Accent Hussy (It Had 2 B U)

by V. Kelly

  “Look, I’m not even trying to get with Caleb, okay? I’ve already been there and done that. I have something very important to discuss with him, and frankly whatever jealous bitch thing you have going on is going to have to wait.”

  Her mouth drops. “Wait, what? You two have been together before?”

  “Yes, so maybe next time you open your mouth to spit out random bitchisms, you’ll remember just whose pussy you’re tasting on his lips,” I remark smugly. I really didn’t want to go down this road, but I’m kinda tired of Kristene’s ‘Caleb is mine’ attitude.

  “Kristene, please just go. I promise to call you back in here when we’re done,” Caleb soothes her.

  She turns to him and gives him a big sloppy kiss—one I can hear all the way on the other side of the room. She sounds like a dog licking water from a bowl. Caleb pushes her away and physically escorts her from the office. Once she’s gone, he turns the lock and puts his back against the door barricading us inside.

  “I knew it would only take a few weeks of seeing me with other girls before it drove you crazy. Admit it, Everly. You like me.”

  Ugh, could he be any more conceited? “Caleb, this is more important than whatever weird flirting thing you and I do. I really need you to listen to me here.”

  “Oh, I’m listening, while picturing you naked.” He takes an alpha step towards me. “I haven’t stopped picturing it since Vegas. I’ve never met a girl that I’ve wanted more than you, and it’s not just your looks. It’s everything: the fire of your personality clashing with mine, the feel of your lips on my own, and the way we fit perfectly together, but might as well be puzzle pieces from different puzzles. I really think you’re it for me, Everly. Stop making me try to gain your attention by being with other people. I don’t want to be with anybody but you.” He’s in front of me now. His hands slide up my arms and my whole body tingles. I hate it and love it, all at the same time. There’s something about his rough calloused hands grazing my skin that makes me swoon. If he wasn’t covered in Kristene right now, I’d probably let him kiss me. Knowing he was just making out with her does not turn me on at all. I end up removing myself from his tingling hands.

  “Caleb, please listen to me. I didn’t come here because of us; I came here . . .”

  “Because you love me.”

  “Because I think one of my girls is being molested.”

  The hand he was lifting to brush a piece of hair out my face drops and his face falls. The air in the room changes to a tense seriousness. “What do you mean?”

  “Sit down please. This is going to take a minute to explain.” He obeys my request and sits in his chair. I take a deep breath. The moment I start thinking about Holly again, the tears start falling. This little girl has totally grabbed my heartstrings and is pulling them like some master puppeteer.

  “Everly, it’s going to be okay. Tell me what you know.”

  I go into a whole spiel about Holly. I tell him about finding her near the janitor and his not-so-friendly hand on her back. The creepy vibe he gives me. I tell Caleb what Holly whispered into my ear about Stephen touching her, how her foster dad has him over and takes pictures and finally how she asked me why love has to hurt. I’m full on sobbing and somehow, I’ve ended up on the couch cradled into Caleb’s arms. It’s comforting and I careen my head so it fits into his shoulder. I feel his lips on the top of my head, I let him kiss me. Right now, I need to feel safe. My emotions are out of control, all because I’m worrying about this little girl. Caleb holding me is the only thing keeping me from marching out and killing the janitor.

  “What can we do, Caleb? I want to help her.”

  He exhales a long drawn out sigh. “Unfortunately, the foster care system is a bitch. A lot of the kids get placed in homes as an afterthought. Most families only sign up to get the paycheck from the state. They don’t actually care about the kids. In Holly’s case, she got a shit deal. There are some sick people out there and it sounds like this Mr. Peterson guy is one of them. I’ll make a couple calls. The bad part is she’ll probably end up in another house just as bad if not worse.”

  The thought of Holly ending up in a home that could be worse than what she already is in terrifies me. There’s absolutely no way I’m going to allow this little girl to be hurt ever again. Then it hits me! I’ll become a foster parent. I’ll take Holly in.

  “No she won’t. I’m going to take her.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ll apply to be a foster parent, or I’ll have my mom and dad do it since I live with them. Holly can come stay with us. I’m going to make sure that little girl knows what real love feels like and no one ever hurts her again.”

  Caleb grabs my shoulders and maneuvers me so I look him in the eyes. “That’s a really nice thought, Everly, but that’s not how it works. They put her where they think she needs to be. You can’t just request her. Besides, you can’t save every kid that comes through this place. Trust me, I know.”

  “That’s the second time you’ve said that to me. What do you mean?”

  He frowns. “A couple years back, a kid named Jacob used to come here. He was in a gang at twelve years old and he was hanging out with the local street thugs. When he first came here, he thought he was tough shit, tried to stake his claim over the boys that went here. He was a bully. I took an interest in him, because I wanted to change him. It became a game and my own personal project. Jacob was really combative at first. Every time I tried to get through to him, he would end up disappearing for a couple days and come back even harder than he was before. Then, one day, I was working late and saw someone creeping by my window. I went outside and found Jacob curled up against the side of the building, nearly beaten to death. I took him to the hospital. He ended up staying with me for a couple weeks. During that time together, he opened up to me. His mom was a prostitute junky who was constantly tweaked out on cocaine. He didn’t know who his dad was because it was one of her clients that ended up knocking her up. As he grew up, he was taken under the wing of his next-door neighbor. Poor kid. The neighbor is a notorious badass around this area; he’s the head of the gang and took a liking to Jacob because he was young and impressionable. I offered for Jacob to stay with me full time in exchange for him not messing with the gang scene anymore. It worked for a couple months. He picked up boxing. I taught him everything I knew. He was really good at it, too—picked it up fast and he had a really great right cross. I really felt like I had changed him. Then one day, I saw him talking to a couple thugs outside the building. He gave me this nervous look as I watched the two men cart him off. I tried to stop them, but they flashed me their guns and got into a car. I had way too many kids lingering around the center at the time and couldn’t chase after him or take the chance that someone innocent could get hurt. I wrote down the license plate number and called the police. They wouldn’t do anything about it because of where he came from and the gang involvement. The next day, I got the call . . . Jacob was found shot to death, his body discarded in a sewage drain pipe, five miles out of town. They called me because my number was in his pocket. I swore I would never go out of my way to help a kid like that ever again. Jacob broke me.”

  Now Caleb is the one crying. My hand instinctively reaches up and brushes away his tears; he kisses the palm of my hand. This is the closest we’ve ever been to connecting. It’s the first time I’ve ever really looked at Caleb. He really is selfless, and it breaks my heart knowing that the boy he tried to help is dead because of a shitty upbringing. I refuse to let that happen to Holly. I just won’t let it.

  “Help me, Caleb. Tell me what I need to do in order to become a foster parent and save Holly.”

  His eyes drop to his lap then he gets up from the couch. “Let me make a few calls. Have your parents file to become foster parents. With you living under their roof, a judge isn’t just going to give her to you. You’re young, and unfortunately that makes becoming a foster parent difficult. Your parents have a better chance than you
do. Your recent DUI doesn’t help either.”

  I frown and sadly nod in agreement. The stupid accident has messed up a lot of things for me. I can’t believe I let something like an Irish accent sway my conscience into taking the night off. Driving drunk was stupid, whether it was Keegan or me behind the wheel.

  “The bad thing is that Stephen has seen you talking to her. If we don’t act now, she could end up going back to her foster home where she could disappear. Whether she’s carted away by her foster parents, Stephen, or some other pedophile in her foster dad’s arsenal, that little girl could end up anywhere, or worse, dead.”

  The word dead is like a dagger straight through my heart. I won’t let that happen. I reach into my back pocket for my cell phone, dialing my mother’s number. After a very long conversation, she agrees to look into becoming a foster parent. Caleb calls the police. Within thirty minutes, they’re at The Youth Center with Holly’s case worker.

  I remove Holly from Trisha’s office and bring her into the conference room. The moment she sees the caseworker, she cries. “No, she’s going to make me go back!” Holly screams.

  The woman’s eyes widen like she can’t believe that Holly would say something bad about her. She’s an older woman, who’s wearing a too tight brown blazer/pencil skirt combo with a white blouse and penny loafers. She looks almost uncomfortable. Holly’s outburst makes it worse.

  “Holly, can you please tell me what’s going on? You told me that you liked your foster parents. Why are you all of the sudden lying to these people?” When the woman catches the heat of my glare, she says, “I’m Denise, her case manager. Holly has been in the system a very long time. She’s like a daughter to me.”

  I scoff, and have to stifle the string of explicit curse words I want to hurl at her. Everyone in the room looks over at me at the same time.I place Holly on the table and pull up her shirt. Holly winces when she hears the collective gasps throughout the room. “Does this look like she’s fucking lying?” I curse. “I don’t know how you can consider her a daughter when you are placing her in the care of such monsters.”

  “The Peterson’s have a very good track record as foster parents. Several kids have stayed with them over the years and not once have I seen anything like this. For all I know, she could be harming herself and blaming it on the Peterson’s.”

  The woman needs to be smacked. Straight up slapped right across her wrinkled face.

  “Listen, you bitch . . .” One of the police officers cuts me off. Caleb comes up behind me and holds me back because I’m lurching over the table at her.

  “Mrs.” The cop looks at me and I roll my eyes.

  “Miss McGowan,” I answer, removing the label of being tied to anyone.

  “Miss McGowan, we take child abuse seriously. I can assure you that we will be doing a full investigation into this.”

  “Good, I suggest she’s removed from their custody immediately,” I order, eyeing Denise.

  “It’s not that easy. Foster parents are hard to come by. Until I know for sure abuse is going on in the home, Holly will be put back in place with the Peterson’s.”

  “To hell she will. Not if I have anything to say about it.”

  “Well, luckily, you don’t,” Denise challenges.

  “Okay ladies, that’s enough,” Caleb booms. “Why don’t you let the officers do their jobs, and we’ll figure out what to do with Holly afterwards.”

  Both of us eye each other and let out a breath of frustration. “Fine,” we say simultaneously.

  There’s absolutely no way I’m going to let her take Holly back to that house—not when she’s in danger. They will have to pry her out of my arms if that’s the case. If I’m going down, I’m going out swinging.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Everything turned into a nightmare.

  Directly after the meeting with the police officers, I took Holly to the hospital. Caleb came with me, as did the two officers and that bitch Denise. My heart dropped when the doctor came back into the room with a solemn look on his face.

  “We have a problem,” he says, eyeing Holly. “Jen, could you please take her from the room?” he asks a nearby nurse.

  Holly looks up at me with pleading eyes. “Please don’t let them take me away, Miss Everly.” She clings to my neck. I place her on the ground and get down to her level.

  “Do you see this nice lady right here? She’s just going to take you from the room for a minute. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. I just want to talk the nice doctor for a second and then I’ll come find you, okay?”

  Holly has tears in her eyes and cries into my shoulder. They practically have to pry her from my arms when nurse Jen finally picks her up and walks with her from the room. Tears are in my eyes when I turn back around to the doctor. The two police officers have their pads of paper out and are waiting for what he’s about to say.

  The doctor runs a frantic hand through his hair and looks over at the caseworker. “I’m not sure what has been going on with this little girl, but I can tell you that there is extreme bruising all over her body. She also has some scarring around her vaginal and rectal areas.”

  I gasp, covering my mouth.

  “So, she’s been sexually assaulted?” Denise the bitch asks.

  “Repeatedly,” the doctor replies sadly. “There’s serious scar tissue within her vaginal walls and anus. It’s the worst case of child sexual assault I’ve ever seen. This child is in some serious danger if it keeps happening.”

  I want to throw something or punch a wall. I can’t believe someone would ever hurt a child like that, let alone force themselves on her. I feel strong arms circle me and I realize that it’s Caleb. He must sense my anger, or see the distress in my body because he whispers, “She’ll be okay,” into my hair.

  “What happens now?” I ask.

  “Well, I’m not sure. I’ve never run into a case like this before. My plan was to take her back to her foster parents after we left the hospital,” Denise tells us

  “I highly advise against it. If this little girl sees any more trauma, she could possibly have lifetime injuries from it. Or worse, if the abuse is bad enough, it could kill her,” the doctor says.

  “Well, placing her in the care of a new foster home isn’t easy. Most of them are filled right now. Lots of paperwork,” Denise huffs.

  “I’ll take her. I live at my parent’s house currently. It’s a six-bedroom house. We have plenty of room. The holidays are coming up. I know my parents would love to dote on her. They’re applying to be foster parents as we speak.”

  “It takes almost a year to become a certified foster parent. Your parents can’t just sign up and Holly go straight to their house.” Denise glares at me. “We have rules to go by.”

  “Look, I’m telling you that I want this responsibility. I have fallen in love with this little girl. I don’t want anyone to hurt her ever again. Putting her with another foster home would be asinine when you know there’s a good home willing to take her right now. I understand that you have your rules, but in a situation such as this, wouldn’t it make more sense to put her somewhere she wants to be, instead of in another home that could potentially hurt her?”

  Denise looks around the room. Everyone is nodding their heads. Caleb is still holding me and I should probably shake him off, but I can’t, not until I get through this. She takes a deep breath and then lets it out in exasperation.

  “This is unorthodox, but considering the circumstances, the situation, and the obvious bond you have created with Holly, I can grant you temporary guardianship, at least until I find a suitable foster home for her.”

  I want to pump my fist and do a couple jumping jacks, but I remain composed and just smile instead. “I know she will definitely be happy with us. My family may be small, but it’s full of love.”

  Denise hands me a piece of paper. I fill out all the information on the sheet.

  “We’re going to be arresting Mr. Peterson and Stephen Raider from The Youth
Center,” one of the police officers mentions.

  “We did a swab and if there’s any DNA evidence, we will be passing it along to you so you can file charges,” the doctor states. “It breaks my heart to see a little girl abused like this, poor thing. She’ll never be the same again.”

  After a few more discussions with the doctor, Denise, and the police officers, we call Holly back in. She looks just as nervous as she did before and will only make eye contact with me and Caleb.

  “Is she going to take me back to the Peterson’s?” she asks.

  “Holly, how would you like to come with me back to my house and stay with me for a little while? I have a nice big house and my parents are absolutely going to love you.”

  Her brown eyes twinkle. “Really? I don’t have to go back to the Peterson’s house?”

  “Oh no, I vow you will never have to go back to that house ever again. Would you like that, Holly? Would you like to come stay with me?” Caleb finally releases me as I stoop down to pick Holly up.

  “Yes, I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.”

  She grabs my neck and hugs me, kissing me on the cheek. Where’s the checkout counter? I’m ready to take this little girl home now. I wipe the tears away from my face and hold her even tighter. When I do finally let go, she looks over at Denise and says, “The other foster kids said you were a mean old lady who didn’t care about us. They were wrong,” Holly tells her. “Thank you for not letting them hurt me anymore.”

  The hard exterior of Denise fades. The wrinkled face pulls into a soft smile. She wipes a tear from her eye. At least, I know in that hard eggshell around her heart, she’s actually able to crack. All it took was the soft smile of a battered child, and her warm little heart to chisel away that icy exterior of hers.

  “Thank you, Denise. You won’t regret this decision; I can promise you that.”

  She nods and doesn’t say a word. I carry Holly from the room where they discharge her. On my way out, I’m handed a stack of papers. All of it deals with child abuse. It’s hard knowing that this precious child has been through so much in so little of time. Holly, despite her outward bruises, is carrying around many internal wounds as well. That’s something I’m going to have to help her with if she stays with us longer. My plan is to keep her as long as possible. The only problem I can foresee for myself is the fact that I’m doing community service for the DUI. Knowing that one stupid mistake has the potential to not only ruin my life, but also the life of Holly, makes me kick myself even more for being such a damn accent hussy. Why did I let my judgment get clouded by a sexy voice and leather jacket? It’s not even like he and I were dating for a while. We went on one stupid date—a date that wasn’t even that great: horrible car sex, scuzzy dinner, and drinks at a not so reputable restaurant. To top everything else off, he’s a felon! Like a bad felon. Why didn’t I just listen to my brother and do the background check like I was supposed to? At least, then, I would’ve know exactly what I was working with and maybe saved myself a little bit of the trouble I’m now in.