Hide and Seek: A Suspense Thriller Read online

  She lifted her head to gaze into his soft blue eyes. The same eyes that she had lost herself in many times since the very first time they met back in freshman year. Back when neither of them knew the first thing about dating. She and Travis weren’t just girlfriend and boyfriend, they practically grew up together. They shared so many experiences together. So many first times. They had been together for so long that it was practically impossible for Bree to imagine herself with anyone else, which was exactly why the thought of him cheating on her left her feeling hollow, as if someone had sliced her open and pulled out important bits that she needed in order to stay alive.

  “You startled me,” Bree said to him in a voice so soft that she wasn’t even sure if he could hear her over the music . . . until she suddenly realized that the music had stopped, and so did the voices.

  The house had fallen silent.

  She took a look around. Everyone was gathered around, and they were staring at her and Travis, forming a circle around the two of them, but still giving them five feet or so of space on all sides.

  “W-what’s going on?” Bree asked, looking up at her boyfriend again, suddenly feeling uneasy having all eyes on her.

  “There’s something that I want to ask you.”

  “Um . . . okay. What is it? And why is everyone staring at us?”

  Her questions both went ignored as Travis suddenly got down on one knee. He reached into his jacket pocket and then produced a tiny black box. Bree knew exactly what it was before he even popped it open to reveal the diamond ring inside.

  “Tonight has already been the best night of my life,” Travis said as he looked up at her with a sparkle in his eyes, “will you make it even better by agreeing to marry me?”

  Bree had fantasized about this moment many times, but it was never quite like this. In her fantasies, she and Travis were always alone, and there definitely wasn’t this dark cloud hanging over them.

  How could she possibly agree to marry someone she suspected of cheating on her?

  If it weren’t for her suspicions about Travis and Melissa, Bree imagined that this wouldn’t be a particularly difficult decision for her. Even though she would have preferred something more intimate, she accepted that wasn’t really Travis’s style. He liked to go over the top, and he liked to have an audience. This was all very much in character for him.

  But could she still say yes to his proposal when she didn’t know the truth about Melissa and him? Could she simply tell herself that it didn’t matter since he was clearly choosing to be with her? But to do that, she would have to be content with marrying someone who she wasn’t certain that she could trust to be faithful.

  As both questions and doubts ran rampant in her brain, Bree’s gaze panned around the room to scan faces of friends and strangers alike. They were all looking at her, waiting with bated breath for her to give Travis an answer. But only Veronica had any idea how difficult this decision was for her. None of the others could know the battle going on inside her head. Doubts and desires were at war, and no matter which side won, she got the feeling that she was going to lose.

  Her eyes met Travis’s eyes again, and guilt created a hollow in the pit of her stomach. As difficult as it was to imagine saying yes to him when she had a strong suspicion that he was sleeping with another girl, Bree wasn’t sure that she had the emotional fortitude to ruin this night for him by shooting down his proposal. Despite the persona that he put on around his friends, Bree knew that Travis was actually a very sensitive person. He wouldn’t handle it well if he didn’t receive the answer that he wanted from her.

  She didn’t want to hurt him, but was thinking about his feelings worth the potential pain that it might cause her in the future? What if she married him only to discover that Melissa was only one of many girls that he had cheated on her with? What if it was a nasty habit that carried on even after they were husband and wife?

  Was that something that she could live with?

  Was that the kind of life that she wanted for herself?

  “Well, Bree?” Travis spoke up again. “Don’t leave me hanging here. Will you marry me?”

  “I . . .” Bree trailed off, having a difficult time coaxing her tongue into forming the words that she wanted to say, mostly because she wasn’t even sure what those words were yet.

  She was still struggling to provide Travis with an answer when she suddenly spotted Melissa in the crowd. She was behind several other people, but Bree had a clear enough view of the other girl’s face to notice the tears flooding her eyes.

  That was confirmation enough for Bree. It didn’t definitively prove that Travis was cheating on her, but it was enough for her to know that she couldn’t go through with this until she knew the truth.

  “Um, can we talk about something first?” Bree asked, trying to keep her voice low, but it didn’t matter. The room had fallen so silent that even a whisper from her would still be heard by everyone.

  Travis’s face fell. He looked like a child who had just received the crushing news that he wouldn’t be receiving the toy he wanted for Christmas. “I don’t understand. What is there to talk about?”

  “Can we just talk somewhere private for a minute? That’s all I’m asking.”

  Bree tried to take his hand, but he pulled away from her.

  “No. If you have something to say to me, then you can say it in front of our friends too.”

  “Travis, please . . .”

  He got back to his feet. “Go ahead, Bree. What is so important that you have to talk to me right now of all times?”

  His snarky attitude actually made it easier for her to go ahead and say what needed to be said. If he was going to act like this when she only wanted to keep their personal matters private, she couldn’t exactly have a ton of sympathy for him. She wasn’t the one who chose to make the proposal such a public spectacle, and she certainly wasn’t the one being unfaithful.

  “Fine.” Bree folded her arms over her chest. “I want you to tell me what the hell is going on between you and Melissa Mercer.”

  Murmurs spread through the gathered onlookers like wildfire, but Bree ignored them all. She stared directly at her boyfriend, checking for his reaction—just a dumbfounded look—and then waiting impatiently for his response.

  “Are you serious right now?” Travis shook his head as he spoke. “Is that really what you want to ask me about at a time like this?”

  “Just answer the question. What is going on between you two?”

  “Nothing is going on. She’s just a friend. Shit, she’s barely even a friend. I pretty much only know her because she happens to be on the cheer squad. We don’t even hang out.”

  “Then what was with that hug after the game?”

  “What hug? Babe, I was so excited in that moment that I was hugging everyone. I couldn’t even tell you who or how many people I hugged right after the game ended. Is that seriously what this is all about? Are you really going to accuse me of cheating on you because I happened to hug some random girl in the heat of the moment after the biggest victory of my life? How can you hold that against me?”

  Bree straight away picked up on what he was trying to do, and she wasn’t going to fall for it. “No, don’t you even think about trying to turn this around on me and make me the bad guy. It’s not just the hug. I’ve heard rumors, and there’s even pictures of you two looking awfully guilty sneaking away to chat after practice behind the bleachers. How do you explain that?”

  “I don’t have to explain it. I don’t even remember that happening, and if it did, so what? I talk to people all the time. In case you haven’t noticed, Bree, I’m a pretty popular guy. I’m the team captain. People like me. People look up to me. And yes, as difficult as it might be for you to accept, there are girls that are into me and would love to be with me. But I’m not with any of those girls. I’m with you, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life. Don’t you know that?”

  “I thought I did,” Bree backed away from him, “
but right now I’m not so sure.”

  “Bree, come on.” He matched her step backwards with a step forward. “Where are you going?”

  “Don’t.” She held up a hand with the palm facing out. “I just need some space right now. I have to go.”

  Without another word to him or anyone else, Bree turned on her heel and rushed out of the room. She heard her boyfriend calling out to her as she was retreating, but she didn’t slow down and she didn’t look back. She went straight to her car, climbed inside, and then drove away from the party as fast as she could without being reckless.

  Tears streamed down her cheeks during the entire drive home. She didn’t want to believe that it could be true, but despite how much Travis denied it, she was almost positive at this point that he was cheating on her.

  3

  BREE SPENT CLOSE TO TEN minutes crying in her car after she parked in the driveway outside her home. She didn’t want her mom to see her so upset, so she decided to try and get it all out of her system before she went inside.

  After crying until her eyes were dry, Bree got out of the car, locked it, and then made her way up to the front door. Unlocking the door, she slipped inside the house and gingerly shut it behind her. She wanted to creep upstairs to her room without her mom noticing.

  She wasn’t crying anymore, but her eyes were still red. If her mom saw her, she would likely suspect that something was wrong and ask Bree if she had been crying. That would more than likely lead to a long discussion that Bree didn’t have the strength for at the moment.

  She was tiptoeing towards the stairs when suddenly she heard her mom’s voice from somewhere behind her, stopping her in her tracks. So much for making it up to her room without being noticed.

  “Oh, Bree, you’re home earlier than I expected. I thought you would be out a lot later celebrating with Travis and everyone from the team.”

  Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Bree turned around with a forced smile gracing her lips. “Yeah, well, I was pretty tired after the game. I mean, I was so tense the whole time. Honestly, I don’t know how anyone can enjoy watching those games. I was so anxious when it all came down to the final play in the last few seconds.”

  “Yeah, I heard all about how close it was from Marcie when she came in for her shift. Sorry that I couldn’t make it. You know I wanted to be there. I just had to work. Even on the night of the biggest game in this town’s history, there still needs to be at least one nurse on duty.”

  “It’s fine, Mom. Don’t even worry about it.” Bree faked a yawn. “Anyway, I think I’m going to get some sleep now.”

  “Are you sure? If you’re hungry, there’s some leftover pizza that I had for dinner, and it’s actually not too bad for something frozen that came out of a box.”

  “Thanks, but I’m fine.” Bree turned around and started up the stairs, but only made it up two steps before her mother spoke again.

  “Is everything okay, Bree?”

  Bree froze in place, but didn’t look back. This was exactly what she was afraid of. “Yeah. Of course.”

  “Are you sure? You seem . . . on edge.”

  “No, I’m not on edge at all.” Bree turned around. It took all the willpower that she could muster to keep a smile plastered on her face. She hated lying to her mom, but she wasn’t ready to talk about what happened yet. She just wanted to drag her tired and heartbroken self upstairs, crawl into bed, and then bury her head in her pillow so that she could cry her eyes out some more.

  She thought for a second that she would actually get away with lying, but her mom tilted her head to the side and gave her that look that immediately told Bree that she wasn’t buying it.

  Bree figured she should have known better. She had never been much of a liar, and her mom had always been clever enough to pick up on when she tried to be dishonest.

  “Bree, honey, if there is something bothering you, you can tell me. You know that. Don’t you?”

  Bree nodded. Any chance of keeping the truth from her mom melted away when she felt the sting of tears in her eyes. Her mom’s expression softened the moment that she noticed the tears.

  “What is it? What’s the matter?”

  “It’s . . .” Bree wiped her eyes and swallowed a lump in her throat before she continued. “It’s Travis.”

  “What about him? Did something happen to him? He’s not hurt, is he?”

  “No, it’s nothing like that. He, well, he asked me to marry him tonight.”

  “What? You’re both still in high school. You’re much too young to be getting married.”

  “Don’t worry, Mom, I didn’t say yes, but not because we’re too young.”

  “Then why?”

  “Because I’m pretty sure he’s cheating on me.”

  “Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry. Are you sure?”

  “No, I’m not sure.” Bree sat down on the steps. “He denied everything, but I just have this feeling in my gut that he’s lying to me. I want to believe him—I really do—but I don’t want to be in denial about this. I want to know the truth.”

  “This might not be what you want to hear, “her mom sat down beside her and put a hand on her shoulder, “but I think you did the right thing. You’re only eighteen, Bree. You have your entire life ahead of you. I understand if it feels like the end of the world right now, but I promise you it’s not.”

  “I know that. I do. I just . . .” Bree looked down at her feet as tears again flooded her eyes. “I just thought that Travis was special. I mean, he’s the only boyfriend I’ve ever had. I know now naïve it sounds, but I just thought that we were—I don’t know—that we were meant to be together. Like it was fate or something. I can’t believe I was so stupid to think that.”

  “Hey.” Her mom tilted her chin up to look her in the eyes. Then wiped the tears from her cheeks. “That wasn’t stupid of you. He’s the one who made a mistake. Not you.”

  “Then why do I feel like I’m the one who screwed up?”

  “Because something that you cherished was taken from you. You were betrayed, Bree. I know exactly what that feels like.”

  “What dad did to you was worse.”

  “And I still survived. It hurts now, and it’s okay that it hurts. It should hurt. But it will get better, Bree. I promise.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it.” She kissed Bree on the top of her head. “Do you need anything? I can make you some tea if you want.”

  “No, I’m fine. I just want to get some sleep.”

  “Alright. If you need anything, though, don’t hesitate to come get me. Even if I’m asleep. Go ahead and wake me up.”

  “Thanks, but I’m sure I’ll be fine. Goodnight.”

  With a parting smile, Bree made her way upstairs to her room. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the picture of her and Travis on the nightstand beside her bed. In the photo, they were both all dressed up for their junior prom.

  Seeing how happy they were brought back memories of that amazing night, and also brought tears to her eyes again. Wiping those tears away, she sat down on the bed and then turned the picture face down on the nightstand. She took her shoes off and then crawled into bed and closed her eyes. Efforts to avoid thinking about Travis failed miserably, so she ultimately gave up on holding back the tears and cried herself to sleep.

  ***

  Travis slammed the door shut behind him. With a fury pent up inside—and alcohol coursing through his body—he stormed across the foyer. He was nearly to the foot of the stairs when he spotted his mother out of the corner of his eye.

  “Travis, why in the world are you slamming the door like that?” His mother glided across the room with poise. Her head held high, her posture perfection, and her slippers making a light pitter-patter sound as she strolled across the foyer.

  “Leave me alone, Mom.” Travis stopped just in front of the bottom step of the stairs without turning around to look his mom in the eye.

&
nbsp; “Is something the matter?”

  “No. Everything is fine.”

  “I don’t believe that for a second.” His mother placed a hand on his shoulder. “Look at me, Travis. I want to know what’s going on with you.”

  “Did you not hear what I said?” Travis brushed his mom’s hand off and turned around to jab a finger in her face. “I told you that I want to be left alone.”

  “Travis, honey, what’s wrong? Have you . . . have you been crying? Are you okay?” She reached out and tried to stroke his cheek. “Did something happen at that party after the game?”

  Travis swatted her hand away again. “Of course I haven’t been crying. What the hell are you talking about? I’m not some little pussy who cries and runs to his mommy, okay? Just leave me the hell alone.”

  As Travis turned around and was about to start up the stairs, he froze in place when he saw his father coming down the steps. Dressed in a maroon button down shirt and gray slacks. He held a glass of scotch on the rocks in one hand. His gray hair was slicked back and his mouth was framed by a well-trimmed goatee.

  “That’s enough, Vivian. I’ll take it from here. Follow me to my office, Travis. We need to have a talk.”

  Travis did not hesitate to do as he was told. He wasn’t normally permitted to step foot inside his father’s office, and the sudden change of a well-established rule did leave him feeling uneasy.

  “Close the door behind you,” his father said as he walked around his huge oak desk and took a seat on the other side.

  Once again, Travis did as he was told. Then carried on standing by the door with his hands in his pockets.

  “Why are you just standing there?” His father leaned back in his chair. Folded one leg over the other. “Have a seat.”

  Travis plopped down in the chair across from his father.

  “I understand why you didn’t want to speak with your mother, but you will speak with me.” His father sipped his scotch. “You were supposed to be celebrating your victory with your friends tonight. What changed?”