Chorus (Fifteen)

Deep breaths, in and out, in and out. That is what I had to keep telling myself as my brain wanted to become dysfunctional and keep me from breathing, keep me from staying alive.

I knew that it was irrational to think that letting Dylan have control over my fears and my pain was the thing that would destroy me in the end. I knew that I was stronger than him.

But the smell of leather and recently cleaned metal infiltrated my nostrils and made me want to tuck my tail and run the opposite way. Blake's comforting arm around my shoulders kept me in place, though, and I was thankful that she was there for me.

She had only just recently met me, and for all intents and purposes we were technically strangers to one another, but yet she took me in like I was part of her family.

I supposed that since she thought I was dating her cousin made her think that I was family already, at least in her eyes.

Large and imposing footsteps echoed throughout the lofty building and I tensed up automatically, thinking that every single footstep was Dylan making his way towards me to hurt me and finish the job that he started at the school.

It was two officers clad in their patrolling uniforms that caught my attention. Well, not them necessarily, but the person who was walking casually between them, laughing like they were old best friends.

I desperately wanted to duck behind one of the desks in front of us, turn around and bolt out of the door that I just came through, but I knew that I had to face him sooner or later.

Sebastian was on the other side of Blake, and although his arm wasn't laid across my shoulders like hers was, I still felt his presence strong and intimidating towards the men heading towards us.

I must have caught his eye, because he started talking to me.

"Got your rockstar boyfriend to fight your battles now huh?"

I looked up and kept my eyes trained on the wall ahead as we walked on, not wanting to stir the pot.

"She wouldn't have any battles to fight if it weren't for you in the first place," I heard Blake mutter next to me. A sly smile escaped my lips and then all hell broke loose.

"What did you say little girl?" Dylan asked, venom dripping from his mouth from the words he had just spewed out.

I wondered how I had never noticed the snake that he really was, the blindness to what was in front of me the entire time that we were together was baffling to say the least.

"Don't," I said quietly to Blake and I looked over to Sebastian and was surprised by what I found.

His face was a mask of cool and collected but when I looked down to his hands I realized he was anything but.

Stark white and clenched into fists, it looked like he was hanging on by a thread.  Honestly, I was hanging on by one as well, but I couldn't let it show.

As quickly as it happened, it was over, and with a scoff and a shake of his head he turned the corner with his police officer buddies and disappeared out of sight.

I let out a breath that I didn't know I had been holding and turned my head to look at Sebastian whose green eyes were comforting me without him doing a single thing, and that made me feel more safe than I ever had.

"Don't worry, it'll be over soon.  A few moments of discomfort for a lifetime of justification," I heard Sebastian say to me.  I saw his lips moving but I didn't really comprehend what he had said until a few moments later when I was standing in a dark room looking at a lineup of men who looked like the monster in the middle.

"Now take your time.  Holly, do you see the man who attacked you in the stairwell at school?" Mr. Jennings asked me.

"Yes, its him," I said, pointing at Dylan.  He looked nonchalant, as if he couldn't be bothered to be participating in the lineup that could potentially destroy his chances at a good future. I hoped that it would be on his record forever, a constant reminder of what he had done to me.

"I need you to be a little bit more specific, what number, Holly?" he asked me and I shook my head at myself for being so absentminded.

"Number four," I told him and the officer in the room facilitating the lineup then knocked on the glass separating us four times.

We continued the process two more times, and I identified the other two guys who had helped Dylan hurt me, the boys who held me down and just watched as I was violated and punched.

I could still feel their hands on me, holding me down.

I shivered in disgust and I felt Sebastian's warm hand on my shoulder, comforting me.

I thought back to the conversation I'd had about my parents when I told them who wold be presenting me.  I didn't tell them about the meeting that day because I knew that they would have insisted on coming, and I didn't want them coming and not only distracting me but also by ruining my mindset with their constant fighting.

I would tell them later that night.  It was better to ask forgiveness than permission, after all.

"I think I need a second, where is the bathroom?" I asked the officer after I had identified the last guy.

"When you walk out of here its the last door on the left," the polite officer said to me.  I was glad he was so nice, all of the other officers looked at me like I was Hitler himself, all of them holding a grudge against me because of the person that I was trying to put in jail.

I squeezed Sebastian's hand as I left the room, his worried eyes following my every move.  I knew why he was worried about me, I was sure that I looked as pale as a ghost, but I couldn't help the memories that flooded me in that moment.

It was like it had all happened again in one moment. Seeing all of their faces again brought it all back in one crushing, defeating second and it felt like I couldn't breathe.

I stormed into the bathroom and stared up at my features for a second.  I was right, I did look as pale as a ghost.

I ran my hands under the cold water of the faucet and took a deep breath to prepare myself for stepping outside of the safety of the bathroom again, but as soon as I did I wished I had never left the house in the first place.

"Don't worry Johnathon, it'll all blow over.  Yes I'm sure, the girl isn't credible at all, she's vulnerable, it won't stand up in court."

I paused at the door as I saw the back of a nicely dressed woman.

"I don't care about that video, we can get it thrown out because it was leaked and wasn't obtained through proper channels, I'll challenge the damn judge myself.  After that all we have is her word against his and I think we know who will be more credible.  I mean, look at her and her history.  She chose to date him for that long?  We can paint the picture that she got someone to beat her up and point the finger at Dylan as revenge for dumping her for someone else," I heard the woman spit into the phone and I could feel my anger growing exponentially.

Was it true?  Could she really do all of that, just to discredit me?  Surely a jury would see just how ridiculous that story would be?

"I don't care if her boyfriend is the damn Pope himself, I'm the mayor and you're the Chief of Police, we can make this go away if we try hard enough."

I felt myself growing angrier and angrier as the conversation went on but I continued listening, I had to know how Dylan's mom planned to disrupt the trial.

"They haven't gone to the media yet, so as long as they stay silent on the issue, we're golden.  I can have someone intimidate her, make sure that she doesn't do a live talk show or anything that could turn this whole thing around on us, but if she does that then we're screwed.  We'll just have to do everything we can to keep her off of tv," I heard her say and I could feel a plan formulating in my head, but I didn't know if it was going to be for the best, or if it would ruin my life forever.

The woman hung up the phone and I scurried out of the bathroom as fast as I could without looking suspicious.

I caught up with Sebastian, Blake and Mr. Jennings as they were leaving the room that we had been occupying earlier.

I rushed up to them and in the quietest voice I could muster, exclaimed, "How fast can you get me on national television?"

***

Author's Note:

Don't hate me!

This holiday weekend was hectic to say the least and it was hard to get an update schedule!

I promise the everyday updates are starting back up again starting today!

Again, don't hate me! :)

What do you think will happen next?

What do you want to happen next?

I love all the comments and votes, please keep them coming! :)

-Kristen :)