Chapter 14 #2
I wait until it’s off before going back in the room. I find Ella in the bed, under the covers, and slide in beside her.
“Do you need to go?” she asks.
“Not yet.”
She turns and lays her head on my chest, her hand resting on my abs, just above the bruise. I wrap my arm around her, loving the feel of her warm body next to mine.
“I’d rather stay here,” I tell her.
“But you can’t, right? You have to show up at the party?”
“I don’t have to, but I should. It’s a rugby party. The team captain’s supposed to show up.”
“Can I see you tomorrow night?”
“I don’t know. Depends on if my dad will be around.”
“He hates me, doesn’t he?”
“He hates everyone, even me.”
“He doesn’t hate you. He’s your father.”
“Trust me. He hates me.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Let’s talk about something else.”
She adjusts her head on my chest. “I’m freaking out about the accident. I’m worried we’re going to get caught.”
“Worrying about it doesn’t help. It doesn’t change anything.”
“I know, but I can’t help it. Susan thinks they’ll find the person in the next couple weeks. If she’s right, we’ll be spending the rest of senior year in jail.”
“We won’t be in jail. We’ll get out on bail and have our lawyers work a deal with the judge to get us out of this.”
“That might be true for you, and Finn and Parker, but what about me? My dad doesn’t have money for fancy lawyers. The lawyer he uses for his business is his friend from high school.”
“You’ll use my lawyer. I’ll pay for it myself if I have to.”
“Briggs, I’m serious.”
“So am I. If you need a lawyer, I’ll take care of it.”
“Why would you do that? We’re not even really dating. By the time this happens, we could be back to hating each other again.”
“You really think that’s possible?”
She doesn’t answer.
“It’s not gonna happen,” I say.
“It could,” she whispers. “It’s happened before.”
“I didn’t hate you.” I smooth her hair. “I’ve never hated you.”
“You didn’t?” she asks, sounding both confused and surprised.
“Why would I hate you, Ella? You’ve never done anything to me.”
“But I haven’t always been nice to you.”
“You were nicer to me than I deserved.” I take her hand off my stomach and hold it in mine, resting it on my chest. “I didn’t like treating you that way.”
“Then why did you?”
“I’m not sure.” I am, but I don’t want to tell her. It seems stupid when I think about it now.
She yawns. “I’m tired.”
“We can’t fall asleep or I’ll miss the party.”
She sits up. “You should go. It’s already late, and I should get home in case my dad shows up. He said he wouldn’t be out late tonight.”
“Hold on.” I get out of bed and search for my clothes on the floor. I yank my shirt on and put on my jeans.
“What are you doing?” Ella asks.
“Turning on the light,” I say as I turn it on.
“Why didn’t you turn it on before you got dressed?”
“Because if you saw me naked you’d want to do it again and I don’t have time.”
She rolls her eyes, smiling.
I toss her shirt on the bed. “I noticed you forgot your panties.”
“Did I?” she says, pretending to be shocked.
I lean down and give her a kiss. “You can forget them again sometime.”
After she’s dressed, I walk her out to her truck.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” she asks.
“I’m supposed to go to the office with my dad.”
“What time will you be home?”
“I don’t know. Depends on when he lets me leave. I’ll probably be done in the afternoon.”
“So there’s a chance I could come over?”
“If my dad’s not here, then yeah.”
“I just wanted to use your pool, if that’s okay.”
I back her against the truck. “That’s all you wanted to do?” I lean down and kiss her. “Use the pool?”
She looks in my eyes. “You could use it with me if you want.”
“I don’t like to swim.”
“There’s other things we could do.”
I kiss her again, my tongue going past her lips, my body pressing into hers.
I want her again. If I didn’t have this stupid party to go to, I’d take her back to my room.
I’d rather be in bed with Ella’s naked body wrapped around me than be at some stupid party, getting wasted because I’m bored and don’t want to be there.
Ella slowly pulls back. “You should go.”
“Yeah,” I say with a sigh.
She turns and opens her door, then turns back. “I meant to say this earlier, but what you did for Charlotte today? I was impressed.”
I shrug. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“Yeah, you did. You could’ve stood up for someone when there weren’t so many people around. Almost the whole school saw what you did, and whoever wasn’t there heard about it. That was really nice of you to stand up for Charlotte like that.”
“Aubrey was being a bitch, and she’s making Vanessa act just like her.”
Ella smiles. “You just can’t admit you did something nice, can you?”
“When have you known me to be nice? It’s not who I am.”
“It is. You just don’t want people seeing it.” She steps up to me and gives me a kiss. “Goodnight.”
I watch as she gets in the truck and drives off.
What she said about me being nice isn’t true.
I was just doing what I was told to keep myself out of jail.
But I did feel an urge to help Charlotte when I saw what they were doing to her.
It wouldn’t have bothered me a few weeks ago, but now, after spending time with Ella, it made me angry to see Vanessa and Scarlett going after Charlotte like that.
Maybe because I used to do the same shit to Ella.
I ridiculed her in front of everyone, the bigger the crowd, the better.
I wanted everyone to hate her because she had the one thing I didn’t.
It was wrong, but I didn’t realize it back then.
I was driven by rage and jealousy, not caring how my actions would affect her.
Charlotte didn’t deserve what happened to her today.
Aubrey did it because she’s insecure and has to put others down to feel better about herself.
I couldn’t stand by and do nothing as Aubrey made Charlotte the victim of her attack.
So yeah, maybe there’s a part of me that can be nice, but it’s a small part.
I have trouble believing I’m that much different from my father.
The man beats his own son and doesn’t even feel bad about it.
How could I be a good person coming from that?
* * *
Just after ten, I arrive at the party. I’m greeted by my teammates and a massive mug of beer.
“Drink up, Briggs!” Parker says, slurring his words. “You got a long ways to go to catch up.”
I gulp down the beer. “This is shit. What else you got?”
Finn laughs. “Told you he’d say that.”
Jason comes up to me, holding a bottle of bourbon, the expensive kind my dad drinks. “We got this just for you. For winning us the game.”
I take the bottle and take a swig, feeling the warm liquid go down my throat.
The guys cheer, “Drink! Drink! Drink!”
This isn’t the kind of drink you chug down, but I take another swig, hoping it’ll take my mind off the accident, and the cops finding out, and my asshole father, who I have to spend all day with tomorrow.
“You got some girls waiting for you,” Parker says, nodding towards the other side of the room. Half the cheerleading team is standing there, still wearing their uniforms, looking at me with drunk smiles.
“Yeah, I don’t think so.”
“What the fuck? You don’t want that?” He points to the girls.
“Not tonight. I’m sore from the game.”
“Who the hell cares? You can’t pass this up. This never happens. Two girls? Sure. Maybe even three, but half the cheerleading team? You’ll never get a chance like this again.”
“I said I’m not interested.” I push past him and make my way through the room.
People are yelling my name, cheering for me, congratulating me.
Weeks ago, I would’ve been loving this, but now I don’t even care.
I’d rather be back in my bed with Ella in my arms. That’s what would make me happy right now, not this.
After an hour, I’m sick of being here and want to leave. I go out to the back porch to get a break from all the people. I hear someone talking and look back and see Parker and Finn coming out the door.
“We’ve been looking all over for you,” Parker says. “What are you doing out here?”
“I needed some air.”
Parker and Finn come up beside me.
“Did you see it?” Parker asks.
“See what?”
“The asshole texted us again,” Finn says.
“Fuck. What now?” I get out my phone and see the text.
It reads, Finn and Parker, you just can’t do what you’re told.
Too bad for Briggs. If only he had friends he could count on.
Game over. You lose. When will I go to the police?
You’ll have to wait to find out. I want you to agonize over when it might happen, fearing each new day, hoping I’ll leave you alone, but knowing I could come after you at any moment.
It’s the way your victims live. Every day, fearing what you might do to them.
Now the tables have turned. You’ll see what it’s like.
You’ll feel the pain you inflict. Will tomorrow be the day?
Or will it be Monday? Or Tuesday? Only I know the answer.