Coming Clean (From the Damage)

by Genna Denton

  Chapter Eleven: Wrecked

  Before Kelly could even make it to her first class, she felt the tears hit her. Knowing they were unstoppable, she darted into the bathroom and locked herself inside a stall.

  He’d been so cold, so mean, when he’d rejected her last night. She knew Gage had more than just himself to think about, but did he have to be so brutal? He wanted her—she could feel it when he kissed her. It’d been raw passion…months of solitude spilling over. That’s what she’d felt. Had she been wrong?

  She loved being around him, loved hearing his practical advice and the way he always seemed to make problems seem insignificant. The kiss changed everything. They could never go back to just eating pizza and watching Spongebob with Lizzie now. Maybe with time they could, but he was moving to Charlotte. Clear across the state. What would she do when he left? She’d be alone…she’d have no one to talk to. Filled with anger, pain, and loneliness, she started punching the wall to the cubical as tears streamed down her cheeks. Collapsing against the cold metal, she let the sobs overtake her. Her cries echoed in the empty bathroom, reminding her just how isolated she was.

  When the bell rang, the one that warned her to get to class, she sucked in a deep breath and tried to calm herself. The bathroom door creaked open and she heard somebody walk inside. Oh great, she thought, wiping her tears away. She stood to her feet and prayed her face wasn’t too visibly red. She opened the bathroom stall, hoping to dart out before the other girl came out of her stall. But when she opened it, she saw Meagan standing in front of the mirror applying her lip gloss.

  “Kelly, hey, what’s up?” Meagan turned, screwing the cap onto her lip gloss. Her expression fell into concern and she narrowed her eyes. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  Kelly shook her head, rubbing tears away. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She nodded, but then she burst into tears again. “It’s Gage…he’s moving.”

  “Moving?” Meagan placed her hand gently on Kelly’s shoulder. “Why?”

  “I don’t know,” Kelly sniffed, rubbing her eyes and trying to get hold of her emotions. “Something about starting over.”

  “I think everyone deserves a chance to start over,” Meagan said in a soft tone, “but it really sucks for you. You must really care about him.”

  “Yeah,” she laughed sarcastically, “my life sucks.” Kelly took a paper towel from the dispenser and dabbed it under eyes where her mascara was bleeding. “But, I guess you’re right. Everyone deserves a clean slate. Especially Gage.”

  “Even Alex?”

  Kelly looked over at Meagan, wondering just what she was getting at. Why would she bring Alex up? Then she remembered Meagan used to be a cheerleader. Of course she liked Alex, everybody thought he was cool and hot and everyone wanted to be him. Why would Meagan be an exception? “I guess. What are you trying to say?”

  Meagan bit her bottom lip and leaned against the sink. “Just that…maybe you should lighten up on Alex a bit.”

  Kelly scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Why is everyone on his side?”

  “Kel, I’m not on anyone’s side. But take it from me, you can’t wallow in the bad things forever. Sometimes you just have to let go, and I’ve known him for awhile. Alex Walker is a good guy.”

  Her first instinct was to protest, no Alex Walker was not a good guy. He’d ruined her life, but as she thought about it, she remembered all the good times they’d had. She shouldn’t judge his character by one mistake. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  Meagan smiled and wrapped her arms around Kelly, embracing her in a hug that took her by surprise. A hug from a girlfriend; it was nice, it’d been a long time since Kelly’d had a friend.

  “Come on, what do ya say we skip seventh period? Wanna go get some comfort food?” Meagan said, releasing her from the hug and nodding her head to the door.

  “Only if there’s chocolate involved.”

  Meagan laughed. “I think we can arrange that.”

  ***

  Rain poured from the night sky, forming in puddles on the road and smearing on the windshield, making it difficult for Meagan to drive. She checked her watch again to make sure she wasn’t late. She was supposed to meet Ryder for dinner at Jill’s Grill, but the rain and her indecisiveness about her clothes had made her late. She reached into her purse, careful not to take her eyes off the road as she searched for her cell phone; she’d better call and tell him she was going to be late.

  In her rearview mirror, she noticed the almost blinding headlights of somebody behind her speeding up, nearing closer, but she didn’t give it much thought. She tried to dial Ryder’s number, but the buttons on her touch screen phone kept sticking, dialing two of the same number instead of one. She let out an aggravated sigh and tried again. Just then a small bump from the back of the car shoved her forward, knocking the phone out of her hand and into the floor.

  “What the hell?” she exclaimed as she jerked her head around to look behind her, trying to get a good look at the car. It was silver Mustang…like the one Seth drove. Meagan’s heart skipped a few beats as the panic set in.

  He swerved into the passing lane and sped up next to her. She looked over at him; it was Seth. He gave her that smirk again then swerved the car to make it bang into hers. She noticed headlights ahead and Seth returned behind her, still flashing his lights and tailgating her. When the car passed her, she caught a glimpse of Ryder. She prayed he noticed what was going on. Seth bashed into her and she heard her back bumper crack.

  Meagan let out a scream. As if this situation wasn’t bad enough. She was terrified now. Her heart pounded like a sledgehammer, each beat booming through her body, and she just knew it would burst through her chest. Why did he have to torture her like this? He got what he wanted. Why wouldn’t he just leave her alone?

  Seth pulled up beside her again and rammed his car into the side of hers. Meagan sped up and changed into the passing lane in front of Seth in an effort to get away from him. He rammed into her from behind again.

  Meagan cried out as she lost control of her car on the wet, slippery pavement. It veered off onto the grass and hit a huge boulder, sending her car flying into the embankment. She felt something slam against her leg as the car flipped over onto its top and skidded across the road. She could hear her cell phone ringing in the distance; it sounded a million miles away.

  She gasped for breath and looked around, making sure she was still alive. “Oh my God,” she said aloud. She could see Seth in his car; he was sitting there staring at her, not a look of remorse on his face. He opened the door and started to walk up to her. Meagan tried to free herself from the car, tried to get up and run, but she was trapped. This is it, she thought. He’s finally going to kill me.

  ***

  Ryder tapped his foot anxiously on the linoleum of the restaurant floor. It wasn’t like Meagan to be late, especially without calling. He found himself starting to worry. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and quickly dialed Meagan’s phone number. It rang a few times before going to her voicemail. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. He couldn’t stand it anymore; he had to go look for her. He stood up, pulling his leather jacket on, and headed out the door.

  Once he turned onto Gable Highway, he didn’t have to go very far before he saw Meagan’s car. It was lying on its top; pieces of metal and glass filled the road as Ryder slammed on his breaks. He jumped out of the car and surveyed the area, looking for anyone else who could be hurt, but he saw no one. “Meagan,” he hollered as he ran over to her wrecked car.

  “Oh, Ryder, thank God!” Meagan cried. Her voice sounded so full of pain when he was used to it sounding so sweet and full of life.

  “What happened?” he exclaimed.

  “Seth ran me off the road. I guess he ran off when you pulled up.” Seth, that was a name he’d become familiar with. According to Meagan, she hadn’t done anything to him and this punk and his posse harassed he
r without end, and he still didn’t know why. The reason why didn’t matter, though, because Meagan didn’t deserve the way she’d been treated. “Ryder!” Meagan called out, her voice sounding weaker. “I don’t feel so…so…”

  Her words trailed off and his heart lurched in fear as he ran over to her, skidding to a stop by her crashed, overturned car. “Are you okay?” Reaching through the broken window, he gently shook her shoulder. “Meagan!”

  Her motionless body dangled in her seat, held in place only by the seat belt. Blood trickled from a cut on her forehead. He noticed several smaller scrapes on her arms, he assumed from the shattered glass. He cupped her face in his hands and tried to look her in the eyes, but they were closed. Raising his voice a little so he’d be louder than the rain he said, “Don’t worry, I’m gonna get you out of here.”

  He frantically made the 911 call and answered the operator’s questions about his location and the number of people involved. The operator told him to try to get her out of the car.

  “Help’s on the way, Meg.” Ryder said. He knew she couldn’t hear him, but it made him feel less helpless to talk to her. He stuck his head in the car to look at what had her leg pinned. The steering column had collapsed on it, jamming her leg between it and the seat. He could see it had cut through her jeans and she was bleeding. He ran to his car and popped the trunk. The rain poured down like crazy. He could hardly see. He reached in his trunk and grabbed the crow bar, then quickly ran back to Meagan. He slid to a stop by her door. Ryder slid the crow bar in between her leg and the steering column, trying to manage that and bracing her at the same time. He pushed down on the crow bar as hard as he could until it popped the steering column off her leg.

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out his pocket knife. When her hands were placed safely on the roof, he cut her seat belt and her body fell from the seat. He heard the sirens in the distance as he looped his arms through hers and pulled her from the car.

  Chapter Twelve: The Morning After

  Meagan’s eyes fluttered open as she slowly came to. Everything was blurry at first. She blinked a few times and let out a small moan as pain shot to her head.

  “Meagan?” She heard her brother’s worried voice. It sounded distant. She turned her head and forced herself to focus. The room came into view. The ugly green and white of the Southport Hospital. She saw her brother sitting by her bedside. She didn’t see her parents, though, then she remembered they were out of town.

  “Hey,” she said hoarsely. She tried to clear her throat. It felt dry and sore. “Water?” He helped her take a drink of water. She instantly felt a little better.

  “I called Mom and Dad. They‘re gonna call you a little later, but they said they‘re more than ready to fly home if you need them to.”

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “You were in an accident.”

  “Seth,” Meagan said.

  Trevor nodded, “A friend of yours found you and got help.”

  “Ryder, that’s right.” It was all starting to come back to her now. “Where is he? Is he all right?”

  “Yeah, he’s been here all night. He went to get some coffee.” Trevor smiled. “He really cares about you.”

  Meagan grinned weakly. “He’s a great guy.”

  “Does he know?” Trevor asked. Meagan shook her head. “You should tell him. There’s no shame in what happened to you; it wasn’t your fault.”

  “It’s not something you just blurt out,” Meagan said.

  Trevor laughed. “No, you start with I have something to tell you.”

  Her big brother had really surprised her these last few days. She thought he would accuse her of lying, or make light of it. But he didn’t. He was totally on her side. “Ya know, I kinda love you,” Meagan said with a smile. She looked passed him when Ryder appeared in the doorway.

  “I kinda love you too, little sis,” Trevor said. He stood. “I’ll let you guys have some time alone.”

  Ryder took a sip from his coffee and handed one to Trevor before he left the room. He sat down in the chair next to her bed. “Your brother’s pretty cool.”

  “Yeah,” she said. She felt the butterflies building in her stomach. “What time is it?”

  “It’s just past six in the morning.” She nodded, and a silence fell upon them. “You really scared me, Meg,” Ryder admitted with an exhale. He reached over to her and took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb against her skin.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

  She looked at his hand clutching hers. “There’s something I have to tell you,” she said, bringing her eyes to meet his. His big brown eyes couldn’t hide the worry he felt, and Meagan could see that. “It’s about Seth…”

  She hesitated. She didn’t know what to say or how to word it. “It’s okay, you can tell me anything.” Ryder must have sensed that she was nervous.

  “He raped me.”

  “What?” he exclaimed. His voice filled with more hurt than anger. His eyes wide, he tightened his grip on her hand. “When?”

  “About six months ago…that’s when all this started. He’s had some kind of…sick obsession with me. I didn’t even know about it, but that’s what he said. He said he did it because I didn’t know him—so I’d remember him.”

  Ryder stood up and took a few steps toward the door, then pivoted and walked back to her. “Seth’s a dead man,” he exclaimed. “I’m gonna make him pay for this.”

  “No, Ryder. It’s over now.”

  He sat down on the bed next to her. She could tell he wasn’t convinced, but he wasn’t going to push it right now. For that, Meagan was thankful. She was still so tired. Ryder pushed her hair away from her face; his fingers lingered for a minute, grazing against her forehead. “You should get some rest,” he said. “I better get to school…but I’ll be back afterwards.”

  Meagan smiled. “You don’t have to.”

  “I want to.” He kissed her on the forehead. “Get some rest. I’ll see you later.”

  She watched him leave. Out of everything that had happened to her lately, Ryder was the only thing that made sense.

  ***

  “You nervous?” Alex’s mom asked when he came down for breakfast.

  “Nervous? Nope, I got this one in the bag,” Alex said as he chugged a glass of orange juice. It was the furthest thing from the truth. Tonight, he either had to injure a guy or put up with his father’s anger for not doing it. He still hadn’t decided what he’d do. He was hoping for some sort of divine intervention.

  His mother flipped the pancake she was cooking and put it on a stack with the others. “Well, I’m glad you’re so confident.”

  “Cocky is more like it,” his father said, coming into the room. “You better be careful with that attitude.”

  Alex sighed. “You grill me for three months about this game, and then when I’m confident about winning it you call me cocky? What will it take to please you?”

  His father grabbed one of the pancakes and took a bite. “Don’t be such a drama queen, son.”

  Alex rolled his eyes. “Bye, Mom, I love you,” he said as he walked out the kitchen door and let it slam behind him.

  ***

  Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Kay poked at a yellowing bruise on her forearm. She found it weird, the different colors bruises turned. If she was lucky, she ended up with the purplish-blue ones. If not, the greenish-yellow bruises appeared. She hated those—they took a week or more to heal and were the most painful. Something needed to give. She couldn’t keep going on like this. Part of her loved her father, the other part hated the very ground he walked on. If her mom knew what was going on, would she put a stop to it? Surely she would. With any luck she’d throw him out with only the clothes on his back.

  Kay’s hands shook as she picked up her cell phone to call her mother. It was time. Time she knew what her husband was really like, and what he did to her while she was gone. She dialed her mother’s number,
but quickly hung up before it had time to ring. Chicken, she thought as she took in a deep breath. She dialed it again and this time let it ring. Once, twice, three times, was she ever gonna answer? At the fifth one, the phone clicked and her mother’s sleepy voice filled the speaker.

  “Hello?” she said.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Kay, honey. It’s really early, is everything okay?” Kay heard a sound like a lamp turning on.

  She paced back and forth in front of her bedroom door. “Yeah…when are you coming home?”

  Her mother sighed and that hurt Kay’s feelings. “I don’t know. I have a difficult client this time. He says all his receipts were lost in a house fire, but there’s no record of any fire. It might take me a little while.”

  “It’s just that Dad—” she started, and then froze when she heard another man’s voice.

  “Are you coming back to bed, baby?” he asked.

  “Mom? Who was that?” Kay asked in shock.

  “That was the TV, honey. I have to go. I’ll call you later.”

  “Mom, wait—” Kay said, but she was cut off by the dial tone. Kay slowly brought the phone down from her ear. It all made sense now. She scoffed in disbelief. Her mother was having an affair. She was having an affair while her husband beat her daughter black and blue. Then a thought occurred to her, churning her stomach and making her feel sicker than ever. Did her mother already know what was going on?

  ***

  Ryder strode into the hallway of Westview High. He wished he hadn’t even come today, that he’d stayed at the hospital with Meagan. He made up his mind that if the day sucked, he would bail and go see her. He saw Shane coming toward him. Man, did he not want to see this guy today. Shane shoved past him. “Dude, watch where you’re going,” Ryder said.

  “Yeah, what are you gonna do about it, hero?” Shane mocked.

  Ryder slung his backpack onto the ground. “Wrong guy, wrong day, man.”