Knockout

Chapter 12

I wake up to my phone vibrating on my nightstand. Marshall's completely passed out next to me, we're both still in our clothes. I glance outside, it's still dark out. My phone continues to buzz and I pick it up, I don't recognize the number. I answer it anyway.

"Hello?" I say, yawning.

"Rachel." Thatcher's voice sounds like a combination of pissed and relieved.

"Thatch?" I sit up in the bed and Marshall shifts, opening his eyes for a moment and then closing them. "What the hell where are you? What time is it?"

"It's almost two in the god damn morning." He says, he's trying very very hard to control the anger in his voice. "And I'm at the police station."

"Why?" I ask, the worry in my voice increasing. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He says sarcastically. "Aside from the fact that Cash and I got arrested."

"What the hell? Why?" I start to hit Marshall's shoulder to wake him up.

"Well the officer that handcuffed me and shoved me into the back of a fucking squad car said it was because of 'public drunkenness.'" His voice gets even more irritated.

"Were you drunk?"

"No we went to that music place in downtown we didn't even eat." He sighs heavily on the other line.

"That doesn't make any sense." I say in shock, shoving Marshall and he finally opens his eyes. "Which one are you at?"

"The one off the freeway." He tells me. "You have to come pick us up because they won't let us drive."

"Okay I'll be there as soon as I can. Marshall's with me." I look down at Marshall on the bed and he's got a confused look on his face. "I still don't get how this happened. Don't they have sobriety tests?"

"Rach." Thatcher takes in a long deep breath and then exhales. "They didn't arrest us for being drunk, I think they arrested us because we're gay."

"I'm leaving right now." I say and hang up the phone, jumping out of bed.

"What's wrong?" Marshall gets up too, we're both still fully dressed.

"Cash and Thatcher got arrested." I say angrily, searching my dresser for my keys.

"Are you serious?" He knits his eyebrows. "For what?"

"They say public drunkenness but Thatcher said they were at Recovery and didn't even go to dinner. They didn't drink at all." I locate my keys and start down the stairs hearing Marshall follow me. "He thinks they got arrested because they're gay."

We get to the bottom of the stairs and Marshall takes the keys out of my hands.

"I'll get us there faster." He tells me, walking out the front door. "If that's the case don't be mad if I get locked up too for assaulting an officer."

"If that's the case I give you permission." I say, getting in the passenger side.

Marshall backs out of my driveway and sends us towards the freeway on ramp at an alarming speed. At this point I don't care, I'm just worried about Thatch. The faster I can get to him the better.

***

We get to the police station in almost no time at all. Marshall's gotten significantly more angry the closer we came. I'm angry too but it's my job to keep the three of them from exploding on a couple of cops.
Marshall gets out of the car and slams the door, I get out too. He grabs my hand and I grip his arm letting him pull me into the building. I honestly thought I would be the one talking them out of this arrest but it looks like Marshall is more than ready and willing to do it himself.
Once inside, he guides us down a hallway. We come to a spacious room with an officer sitting at a desk and I see Thatcher and Cash sitting on a bench on the far wall. Thatch stands up as soon as he sees us and makes his way over to me. I release Marshall who goes to speak with the cop, and pull Thatcher down into a hug.