A/N This is a bit of a rough one. Sorry guys.
Song Used: She (For Liz) By Parachute
Chapter 20: The Choices We Make
Janelle Mitchell stared at the wall on the other end of her cell. She was starting to lose her mind out of boredom and knew that it was only going to get worse.
Fucking Theo… That asshole got himself caught and turned her in to try to save his own ass…
"Stand up!" A guard ordered as he walked up to the cell.
Janelle had learned pretty early on to just do what she was told. Standing up she turned to face the back of the cell and waited for the man to come in and cuff her.
"You have a visitor." The man stated as he pulled Janelle back, causing her to turn and face the now open cell.
They walked down the hall, past a bunch of closed cells, before making it to the door on the other end of the room.
They walked into a room that Janelle recognized as an interrogation room. The guard pushed her down into the chair and cuffed her into the table.
"Come on in, Tom." The guard yelled. Janelle rolled her eyes, of course pretty boy Tommy was the one here to talk to her.
Officer Tom Carter walked into the room and took a seat across the table from her.
"Thanks, Chris." Tom nodded at the guard who excused himself and went to stand at the back of the room. "How you holdin' up Janelle?"
Janelle stayed quite and just glared at the officer.
"That good, huh." Tom asked with a raised eyebrow. "Well then I guess let's get down to it. Janelle Mitchell, you are under arrest for the distribution and possession of illegal drugs, child abuse, the prostitution of a minor, the sexual exploitation of a minor, failure to comply with custody agreements and child endangerment. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?"
Janelle snarled, "Fuck you."
Tom smirked. "She told us everything, Janelle."
"And who the hell would that be?" Janelle asked.
"Your daughter." He stated simply.
"What could Beca have possibly told you?" Janelle asked. "There's nothing to tell."
"She told me about your abuse. About how you sold her to men." Tom's voice was low and the anger evident on his face.
"That's not true." Janelle shook her head. "If that's what Beca said, she's lying. She's a pathological liar!"
Tom nodded his head. "So, you're denying it?"
"Yes, I'm fucking denying it you, dumbass!" Janelle snapped.
Tom nodded. "Alright."
He stood up and and turned to leave the room.
"Are you serious? That's it…" Janelle asked.
"What do you mean, Janell?" Officer Carter asked as he turned and looked at her.
"You're seriously not even going to tell me what the hell she told you?" Janelle snarled.
"I've told you exactly what you're being accused of." Tom stated bluntly. "You forced your own daughter to have sex with adults for money. You physically abused her! You forced her into a world she had no reason to be in! You did that! And you did that all while denying her her legal right to a relationship with her father."
Janelle's eyes grew with anger as she listened to his words.
"Does she even know that her dad wanted a relationship with her? Or did you just let her think that he had forgotten about her?" Tom asked.
"He wanted nothing to do with her and I honestly can't blame him." Janelle snapped. "I didn't want the little bitch either."
"You deserve the fucking mother of the year award." Tom shook his head. "Does she know that he had the legal right to see her? That he's been fighting you for the last year over it?"
Janelle just shook her head. "If he really wanted to see Beca, he would have reached out to her. He never did."
"According to Warren, you wouldn't let him." Tom explained as he pulled out a folder. He passed over a piece of paper. She looked up and down it but already knew what it was. "Is this the divorce settlement you and Warren Mitchell agreed on?"
Again, Janelle remained quiet.
"This is your signature, correct?" He prodded more. "Saying you agree to follow it?"
Still nothing.
"And right here, where it says that Warren Mitchell will have three months of the year where Rebecca Mitchell, your daughter, will visit him, as well as Thanksgiving or Christmas?" Tom pointed down at the paper.
"I'm done talking to you." Janelle snarled.
"That's fine, Janelle. Because you're done all together." Tom stated, the anger evident in his tone. "How could you do that to your own daughter… The girl you raised and were supposed to protect? How the hell could you do that!?"
"I want my lawyer. I'm done talking!" The anger in Janelle began to boil. Who the hell was this guy to judge her parenting?
"Take her back." Tom stated looking at Chris. "See you in court, Ms. Mitchell."
With that, Tom walked out of the room. Leaving a very frustrated Janelle in his wake.
Had Beca really turned on her? Was she really willing to throw her own mother under the bus like that? Surely, she wasn't that stupid…
Just as she was walking down the hall with Chris, one of the other inmates bumped into her shoulder.
"Watch yourself!" The woman shouted and slipped something into Janelle's hand, going unnoticed by Chris.
"Bitch!" Janelle snapped back but wrapped her fingers around the paper. She kept walking with Chris none the less.
Once they were back in her cell, Chris uncuffed her and pushed her in.
Once Janelle was sure Chris was gone she pulled out the paper.
She even steps foot on that stand, she's dead.
-T
Janelle felt her heart drop. She wasn't used to worrying about her. That wasn't really in her.
But Theo was threatening to kill her daughter and that was not something she would ever allow to happen.
Crumpling up the paper Janelle turned around.
"Guard! I need to make a phone call!" She shouted.
Beca's POV
Beca sat on the floor with her back resting on the bottom of the couch. Stretched out in front of her was her homework.
Chloe was sitting across the room in an arm chair grading papers. Soft music trickled through the speakers on the TV.
Beca hummed to herself as she worked on her Chemistry homework.
Chloe started to mumble the words to herself. Beca looked up and smiled at her.
"She, she is the words that I can't find." Beca began to sing, Chloe looked over at her and smiled.
"How can the only thing that's killing me make me feel so alive?
And I couldn't speak
I couldn't breathe to save my life
Although my chances swim like sinking ships
This time it's it
I'll drown or make her mine."
Chloe watched mesmerizingly into Beca's eyes.
"My vocal chords, they've been fighting
My mouth likes to spite me
It never says the words that come to mind
And I brought a stick to a gun fight
And I'm stuck with my tongue tied
I run, but I can't hide what's always there."
Chloe took in a breath and began to sing with Beca on the chorus.
"And she, she is the words that I can't find
How can the only thing that's killing me make me feel so alive?
And I couldn't speak
I couldn't breathe to save my life
Although my chances swim like sinking ships
This time it's it
I'll drown or make her mine"
Once they finished, both women smiled brightly at each other.
"You have such a beautiful voice." Chloe sighed, a smile played easily across her face.
"That was fun." Beca smiled. "I haven't done much singing lately. It's crazy how easy it is to sing with you."
Chloe laughed softly. She opened her mouth to say something when Beca's phone sprang to life.
She picked it up and saw she didn't recognize the number.
"Hello?" Beca answered.
"This is a call on a recorded line from Janelle Mitchell, calling from Barden Correctional Center." A male voice explained. "If you wish to take the call simply stay on the line, to decline you may hang up now."
Beca looked up at Chloe in shock, "Who is it?" Chloe asked seeing the concern on Beca's face.
"Janelle." She whispered back. Before she could say anything else there was a sort of click sound on the other end of the phone followed by her voice.
"Beca?" Janelle's voice filled her ear.
"What?" Beca asked, no emotion evident in her tone.
"How are you?" Janelle asked the caution lacing her words.
"What do you want, Janelle?" Beca asked ignoring the question.
"Alright, skipping the small talk." There was a slight heat to her words. "Have you been speaking to people about me?"
"No." Beca lied. "You're dead to me. I don't talk about you, Janelle."
"So you aren't pressing charges against me?" Janelle bit back the anger evident. Beca felt a small pang of anxiety filling her heart. But along with the anxiety she was also angry. Super angry at her in fact.
"You bet your ass I'm pressing charges." Beca's anger coming out in full swing. Chloe stood up from her spot and headed over toward Beca, sitting on the couch beside her. She was honestly really grateful to have Chloe there for her. "After all the shit you pulled, you honestly think I'm going to just sit back? No, no that's not happening."
"You little bitch." Janelle snapped. "You're gunna pull that shit after everything I've done for your ass!?"
"And what exactly have you done for me?" Beca shot back in a humorless laugh.
Chloe reached her hand out and laced her fingers with Beca's free hand. She pulled her hands up and kissed the back of Beca's hand. Beca looked over at her and tried to send her a grateful smile but her anger was too real right now and wasn't able to.
"Janelle, I'm done." Beca stated.
"Rebecca, he knows." Janelle stated this caused Beca to stop. She felt the sudden pang of concern as she knew exactly who Janelle was talking about.
"Okay…" Beca stated, trying to act like she was unfazed by the news.
"You go through with this and it's not going to end well." Janelle stated without really saying anything. But she knew what she was saying and getting at.
"Convenient for you, isn't it?" Beca asked in anger.
"This isn't about me," Janelle snapped. "I'm trying…"
"Wow, guess there's a first time for everything." Beca shot back, cutting the woman off. "You honestly don't think I'm going to talk to Officer Carter about this?"
"This is your life you stupid bitch!" Janelle shot back momentarily forgetting that the call was being recorded.
"I know that you fucking psyco! You don't think I realize that? I'm the only one who was looking after myself and my life for years! How dare you come at me and act like you care now!" Beca yelled in anger. "You only give a shit because it's affecting you!"
"You keep messing around in this shit you're going to get yourself killed, Beca." Janelle stated simply. "But that's your choice."
"I'm doing hiding." Beca stated simply. "I am done keeping things in. You will face have to face the consequences of the shit you and Theo put me through. I'm done with this conversation. Do not call me again."
Beca could hear that Janelle was saying something but ended the call none the less.
She stared down at her phone and suddenly felt extremely numb. In a flash of anger Beca threw her phone across the room and screamed at the top of her lungs.
"That stupid fucking bitch!" Beca yelled, allowing all the anger to boil over. She let go of Chloe's hand and ran them through her hair. She stood up and started pacing back and forth, suddenly felt the fear and regret building.
She had decided after that first group session of the support group that she wanted to stand up and do what she needed to do. She wanted to fight back.
But now she fears she just made a huge mistake.
"Beca," Chloe's voice broke through Beca's thoughts. Even with all the noise in her brain her voice acts as a light house, guiding her back to safety.
"Beca, come here baby." Chloe motioned for Beca to walk to her. Beca didn't think about it and just basically fell into her girlfriend's arms.
Beca felt the pain and anger rush out of her. The tears crashing through and breaking down her walls.
"I can't do this." Beca cried out. "I can't fucking do this anymore."
Chloe's arms tightened around her and held her as she shook from the tears that completely wrecked through her body.
"I can't." Beca cried and broke down. The sobs that filled the silence were worse than Chloe had ever heard before.
"Sh… I've got you, baby. I got you." Chloe tried to soothe her but honestly felt so inadequate for this. She didn't know how to help and knew that there was nothing she could do or say to just fix it all. It killed her to see the pain and anger coursing through Beca. The tears ran down her face as Beca continued to repeat over and over again, 'I can't'. And she couldn't blame her. Not even in the slightest.
