Killer Calories

idol died of a tragic accident, but quite another to believe she took her own life.
    So much for enlightenment.
    “Are you okay, Tam?” she whispered, as they crept along behind the oleander bushes that lined one side of the pool.
    “Yeah, I guess so. I just don’t understand why—“
    “Quiet! Listen.”
    Savannah grabbed Tammy’s shoulder and held her still, straining to hear.
    Voices... a man’s and a woman’s ... coming from the pool area. The woman sounded as though she were in distress.
    Or maybe not, Savannah decided when the female uttered another, “Oh, God... oh, oh...”
    “What is it?” Tammy whispered, her lips next to Savannah ’s ear.
    “No big deal. Somebody’s making it in the pool .“
    “Making...? Oh, right.” Tammy stood on tiptoe and tried to look over the oleanders. “Who is it?”
    Savannah yanked her back down by her sleeve. “It’s none of our business. Now who’s violating people’s privacy. ”
    “Yeah, but I want to know...” She shook off Savannah ’s restraining hand and did a little hop, again trying to see over. “Tammy, mind your manners. Let’s go.”
    She hopped again, a bit higher. “It’s Lou! Hey, Savannah , it’s Lou and Bernadette.”
    “That scrawny, self-righteous redhead who checked me in?”
    “Yeah. Wow... who would have thought that Lou and Bernadette...?”
    “ Ehhh , who cares? They deserve each other. Come on-Savannah was about to grab Tammy by the scruff of the neck and drag her away, when she noticed a change in the couple’s tone. Apparently, the sex was over, and they were discussing some contentious subject.
    “It does too matter,” she was saying in a tearful, angry voice. “Kat’s dead now. That changes everything.”
    Tammy gasped. Savannah reached over and put her hand across her mouth. “ Sh -h-h-h.”
    “Nothing’s changed,” they heard him say. “Not between us, anyway. I told you before, I’m not going to marry anybody, ever again.”
    “But you said you loved me.”
    “What’s that got to do with it?”
    “If you love somebody, you marry them.”
    “Only in fairy tales, Bernadette. Get real.”
    “But you promised.”
    “I promised you a job. You’ve got it. I don’t know what you’re bitching about.”
    Tammy leaned closer to Savannah . “That scumbag! I have a half a mind to go out there and tell him what I think of him.”
    “You will not! Shut up and listen!”
    “But the only reason I wanted the job...” Bernadette continued between sobs, “...was so I could be close to you.”
    “So, you’re close to me.” He gave a nasty little chuckle. How much closer can you get than what we just did, huh ?“
    “ That’ s not what I mean, and you know it. You said you couldn’t marry me because of Kat. You even said once that you’d be happier if she wasn’t around.”
    “I never said that!”
    ‘Yes, you did. And I thought that since Kat was dead, you d... oh, God... you really are a jerk. You’ve just been Using me.”
    They heard a vigorous splashing of water. Bernadette was leaving the pool in a huff. A second later, wet, splatting foot-steps came their way. They pressed into the oleander as Bernadette exited the pool area only a few feet from them. She had a beach towel wrapped tightly around her and a miserable look on her pretty, young face.
    “You didn’t seem to mind getting used a few minutes ago,” Lou called after her.
    “Go to hell!” she yelled back as she stomped down the path toward the employees’ dormitory.
    Savannah and Tammy listened intently as Lou climbed out of the pool, dried off, and left. Thankfully, in the opposite direction.
    Tammy turned to Savannah , her eyes wide and shining with excitement by the faint, blue-green glow of the pool lights. “Now that was interesting!” she said. “I’m starting to like this Nancy Drew routine.”
    “No kidding,” Savannah replied thoughtfully. “I’ll have Dirk add little Miss Bernadette to his list of suspects to check out.”
    “ Ow -w-w-www! Ouch! The pain! Oooo -o-o-o... the pain!” Right in the middle of her jumping jack, Savannah dropped to the ground, clutched her ankle, and began wailing.
    The small class of five students, with Dion the Magnificent instructing, halted their first-thing-in-the-morning workout and stood, stunned and silent, watching her writhe in apparent agony.
    Dion and Tammy were the first to snap out of it and hurry to her aid.
    “Are you faking this?” Tammy hissed in her ear.