Children to the Slaughter: Slaughter Series Book 1

Chapter 11

“I can’t believe we’re actually arguing over this!”

Deborah stood firmly in the center of her living room, arms crossed over her chest, her eyes blazing with fury as she looked at Michael.

She had been preparing lesson plans when Michael had walked in, slamming the door behind him and storming into the small workspace she had set up in the small room next to hers that had been good for nothing else over the years. He was furious, shouting, waving his arms around as he confronted her about Alan Carter.

Deborah had been surprised by his outburst, rarely seeing Michael like this, especially when it came to her. He had always been quite docile, bordering on indifferent, and to see him worked up about, in his words, her lack of sharing, made her quickly realize that their relationship was going through its final showdown.

“I wouldn’t be fighting over this if you had told me from the start!” Michael spat, his voice raised way above what Deborah considered even remotely acceptable.

“I’m sorry, Mr. High and Mighty, but when have you ever taken the time to even listen to me?” Deborah returned fire. “It wouldn’t have mattered if I had told you earlier or not. You’re always half gone when I talk to you!”

“Hey!” Michael yelled, pointing a finger at her angrily. “Don’t turn this around. This isn’t about me!”

“That’s right, it’s about us!”

Michael slammed his fist against the wall. “Dammit, Debbie, stop acting like a woman and actually stick to what matters!”

“Acting like a woman?” Deborah yelled. “Did you seriously just say that?”

“I am not going to be pushed and pulled around the core issue here,” Michael shot. “The real problem is that you lied to me. You never told me Alan Carter was back!”

“I’m not obliged to report each and every thing that happens to me on a daily basis, Michael!”

“No, you’re not, but this is different!” Michael’s nostrils flared. “This is Alan Carter we’re talking about! Your childhood sweetheart.”

Deborah froze for an instant, enough for the words to really sink in as she realized just what this was all about.

“Are you jealous?” Deborah asked, the disbelief clear in her voice.

“Of him?” Michael scoffed. “I don’t even know the guy. The last time anyone’s seen him was back in middle school. Why the hell would I be jealous?”

“Then what’s this about?” Deborah demanded. “If you’re not jealous, then why are you so worked up about all this?”

“My father says the guy’s bad news, Debbie.”

“Right,” Deborah smiled sarcastically. “And you usually listen to your father, is that it?”

“No, I don’t, but we don’t know this guy, and now he’s back in our lives, walking around the school you work at. Don’t try to tell me you feel nothing about all this.”

Deborah threw her hands in the air in dismay. “He’s my oldest friend, and I haven’t seen him for twenty years. Of course I feel something about it. I feel excited, and happy, and relieved to see he’s okay, and a whole bunch of other things friends usually feel when they meet after a long time!”

“So you’re telling me this is all innocent, that there’s nothing else going on?”

Deborah felt his words cut right through her, suddenly incredibly angry at his insinuation that she would somehow be unfaithful. She wasn’t lying to herself. Michael was less than perfect, and she couldn’t deny her need to break up what was obviously a very unhealthy relationship. But, she would never cheat. The fact that he even thought she might made it that much worse.

“I don’t believe you,” she said, her voice suddenly low, a clear indicator that she had already made up her mind about what needed to be done. She had had enough of this.

“See it from where I’m standing, Debbie,” Michael said. “I know how close the two of you were back then. How do you expect me to feel when I find out he’s been back for days, works at your school, and you said nothing about it to me?”

“Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?” Deborah muttered.

“That’s not the –”

“Have I?” Deborah’s shouted, her voice ringing across the apartment walls, her anger cutting like a knife through the heavy tension between them.

Michael looked at her long and hard, his scowl a reflection of how he felt about being yelled at. “I’m not going to wait for it,” he said.

“Get out,” Deborah said, her voice firm as she stared at the man she had once thought she could spend the rest of her life with. “This is over. I want you out.”