Waiting outside the lines

Chapter 21

I start to get jittery but try not to show it. I have a straight face and I'm not shaking or anything but then I start moving too much to the left and almost go into the other lane. Tom notices and pats my leg but still keeps it there. "It's okay Janet. You're with a cop." Oh okay so he plays the cop card so he won't get in trouble. That's pathetic.
I nod my head and try to keep calm. I try to think of something to say but Tom beats me to it. "Do you wanna stop on the side of the road so we can talk for a while? Also so I can see that pretty face of yours." Then he puts his hand on my shoulder and moves his hand up and down my arm. That makes me feel worse then when he put his hand on my leg but I smile as if that was just a regular compliment. Not a creepy gesture to.. do something else.
"No I think I'm good. I'm afraid if we stop I'll lose my driving skills." I smile as if it was a joke and he smiles too. Before he can argue I say,"So how many kids do you have?" He takes his hand back and I relax. Then I see him look at me confused out of the corner of my eye. "There's a wedding ring in that pocket," I move my head in the direction of the pocket I was talking about,"and Lenny has his on." He laughs,"Wow you're an observant girl aren't you." He pauses then says,"I have three girls. They are 6,11, and 16." My teeth clench at the thought that he might be doing things to those girls. "That's cool. Did you purposely make them all five years apart."
"No not really. It just happened like that." There's silence until Tom says,"Yea they're beautiful. Especially the 16 year old." The way he says the last sentence freaks me out a little and makes me want to punch this guy in the mouth. I try hard not to though. I need to stay on his good side.
I think about how I can subtly ask him about Wayne. I know now that I can't tell him about Jake because.. this guy's a creep too and they'd probably just get together and tell each other stories about their pervy moments. The thought of them enjoying themselves, talking about doing things to girls makes me want to puke. I keep my mind off of it by thinking about Wayne.
Wayne would never do that. He's so sweet and nice and cute and... I stop myself and think that he has a record so what if he did something to a girl?
I get that throwing up feeling again and decide to just say something,"So do you know Jake?"
"No I don't but Jeremy has told me some stuff about him. Seems like a good kid."
I try not to laugh at that lie and say,"What about Wayne?"
He hesitates,"Uum.."
I laugh,"I'm guessing Jeremy told you horrible things about him."
"Well yes and.. You know he has a record right?" My fists clench on the wheel. "Yea I found out today."
"Oh yea I heard... Well having a record really doesn't help people look like good guys so.."
I nod,"Well people can change right?"
"Yea I guess but.." He hesitates.
"Did he do something that horrible to make you think he can never be a good guy again?"
"Well I... Oh you wanna know what he did huh?"
"Well yea. Everyone's making it seem like a big deal. I want to know. I mean we're best friends. Don't I have the right to know? Like what if he's dangerous or h-"
"Okay okay I get it. You really want to know. You can stop trying to annoy me to make me tell you."
I laugh,"You're smarter than you look Tom." I say jokingly. He laughs a little and it's silent. Then I say,"So since you won't tell me what he did can you tell me how Jeremy and Jake know each other?"
"Yea.. Um.. Well they met because Jeremy was working on Wayne's case and.." He looks at me like he was expecting me to flip out. I was on the inside but I tried really hard not to show it. I have the right to flip out though. I know Jeremy remembers Wayne and I told him we're close. How could he not tell me he 'worked on his case'? That's not just something you forget!
He continues saying,"And Jake helped him a little. Usually you're not supposed to do that but Jeremy's heart went out to him because he was fifteen and.."
"Wait... Wayne was only eight years old when he.. did whatever he did?!" I ask interrupting.
"Yes. You're pretty fast at figuring things like that out. And I'm glad you interrupted me cause I was about to tell you what he did." I sigh. It's silent as I think of everything. Why would Jeremy's heart go out to Jake? Did Wayne hurt him maybe? No that's not possible. It wouldn't make any sense. An eight year old hurting a fifteen year old. Doubt it.
And why does Tom keep saying 'case'?And that Jeremy was 'working on it'?Was it really that big of a deal? What Wayne did I mean. Like he was only eight. What could an eight year old possibly do that made people think he's a horrible human being?
I try to think back on something that could help me figure things out. I remember the pictures I saw on the wall the first day I met Wayne. Maybe there are answers there. There were pictures of his family when they were younger and then pictures of them now. So he must have just gotten out a while ago. That must be why he moved. "What could a little eight year old possibly do to get seven years in prison??" Tom looks at me confused,"How did you know he was in for seven years?"
"Pictures I saw." He laughs impressed,"Wow you're a smart girl. I like that." He gets creepy again but I ignore him, thinking of those pictures. In the first pictures they looked happy. Mom, dad, and they're two young sons. Then there's only two pictures of them now. They didn't look as happy. Mom, 15, and 21 year old sons. Then I realize something. Why wasn't the dad in the last two pictures? How could I have not noticed that before? I am so stupid!
All of a sudden I break the silence and say,"Did Wayne kill his dad?" I surprise Tom and I think scare him a little. I think that because he jumped in his seat when I asked. "Where did you get that idea?"
"Like I said, pictures." He nods his head, as if he was contemplating whether or not he should tell me. "So?"
"Well.. You're close. He didn't kill his dad."
I get that throw up feeling again.
"So that means he.."
"Yes. He killed someone."
When I hear Tom say that my head starts spinning and that throw up feeling gets worse. Good thing we just hit a stop light or else I probably would have crashed. I look at Tom and say,"I don't believe you."
"I didn't think you would but I'm not making this up."
"But he was eight. Eight!! How can an eight year old kill someone?! It's not possible. He had to be framed."
Tom is silent and the light turns green. "Who.." I sigh,"Who did he so called kill?"
"It's not so called. He did kill someone. All the evidence pointed to him."
I shake my head not convinced. "He was eight."
"Yes and he was tall and strong for his age. You've seen him."
"Whatever. You didn't answer my question though."
"Oh yea. He killed his 14 year old girl cousin."
"How can an eight year ol.."
"He did it when she was asleep."
I shake my head again. "He was eight!! How can people be that stupid to believe an eight year old killed someone?!"
"She beat him a couple times and they said he wanted revenge."
"They really went off of that?"
"No not just that. He did it with a.. You know I don't think I should tell you this stuff."
I laugh,"Don't worry I've probably heard worse."
I really have. I said my uncle was a cop before and he saw it all. He used to tell me some things he saw on the job. Rapes, murders, all that messed up stuff. He didn't talk about it scare me or anything. He did because when I was younger my uncle said I had to learn all this self defense stuff so I could be safe. I was totally for it but then once I told him I didn't want to learn and there was no point in learning. And that's when he told me those things.
"Okay but don't say I didn't warn you.. He did it with a chain from his bike. His finger prints were all over it."
"Someone could have just gotten a chain just like it and thrown it away after they did it so then you guys would think it was Wayne's."
"His still had blood on it when we took it off his bike to check."
"He wouldn't be that stupid to not clean it off."
"He was eight."
"My point exactly! So he's was smart enough to kill someone but not smart enough to wipe blood off of a chain?"
Tom sighs. "Look I know it's hard to believe all this but.."
"Yea it is and I don't believe it. He would never kill someone." I interrupt.
"Janet there were witnesses! They saw the whole thing!"
My teeth clench when I hear that. Am I wrong? Did he seriously kill someone?.. No he couldn't have."Yea well witnesses lie."
"They caught it on tape!" My heart sinks and I start to feel queasy.
I shake my head,"No. No I don't... I don't believe you."
"Well it's true. Weather you believe it or not."
I hesitate but then finally say,"Do you still have the tape."
He sighs,"No. This is what happened. They gave it to their lawyer, the cousins parents I mean, and the whole family looked at it. The cousins family and Wayne's. They saw it was Wayne and they were gonna go to court but then the video got stolen. They never found it."
"Yea okay. And where was Jake in all this?"
"He was devastated. Him and that cousin were really close. They were practically inseparable. That's why Jeremy's heart went out to him. Because he lost his best friend."
No this can't be right. It just can't. I feel my heart start beating really fast with anger and sadness and confusion. I mean the guy I really really like.... I mean.. the guy that I've been hanging out with this whole time, who spent the night at my house with my brother there, who was alone with me practically all night, the guy I kissed... The guy I kissed is a murderer.
I have to find Wayne and ask him about all this.
Then I remember something,"Wait do prisoners have to get tattoos on their arms?"
"Um.. Don't think so. Why do you ask?" I don't answer him. It's silent for a while until I say,"I think we're almost there." Tom nods his head and says,"Aw then that means our time alone together is almost up." I half smile. I'm really not in the mood to pretend to like this creep. Even if he was nice and kinda cool at some point in this ride. "Hey why don't you stop now? We still have and hour or so before your friend comes. Why don't we just relax. I mean its really pretty here. All the nature." I know what he's trying to do and I really don't want to stop but something in his voice tells me he won't take no for an answer this time.
"It is really pretty but I don't know. Jeremy and Lenny might get worried if we take long."
"No they won't care. Here this is a perfect place."
"No seriously we sho-" but before I can argue he puts his hand on my hand and moves the steering wheel to the left. The car goes to the side and I have no choice but to park. Tom unbuckles his seat belt then mine. I just sit my hands still on the wheel, facing forward. "Why don't you turn towards me so I can see that pretty face of yours?" I relax my arms and put them on my legs. Then I turn to the right a little bit and half smile. Tom sighs and says,"Look I'm sorry you had to find out about this." He puts his hand on my leg with sympathy which I think is nice until I feel his hand go to mine then up my arm. I sigh and look straight ahead of me. I don't want him to do this but I can't make him mad at me. Then I feel him pull the top of my shirt over my right arm showing my shoulder. He keeps pulling it down then grabs my bra strap and pulls it down too. I close my eyes, my head spinning again and say,"Tom sto-" but before I can finish he starts kissing my neck. I try to push him away, my eyes still closed, but then I hear a car door open and Tom get pulled out.