Page 67 of Crew Princess
“What paper?” I demanded.
“I was arrested! You weren’t.”
She started to scramble to her feet.
I pushed her back down, standing over her. “Explain everything, or I swear, Tabatha, I will turn Jordan against you in five seconds. And I won’t be making anything up. I will tell him the truth.” I pointed toward the library. “What you did in there should get your ass beaten by any one of us. No one talks. No one! You’re not exempt because you’re Jordan’s girlfrie—”
“THEY MADE ME!” She heaved for air, her tears continuous. She hiccupped, gasping for breath. “I can’t—”
I growled.
Her head hung low. “They made us sign confidentiality agreements and non-disclosure documents. With me telling you this, they could sue my family.”
I kneeled down. I didn’t give one shit. “I am running out of patience. Talk, or I will do things you and I both will regret.”
When she lifted her head, her eyes searching, she saw the truth.
I would rain holy hell over this school if she didn’t tell me what was going on.
“That’s why they arrested us at the party last night.”
Finally.
Surrender.
My rage simmered down, just a little bit. She was talking.
“Go on,” I said.
Her head folded back down. The fight had completely left her. Her voice was so weak, small. “Every student at that party who went to Roussou was offered a deal. We were separated. Half of us went to the Fallen Crest station and half went to ours. I don’t know—maybe to cut down on time since they were running short? But I know every student was taken into a room. A police officer, an attorney, someone from school, and then their parents were escorted in. They were in there for twenty minutes, the longest was forty, and when that door opened, the parents were shaking hands and the student was signing a bunch of papers.”
“You said a school representative?”
“Yeah.” She sounded so tired. Her head lifted, resting against the wall, but her tears still flowed. She sniffled, wiping the back of her sleeve over one side of her face. “I recognized Principal Broghers, and then the superintendent came in. That teacher, Ortega, came in later. They rotated, like they were giving each other a break.”
I was sick to my stomach. The need to expel whatever was in there, as it was rising, piercing through my rage. I knew what they did. I had it all connected, but I needed her to say it out loud. I needed to know it was real, that it was all actually happening the way I’d feared it would.
“Keep going.” My voice was raspy now, hoarse.
She sighed. “I got my turn. My parents walked into the station, saw me in handcuffs, and my mom just broke. It was messy and embarrassing, and she was blaming Jordan before she even knew what happened.”
She paused, her bottom lip trembling.
I waited until it stopped, until she stopped swallowing past the pain.
“What did happen?”
“They offered me a deal: full disclosure and participation in this project to get off. No charges. No fines. Nothing on my record.”
“What charges did they have for you?”
“Does it matter? They’d find something. Underage drinking? There were drugs at that party. You know Frisco is still dealing. Trespassing even. The cops said the landowner called in the party, complained about all the teenagers vandalizing his field.” She snorted. “That’s bullshit. Anyone arrested has to talk to the cameras and work with them. Otherwise, charges. I don’t want to deal with probation or even community service. Not this summer. Not right before college. If my college found out about this, they could kick me out. I’m going to a private school next year. They might feel I’m not right for them, and bam, I’m out. What then? Community college?”
I shifted back on my heels and stood, grinding my teeth together. “My brother’s girlfriend went to community college. She’s doing just fine. Don’t think your future would be ruined if that was your last possibility.”
I started for the door, not needing to hear anything else. She’d spilled the details. What was next were the justifications, the excuses, the victim-talk. I wasn’t going to feel sorry for her. She chose to sign that paper. They all did.
They all could burn in hell.
