“Why didn’t you fight back then too?” I asked.
“I guess I’m not good enough, Uly. I’m not Belle. Right?”
Mara started to walk away.
I chased after her.
When I touched her shoulder, she turned around and slapped me again.
This time it was more than one slap. From my face to my chest, she was trying to hurt me. Fight me. She was feeling hurt too.
“I didn’t want to come here,” she said. “I don’t want to be a part of this. I can’t help where I came from or who I am. I’m not going to pretend to be something I’m not.”
“Nobody said you had to,” I said. “I told you to just tell anyone you’re with me.”
“Oh, they knew,” Mara said. “They didn’t care. They cornered me. And I…” Mara groaned and pushed at me again. “Don’t fucking follow me. I’ll walk home. Go back to your party and your rich friends and your rich life. Go back to Belle. That’s who you really want.”
Mara walked away again.
I turned and walked the other way.
Back to my car.
I stood there for a few minutes in silence, taking deep breaths, feeling the weight of the world on my back.
Then I heard a whistle and saw Hil walking toward me.
“Not now,” I said.
“Yes, now,” he said. “You fucked up.”
“What?”
“Charger is nowhere to be found,” Hil said. “He slipped away.”
“What about Jasmine?”
“She’s at the party.”
“Then we use her again. She can call him. We’ll figure it out.”
“Are you sure about that?” Hil asked. “Why did you bring Mara here?”
I faced Hil. “You really think questioning me is a good thing right now?”
“We have to fix this,” Hil said. “And it looks like you have other shit to fix too. Let Ash and I deal with this. It’s how we’ve been doing things anyway. You have your way, we have our way. Simple.”
“Fuck yourself,” I snapped at Hil.
I opened the door and started to get into my car.
“You’re leaving?” Hil asked.
“I’ll figure out what to do about Charger,” I said. “Just make sure Belle is okay. And let it be known that Lizzy decided to mess with the wrong girl tonight. Mara is my girl and I will do anything to defend her. Lizzy might have just started a war.”
“Fuck that,” Hil said. “There is no war there. That’s their problem. We have our own to deal with.”
“Right,” I said. “There’s nothing in it for you, Hil. Why don’t you go lick Ella’s wounds? Tell her that her fat nose is cute. Anything to get into her pants.”
“Less work than you have to do to get Mara,” he said.
Hil laughed and backed away.
I got into my car.
I had to find Mara before she ended up really hurt or lost.
Chapter 15
She couldn’t have gotten all that far.
That was the one logical thing that ran through my head as I drove down the beach road, needing to find Mara. At the very least she could park her ass in the backseat and never talk to me again. Just as long as I could get her home and safe. Or back to my mother’s beach house.
The night was a fucking disaster.
I should have just left Mara at the beach house.
I could have darted up to Raza’s party, found Charger, took care of the business at hand, and then go right back to Mara. We would have been sneaking around the beach house, stealing kisses and plenty more.
But now…
I went around a narrow bend and saw Mara.
Walking along the side of the road, her legs moving really fast.
I drove up next to her and put down the passenger window.
“Come on, doll,” I said. “You have proven your point. You can’t walk from here. It’s too far.”
Mara showed me her middle finger and refused to stop.
I pulled the car to the side of the road and parked it.
I left the door open when I got out and I started to run after Mara.
When I caught up, I grabbed her waist and pulled her toward me.
“You’re not anything anyone says,” I said to her. “Especially those cunts.”
Mara spun around and shoved me away. “But I had the chance to be. That’s what you don’t get. We had plenty of money. We were doing just fine. Then he left and it all went to hell. I don’t need a reminder of it.”
“Shit, doll, I’m so sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean for any of it to happen.”
“I told you…” Mara shook her head. “I’m not having the same conversation.”
“Then get in the car,” I said. “I’ll take you back to the beach house. Not Raza’s. My mother’s. I’ll drop you off and leave. You can’t walk…”
“Says who?” Mara asked.
She wanted to be stubborn. She wanted to feel in control.
“Uly, what the hell are we even doing?” she asked. “This is your life here. I’m never going to live near BFH and be part of this stuff. This is so stupid. I called you to tell you about your mother. And then you’re suddenly kissing me in an elevator? Think about it. You did it because you were scared. You were afraid of losing your mother. And you won’t admit that yourself. You try to be so fucking tough all the time. So you kept bothering me like you really liked me.”
“That’s what you think?” I asked.
“Come on, Uly…”
I moved toward her and she pushed me again.
“You can’t walk home,” I said.
“Watch me,” she said.
She turned and moved again.
I could play this game too.
I hurried back to my car and followed her.
Just coasting along the road, right behind her.
If she wanted to spend the entire fucking night walking home to prove a point, then fine. I’d be the guy behind her, pissed off but supporting her.
“I love you, doll,” I said inside the car. “That’s why I’m doing all of this shit. I wasn’t scared that day in the hospital. I just saw you. The real you. You were the one scared. And there was just something in that moment that hit me. It crushed me. It… did something… and now you want to play this game? That’s fine, doll. I’ll play this game as long as we need to. Nothing is going to stop me.”
Mara looked back and curled her lip.
I curled my lip too.
Giving each other such a nasty, pissed off look, when in reality we were just in love.
“You looking back at me pissed is all I need right now, doll,” I said. “Remember my words… nothing will ever stop me…”
A red and blue light reflection swam through my car.
I looked into the mirror and shut my eyes.
A fucking cop car was behind me.
* * *
I pulled over and got out of my car.
Which I knew you weren’t supposed to do when a cop pulled you over. I understood it. The kind of threat that posed to the officer. And how it made me look.
I cupped my hands to my mouth. “Mara. Stop! This is fucking crazy.”
She turned around and folded her arms.
“Show me your hands,” a voice said from behind me.
I turned and put my back to my car.
I put my hands up. “Officer, I’m really sorry. I was just looking for my girlfriend. We got into an argument and she walked away. I was nervous she’d get hurt.”
“Nobody told you to get out of the car,” the officer said to me.
“I know that,” I said. “I didn’t want my girlfriend to keep walking.”
The officer looked at Mara. Then back to me.
“I have to make sure she gets home,” I said.
“I’ll be the judge of who gets to go home,” he said. “There’s a party not too far from here. Is that where you’re coming from?”
“I just want to take her home. Do you know
who I am?”
“Who you are?” he asked.
“Uly… whatever. Doesn’t matter.”
He would have said something if he knew me.
This was some cop that didn’t know what he was up against.
Shit, I didn’t know what I was up against either.
I felt the tension rising.
“I’m going to ask you some questions,” the officer said. “And I want some identification too.”
“I wasn’t doing anything wrong,” I said. “You can’t just pull me over for no reason.”
“Try me,” he said with a smirk.
He reached for my arm and I swung my hand to knock his hand away.
I heard Mara gasp.
“Son…”
Images of Calvin flashed in my head. Then images of Belle with Ash. Then images of Penelope with Hil. Then images of Jasmine messed up on those pills from Charger. Then images of Mara… crying…
The officer grabbed my arm.
I swung.
I punched his arm away and then pushed him away.
“Uly!” Mara screamed.
I turned and ran toward her.
“I can’t lose you, doll,” I said. “I don’t give a shit about anything else right now but you. I love you.”
I threw the words out there as Mara covered her mouth.
A second later an arm was around the front of my body and down to the ground I went.
I slammed with the force of my body and the weight of the officer on top of me.
He screamed in my ear to not fucking do anything like that again or else he’d have to hurt me.
I had no hard feelings for the guy.
I was the fuck up.
I fucked everything up.
The officer pulled my hands behind my back and cuffed me.
I lifted my head and saw Mara bending her knees, crouching down.
“Get my phone, doll,” I said. “Call Lake. She’ll know what to do.”
“Stand up, you little fuck,” the officer yelled.
He pulled at my arms and I thought my shoulders were going to pop out of their sockets.
He dragged me back to his police SUV and threw me into the backseat like I was going to be forgotten.
I stared out the windshield as the officer made a call from his radio and then he approached Mara.
Watching him get closer to her made me sick.
She showed him my cellphone.
They talked.
They both looked back at me.
I could see it in her eyes she was pleading with him.
Tears filling her eyes.
The officer simply shook his head and pointed to the ground.
Mara stepped away from my car and lowered her head.
It felt like the night wasn’t the only thing that had come to an end.
* * *
I sat in a room that was all walls.
No windows.
Just me and a table.
And my ass in a chair.
I wasn’t handcuffed any longer, which was good.
But I had no idea where Mara was or what happened to her or why.
All I could think about was that both of us had a drink or two. My ass was going to end up in serious trouble for this. But Mara… she didn’t have the resources I had.
Which made it all make sense.
Why what Lizzy and Ella said to her hurt so much.
I had nothing to worry about.
I could drive and take my chances with a police officer, knowing that I had the resources to figure it out. But Mara didn’t. Whatever happened to her was just her fate. In some fucked up way I could buy my own fate.
But that only went so far.
Maybe I’d get out of this mess, but money wasn’t going to buy my fate with Mara.
She was a clear reminder of that.
The door opened and in walked a tall woman wearing high heels, a women’s suit, and she looked vicious and pissed. A certain kind of sexy, beautiful, vicious woman.
She had a bag that she threw on the table, along with a folder.
“Ulysses,” she said.
“Yeah?”
“Can I call you Uly?”
“Sure.”
“I’m Calypso,” she said. “Or just Caly. You’re free to go.”
“What?”
“Fuck these people,” she said. “What gives them to right to attack you like they did?”
“There was no they…”
“I’m your lawyer,” she said. “Do you want to go home or not?”
“Yeah. Sure. Of course. Hey, where’s-”
“You’re lucky I keep tabs on you,” she said. “Your father gave me a shot once. Everyone thought I was too pretty to be taken seriously. But not him. He saw me for my brain. I loved that man. Not like that. But you know… as a father figure. I’ve kept tabs on you, Uly. And I made sure Lake had a card of mine. Just in case.”
“Shit,” I said.
“Shit is right. You put your hands on a police officer. You’re lucky.”
“Lucky?”
“He was out of his jurisdiction,” she said. “Looking for a fight. He fucked up the entire situation as much as you did. And you have me on your side. I told them if they wanted to take it in front of a judge, I’d have their badges on my desk by morning. They know it too. He was looking for an easy one. Hoping you’d be drunk or high. Or you’d give details on some parties. That’s not how this works. Not for you.”
“Right,” I said.
“So stand up and leave,” Caly said. “I have a little bit more paperwork to handle. Your car is fine. I’ll have that back to you by morning too. I have a long night ahead of me thanks to you. But it’s worth it. My normal retainer fee plus whatever I do tonight… can’t wait.”
She walked to the door and motioned for me to leave.
I walked to the door and looked at her. “Where’s Mara?”
“Not my problem,” she said. “I have a lot to do here, Uly.” She leaned in and sniffed my breath. “Are you drunk?”
“No,” I said.
“Good. I might need a statement from you. If they push back. But here’s how it goes. You were minding your own business. The officer snuck up on you and startled you. You were doing nothing wrong. And it was a big misunderstanding. He thought you were someone else. You got skittish. So we’re going to figure out the paperwork and it becomes a legal handshake between you and the police officer.”
“Whatever,” I said. “I need to get the fuck out of here.”
“You could say thank you.”
“You’re getting paid,” I said.
Caly laughed. “I remember you, Uly. As a kid. You were a pain in the ass. You tried looking up my skirt once.”
“Me?” I asked. “I would never…”
“Get out of here,” Caly said. “Before I change my mind. And let your ass sit here for a while.”
I showed my hands and slipped by Caly.
I saw myself to the front of the police station where Lake was waiting for me.
Pacing wall to wall, hugging herself, until she saw me.
“Ulysses,” she said.
“I’m a free man,” I said.
She stared at me for a few seconds, her eyes becoming watery.
Ah, shit, don’t cry…
Lake lunged toward me and grabbed my arm. “What the hell were you thinking?”
I had no response for her.
So I walked out of the police station.
I realized I had no ride anywhere.
Meaning I needed Lake.
“Uly!”
I turned my head and saw Belle racing toward me.
Ash and Hil were behind her, not running toward me though.
Belle threw her arms around me.
I didn’t hug her back.
I had no desire to hug her.
“Uly…”
“Where’s Mara?” I asked.
“She got picked up by her mother,” Belle said.
&
nbsp; I put my head back. “Fuck.”
“She called Lake and then called me,” Belle said. “Said you fought a cop?”
“Something like that,” I said. “Long story.”
Ash and Hil kept their distance.
They knew I was alive and I was out of jail.
Nothing else mattered to them.
Which I didn’t blame them for.
“Uly, what the fuck is going on?” Belle asked.
I stepped away from Belle. “Just go with Them.”
“Uly… this is all crazy,” Belle said.
“We’re beyond crazy, doll,” I said.
I looked at Ash and Hil again.
Hil was already walking away, smoking a cigarette.
Ash stood in place, waiting for Belle.
Belle grabbed my hand. “I don’t want to lose you, Uly. I don’t know what’s going on right now.”
“Neither do I, doll,” I whispered.
I turned and walked toward Lake’s car.
Before I got into the passenger seat, Caly came out of the police station with my stuff. My phone. My cigarettes.
I finally did thank her and she laughed, saying she was getting paid whether I thanked her or not. Which was what I had already told her.
But this wasn’t about money.
Or being arrested.
Or needing a lawyer.
Or anything else that was swirling around in the night.
And Lake knew that too.
That’s why she kept quiet on the ride home.
The entire thing revolved around Mara.
I told her I loved her.
She didn’t say it back.
When I lost Penelope, there was hell to pay.
And now I had felt like I lost both Belle and Mara.
But Mara I really did love.
Hell to pay…
That wasn’t good enough.
There was no explaining the hurt and anger inside me.
* * *
I sat outside with no desire to sleep.
I had a notebook for whatever shit decided to flow through my mind that I could pass off as lyrics. I smoked a couple cigarettes and then stopped.
And there was nothing else happening.
The night was quiet.
The night was actually fucking peaceful.
In some twisted and sick way.
I rubbed my jaw and played out what should have been happening with the night.
ULY (Bay Falls High - Them Book 1) Page 14