For some reason, Alyssa didn’t want to let it go. “What did she say to you?”
“Just more lies about her and Brendan. Let’s talk about something else, okay?”
It looked like she wanted to say something else, but changed her mind. “So, where are we going tonight?”
The change of subject was perfect. I moved my hand to intertwine our fingers. “I thought we’d start with dinner and maybe a movie?”
A smile sweeps across her face, just as bright as before. “That’s sounds perfect. I hope you picked Italian.”
“For you? Of course I did.”
Looking over at Alyssa in the passenger seat, playing on her phone, I realize how much she puts up to be friends with me. No matter what shit I’ve dug myself into, she’s always there for me. “Lyssa?”
“Yeah?” She looks over at me.
“I know I’ve put you through a lot of shit over the last year, especially the last few weeks, but I wanna say thank you for always being there for me.”
“You’re my best friend. Anything you need and I’ll be there.”
My phone started to vibrate in my pocket. Figuring it’s probably Seona, I let it go to voicemail. Apparently, she didn’t get the message when I walked away from her earlier. Seconds later, it goes off again. Pulling it out of my pocket with every intention of turning it off, I notice it’s not Seona’s number, but Claire’s. Alyssa leans over to see the caller ID.
“Just answer it so they’ll leave us alone for the rest of the night.”
My first response was ‘no’ when I realize that she’s right. They aren’t going to leave us alone until they’ve had their fun. Sliding my finger across the screen, I snap, “What do you want?”
“Jayceon?” Claire croaks over the line.
“What do you want Claire?” I know I’m being an ass, but I really don’t care.
“Have you seen Seona?”
I roll my eyes, even though I know she can’t see them. “Really? I’m pretty sure you know I saw her earlier. What, did she come crying to you when I refused to listen?”
“She came to see you?”
“Claire, I’m not playing these games with you. I have plans.”
“Jayceon, please don’t hang up. I can’t get a hold of Seona, but I have the flu and can’t go looking for her.”
“She’s probably with Brendan. Try calling him.”
“I did, but he’s not answering his phone.”
That hurt. If neither one of them were answering, I could only imagine what they were doing together. “I’m sure they’re busy.” Okay, that hurt more to say then I thought it would. Alyssa reaches overs and squeezes my knee in a show of support. Maybe I shouldn’t have put it on speaker when I answered it, but I didn’t want to hide things from Alyssa.
“She’s not with him. I just got some random text from Vanessa and another from Seona, earlier.”
“And what do you want me to do about it? Maybe she’s getting drunk off her ass again. Not my problem.”
“Jayceon, she went to Vanessa’s.”
“And?” I ask, sarcasm coloring my tone.
“Chaz is there?”
I slam on the brakes and pull over on the side of the road. “She’s there by herself?”
“I know it doesn’t matter now, but I know you were telling the truth about what Chaz did to Vanessa. She was so worried about being popular and getting Chaz that she didn’t care. But I don’t want the same thing to happen to Seona.”
Slamming my hand on the wheel, I make a quick U-turn to head to Vanessa’s house. “I’m on my way.”
Hanging up the phone, I toss it in one of the cup holders and slam my foot on the gas. No matter what Seona has done to me, no one deserves to be drugged and raped by that piece of shit.
“He drugged Seona, didn’t he?”
“I bet he did,” I bit out through clenched teeth. “I can’t let that asshole pull this shit again.”
“I know. It’s what makes you so special. You always take care of others, even when they don’t deserve it.”
“Thanks.” I pull up out front of Vanessa’s house and jump out of the car, knowing that Alyssa will understand this is something that I need to do. When I caught Chaz trying to rape Vanessa after he drugged her at the end of last year, I tried to do the right thing. I took Vanessa out of there and dropped her off at home. I should have taken her the hospital, don’t ask me why I didn’t. Maybe if I had, things would have been different. Instead, her and Chaz changed the story and spread rumors all over school about me. Chaz was popular and with Vanessa backing up his story, saying that she had too much to drink, I looked like the liar. Not this time. This time I’m going to beat his ass and take Seona directly to the hospital so they can test her blood for the drug.
Throwing the door open, everyone stops talking and watches me race up the stairs to the one room I know I’ll find them. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Vanessa staring wide eyed at the stairs with tears in her eyes. Stupid bitch brought this on herself.
At the top of the stairs, I move down the hall to the door I’m looking for. Kicking it open, Chaz jumps up from the bed, spinning towards the door, his eyes wide. When I look at the bed and see Seona completely passed out with her shirt off, but her bra still on, I lose it.
“Keep your fucking hands off of her,” I yell, storming into the room, my hands clenched at my sides.
A slow smirk works its way across his features. “Well, if it isn’t Jayceon. I told you I’d make it good for her.” He waves a dismissive hand at me. “Besides, what are you gonna do, spread rumors again? It didn’t go so well for you last time.” He turns back to the bed. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m busy.”
The second he turns back towards the bed I lose it. Blood pounding through my ears, I reach over, grabbing his shirt and throw him against the wall, causing the shelf above him to crash to the ground. But he’s faster than I thought and jumps up, fists clenched, ready to fight.
“So this is how it’s gonna be,” he snarls. “Couldn’t just walk away.”
And just like every time over the last year and a half, I’ve come face to face with Chaz and all of his bullshit. The difference…this time words aren’t enough. All of the crap I’ve dealt with has gone on long enough and I’m ready to fight back.
I’m done.
“I’m not letting you touch another girl again,” I say, taking a step towards him.
“What the fuck do you care? She dumped your ass.”
That’s it. Lunging forward, I throw my right fist into his face, the sound of skin slamming against skin, not to mention the sight of the blood seeping from his split lip is somewhat satisfying. The only problem is, I know that’s not the end of it. Chaz isn’t going to give up without a fight. His nose flares and without as much as a flinch, Chaz comes back at me, pushing me against the wall.
He gets is a few good shots to my ribs that will definitely hurt tomorrow, but with the adrenaline, the pain melts away in anger, giving me the strength to force him into the dresser. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I hear mumbled conversation behind me, but I’m too focused on making Chaz pay for all of the hurt he’s caused. I slam my fist into Chaz’s stomach. With the dresser behind him, he has nowhere to go, forcing him to take the brunt of the punch. Unfortunately, it’s still not enough to stop his left hook from connecting with the side of my face.
“Jayceon!” Alyssa screams from behind me.
The warm, stickiness slipping down my face is enough to know that whatever Alyssa’s seeing isn’t pretty. This shit needs to end now. Grabbing Chaz’s head, I slam his face into my knee, enjoying the sickening crunch of his nose as it crunches under the force. He stumbles backward, giving me the opportunity to shove him to the ground and sit on his chest.
“You’re a fucking piece of shit that needs to keep your hands to yourself,” I yell, giving him two good slugs to the head and knocking Chaz out.
All of the yelling must have brought the party guests
upstairs because, suddenly, there are four hands pulling me off of Chaz. Why they didn’t stop it before is beyond me. Maybe they thought Chaz was going to kick my ass.
“What the fuck?” One of Chaz’s buddies yells, looking like he’s about to kick my ass. Except, Alyssa jumps in the middle, blocking me with her body.
“Alyssa, get the fuck away from him! I don’t wanna hit a girl.” the other one yells.
“No. If you assholes took five seconds to look around, you’d realize that everything Jayceon said before about Vanessa was true. He drugged her and tried to rape her, exactly like he was going to do to Seona tonight.”
They both turn at the same time to look at the bed.
“Shit,” one of them whispers, as my arms are let loose. Alyssa pushes past the guys holding her back and runs up to me.
“Are you okay?” she asks, feeling around my body to make sure, which only makes me remember that my ribs actually do hurt.
“I’m fine,” I tell her, looking over at Seona’s prone body on the bed. Gina’s pulling her shirt over her head to cover her up. Looking back down at Alyssa, I say, “We have to do something.”
She nods and pulls out car keys, understanding that no matter how bad Seona hurt me, I can’t just leave her there. I would do the same for anyone attacked by that slimy asshole.
“I’m taking Seona to the hospital. You need to call the police and have this piece of shit picked up. They can find us there.”
Gina nods in understanding. “I will. Get her out of here. I’ll send them there.”
There’s hurt in Alyssa’s eyes as I slip my arms underneath Seona’s prone body and lift her to my chest. The house is silent as I carry her out to my truck. Climbing in the passenger seat, I tuck her against my side to keep her safe. Alyssa climbs into the driver’s side and puts the car in gear, pulling away from the house.
“I’m sorry,” I say, not knowing what else to do.
“I understand. You would have done it for anyone. Chaz is one demon in your past that you needed to deal with.” She reaches over and links her hand with mine. “I’m just glad it’s over.”
“We have to deal with the police first and hope I don’t land my ass in jail.”
“You were protecting Seona and yourself. I’m sure they’ll be more worried about Chaz.”
I’ve been avoiding it since I climbed in the truck, but I let my gaze wander down to Seona’s face. Her eyes are surrounded by dark circles and she looks a little thinner than she did the last time I saw her. It breaks my heart to be this close to her. Hopefully, Alyssa makes it to the hospital soon. Then I can call Travis and leave once he arrives.
Alyssa pulls up outside the ER and promises to meet me inside once she parks the car. Lifting Seona out of the car, I ignore the rapid beat of my heart and carry her inside. The nurses all jump up the minute we step through the doors and I explain what happened. Another nurse comes out with a gurney, letting me lay Seona on it before they wheel her away. I explain to the waiting nurse what happened and that the police should be coming in since they’d already been called to the house.
As I turn to walk back to the waiting room, the nurse wraps her hands around my arm. “I’m pretty sure you need stitches for that cut.”
I nod and follow her back. “Can I call her parents and mine?”
She smiles and nods. “I’ll take you to a room and you can call in there.”
“Thank you. My friend is parking the car. She’ll be in in a minute.”
“I’ll send her back as soon as she comes in.”
She leaves me alone to make a phone call that I have no desire to make, so I start with my dad. He picks up on the first ring.
“Hey, I thought you were out with Alyssa.”
I sigh. “Shit kinda hit the fan tonight, Dad.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Not really.”
“What happened?”
I explain what happened with Seona and Chaz.
“Goddammit!” he exclaims. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah. I probably need a few stitches on the cut above my eye.”
“Mom and I’ll be right over.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Always. And Jayceon?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m really proud of you for standing up for what’s right.”
I’m not sure why, but those simple words pulled the tension of the last hour out of my muscles. “Thanks, Dad.”
“See you soon.”
Dad disconnected the call and I know my time’s up. I need to call Travis.
“Hey man,” he answers after a few rings. “What’s up?”
“Seona’s at the hospital.”
“Fuck, what happened?” he yells so loud that I pull the phone away from my head for a second.
“I’ll explain when you get here.”
“We’ll be right there.”
And before I could ask who we’ll was, the phone disconnects. My head is starting to pound and my side is beginning to throb. Not long after I hang up, the nurse escorts Alyssa in, who gently wraps her arms around me in support. Eventually, the nurse returns with a doctor and a suture kit. As he’s putting the stitches in, my mom and dad walk in the door. Mom looks like she’s been crying, but my dad holds her back from attacking me, giving the doctor the opportunity to finish what he’s doing.
“These stitches will disintegrate, so you don’t need to come back to have them removed. Just take it easy so you don’t break one.”
“I won’t,” I agree.
Dad shakes the doctor’s hand as Mom lets loose and grips me in a death grip.
“Ow,” I protest at the pain in my side.
“Sorry honey.” She immediately backs off.
She turns and wraps Alyssa in a hug. “Thanks for bringing him in.”
Alyssa nods and wipes away the tears at the corner of her eyes. When the police show up a little bit later, they let everyone in the room stay while I explain what happened tonight and at the beginning of last year.
“It took a lot of guts to stand up to him. Apparently, this isn’t the first time. The other young lady has been giving another officer the entire story for the last thirty minutes. “Thanks for your help, son. We’ll be in touch.”
“Thank you,” I say, feeling a bit humbled that someone has finally listened to me.
Since my head is still numb and the Motrin has dulled the throbbing in my side, I feel ready to go see Travis and explain what happened tonight. I’m sure the cops already told him what they knew, but I need to fill in the rest of the story. Promising my parents I’ll see them when I get home, I persuade my mom to go home with my dad. It feels good to know they worry about me.
Alyssa and I head up in the elevator, dread filling the pit of my stomach. When we reach the end of the hall, Alyssa stops me.
“I’ll wait here for you.”
While I appreciate the chance to talk to Travis alone, I also know that Alyssa has had Seona shoved in her face enough today.
“Okay. I’ll be back in a minute.” I try to give her a smile, but after this day, I know it’s forced.
The trip down the hall takes forever, as I watch Travis pace outside her door. His shoulders are tense and he hasn’t realized I’m there yet. On his next pass, he stops dead and stares at me before firing off his first question.
“Jayceon, how the fuck did my sister get drugged when she was supposed to be at your house?”
“She ended up at Vanessa’s after she left my place. Claire called. She was worried about what Chaz might pull.”
“Motherfucker!” he screams. “I’m going to kill that son of a bitch.”
“It’s not the first time. He tried to do it to Vanessa last year, but I walked in on him. She covered for him, but I wasn’t going to let that shit happen again. I beat the shit out of him and brought her to the hospital. He didn’t touch her. Why aren’t you in there with her?”
He runs a hand through his hair. It’s sticking ou
t in all directions, almost like he’s been doing it since he got here. “My dad’s in there with her now.”
“That’s good. I’m glad she’s got you both.”
“Jayceon, why did she leave your place?” The lines around his eyes were tight.
Even though I know I’m doing what’s good for me, I still couldn’t look him in the eye. “Because she wanted something I can’t give her.”
“Oh hell,” he says.
“I’m glad she’s okay.”
The elevator at the end of the hall dings and when the door slide open, I know it’s time for me to go. Without really thinking about what I’m doing, I pull out my wallet and pull out the paper that’s been in there since the night I drew it. It’s creased where it’s been folded, but it’s time I let it go. “Here,” I say handing over the paper. “Give this to her. I think she’ll understand.”
Turning to leave, I hear Travis unfolding the paper.
“Shit,” he whispers. “Jayceon?”
I stop and look over my shoulder. “Yeah?”
“Remember what I told you the last time I saw you?”
It’s not a time I like to think about and I have to wrack my brain to come up with the answer. “She doesn’t mean all of it and to give her time.”
He nods. “Just remember that the next time she tries to talk to you.”
“Okay, but I gave her time. I don’t have any more to give.”
With that I leave, passing Brendan on the way to meet Alyssa at the end of the hall.
“Thanks for going to get her,” he says.
Without a word, I nod and turn to Alyssa. “Let’s go back to my house,” I suggest.
“Sounds good to me. Your mom’s probably pacing in front of the door.”
“Jayceon?” Brendan says as we step on the elevator. I don’t answer and let the door close behind me.
Chapter 28
Seona
I hate hospitals. The smell, the noise, everything about this place screams death. The smell makes me sick and the beeping from the machines is driving me crazy. I want to rip off my IV and discharge myself. It’s only been twelve hours since I’ve been here and I’m ready to go home, find Chaz and Vanessa, and kill them.
Beautiful Lessons Page 21