Dead End Job by Vicki Grant Read Free Book Online

true.
    All I really, really wanted was for the guy to get out of my life. He was like a stainor a rash or a wart that you just can’t get rid of.
    I didn’t know what more I could do. I’d told him to go away. I’d told him to leave me alone. How much clearer could I have been? Why was he still bugging me? Couldn’t he get it through his thick skull that I didn’t like him?
    Kyla said, “You’ve got a stalker on your hands, Frances.”
    That’s not what I wanted to hear. It really annoyed me. Typical Kyla, I thought. Always blowing things way out of proportion. Anything for a good story.
    â€œQuit exaggerating, Kyla. It’s bad enough as it is.”
    â€œI’d call the cops if I were you.”
    â€œOh, please! And tell them what?” I said. “‘He gave me flowers. Arrest him!’ Sure.”
    â€œWhat about him taking those pictures of you?” she said.
    â€œThere’s no law against that either. It’s not like I was naked or anything,” I said.
    â€œI don’t know, Fran. I don’t like the sound of this guy. He makes up stories. He followsyou. He won’t take no for an answer. There’s something wrong with him.”
    â€œDuh! Obviously. But being nuts isn’t illegal.”
    â€œYeah, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous,” Kyla said. “At least according to my bible.”
    She meant
People Magazine
. She’s a junkie.
    â€œI read this article a little while ago about celebrity stalkers. The guy in it said something like ‘Sure, they’re crazy—but crazy isn’t stupid.’ That’s what makes them so dangerous. Stalkers are insane
and smart
.”
    â€œI could say that about you, Kyla. But I wouldn’t have you arrested. Unless you don’t quit it, that is.”
    â€œI’d be worried, Fran. Who knows? Devin could get violent.”
    â€œShut up!” I said. “Now you’re just trying to scare me.”
    â€œI’m not,” she said. “I’m just warning you.”
    â€œLook, the guy’s not a stalker. He’s just pathetic. He’s never done anything violent.And anyway, even if he did, I’m a big girl. I could probably take him.”
    Kyla started laughing.
    â€œOh, right! There’s a fight I’d
love
to see. Devin the Creep versus Frances the Klutz.”
    She was howling. She could barely catch her breath. Kyla knows what a spaz I am.
    â€œI can just picture the two of you, flailing away at each other! It would be better than the WWF. No! NO! I’m wrong! It would
be
the WWF. By which, of course, I mean the Weirdo Wrestling Federation! We’ll get Devin a cape and a mullet, and we’ll get you one of those little silver leotards and a boob job. You’ll make millions.”
    It was so stupid I had to laugh too.
    After the day I’d had, I needed it.
    And the day wasn’t over yet.

Chapter Fourteen
    Mr. Abdul called at about nine o’clock that night to say he had a brand new-daughter. I tried to sound happy, but I didn’t do a very good job. I was so bummed out about Leo and the picture and the flowers.
    I tried to call him, but there was no one home.
    I could have screamed. I wanted to kill Devin for screwing up my life. I kept thinking about what I was going to do the next time I saw him.
    I was going to tell him that he was repulsive and disgusting and sick and perverted. I was going to say he smelled bad. I was going to threaten to call the cops. I was going to say whatever it took to get rid of him for good.
    That was my plan, anyway.
    It started to pour at about ten o’clock. With all that rain, the customers pretty much stopped coming. To keep myself busy, I drew a little card for the baby. I was tired and cranky so it wasn’t very creative. I just sketched a picture of the harbor and wrote “Welcome to Lockeport’s newest citizen!”
    That took me until