Chapter 32

Tuesday started too early and went too long. My throat hurt a lot more than it had the night before and I had a lot of bruising. My voice was also a mess and I hoped I wouldn’t have to do a lot of talking in my classes.

Everyone pointed out the finger-marks on my throat when we went next door for breakfast and I nodded. “I’m going for testing right after school and then to the hospital to get checked out. Any volunteers to come with me to see Carl?”

Gina said she would and Lana and Beck offered to come along for the ride, so we took Lana’s car. I’d packed my sketchpad and intended to start working on my family portrait while class was going on.

As it turned out, that ended up not being possible for most of the day. Shortly after class started, police cars started arriving and those cops secured all the exits before the prisoner transport bus showed up. They marched into the school and they started leading out scared, sniveling boys. We had a great view from our classroom and the teacher rapidly gave up on the lesson, letting us cluster around the windows to watch as we counted them up. I took video of all of them as they were led out to the waiting van in handcuffs, most of them crying and wailing, all of them frightened and a few of them abandoning all dignity and trying to fight their way loose.

I’d been keeping count and when the last of them were put in the bus, I looked at Beck and she grinned back at me before we took our seats again. Everyone else was waiting for the next student to be led out, but they closed the doors and the police started to leave, with no explanation of what they were there for to the student population. That would come later.

The rest of the class was taken up with talking about why they might have been arrested, but no one knew since there was none of the arrests had been made from our class.

The rest of the morning went fairly slowly with everyone speculating and trading rumors that ranged from ridiculous to surprisingly accurate. I wondered if some of the girls had spoken up when the arrests started. By lunch time, the whole school was in an uproar trying to find out what had happened. I stayed out of it and was left more or less alone since I still wasn’t on speaking terms with over half the school. The story was spreading anyway. A couple of people had heard them being read their rights and the charges.

At lunch, I sat at my normal table and was quickly surrounded by the girls. Each of them was excited and hugged me and each other before we sat down. I showed them the video of the guilty being led outside. They laughed at some of the reactions from the students being led away and then we all enjoyed lunch in a much more celebratory mood than normal. Gina, Lana and Beck shared my table with me and Jessie sat next to me at the next table, flanked by a few other cheerleaders and some of the more friendly girls as we chatted. Some of the others had drifted off on their own. I was glad to see that. They felt safe in the school again now that it had been cleaned out.

We chatted a bit, but my throat was still sore so I didn’t want to push it until I saw a doctor later. I’d prefer Victoria and decided to excuse myself so I could call her.

“Hello, Matt,” she said, answering the phone almost right away.

“Hi,” I said, my voice sounding a little rough to me.

“Are you okay?” she asked, picking up the change.

“Not really,” I admitted. “I was waiting for Emma’s plane last night when I was attacked by Marlene Garrett. She was brought back to stand trial for everything and went berserk when she saw me. She choked me pretty good before I got her off me. I’m planning on going to the hospital to get checked out later and wanted to see if you wanted to do it personally.”

“Absolutely,” she said. “What time will you be here?”

“I’ve got tests with Carl, so probably around 4:30. Diego also wants me to go get some X-Rays of my shoulder. He wants to see how things are healing.”

“Alright,” she said. “I’ll add some X-Rays of your throat and neck to the order for them. There’s a lot of little bones in your neck that can get damaged, as you well know from reading Grey’s Anatomy once, six months ago. No, don’t start naming them. I know you can.”

“Fair enough,” I chuckled hoarsely. “Do you want me to come up to see you first or after I’ve seen Diego and gotten the X-Rays?” I asked.

“After,” she decided. “Get the X-Rays and I’ll have a chance to review them while you work with Diego.” She paused and then asked. “How’s Marlene doing after the encounter?”

“She probably has a lot of broken bones, but she was still breathing when I left and I don’t think I did anything that would kill her. I’ll show you the footage when I see you.”

“Why am I not surprised you got it on video?” she said with a laugh.

“Because it’s me. I also got some great footage of the arrests they made related to the party at Marlene’s in September,” I told her. “You can see that later too, if you want.”

“If you think it’s important,” she said casually. “I’m not sure how much of interest would be in that video though.”

“Totally your choice,” I said lightly. “I’ll see you later on.”

We said goodbye and I returned to the lunch room a few minutes ahead of the bell. There was a little bit of a cluster around our table and Gina, Beck and Lana seemed to be talking animatedly to the girls. Gina caught sight of me and tipped off the girls that I was on my way back. They all stopped and stared at me like I was dinner.

‘Not good, ‘ I thought to myself and sat down next to Gina.

“What’s going on?” I asked slowly, looking back and forth between them.

“We were just chatting,” Gina told me. “Girl stuff.”

“Girl stuff, huh?” I commented suspiciously. “You wouldn’t happen to be telling tales about my weekend, would you?”

“Who me?” she asked with elaborate innocence. I knew I was in for it then.

“Yes, you,” I said evenly. “What did you tell them?”

“Nothing that wasn’t true,” she said with a mischievous smile. “Ask Lana and Beck if you don’t believe me.”

“Oh, I believe you,” I assured her. “That’s what worries me.”

She grinned. “Get plenty of rest,” she grinned. “You’re gonna need it.”

I sighed. “Keep it on simmer,” I told her. “I have eight girls that want a piece of me and at least two more warming up for a chance to jump on me if I ever get a free night. Don’t make promises that I can’t keep.” I glanced sideways at Jessie and I squirmed a little.

“Is this talk making things a little uncomfortable in your shorts?” Gina asked playfully.

“No, it’s not that. I’m just wearing something I got for Christmas and it’s a little uncomfortable. I don’t think it’s quite my size, to be honest,” I admitted.

She glanced down at my outfit and frowned. “Those don’t look like any of your new clothes,” she said.

“Yeah,” Lana agreed loudly. “What are you wearing that’s new?”

I waited until Jessie was about to take a drink and smiled. “Well, it’s not a tie, but it came with a note that said I should think of the giver when I wore it.”

Jessie coughed and sputtered, Sprite coming out of her nose as she sprayed it all over the table in front of her. I patted her back while she coughed the rest of it out, her eyes streaming from the soda burning her sinuses. I passed her some napkins to clean up and she looked at me in shock. “You didn’t really?!!?” she asked in horror.

I smiled sweetly as she blew her nose and cleaned up. Everyone else was curious about what was going on by now. Lana and Beck were both bewildered, but Gina had been with me when we’d picked up that particular gift and she looked between me and Jessie for a few seconds before she clued in. “OH MY GOD! YOU DID, DIDN’T YOU!??!” she shrieked in laughter and covered her mouth, turning red.

“I think it was a very thoughtful gift,” I said primly and then turned back to Jessie. “It just takes some getting used to and she had to guess my size, I suppose.”

Jessie looked like she was going to pass out. Her face was so red, I thought she might have to visit the nurse. I leaned over and whispered in her ear. “And I’ve been thinking about you all morning,” I told her and licked her ear.

Lana caught the lick and started laughing. Jessie trembled from shock, embarrassment and more than a little lust.

Fortunately the bell rang and people were forced to move toward the door. Jessie didn’t move with the rest of the crowd, staring at me instead. She put her lips to my ear. “Did you really wear them?” she asked.

I nodded and slid my hand down my hip under my jeans to grab the string so I could lift it into sight for proof. She stared at it and bit her lip. Students were still clogging the entryway, so she wasn’t in danger of being late yet. She took the opportunity to kiss me hard. “I should make you show me later,” she said sternly. “Having Sprite up your nose hurts like Hell.”

“I’m sure I’ll make it up to you,” I said sweetly and kissed her again before nodding to the back of the line to indicate she should go. “I’ve got a long day today between tests, hospital and police, but I think you’ll get the chance to see more of me in the near future.”

She nodded and got up, walking off with just a little more sway in her hips than usual. I texted Emma quickly.

“Dare completed. Made Jessie’s day, but she sprayed Sprite out of her nose.”

She texted me back with laughter and then asked if she’d tried to drag me away to a vacant classroom.

“Not yet, but the rest of the girls have sort of approved her to do that if you agree. That’s a discussion we need to have sometime this week. She was clearer about what she wants. Gina and Lana approve, but your vote is always the swing vote.”

“How do YOU feel about it?” she wanted to know.

“She wants me to treat her right. She doesn’t know anything about sex except rape. She says she wants someone to treat her nice even if it’s just once.”

“What if she gets it once and then can’t give it up?”

“We’re friends. We both agree that we’re not likely to fall in love, but I could fuck her occasionally if she feels like it and there’s an open night.”

“So it’s nothing more than friends with benefits?”

“Yeah. I think she’ll go looking for a boyfriend of her own once she gets an idea how she should be treated.”

“Okay. Gina and Lana know her better than anyone. If they’re sure it’s okay, do it.”

“Want me to bring her home so we can tag-team her?” I asked and grinned as the second lunch crowd started to filter in.

“Maybe if she’s gonna stick around for more than once. For her one night, take her somewhere and treat her right.”

Someone sat down across from me and I sent one last message to Emma before looking up. “Will do. GTG. Love you.”

When I looked up, it wasn’t Tricia sitting with me or even Cheryl, but someone I hadn’t spoken to since the start of the year. Cheryl and Tricia were sitting at another table and Tricia was looking at me uncertainly. I looked at her and gave her a small nod that I was okay with her sitting there before I turned my attention to my company for lunch.

“Roger,” I said quietly, my mood crashing harder than I would have expected. “It’s been a long time.” I looked around and noticed several of the other players for the team were taking seats with us like we were all still friends.

“It has,” he agreed. “I figured it was time we mended fences.”

“Mended fences?” I repeated, mildly curious. “I wasn’t aware I did something to offend any of you.”

“Well there was that rumor at the start of the year,” he said, obviously not catching to tone of my voice. “I guess it’s gone on long enough, right? Time for you to come in from the cold.”

I looked at him like he was simple. If we were anywhere except school, I’d have beaten his head in and left him for the paramedics. “That’s awfully generous of you, Roger,” I said, my voice low. I looked around at the rest of them. “Does the same go for the rest of the team?”

I always knew Roger was a little bit of an asshole, but this cemented that image in my head.

“Well, like I said, it’s gone on long enough,” he said in what I’m sure he meant to be a jovial tone. “We’re willing to forgive and forget. After all, I’ve heard that Becky’s speaking to you again and we all missed having you around for baseball last summer.” I guess their replacement for me hadn’t worked out well. If he had, Roger wouldn’t be here. For that matter, none of the rest of them would.

I nodded, catching the eyes of the rest of the team. They all looked like they were playing along on Roger’s lead. “I see,” I said casually. “So you made this decision as a team?”

“It’s a new year,” Roberta Dawson said to me with a smile that looked normal. “What better time to bury the hatchet.”

She laid her hand on my arm and I looked in her eyes. “I always considered you a friend, Bobbi,” I told her in a slightly louder voice. The other tables nearby could hear, including the one Cheryl and Tricia were sitting at and I noticed that conversation had quieted to watch. A lot of interesting things had happened around me last semester and news must have spread because the rest of the room was straining to hear what happened next.

She grinned at me. “Of COURSE we’re friends!” she said as if I was just being silly to have to say it out loud.

I nodded. “That’s why it hurt me so much to find out what you all decided as a team last semester,” I told her.

Her smile faltered, but she left her hand on my arm, tightening her grip just a little. “I’m sorry we didn’t come to you sooner, but everyone was so sure.”

“Did any one of you ASK me if it was true? No. No one did. Not one person on this team or in the school, for that matter, stopped to even ask if there was any truth to the rumor. I didn’t even know what you’d all found me guilty of until the week before Halloween.” I shook my head. “Turning your back on me was something I could have gotten over,” I said. “Everyone abandoned me. I’ve come to accept that it happened. I even accepted that it was hard for people to come back after the word got out that it had been a lie in the first place. No, what I’m talking about was how all of you used Beck.”

She looked deeply uncomfortable now, but it was Roger that spoke. “Come on now,” he said, trying to reason with me. “That wasn’t how it was.”

“No?” I asked loudly, looking around at all of them. The rage on my face was unmistakable now and they looked like they were regretting their choice to join me today. “The seven of you knew Beck probably better than anyone in the world except me or her sister. You KNEW she wasn’t right. You KNEW something was wrong. You might not have known that Marlene and the Watermans were pumping her and Lana both full of drugs, but you FUCKING knew that wasn’t who Beck was. You knew she wasn’t acting like herself and each and every FUCKING one of you took advantage of her and fucked her. I don’t know whether you did it to hurt me, to hurt her or just because you were horny and didn’t GIVE a shit about what it would cost her, me or didn’t give a shit about what was going on, but as far as I’m concerned, for having sex with her when she wasn’t in control of herself, the seven of you should have been charged with rape this morning along with the rest of them.”

I’d been shouting at the end and got to my feet, pulling my arm out of Bobbi’s grip roughly. “Now did you have anything to say about THAT or are you still planning on trying to convince me that YOU forgive ME for everything?”

They sat there, stunned. They’d had no idea that Beck would have told me what had happened. I looked at Bobbi and seethed. “Roger’s a piece of shit. He always has been, but I thought better of you. When Beck gave me a list of things that happened while she wasn’t in control and your name was there, it hurt more than anything else she’d done. More than breaking up with me, more than believing I was capable of what that vile lie said I’d done, more than helping turn the rest of my family against me. Not because you fucked her, but because you did it to inflict pain. I never did anything to you, to ANY of you. You helped wreck my life last term and now you sit down at a table with me and tell me you’re WILLING to forgive ME?!!? I don’t even KNOW you any more! Don’t ever fucking speak to me again. ANY OF YOU! Don’t even LOOK at Beck ever again. You’ve inflicted enough damage on both of our lives that the best thing you can do is pretend like you never knew us.” I’d been shouting, ranting really and suddenly I didn’t feel words were enough. I wanted ... I needed to get out of there before I acted on that urge.