Drown in You

10. Rough night

I sat awkwardly at the cop's desk while he worked, waiting for Jan to arrive. She lived far away, and she was probably in the middle of something when she got called. I felt terrible. She shouldn't have to drive all this way for a dumb fist fight. I looked up at the cop. "Um, sir?"

He paused his work to reply to me. "Yes?"

"Did she say how long she would be?"

"Who, your social worker?"

I nodded.

"Nope. She should be here soon though. It's been almost half an hour."

As if by fate, the door to the station opened and in came Jan, looking visibly frustrated. I gulped. This was not looking good for me. The cop looked at her, then back at me. "Speak of the devil," he winked.

As she approached, he stood and greeted her. She took a seat next to me and gave me a stern look before addressing the cop. "I know his record may look bad, but I can assure you that Will doesn't seek out violence."

The cop nodded. "Well, he was very polite to us police officers. If he had resisted or been rude, he would be in a cell right now and this process would be going much differently. I'm sure you know this."

"Of course. Please understand his attitude already shows he is eager to put this behind him. Right, Will?" Jan said, her voice dangerous.

I quickly agreed.

In the end, it was decided that I too would be let off with a warning, but a bit more of an official one than Jake's. I had to sign a form stating I understood my wrongdoings and the consequences that would follow if it happened again. I thought the whole thing was a bit over the top but I followed along without protest because I was dying to get out of the station. By the time I left with Jan, I had been at the police station for nearly two hours. But I wasn't quite in the clear yet. The moment we got into her car, I prepared to face Jan's wrath. And sure enough, it came.

"I can't believe you, Will," she said, hands gripping the steering wheel so tight her knuckles were white. "I mean really. What on earth were you thinking?"

"That guy had it out for me. He insulted me. Said I was stealing from Bill and Carol."

"So you proved him wrong by beating him up?"

I didn't reply.

Jan spoke again. "Is this related to that party?"

"What? No," I said. "I mean sure, he was there but that's not what happened."

"So it's related. I'll have to tell Dr. Allen about this."

I rolled my eyes. The therapist. Great.

"Fine, tell her," I said angrily.

"I will."

The car grew silent. The guilt I'd felt earlier about causing Jan trouble came seeping back into me, this time doubled with the aftermath of our argument. I thought about apologizing, but it seemed too awkward. Too fresh. So I just stared out the window. When the car pulled up to the house, I felt a strange sense of deja vu from the first time we'd come to this house, but I was quickly reminded of the real situation when the car came to a stop. Jan would definitely be coming inside and explaining what I'd done to Bill and Carol. They would know that I'd snuck out, and that I'd been in a fight and gotten sent to the police station. The walk up to the front door was agonizing. I could only hope this wouldn't permanently ruin me in their eyes.

When the door swung open, it was Carol. She looked both surprised and confused. "Jan? And Will? What on earth happened? Please come in."

Jan nodded and stepped inside. I followed, and Jan spoke. "Do you know where Will was tonight?"