Slow Me Down

Chapter 47

In the days following homecoming, there was an investigation regarding the revenge porn against Claudia. It doesn't take long for the police to discover the perpetrator. The police apprehend Julia in the middle of 5th period on the following Monday morning. Escorting her from the classroom, down the hall in the direction of the principal's office, they plan to find out exactly why she did what she did. 

In the room, waiting for Julia's arrival, are Micah, Joe, and Jake. All of them are unsure of why they are there, they were just told to be patient. Julia enters, following two officers in. She takes the empty seat next to Micah. Arms crossed, an annoyed look on her face, she huffs."What the fuck are we doing here?" Julia asks impatiently. 

"Ms. Baxter, is it true that you paid the tech team to display those vulgar images onto the wall during our school dance last Friday evening?" The principal directs this at Julia. Julia drops her arms and sits straight up. She looks uncomfortable. "Did any of you know about this? I have been made aware that you all arrived and spent time at the dance together? Were any of you in on this with Ms. Baxter?" Micah and the boys all shake their heads 'no.' 

"So, you are all agreeing that Ms. Baxter did this of her own accord?" They nod simultaneously again, this time signifying an affirmative response. Julia pales. "Ms. Baxter, you may be a high school student, but you are of legal age to be tried for this crime as an adult. Neither of the families have come forward to press charges against you because they are both busy, caring for their injured children. The same kids you put in danger that night. If you wouldn't have shared that content with your peers, they may have never left the dance. Are you aware of all of this?" 

Julia, overwhelmed by all the information that is being shoved in her direction, faints. One of the police officers catches her by the shoulders before she hits the ground. The principal shoos the other students out of his office. They have all been given a week off due to the stress of the accident involving their friends. 

Micah decides to go share what she has learned with C, hoping to provide some sense of closure to her friend who is in so much pain. Claudia hasn't answered a single one of Micah's texts since that night. Micah attempted to call once, but it went straight to voice mail. She knows that C was in the hospital, but she wasn't sure if C was injured. From what the new reports say, only Foster was struck in that accident. Micah quickens her pace, trying to reach Claudia's house faster. 

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A doorbell interrupts the conversation of Sylvia and Claudia. Sylvia goes down to figure out who is bothering them. C rests on the big armchair, legs shaking. She wants to see Foster, but she is uncertain of what she wants to say to him. She doesn't know if he will even hear her. She sits and waits for her mom to come back up. She just wants her mom to come back. Being alone in this place is too much. 

Sylvia and Micah find C in the living room. Micah grabs a seat on the couch nearby. Claudia looks horrible. Her curls are lifeless and frizzy. Her eyes are sunken in and glazed over. She has no color. She looks skinnier than normal which worries Micah who is aware of the pregnancy. 

"Hey Jones," Micah tries to break the awkward silence that surrounds them. 

"Hi."

"Uh, how are you feeling, after everything that happened?" C shrugs and looks away, not wanting her friend to see the sorry state that she is in. "I came by to share something important with you. I think it might make you feel a tiny bit better." C shifts her gaze back to Micah, sure that nothing could make her feel better right now. Micah continues, "They found who leaked the video." 

C sits up in her chair, closely listening to her best friend as she explains the details. "It turns out that Julia is the one who paid those guys to play that video. We never got to figure out why she did it, she passed out before she was able to explain herself. Angela, that redhead from homecoming group, she used to be close friends with Julia told me that she might know why it happened."

"Go on." 

"Angela says that Julia had a thing for Foster. I guess when Julia was younger, she had a huge crush on him. Angela thinks that Julia was trying to hurt you and break you and Foster up so that she could have him. I guess she slept around with him a couple of times before you arrived. I'm so sorry that you are going through this. I feel like it's all my fault. It was my sleepover. It was my idea to play stupid games. And even though I ultimately wasn't the one who suggested that dare and was not the one to record you, I feel like I could have done something. I should have told Julia off or realized how fucked up of a dare that was or something. I also shouldn't have invited Julia into our homecoming group in the first place. If she never met you, if she never got close to us, we probably wouldn't be here right now, waiting for Foster to wake up. I'm so so sorry." Micah finishes, looking down at her shoes, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. 

"It isn't your fault. She played you too." C stands and places a hand on her friend's shoulder. Hearing all of this has cemented her need to go see Foster. He wasn't making out with some girl; he was being manipulated just like they all were. It did sting a bit to hear that they slept together, but C remembered what Foster told her about the times he spent with other girls before her. It was just a fuck. Nothing more, nothing less. Foster loves her, no one else. 

Micah stands, deciding now is a good time to leave so her friend can rest. C watches her as she goes, thankful that Micah came over to share this information with her. Once there was no trace of her left, C got up from the couch and got dressed. She was going to see him. She had some things to say to him, whether they would reach him or not didn't really matter. He deserves to know that she holds no harsh feelings towards him. He deserves to know that she loves him just as much as he loves her. He deserves to know about his child.