I don’t know why you bother. Don’t you think that if she was interested in you in any way other than friendship after all these years there would have been some vague sign?”
Josh was silent for a second. “There was that one time...”
“She was drunk!” Karen said like a gun shot.
He resisted the urge to say something back. In truth he could have reduced her to tears, he’d known her for long enough to know exactly which buttons to press. He didn’t, though.
Instead he swallowed his anger and as calmly as he could asked again. “So can I?”
She sighed. “Phone who you want.”
He dialed and waited for the sharp reply at the other end. He didn’t blame her, he knew his actions were becoming compulsive. He had phoned every day, usually more than once, since he had began to fear for his sanity and since his sleep had become erratic. What was worse was he didn’t really know
“Sorry.” She grumbled with no trace of her usual humour. It was still pretty early, he supposed.
Josh turned to look at her.
She looked grumpy this morning. Her dyed red hair was a scattered bird’s nest over her young, pale face. Karen was only one year younger than him, but that wasn’t obvious from her appearance.
He smiled. “You look worse than I feel.”
“Yeah thanks.” Again completely devoid of humour.
“Are you alright?”
She walked past him, scooping the remote control off the arm of the chair. The baggy old basketball shirt she wore looked like a tent over her slight form.
She didn’t reply. Just began flicking through the multitude of crap that constituted as entertainment on cable Tv.
“Karen?”
She left the television on a old re-run of ‘The Incredible Hulk,’ only re-dubbed into German. Karen couldn’t speak German, hadn’t even ever attempted to learn. Josh had but had also failed the subject spectacularly—although he was pretty certain he could still remember how to say “Yes” and count all the way up to five.
Josh didn’t really question why they were watching the “Hulk” in German, he had long ago become accustomed to her surreal logic.
“What?” She snapped at him.
“Are you alright?” He repeated softly.
“Yeah, peachy.”
Most of the time Karen was one of the most cheerful people he knew but occasionally she’d slip into slumps like this. She’d never say why, way too independent and self-contained and he wouldn’t push for it. Most people just constantly kept asking her what was wrong which just aggravated her more. Josh found it was better just to leave her to work her way through it and act as normal as he could. Still for a couple of days she would be about as cheerful as the black plague.
“Do you want a coffee?”
He nodded and rubbed his head. His body felt dead, unclean and his throat was incredibly sore. There was some vague memory of licking something off a car park floor. He shook his head in disbelief.
“i need a coffee. Black.”
Karen paused at the kitchen, looked back at him scowling.
“What?” Josh asked after she failed to say anything.
“You’re drinking too much again.”
She moved into the kitchen and he heard the kettle click on.
There really didn’t seem to be much he could say to that. He tried to think of something, then gave in and decided to take action on what he had been thinking about since he’d woken up.
“Can I use your phone?”
‘ Josh, why do you keep phoning me ?’
“What?”
“I didn’t say anything.” Came the muffled reply from the kitchen.
Josh’s fear tightened. He knew who’s voice he’d just heard and it was so vivid she could have been right next to him.
“Who you going to phone anyway? Your little goth princess ?” She spat out the words. Karen despised Sarah with a passion.
Josh scowled at her and felt the first potent stab of emotion he’d felt for weeks.
“ Yes I’m going to call Sarah .”
Karen shot him with a malicious sneer. “I don’t know why you bother. Don’t you think that if she was interested in you in any way other than friendship after all these years there would have been some vague sign?”
Josh was silent for a second. “There was that one time...”
“She was drunk!” Karen said like a gun shot.
He resisted the urge to say something back. In truth he could have reduced her to tears, he’d known her for long enough to know exactly which buttons to press. He didn’t, though.
Instead he swallowed his anger and as calmly as he could asked again. “So can I?”
She sighed. “Phone who you want.”
He dialed and waited for the sharp reply at the other end. He didn’t blame her, he knew his actions were becoming compulsive. He had phoned every day, usually more than once, since he had began to fear for his sanity and since his sleep had become erratic. What was worse was he didn’t really know
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