by Iris Taylor
She left it at that, and I stood there wondering how I felt about what she said. Actions speak louder than words anyway? Did she mean all the things I had done to her before? Or my future behavior? I decided it didn't matter - I was going to do my best to get back in her good books. My sanity and self-acceptance depended on it. I wouldn't be able to live in my own skin if I didn't make things up to her. At least now she was willing to talk to me. My next steps clear in my mind now, I left the room with renewed resolve and feeling like I had a new lease on life. Cara and I were going to be okay.
Chapter Eleven
"So you're saying, she wouldn't even talk to you?"
Lucia nodded her head. The four of us were huddled into a corner booth of Sally’s, a hip ice cream parlor that was currently empty, maybe due to the fact that it was only ten in the morning.
"What did you say to scare her off?"
She shook her head vehemently. "Nothing that would make her run like that. I just mentioned that I was someone from Elijah's year and that I wanted to help her. Her eyes grew so big and she started stammering something about having to be someplace else."
"That's where the problem is. You shouldn't have mentioned Elijah's name at all. She's probably spooked that someone managed to link them both together," Simon interjected.
I nodded in agreement even as I watched Lucia smack Simon hard on the shoulder with a pout. Zoey had pointed out to Lucia one of the girls in her class who had uploaded photos on Instagram of her and a sleeping Elijah – photos that were promptly deleted the next day. When April had seen them, she confirmed it was the girl in the locker rooms who had scars on her back. Our plan had been to try and see if we could get the girl – whose name was Emmy – to open up to us, by showing her our side of the story too. I guess someone had spooked her off before we managed to get to her.
"She's probably been paid off to keep quiet about the entire thing. I wonder if she's had the abortion done already." Everyone turned to April's words. She chewed thoughtfully on the fries in front of her, oblivious to the silence she had created.
"Do we know if she was away at all from school recently?" I asked. My eyes followed, impressed, as April shoveled down more fries and what looked to be half of her milkshake. I didn't know how she still had an appetite given the topic of our discussion. Elijah seemed to be getting away with a lot more things than we knew about. Lucia’s cousin Zoey had told her about a freshman who never came back after the first half of the school year – and before that she had been bragging about catching the eye of a “super hot senior” who had wooed her with various expensive gifts. It could have been anybody except the girl had mentioned that he was one of the sons of the school’s founders. It sounded too coincidental for it to have been somebody else.
Lucia shook her head. “Zoey doesn’t think so. At least, nothing that seemed out of the ordinary.”
“The Sawyers certainly have enough money to pay for the best abortion clinics and keep everyone’s mouths shut,” Simon remarked. We all looked around the table at each other.
“It’s crazy to even think of going against them,” I said sullenly. My mood was starting to circle the drain. “And you’re saying Adrienne’s family is even richer than the Sawyers.” I sighed. “I think we should just give up and pray nothing more happens to me.” I mentally counted the number of months until graduation – still more than half the year to go. Plenty of time for Adrienne to do as she wished. Another sigh escaped me.
“No. Don’t you dare back down now. You’ve already managed to do so much – and you’ve stayed so strong. If anything, you’ve proven to her you’re a worthy match.” Simon’s fervent tone shook me out of my disheartened state. He was right. I had put Sam behind bars, escaped a date rape situation, and gotten the videos deleted. Just because I had received several blows along the way, didn’t mean I had been beaten. Victor’s apology came to mind. There was hope yet.
“Okay. It’s just – I need some recovery time, maybe.”
April reached out to squeeze my hand. “Of course you do. I’m so proud of you.” She sniffed. “I probably would’ve quit school ages ago if I were in your shoes.”
I laughed out loud. “Not a chance. Going to college is my dream escape.”
“So, what now?” April asked.
“We try get our hands on any proof to show what Elijah’s done,” Lucia said firmly.
“And how do you propose we do that?” I asked.
She looked thoughtful. “Maybe find a way to get into the principal’s office and see what we can find there. There must be some sort of documentation about it somewhere.”
Simon rubbed his hands together gleefully. “A Pandora’s box full of Elijah’s screw ups! Sounds like my kind of sleuthing. I’m in.”
I shook my head. It was not the kind of thing I wanted to get caught red-handed doing.
“Don’t you worry about us,” Lucia said, reading my mind. “Best if you stay away from all this. Simon and I will figure it out.”
I gave them both a quick squeeze on the hand. “Thanks guys, for everything. Hope I won’t get you in trouble.”
Lucia looked at Simon with a smile. “We’ll make it worth it. For you and all the girls he’s wronged. And bonus if we find something on Adrienne too.”
The mere thought of being able to stop Adrienne and her nastiness cemented my resolve. Yes, the girl deserved to face the consequences for all her depraved stunts. Looking at my friends, I nodded. “Hope it won’t be too difficult, if not downright impossible.”
I did my best to hide my worry as they brainstormed how best to break into the principal’s office. Lucia wanted to try enter outside of school hours but Simon thought it was easiest to do during one of the bimonthly board meetings. They argued as they hashed out the pros and cons of each of their ideas.
I looked at my watch. “Guys, my shift’s starting soon, gotta go. I don’t want to be late.” I needed the money from the bookstore job now more than ever. I was nowhere near saving enough for a bike, not after the gift card I had bought for Kitty. I couldn’t very well ask Simon to fetch me every day before school, even though he had said he wouldn’t mind. As for Jack – I hadn’t said two words to him since the time he had sided with Adrienne when they had confronted me with that audio clip next to my locker. It was no loss to me - life had a way of showing you everyone's true colors anyway. It was better to know sooner rather than later.
“ANGEL.”
I looked up from taking inventory. My head was hurting from having hit it on a low shelf earlier and I was glad for the interruption. Except I wasn’t expecting to see Brody.
“Hey. What are you doing here?” At the quizzical look in his deep brown eyes, I rephrased myself. I guess I tended to come across as too blunt sometimes. “I mean, are you here for me or did you need something from the store?” Not that that’s any better. I wanted to mentally smack myself, then realized this was Brody, Julian’s son, who had seen me in a far worse state.
“Actually, your mom asked me to check up on you. And to make sure you had a ride home.”
I didn’t have one, actually. “Did she say where she was going?”
He shrugged. “Didn’t ask. Don’t really care.”
I raised an eyebrow. The guy had to fetch some girl he barely knew for his dad’s girlfriend and he didn’t care?
“Okay, my shift ends in twenty.” As an afterthought, I added, “Thanks.”
I watched as he loitered around the shop, looking at various items on the shelves. He stopped by the non-fiction section and picked up a martial arts book. So he’s into tae kwon do?
Joshua strolled in with a few boxes and I helped him unload a few. Once in a while, Brody would ask me a few questions and carry on browsing the shelves. I could see Joshua’s curiosity beginning to build up. I pretended not to notice and quickly finished up my work. As I signaled to Joshua that I was leaving, I realized I needed to buy some groceries for the house.
“Hey, Brody. Okay if we go s
wing by the store quickly? Just that we’re low on a couple of things.”
He flashed me a smile. “I got all day.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of his words and decided to take them at face value. “Thanks. Must be nice to take a break mid-semester.”
He shrugged as he revved up the engine. “College is flexible that way. You’ll see. There’s lots of things I could just catch up online. Professors don’t care if you come to lectures or not.” Right at that moment, he was a picture of calm and ease, looking every bit the college guy he was. Successful, smart and mature. Quite unlike the guys in my year. I wondered how it was possible for college to do that to you in such a short space of time.
I liked the idea of independent study. “Hope I’ll be able to get there someday.”
He looked at me incredulously, his hand on the wheel. “After all I’ve heard about you? You won’t just get into college, you’ll get into your college of choice and ace everything!”
I laughed. “Not sure if that’s an accurate depiction of me. Especially coming from someone as biased as my mom.”
“Well, that’s what mothers are supposed to do right? Be our greatest supporter in everything.”
I turned to look at him. I wondered how old he had been when he lost his mom. “If you don’t mind my asking, how old were you when your mom died?”
His easy smile didn’t fade away. “About ten. I don’t remember much, and what I do remember are all the good things. It’s better that way.”
“How did she die?” I almost winced at my awkward phrasing, but Brody didn’t seem to notice anything.
“We knew she was sick for a couple of years. She had breast cancer – it just progressed over the years despite therapy. Dad was crushed for a long time after she was gone. I guess it didn’t help that I was growing into an annoying, stubborn teenager. I guess I must’ve been acting up because of her passing, too, although I can’t remember much of it now.”
My heart went out to them both. Julian, for having lost his wife and the mother of his child. And Brody, to lose a mother at such a young age. I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for a father to raise his son by himself. Or what it must have been like to lose your sickly mother after a long battle with cancer. I reached out to squeeze his hand. “You both turned out fine. She would have been proud of you.” I meant it. Julian had been nothing but a strong shoulder for my mother to depend on, and his son, who had just arrived, had easily filled in the role of an older brother, when he was, in fact, not obligated to, not in any way.
He glanced at where our hands joined but didn't say anything. I quickly removed my hand and fiddled with the radio, settling for Beautiful People. It seemed like an apt song for my current life in Ravenshaw Falls. I reflected on how it was blend in or die here, and I chose to die. There was no saving me, I had decided to stay in the elite's bad books and fight them the entire way. Looking at Brody, I wondered if college had the same petty fights, the same politics and hierarchies. I remembered Mr. Wilkins' advice - to play by their rules and leave Ravenshaw Falls unscathed. And that he, too, was subject to the same bullying.
A sigh escaped me. Life was supposed to get better after moving here, not worse. Maybe Mr. Wilkins was right. I still had a lot to learn about life.
Chapter Twelve
Victor's POV
I watched as Cara smiled. My jaw ticked knowing she was giving the guy one of her beautiful, rare smiles. Rare, because of me and my stupidity. The thoughtless stunts we had pulled on her were unforgivable. I looked at the guy again. Now he looked like he wanted to devour her. The guy would learn his lesson if he so much as looked her way after today. I clenched and unclenched my fist, feeling like a creep as I watched them both from my car. I was supposed to surprise her with some chocolate and cake from Cherie's that I knew she liked. And then I find her in a car outside her house with some douchebag. Who was he, anyway? He didn't look familiar at all. He definitely didn't go to Ravenshaw Academy.
I watched as they both stepped out of his car and walked up the steps leading towards the house. He paused as she fiddled with the keys to unlock the door. Was he going to kiss her? I could feel myself ready to fly out of my seat. My mouth dropped in surprise as they both entered the house. What on earth? Had he been to the house before? How did I miss this? Was she dating him now? Was that why it seemed so easy for her to forgive me? My knuckles turned white at the thought, I was gripping the steering wheel so tightly. Had I lost my chance with her?
I slowly eased out of the side of the road, unsure of where to head to next. I had been hoping to spend the afternoon with her, if she would allow it. This unexpected change in events threw me off.
I glanced at the house across from Cara's and decided I was going to see if Jack was home. Maybe he could tell me more about the nameless guy. I felt like a man on a mission. Jack wasn't as anti-Cara as the rest of them, so that made things much easier.
Parking under a tree so Cara wouldn't be able to see my car if she looked out of her window, I quickly walked up to the Westbrookes' front door and knocked. After a while, I gave up, seeing no one was answering. Jack's car was in the garage, so he was almost likely home. Without thinking twice I tried the door and saw that it was unlocked. I let myself in and locked it, making a mental note to tell him off when I saw him. His parents were probably away. I couldn't recall a time when they actually stuck around in Ravenshaw Falls for longer than a week. They had businesses abroad they attended to, and Jack and Lily were almost always left on their own. We had had a lot of wild parties at their place growing up.
The kitchen and living room were both empty. Lily must have been in her room or out with the girls. Padding up the carpeted staircase, I headed straight to Jack's room and stopped. There were sounds coming from inside, oddly familiar ones, and I paused when I heard a muffled female voice saying yesss.
The lucky bastard. Smiling, I decided to turn and leave when the sounds grew louder. Curious, I turned to look. The door had cracked open slightly. The TV was on, and I could see some sort of movie being played. Heavy grunting and shrieks of pleasure were overlapping with the sounds from the TV. It was obviously some badly shot porn. Looking closely, I saw that the scene was eerily familiar. The brunette appeared to be in pain, and the older guy continued to pummel her regardless. Is that Cara? Why is Jack watching this? What the hell?
Walking in, wanting to give the sick bastard a piece of my mind for getting off on someone else's misery, I got the shock of my life.
Jack was lying in bed, buck-naked and blindfolded, his wrists and feet bound to the bedposts with some black ties. A girl who suspiciously looked like Lily was straddling him, her head thrown back, dressed only in some sort of black leather crop top, unaware that I had entered the room. She was too busy riding him into oblivion. In the background, I could hear Cara's cries as the man roughly manhandled her. Nausea rose up into my throat, a bitter, sour fluid that threatened to reveal my presence.
I quickly and silently backed away out of Jack's bedroom door and walked back down the hallway and down the stairs, my mind racing a mile a minute.
I really didn't know my friends. One by one, their natures were being revealed to me, until I wondered if I truly ever knew them at all. Jack and Lily - I knew that they were half-siblings through their father. But what I saw was still incest - and alarmingly, didn't appear to be their first time. Too well-planned, too orchestrated.
As I half-ran to my car, casting a quick look back at the Westbrookes' front door, worried that either Jack or Lily would come running after me, I almost collided with Cara, who was standing a few feet away from my car.
She was dressed in running shorts and a t-shirt, her long hair up in a ponytail. Her smooth skin was glistening with sweat, and in that moment I wanted to just scoop her into my arms and run away from there. The world was a bad, bad place, and this was especially true for her.
"Victor! What are you doing here?" Her voice was breathless, and I hoped it wasn
't just because of her run.
I decided it was best to start off with the truth. It would take some adjusting, but I was determined to do this entire thing over the right way.
"Actually, I came over here earlier to see you." Unlocking my car, I took out the small box of cake and handed it to her. "I thought you might like these."
She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear somewhat shyly and took the box from me. Looking at its contents, a wide smile lit up her face.
"This looks so good. Exactly what my tummy wants at this moment."
My heart swelled with pride and happiness. She was really such a simple person at heart, easy to please, and had no qualms about hiding the real her from the world. Why had I taken advantage of that? Shame washed over me, a constant companion these past few weeks.
"Wanna share this with me? We can eat in the kitchen." She gestured towards her house. I did little to hide my surprise. Did she trust me again? How did I manage to deserve this? And what about the guy she had walked into the house with?
I nodded and followed her as she crossed the road and jogged up the steps to the patio door. The scent of freshly-brewed coffee permeated my senses. The kitchen was clean and homey, and she immediately pulled out a few mugs and looked at me in askance. "Would you like some coffee?"
I nodded, watching her lithe body as she moved around. I steeled my wayward thoughts - especially from the memories of those videos of her I had seen - and focused on my next words instead.
"Black is fine. Where's your mom?"
"Oh, she just left with Julian and his son. They should be back in an hour or two."
Her face flushed right after she said those words, and made me wonder if she had been having stray thoughts like me too. "Julian?"
"My mother's boyfriend."
"Oh."
So the guy was his son. No wonder he seemed overly comfortable around her. "They come here a lot?"
