Page 37 of In the Air Tonight

I’d forgotten how she came to the courthouse to support me without checking with me first. I would’ve told her not to come.

I think she’s mostly here to be on the front lines of the salacious details more than anything.

Maybe that’s not fair to her, but whatever. I don’t care about anything other than freeing my brother—and now my father, too—from this horrific situation.

My dad is arraigned next and pleads not guilty to a misdemeanor harassment charge. The lawyer told us he’ll probably be convicted since the police arrested him outside of Neisy’s home at three in the morning.

As a respected naval officer, Captain Sutton’s testimony will carry weight with the judge.

Following his arrest, Dad was put on administrative leave—without pay—from his job at the worst possible time. Lawyer bills are adding up for Ryder, and now dad is out of work and has added to the legal bill. In his case, the sentence for harassment is a five-hundred-dollar fine, up to a year in prison or both.

It’s just our luck that the statewide media has taken an interest in the case of the young woman who accused the athletic and academic standout of rape while his longtime girlfriend was dying of cancer. To an outsider looking in, it must sound like a movie of the week.

To us, it’s a nightmare that’s overtaken almost every waking moment.

When we emerge from the courthouse, we’re swarmed by media wanting a statement from Ryder or dad or even me. I can’t believe it when one of them calls me by name, as if we know each other, asking if I plan to stick by my brother.

I want to tell him to fuck off.

Rather, I tighten my grip on Sienna’s hand and head for my Jeep. We’ll deal with her car later.

Ryder gets in the back seat.

The ride home is silent and full of unbearable stress.

I’d give anything to go back to that night at Houston’s party. I would’ve stuck like glue to Ryder, making it so he couldn’t sneak off with Neisy and commit a felony.

I’ve gone over it and over it in my mind and have no recollection of him or Neisy leaving the party. There were a lot of people there. Hundreds, if I had to guess. It wasn’t possible to track what people were doing. The police are talking to everyone who was there. If even one person says they saw Ryder leave with her or follow her or do anything with her, we’re totally screwed.

I glance at my brother in the mirror. He’s staring out the window. “Are you okay, Ry?”

“Sure, never better.”

“She’ll have to prove it,” Sienna says. “How will that happen?”

We have no answers, so neither of us replies.

We’re too busy praying she can’t prove it.

Chapter 9

Neisy

THEN

The time away with Kane is blissful. It’s everything I need after the hell of the last few weeks. Other than to check in once a day with my dad, I never look at my phone.

We end up at a lake in upstate New York, where my dad rents us a small cabin a few steps from the shore. That’s another thing that would’ve been unthinkable a few months ago. But what does my dad have to worry about now that I’ve been raped and made pregnant by a boy I went to school with?

Kane went to the grocery store to stock up on essentials, so we wouldn’t have to go anywhere. I don’t want to have to see anyone. I’m raw from the events that sent us on this trip.

I still can’t believe Mr. Elliott actually came to our house to confront my dad.

Thankfully, Dad kept his cool and stayed out of trouble.

Dad told me Mr. Elliott was charged with misdemeanor harassment or something like that.

I’m sure everyone blames me for that, too.

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