One in Five

by H K Christie

  Food entrées received and meal cards swiped, Selena and Dee sat at a table away from most of the crowd. Selena gave her a sheepish grin. “Are you doing okay?”

  Despite the thumping in her chest, Dee said, “Yeah. Did you, uh, after your incident, did you have a hard time going out?”

  Selena dropped her gaze. “It was hard. Thankfully, it was the worst and best situation. Because of what happened, I was reunited with my father and met my stepmom. I moved in with them immediately after I was released from the hospital—before that I was living with my boyfriend, the one who kidnapped me and attacked me and then tried to kill me.” Selena’s eyes met Dee’s. “I didn’t go to school for weeks. Luckily, it mostly fell during winter break, but even then, I took a little bit of extra time and went on independent study. I was also lucky to have my stepmother, who knows a lot about this kind of stuff. She found me a therapist right away. She also found me a support group close by. I was talking to her about what happened to you and she suggested, if you want to—no pressure—but that it might help to see a counselor or go to a support group here on campus. She gave me the names of some good counselors in the area and then also told me about a support group right here on campus. Apparently, there is a center on campus that has counselors and all kinds of support for victims of sexual violence. It’s really cool, actually. I was thinking about going myself because even though it’s been almost a year since the attack, I still get flashbacks and am still probably more on edge than I should be. The support group really helps, and I haven’t been to one since school started. It helps to be around people who have been through a similar situation. It makes you feel a little less alone. I plan to go next week. You can join me if you want, but no pressure.”

  Dee let that sink in. If she went to a counselor, would her parents find out? She was still on their insurance. She knew it would kill them if they knew what had happened to her. Support group, maybe? It would be nice to have someone like Selena to go with for the first time, it would seem less scary. “I’ll think about it.”

  She bit down on her taco and it was like a flavor explosion in her mouth. The melted cheese mixed with sour cream, tomato, and beef was amaze-balls. She quickly devoured the first taco before she slowed herself down.

  She wanted to ask Selena more questions about her experience, but she didn’t want to pry. She knew how hard it was to talk about her own experience. It didn’t seem right to make somebody else talk about theirs. Selena was certainly on top of it when it came to her personal safety, but she seemed like she was doing okay. Maybe she just had a better exterior façade than Dee did?

  They finished their meal and headed back up to their dorm room, chatting about their least favorite classes. It felt almost normal. Dee was glad she’d gotten out. It felt good. They strolled down the hall toward their room when Dee’s heart nearly stopped. The voice. She’d heard it before. She looked ahead and saw him.

  Selena waved. “Hi, Brendon.”

  “Hey. How are you? Hi, Dee.”

  Dee stood frozen.

  Brendon gave her a peculiar look and continued. “This is my friend, Tyler. Tyler, this is Selena and this is Dee. Two of the coolest chicks on our floor.” He winked at Selena.

  Dee stared at Tyler with his bleached blond hair and surfer tan. His icy blue eyes.

  Selena said, “It’s nice to meet you, Tyler.” Selena glanced over her shoulder and Dee met her gaze. Selena’s face fell.

  Dee stated, “I’m not feeling well. I have to go now.”

  Selena turned back around and told Brendon, “We should get going. It’s good to see you. Nice to meet you, Tyler.”

  They waved goodbye as Dee hurried to their door. Her keys jingled in her hands as she attempted to unlock the door, but instead the keys fell out of her hands onto the floor. Selena caught up and opened the door with her own key.

  Dee grabbed her keys and ran inside and shut the door behind both of them rather abruptly. Selena’s eyes were wide. “What’s wrong?”

  Her body was shaking. “That was him. Tyler. It was Tyler.”

  Selena’s mouth dropped open. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.” He was twenty feet from her room. Her bed. Her home.

  7

  Seated next to Dee on the couch, Selena asked, “You’re absolutely sure Tyler was the person who attacked you?”

  Dee dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “It’s him. The voice. The face. It was definitely him.”

  “Do you recognize the name Tyler? Can you think of his last name?”

  “It doesn’t sound wrong, but I don’t know a last name. It’s all so fuzzy. But I know it’s him.”

  Selena contemplated what the next move could be. She could easily get information on Tyler from Brendon, but she’d need to be careful to not raise any suspicions with Brendon. Brendon seemed like an okay guy, but you never know. If he was friends with a guy like that, he probably wasn’t any better. Thank goodness she hadn’t let herself go for him. She still couldn’t distinguish the monsters from the good guys. “Are you okay if I leave you here so that I can go and talk to Brendon to find out more information about Tyler?”

  Dee’s eyes flashed open. “What if he’s still out there? What if they both attack you? It’s not safe, Selena. It’s not safe.”

  Adrenaline was soaring through Selena. She concealed her shaking hands from Dee by putting them in her coat pockets. “I’ll be fine. I’ve got my baton and I’ve had nine months of self-defense training. They should be afraid of me.” Sometimes Selena wondered if talking the talk would actually make her tougher. She had indeed been in training for nine and a half months and she thought she could handle an attack, but you never know. Tyler was a big guy, but it wasn’t likely that he would attack her in the hallway, but behind closed doors, that was a different story. And what about Brendon? He was bigger than Selena, probably stronger, and she knew he had training from working with his sister. She had her baton and the element of surprise. She’d be fine, right?

  “The real question is, are you okay with me leaving you right now? I can stay here and talk to Brendon tomorrow.”

  She really wanted to find out more about this Tyler guy now. The more she knew, the more she could tell the police, but she also didn’t want to leave Dee if she was in too fragile of a state.

  Selena watched as Dee pulled her new pepper spray pen out of her pocket. “I’ll be okay. Just make sure you lock the door and I’ll stay in the back room.”

  Selena could tell that Dee was terrified, but she would just be down the hall for a quick conversation. She’d be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. Or whatever that saying was. Selena stood up and patted her pocket with the baton. “I’ll be back really soon. Call me if anything spooks you. We’re going to catch this guy and he’s gonna pay for what he did.” Selena would make sure of it.

  Dee didn’t respond but leaned back into the couch. Selena grabbed the keys from the coffee table and exited the dorm room, shutting and locking the door behind her. She’d need to be quick. She strutted down the hall to Brendon’s dorm room. She approached the door and knocked three times in quick succession.

  Butterflies flew around furiously in her stomach as she waited for Brendon to open the door. She hated he had this effect on her. She needed to squash this little crush she had on him and pronto. No good could come out of this. He was friends with a sexual predator for God’s sake. This visit was strictly business, not personal. The door opened and Brendon gave her a wide smile. “Well, this is a surprise.”

  She forced herself to remain straight-faced. No, she needed to be friendly. If she were serious, he’d wonder why. She needed to get better at this. She smiled. “Hey, I just want to come by and say hi. Is your friend Tyler still here?”

  She watched his body language and he seemed to stiffen. Did he not want her to see Tyler? He let his hand fall from the edge of the door and leaned against the wall. “No, sorry, he left a while ago. It’s just me.” His smile had faded.


  Ahh. He thought that she was interested in Tyler. Dammit. She’d need to come up with a better reason to be talking to Brendon about Tyler than her own interest. She really hadn’t thought this all the way through. “Oh, I was just with Dee and she said she thinks she recognized him from back home in Sacramento. I think she’s interested in him, but she’s not feeling great, so I thought I’d say hi and make an inquiry on her behalf. Silly girl stuff, I know.” She giggled and tossed her hair, hoping to become more believable, and not appear to be on an investigative endeavor. She wasn’t sure she was pulling it off.

  He stepped back. “You want to come in?”

  “Sure.” Was this a bad idea? She rubbed the baton in her pocket. I’ll be fine. She entered his dorm room and it was the mirror image of Dee’s and her apartment-style dorm room. “Is your roommate here?”

  “No, he’s out studying. Can I get you anything to drink, maybe?”

  Selena wrinkled her nose. “I don’t drink.”

  “Not even water? Or soda? You must be so dehydrated. That can’t be healthy,” he teased.

  She could tell he wanted this to be a social visit, so she’d need to play along. She didn’t want to have to tell him the real story and lose out on valuable information. “Ha. Ha. I’ll have a soda.”

  His eyes lit up. “Coming right up. Coke okay?”

  “Sure.” Soda was not on her list of approved dietary items from Martina, but it was for a good cause. Justified. She stood in the living room while Brendon grabbed two sodas from the refrigerator. He turned around with a can in each hand and said, “Would you like to sit on the couch?”

  “Okay.” Selena kinda knew where this was going. Her and him on a sofa, next to each other, drinking sodas. She looked into his eyes. They seem to be kind and warm, but she couldn’t trust her instincts—not yet. She hoped one day, but today was not that day.

  She sat down on the brown sofa and he handed her the soda can. She took a sip and enjoyed the slow burn down her throat. She let out an, “ahh,” Oh, how she’d missed the burn followed by an intense sugar rush. Martina insisted a strong, healthy body was a strong, healthy mind.

  Brendon sat next to her. He laughed at her obvious enjoyment of the carbonated beverage. “So, how have you been? You seem to be pretty busy these days.”

  She set the soda down on his coffee table and said, “Um, good.” Good like, I’ve been going to the police station every day, multiple times a day trying to get updates on the case, but Detective Grayson now refuses to see me. She was sure she’d been flagged. Since the first day she went on her own, it had been the same thing. He’d send a message to the officer at the front desk and tell her that there was no new news and to basically go away. “Between work and school and everything, I’ve kinda kept to myself. How have you been?”

  “Same old, same old. School. Class. Parties.”

  “Like partying with Tyler?” Was that nonchalant? She didn’t think so.

  “Sometimes with Tyler at the DKA house. They pretty much have a party there every single night. I don’t know how those guys get any sleep.”

  “Oh, are you part of Delta Kappa Alpha?” She hadn’t pegged Brendon for a frat guy, but he did want to go into politics.

  He shook his head vigorously. “Oh no, I’m not really into the frat scene. I met Tyler during rush week when I was contemplating it, before I saw what actually goes on in those houses. Plus the cost and time commitment. Not the right fit for me.”

  “But you still hang out with Tyler?”

  “Yeah, from time to time. He’s cool.”

  Selena was beginning to think Brendon was not a great judge of character. “What’s Tyler’s last name? I was supposed to find out. Roommate’s orders.” That was more natural, right?

  Brendon tipped his head as if thinking that it was an odd question. Pretty please, tell me. She gave a warm smile.

  He smiled back. “It’s King.”

  “Tyler King? Do you know if he’s from Sacramento?” Okay, I’m getting the hang of this now.

  “No, I think he’s from Calabasas, down in southern California.”

  Check and check. “Oh. Okay, he must not be the same person that Dee thought she knew. Okay, well then, I should go, it’s getting late.”

  She was about to stand up when Brendon put his hand on her leg and gazed into her eyes. “Do you have to leave?”

  Her body tensed. “Dee wasn’t feeling well, and I want to check on her.”

  Brendon removed his hand and sat back. “I’m just going to say this. I’ll probably regret it later, but I feel like you and I have this great connection. You’re beautiful and you’re smart and you’re tough and I really like you. I get the feeling you like me too, but then you avoid me for days. I don’t understand.”

  She froze at his confession. In his warm, brown eyes was hurt and confusion. Selena averted her gaze. She couldn’t look at him. She did like him. She wished she could let herself tell him. To be able to trust him. She didn’t want to not trust him, but she didn’t. She couldn’t trust him or herself. She exhaled heavily. “It’s not you, Brendon, it’s me. I have some weird things going on and I just can’t right now. I just can’t.” Why did she say not right now? She didn’t mean that. Did she?

  His eyes pleaded with her. “Are you sure? It’s not something I did?”

  He was really tugging at the heartstrings now. Maybe he was a good guy. Maybe she should talk to her counselor about him. She wanted to have a real relationship someday, but she wasn’t ready to trust again. And Brendon was connected to Tyler, so who knew? She couldn’t make the same mistake again. Being alone would be far less painful than that. “I have a lot going on right now. I’m sorry. I have to go.” She stood up and hurried out of his apartment and rushed back to her dorm room. She unlocked the dead bolt and opened the door, closing it quickly behind her.

  She leaned against the door and shut her eyes. She took some cleansing breaths in and out. Oh, what she would give to be normal. She opened her eyes and saw Dee staring at her as if she was some sort of weird alien. “Did something happen?” she blurted.

  “I got his last name. His name is Tyler King and he’s from Calabasas.”

  Dee grabbed her phone and furiously tapped into it. She mumbled, “Fucking asshole jerk face.”

  Selena nearly smiled. Angry Dee was far better than sad Dee. She watched over Dee’s shoulder as she pulled up information on her phone. Dee scrolled through Tyler’s social media accounts. She’d found him. Now they had a name and a photo. They had everything they needed to bring to the police so that they could arrest him.

  8

  Selena and Dee stood in front of the same community service officer at the front desk of the university police station. Selena said, “We’re here to see Detective Grayson. We have additional evidence in the case to share with him.”

  Selena gave Dee a reassuring smile as she watched Dee chew on her fingernails. It was a new habit that Dee had picked up in the last week since the attack. It wasn’t surprising that Dee was on edge. Selena was usually on edge too, and it had almost been a year since her ordeal. She was less fearful, but definitely still on edge. Her counselor said that in time it would get better. It hadn’t yet. “And you are?” the receptionist asked.

  Seriously, what was with this guy? Selena had been there every day for the last week. “I’m Selena Bailey and this is Dee Hankel.”

  “I’ll let them know you’re here. Please have a seat.”

  She rolled her eyes at the guy and motioned for Dee to come sit on the chairs with her. Dee sat hunched over, chewing on the nail of her pointer finger. Selena put her hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be okay. He needs to pay for what he did. Are you okay?”

  Dee nodded nervously.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Selena asked.

  “No, it’s fine. I just want to get this over with.”

  “Okay.” Selena checked her email on her phone to stop herself from bugging Dee.

  A few minut
es later, the detective approached with a smirk on his face. “Ladies, what can I help you with today?”

  Selena said, “Dee has identified the attacker. We have a name and photo.”

  The detective glanced at Dee and then back at Selena with skepticism in his eyes. “Ms. Hankel, if you have new information, how about you follow me back into the office area and we can discuss it.”

  Dee turned to look at Selena.

  Selena popped up and stood with her hands on her hips. “I’ll be coming with her.”

  Selena had learned from Martina that it was more than acceptable to have a friend or family member accompany the victim when discussing the case. Selena feared that Detective Porn-stache would try to bully Dee with a condescending tone, or more aggressively by outright telling her he didn’t believe her or trying to convince her to drop the case. Selena would ensure everything was on the up and up. She’d be both a witness and advocate for Dee.

  He shrugged. “Fine. Follow me.”

  They followed Detective Grayson into the office and sat in the tiny room. He mumbled, “I’ll be right back,” and then returned a few minutes later with a file folder in his hands. He flipped open the cover and used his index finger to skim the notes.

  Selena attempted to get a better look at the notes, but he was covering too much of the text and she couldn’t make it out. Ignoring Selena’s presence he asked, “So you know the name of your attacker now?”