blame it on the rain-monsters: the lyle and erik menendez story.

chapter 15.

Everything you are about to read is excerpts from Rosealine Bishops Memoir "California Love."

"The first time I saw Erik I was stunned by him. I mean, genuinely. I had already had classes with him, but I never paid any mind to him. In my life, he was just a background character. But when I got a really good look at him, I had to stop myself from immediately telling him how attractive I thought he was. And when he smiled at me, I literally felt weak in my knees."

"It was about two months of tutoring before he asked me to be his girlfriend. We were outside, our feet were in my pool. On the inside of my house, Eileen and my Mom were arguing. I awkwardly glanced at Erik, biting the inside of my cheek.
"I'm sorry." I blurted out, my mouth moving faster than my mind. I was so embarrassed by the fact my Mom and sister were arguing, I couldn't think straight. He gave me a half smile. "It's okay. I hear this at my house all the time. And it's like ten times worse." I nodded slowly. Erik continued looking at me. The light off the water reflected into my face.
"You're really pretty, Rose." I looked at him, smiling and blushing. As soon as I looked up at him, he just did it. He kissed me so hard our noses smashed together, making me cringe but I accepted it. When he pulled away, he had a stupid grin on his face.
"Will you be my girlfriend?" I accepted, and when he kissed me again I thought it'd be funny to push him into the pool. And when he went, he dragged me down with him. I threw water on him, he threw water back on me. My nice school clothes were sopping wet. My Mom threw a fit when I came in soaking wet, but I didn't care. That was easily the happiest I've ever been. I was like that my entire time with Erik."

"Lyle and I were like siblings. Even though I thought he was hot as fuck, he quickly became a brother to me. Him and Eileen were attached to the hip. Always playing tennis together and watching movies in our den. Lyle and I fought like siblings too. When Erik told Dr. Oziel about the killing of his parents, Lyle was livid. When I came over to the house, Lyle was screaming and yelling about everything. The biggest fight I've ever gotten into with anyone. I screamed at him to shut up and he screamed back at me. We screamed back and forth until Erik separated us. It was pretty bad, but when I talk to him now things are a lot better than what they were."

"In prison, I had a decent time. I was fortunately put into a better prison than most. Since a lot of us were in the for the long run, we got to watch television sometimes. Breaking Bad would come in during its earlier seasons. I watched the shit out of that show. I did the same thing with Supernatural. The early seasons are the best of that show.
But I kept every letter I wrote to Lyle and Erik. I have well over 100 letters in my closet to and from them.
During my first few months in prison, I had trouble sleeping and I was experiencing suicidal thoughts. They put me on suicide watch, and I had a therapist to visit once a week. I never ended up trying to take my own life, but I was close to it. They put me on Zoloft. An antidepressant and anxiety medication. It severely helped, and since my release I've no longer been on it. I'm incredibly proud and grateful to say that."

"The day I got out of prison for like I had missed out on a lot. Well, because I had. iPhones was this totally new concept to me. Spotify? Instagram? Facebook was the worst of them all. I prefer Spotify though still because I love music. And even when I was out, the world kept evolving with new apps and phrases and style. When I was in prison, a lot of the times it felt like the world had stopped turning because I was no longer a contributing member of society. But then the news would occasionally come on and I'd be rudely reminded that things were still going on. The most profound moment was in 2001, when the World Trade Center collapsed. As a child, I had been there. It was magnificent. One of the first things I did when I was let off probation in 2020 was visit Ground Zero. It was beautiful and emotional in a way I can't even begin to describe.
Now that I'm out, I find it as my duty to update the boys on what is going on. As new stuff emerges during the week, like gossip, I write it down tell them when I see them. Erik didn't like to admit it but when we were teenagers he loved to hear about gossip. He's kinda stayed out of it now, but I enjoy telling him about new celebrity gossip. Lyle loves to hear about anything like that. I also bring them new books. New releases because books are always coming out. I tend to find more thrillers or memoirs for them. Just last week I dropped it John Stamos memoir and Matthew Perry's. Right now, myself I am reading Brittany Spears' memoir and I'm gonna hand it off once I'm done."

"I know I can't dictate peoples opinions or feelings towards this case. I know they either swing one way or the other. You either agree that they were being molested or you don't. Of course there's that grey line where people don't know if they were or not and genuinely don't know what to think, and you know what that's okay.
But what I do know is I can advocate for what I think is right. And I don't think it's right they're in prison. I tend to use my social media for this purpose because it will help spread the word.
My daughter is too young to understand the concept of anything. I've had many people ask or just assume I've put Erik as her Dad. I have not. His name is nowhere on her adoption papers. That's an executive decision for him to make if he gets out of prison.
But anyways, I'll tell you, Erik came to me one week before the murders and confessed to me what was going on in that house. It was the most scared I've ever seen a grown man. To this day, I believe both of them. Wholeheartedly. I will die thinking that."

"The day I got arrested was a blur. They stormed into my Beverly Hills home and screamer at me to put my hands in the air. I put my hands up while my mother and sister demanded what was going on. My Mom fought so hard with those damn police officers. They threatened her if she didn't step away. Finally, the dragged me away and threw me into the back of a cop car. I didn't see my home again until 2015. By then, my mother had sold it. I saw a new family moving in. Bright smiles, a baby in their arms and a teenage girl. She looked my age when I was arrested.
I was reminded of the different paths people choose in life and how I chose mine. I don't regret what I did. I don't care about the names I get called. I don't care. I knew what I was doing. I knew what would happen if they got caught. And I proceeded."

To this day, the Menendez brothers remain in prison. Rosealine advocates everyday for the brothers. As of 2024, new evidence has been found. It has granted a retrial where they could possibly be released.

Until then, the story remains still a mystery.

1,350 words.
thank you SO MUCH for all the support on this story!
unfortunately this is either the last chapter or the one after this one will be the end!
please give me more story recommendations you'd like to see me write! i'll respond to any comment that references a fandom im in/have enough knowledge about to do!