Wow! Thanks so much for all the reviews! I really appreciate it. I like hearing what people think, and if there's a problem, let me know! I'll try and fix it.
And as much writing as I've gotten in the past little while, I don't know how long it'll last, so I'd like to turn your attention over to another fanfic revolving around the same storyline. How To Deal by Proud-2B-Blonde is awesome! You guys should check it out. It's totally worth it.
Oh yeah, and I own these characters. And the storyline. Yep. The paperwork cleared this morning. Right. I wish. I own nothing. Except this story.
Anyways, please, keep up the responses and give me critisism. I won't get offended! I promise.
"How are you, Spirit? Enjoying your new boyfriend? I know I'm not enjoying myself Spirit. Do you know why that is? I had an officer Collins talk to me today. Do you know why he came to talk to me, Spirit?"
I couldn't breathe. I tried to swallow. "Why?" I managed.
"I think you know why. Don't mess with me Spirit. This time, you'll get hurt."
I finally found my voice. "Don't ever call here again." I pressed the disconnect button and hung up, but stayed frozen with fear.
"Paige?" Spinner asked slowly.
"He. . ." I choked out. "He knows where I live."
He took the phone away from me and looked me in the eye. "Who does?"
I met his gaze. "Dean." Saying his name was some kind of release, and I managed to move my hands again. I curled into a ball. "He knows where I live."
"What did he say?"
"He knows I told on him. He knows. He's going to hurt me. Oh, God, Spinner, he said I was going to get hurt this time." I reached in the pocket of my jeans and pulled everything out.
"What are you doing?" he asked. I pulled the business card that Kevin had given me out of the pile.
"I can't do this," I told him, pulling the phone away from him. "I'm not pressing charges." I was about to dial his number when the phone rang again. I dropped it and froze again. My heart pounded against my ribs. Would he really call again? After several rings, Spinner picked it up.
"Hello? . . oh hi Mrs. Michalchuk. . . yes, it's Spinner. . . she was just in the washroom and asked me to pick it up." I breathed a sigh of relief and he handed me the phone.
"Hi mom," I said as normally as I could.
"Hi sweetie. I just wanted to let you know that I wasn't going to home for dinner. You can order pizza if you want. There's some money on my dresser."
"Okay, thanks."
"And Spinner can stay if he wants. I'm glad you're not home alone."
Me too mom, I thought, me too. "Yeah."
"Okay, well, I'll see you around nine. Bye."
"Bye." I hung up the phone and before I changed my mind again, dialled the cell phone number on the business card that I had been gripping.
"Officer Collins," he answered.
"Officer Collins, it's Paige Michalchuk." I didn't give him a chance to say anything before I blurted out, "I changed my mind. I don't want to press charges."
"Has something happened?" he asked.
"I don't want to press charges."
"Did he threaten you?" I didn't answer him. "Paige?"
"I can't to this," I whispered.
"Has he said anything?"
I nodded, even though he couldn't see me. "Yes," I managed.
"Has he been to see you?"
"No."
"Was it over the phone?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. I'm going to be by to see you tomorrow. Until then, I don't want you to go anywhere alone. Make sure your doors are locked, and I want you to call me right away if anything happens."
"I will," I promised. I put the phone down and started sobbing. I hated being like that and I hated crying in front of Spinner, but I couldn't stop myself. He put his arms around me gently, but didn't say anything. Everything was so confusing. It had been three and a half months since I had been raped, but it was still so fresh in my mind. Hearing his voice only made it worse.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, desperately trying to stop crying.
"It's okay," he said softly, his tone flat. His words just brought on a fresh set of sobs. I couldn't stop them. Ever since Dean had taken control of me, my body, my soul that night, I hadn't been able to get it all back. Nothing was the same after that night.
"I just want it to be over, Spin. I want to forget about it." I nuzzled his neck and closed my eyes. I felt his shirt dampen, but he didn't pull away.
"It's okay," he told me again, rubbing my back gently with one of his hands. "It's going to get better."
"I just want it to be over."
"Paige," Ms. Sovet greeted me outside my first period class.
"Hi."
"Can you come with me?" she asked.
"I really have to get to class." It was true. Part of me wanted to go with her, but I couldn't miss anymore math. Damn linear equations.
"I'll talk to your teachers," she promised. "Come on. Officer Collins is here."
Good. He was here. I could tell him face to face that I didn't want to have anything else to do with pressing charges.
He was sitting in the same chair as the day before, in the exact same position. The only thing that was different about him was that he was in regular clothes- dark jeans and a brown sweater. He had a folder in his hands.
"Hi, Paige. I'm going to try not to take up all of your time today, but there's a couple of things we need to take care of."
"No. There's not. I told you last night. I don't want to press charges."
He nodded. "I thought you might say that. He threatened you last night, scared you out of pressing charges, didn't he?"
I didn't look at him and shrugged.
"And you're worried about what he might do?"
"A little," I admitted, still not looking at him.
He pulled out a paper from his folder. "This is a restraining order. Do you know what that does?"
"Not really."
"It means that Dean can't go within 500 metres of your house. If he sees you in public, he can't approach you, and he can't call you."
"What if he does?"
"He'll be arrested."
"So he can't bug me anymore?"
"If you sign it."
"Do I still have to press charges?"
"The restraining order will be more strongly enforced, and we can tack on more charges if you press charges."
What were my options? Sign it and have the chance of Dean going to jail for breaking it, or press charges, sign and have him go to jail for longer?
"Fine," I said softly.
"Good. I have a meeting with your mom later today, so I'll get her to sign it too." He handed me the paper and a pen. I took a deep breath, skimmed over it and signed it at the bottom. Then it hit me. My mom? I didn't want her to know that he had called.
"You can't tell her about him calling."
"I won't, but if she asks, I have to tell her."
I shook my head, but said nothing. "Is there anything else?"
"If he contacts you, call me right away. If you think you're in any danger, call 911. Tell them that you have a restraining order, and they'll pick him up." I nodded. "It takes a lot of guts to do what you're doing."
"Thanks," I said, standing up. I got to the doorway, turned around and waited for a minute. "What did he say?"
"Dean?"
"Yeah."
He exhaled. "I'm not allowed to tell you that. Off the record, he says the sex was consensual."
I swallowed the lump in my throat and refused to cry. "And you believe him?"
"I don't. But I don't have any evidence to prove it. But I'll find some. I promise."
I didn't say anything else. I just left. I walked out of the office, then into the halls. I just kept walking, running. I ended up on the field, running and running, no idea where I was going, what I was doing. No one was around.
At least I thought.
Finally, I stopped, my feet aching and lungs burning, and collapsed to the ground, sobbing. My head was spinning, my stomach churning, body shaking. I looked around. My school. There was a time where my status here meant everything. Now it meant nothing. None of that stuff mattered anymore.
And as much writing as I've gotten in the past little while, I don't know how long it'll last, so I'd like to turn your attention over to another fanfic revolving around the same storyline. How To Deal by Proud-2B-Blonde is awesome! You guys should check it out. It's totally worth it.
Oh yeah, and I own these characters. And the storyline. Yep. The paperwork cleared this morning. Right. I wish. I own nothing. Except this story.
Anyways, please, keep up the responses and give me critisism. I won't get offended! I promise.
"How are you, Spirit? Enjoying your new boyfriend? I know I'm not enjoying myself Spirit. Do you know why that is? I had an officer Collins talk to me today. Do you know why he came to talk to me, Spirit?"
I couldn't breathe. I tried to swallow. "Why?" I managed.
"I think you know why. Don't mess with me Spirit. This time, you'll get hurt."
I finally found my voice. "Don't ever call here again." I pressed the disconnect button and hung up, but stayed frozen with fear.
"Paige?" Spinner asked slowly.
"He. . ." I choked out. "He knows where I live."
He took the phone away from me and looked me in the eye. "Who does?"
I met his gaze. "Dean." Saying his name was some kind of release, and I managed to move my hands again. I curled into a ball. "He knows where I live."
"What did he say?"
"He knows I told on him. He knows. He's going to hurt me. Oh, God, Spinner, he said I was going to get hurt this time." I reached in the pocket of my jeans and pulled everything out.
"What are you doing?" he asked. I pulled the business card that Kevin had given me out of the pile.
"I can't do this," I told him, pulling the phone away from him. "I'm not pressing charges." I was about to dial his number when the phone rang again. I dropped it and froze again. My heart pounded against my ribs. Would he really call again? After several rings, Spinner picked it up.
"Hello? . . oh hi Mrs. Michalchuk. . . yes, it's Spinner. . . she was just in the washroom and asked me to pick it up." I breathed a sigh of relief and he handed me the phone.
"Hi mom," I said as normally as I could.
"Hi sweetie. I just wanted to let you know that I wasn't going to home for dinner. You can order pizza if you want. There's some money on my dresser."
"Okay, thanks."
"And Spinner can stay if he wants. I'm glad you're not home alone."
Me too mom, I thought, me too. "Yeah."
"Okay, well, I'll see you around nine. Bye."
"Bye." I hung up the phone and before I changed my mind again, dialled the cell phone number on the business card that I had been gripping.
"Officer Collins," he answered.
"Officer Collins, it's Paige Michalchuk." I didn't give him a chance to say anything before I blurted out, "I changed my mind. I don't want to press charges."
"Has something happened?" he asked.
"I don't want to press charges."
"Did he threaten you?" I didn't answer him. "Paige?"
"I can't to this," I whispered.
"Has he said anything?"
I nodded, even though he couldn't see me. "Yes," I managed.
"Has he been to see you?"
"No."
"Was it over the phone?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. I'm going to be by to see you tomorrow. Until then, I don't want you to go anywhere alone. Make sure your doors are locked, and I want you to call me right away if anything happens."
"I will," I promised. I put the phone down and started sobbing. I hated being like that and I hated crying in front of Spinner, but I couldn't stop myself. He put his arms around me gently, but didn't say anything. Everything was so confusing. It had been three and a half months since I had been raped, but it was still so fresh in my mind. Hearing his voice only made it worse.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, desperately trying to stop crying.
"It's okay," he said softly, his tone flat. His words just brought on a fresh set of sobs. I couldn't stop them. Ever since Dean had taken control of me, my body, my soul that night, I hadn't been able to get it all back. Nothing was the same after that night.
"I just want it to be over, Spin. I want to forget about it." I nuzzled his neck and closed my eyes. I felt his shirt dampen, but he didn't pull away.
"It's okay," he told me again, rubbing my back gently with one of his hands. "It's going to get better."
"I just want it to be over."
"Paige," Ms. Sovet greeted me outside my first period class.
"Hi."
"Can you come with me?" she asked.
"I really have to get to class." It was true. Part of me wanted to go with her, but I couldn't miss anymore math. Damn linear equations.
"I'll talk to your teachers," she promised. "Come on. Officer Collins is here."
Good. He was here. I could tell him face to face that I didn't want to have anything else to do with pressing charges.
He was sitting in the same chair as the day before, in the exact same position. The only thing that was different about him was that he was in regular clothes- dark jeans and a brown sweater. He had a folder in his hands.
"Hi, Paige. I'm going to try not to take up all of your time today, but there's a couple of things we need to take care of."
"No. There's not. I told you last night. I don't want to press charges."
He nodded. "I thought you might say that. He threatened you last night, scared you out of pressing charges, didn't he?"
I didn't look at him and shrugged.
"And you're worried about what he might do?"
"A little," I admitted, still not looking at him.
He pulled out a paper from his folder. "This is a restraining order. Do you know what that does?"
"Not really."
"It means that Dean can't go within 500 metres of your house. If he sees you in public, he can't approach you, and he can't call you."
"What if he does?"
"He'll be arrested."
"So he can't bug me anymore?"
"If you sign it."
"Do I still have to press charges?"
"The restraining order will be more strongly enforced, and we can tack on more charges if you press charges."
What were my options? Sign it and have the chance of Dean going to jail for breaking it, or press charges, sign and have him go to jail for longer?
"Fine," I said softly.
"Good. I have a meeting with your mom later today, so I'll get her to sign it too." He handed me the paper and a pen. I took a deep breath, skimmed over it and signed it at the bottom. Then it hit me. My mom? I didn't want her to know that he had called.
"You can't tell her about him calling."
"I won't, but if she asks, I have to tell her."
I shook my head, but said nothing. "Is there anything else?"
"If he contacts you, call me right away. If you think you're in any danger, call 911. Tell them that you have a restraining order, and they'll pick him up." I nodded. "It takes a lot of guts to do what you're doing."
"Thanks," I said, standing up. I got to the doorway, turned around and waited for a minute. "What did he say?"
"Dean?"
"Yeah."
He exhaled. "I'm not allowed to tell you that. Off the record, he says the sex was consensual."
I swallowed the lump in my throat and refused to cry. "And you believe him?"
"I don't. But I don't have any evidence to prove it. But I'll find some. I promise."
I didn't say anything else. I just left. I walked out of the office, then into the halls. I just kept walking, running. I ended up on the field, running and running, no idea where I was going, what I was doing. No one was around.
At least I thought.
Finally, I stopped, my feet aching and lungs burning, and collapsed to the ground, sobbing. My head was spinning, my stomach churning, body shaking. I looked around. My school. There was a time where my status here meant everything. Now it meant nothing. None of that stuff mattered anymore.