Serenity (23 page)

“Ma’am?” a police officer stuck her hand on the door, stopping it from closing. “Are you hurt?”

Ren shook her head. She didn’t really know if she was or not. She was numb.

“I think she’s in shock,” he said to his partner. “Get Abby up here to talk to her.”

The other police officer said something into a radio on his shoulder, then took her mom, who was still screaming about Ren being a whore, and moved her into her room. A woman police officer appeared and sat next to Ren on the mattress. She picked up a blanket and wrapped it around Ren’s shoulders.

“Hi, I’m Officer Reynolds. Abbey.” She had nice eyes. “What’s your name?”

Ren blinked at her, but didn’t say anything.

“Do you need an ambulance? Who did this to you?”

Ren shook her head. She should have felt the pain in her head…the pain of the cuts on her arms…but she felt nothing.

“Let’s get this covered.” She picked a T-shirt off the floor and wrapped it tightly around her arm.

Ren blinked at the officer, then looked at the front of her shirt. Blood soaked through the material of the tank top. She opened her mouth but nothing came out.

Quill’s voice rang through the hall. “I want to see my fucking sister. He was trying to rape her. Is she okay? Let me see her!”

The officer looked at the door, and then back at Ren.

“I want to press charges. He was trying to rape his sister, and I won’t have that. I want to press charges.” The boyfriend was yelling, Quill was yelling, and her mom was still yelling from down the hall. Ren covered her ears with her hands.

“Ren, tell them what happened.” Quill yelled, but his voice was moving farther down the hall. “I would never touch her like that! Ren God dammit tell them!” He was being arrested and taken out of the house. The man’s voice got louder, and then faded as well as he was led down the stairs after him.

“You’ll need to come with me. Do you need an ambulance? We’ll take you to the hospital. Do you have shoes to put on?” The officer was talking to Ren, but she couldn’t really understand what she was asking.

She moved around Ren’s room until she found her boots and slid them on her feet. Then she wrapped an arm around Ren’s shoulders and led her to a waiting police car.

The last time Ren found herself in the back of a police car was when her mom’s boyfriend had abused her and locked her in her room. She’d escaped, but the neighbors finally decided they’d heard enough and called the cops. They picked Quill and her up at school and placed them in foster care until Grams rescued them. She had a sinking feeling things might turn out the same way, only Grams wasn’t around to save them this time. Ren couldn’t stop her body from shaking. Or the hiccupping noise coming from her as she tried to suppress the hysterical crying fighting to come out. The cut on her arm soaked through the T-shirt already and was dripping bloody spots onto her shorts.

By the time they parked in the emergency lane, Ren had calmed down enough to know she wasn’t going to turn into a sniveling mess, but she couldn’t stop the shaking. Officer Abbey wrapped a thin blanket around her shoulders and led her into the emergency room.

“We’ll need a private room for possible questioning and probably some stitching,” Abbey told the lady behind the desk. She turned to Ren and gave her a sad smile. “I’ll stay with you until we can get all this straightened out.”

Abbey was true to her word, she stayed with Ren while they sat in the emergency room. Ren had a concussion and a lot of cuts and abrasions, ten stitches in her arm, but nothing life threatening.

“My name…” Ren’s voice cracked. She cleared her throat and tried again. “My name is Ren Diaz.”

Abbey nodded. “Nice to meet you, Ren.” Abbey settled in a chair to the side of the exam table.

A nurse came in with a tray of shiny, silver instruments. “I was told we needed a rape kit.”

“What? No!” Ren yelled looking at Abbey. “No!” She jumped off the exam table.

Abbey calmly walked to where Ren had jammed herself into a corner. “We need to do a rape kit on you. For evidence if this goes to trial.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t need one.”

“I know after everything that’s happened it seems invasive…”

“I don’t need one because I wasn’t raped.”

Abbey scowled at her.

“I wasn’t raped,” she repeated.

“Ren…”

“I’m not lying. I wasn’t raped. It was a misunderstanding.”

“We were told your brother…”

“No!” she screamed. “Quill was protecting me. He would never…don’t even say that.” She pointed at Abbey. Tears started to fall. “Don’t say that,” she choked out the words.

“Tell me what happened then.” Abbey had that cool and collected voice cops get when they are talking a jumper off the ledge.

“It was a misunderstanding.”

“Would you like to explain how the scenario played out?”

“Don’t you want to take me to the station?” Ren sniffed.

“We can do it now or later, whatever you want.”

“I want to get out of here.” Ren roughly wiped the tears from her cheeks then wrapped her arms tightly around her middle. Being here reminded her of the past. Being here reminded her that once more, she was alone.

Abbey glanced back at the nurse. “Are we good to go?”

“If you don’t need the kit there isn’t any reason she can’t go.”

“Then I’m out of here.” Ren brushed past Abbey and led the way back out to the emergency lane where the police car sat.

Abbey stepped around her to open the back door and get her settled before getting behind the wheel and driving them to the police station.

“You know the police are here to help. If you’re in any trouble, all you have to do is call,” Abbey started her counseling session.

Ren looked out the window. “It was a misunderstanding. Quill was just looking out for me.”

“Yeah. You said that already. Here,” She pushed a business card in Ren’s face. “You can call me any time. I’m available whenever.”

Ren took the card then leaned her head against the window, her breath hitching as she tried to pull in the cool air. She wouldn’t call Abbey. She wouldn’t tell Abbey the truth either. Her mom and her boyfriend may be pathetic assholes, but her mom was the only thing keeping her and Quill out of the system. As ridiculous as it was they needed their mom to be their guardian and along with her came the revolving door of loser boyfriends. They couldn’t have one without the other.

It didn’t take long to get to the police station. The town they lived in was small, and it didn’t take long to get from one end to the other. Abbey released her from the automatic locks of the back of a squad car. Ren suppressed a small smile remembering how Jolin’s car constantly locked her in.

Abbey settled Ren in a chair next to a desk. Then she sat down. “Okay. How was this a misunderstanding?” Abbey pointed up and down at Ren’s blood soaked clothes.

Ren hadn’t expected her to be so sarcastic in her question. Were police allowed to be sarcastic? Obviously she didn’t believe Ren, and she hadn’t really started lying yet.

Ren rubbed her hands up and down her thighs. “I was taking a shower and my mother’s boyfriend…”

“Ben.”

“Who the hell is Ben?”

“Ben James. Your mom’s boyfriend?”

“I don’t learn their names.”

“Anyway.” Abbey waved her hand at Ren. “Go on.”

“I was taking a shower.
Ben
accidentally came into the room, and Quill thought something more was going on. He overreacted.”

“Your story is very different from both Ben’s and Quill’s”

“I’m not sure what you want me to say.”

“The truth.”

Ren locked her gaze to Abbey’s. She didn’t have the luxury of telling the truth. She had to look out for her and Quill’s future. They were too close to graduation to get split up or moved to a new school.

“Okay I can see this is the story you’re sticking to. Is there anyone you’d like me to call to come get you?”

“There isn’t anyone.”

“No relatives?”

“Nope.”

“Father?” Abbey questioned.

“Sure, there’s one somewhere, but never met him. My brother and I are wards of the state. My grandma took us in, but my mom gave up rights years ago.”

“Where’s your grandmother?”

“Dead.”

“Well then. We’ll need the number and name of your case worker.”

“Was Quill arrested? He was looking out for me. It’s my fault…”

Abbey held up a hand. “I think this whole thing will end up being a wash. I’ll see what I can find out. Write your case workers name and number down and we’ll get things moving. You can stay in the waiting room until your case worker shows.” Abbey cocked her head to the side, directing her to a row of plastic chairs.

Ren decided on an orange chair next to a small, fake-wood table. Settling in, she closed her eyes and pulled her knees into her chest.

She’d just dozed off when she felt the chair next to her dip, then a hand reach out and touch her shoulder. She shot out of her chair, tripping over her feet, before focusing on the person sitting next to where she’d just been.

Her lab partner.

Jolin

Monday, October, 27

6:30 p.m.

He jumped when the house phone rang. The phone never rang. Everyone called on his cell. He wasn’t sure if he should answer it. Unlike his cell, there was no caller ID. He had no idea who was calling. Jolin stared at the phone for two more rings before he decided to chance it and pick it up.

“Hello?”

No one said anything.

“Hello?” he tried again.

“Jolin?” It was his mom.

“Mom? Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you at work?”

Yes. Just a minute.” A scratchy noise came over the phone as she covered the receiver with her hand. Her muffled voice was talking to someone.

“Jo? I’m back,” she said. “Where are you?”

“I’m home. You called me here. What’s wrong?” He was freaking out.

“Oh. That’s right. I couldn’t get you on your cell. I wanted to let you know Ren was here.” Her voice was hushed. She wasn’t supposed to tell when people came through the ER.

“Just a minute.” She muffled the phone, but he heard someone telling her someone was being released in the next hour.

“Is she okay?” His stomach was in knots.

“All I can tell you is she was here with the police, and they released her and took her back to the station. I thought you might want to know. I got to go.” And she hung up.

“Holy shit,” he said to no one. Jolin grabbed his keys and headed downtown to the police station. Breaking a few laws getting there. Akeo told him to open his eyes…well, they were wide open now and Akeo was right…Ren “having a lot going on” was an understatement.

When he found her, she was wrapped in a ratty blanket and huddled in a bright orange chair. There were a few other people waiting in various corners of the room, but everyone kept to themselves. He was relieved to see she didn’t need to be bailed out. He took a deep breath and walked over. Settling into the chair next to her, he lightly touched her shoulder. Her head was balancing against the wall, eyes closed, but as soon as his hand made contact, she shot out of the chair, tripping over her untied boots. The Ren who stood in front of him was not the Ren he’d seen the past few weeks. Her hair was stringy and looked like it had air dried in an awkward position, a chunk had been cut short and close to her head. She had absolutely no makeup up on and was wearing basketball shorts and a white tank top covered in dried blood and no bra. Her face was bruised and blood splattered across her cheek and down her bandaged arms.

The pressure in his chest made breathing difficult. She looked broken. The sassy, strong girl who frustrated and confused the hell out of him was an empty shell. His gaze dropped to floor then back up to Ren’s. She was broken. Whatever happened tonight had taken down all her defenses. His heart ached for her. Mentally he conceded….he was throwing up his hands in defeat. He couldn’t suppress his feelings anymore. He needed Ren in his life. He needed to protect her from whatever was pulling her down.

Ren took a deep breath and wrapped her arms tightly across her chest.

“You okay?” It was obvious she wasn’t but it seemed like the right thing to say.

“Why are you here?” She was so vulnerable, Jolin wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let her go.

He shrugged. “I’m your lab partner.”

Ren gave him a smug smile. “Does that include bailing me out of jail?”

“I didn’t know you needed bailing out. I thought you might need a ride.”

Ren shook her head back and forth and returned to her chair. “I can’t leave until our case worker gets here. They’re holding Quill for assault.”

Jolin ran a hand over his hair. “Did he? Did he do this to you?” His voice was rough with emotion. He’d asked her before if it was Quill. He kicked himself for not stepping in sooner. If Quill hit her Jolin was going to beat his ass as soon as he was free.

Ren shook her head again. “No. Quill was protecting me. It got out of hand.”

“That’s an understatement.”

Ren gave him a nasty look. “We all can’t live in happyland.”

“You greatly misrepresent my life.”

“As do you, mine.” Ren pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “How did you know I was here?”

“My mom called. She was at the hospital when you came through. She thought you might need someone.” Jolin risked it and reached out and to touch her arm. “I know you think I’m a stalker, but I’m not. I like being around you and your shitty attitude.”

“You just want…”

Jolin cut her off. “I don’t want anything. I stopped you at my house….before…because it isn’t supposed to be that way with us. I get it now.”

Ren raised an eyebrow. “You get what.”

“My stutter. When I’m wrapped up in stupid stuff. Worried about things I have no control over, my words get jumbled. When I’m with you, I get out of my head and worry about you. I get it. All this shit going on at the high school? That’s all it is…shit. It isn’t important. You’re important.”

Ren snorted. “I know how the world works and I know my place in it. I’m the one sitting in a police station… while my mom and her asshole… if they hadn’t had drugs in their pockets, would be sitting in
my
house partying. This whole fucking day has turned into my problem. I had everything under control until she came back.”