Chapter 19
The Meeting
Brody McDougall has balls the size of watermelons. You heard it here first. We all know by now how Axel feels about Scarlett, and he keeps butting into their relationship. Click below for the on-the-scene pictures from tonight's argument.
Scarlett
Trying to reach Axel before he gets to Brody proves futile. Grabbing his arm soothes the ticking in his jaw but doesn't de-escalate the situation at all. Brody takes a step back outside with his hands up. Axel follows him out, not quite in his face, but close. “Why are you here, McFucker?”
Closing my eyes and pressing my lips together because I know this isn't going to end well. Brody is extremely book smart, but apparently, he has the common sense God gave a turnip. “I'm not here to see you, asshole. I'm here to see her. Scarlett, can we have a moment alone, please?”
Axel gets in his face now. “Nope.”
Brody doesn't back down. “Fine. I want to shout it from the rooftops anyway. Scarlett, forgive my stupidity. I didn't see you for the prize you were. He can't treat you the way I will. Please, come with me.”
My eyes almost bug out of my head. Axel turns to look at me, but my gaze is on Brody, and I shake my head at him. “You had your chance. We'll always be friends, but I'm with Axel now.”
Brody's face falls. “If I could just get you alone to explain everything, you would feel differently.”
Rubbing Axel's arm, I get in between them. Brody doesn't know this simple act of kindness spared his life. “Anything you say to me can be said in front of Axel.”
Brody's barely contained annoyance turns to anger in an instant. “What happened to you, Scarlett? You're not the same girl. Axels turned you into his lapdog. He doesn't care about you.”
Axel pushes me behind him, but I put myself back in front and center. Has he always been this condescending? “Me? You mean, what the hell is wrong with you? You're just mad Ax saw me when you didn't.”
“That's right, McJackass, you lost the best thing that will never happen to you, and don't you fucking ever talk to her like that again.” Axel fumes behind me.
Brody looks away in disgust. Axel gets in front of me and punches him in the mouth. Blood oozes from his busted lip while he looks at me with hatred. “Fuck you, Axel. You'll regret this.”
Axel puts his arm around me. “The only thing you should regret is letting this one get away.”
My insides melt at his sweet words, and to think that I ever wanted anything to do with Brody McDougall is a travesty. Axel sees me, and I hug him, my way of saying thank you, because those words are too hard to voice. Brody really is a McJackass.
My phone pings with a message from my informant.
She's sketched out and wants to move the meeting up.
Axel takes my hand, and we say our goodbyes.
We arrive at my editorial office and wait.
He gets on a computer to do homework, and I do the same on mine.
A knock sounds outside, making me almost jump out of my skin.
Axel laughs at me, goes into Brad's office, and closes the door quietly behind him.
This is my first confidential meeting since becoming the editor, which is a big flipping deal.
Hopefully, this will pan out and be a big story for us.
“Come in.” I nervously say.
A cute girl with orange-red hair and freckles walks into the room.
Shaking her hand, I pull a chair out for her to sit in.
She's nervous, her skin pale with dark circles under her eyes, making my heart ache for this girl.
Something terrible has happened to her. “Let me start by saying thank you for taking this meeting.
I've told my story to the school, and nobody wants to help me.” A tear slipped down her sunken face.
“I don't expect you to be different, but I thought I needed to try.
You're my last hope. Jenson Wright raped me on Halloween night last fall.”
Bile rises up my throat. My face gives nothing away, but the nauseousness overtakes my body. “I'm sorry that happened to you. What should I call you?”
“I'm going to give you my real name because I'm tired of hiding the fact that I was hurt. My name is London Jameson.” She smiles cruelly, the kind that only someone who's been through something can do. I shake her hand and introduce myself. All I want to do is hug her.
“London, I'm sorry to ask this, but I need details, any information you can give me. I believe you, but a thorough investigation must be done.”
She looks at me with disbelief. “You're serious?”
“Of course. I will help in any capacity that I can.”
“Scarlett, you need to know that your life could be in danger after I tell you my story.” There's nothing like your life possibly being in danger to get the heart rate up.
“I don't care. Your story needs to be told. I'll take my chances. May I record or film this?” My palms turn sweaty.
“Either is fine.” She takes a deep breath and begins.
“Jenson was in my English 1102 class last fall. He was sweet and attentive, always flirting, but never asked me for a date. Then, the weekend before the big Halloween party, he did. I was on cloud nine because he had finally noticed me.” Tears trickle down her face.
My own eyes are watering in response. “He picked me up early and we even had a couple of themed costumes. He was the Joker, and I was Harley Quinn. His cousin Brody McDougall rode with us.” The mention of Brody made the hairs on my neck stand up.
“He had just broken up with Melanie, and Jenson didn't want him to be alone, so I didn't mind.
Brody's always been so nice to me. We made it to the party around ten or so, then we started drinking, and I was having a good time. A couple of hours later, my head began pounding, and I asked Jenson to please take me home. He refused, so I ask Brody to call me an Uber. Jenson was pissed but was able to reign it in quickly. He quickly turned sweet and then took me upstairs so that I could lie down. I fell asleep almost instantly. The remainder of the night, I only saw bits and pieces of what happened, but I told him no several times. There was one other person in the room besides Jenson. The other person never touched me, just watched.”
Her voice becomes thick with emotion. The horror she must be reliving telling this story is almost too much for her, but she pulls all her strength together and continues.
“The asshole violated me, Scarlett. He violated my body, and I couldn't stop him. I begged, cried, and even pleaded. When my mind and mouth worked, it was almost like my body was paralyzed. After the assault, they took me home, and Jenson called me a whore while Brody laughed. Then they discarded me like trash.”
London starts crying, and all I can do is hold her.
She's as fragile as delicate glass in my arms, the whites of her eyes a crimson red.
It's not right that popular rich guys like him are allowed to do shit like this and then walk away without consequences.
I've never liked Jenson, and I always thought he was a douchebag with too much money.
My mind is reeling though at the mention of Brody.
“London, I will do everything I can to help you.
I don't know what that looks like right now. Is there anybody that can corroborate your story?”
London sniffles into the tissue that I gave her. “People saw us together that night, but nobody will go up against Jenson. My roommate saw him drop me off, but that's another dead end because I don't want her involved.”
There has to be something that ties them to her. “Are there cameras in the baseball house?”
“I don't know.” She answers quietly.
“Is it okay if I bring in Brad? He's my tech wizard, and he'll be able to find out if there's any type of surveillance there.” Fingers crossed that she agrees.
“Honestly, my days of keeping my mouth closed are over with. I will speak my truth, and to hell with whoever doesn't like that.” The spark in her eyes has returned.
“Do you know of anybody else that would want to get in contact with me, maybe another victim? I can't imagine he hasn't done this before.” Or maybe I'm grasping at straws, but I want to help.
“I haven't heard about anyone else, but this is the first time I've approached another student. Only the Dean and the baseball coach know. Nobody else, not my friends, not my parents, only the three of you and of course, the asshole Jenson and the other guy in the room.” She shivers as she gets lost in her turbulent thoughts.
I bite my cheek because I don't want to ask this next question, but it needs to be asked anyway. “London, do you think the other guy was Brody?”
“I've gone back and forth on that Scarlet, but the more I think about it, the more confused I get. They wore masks, but Jenson took his off at the end. That's how I know without a shadow of a doubt that he was the one that raped me.” Her doe-like eyes look at me with hope.
I contemplate this new information. Until tonight, Brody's been nothing but lovely to me. Gentle even. Could he be capable of such malice? I don't know. “What kind of masks did they wear?”
London swallows hard. “Jenson wore a Thor mask, and the other guy had on a Loki one.”
Chills run up and down my spine. Jenson's nickname is Thor because he hits so many home runs, and it's said to sound like thunder coming down from the sky when he does.
That is creepy as hell. “You were obviously drugged, London. In the bits and pieces that you remember, did the other figure talk? Did Jenson say anything?”
She nods her head. “Jenson never said a word during the act. But afterward, he said only three words to me as he caressed my cheek. 'Our whore forever'.”
Well, damn. Just when I didn't think it could get creepier. “Because of your warning to me at the beginning, I think it's safe to assume that you've been threatened. How so?”
She sighs. “Jenson rides up and down my street every day.
He's parked behind my car so that I can't move before also.
Brody is even with him sometimes, and I don't know if Brody was the other person or not, but he sure as hell knows what happened to me. I believe that. Why else would he ride with him down my street?”
London has a point. She opens up her book bag and starts taking out papers. “I have no proof, but I believe that Jenson has put these on my car. Death threats for if I tell anybody else.”
I comb through all the papers. They are letters, and each one starts with our little whore.
They aren't very long and only about a paragraph or so in length, but each one has a threat of what he'll do to her if she tells anybody else.
There are even a couple of pictures of her sleeping in bed, one from the night of the party.
“They are sick son of a bitches. Who handed you your drinks that night?”
She gives me the names without any contemplation.
“Brody and Jenson.” My mind is so done in with all this evidence and information.
I asked her if it was possible for me to keep all the letters so that I could go through them more thoroughly later.
She agrees, and when she stands to leave, I hug her as she walks out the door.
Her rapist may never be brought to justice, but hopefully, she knows that I'll do everything in my power to help.
At least we can make his life a living hell.
London has someone in her corner now. A person who believes her, and she won't ever have to go through this alone again.
Axel walks out with a disgusted look on his face. “Say the word, Scarlett, and Jenson won't ever be heard from again.”
I shutter. Axel doesn't make idle threats. I believe he would do what he says but my lips stay silent.