On the Sidelines

Chapter 11 Tanner

 It's still dark out. Pitch black to be exact. Which is why the annoying and insistent sound of an alarm blaring in my ear is all the more disorienting.

I let out a long groan when the noise doesn't cease. A sigh follows. Finally, I open my eyes which further confuses me. Something is not right but I can't put my finger on it.

I slap around my bed until my hand comes in contact with my phone. I turn the alarm off and see the time is five a.m. However, that's not the only thing I see.

The background isn't Sean and I as freshmen, instead it's the back of two girls. They're sitting shoulder to shoulder as they stare into the sunset. Both of the girls have extremely long hair. One has pitch-black hair that cascades down her back in loose waves. The other has box braids in a ponytail.

I'm embarrassed to admit I stared at the photo for five minutes before realizing I'm looking at Evie and her friend Alyssa.

Speak of the devil and she shall arrive.

The door creaks open and Evie tip-toes inside. She startles when our eyes meet. Confusion creases her beautiful puffy face. Wait. Her face shouldn't be puffy.

Last night's events came rushing back to me. Which explains why I'm in her dorm room.

"You're, uh, up early." She sounds nervous, but can I really blame her? She practically begged me to leave last night and I refused to.

"Yeah, it seems you have an alarm set." Her mouth forms an O.

"Sorry, I forgot about that." She crawls over me, back into the corner where she slept. "I didn't realize it was five already. I would have taken my phone with me if I had." I just shrug in response.

"It's not a big deal." I turn on my side to allow for a better view of her. God, she's perfect. At some point she put her hair up so now it's in a massive messy bun.

I reach out to tuck a loose strand behind her ear. A smile pulls at her lips with the gesture. Her hand comes up to cover mine, keeping it in place.

My eyes flick between hers and her lips, which her tongue pokes out to wet. I notice she's doing the same. I take the silent invitation and lock our lips. She tastes just as good as she did last night, like cherry candy just now with a hint of salt.

I reluctantly pull away. She pouts when she realizes I'm not leaning back in. "Why did you stop?" Her voice has a breathy note to it and it takes all of my self control to not lean back in.

"We need to talk about what happened last night." The panic in her eyes pains me to see but this is something I can't ignore. She broke down, had a panic attack because of the kiss we shared.

Since I want to share more, I need to know why she freaked out and how to stop it in the future.

"Yeah, we do." She moves so she sits up, leaning against the wall. I follow suit, sitting up opposite of her.

"Was it something I did?"

She shakes her head. "No, you didn't do anything wrong." She searches my face for a few moments before releasing a sigh. "Is this something you want?" She motions to the space between us.

"Yes." No hesitation.

"Ok." I wait for her to continue, allowing the silence to stretch on. "It started the summer before freshman year of high school. Alyssa was staying over like she often did and my father made another one of his odd comments about how we are a strange duo. We're not that similar, never have been. But I didn't realize until that night he was saying that to justify his future actions."

She pauses to take a deep breath. "It was late, around eleven. Mom was asleep and I thought dad was as well. We were having trouble sleeping and Alyssa decided she wanted some water. She left to grab both of us a glass. We've been friends forever and we both know each other's houses like the back of our hands so while she did that I was cueing up a movie on the small tv my mom bought me for my birthday.

"I heard a crash in the kitchen. It wasn't until then that I realized how long she had been gone. She'd been grabbing water for almost twenty minutes. So I went to check on her. I figured she was just getting snacks and stuff. It was that time of the month for both of us so we were abnormally hungry. But when I walked into the kitchen I saw she wasn't alone." Tears are streaming down her face but she doesn't swipe them away so neither do I.

"Dad was on top of her, pinning her to the ground. I didn't understand what I was seeing at first. I mean I knew what sex was, I had already given my virginity to my first boyfriend the year prior. But I couldn't wrap my head around what was happening until Alyssa's eyes met mine. She was terrified and crying. That's when I saw it. The blood on the ground and her sleep short around her ankles.

"As soon as it registered in my brain that my father was inside my friend, I started screaming. Obviously that caught my fathers attention. He yelled at me to shut up, he said if I didn't I would be next." My hands are white from how hard I'm clutching at the blankets below me. I've been mad before but never have I felt this emotion. I'm beyond pissed that the man who was supposed to take care of Evie threatened to rape her while he raped her friend.

"Well, I didn't stop and I eventually woke up my mom. Her scream woke up our neighbors. By the time the police arrived my mom had managed to pry my dad off Alyssa and was beating him with a wooden spoon. The sheriff pulled my mom off him and the question began." She finally meets my eyes. There is absolutely no emotion on her face or in her voice.

"Instead of doing their job, the police in our small town lectured us, the victims, about how serious it was. I remember the sheriff asking Alyssa if she really wanted to 'ruin' my fathers life with the 'accusation'. My mom blew up on him, screaming about how it isn't an accusation. Alyssa went through it and both mom and I were witnesses. But by the time the police left, no report was filed. They refused to file a report against my father.

"Mom obviously got a divorce and dad moved across the state. But the boys at school knew by that point that there would be no consequences if they were to follow in my fathers footsteps." I'm shaking by this point. Not only did her dickhead of a father get away with his crime but he showed others they could as well. "Not all of them did but there were a handful that took advantage of the knowledge."

"How many?" She averts her gaze once again but I can't blame her. I sound murderous, exactly how I feel.

"For me, five. For Alyssa, three." The sound of the blood rushing through my ears is the only thing I can hear. I'm already thinking of different ways to bring Evie and Alyssa justice. Collins family has a lot of connection in the justice system on top of having a lot of money. A plan forms in my head but I need Evie's permission before I go through with it.

"Can I help?"

"What do you mean? There's nothing to be done. It was years ago now." She shrinks into herself. My heart hurts for her, seeing her like this.

"You've met Collins right?" She looks at me curiously.

"Briefly, why?"

"His family is big in the justice system, I think they might be able to get you and Alyssa the justice you should have gotten a long time ago. I know this is a big ask but, can I tell him and see if he can do something?" She perks up, hope shining in her features.

"Do you really think he could help?"

"I don't think it would do any harm in asking." She moves faster than I can react, pouncing from her spot on her bed into my arms. She beaming at me when her lips connect with mine. The kiss doesn't last long but I can't complain when she peepers kisses around my entire face and down my neck. "Can I assume you're okay with the idea?"

"I am but I need to talk to Alyssa first. She'll be up at around ten, I'll ask her then." She kisses my neck and cheeks a few more times. "Thank you. Really, this means a lot."

"Of course, Princess. Anything for you."

"Did you just call me Princess?"

"Is that alright?" I nervously search her features for any indication of how she feels.

"Oh, it's more than okay. Baby." She gives me a cheeky smile before kissing me again. Damn, I could get used to this.