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[29 Mar 2007|10:31am] |
I decided to ditch the last story idea. It just wasn't my style and I couldn't keep it going with a nice flow. So I started a new one and I think the story turned out beautifully but I had already missed the due date so I had to rush the ending. So I don't think the ending really does it justice. I'm not sure who is going to want to read the whole thing, it's lengthy. But if you do I'd love to hear what you think of it. It's the longest piece of writing I've produced yet and I'm pretty proud of it! Thanks guys! Hope you're having a fantastic spring. :]
Elliot Pratt was the best at what he did. Few people knew of Elliot's
secret life, but those who did idolized him. This is only because like
Elliot, cold blood flowed through their veins. Cold blood that fueled
their ideas like gasoline to a flame. There was one man who admired
Elliot the most. Yes, Morgan Fitzgerald liked to appear unimpressed
with Elliot's work, but any ordinary person could see right through
him. You didn't have to know about their secret to see that Morgan
aspired to be like Elliot. He saw a role model in Elliot the first day
he met him. Morgan had just been hired at a small bar near the
community college. The community college that he attended until his
mother's headaches turned out to be more serious than they perceived.
She was Morgan's only family, so her untimely death left him as only a
shell of what he used to be. The once optimistic, ambitious 22 year
old had become vulnerable and utterly alone. With the excessive
depression came excessive debt. His mother was among the most
irresponsible with money. She wanted to live a lifestyle that she
couldn't afford but that didn't stop her. Now Morgan was left to pay
for her mistakes. He applied for every job he came across and received
only one call. Morgan was hesitant to work at the bar. Little did he
know, this job would completely change his life. To the world, Morgan
never changed. On the outside he remained the same, but now his
insides festered with lies and secrets. On Morgan's first day he was
schedualed to work with Elliot Pratt. Morgan didn't expect Elliot to
be so nice to him. Elliot looked like one of the guys who wouldn't
even acknowledge his existance. Morgan spent the first half of his
shift trying to understand what made Elliot better than him. What it
was that made Morgan envy him so much. They wore the same white oxford
button up shirt and black slacks. But for some reason which Morgan
couldn't figure out, Elliot looked better in it. Maybe it was the way
he rolled his sleeves to his elbows or that he wore his hair so
perfectly messy. It looks as if he didn't try at all, and that's what
Morgan couldn't stand. Morgan spent all day trying to look decent for
his first day on the job. He wanted desperately for someone to envy
him the way he envied Elliot. He thought that Elliot was aware of the
fact that he was better than him. That's why he was so surprised when
Elliot began talking to him.
"You're a pretty quiet guy. Or are you just too cool to talk to me?"
Elliot laughed. Morgan laughed even harder.
"No...No, it's not like that at all. You seem like an alright guy."
Morgan tried not to let on that he was just short of being infatuated
with the man.
"An alright guy? I'm downright awful!" Elliot sneared jokingly as he
slid glasses into rows on the counter.
"No you seem...nice. So what do you do?...uh...for fun I mean." Morgan
had a hard time speaking to people. Especially to someone that was
obviously so much cooler than himself. He felt like a mouse trying to
befriend a blood-hungry housecat.
"You want to see what I do? Alright, man. But once I let you in on
this, you can never tell another living soul. You understand, Morgan?"
Elliot's voice fell to a whisper as he said this. Morgan nodded
despite the awful feeling creeping into the pit of his stomach. The
next two hours were the longest of his life. His imagination went
absolutely crazy. In fact, he became so indulged in his thoughts that
he completely lost track of time.
"You ready to go, Morgan?" Elliot put his hand on Morgan's shoulder,
jolting him back to reality.
"Where exactly are we going again?" Morgan asked hesitantly.
"I don't know yet. It's never the same place. Now, you remember what I
said? You can't tell anybody about what you see tonight. I mean it..."
Elliot's voice was almost threatening.
"I won't tell anyone, Elliot." Morgan was sure that Elliot could hear
the uncertainty in his voice. But that didn't stop him from trying to
hide it. He didn't want Elliot to know how freaked out he was
becoming. They locked the door behind them and walked through the
parking lot. There was a woman leaning against the building. Her every
move just dripped with desperation. She looked as if she could hardly
stand, she was so intoxicated.
"She's here everynight. All she ever drinks is orange juice, then she
acts like she's completely sh*tfaced. Hoping that some drunk loser
will want to take her home. No one ever does. She's too f*cking
pathetic. She might as well wear a sign that says 'I'm easy' ha ha!"
Elliot lit his cigarette and handed one to Morgan.
"What's her name?" Morgan mumbled while he held the cigarette between
his lips. Elliot proceeded to light it for him.
"I think it's Ally. Or maybe Anna? It's not like I give a sh*t. I just
pour her orange juice, I'm not her friend." Elliot's voice trailed off
into another rant of how pathetic this woman was as he tossed his
cigarette onto the ground and walked toward the small row of cars in
the parking lot. Morgan wondered which car was Elliot's. He figured
that he probably drove a generic piece of sh*t car. That's why he was
shocked when Elliot put his key into the nicest car in the lot.
"Where did you get the money for such a nice car?" Morgan asked while
he slid into the passenger seat.
"You're about to find out, my friend." Elliot smiled and pulled out of
the parking lot. The car ride was silent until they approached a
fairly nice two story home.
"Wow, do you live here?" Morgan wouldn't be surprised after seeing how
nice Elliot's car was.
"Nope." Elliot had a devious grin painted on his face. "Wait here,
Morgan." He got out of the car and disappeared to the back of the
house. Morgan sat staring at the house in confusion. After about ten
minutes, Elliot came walking non-chalantly out the front door. He had
a large garbage bag swung over his shoulder. When he got into the car
he threw it into the backseat and looked at Morgan.
"What just happened?..." Morgan knew that Elliot had just robbed this
house, but he couldn't just accuse someone of something like that.
"I just made a couple thousand dollars. This is what I do." Elliot
sounded as if he didn't have a care in the world.
"How do you know that they aren't home, Elliot?! How could you be sure
that someone wouldn't see you or catch you?!" Morgan couldn't conceal
his paranoia any longer.
"Geez, Morgan...Chill out. I planned everything perfectly. There's
nothing to worry about. I knew I shouldn't have brought you here."
Elliot's condescending tone made Morgan feel so inferior. More
inferior than usual. He couldn't even look Elliot in the eye. He felt
as if he had disappointed him.
"I didn't mean to freak out, Elliot. I guess...I just didn't expect
that." Morgan's eyes were still staring at his hands fidgeting
nervously. He didn't want to blow his friendship with Elliot already.
"Don't worry about it, Morgan. I'll take you back to your car." Elliot
sounded irritated, like Morgan was an annoying child on his last
nerve. Neither could bring themselves to say a single word to the
other that night. They drove in silence back to the parking lot.
Morgan got out of Elliot's car and walked to his own. Elliot didn't
even wait until Morgan got into his car before he sped off. Morgan
wasn't in such a hurry to leave. He sat in his car replaying the
situation over and over in his head. Altering his reaction every time.
He continued to do this on his way home. Then while he laid in bed
until the next day arrived. His stomach grew sick when he realized he
was schedualed to work with Elliot again that night. Morgan spent the
afternoon trying to think of some way to redeem himself. He wanted
Elliot's approval so badly. After several hours of brainstorming,
Morgan had an idea. When he arrived at work that night he was no
longer the insecure, nervous wreck that he had been for so long. He
walked into the bar with confidence. That is, until he approached
Elliot behind the counter.
"I want to talk to you about last night." Morgan insisted as he
gripped onto the last remaining bit of his confidence.
"There's nothing to talk about, Morgan. Listen, I'm sorry that I
brought you with me last night. I didn't mean to scare you." Elliot
replied while pouring Ally's usual glass of Orange juice.
"I want to do it." This was Morgan's brilliant idea. Elliot stopped
and stared at him for a moment. That was the last thing he expected to
hear Morgan say.
"You do? Well, this isn't something you can just half ass, okay? This
takes a lot of planning and dedication. If I help you with this, I
expect you to follow through." Elliot cautiously lowered his voice.
This wasn't entirely necessary because Ally was the only person seated
at the bar, and she was indulged in an outdated issue of Cosmopolitan.
"I'll follow through." Morgan was way ahead of himself. He was just
starting to realize what he signed up for, but ignored all regrets.
"I have the perfect place for you." Elliot grinned and looked at Ally
as she sipped her orange juice. Even Morgan felt that robbing Ally
would be too easy. She was so vulnerable and naive. Morgan could
simply walk into her front door and as he was leaving with all of her
belongings, she would beg him to stay with her. The easier it
appeared, the more Morgan realized it was perfect for him. He didn't
want a challenge. He just wanted to earn Elliot's respect. Morgan
proceeded to nod in agreement.
"Alright, I'll start planning it tonight." Elliot's voice came back to
it's normal volume, which concluded their discussion. A week passed
before Elliot mentioned the plan. Seven nights to watch Ally drink
seven glasses of orange juice. Each glass would be left with red
lipstick smudged onto the rim. Ally was a classic beauty. She reminded
Morgan of a glamorous movie star from the 50's. He wondered why Elliot
hated her so much. Occasionally she would say something flirtatious to
Elliot, or simply give him a suggestive glance. Elliot would turn away
after displaying the most disgusted expression. She was beautiful
though. The kind of beautiful that is perfect for a hot shot like
Elliot. Morgan wondered if it would be a bad idea to get to know Ally.
In his mind he knew that it was a bad idea, but something drew him to
her. He waited until Elliot went to the back to the stock room to talk
to Ally.
"So...You like orange juice, huh? I mean...well obviously you do."
Morgan's face grew hot as the blood rushed to his cheeks. He began to
turn away from the bar. He knew Ally wouldn't want to talk to a
complete moron like himself.
"Yes I do, Sweetheart." Ally's voice was seducing, like one of those
women on the sex hotline commercials. Morgan was shocked that she
responded to him.
"Well you can get orange juice anywhere. Why do you get it at a sleezy
bar?" Morgan replied nervously.
"I come here for the cute bartender, Sweetheart." She winked at Morgan
and sipped her orange juice. Morgan smiled as his eyes wandered down
to the floor in embarassment.
"Morgan, I need your help back here. Now..." Elliot had returned to
the front. He looked furious.
"Bye, bye, Sweetheart." Ally smiled while Morgan followed Elliot into the back.
"What the hell are you doing, Morgan?" Elliot questioned, trying to
contain his anger. Morgan's eyes were still glued to the ground.
"I was just..." Morgan tried to think of a good explanation but he was
awful at thinking on his feet.
"No, you will not talk to her. You understand me? I've spent the last
week working away on planning this for you and you're off flirting
with the woman you're going to ROB! Do you want me to help you, or
not?" Elliot tried to speak quietly. It was obvious he wanted to
scream at Morgan.
"I do want your help! I was just bored and no one ever talks to her. I
guess I felt sorry for her. It won't happen again. I swear." Morgan
was confused at the disappointed feeling in the pit of his stomach. He
didn't even know Ally and what he did know about her was nothing to be
impressed with. So why was he so intrigued by her?
"I'm glad to hear it. You'd make a good partner. It'd be a shame if
you blew it over Ally." Elliot smiled and lifted a box from a small
stack of boxes near the back door.
"So about the plan...Have you come up with anything yet?" Morgan asked
as he brushed his hair away from his face. Morgan had started wearing
his hair messy, like Elliot's. But Elliot's hair fell perfectly around
his face. Morgan's hair would hang in his eyes, despite his many
attempts to correct it.
"Actually, yes. I have been planning this very thoroughly. She is
always here until the bar closes, so we don't have to worry about
anyone being at her apartment. I will get someone to cover your shift
on Thursday. So that means you've got two days to get rid of any fears
or hesitation you might have. Here, you're going to need this." Elliot
tossed Morgan a key. "I took them from her purse a few nights ago and
had a copy made for you. Now watch this." He walked back toward the
front with Morgan trailing behind him. "Hey Ally I found these on the
ground the other night, are they yours?" Elliot said with a smile as
he slid the keys onto the counter.
"I have been looking everywhere for these. I can't believe I dropped
them, I never lose things!" Ally was glowing with relief.
"You were probably too drunk to notice." Elliot mumbled quietly to
himself while he walked away from the counter. Morgan used to laugh
when Elliot made these kind of jokes about Ally. Now he felt the urge
to defend her, but never did so. He wanted so badly to be Elliot's
partner in crime. Out of all of the guys in town, Morgan got the
opportunity to be Elliot's partner. He wasn't about to give that up
for Ally. Morgan avoided her completely for the rest of the night.
Every minute seemed to last a lifetime. He could hear Ally's soft
voice playing in his head. Finally, Elliot began to close the bar
down. When he walked to the back Ally lifted herself from her stool.
"Thanks sweetheart." She said to Morgan and slid a napkin onto the
counter then left the bar. Morgan walked over to throw the napkin away
when he noticed she had written something on it.
"What's that?" Elliot asked as he walked toward the counter.
"Just a napkin." Morgan crumpled the napkin in his hands and tossed it
into the trash. Elliot just grabbed some bottles and returned to the
back room. As soon as he was out of site Morgan grabbed the napkin out
of the trash and unfolded it.
I need to talk to you
Ally's phone number was scribbled underneath. Morgan expected her
writing to be beautiful like calligraphy. Instead, she wrote sloppy in
all capital letters. Morgan's stomach fluttered with butterflies. A
beautiful woman wanted him. His butterflies came to a screeching halt
when he realized that he couldn't call Ally. He sighed and crumpled
the napkin back up. He couldn't bring himself to throw it in the
trash, though. Instead, he slid it into his pocket and continued to
clean the bar. Ally was all he could think about for the rest of the
night. He laid in bed staring at the napkin. Falling in love with
every pen stroke. He began to wonder if being Elliot's partner was
really worth it. But as badly as he wanted Ally, it didn't surpass his
desire for Elliot's respect. The next evening he felt guilty while he
poured Ally's orange juice. Morgan knew how it felt to give someone
your phone number and never hear from them. Yes, he was familiar with
this kind of rejection. This kind of humiliation. He locked eyes with
Ally as he slid her drink to her. She motioned for him to come closer.
Morgan looked around to make sure the coast was clear and proceeded to
lean in toward Ally.
"Meet me after work, sweetheart." she whispered in his ear.
"I can't...I'm really sorry." Morgan wanted so badly to say yes.
"Please...I just need a few minutes. You won't regret it." Ally's
breath against his ear was giving him chills.
"I'm sorry..." Morgan replied and walked to the back room. He seated
himself on a wooden crate and buried his face in his hands.
"What's wrong?" Elliot asked as he moved toward Morgan.
"Nothing. Nothing at all. Just tired I guess." Morgan took a deep
breath and returned to the front counter. He was a mess. He wanted to
wrap his arms around Ally and kiss her beautiful crimson lips. Instead
he just stood daydreaming about her. He pretended to work while he
stared at Ally. He adored her every move. The way she constantly
played with her long blond curls. The way that her lips were always
curled into a slight smile. He wondered what she was always smiling
about. He hoped that maybe she was daydreaming about him. That maybe
she was adoring his every move. He wished he could tell her how he
felt about her. He wanted to tell her that she consumed his every
thought. Morgan could hardly stomach the idea of robbing her house,
but he had no choice.
"Morgan! I need your help back here!" Elliot yelled from the back
room. Morgan walked to Elliot. He knew that Elliot was going to give
him the detailed instructions for the night proceeding.
"Okay, Morgan. Tomorrow is the big day. Tonight I'm going to show you
where Ally's apartment is. Tomorrow at 11:00pm you will go there
wearing clothes that I will provide. Do you have a big gym bag or
something?" Elliot asked. Morgan nodded in response. "Good, you need
to bring that with you. When you're inside I want you to take as many
valuable things as you can find. Don't waste my time with worthless
sh*t. Then trash the place. It's your first time, I want you to have
fun. Break as much as you can, you'll have a lot of time. Then take
your bag full of stuff and carry it out to your car. Then you will
text me and wait in your car until I give you further instructions. Do
not turn your car on, you want to keep a low profile. Just sit and
wait." Elliot didn't wait for a response from Morgan. He immediately
walked to the front counter. Morgan slowly followed, he was in no
hurry to see Ally. As he entered the front his eyes locked into
Ally's. He quickly moved his eyes to the floor. He felt as if she
could read his thoughts when she looked into his eyes. Like she could
see the plan to rob her home. Morgan wondered if he would ever be able
to look at her again. Elliot returned to the back as they began to
close down the bar. Ally grabbed Morgan's arm as he passed her.
"Please call me tonight. Just for a few minutes." She asked for the
last time and left the bar. As the door shut behind her Morgan's heart
ached.
"Okay are you ready to go?" Elliot asked while he pulled a grey
sweatshirt over his head.
"Yeah." Morgan lacked enthusiasm. They both walked out outside and
Elliot locked the door. Ally was leaning against the building smoking
a cigarette like she does every night. She smiled at Morgan and
flicked her cigarette. As soon as Elliot finished locking the door
they walked to their cars.
"Just follow me and I'll show you where it is. Oh, I almost forgot..."
Elliot opened the passenger door to his car and pulled a pile of
clothes from the seat. "These are for you." He handed them to Morgan
and shut the door. Elliot and Morgan both got into their cars and
Elliot led the way. Ally's apartment was barely even a mile from the
bar. Once they reached her apartment, Elliot drove away. That was it.
The plan is on. The ball was in Morgan's court now. That night was the
longest of his entire life. He had to do this. He needed the money
almost as much as he needed Elliot's approval. Maybe he could finally
pay off all of his debt and return back to college. The more he
thought about it, the more sense it made. He needed to do this. It was
the perfect plan. The next night he tried not to let his feelings for
Ally make him lose his focus. He climbed into his car wearing the dark
clothes that Elliot had given him. He drove to Ally's apartment
singing at the top of his lungs to the radio. It helped him relax a
little bit. He parked his car across the street from the apartment
complex and took a deep breath. He grabbed the gym bag from the back
of his seat then opened the door and walked to her door. He had all of
these ideas of what Ally's home would look like. He jiggled the key in
the door and opened it. The apartment was just as simple and classic
as he expected. Everything was so clean and organized. That is, until
Morgan began his mission. He walked to her bedroom, assuming that's
where the most valuable things would be. He was right. Sitting on her
white quilted comforter was a small white laptop. Morgan grabbed it
and slipped it into his gym bag. Followed by a small flat screen
television, an ipod, and a jewelry box. He couldn't tell the valuable
jewelry from the worthless jewelry, so he just took it all. Once his
bag was full he proceeded to trash the apartment, as he had been
instructed to do. Once it was a complete wreck, Morgan grabbed his bag
and walked out to his car. His eyes were scanning left to right. He
didn't want anyone to see him. He got into his car and gently placed
the bag in his backseat. When he closed the door he opened his cell
phone and began to text Elliot. He could barely type correctly as his
fingers shook nervously. Every minute that went buy made Morgan crazy
with paranoia. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the
steering wheel. His stomach dropped as he heard sirens. He lifted his
head and looked into his rear view mirror. The police car stopped in
front of Ally's apartment. Morgan was convulsing in fear. Someone must
have seen him. He didn't know what to do.
"Please step out of the vehicle with your hands up." The officer said
as he stood several feet from Morgan's car. Morgan was almost too weak
to open his door. He wobbled out of his car. His legs were shaking
violently. He saw Elliot's car approaching and felt complete relief.
Elliot could get him out of this. Elliot was a professional, and he
would know what to do. Elliot pulled his car against the curb and
parked. He stepped out of the car and gave Morgan a hostile stare.
Elliot walked around to the passenger side of his car and opened the
door.
"Don't worry, baby. The police are here and they got him." Elliot said
to Ally as he helped her out of the car. Morgan's body was numb in
confusion. He had no idea what was going on. He watched Elliot wrap
his arms around Ally just like he had imagined himself doing. He
suddenly understood what was going on. Elliot set him up. The police
officer pushed Morgan's body against his car and placed him in
handcuffs. Morgan began to cry hysterically. He looked into Ally's
apologetic eyes. Instead of feeling butterflies he felt nauseous.
"I tried to tell you." Ally mouthed to Morgan as the officer forced
him into the back of the police car. The police officer walked to
Elliot and Ally after containing Morgan in his car.
"What are we supposed to do? We can't afford to fix all of this. He
completely trashed the entire house." Elliot questioned desperately.
"Oh I wouldn't worry about that. You're going to be getting a good
amount of money to cover this much damage. I'm really sorry that this
happened to you two. You seem like a nice couple." The officer replied
and got into the police car. Morgan watched Elliot and Ally as he was
driven away. Both with a devious grin painted on their face. Now he
knew why Ally was always smiling.
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