Where We Began

chapter forty-two

Brooke's POV

Henley stood over me looking into my eyes with pure lust as he ran his hand under my shirt touching the waist of my pants. His smirk disgusted me as he ran his finger along the inside of the band. I knew he wanted nothing more than to bend me over the interrogation table right now and finish what he had started two summers ago but I was the one with the upper hand this time.

"What's stopping you?" I said biting my lip and batting my eyelashes to play into his game, "I thought you couldn't stop yourself."

"Don't play games with me Brookey Bear," his voice a low growl as he put his mouth against my neck, "you know I want to hear you screaming my name again as you try to shove me off of you."

"Too bad you won't be able to relive this time on recording," I laughed as I pushed against his chest.

"Mhmm," he said moving his hands to my hips and pushing himself against me, "what I wouldn't give to have that video again."

"What if I said I could give it to you," I smiled looking up into his mud colored eyes as I ran my fingers through his shirt blonde hair.

"And just what would that cost me?" He asked, forgetting he had said it had been destroyed earlier.

"Drop all the charges against Cole," I said standing on my tiptoes so my lips were centimeters from his and my chest was pressed against him, "and I'll give you the recording."

"Give me a kiss and the recording," he smirked, taunting me, "and I'll drop everything so you can have your little boy toy back."

"You have to sign the paper first," I said motioning to the papers I had on the table, "then I'll hold up my side."

"No first you're going to kiss me," he growled reaching up and grabbing my hair to bring my mouth to his.

His kiss was rough. There was no hint of the Henley I thought I had loved only pure lust. He bit my lip making me whimper as I shoved against his chest making him smile. His grip in my hair strengthened as he picked me up and pinned me against the wall. I should have known he would try his bullshit again. I shoved against him harder as he pulled my hair one last time before dropping ne to my feet and backing away. As much as I want to punch him in the mouth I needed the papers signed.

"Feisty as always," he laughed grabbing a pen and signing his name to drop all charges against Cole, "now where's my video?"

"Here," I said pulling the SD card from its safe place in my bra as I grabbed the papers and headed for the door.

"What no thank you?" Henley scoffed.

"Fuck you Henley," I spat slamming the door in his face.

My facade slipped away as I leaned against the wall outside the door. The air around me felt thick as the memories of Henley suffocated me. I had finally won yet it seemed like a pointless battle to begin with. I had the papers freeing Cole but I still felt a piece of me was lost when I handed him the only solid proof I could use to keep him from hurting some other naive girl. The realization hit me as I ran down the hall to Justin's office and threw open the door.

"Justin, I need to report a crime!" I said before I noticed the screen with Henley on it pacing around the small room I had just left.

"Brooke," Kurt said moving over so I could see who he had been holding in the chair.

Kurt's words were drowned out by the white noise that filled my head as Cole turned to look at me, his red rimmed eyes a bright shade of emerald. He was tense as the fabric on his arms and shoulder strained against his muscles. He had seen everything; heard everything. I may have freed him from physical prison but it felt like I had just created him in his own personal Hell.

Cole's POV

She kissed him. She flirted with him. She let him touch her. After everything she said he did to her she allowed him the gratification of feeling her with permission. The more I watched him rub against her while she smiled at him the angrier I became. I wanted to snap his neck and watch the light fade from his soulless eyes. I couldn't tho. All I could do was watch the screen as she ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him like a hungry animal. Soon all I saw was red as the rage overcame me.

"Fuck this!" I shouted jumping out of my chair and sending it backwards to the floor I ground in front of Kurt who had finally let me go, "fuck him and fuck her!"

"Cole," Kurt's tone was calm as he reached to put his hands on my shoulders, "let's talk about this."

"There's nothing to be said," I growled, shaking his hands off me as I felt tears of rage start to sting my eyes, "l know you're going to say she's trying to save me but I didn't ask to be saved. Especially not like this."

"I know son," he said sitting the chair back up from the floor, "and I don't understand why she's doing what she's doing either. Maybe she has some sort of plan."

"Or maybe she realized she actually did want him," I hissed regretting the words as soon as they left my mouth, "why did she have to do this? I would have been fine to take the charges. I didn't need her to save me or do any of this shit!"

"She couldn't lose you," Kacens low tone came from beside me, "what she's doing may look like the stupidest most irrational thing I have ever seen her do but to her it's the only way to be sure he doesn't take anything else from her."

"You knew she was going to do this?" I spun facing Kacen toe to toe, "you knew and you didn't stop her!"

"I didn't know she would go this far!" He yelled back at me motioning toward the screen I couldn't bear to look at, "if I would have known there's no chance in hell I would've let her. I would have gone in and threatened him myself before I would've let her go anywhere near that asshole! You're not the only one who loves her and wants to protect her."

"I know," I said my anger subsiding as I sat back down and put my head in my hands, "she just makes me fucking crazy sometimes. I just want her to be happy and not have to worry about anything."

"You and me both brother," Kacen said as I felt him squeeze my shoulder like I did Zane when he was going through everything with Mandi.

"I just wish she would've told me," I sighed still looking at the floor between my DC shoes Brooke always laughed at, "I would've stopped her."

"That's probably exactly why she didn't tell you," Kacen laughed as I heard him sit back on the couch against the wall.

Just then the door burst open and I heard Brooke exclaiming something about a crime. I turned to look at her as Kurt moved and her eyes widened as she caught sight of me. Her face paled as she realized I had seen everything. Every word they had said I had heard. She looked at me like she expected me to push past her and walk away which is what the biggest part of me wanted to do. I stood up with my mind made up and, feeling everyone's eyes on me, I headed toward the door.