Twisted Roads – Twisted Horror Stories by Matthew Tonks

Joyce

“It’s not like that, I swear. We’re just mates, honest to God, that’s all we are, all we’ve ever been!” he says, jumping up from his seat, exasperated.

“Dude, for fuck’s sake, calm the hell down. I couldn’t care less what you and Amber are doing. I was only saying, you two SEEM to be spending a lot of time together, that’s all. So why don’t you sit back down and just chill the fuck out?”

“I’m fucking chilled, okay! You’re the one whose mind is twisting shit into something it’s NOT! I can’t fucking believe I came all the way over here just to be prodded for information about my love life!” he yells.

“Love life? So it IS serious then,” he says with a smile, leaning back in his seat.

“Cut it out!”

“Spencer, dude, when did you become such a drama queen? Just sit down, and I’ll tell you why I really wanted you to come over, okay?”

They stare at each other for a few moments before Spencer eventually thrusts himself back into his seat, thumping his tightly clenched fists onto the table. “Come on then, and it better be good!”

He smiles and leans forward across the table, shifting his cup of coffee to the side. “Remember Joyce?”

“Who?” Spencer says, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

“Joyce, you remember, that snotty-nosed bitch who used to live with Emma. The redhead!”

“Yeah, right, Joyce. That bitch was a troublemaker! I’d still be with Emma if it weren’t for her.”

His smile broadens. “I hear you, bro. I still remember what it was like when you and Emma broke up, how she just kept sticking the knife in more and more. She was a total witch-bitch.”

“Why the fuck are we talking about Joyce anyway?”

“Remember after that night at McCool’s, after she’d got us thrown out, and Emma sent you that text saying she never wanted to see you again, ever?”

“Yeah, I remember. I was there. So are we just going to bring up stuff from my past?”

“No, dude, we’re going to have a lot more fun than that. I just wanted to set the mood.”

“Well, great job, the mood’s set. Now get on with it!”

“Okay, okay. Remember how you said if you ever had the chance to be alone with Joyce, you’d get her back for all the shit she caused between you and Emma?”

“Yeah,” Spencer replies, his eyebrow rising again with curiosity.

“Well,” he says, looking towards a door that leads off the small kitchen, then back to Spencer. “I ran into her last night at Valentino’s, and this led to that, which ended with Joyce being tied up in the spare room, just waiting for that talk you promised her,” he says, looking back over to the closed door. Spencer’s eyes follow his and then they stare back at each other.

“You’re fucking kidding me?”

“Would I lie about this?”