Page 169 of Saving the Halfback

“Let me call my cousin,” Ethan said. “He may be able to help.”

“Bailey.” Mom walked down and took me from Dad’s arms. “Let’s go inside.” She wrapped a protective arm around my waist. On the way, she took the gun from Ethan, and we left the five guys outside while Mom brought me inside.

She sat me down at the table and went to put the rifle away. Once it was secured, she busied herself making hot chocolate. I sat there, wiping the tears away, not even sure what to say. An ache was starting in my head, through my temples.

Mom set two cups of hot chocolate on the table and looked at me for the longest time. “Your dad told me a bit. I don’t know what to say, Boo,” she finally whispered. “Do you want to talk to me about what happened?”

“Yes.” Because I so badly did.

And then it all came out. Right from the beginning. How much I thought he loved me, how we would play games, and I thought it was okay. I told her how we waited until I was sixteen, and I did consent, but then I was scared, and I said no. I told her how he tore me, causing me to bleed, and I wanted to ask if that was normal. The internet said it was, but there had been so much of it. I told her how I hadn’t thought it was rape, because he convinced me I wanted it, that I was leading him on. Ed told me how seductive my body was, how I could tell or show no one but him, because he was my boyfriend.

I told her it wasn’t until being with the guys that I learned what had happened was wrong. Even when I felt bad doing it, and when it made me feel sick, when it was happening, I still thought it was my fault, that I had initiated it.

I held nothing back from my mother and she listened. She listened to it all, and not once did she get mad at me for not telling her sooner. She didn’t get mad at me for letting it go on for so long. Instead, she apologized. She told me it wasn’t myfault. That he was a predator, and he did exactly what Lachlan had said—he had groomed me. He used my young mind against me. Still, it was difficult to believe that I wasn’t the one to cause it all. How messed up was that?

The guys came in not long after. Dad stepped into the room, his eyes red. “An officer is coming out to take a statement.”

“They’re going to take me away.” I looked at my mom. “They did it to Lachlan, and he did a lot less than I did. Ed was in a coma, and I tried to cover it up. They are going to put me in jail.” My lip trembled.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Lachlan promised, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“Bails, do you have any proof of what he did over the years? Anything?” Nolan asked.

I shook my head. I looked up at Dad. “Whenever the security camera cut out, it was because I had deleted the footage with my computer. I’m sorry.”

“Where’s your computer?” Lachlan asked.

“In my room.”

“Get it, I can recover the footage from the hard drive.”

I nodded and took a steadying breath. “I’ll go get it.” I stood up, and everyone parted to the side for me, all except Chase.

“I’ll come with you,” he said, taking my hand. I gave him a thankful smile. I didn’t want to be alone without one of them right now.

Chase didn’t let my hand go as I went to my room and retrieved the laptop. We walked back down, and he gave my hand a bit of a squeeze. “You got this,” he whispered.

I started up the computer and searched for the videos but was having trouble. Lachlan got on and was easily able to bring them up. There were a lot, over the span of years. Some only small clips I had deleted, a few entire days.

The police showed up, and Dad invited them in. They started off by taking a statement from me, which they tried to clear the room for, but found that everyone planted themselves. Not just my four statues, but also, my parents refused to leave me. Then they looked at the computer. They clicked on a short video, and it came up. Ed was cursing me out. The stereo on my computer was on full volume, and Lachlan jumped and turned it down. His voice. My mind had conjured Ed so many times, but hearing his actual voice again made bile rise in my throat.

I turned away and found Ethan right behind me. I buried my face into his chest. He held me, his body tensing up. I knew what was on that video; it was the first time Ed had pulled me around by my hair.

“Is there one the day of the incident?” the female officer asked.

“I think it’s this one,” Lachlan said, clicking on another video. I was still hiding my face, so I couldn’t see, and at first, I didn’t think it was playing. But once Marley started barking, it was like I was back there.

I felt his hands on me. I felt his anger as he yelled at me, belittled me. I screamed when he dragged me into the shed, his words branded in my mind:it’s time someone taught you some manners.

The sounds of Marley’s barks were short, and one of the officers cursed as he watched the laptop. The first smack of the shovel to Ed’s skull cracked and filled the room. I flinched, and my fists held tight to Ethan’s shirt. That seemed to be all he could take, as he pulled me away and out into the living room.

“Hey, look at me,” he said softly. “B, look at me.” I tilted my head up, meeting his eyes. “You are fucking brave. You are strong. You did what you had to do, and it was not wrong. Understand? I’m proud of you.” He bent down, pressing his lipsto mine. I needed it, I needed him. I took his kiss greedily and allowed his words to sink in and calm my hurting heart.

“Guys,” Nolan said quickly. We pulled apart just as the officers walked through.

“Bailey, this is what’s going to happen, okay?” The female officer spoke, and right away, I thought she was going to tell me I was being taken in. “We are going to take your computer as evidence. We are going to serve Edward with papers, okay? The county police will be pressing charges, and he will be arrested by what we physically see on the footage. There is more than enough evidence here to do that, okay? He will be fingerprinted, we will book him, and he will not be allowed to have any contact with you, do you understand?”

I nodded. “And me? What will I have to do?”

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