A couple of hours later, I’m walking into the C&C building. I feel pretty good, both physically and mentally. The elevator takes me to the Foundation floor instead of the basement where I had requested to go. If I’m going up, there’s a reason for it, so I shrug and wave at the camera on the ceiling.
I know it’s not a classroom I’m being summoned to, so I walk into the Foundation lobby once the doors open. “Reina’s expecting you,” Alex tells me with a smile.
“Thanks.”
The doors are opening as I approach Reina’s office, and I’m not completely surprised to see Audrey inside with Reina. They must have some information they think I need to know, but I am surprised that not even one of the other women are getting this info. Maybe the mentors know, but I get an odd feeling that I’m first, and from the grim looks on their faces, I don’t think it’s good.
“Please sit down, Jen,” Reina says, the pity in her eyes making me drop into the chair a little harder than I normally would.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“The test results have come back,” Audrey tells me.
“Why aren’t we happy then. Wayne has to be cleared.” He has to be.
“The tests confirm that the semen found on the victim is Wayne’s.”
“No. He didn’t do this.”
“We ran it twice. There is a 99.4% match. It’s his semen.”
“He wouldn’t rape anyone.”
“We don’t want to believe it either, but the evidence it there, Jen,” Audrey says. “I’m sorry.”
“I-I don’t know what to do. What do I do?”
“Only you can decide that.”
“I need to go.”
“I understand. We’re going to call everyone else together, and tell them. You do what you need to do,” Reina says.
“What if I need to stay with him?”
“I’ll ask you to take a leave until the trial is over. I won’t kick you out, but I can’t have you seen here while you’re with Wayne.”
“I understand. I need to think. I can’t process this right now.”
“Do you need someone to drive you home? To the house, or your apartment?”
“No. I can do it. Thank you, though.”
I walk out of there, but I don’t know how I get back home. I honestly don’t remember the drive, because I’m dying inside. I need Wayne to have an explanation, and answer to how he could do that. All I can think about is last night, and how he didn’t stop. He said he’d never done that, but was he lying? Or was Sonia already unconscious when he has sex with her? Sodomized her? He’s never even asked me for that. Why would he do that to someone else, if he wasn’t asking me to do it? None of this makes sense.
I feel like my feet are dragging as I reach the door. Once inside, I see Wayne on the couch, his guitar in his hand, and a pencil in his mouth. He’s got on swim trunks and nothing else. This could be my life, this should be my life. Coming home after work to see the man I love composing songs I know he’ll sing to me later.
“Jeny? Did you forget something?”
I look up and meet his eyes. “Why did you rape her?”
Wayne
Did she just ask me what I think she did? And in a tone that sounded like she’s sure I did it? “I didn’t.”
“The evidence says you did. The semen is yours.”
“No. That’s impossible!”
“Audrey ran it twice.”
“Have her run it again. There’s no way it’s a match.”
“It is, Wayne.”
“So now you just believe I did it? You believe I’m a monster? Is this because of last night?”
“I don’t know what to believe, and yes, last night is a part of it.”
“Get out,” I tell her, keeping my voice calm. Dead calm. Icy calm. Just fucking calm.
“You’re not going to even try to explain?”
“I have nothing to explain, and just the fact that you think I do means I don’t know you at all.”
“I’m trying to understand, Wayne. I love you, and I don’t want us to break up, but I need to understand.”
“Understand that it’s over between us. I don’t care whether you want it, or not. You need to walk out that door right now, and don’t ever come near me again.”
“Don’t do this.”
“Do what? Be pissed that a woman who says she loves me thinks I could rape someone? Just because I misconstrued something she said?”
“I’m here, so please stop talking about me in the third person.”
“Tegan wouldn’t do this to me. Alesha, either. They believe in me.”
Her mouth drops open, but then she just shakes her head. “I’ll have someone come by for my things. Do I need to call ahead to make sure you’re not fucking your lawyer?”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”
I see her tears, and they slice me in two. I don’t stop her as she walks out, though. I don’t do or say a damn thing. I know I hurt her, but she hurt me too. I don’t know how my DNA matches the semen from Sonia’s body, but I know I didn’t rape her. Jenysis should know that, too. I can’t be with someone who doesn’t believe in me, not matter how much this hurts.
I pull out my phone and call Alesha. “We have a problem,” I tell her, asking her to come over as soon as possible. I’m not going to fuck her, but I need her here, because while the police labs are slower than the Society ones, they’re going to know soon. Know that for some crazy reason, all of the evidence is pointing towards me.
Jenysis
I remember my drive this time. Every bump in the road, every stoplight, every song on the radio, everything. I arrive at the C&C apartments, and make myself smile at the guards who say they missed me. My sunglasses hide my swollen eyes, and if I can just make it up to my apartment, no one will know my world just imploded.
I get to my door, and walk in to find Tegan waiting for me. “I was hoping you wouldn’t need me,” she says, rushing to me as I fall to my knees.
“He hates me.”
“What?”
“I told him about the results, and asked him to explain. He told me to get out. He told me…he said you wouldn’t have doubted him. Alesha either.”
“He was lashing out because he was hurt. You know he loves you.”
“No. He said he might be fucking Alesha when I send someone for my things.”
“I’ll talk to him.”
She doesn’t say he won’t do it, because we both know she can’t promise that. He slept around before me, and there’s no reason to think he won’t do the same after me. “No, don’t. At least not about me.”
“There has to be something else going on here, Jen.”
“I want to believe that.”
“Ainsley and Scott think they’ll have the footage later today. We’re missing something. I don’t know what, but I can’t believe he did this.”
“Me either. I shouldn’t have confronted him.”
“You did what you needed to, so don’t ever apologize for that. This was a shock to all of us.”
“I want to still help. If we’re missing something, I want to help find it. Even if we’re not together, I still love him.”
“I know. If the footage shows that there’s even a chance he’s innocent, we’ll need that help.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“Let’s just hope that it does.”
“Thanks for being here, Teeg.”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
Wayne
Alesha has come and gone already. Once I told her what the Society found, she raced back out, saying she needed to see Reina. I don’t know if she’ll get that meeting, but I wasn’t about to stop her. I just want to be alone with my beer, and my guitar.
I jump when I hear the front door slam open, but the three beers I’ve downed in the last half hour have slowed my thoughts, and it takes me a minute to realize I might be in danger. I start to stand when I see Tegan in the doorway. Thank God, because I am in no condition to
defend myself even when I’m not buzzing.
“You scared me, Teeg.”
“Is your fuck buddy here? I didn’t call ahead.”
“You think I did it too, huh? That’s just perfect.”
“No, I do not think you did it. Jen doesn’t, either.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
“Are you done with the pity party yet, or should I just go grab her stuff, and be on my way?”
“No way you can take it all yourself.”
“Cal will be here in a half hour.”
“Would you believe he raped someone, even if the evidence said he did?”
“I would like to say no, but I’m not in that situation right now, so I don’t know.”
“You know. You would never believe he did it.”
“Your DNA is a match, Wayne. She wants to believe you, but you have to understand why she has doubts.”
“I wouldn’t doubt her.”
“You already have. You’re still doing it. You’re doubting her love and commitment to you.”
“Maybe I am, but what else am I supposed to do?”
“Not tell her you’re going to be fucking other women.”
“I’ll admit that was wrong, but I was hurting. I’m not going to sleep with anyone else right now.”
“I told her that.”
“I swear I didn’t rape Sonia. I don’t know how my semen got there, if it’s really mine, but I didn’t do it.”
“It’s not over yet, Wayne. We have time to look for anything we might have missed.”
“Will you take care of her for me? I can’t see her right now, but I need to know she’s taken care of.”
“You don’t need to ask me that. She’s Society, and we’ll all take care of her. There’s no question of that.”
14
Jenysis
I made it through the night. Yes, it was with the help of some sleeping pills Audrey brought over, but I’m still counting it as a semi-win. Today is a new day, and I hurry to get ready once I get the text saying Ainsley and Scott have done it. They have the video footage from the hotel.
Deciding to be comfortable, I throw on a sleeveless white jumpsuit with polka dots all over it. My hair is still wet, but I leave it down, knowing I can comb it out when I get to work. I practically run down to my car, and make my way to C&C.
I’m not the first, or the last, to arrive at the large conference room, but I know I’m the most nervous. My heart is still broken, but my mind is clear and ready for whatever I may see. If I keep telling myself that, maybe I’ll believe it.
“How are you holding up?” Stella asks, taking a seat next to me. Tegan squeezes my shoulder before sitting on my other side.
“Whatever Audrey gave me, knocked me out, so I slept.”
“Yeah, you were sleeping when Cal and I came back with your stuff.”
“Thanks for that, Teeg. Was Alesha there?” I don’t want to ask, but I have to know.
“No. He’s not going to sleep with her, or anyone else. He told me that.”
“Oh. I mean, it’s none of my business.”
“It’s totally your business,” Stella says.
“He broke up with me.”
“I refuse to believe that’s anything more than temporary.”
“We’ll see.”
Scott and Ainsley walk in, smiles on their faces. Everyone takes their seats, and looks to the screens behind them as they come to life. I expected them to speak, but instead, they move aside and let us watch.
First, we see Wayne enter the hotel. His first stop is the bar, where we see him take a picture with Sonia, and then talk to the bartender. He is indeed mobbed by the elevators, and loses his hat. He goes into his room, and a little over an hour later, he leaves it. He goes to dinner like he said he did. The fans start to notice him, and he leaves. He’s seen looking into the bar, and going back to his room.
Next, we watch as the bartender gives Sonia water. She shakes her head, but then he says something to her that I can see includes the word “Wayne” and she smiles. The next footage is from her going to her room. We see her walk to the elevator, get on and off, and go into her room. She looks shaky, but not nearly as bad as when Wayne saw her.
Finally, we see a man in Wayne’s hat, with sunglasses on, and a small paper lunch bag in his hand, use a keycard to open Sonia’s door. I immediately know it’s not Wayne. The next timestamp is two hours later. The door opens, and Stella jumps from her seat. “Son of a bitch! I’ll kill him!”
“Just wait,” Ainsley tells her.
The time goes back as we watch Storyside’s former fourth member use another keycard—or maybe the same one—to enter Wayne’s room. Chad’s in there for a few minutes, and comes out holding a paper bag. One that looks exactly like the bag he took into Sonia’s room, but left without.
Reina moves to the front of the room to address us all. “As you can see, Chad is back, and apparently decided it was Wayne’s turn to be the victim of his illegal acts. We believe Sonia was just in the wrong place at the right time. Wayne’s semen was found on Sonia’s body, as you all know, but now we have to wonder if Chad found some in his room, and moved it. I’m not comfortable asking him if he masturbated, so if anyone else wants to volunteer, I’d be extremely grateful.”
“That won’t be necessary,” I say, because I know that there was semen in Wayne’s room. “We Skyped before he left his room. We both orgasmed. He would’ve had to have wiped off his hands, and his stomach.”
“Normally, I would say that is TMI, but not in this instance,” Reina says.
“Do we know where Chad is?” Tegan asks, and I hear the venom in her voice.
“We’re working on it,” Ainsley says.
“Now that we know Wayne is innocent, all of our resources will go towards catching Chad. The fact that it took Scott and Ainsley so long to get the video restored, along with him having keycards, tells me he’s using his leftover money for this. He’s probably got physical protection, and other technology resources as well. But let me be clear, we are going to find him. He can try to hide, but no one’s going to be able to protect him from us.”
I tune out when she starts talking about giving the footage to the police, because I have bigger things to worry about. Namely that I doubted an innocent man. The man I said I loved. I doubted him, and we’ll never be the same again.
Wayne
The knock at my door surprises me, since I’m not expecting anyone. Since only a handful of people know the gate code, I’m not too worried, but you never know. I check the peephole before opening the door to Reina.
“Hi Rei. What are you doing here?”
“I have some news for you, Wayne. Since you can’t come to me, I’m coming to you.”
“Come on in.”
“This is a nice house.”
I know she’s not here to talk about my house, so I let her off the hook. “I already know my DNA matches what was found.”
“We have new evidence that proves you’re innocent.”
Thank God. “The DNA was wrong, then?”
“No, but there’s more at play here. I can’t tell you what, but I want you to know we’ll be doing everything in our power to bring it all together, and clear your name.”
“Just give the evidence to Alesha.”
“Not yet, Wayne. I know things may get worse if the police finish their tests, but I need you to trust me.”
“Okay, I can do that.”
“You may be put back in jail for a little while.”
I nod. “Just do what you have to do.”
“One more thing, Wayne. I didn’t want to believe you were guilty, but the DNA really threw me. It threw Jen, too, but she told me she might choose to be with you anyway.”
“What?”
“She loves you, and she wasn’t sure she could walk away from you.”
That’s not right. That’s not what she said. “No. She accused me. She was disgusted by me.”
“She wa
nted to understand, so she could decide what to do. Decide if she could live with what she was afraid you’d done. I’m not going to deny that she was probably disgusted by the thought of you raping someone. That’s a natural response.”
“I hear what you’re saying, and I also heard what Tegan told me, but the facts are the facts. Whether she would’ve stayed with me or not, she believed I could rape someone. I don’t know that I can get past that.”
“Only you can decide that. I need to get back, but one of us will keep you updated.”
“Thanks, Reina.”
“You’re welcome.”
She leaves, and I sit back down on the couch. I don’t pick up my guitar right away, because I need to think. Think about if I can have a future with Jeny. If I can get past her having doubts about my innocence. Right now, the answer is no.
Jenysis
“We need to bring that little bastard down,” Stella tells me.
“I want to go undercover if we find him.”
“I don’t know if Reina will approve that,” Tegan says.
“She has to.”
“I’ll side with you. You killed it the other day. Plus, he’s never met you,” Stella reminds me.
“Doesn’t make me hate him any less. I know what he did to Kace, Brett, and their mom. I can’t believe he got out of jail on good behavior.”
“Yeah, well, if he lives through our takedown, I can guarantee he won’t be out so fast next time,” Teeg says.
“I don’t know if I want him dead, or just in a place where I can torture him. We can torture him in jail, can’t we?”
“Oh yeah. You should see what we do to the woman who killed Alex’s parents and fucked with Scott. It’s pretty damn epic.”
“I want epic for Chad.”
“Me too,” Stella says. “What he did to Kace was shitty, but this is other level fuckery,”
I couldn’t agree with her more. I hope Ainsley and Scott find him soon, so we can let him know he’s done messing with the men we love, Brett included. The Society fights hard for everyone, but when it’s one of our own, the gloves really come off. Chad’s going to know what it’s like to have the whole force of one of the most powerful organizations in the world come down on him. I can’t wait to land the first blow.
Society Girls: Jenysis Page 10