“I’m really sorry, but you understand we have to do this…” My father was obviously in disagreement.
“Can’t this wait until she’s at least out of the hospital?”
“Dad, it’s OK. I’m out of the hospital. We might as well get this over with.” He was still mad that they had questioned me without him being present, but at this point, I really didn’t have anything to hide. Dad was adamant that I not say anything else unless he was present because he said there were questions that I didn’t have to answer if I chose not to. But, I just felt like that made me look like I was hiding something, and at this point, there wasn’t anything to hide.
Dad did speak up quickly as Dr. Broughman was trying to read my discharge paperwork and follow-up paperwork.
“Dr. Broughman, is this medically in her best interest?” My father knew the answer, but he was acting like any father would if his only little girl was getting what he thought to be “picked on”.
Detective Ben spoke up. “Mr. Stanton, technically we are supposed to book her and handcuff her.” No one spoke. “Obviously, that isn’t going to happen, but she will have to ride with us and you can follow us to the station, sir. Will that work for you?” It wasn’t a question, but a directive and my father knew that this was serious and I had no choice.
The truth was that, if my health were to deteriorate at this point, the police had the authority until I had been sentenced to admit me to the local police infirmary, under Dr. Broughman’s direction to their physician. This was not a bad dream. It was real and I would be riding in a police car from the hospital.
Dr. Broughman did ask the detectives to be sensitive to my injuries and asked what the afternoon would entail. I heard them talking, but I was thinking still about my conversation with Jonathan. What was he thinking about and especially, what was he taking care of? Was he returning my beautiful ring? Was he going to talk with a friend or his parents about the situation and get some advice?
Detectives Ben and English escorted me in the wheelchair downstairs to the front entrance. I entered the detective car, a dark unmarked car, into the back seat, free of handcuffs, and my parents and Sabrina followed closely behind.
We went to the police station where I was escorted in and taken into a small room. It was all just like on television. The long table, the black two way window that you could only see from the other side, nothing on the walls, one window…and a very weird, smoky smell in the air. I desperately wanted hand sanitizer… In a weird way, I was almost relieved that I was a big fan of TV shows that involved police because I sort of knew what to expect.
My father sat next to me and his first words were, “Jasmine, you don’t answer one question until I tell you to. Do you understand?”
“Yes, dad. It’s all right.” I found myself comforting him, realizing that this was the hardest thing he would probably ever have to do. I wondered about where my mother and Sabrina were – probably in a waiting room outside, waiting nervously to see what the outcome would be.
Detective Ben began. The questioning was very cut and dry. The questions were basically the same that they had asked me in the hospital – how long I had been using meth, where I got it, who I got it from, if I made it or helped in any way or had any knowledge of how it was made or being manufactured, if I knew other people who used it, and if I ever gave it to anyone else or sold it.
My father was listening quietly. He and the detectives both had tape recorders on, recording every word that was said. I wondered who was on the other side of the glass. My father objected a couple of times, telling me not to answer a couple of the questions (I wasn’t sure why), but basically, it was short and as sweet as it could be, under the circumstances.
“Am I allowed to ask a couple of questions?”
Dad looked somewhat alarmed, but said, “Could I confer with my client for a moment alone?”
The detectives left the room for a moment.
“What do you need Jasmine? We’ve told them plenty at this point.”
“I want to know what’s going to happen to Sabrina and to my friend, Kenny, dad. I know you don’t understand, but they’re just kids. I’m concerned that my stupidity has destroyed so many people…can I just ask them those things?”
“First of all, they can’t discuss those things with you because of confidentiality rights. But I can tell you what you want to know. Sabrina is being questioned right now.”
“What? Why? She didn’t do anything…they couldn’t even wait a day or two?”
“No, Jasmine, they can’t wait until you’ve had a chance to get your toenails polished or catch up on facebook.” At this point he was getting angry, but worried/angry. “At this point, they will confiscate her computer, your computer, both of your phones and they will begin an investigation into all of the answers that you have given so far.”
“And Kenny? What about Kenny?”
“Jasmine, they have already taken him into custody.” I was GOBSMACKED.
“How? I don’t even know his last name! How did they find out so quickly who he was?”
“It didn’t take a lot, dear. They simply questioned a couple of the regulars around town and went right to his apartment. Turns out that he has – or should I say had – quite a lucrative operation going on.” He shook his head.
“What a waste. He was majoring in chemical sciences, planning to become a scientist for the government. Isn’t that ironic? He had a lab in his second bedroom that mimicked any professional laboratory in any pharmaceutical company in the country. He was no small-time operator.”
“So what’s going to happen to him? Will he get parole as well since he is such an excellent college student? Will they take any of that into account?”
“Jasmine, he’s been booked and he’s in jail. The judge won’t even set bond for him. I’m afraid that your friend is going to jail for a very long time.” I was speechless. I couldn’t imagine Kenny, small little defenseless chemistry geek, Kenny, in federal prison with real criminals. He would be lucky if he was able to stay alive. I couldn’t even grasp what I had done.
“They confiscated all of his belongings, his contacts, and from what I understand, found quite a bit of money that he was saving in a small suitcase in a closet, no doubt paying for his college. What a waste of an incredible young mind.”
“But don’t they have special jails for people like him who can’t defend themselves dad? He isn’t a murderer or a rapist or anything like that. He won’t even know how to fight…” I started to cry, thinking about where he was at this very moment and what his life would be like. His life was over, because of me. “Oh, my God. How am I ever going to make this up to him?”
“Jasmine, you are never to contact him or see him ever again, for the rest of your life. This is serious business. He is a felon – a criminal who will be lucky if he ever sees light of day for the next twenty five years. He has been charged with distribution, manufacturing, possession and use of one of the most dangerous drugs that there are. All of that money, all of that intelligence will now be spent in a jail cell where he will spend the rest of his adult life.”
“And Sabrina?”
“Well, Sabrina will probably get off with a year of probation. She has a clean criminal record and her crime is simply having knowledge of your using this drug and not reporting it. On top of conspiracy, which I may be able to have dropped…she did hook you up with this scumbag, which makes her an accomplice, but under the circumstances, I believe that the judge is going to be lenient on her, as well as on you.”
“What do you know about my charges at this point?”
Mr. Stanton took out his notepad and put on his glasses.
“The judge has been in the county for a very long time, and fortunately, has a reputation for considering the entirety of every situation. Especially, and specifically for you, that you are a freshman in college with a clean record, that you were attacked in the fall, and that you weren’t distributing the drug – you were only using it
. Possession of methamphetamines is Tennessee is an automatic felony, but the District attorney has agreed to drop the charge to a misdemeanor with one year of probation and a $25,000 fine if you completely cooperate with the authorities.”
“Of course, I will dad. I’m so sorry for all of this. I just don’t know how this happened. It just…happened.”
“Jasmine..” he took his glasses off. “NOTHING just happens. You are the choices that you make. You made a choice to go that first party. You made a choice very time you left your apartment and spent MY money to buy this drug. It didn’t just happen.”
Detective Ben came into the room. “Is it OK for me to come in for a moment?”
He sat down. “The judge has set her bond at $50,000 and house arrest.”
“OK. That sounds reasonable. When is the court date?”
“At this point, the court date has been set for April 24 at 9:00. If Jasmine cooperates completely, we shouldn’t have any problems. She will leave from the courtroom that day, as I understand it, to a rehabilitation center that you and the District attorney can agree on.”
“I’m sure that won’t be a problem.”
I was listening, completely in shock to all of what was being said. At least I wouldn’t be in jail. But I wouldn’t be in school either. And I wouldn’t be with Jonathan. God, where was Jonathan? What was he going to think about all of this? How would she ever face anyone again? How could she face herself in the mirror again? And, still, even with all of this going on, all she could think about was how much better she would feel if she could just inhale one little hit….right now…
Chapter Twenty Three
My father left the room and went with the detectives to take care of last minute details and I was left alone in the room. Alone for the first time to actually let all of what had just happened sink in. All I could think about was Jonathan. I felt selfish because I wasn’t thinking about Sabrina or my poor mother…but I just wanted to see Jonathan’s face. I wanted to feel his hand. I wanted him to tell me once more that he still loved me and that this would all be a distant memory
A knock on the door got my attention.
“Come in….”
Sabrina walked in, her eyes red and her nose swollen and red. She had obviously been crying.
“Hi Jazz.” She sat down and looked at the floor, folding and rubbing her hands together. “How’s it going?” What a question. I didn’t know how to answer her.
“Sabrina, I’m so sorry. I had no idea that you would be drug into my mess. I didn’t tell them anything, they just know that we are roommates and that’s why they brought you in for questioning…”
“Jasmine, that’s not all they found. I haven’t been completely honest with you, either.”
What else could there possibly be? I sat in the small dingy room, looking at her and just waiting for her to start talking. She couldn’t seem to get the words out.
“Sabrina, I love you. You’re my best friend. For heaven’s sake, there isn’t anything that you could say that would make me think any less of you…what happened?”
Sabrina smiled. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just worried for you. I want to know that you are OK. I understand that they are going to let you go out on probation and some outpatient counseling…”
“Really? I thought I was going to have to go in somewhere…”
“Not according to Detective English. Your dad has worked miracles. You and I are going to get through this, you hear me? I will never let you down again.”
“You didn’t let me down. I let myself and everyone around me down. Including Jonathan. OH, God, Jonathan. Sabrina, he proposed to me this morning. In the hospital room.”
“Do what?? Like how? Where is he?”
“Well, he proposed with a beautiful ring, down on one knee, saying all of the right things. But I couldn’t accept it or discuss being his wife until I knew that he was aware of all that has happened. When I told him about all of what had happened…the first attack, the meth use since then, all of it, he just stood up and said that he still loved me but that he had some things to take care of and he left. You haven’t heard from him or seen him, have you?”
Sabrina’s eyes were as big as saucers. “NO! What things would have to take care of? I wonder where he is? Oh my gosh – you married! This is so sudden – I mean, he’s been dodging your phone calls and hasn’t tried to call you at all – what did he say about that?”
“He said that he knew he was in love with me and that it scared him, but that he couldn’t stop thinking about us and that he finally knew that the only thing –the right – to do was to be with me.” I shook my head back and forth. “I love him, Sabrina. I really do. I mean with everything in me, everything that I am, I really love Jonathan and I know that we could be happy together.”
She smiled, glowing, as if it were her that had been proposed to. “Sabrina, you deserve to be happy. I’m sure that whatever Jonathan is doing, he will come back and ask you again to marry him and together, we will all work through this. You seem fine – some counseling to help with the cravings that you’re still having, and your life will go back to normal.”
Jasmine held out her good hand and grabbed Sabrina’s hand and squeezed it. “Both of our lives will go back to normal – even better. I would say that one day, when we do graduate from college, we will look back on this and have a ton of stories to tell our grandchildren one day…”
They both started laughing, knowing that these stories would never leave the walls of this police station or their dorm room.
Chapter Twenty Four
The judge was extremely lenient, like my father said he would be. I don’t know how my dad pulled it off, but if I checked in with a substance abuse counselor once a month and there were no drugs in my system, went to counseling every two weeks, and didn’t break any laws for one year, I would have a misdemeanor on my record that would be sealed and never affect my college career or any future job opportunities.
Sabrina’s sentence was similar – she was found with a couple of drugs in the dorm that I didn’t know about, but also had to agree to go to counseling, and we had to do community service at a local nursing home twice a week, which I found to be almost a reward.
Kenny did go to jail. I felt really bad that I was the one that had put him there, but in reality with him out of the picture, I wasn’t tempted to buy any of the drug or use it because I didn’t know anyone else. And the great thing was the counseling – not only did we discuss my drug abuse, but we were able to talk about the attack.
Jonathan came to see me about a week later at the apartment. He called first and asked if he could come over – he said that he had something to talk about. I was praying that he was going to forgive me and we could go on together, and I willingly agreed to meet him wherever he wanted.
The knock on the door set my heart pounding. I couldn’t wait to see his beautiful face. I looked in the mirror once more and, besides a scar here or there, I hadn’t suffered too much in the way of permanent damage that was disfiguring or anything. I opened the door and just stood there. We both just stared at each other for a moment. He had flowers. My heart danced.
“Hi, Jonathan.”
He dropped the flowers and embraced me in a very long, passionate kiss and then an embrace. When he stepped back, he was crying. “Hello my Jasmine.” He picked up the flowers off of the floor. “These are for you.”
I knew that everything was alright, but he still looked troubled, unfinished, like he still needed to talk. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to talk about anything that had to do with either night, but I was just so glad that Jonathan was there that I would have answered anything he asked me at that moment.
He didn’t ask questions. Instead, he began to talk. “I have something to tell you. I had to make sure first, but I know without a doubt now and I need you to tell me what to do about it.”
I started getting nervous – did he have another girlfriend? Was she accidentally pregnant? Had h
is parents heard about me and banished me from his life? What was his revelation?
“Jonathan, whatever it is, you can tell me. What is it? Whatever it is, we’ll get through it together. I mean, if we can get through what I’ve just been through…”
“That’s just it. You never actually got closure to that attack because no one was arrested. They weren’t sure who it was and they couldn’t arrest anyone.” He stood up and faced me square in the face.
“Jasmine, I know who the guys were in that room that night.”
I got dizzy for a moment and felt like I was going to pass out. How could he possibly know who they were?
“How? I mean, how would you…”
He started talking about a group of his friends in pre-law who had been bragging for several months about having “popped the cherry” on a freshman newbie geek girl who they drugged and then “nailed” at a Christmas party. They bragged about how great she was, how she loved it, wanted more, screamed for more, grabbed for every person that got near her, and how the orgy went on for almost six hours. They had bragged to everyone on campus about it, but they never said a name. And, they never said anything about holding her down or breaking her arm. They made it sound like a totally, awesome sexual orgy that was unlike anything they had every experienced, right at Christmas and that they would never forget. They all bragged incessantly and laughed at the fact that they didn’t even know her name, but had seen her around campus. A couple of them had even said that they had asked her out, but that she wouldn’t go out with them because ‘she had a boyfriend’. They would laugh behind her back, wondering if her boyfriend knew what kind of a slut she really was.
I was in shock. Shock isn’t the word. I was utterly humiliated and I simply wanted to die. I couldn’t believe that the man of my dreams, the man I wanted to marry, had been listening to this for at least six months and knew who they were.
“Jonathan, if you knew who they were, why didn’t you mention it?”
Girl Seduced (The Girl Interrupted Trilogy Book #1) Page 11