The Newcomer (Thunder Point)

by Robyn Carr

  “I know. I do know how you feel,” she said.

  “I suppose you have similar issues with Ashley’s father,” he said.

  “Not so much, no. He was the new kid in town for a year or so, dropped out of high school but we hung around the football games and beach parties, and when I told him I was pregnant, he ran for his life. I don’t know if he was running from the responsibility or the fact that I was fifteen and he was eighteen—it could’ve been that. But I was thinking of my own father. He left us when I was five. They never got divorced, but five years later he died and guess what? He had a new family—and a will. He didn’t leave us any of his insurance money or pension—signed it all over to his new family even though my mom was the official widow. Now, how do you get past that? Maybe that had something to do with my own teenage issues, huh? Maybe I had abandonment issues?”

  “See, that’s what scares me more than anything—Eve being like her mother. Ryan being as stupid as his father….”

  “It was a hard day for you today,” she said. “Revisiting the past is always so scary.”

  “I’ll tell you something, Gina,” Mac said, pulling her closer. “It would have been a lot worse if I didn’t have you. Here I was, so freaking scared to get involved again because of what happened in the past, yet today I found out what it means to have a solid relationship when the shit hits the fan. I told them today. I told the family. I told them about us. Eve was a little panicked, asked if I was going to let her mother come back and it just came out—I said their mother left our marriage a very long time ago and I love Gina. There’s no coming back, there’s only moving forward.”

  She leaned against him. “God,” she whispered. “Being in love with you can be stressful.”

  “Not being in love with you can be more stressful. If we ever get our families under control, we’re going away. Just for a weekend, maybe, but away.”

  “They’ll all know we’re having sex,” she said.

  “Well, what the hell! They’ve all been having sex!”

  “Not all of them,” she said with a laugh. “In fact, I think Lou’s the only one in that boat at the moment.”

  “I don’t think Eve is there yet—Lou promised me she’s got that covered. Eve’s more comfortable talking to her about that part of her life. And Ashley’s in a bad place right now, but she’ll recover and move on and…I don’t care, Gina—I don’t know how we can blend these two crazy families into one circus yet, but we deserve a little break. Don’t you think?”

  She kissed his cheek. “Yes, I think so. Maybe when Ash is better and the most beautiful woman in the world has left town.”

  “The most stupid woman in the world is more like it,” he said. “She doesn’t seem to understand how much advantage she would have if she took things slow. A few cards, phone calls, maybe a lunch or trip to a pizza parlor before she sics the lawyer on us.” He shook his head. “She might come up against their anger and find out she’s not snuggling up to some precious little babies who long for her. She’s facing off with some kids who were dumped on a very hurt, very angry father—and they’re not willing to suffer fools gladly. They might rip her apart. A part of me hopes they would.”

  He put down his beer and pulled her into his arms, covering her mouth in a deep kiss. “Never be afraid again, Gina. Don’t be afraid of some mean woman just because she has a good haircut and fancy clothes.”

  “Okay,” she whispered. “We’ve had such a hard time getting this romance off the ground….”

  “Patience,” he said.

  Just then Gina’s cell phone rang. She picked it up and saw that it was Ashley calling from inside the house. “Hi, Ash,” she said.

  “Where are you?” her daughter asked through tears.

  “I’m on the front porch, having a beer with Mac. Is something wrong?”

  “I need you! Now!”

  “Hmm,” Gina said to her lover. “My daughter, calling from her bedroom, having another meltdown.”

  “This happen a lot?” he asked.

  “Lately? Regularly. Want to wait for me?”

  “I do want to wait, but I should go home, scrape poor old Lou off the floor and pour her into bed. Her worst nightmare came to town today—by now she’s probably drunk. I’ll call you in the morning.”

  “I’d like that. And listen, thank you.”

  “For?”

  “Two bottles of beer and a little reinforcement. I love you, too.”

  He kissed her again. “We got the shaft,” he said. “We got together when our baggage was so heavy. I’m going to make this up to you somehow.”

  “No, don’t worry. This is good. I like you this way. Once I got over the first guy, I got really hot for responsible men.”

  “Are you sure that’s sexy?” he asked with a smile.

  “I am so sure.”

  *

  Gina went into Ashley’s room and saw her sitting cross-legged on the bed, her laptop perched on her knees, her phone clutched in her hand, tears streaming down her red face. “Mom!” she shrieked, holding the phone toward her.

  Gina looked at the text message including photo and there was her daughter, eyes seductive slits, mouth open in a very sexy pose, breasts bared. For a moment she was completely confused. The message read, Say hi to Downy’s ex psycho slut.

  Huh?

  “Her! It’s her! Downy’s new girlfriend! She sent it out to everyone in Downy’s phone directory! Oh, my God!”

  “Ashley?” Gina asked, still not believing.

  “It’s fake, Mom,” she sobbed. “I would never let anyone take a picture of my boobs! Those aren’t my boobs! Oh, God.”

  Gina felt her knees go weak. She sank onto the bed, staring at the grotesque photo on the phone.

  “And on Facebook! She put it on Facebook! I saw it because she’s Downy’s friend and Downy’s my friend! Oh, God, people are going to think it’s me—that I posed for that picture and sent it to Downy or something. Oh Mom, I’ve never been so…embarrassed!”

  “Why is she doing this?” Gina asked. “Ashley, have you been calling and texting Downy a lot?”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “Not in a long time. Not since I started counseling and group. I agreed to stop reaching out to him. Why is she doing this to me?”

  “Listen, I’m not up on this internet stuff like I should be—but isn’t this against the law? Isn’t it harassment or something?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think anyone ever gets caught. Not really.”

  “Have you called Downy? Could he have done this?”

  “And called me ‘Downy’s ex psycho slut’? Wouldn’t he have said ‘My ex psycho’?”

  “Ashley, this is almost the nastiest, meanest thing I’ve ever seen. Can Downy really be okay with this? Have you called him?”

  “He won’t take my calls. I called Landon. He’d already seen it—that’s how fast this stuff moves. It came over his texts. He said he’s going to call Downy and tell him to shut it down. But Mom, it’s too late!”

  “Listen, listen. You just laugh if you can and say, no one in their right mind would ever believe that’s me. Like those are my boobs? Gimme a break! His new girlfriend is obviously very threatened and has gone to a lot of trouble to try to make me look bad! Can you do that, Ash? Because it’s not you! It’s not! It’s her!”

  Ashley looked straight at Gina, tears pouring down her cheeks. “If you think I’m ever going to school again, you’re crazy,” she said in a whisper.

  *

  Landon called Downy the minute he hung up from talking to Eve. Downy answered, “Dupre! ’Sup, man?”

  “You really have to ask, Downy?” Landon countered. “Ashley’s pretty much destroyed! What the hell, Downy?”

  “Aw, I didn’t do that. That was Selena, just screwing around, that’s all.”

  “That’s all? She sent it to everyone! Everyone on your phone directory and posted it on Facebook! A picture of Ashley looking like she just had the sex of he
r life, her naked boobs hanging out!”

  “Yeah, my mother got that,” Downy said. “I had to tell her it was a practical joke—that someone on the team did it. I texted everyone and said it was just a bad joke and I didn’t do it.”

  “Right. And before anyone got that text, I’m sure they forwarded the picture to everyone they knew….”

  “But man, it wasn’t me! And Selena said she’s sorry. So tell Ash, we’re sorry.”

  “We’re sorry?”

  “Yeah, see, we had a little fight. She wanted me to get all my old pictures of Ash off my phone and I just didn’t do it fast enough and it pissed her off and… Listen, it’s no big deal. Everyone knows it’s just a crank, it’s not real….”

  “Are you brain-dead?” Landon said. “Jesus, Downy, you’re killing the girl! As it is, Deputy McCain saw it when Eve asked him if it was against the law, if it was something you could be sued for! I think he’s gonna call your dean, your coach!”

  “Aw, man, why’d you do that? Why’d you show him that?”

  “Because if you’d done that to Eve, I’d be on my way up there to beat the shit outta you, you stupid asshole!”

  “Why would I do that to Eve?” Downy asked. “I didn’t even do it to Ashley! But come on, I told her we broke up and she wouldn’t let it go and Selena—she doesn’t like seeing another girl on my phone, you know? But she’s over it and she said she won’t do it again.”

  Landon was stunned quiet. “Let me see if I have this right,” he finally said. “You asked Ash to go with you, right? To be your steady girl. To take off her clothes for you, to do private things with you, and you promised to respect her. Promised to take her to her prom, promised to be faithful, said you loved her, and now because you fucked some girl at State, now you want her to just go away quietly?”

  “I woudn’t’ve put it exactly like that, but I guess that’s sort of right. Look, we grew apart….”

  “Grew apart? One week you spend nine hours on the phone with her and the next week you grew apart?”

  “Dupre! Back off. It didn’t work, okay? And it’s not that big a deal—everyone knows that picture was doctored! Everyone knows it’s not real! Lighten the fuck up!”

  Landon just shook his head. “I don’t believe you,” he said. “You know what you are, Downy? You’re a prick, that’s what you are. A stupid prick with his brain in his dick. I hope Selena dumps your sorry ass!”

  Landon hung up. Then he called Eve. He could hear the tears in her voice when she answered, but this was not just about Ashley. She was having her own terrible day—her long-lost mother had suddenly reappeared and she was struggling with that.

  “Hey, babe,” he said. “Look, I know you’re not in good shape right now, but would you do something for me? Would you show your dad that picture, tell him Downy admits it’s faked and ask him if there’s anything he can do? Like, I don’t know…I suppose life in prison is a little harsh… Could he call the dean or the coach or something…? Because Downy’s girlfriend got her hands on his phone and did that. And that is just wrong.”

  “You talked to Downy?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” he said, his voice full of disgust. “He said it was no big deal and Selena did it, but she said she wouldn’t do that again.”

  “Oh, that’s comforting,” Eve said. “I’ve been calling Ashley. She won’t even answer my call,” Eve said. “Oh, Landon, I think everything is falling apart all over the place.”

  “Just ask your dad, okay? That’s all. He’s probably going to say it’s just one of those ugly things, but ask, anyway, okay?”

  “I’ll ask. But don’t get your hopes up. I’ve seen this stuff happen before. Really mean stuff. And no one ever does anything.”

  “I know,” he said. Because Landon had seen it before, too. If he’d done something like that and the school called his sister, she’d tie him up and work him over with a baseball bat. Sarah didn’t stand for that kind of nasty stuff. “You doing okay, baby?”

  “Oh, you know. I’m a little shook up, can’t decide if I’m going to throw things at my mother or hug her.”

  “What’s in between?” he asked her.

  “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. A little coffee talk? ‘So, how’ve you been? What kind of interesting things have you been up to for ten years while I was growing up?’”

  He laughed in spite of himself. “Have I told you lately how awesome you are?”

  “You can tell me again if you want,” she said. “Listen, would you do something for me? I’m kind of caught up in the mother drama here—everyone in the family is all upside down. Will you help me try to take care of Ash? Because this has got to be like the worst thing that’s ever happened to her and I don’t know what to do.”

  “I’ll check on her,” he said. “She asked me to call Downy so maybe she’ll take my call. I just don’t want to tell her what he said. I’ll tell her about your mom, tell her you’re worried about her.”

  “Thanks. Landon, you’re awesome, too. And I always loved Downy…I never would’ve believed he’d let something like this happen.”

  “Me, either. I don’t know what he’s smokin’.”

  *

  Gina thought it was reasonable to allow Ashley to stay home from school the day after the sexting incident, but it was difficult to bear. It was as if they were back at square one, if not worse. She’d slept or sobbed on and off all day. Gina went home from the diner several times during the day to check on her and found no improvement.

  So Gina took Ashley’s phone, turned it off and slipped it into her apron pocket. This was a very bad time for her daughter to be making or taking calls. She could hardly blame her—it was tempting even to Gina to check the phone for inbound calls. But she resisted.

  She had not confiscated the laptop. When she got home from work that day she asked Ashley if the Facebook debacle had been dealt with.

  “The picture was taken down,” she said morosely. “But there’s lots of talk—people arguing back and forth about whether it was faked by a mean girl or the real deal…my desperate attempt to lure Downy back. I threw up four times today.”

  Gina sat down on the edge of the bed. “We have to pull it together, Ash. The sooner you face it, the sooner it will fade away.”

  “You’re kidding, right? I’m never facing this. Never! It’s just too cruel!”

  Gina gave her a second day to sulk and work it like a hangnail because the following day was her group therapy. Gina had high hopes for that group. Before leaving Ashley in bed, she returned the phone. When she got home to check on her, she found the phone on the kitchen table, shattered to bits. Beside the wreckage was a hammer.

  In a panic, Gina ran to Ashley’s bedroom. “What happened?” she asked. With a hand on her shoulder, she rolled her daughter onto her back. “Ashley, what happened?”

  “I turned it on,” she said on a sob. “There were so many messages, the mailbox was full. I listened to about four and they were mean. ‘You’re a slut, Ashley! You’ll never get him back, Ashley—not even with your pathetic tits!’ There was even a guy—I don’t know who—who called me a whore.” She rolled back and sobbed.

  “All right, you have to get up,” Gina said. “You’ll share this in your group, get some advice. Kids go through terrible bullying ordeals and survive. Not just survive but get stronger. Look what happened to Landon last fall, getting beat up by the likes of Jag Morrison! You have to stand up to this, Ash!”

  Ashley rolled back. Her eyes were so red they were nearly crusty. Her whole face was swollen. “If you think I’m ever going anywhere, you’re crazy. I just want to die!”

  “No, Ash. You have to fight back!”

  “No! There are too many of them!”

  “You have Eve, Landon and your friends!”

  “I can’t even see them in the crowd!” Ashley whimpered. And then she pulled the covers over her head.

  Gina left Ashley’s bedroom because she was beginning to shake. She didn’t
know how to pull her girl out of this. She went to the kitchen and wondered who to call. Carrie? The useless Mrs. Downy? Finally, desperate, she got out her phone and dialed up the counselor, where she was forced to leave a message, which she left in low tones. “Mrs. Ross, it’s Gina James and I have a crisis—Ashley has been dealt another terrible blow. Her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend used Photoshop to create a naked picture of Ashley and texted it to the boy’s entire directory and launched it on Facebook. Ashley has been sobbing for over two days, refuses to get out of bed and I found she smashed her phone with a hammer. She says she wants to die. I don’t know what to do. Please help.” And she left her number, which Simone Ross undoubtedly already had.

  Then she sat at the table, where she was determined to wait for a return call, no matter how long it took.

  Tears ran down her cheeks. She’d read about teen suicide and wondered if those kids had said to their parents, “I just want to die!” Young girls harassed on social media sites or in chat rooms, escaping the pain through self-destruction? Young boys picked on so relentlessly they felt they couldn’t go on? Who put a stop to it all? Who intervened before it was too late?

  The phone finally rang and she saw it was Simone Ross.

  “I want you to bring her in,” Simone said. “I’ll see her in my office in one hour.”

  “What if she doesn’t want to?” Gina asked.

  “Bring her. Get help if you need help, but bring her. Let’s not play around with this. She’s had a bad experience, is experiencing feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness and I don’t want it to escalate.”

  And so that’s what Gina did. She told Ashley she was taking her to the counselor and when Ashley refused, Gina threatened to call Mac to help get her in the car. And Gina reluctantly watched as Ashley threw on a wrinkled and smelly sweat suit from the bottom of the laundry pile. She just wanted her in the car; she wasn’t going to fuss about her wild hair, her sloppy appearance, nothing.