Wonderwall
Chapter 2
Twenty minutes and a force-fed, lukewarm black coffee later, I was sitting on a bench across from the station, my breathing still staggered from all the crying I'd just done. I don't know if it was the coffee, or the shock of what had just occurred finally setting in, but I just could not get myself to stop shaking. Rob knew Jonathan had hit me, and by the way I looked he knew how bad it had been; and he just sat there, laughing at me with merciless eyes as if it were normal. His son or not, how could any human being with a beating heart be okay with that, and even worse have the audacity to tell me he was going to get away with it... and that fighting back next time would do me well?! I felt sick. Like I was about to projectile vomit all over my Tory Burch ballets. This time though, it had to be the coffee.
"Alexa, I need you to say something; anything," my mother finally spoke, setting a hand down on my leg as she saw the color draining from my face. "I know I haven't always been the best mother to you, but I can see how hard this has all been... I just want you to know that I'm here; we all are."
We all are? Who the fuck are, 'we all?' The detective whose son tried to strangle me? His rotten, good for nothing son who parades around town with his good looks and charm using his money as a facade against his piece of shit personality and anger management issues? Or the rest of the town, who oh-so submissively follow that family's every order and wish to be just like them, with their heads turned down as if they don't know in their hearts that their 'protect and serve' are all dirty? I wanted to scream bloody murder, but instead I said nothing as I choked away the last of my horrid coffee.
"I spoke with Detective Higgins; he said you wouldn't have to go through any more questioning today since you're still feeling so traumatized," my mother continued, still stroking my leg with comfort. "He's called off the lineup, since you can't really recall anything anyway. He thinks it will just add to the stress, and I agree with him."
"Called off the lineup?! Mom, that lineup may have been the only way for me to identify the person who did this to me!" I cried, the color returning to my face as I stood up. "Don't you think it should be my choice, or at least the the rest of the police force's decision and not just Detective Rob's whether or not they go through with that?!"
"We've already sent the suspects home," said Rob, appearing suddenly from what seemed like nowhere. "And with what we had, there were no real leads anyway; just a couple kids who had gotten into a little trouble the past couple weeks. Hardly anything to go on for a domestic violence case. You should get home sweetie; ice that eye and get some rest." He pushed a lock of hair from my face and eyed my bruise, winking at me while doing so. I had all but to do to keep from punching him right in the mouth.
"Yeah, well I'm betting one of your suspects wasn't even here to begin with! I don't see the Higgins family limo anywhere close by!" I spat back, swatting his hand away. I knew I had to make my word the last one before I left; although I knew I was fighting an inevitably lost battle, I couldn't show him my defeat. Not now.
"Let's go mom; the coffee here made me sick," I growled, far ahead towards the car before anyone had the chance to speak to or stop me. To my pleasant surprise, no one tried to.
The car was unlocked, and I didn't hesitate to get in it. I leaned the seat back as far as it would go, shielding my eyes from the world with the giant Prada sunglasses Jonathan had gotten me when we'd first started dating. As much as I hated the things he did to me, I loved a lot of the things he bought for me, and right now the tears that had slowly begun to seep out of my darkening eyes were perfectly hidden by this gift. My mother got in a few minutes later, starting the car in silence and letting us ride that way for a while. She finally noticed I was crying about halfway home.
"Alexa, talk to me sweetie," she said endearingly, wiping a silent tear from my paling face. I hadn't been tanning in a few weeks; I actually liked it better this way.
"What is there to talk about, mom? I got attacked by some creep, and... and I'm just... I'm having a hard time with it," I finally lied. Was I having a hard time accepting the fact that I'd been hit? Barely. It was more about the fact that I'd been living a pathetic lie of a life for the past four months, with the person who had done this to me nonetheless, and now as an end result I was stuck in this town living with this and I had absolutely no fucking clue how to deal with it. That part, I was having an issue with.
"Is there something else that's bothering you? Something with Detective Higgins?"
"No... I really think I'm going to be fine soon... I think I'll be fine tomorrow," I lied again. "I just need to get my mind off of this." I choked on my words, not knowing where else to go with them. I couldn't tell her the truth, could I? I'd had no idea how she'd react, and to be perfectly honest, a part of me was protecting her.
"Well if you're trying to get your mind off of this then I guess it's my job to take you out on the town tonight," smiled my mother, her eyes suddenly lit up like Christmas trees.
"Mom, no. I hate dressing up, and I don't feel like drinking."
"Dinner then. At Chelsea. I'll dress you and you don't have to drink; but I am, so we'll take the town car."
At that point, it didn't sound like I had much of a choice. Once my mother made her mind up about something there was no disputing her, so there really wasn't much else I could do other than to fake a smile and prepare myself for an evening of torture.
"Alexa, I need you to say something; anything," my mother finally spoke, setting a hand down on my leg as she saw the color draining from my face. "I know I haven't always been the best mother to you, but I can see how hard this has all been... I just want you to know that I'm here; we all are."
We all are? Who the fuck are, 'we all?' The detective whose son tried to strangle me? His rotten, good for nothing son who parades around town with his good looks and charm using his money as a facade against his piece of shit personality and anger management issues? Or the rest of the town, who oh-so submissively follow that family's every order and wish to be just like them, with their heads turned down as if they don't know in their hearts that their 'protect and serve' are all dirty? I wanted to scream bloody murder, but instead I said nothing as I choked away the last of my horrid coffee.
"I spoke with Detective Higgins; he said you wouldn't have to go through any more questioning today since you're still feeling so traumatized," my mother continued, still stroking my leg with comfort. "He's called off the lineup, since you can't really recall anything anyway. He thinks it will just add to the stress, and I agree with him."
"Called off the lineup?! Mom, that lineup may have been the only way for me to identify the person who did this to me!" I cried, the color returning to my face as I stood up. "Don't you think it should be my choice, or at least the the rest of the police force's decision and not just Detective Rob's whether or not they go through with that?!"
"We've already sent the suspects home," said Rob, appearing suddenly from what seemed like nowhere. "And with what we had, there were no real leads anyway; just a couple kids who had gotten into a little trouble the past couple weeks. Hardly anything to go on for a domestic violence case. You should get home sweetie; ice that eye and get some rest." He pushed a lock of hair from my face and eyed my bruise, winking at me while doing so. I had all but to do to keep from punching him right in the mouth.
"Yeah, well I'm betting one of your suspects wasn't even here to begin with! I don't see the Higgins family limo anywhere close by!" I spat back, swatting his hand away. I knew I had to make my word the last one before I left; although I knew I was fighting an inevitably lost battle, I couldn't show him my defeat. Not now.
"Let's go mom; the coffee here made me sick," I growled, far ahead towards the car before anyone had the chance to speak to or stop me. To my pleasant surprise, no one tried to.
The car was unlocked, and I didn't hesitate to get in it. I leaned the seat back as far as it would go, shielding my eyes from the world with the giant Prada sunglasses Jonathan had gotten me when we'd first started dating. As much as I hated the things he did to me, I loved a lot of the things he bought for me, and right now the tears that had slowly begun to seep out of my darkening eyes were perfectly hidden by this gift. My mother got in a few minutes later, starting the car in silence and letting us ride that way for a while. She finally noticed I was crying about halfway home.
"Alexa, talk to me sweetie," she said endearingly, wiping a silent tear from my paling face. I hadn't been tanning in a few weeks; I actually liked it better this way.
"What is there to talk about, mom? I got attacked by some creep, and... and I'm just... I'm having a hard time with it," I finally lied. Was I having a hard time accepting the fact that I'd been hit? Barely. It was more about the fact that I'd been living a pathetic lie of a life for the past four months, with the person who had done this to me nonetheless, and now as an end result I was stuck in this town living with this and I had absolutely no fucking clue how to deal with it. That part, I was having an issue with.
"Is there something else that's bothering you? Something with Detective Higgins?"
"No... I really think I'm going to be fine soon... I think I'll be fine tomorrow," I lied again. "I just need to get my mind off of this." I choked on my words, not knowing where else to go with them. I couldn't tell her the truth, could I? I'd had no idea how she'd react, and to be perfectly honest, a part of me was protecting her.
"Well if you're trying to get your mind off of this then I guess it's my job to take you out on the town tonight," smiled my mother, her eyes suddenly lit up like Christmas trees.
"Mom, no. I hate dressing up, and I don't feel like drinking."
"Dinner then. At Chelsea. I'll dress you and you don't have to drink; but I am, so we'll take the town car."
At that point, it didn't sound like I had much of a choice. Once my mother made her mind up about something there was no disputing her, so there really wasn't much else I could do other than to fake a smile and prepare myself for an evening of torture.
Can't wait for more!:)
Also Merry Christmas:D
12/25/12