Mean Girl Tendencies

29|"Victim! I was not a victim."

I wasn't put in handcuffs as I got into the cop car, and it wasn't a regular police car. It was the car the detectives used, but I had never been in a car so cheap and so old. And I wasn't read my miranda rights so I'm just assuming I wasn't arrested.

As I walked through the police stations there were a bunch of kids around my age and some twenty year olds. There were also kids younger then me. I counted at least ten before I was put in a room. It wasn't an interrogation room, but I felt as if I was going to be interrogated.

"We didn't want to tell you all of this on the phone, this would be better in person." Andrews starts. "While investigating the disappearance of Francis, we found disturbing evidence that lead him to the world of child pornography and pedophilia."

I started twiddling my thumbs around, and I avoided eye contact with the detectives.

"We specialized in a unit that does cold cases,"Mark continues. "but after finding all this overwhelming evidence it's been decided that this is no longer a cold case, and there is an ongoing crime syndicate that used Francis for his....resources."

Andrews and Mark sit in front of me trying to break this news to me, but I knew all of it. I'm just waiting until I'm arrested for aiding in a murder.

"And we just wanted to alert all the victims." Andrews states.

I gasp. "Victim! I was not a victim."

The cops look puzzled. "You fit the profile. He saw you exclusively, you were young enough, and some of the pictures you took were kind of provocative."

I growl at the detectives. "Well obviously you too are terrible at your jobs. I was never a victim, but I was-" I stop myself. If I say it out loud, then it becomes a reality. A reality that I've been running away from for years. "I was close." I admit with defeat. "I was so close." tears start to dwell in my eyes. I was running away from the fact that I could've been like Same, or even worse Isabella.

"Well no wonder why we didn't find any nude pictures of you. He as them of all his victims."Mark says. "Now I know this is going to be hard for you, but we might need you to testify in court."

"No!" I say ferociously. "That part of my life is over."

Just as I speak those words my lawyer and Nolan burst into the room. "That's enough. You know it's against the law to talk to my client without proper representation in the room. Come on Aurora."

Nolan and my lawyer leave the room. I stop at the doorway and turn to the cops. "I wish I could help, but I can't. I'm sorry."

My heels clack on the old tile floor of the station, and I avoid eye contact with the other kids sitting, waiting to be called in.

"Aurora?" I look up and it's Sam. He didn't look good at all. He was wearing a light blue buttoned down shirt that had the first four buttons opened with black slacks. His usually kept long blonde hair was oily and everywhere.

I rush towards him. "I'm taking you home with me." He was obviously very hungover.

"I-I got a call last night from the police about... about Fr-"

"I know." I cut him off from saying a name he hasn't said in years, but a person he's seen every night in his nightmares. "It won't do you any good by going in there." I look around and the lawyer and Nolan are standing in the distant watching us. I move closer to him and whisper, "They're going to ask you to testify... they have," I pause hesitantly, but Sam needs to know. "they have pictures, and evidence of what Francis did to you and others kids."

He stares at me blankly, but the way his fist bawled up showed me how hurt he's feeling. "Do they have pics of Isabella?"

I shake my head. "I don't know. I didn't stay too long to find out." I sigh and rest my hands on his shoulders. "You can't go in there. Everyone will know. Are you ready for that?" I plead with him.

Sam forces my hands off him. "You don't know what I need." He starts breathing heavily, and starts staggering away from me. "None of you know what I need!" He yells, alarming police officers to him.

"No, no, no. It's fine." I tell the police officers that are now on guard.

Sam chuckles maliciously. "No. It's really not." Tears are know dripping down his face as he pushes past me, and heads into the room I previously came out of.

"Sam!" I yell at him with desperation laced in my voice.

He's spent so many years avoiding this, and the last time he confronted it, he almost killed himself.

I try to charge after him, but Nolan rushes to my aid. "You have to let him go, and do what he needs to do." Nolan tries to pull me into him, but I step back from him.

"You don't even know what's going on." I spit at him, and rush out of the station.

Nolan jogs out after me. "But I would like to! I would like to be there for you so damn much! But every time we get somewhere I feel like you start to push back again. Look at you with your wall back up!" He's screaming at me as I storm down the police parking lot. "You don't even have a car to get home with!"

He keeps following me! Can't he understand that I just want to be alone! "Then I'll call a fucking uber!" I flick him off.

All of a sudden I'm being pressed against a 2016 ford station wagon. My arms are pinned up, and Nolan's looking at me straight in my eyes. "You're being so fucking stubborn right now, and I've been so patient,"His puppy dog eyes turn to one of sadness. "but I can only wait so long Aurora."

"I-I.." I try to find something to say, but the only thing that came out were sobs. Nolan loosened his grip on me, and I fell into his arms. "I-I.." He held onto me as I broke down in front of him.

"Shhh, it's okay." Nolan starts to smooth my red locks.

"But it's not. It's not okay, or fine." I start to cry for Sam, and I start to cry for Bella, my mother, my brother, for Nolan, and April. We all live in such a fucked up world, and we all do such fucked up things. And I couldn't pull myself together for years, and then I met Nolan and he's teaching me to be a better me, "And I'm so sorry." I interrupt my own thoughts to apologize and give Nolan the most passionate heartfelt kiss I've ever given to anyone.

"Let's go home." Nolan whispers to me, and has to drag me to his car because I refused to let go of him.

"Um uh, I'll just send you all the information about the case." My lawyer awkwardly shouts to me. Whoops. I forgot he was even there.