by Lila Moore
The police officer opened the back door of the cop car and pushed me inside.
13
To my surprise, they didn’t book me or throw me in a cell. The police officer took me into the station and uncuffed me. He ordered me to sit, then left.
I chewed on my nails and waited to be arrested. Who would bail me out? No way was I calling my parents. They’d kill me. I’d have to call Astrid. I waited and waited. Minutes turned to hours. Police officers came in with people in cuffs. They were all booked and led off to cells. Still, I waited. At one point, I considered running. No one was paying attention to me. I doubt they’d even notice. I was too chicken, though. The place was crawling with cops. Running away looked guilty. It was best to wait and be honest.
A man screamed in the distance. I had no idea why. Was there a fight? Was he just insane? None of the cops reacted to it. This was an everyday occurrence for them. Finally, a man in a trench coat walked into the station. He glanced at me and said: “You the college girl? The witness to the attempted murder.”
“There was no attempted murder,” I replied.
“You sound like the girl,” he said drily. “C’mon.” He led me to an interrogation room. “We’re very busy here, but I’m glad you came down,” he said. “Your boyfriend is in a lot of trouble. You can clear a lot of things up for us. I’m sure you want to help him out. The way you do that is by helping us. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir,” I replied meekly.
“Good. Tell me about your boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend. We dated in high school, then broke up. We only recently reconnected.”
“Okay. So you started sleeping with him when? A couple weeks ago?”
“No. We aren’t sleeping together. Svetlana thinks we are. In fact, she thinks I’m pregnant.”
“Are you?”
“No! It’s all one big misunderstanding.” I wanted to rip my hair out from frustration. “I’ll take a pregnancy test if you don’t believe me.”
“Easy. I believe you. Go on. Tell me why Sledge and Svetlana were at your dorm.”
“Svetlana showed up yesterday afternoon alone. Sledge wasn’t there. She pounded on the door. I wouldn’t let her in. Then she flirted with my RA until he agreed to get the master set of keys and let her in. That’s when she grabbed me. She pulled me down the hallway by my hair to the stairway. She told me she knew I was pregnant but I wouldn’t be for long. She was trying to throw me down the stairs and give me a miscarriage.”
My eyes pleaded with the detective to understand. His face gave away nothing. He leaned back in his chair watching and listening. “Go on,” he said blandly. I had no idea if he believed me or not.
“She dragged me to the stairs. I fought back and managed to break free from her grip. I punched her in the face and she fell over backwards. She lost her balance and went down the stairs. I ran to her and tried to help. My RA saw everything. He’s denying it now, but he’s lying because he’s afraid of being kicked out of school for stealing the master set of keys and entering my room without my permission.”
“Then what happened?”
“We waited for the ambulance. Svetlana threatened me. She said she would tell the police that I attacked her and pushed her down the stairs.”
“What did you say?”
“I told her that all the police had to do was check the security cameras to discover the truth.”
“There aren’t any security cameras in the stairway.”
“The detective said there was one in the lobby.”
“Yes there is.”
“Have you seen it?”
“Yes. It doesn’t show Sledge entering the building.”
“See, I told you! Wait, if you knew then why did you ask me about Sledge?”
“I wanted to see if you were telling the truth. Svetlana still maintains Sledge was present at the scene.”
“She’s lying.”
“I know.”
Awkward silence descended on the room.
“You’ll let Sledge go, then?” I asked.
“The videotape clears him. It doesn’t clear you, however.”
“I don’t understand. If Svetlana claims Sledge pushed her-and it’s obviously a lie-why would you believe her word over mine? I’m telling the truth.”
The detective sighed. “How do you know she was trying to throw you down the stairs?”
“She dragged me by my hair down the hall. She tried to force me into the stairway. I fought back. I defended myself.”
“Okay.” He rose from his seat.
“Okay? What does that mean?”
“You can leave. I’m not charging you with anything-for now.”
“But you may in the future?”
I couldn’t keep the panic from my voice. I’ve never been in trouble with the law. I’ve never so much as been in a fight or gotten a parking ticket. I was starting to hyperventilate. I was afraid if I stood up I might pass out.
The detective came to my side. He kneeled down next to me. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said. “For what it’s worth, I believe you. If it was my call, I’d say forget about this. You did what you had to do to protect yourself.”
“But?”
“But… this girl has got a team of lawyers at her disposal. She’s rich and vindictive. My advice to you would be to watch your back. She may put pressure on the DA to press charges against someone. Not only does Sledge not appear on the video, but we were just able to verify his alibi. He was at hockey practice when the assault took place. She’s going to be pissed her lie was exposed. She may come for you next. Just keep your head down. Don’t talk to her. If she comes back to your dorm, call us immediately. We’ll take care of it. Don’t throw any more punches unless you have to. Do you understand?”
I nodded. The man patted my shoulder. “Okay. You should head home. Do you have someone you can call to pick you up?”
“I-I think so.”
He helped me out of the room and let me wait in a quiet area away from the stream of criminals that were flowing into the police station. He brought me a Coke and sat to talk with me until Astrid arrived. He was a nice guy. I wished my father was more like him.
Astrid picked me up and we drove back to our dorm. I explained everything that happened. She listened quietly, absorbing it all. When we got back to the dorm, the crowd was gone. At least I didn’t have to worry about gawkers.
We went upstairs. The police were finished with the ‘crime scene.’ The thought of it being the site of an attempted murder made me want to laugh. It was insane. My phone was ringing as we walked in the door. I picked it up just as it was about to go to voicemail.
“Sledge?”
“Bobbi! Christ, are you okay? I heard you were arrested.”
“Yeah-well, no. Not exactly. They let me go.”
“Listen to me. Do not talk to the police. My lawyer will handle everything.”
“I already talked to them. When I heard you’d been arrested, I told them the truth. I couldn’t stand the idea of you going to prison for a crime you didn’t commit.”
“You did what? Have you lost your mind? Did you really think I’d be okay with the idea of you going to prison? I’m going to contact the police and tell them I’m responsible.”
“You can’t. The officer told me that they verified your alibi. They checked the security cameras and you’re nowhere near the building. It’s obvious that you were never here. You’re in the clear.”
“I’m coming over,” he said.
“No, don’t do that. Earlier this place was crawling with cops.”
“Come here, then. I’ll send a car to pick you up.”
“Is that a good idea?”
“I need you.” There was a catch in his voice that sent a shiver down my spine.
“Okay,” I replied simply.
I hung up the phone. It started to ring almost immediately. Without looking at the caller ID, I answered it.
“Hello?”
&nbs
p; “You were arrested,” my father said. It wasn’t a question. “Everyone in town is talking about it. It’s all over the internet. People are saying you’re pregnant. How did I raise a daughter this stupid? Pregnant? Again. I’m on my way to the city. You better have your things packed and ready to go. I’m taking you home.”
“What about school?”
“School’s finished for you.”
“You can’t do that.”
My father paused. I’d never spoken to him like this before.
“The hell I can’t. I’m paying for your school. I can pull you out whenever I want.”
“No you can’t. My tuition is already paid. It’s too late. I’m not leaving.” I looked to Astrid. She nodded her head in support.
“You’re coming home with me today.” His voice was like a knife. My chest felt tight. I almost dropped the phone.
“No,” I replied. My voice was barely audible.
“You listen to me, young lady. I will be there in-”
I hung up the phone.
“He’s coming,” I said to Astrid.
“Your dad?”
“Yeah. Sledge too.”
“I have to leave,” I said.
“What?”
“Sledge wants me to come over to his place and talk. I’m going to ask him if I can crash at his place for a few days, until this stuff with my dad blows over.”
“This stuff with your dad is never going to blow over.”
“I know.”
My stomach sank. This was it. I had to stand my ground. My life was my own. It was my responsibility and I was not going to let my father ruin it for me. I grabbed a gym bag and started to throw in clothes. I didn’t look. I grabbed night clothes, gym clothes, party dresses. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I just wanted to flee. I put my laptop into my messenger bag then grabbed my cell phone.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“Why?”
“I feel guilty running out on you like this.”
“It’s cool. Have fun with Sledge. Don’t think about your dad. And call me.”
We hugged and she helped me with my things. Together we walked down to the front of the building. I checked my watch. I hoped the car Sledge sent came before my father. A sleek black sports car pulled up in front of the building.
“Bobbi?” the driver called from the rolled down window.
“Yes?”
“I’m here to pick you up.”
I hugged Astrid goodbye after putting my things in the trunk.
“Don’t worry about your dad,” she said. “When he shows up, I’ll tell him to fuck off.”
“Thanks… I think.”
“Have fun with Sledge. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said with a laugh.
I got into the car and headed for Sledge’s house. He lived in a penthouse downtown, not far from my dorm. The building was breathtaking. The gothic architecture stood out in the sea of corporate skyscrapers. It was hard to imagine Sledge living here. He’d always had simple tastes. Maybe money had changed him. I started to walk into the building when the doorman stopped me.
“Are you expected?” he asked.
“Um, I think so.”
Thankfully, Sledge came down at that moment. He embraced me so hard he nearly knocked me off my feet.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine. Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” His eyes fell on my gym bag. “Let’s go inside.”
He picked up my things and we rode the elevator to the top. Immediately, my phone started to ring. I hit Ignore, then silenced it. My father had called four times already. Hanging up on him was going to make him insane. No one challenged his authority.
The gossip had humiliated him, but mostly it proved he had no control over his daughter. The humiliation would go away eventually, but the loss of control would be intolerable for him.
“Who’s calling you?” Sledge asked.
“No one.”
He gave me a look that said: Really? After all of this you’re still keeping secrets?
“It’s my dad,” I said.
“Is everything okay?”
“No. It’s a disaster.”
He set my gym bag full of clothes down.
“This is awkward but… could I stay here for a couple days? It won’t be for long. You won’t even know I’m here. I’m just waiting for things to blow over with my dad,” I said.
“Of course you can stay here. Stay as long as you want. I have one condition though.”
“What?”
“Tell me what happened with your dad. Why is he coming up here?”
“He’s coming here to pull me out of school and take me home.”
“What? Why would he do that? College has been your dream since…”
“Since I was a little girl. He doesn’t care. I’ve humiliated him. He heard about the rumors. Everyone back home is talking about it. They’re saying I was arrested, that I’m going to prison, that I’m pregnant…”
I glanced up at him. Sledge looked concerned, but not too bothered by this. Meanwhile, I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
“Can I have a drink?” I asked.
“Um, sure.” He walked to the bar and mixed a drink. “So, your dad is giving you a hard time? He always was a hard-ass.”
“You have no idea.”
“Did he do something to you? Did he hit you?”
“No, nothing like that. He’s never raised a hand to me; he’s just a control freak.”
Control freak was the nicest way I could think to phrase it. It didn’t do the situation justice, but how could I explain it without revealing the truth about the baby?
“He was always hard on us when he was my coach. When we screwed something up, he’d scream at us like it was end of the world. I’ll never forget how red he’d turn or the way veins would bulge from his forehead. I always assumed that was just his style of coaching. You meet a lot of coaches like that. The slightest fuck up and they lose their shit. It never occurred to me he was like that at home too.”
He looked at me strangely. There was a strange tension to his presence.
“Yeah,” I said pathetically. “He could be pretty tough.”
I swallowed hard and took my drink from him. I was eager to gulp it down. Alcohol would have to fill the hole my pills had left. My phone started to buzz from another incoming call.
“Give me your phone,” he said.
“Why?”
“I’m going to set him straight. I’m going to talk to him man-to-man. I’ll tell him this is all one big misunderstanding. He’ll see.”
I laughed. “Are you crazy? He hates me. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I’m sure he’ll understand if-”
“He won’t. He’s not a reasonable man. He does whatever he wants. Damn the consequences.”
“How long have things been strained between the two of you?”
“Strained…” I said with a laugh. “Strained is a nice way to put it. If he knew I was here now, he’d have me locked up in a mental institution or worse.”
“It’s that bad?”
He handed me another drink. I drank it so quickly that Sledge raised an eyebrow. I handed the empty glass back, wanting him to make me a third. He set it down instead.
“What happened with Svetlana?” I asked, changing the subject. “Why did she try to pin this on you?”
“After you told me about what happened, I went to the hospital to confront her. I broke up with her and she went psycho. She said she’d warned me to ‘play nice.’ I stormed out. When I got home, the cops were waiting for me. They arrested me on attempted murder.”
He shook his head, then poured a drink. Instead of handing it to me, he drank it.
“It was a close call.”
“Still, you shouldn’t have gone to the police. It’s not your job to take care of me. I can handle myself. I don’t want you to punish yourself just to save me.”
If
he knew the things I’d done to protect him, he’d kill me. He put down his drink and walked over to me.
“Let me take care of you for once.” The proximity of his body made me feel warm all over. He brushed the hair out of my eyes. His hand rested on my arm. “Just tell me the truth, Bobbi. I know Astrid was faking last night. Your friend isn’t much of an actor.”
“No kidding,” I muttered.
“So? What’s really going on?”
As he stared into my eyes, I realized that this was an important moment. I could tell him everything; unload the burden off my chest. Sledge would understand, wouldn’t he?
“If you’re worried about your dad, just sit down and talk to him. I’m sure he’ll see reason.”
It was then I knew that he didn’t understand the situation. He still thought of my dad as the coach. All the players looked up to him. He was the father they always wanted. The truth was that they had no idea who he really was.
“Are you pregnant? You can tell me. I’ll help you. I just don’t want you to lie to me,” he said.
I shook my head. “No. I am not pregnant. It really was a big misunderstanding. Chick is a good guy but he’s not the brightest. Astrid’s not pregnant and neither am I. Can we just leave it at that?”
He frowned and took a step back. I could tell he didn’t believe me. At the very least he knew there was more to the story. I reached out to touch him. My arm came to rest on his bicep. A memory flashed through my mind. We were lying in the field behind the school. I ran my fingertips over his warm skin as the summer sun beat down on us. Naively, we talked about the future. We would get married. Sledge would play for the NHL; I would go to school and get my degree. We’d live in a nice house in the city. We made plans as if life was simple. It felt like ages ago, though it was little more than a year. I was already pregnant then, but I didn’t know it yet. I dropped my hand.
“I know you think I’m lying to you,” I said. “If I haven’t told you everything it’s because I have a very good reason. If you want me to trust you, then you have to trust me.”
“Okay,” he said with a small nod of his head. “I just want to help. If you’re in trouble…”
I shook my head. “I’m fine,” I lied. “Could you make me another drink?”