Her Teen Dream (17 page)

Karin cocked a brow. “Ride? We drove to the
party in Lesley’s car.”

“Yeah, I know. But she had too much to drink
and didn’t want to get behind the wheel, so I offered to give her a
lift.”

Karin knew that Lesley had been drunk before
and could imagine a repeat performance at Jayne’s party, especially
in the company of Marcus, who had his own drinking problem. Could
she have only imagined being attacked by Reese?

Karin met his steady eyes. “What went on in
your car with Lesley?” She recalled when she and Reese had steamed
up the windows with kisses. What if he’d tried the same thing with
Lesley, who would not have been as willing?

“I told you—nothing,” he maintained. “All we
did was talk.”

Karin glanced at their fathers, carrying on
their own conversation, and back to Reese. She gave him a wary
stare. “Then why would she accuse you of sexually assaulting her,
if it never happened?”

“Beats me.” Reese shrugged. “I never touched
her, I swear.”

Karin wanted to believe him. But she had
trouble doing so. Maybe because it was her best friend making the
accusation. Someone she’d known a lot longer and whom she trusted.
Then there was the fact that Karin recalled being pressured by
Reese to have sex last night. Since she didn’t succumb, could he
have been so desperate that he forced himself on someone else—like
an intoxicated Lesley?

I have to hear what she has to say about it
from her own mouth.

Karin promised to reserve judgment until
then.

That didn’t stop her from wanting some
answers from Reese.
Now.
Even while remembering from her
attorney father that everyone was innocent until proven guilty. She
just hoped it wouldn’t get that far.

Karin looked Reese straight in the eye,
trying to still her nerves. “I know you were upset last night,” she
came out with it. “Did you do something to Lesley to get back at
me?”

His lips pursed. “How can you ask me
that?”

“How can I not?” Karin countered, even if she
found it difficult to practically accuse him herself. “I’m just
trying to make sense of why you were taken into custody based on a
complaint by my best friend that you sexually assaulted her?”

“I’m at as much of a loss as you are,” Reese
said dejectedly. “Maybe you should ask Lesley why she’s making this
false
accusation against me.”

“Believe me, I will. But right now, I’m
asking you.”

His nostrils flared. “Look, Karin, I’m sorry
about how things ended with us last night. I messed up with you and
wish I could take it back. But you’ve got to believe me when I tell
you that I would
never
try to force anything to happen with
Lesley or anyone else. I’m not stupid enough to put my whole life
and future on the line for sex with someone who doesn’t feel the
same way as I do.”

He locked eyes with Karin and she thought
about his words. Before she could respond, their fathers joined
them, each looking tense and tired.

“We’re going home now,” Greer told her
firmly.

She didn’t want to. Not until she could talk
more with Reese about this. But, looking into her father’s eyes,
Karin knew that wouldn’t happen. Not today and maybe never.

“I’ll see you, Reese,” she said meekly.

“Yeah,” he muttered to her. To her father, he
said, “Thanks for coming, Mr. Blanch. I really appreciate it.”

Greer flashed him a deadpan look. “I did it
for my daughter. I just hope you don’t make me regret it.”

“I won’t,” Reese promised.

Greer peered at him. “In the meantime, I
think you should take the advice of the detectives and not go
anywhere near Lesley Rochester until this is settled. Is that
clear?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“I’ll make sure of that,” added Reese’s
father. “He doesn’t need any more trouble.”

“Good.” Greer sighed. “I’ll be in touch.”

Karin looked over her shoulder as Reese and
his father went in the opposite direction. It was almost as if they
were seeing each other for the last time. The mere thought made
Karin want to cry. But she didn’t, knowing that her tears might be
better served for her best friend who needed her even more right
now.

* * *

As soon as they got home, Karin immediately
went over to Lesley’s house alone, hoping to get some answers.
Karin’s father, citing a possible conflict of interest, did not
attempt to talk to Lesley at this time. It was better this way,
Karin told herself. If he came with her, it would just make things
uncomfortable for everyone. Especially Lesley.

Edgar opened the door before Karin stepped
onto the porch. He had a grim look on his face.

Karin tried to disregard it. “Hi, Edgar. I
need to see Lesley.”

“Not sure she’s up to having company right
now,” he responded tonelessly.

“I’m not company. I’m her
best
friend!” Karin sputtered.
And I won’t simply fade away
. Not
after Lesley had made this her problem, too.

“Yeah, I guess you are. Where’s that
boyfriend of yours?”

“He’s not here,” she responded nervously.

“Too bad,” Edgar snorted. “If he knows what’s
good for him, he’ll never show his face around here again.”

“Are you threatening Reese?” Karin glanced
over at her house, hoping her father had decided to hang around
after all. But there was no sign of him. She forced herself to turn
back to Edgar.

He was peering at her. “Don’t worry, I’m not
going to try and hurt your boyfriend. That won’t help Lesley,
Shelly, or me, for that matter. But I won’t allow that boy to
intimidate Lesley. We’ll leave it to the authorities to deal with
him.”

Karin gritted her teeth, thinking of how
unfair it was for him to pass judgment on Reese prematurely,
especially when he didn’t even know him. Right now she just wanted
to have a face to face with Lesley.

She sighed. “Will you
please
tell
Lesley I’m here and I don’t plan to leave until we talk?”

Edgar continued to gaze at her before
scratching his chin, and saying, “Wait here.”

Momentarily Shelly came to the door. “Hi,
Karin. Listen, I know you want to talk to Lesley, but I just can’t
allow it today.”

Karin batted her lashes. “Why not? I want to
help.”

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea
right now. Your boyfriend assaulted my daughter and...well, that
puts us all in a difficult situation, doesn’t it?”

“Reese denies doing anything to Lesley.”
Karin defended him.

“He would, wouldn’t he?” Shelly argued. “That
doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.”

“I want to hear it from Lesley,” Karin
persisted.
I need to.

“That’s not going to happen tonight,” Shelly
said adamantly. “She’s been traumatized enough for one day and
needs to rest. But I’ll tell her you stopped by. I’m sure she’ll
appreciate it.”

Karin realized that she was not going to get
anywhere with Lesley’s mother or boyfriend, who Karin could see
hovering in the background. So she left, feeling frustrated and
sad. She hadn’t expected to be rebuffed in her attempt to be with
her best friend in her time of need. Did they think she couldn’t be
loyal and sympathetic in this situation? Even if the accused was
someone Karin found just as hard to abandon at this point.

After she got down to the sidewalk, Karin
looked up and saw Lesley peeking through the blinds of her bedroom
window. When Lesley became aware that she saw her, she quickly
moved away. This left Karin even more confused and in need of some
answers.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The following morning, Josephine drove Karin
to school, since Shelly had informed them that Lesley would not be
going today. Karin wondered if she would ever get to talk to her
friend again, as Lesley wasn’t responding to texts or taking her
phone calls. Had the allegation against Reese in and of itself
permanently damaged their friendship?

Can Reese and I ever get past this, should
the accusation prove to be false?

“I want you to stay away from Reese till this
is cleared up,” her mother ordered, drumming her fingers on the
steering wheel while they waited for the light to turn green.

“So I’m not supposed to talk with Reese
or
Lesley?” Karin’s eyes widened incredulously. “It’s not
fair.”

“None of this is fair, Karin. But that
doesn’t change the fact that Lesley has made a very serious charge
against Reese. And we have to take it seriously.”

“I do,” she stressed. “I just don’t want to
convict Reese in my mind before I know all there is to know.”

Josephine glanced at her. “You can’t remain
loyal to both of them, Karin. I know you don’t want to believe that
Reese could do such a thing, but sometimes when boys don’t get what
they want from girls, they try to take it, and often succeed.”

Would Reese have really taken out his
frustrations with her on her best friend? Karin wondered. And in
the form of forced sexual contact? Or was this all just some
horrible mistake or misunderstanding?

“Did Reese try anything with you?” her mother
asked suspiciously.

Karin shuddered at the thought, knowing that
he had and she had turned him down. But did that make him a sex
offender? To admit to anything sexual that happened between them
would make Reese seem even guiltier.

“No, Momma,” she lied with a straight face.
In fact, she felt there was some truth to it, as Reese had not
tried to force himself on her once she said no. Did that mean he
couldn’t have gone elsewhere for sex? Like to Lesley?

“Maybe Lesley has some issues of her own and
isn’t telling the truth,” Josephine speculated.

“Such as?”

“Well, you’d probably know better than me
since you girls hang out together so much.” She faced Karin. “Has
Lesley talked to you about anything that might cause her to accuse
Reese, or anyone else, of a sexual assault?”

Karin stared at the question and came up with
no real answer. “Not that I know of. She just has the typical teen
issues: stressing over money, school, her body, boyfriend, and
wanting her Mom to be happy, but not necessarily with Edgar.”

“Oh? I thought she liked Edgar?”

“She does, well sometimes. Basically, I think
Lesley’s still dealing with her Dad’s death and finding it hard to
see him replaced in her Mom’s life.”

“Hmm...” Josephine uttered. “And that’s
it?”

“Yeah, I think.”

“What about sex?”

“What about it?” Karin gulped.

“Are Lesley and Marcus sexually active?”

Karin’s eyes widened. “Momma—!”

“Look, I don’t mean to embarrass you, honey,”
her mother said. “I’m just trying to figure out if Lesley might be
fabricating her claim of being assaulted by Reese to protect
someone else.”

Karin didn’t know how far Lesley had gone
with Marcus. She hoped they hadn’t gone all the way, but couldn’t
say for sure. It still didn’t make sense for her to falsely accuse
Reese.

“But why would she do that?” Karin asked her
mother skeptically.

“Could be any number of reasons. It doesn’t
even have to make sense to anyone, but her.” Josephine drew a
breath. “Usually, though, girls don’t make up stories of sexual
assault, unless something really happened.”

And that’s what she needed to get to the
bottom of, Karin mused. What was this
something
that really
happened? And exactly who was involved?

Her mother pulled up in front of the
school.

“I’ll pick you up after—”

“Don’t, Momma,” Karin cut in.

Josephine’s eyes squinted. “Why not? I can
get off work early and—”

“Because it’s bad enough having to deal with
what’s probably all over the school by now. And I’d rather not add
to my misery by being driven to and from school by my Momma like
I’m some little girl who needs her Momma to hold her hand.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Karin. You’re being
overly melodramatic.”

“Well I don’t think so,” she huffed.

“So how do you propose getting home, now that
Lesley’s a no-show at school?”

“I’ll get one of my other friends to drive
me,” Karin replied confidently.

Her mother’s forehead wrinkled. “All right.
Just as long as it isn’t Reese. Understand?”

Karin got the message loud and clear. She was
not to associate with Reese as long as he was a suspect in a sexual
assault. Never mind that her father was representing him and Reese
had yet to be convicted of anything. Or even formally charged.

She watched her mother drive off, before
heading up the walkway towards the school. Karin was feeling
somewhat shaken as to what awaited her inside.

* * *

She didn’t have to wait very long to find
out. Not too surprisingly, the news that Lesley had accused Reese
of sexual assault had spread through the school like wildfire. And
Karin was caught squarely in the middle of it.

“Why did he do it?” One girl asked, her mind
clearly made up that Reese was guilty.

“I don’t know that he did,” Karin answered
meekly.

Another snorted, “What was Reese thinking?
It’s so totally not cool and like really stupid.”

Reese had his supporters as well.

One boy on the varsity basketball team said,
“It’s obvious this is a setup. Reese can have just about any girl
in school he wants. Why would he need to sexually assault
anyone?”

Karin asked herself the same question. She
knew that sexual predators didn’t need a reason, other than power
tripping and thinking they could get away with it. But did Reese
fit into that category? She didn’t want to believe he was that type
of person. Not without a lot more to go on than gossip and
innuendo.

After her first class, Karin was given a
start when Reese came up beside her as she walked down the
hall.

“Hey,” he said casually, as if all was well
with the world.