“And what happened last night?” the detective pressed.
“I don’t really know. Everything was fine one minute and then everything became chaotic. I was uncomfortable, so I left.”
I looked between them and steadied my breath. I knew it was the truth, but I was leaving out a lot. I didn’t want to say too much. I didn’t know how much the boat cost, but if something happened and they couldn’t get to it before it sank, any damage sustained would be considered destruction of property. And I didn’t need to study law to know that an alleged prank that I had nothing to do with could easily turn into me going to prison for a felony.
“What do you know about the boat?” she asked.
“I don’t know anything about the boat,” I answered.
“But you did notice the boat, correct?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“And what time did you notice the boat?”
“When I left… so maybe, a little after two,” I answered.
She jotted something down and the tight line her mouth formed made my heart pound.
“Did you notice anyone on or around the boat?”
“No.” I shook my head. “All I noticed was the boat wasn’t docked and there was a fire.” My voice broke. “I don’t know what happened or who knew about it, but I didn’t have anything to do with it.”
Jay moved closer to me and grabbed my hand. I glanced over at him and tried to give him a small smile, but my face didn’t cooperate.
“And were you with anyone who can corroborate your story?” the detective questioned, bringing my attention back to her.
My eyes filled with tears as thoughts of my scholarship being ripped away and my entire future going up in flames.
And I didn’t do anything!
Nodding, I answered, “Yes. I was with Aiden Black. Before I left, we were talking in the basement.”
Jay adjusted his fingers, slacking and then tightening his large hand around my smaller one.
I looked up at his face, but he was staring at the police.
“Aiden Black? Eddie Black’s son?” the officer asked, ripping my attention away from Jay and back to business.
I nodded. “There were a few of us in the basement before my phone died. But maybe an hour, an hour and a half before I left, everyone had gone back upstairs to the kitchen and living room. Aiden and I stayed behind…” My sentence trailed off as I heard my tone changing. I cleared my throat. “Yes, he can corroborate my story.”
The detective and officer shared a look before she pulled a card out of her pocket. “We may have some additional questions for you, so I’ll be in touch. But in the meantime, if you think of anything, you call me. Here’s my card.”
I took the crisp, white business card with the embossed lettering and stared at it. “Okay, thank you.”
“We’ll be in touch,” Detective Lynch concluded, giving us a nod. She left the apartment with the other officer wordlessly following her.
Jay let out a long breath. Letting go of my hand, he closed and locked the door behind them. Panic surged through me and I immediately started to shake.
“Shit just got real,” he quipped as he turned around. His shocked face crumbled instantly when he laid eyes on me. “Brook...”
I couldn’t move, but fortunately, he had pulled me into his arms before I had a chance to fall apart.
With my eyes closed, I inhaled deeply and swallowed the urge to cry. I swallowed the sob that threatened to overtake my body. I swallowed everything except for the anger I felt toward Dakota.
“I’m going to make Dakota pay for this.” My voice was hoarse and low.
Jay held me tighter.
We stood there silently for a few minutes. I clutched his t-shirt and buried my face deeper into his chest, inhaling him as he silently soothed me. I just knew the fibers of his shirt were imbedded in my forehead but no matter how hard I pressed; he didn’t move. He just stood firm and held me tight.
The knock at the door startled me, but Jay didn’t move. I let my arms drop, but he still kept his arms around me.
“Jay,” I croaked, my voice thick from swallowing unshed tears.
I lifted my head from his chest, and he kept his hold on me.
“Jay,” I repeated his name as another series of knocks rained down.
I tried pushing my body away from his and he remained with his arms locked around me.
“Jay!” I raised my voice with a slight giggle. “Get off of me and get the door!”
He feigned surprise as he released me. “Oh, I didn’t know you were trying to get out of the hug.”
I smiled.
He lifted my spirits and I appreciated it. But the moment he moved away from me, I felt the loss and my smile faltered a bit.
Although the thought of losing my academic standing was devastating, having the police looking for me made me realize the gravity of her so-called prank. What Dakota did wasn’t just mean, it was criminal. My brain was in overdrive as it warred between an emotional breakdown and a physical urge to punch her in the face. The PROs and the cheerleaders had access to lawyers that I didn’t. Their parents were probably friends with judges, and I was just the scholarship kid that was being set up to take the fall.
Those two-faced bitches—
“Here is your drink and a second one for the wait. Sorry about that,” the pizza guy apologized, slightly winded.
“Thank you.” Jay took the drinks and closed the door.
We washed our hands again and then sat side by side like we
