Nets and Lies (27 page)

Lauren snorted. “Actually, I’m starting to think they must’ve given you a doggy bag of drugs at the hospital!”

My laughter slowly faded, and Lauren widened her eyes in horror. “Oh, Mel, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have joked about that. Of course, you’re on medicine. Who the hell wouldn’t be in your condition!”

I sighed in exasperation. “I’m not in a ‘condition’, Lauren. Stop acting like I’m freakin’ fragile, and I’m going to fall apart any minute.”

She held up her hands. “Okay, I’m sorry.”

“And yes, I’m on anti-depressants. I’m not ashamed to admit it. I need them right now to try to keep unraveling.”

“I’m glad they’re helping,” Lauren said.

We sat in an awkward silence for a minute or so before Lauren drew in a ragged breath. “I really am sorry, Mel. This is new territory for me. I’ve read about…rape, and I’ve seen it in movies and on TV. But when it came down to it, I didn’t know how to handle the fact if it happened to you. I was such an asshat for not coming to the hospital. Most of all, I’m sorry that I keep saying all the wrong things and being stupid. Regardless of everything, you’re my best friend, and I love you.”

I smiled. “You’re not an asshat. And I understand. This is all new to me, too.” When Lauren began wringing her hands again, I asked, “What it is?”

“Why did you lie?”

My brows knitted together in confusion. “What?”

Lauren stared down at her hands. “I mean, why did you lie about what happened? With Jordan’s claim, it seemed like it would have been so much easier for you to just admit what happened.” She raised her head to meet my gaze. “Was it for Will?”

“I thought so at first. Now I think it was more to save me from all the pain and embarrassment. I’m still trying to figure all that out.”

“So, they have you going to therapy?”

“Yep. Twice a week—sometimes Mom and Dad come too.”

Lauren let out a low whistle. “Wow, that’s intense.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her expression. “Yeah, it’s pretty intense. But I like my therapist. She’s young and hip. And she’s been through something similar.”

“Um, that’s cool.”

“Yeah, it is.”

I could tell there was something else she wanted to ask. “What is it?”

She played with the edge of her skirt before she replied. “What about you and Will? I mean, are you guys okay?”

“We’re fine,” I answered a little too quickly.

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. He came to visit me in the hospital. We had a long talk about everything, and we’re good.” I decided it wasn’t my place to tell Lauren about Will’s vow to attend therapy or the fact that he and I were going to see Dr. Leighton together. It seemed a little premature to be in couple’s therapy when we weren’t even married, but I guess in some ways we were. I knew there would never be anyone else for me, and I was pretty sure Will felt the same way.

Before I could say anything else, Lauren reached over and hugged me. She held on to me for several long seconds.

“Hey now,” I began, “what’s up with all the mushy stuff? You hate hugging and PDA.”

“True, very true,” she replied, as she pulled away.

I cocked my eyebrow at hers and smiled. “Well, PDA with girls you hate…but JT, now that’s another story!”

Lauren laughed. “Yep, once again, you know me too well.”

“We’ve been best friends for too long, I guess.”

“Yeah, we have.” Her phone vibrated in her pocket. One glance and she smiled. “Speak of the devil,” she murmured.

“You’re being summoned, right?”

She nodded. “Listen Melanie, the team and I were all talking, and we sure hope you’ll come to the banquet in two weeks.”

A pain jabbed my heart at the mention of the annual end of season banquet. I’d completely forgotten about it. It was one thing to miss Senior Night, but I’d never missed a banquet in my life. Usually, I came home with my arms laden with trophies and plaques.

But this year would be different. There would be no Coach T keeping the parents in stitches with his remarks about the season. He wouldn’t beam with pride as he called my name out to once again give me the MVP award. If I won this year, I would go down in the Newton Hall of Fame for being the only four time MVP winner in Girls Basketball. The bitter side of me choked back the thought that maybe he’d rigged it all these years. Maybe I wasn’t the Most Valuable Player—instead I was the Most Valuable Piece of Ass.

Besides those thoughts, it would also be the first time I was put on display in front of everyone for something besides my ability. I wouldn’t be the MVP—I’d be the girl Coach T raped. When I walked across the stage to the podium, every eye would be on me while every mind would be dreaming up their own ideas of how it had all gone down. Just the thought of it made me nauseous.

I shook my head and fought my gag reflex. “I don’t know, Lauren. I’ll have to check with Dr. Leighton.”

“Okay, I understand. I just know we’d all like to see you there.”

“Then maybe I’ll be there.”

Lauren smiled. “Sounds good.”

I walked her to the door. “Thanks for the balloons and flowers. But most of all, thanks for coming by.”

Without a word, Lauren put her arms around me. We stood like that—arms tightly around each other—for several seconds. “I love you, Mel.”

“I love you, too.”

I stood at the door and watched her bound down the stairs. She gave a final wave before pulling out of the driveway.

As I breezed through the glass doors of the Newton County Sheriff’s Department, I felt freer than I had in weeks. I tried not to let the voice in my mind mock me at how cliché that sounded. Just for the moment, I wanted to believe everything was going to be okay. Even in my happiness, I was filled with regret—regret that I hadn’t come forward sooner, regret I had lied to my parents and to Will, and regret that I had blamed myself for someone else’s actions.

Mom and Dad followed me outside into the intense February sunshine. I brought my hand to my face to shield my eyes. The heat radiated off my cheeks and body, making me feel rejuvenated.

We stood on the street corner, unsure of our next move. Dad jingled his change in his pockets. I fought the urge to smile. I was the one who just unloaded all my baggage, and Dad was the nervous one.

But there wasn’t a manual for parents on how to proceed once your daughter admits to being raped and lying to the authorities. I guess they were doing the best they knew how. Fortunately for all of us, Detectives McKay and Pendley were understanding and sympathetic when I came forward with my confession. The hardest part was signing the deposition with everything that happened in gory detail. But somehow I got the strength to do it.

Dad brought me out of my thoughts. “So…”

“Yeah?” I asked.

“Wanna go get a bite to eat or something?”

I smiled. “Actually, there’s something I really need to take care of.”

Mom pushed my hair off my shoulder. “Are you sure it can’t wait? Daddy and I will treat you to your favorite meal.”

“No, that’s okay.”

She leaned in and hugged me. “I’m very proud of you, sweetie. It took a lot of courage to do what you just did.”

I felt the sobs rising in my throat.
No, no, no
. There’d be no tears today. There’d been enough tears in the last few weeks to fill an ocean.

“Thanks, Mom.” I hesitated to let go. It felt so good to be in her arms, to be accepted after all that had happened, that I didn’t want the moment to end. But finally I pulled away. “I won’t be too long, I promise.”

“Okay. Just be careful and call us if you’re going to be late.”

I nodded. Dad paused before leaning in and kissing my cheek. He and Mom walked off together towards their car. I stood enjoying the sunshine for just a little while longer before I left.

After I cranked up, I turned up the radio. I sang along to old 90’s tunes like
I’m Too Sexy
, feeling young, crazy, and goofy. It felt nice. Small bits of the Old Melanie were starting to creep back in. Dr. Leighton told me this would happen—at times when I least expected it even after really tough days.

The parking lot was fairly empty when I pulled into Fiorenza’s. Jordan’s black BMW convertible sat in the far corner of the lot, so I knew she was working. Detectives McKay and Pendley had thrown me for a loop when they told me that Jordan had come forward and admitted to lying. In a way, I had hoped she would cling to her lie to help me. I didn’t to be the only victim. But then I was also really proud to hear that she had made things right.

As I made my way to the restaurant, my heart pounded in my ears. With a shaky hand, I reaced for the doorknob. Part of me wanted to sprint back to my car, peal out of the parking lot, and never look back. But somehow I summoned my courage and walked through the doors.

The moment I stepped inside, the strong aroma of tomato sauce entered my nostrils. I stood in the foyer, craning my neck to find Jordan. Finally, I spotted her bringing two plates of lasagna to a table.

“How many?” the hostess asked.

“Um, I just need to talk to Jordan.”

“Oh, well, she can’t really talk right now. How about I put you in her station?”

I nodded, fighting what felt like a wad of sawdust in the back of my mouth.

The hostess led me over to an empty booth and handed me a menu. Jordan hadn’t seen me yet. She came over with her pad and set a glass of water down in front of me. “Hi there, what can I—” At the sight of me in the booth, her lips smacked shut. Her head shook wildly, causing her dark ponytail to swish back and forth. A look of panic—one I never thought I would see from her—flashed on her face. “What are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“Um, I can’t. I’m working.”

When she started to spin away from the table, I grabbed her arm. “Please, just give me five minutes.”

Jordan bit her lip and glanced over at a guy behind the bar. “Manny, I’m taking my break.”

“That would be fabulous, but it’s not time yet.”

“I don’t care!” she snapped. She gave me an apologetic smile. “Sorry, he’s such a dick.”

Manny mumbled something under his breath as Jordan flopped down, causing the booth seat to make a wheezing noise. She crossed her arms and stared expectantly at me across the table. “So what is it?”

Now that I had her attention, I didn’t know if I could get anything out that I wanted to say. As she tapped her white tipped nails on the table—nails I dreamed of having but had to sacrifice for basketball—I cleared my throat. “I just came from the Sheriff’s Department. I finally confessed to what happened with Coach T.”

Her dark eyebrows shot up. “You did?”

I nodded.

“Wow,” she murmured.

“I should have done it to start with but…”

Jordan gave me a sympathetic smile--one that I’d never really seen from her before. “I know things have been really bad for you.”

“Guess that means you heard about the breakdown?”

She nodded.

Playing with the placement, I murmured, “Yeah, it was pretty rough.”

Jordan’s face continued to soften. “I’m really, really sorry, Melanie.”

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What do you have to be sorry about? You may have lied about being raped by Coach T out of anger, but you were spot on when it came to what happened to me.”