Page 173 of Choosing You

I relivethe entire event all over again for Frank.

He doesn’t speak until I’m done. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry I’m not there for you. How are you handling this? And be honest with me, Jade.”

“I’m really scared. I don’t know what to do. I need your help.”

I’m sure my response freaks him out. I never tell him how I’m feeling and I sure as hell don’t ask for help.

“If you want to press charges against this boy, you can. Don’t let his father bully you. This decision is yours. I should probably get you some legal counsel. I’ll call later this morning and get an attorney out there for you.”

“No. You don’t have money for that.” I feel my eyes tearing up at his offer.

“Don’t you worry about the money. That’s not your concern.” He pauses. “I know I’m not your real father, Jade, but I love you like you’re my own daughter and I’ll do whatever you need.”

Now the tears start running down my face. He’s never said that to me. It’s not like I didn’t think he felt that way about me, but hearing him say it confirms that it’s true. I suddenly feel the need to tell him about the threatening phone calls and my room being torn apart and the letter being stolen. Then I change my mind. All that stuff is in the past now and there’s no use worrying him about it.

“Frank, I don’t know what to do about Blake. I mean technically he didn’t actually rape me but he intended to. But is that enough? Will they even do anything to him for that?”

“They probably won’t, especially given his connections. But that doesn’t mean you can’t press charges.”

“So what do you think I should do?”

He takes a deep breath and lets it out. “I can’t make that decision for you. Honestly, given what you’ve told me, if you press charges there’s a good chance this guy will try to turn it back on you and make it sound like it was your fault. I hate to say that but—”

“No, you’re right. I hadn’t even thought of that, but it sounds like something Blake would do.”

Harper sneaks in for the third time, seeing if I’m done. She notices I’m still talking and sneaks back out. It’s now 1 in the morning and she probably wants to get some sleep.

“I need to go, Frank.”

“Okay, but if you need anything or just want to talk, I want you to call us. Don’t try to do this on your own. Ryan and I are always here for you.”

We say goodbye and I go and open the door. Harper is standing in the hall waiting.

“I’m sorry I took so long.”

Harper comes inside and hugs me. “Don’t be sorry. You two needed to talk. And while you were on the phone, I cleaned everything up.”

“You mean in my room? All the—” I can’t even say the word.

“The blood. Yes. It’s gone. And I got rid of all your bedding. The sheets, the comforter, everything. I put new sheets on your bed. Abbi had some extra blankets and Sara had an extra comforter. So everything’s fresh and new. All that stuff he touched is gone.”

I hug her again. “Thank you. You totally didn’t need to do that. You’re a really good friend. I mean it. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.” Truthfully, Garret is, but Harper is definitely the best female friend I’ve ever had.

“I didn’t think you should sleep over there tonight, so I called Sean and he’s bringing over his air mattress.”

There’s a knock at the door. “That’s probably him,” she says, answering it.

“Hey, babe,” I hear him say as they kiss at the door.

“Jade, this is Sean.” Harper is beaming just having him there. She’s definitely in love with this guy. I wonder if that’s what I look like when Garret’s around.

Sean walks up to me carrying the deflated air mattress. He’s really cute. I can see why Harper likes him. Average height but muscular with shaggy blond hair and really blue eyes. He does kind of look like a surfer.

“Hi, Jade.” He smiles, showing off a dimple in each cheek. “I’m sorry about what happened. If you need anything when Harper’s not around, just give me a call.”

“Thanks. And thanks for bringing the mattress over.”

“No problem.” He plugs the air mattress in and inflates it. Then he gives Harper a kiss before heading out. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

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