Lesser

“Just because there’s a lesser of two evils doesn’t mean there’s a good choice,” I said.

Joanna sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “This is one of those horrible choices in life where you have to actually choose to do something, and no one wins in the end.”

“Except him.”

“He’s not really winning if he’s dead.”

“But Gray will be dead too.” I sank down on the window seat and stared at my hands. Every time I closed my eyes I could see Gray’s smile and his eyes and feel his lips against mine as he made me promise to see this through.

And then I could see Luke’s face overlaying his, the same features and wide smile, but with a cruel twist and with a dark glitter in his eyes, and I wanted to cry.

Joanna sat down beside me. “Emma, if what you say is true --”

I jerked away from her, rose to my feet. “You mean even now, you still don’t believe me?”

Joanna took a deep breath. She had that expression on her face, the one she wore the time she told me I’d completely botched my New Historicism essay. But this wasn’t a damned term paper.

“Look, I know you and Luke really, really don’t get along --”

“You don’t know Luke. You’ve never seen what he really is --”

“He’s the boss’s son and bratty, I get it --” Joanna began, and then a voice singing cut us both off.

Luke leaned in the doorway, hands in his pockets, his smile too innocent to be sweet. The song was from Sweeney Todd. “I feel you...Johanna...”

Joanna cast him a dirty look.

“I’ll steal you...Johanna...”

I opened my mouth to offer the obvious riposte, but he beat me to it.

“Speak of the devil.”

(301 words)