AN: Hey everyone thanks for the reviews. Here's the next chapter. Hope
you enjoy. Oh and the quote from Southern Chickie is in stars. She came
up with it so the credit belongs to her.
~~~~~~
"There must be some sort of mistake," Mac said looking through the files.
"I checked," Daunte told him. "If there's any type of mistake it was when they put the information in the computer."
"Wouldn't they have put Jesse in jail?"
"They did, he got out on good behavior about a year ago."
"I still don't believe it. I mean wouldn't someone have known?"
"Known what?" Tessa asked walking into the kitchen.
Both men looked up at her.
"I got worried when you didn't come back upstairs."
"I'm sorry Tess; I got wrapped up in things. This is my friend Daunte. I asked him to do a little digging on Ritchie and Jesse."
"What did you find?"
The two of them exchanged a solemn glance. Duncan didn't think it would be a good idea for Tessa to know, not yet. Not until they figured things out.
"Duncan I'm not a little girl. What did you find?"
He handed her the file. Tessa glanced at both men before opening it and looking inside.
"This is a joke right?"
"Afraid not," Daunte told her. "It's what I found in his sealed files."
"Jesse did this to Richie?" She asked angrily.
"Did what?" Richie asked from behind her.
Tessa turned to face him and Duncan stood up. "Richie, we didn't expect you to be up so early."
He shrugged. "Restless night. What um, is it exactly that you think Jesse did to me?" In the back of his mind Richie was hoping, praying that they hadn't found out what he thought they found out.
"Richie this is my friend Daunte," Duncan began. "I had him do a bit of research."
"On me," The teen said angrily. "You had him do a background check on me?"
"Richie I thought you were in trouble and you wouldn't tell me anything."
"Dammit Mac you had no right!"
"Richie we care about you," Tessa said. "I know it seems like Duncan invaded your privacy, but he only did it because he loves you."
"You know what I don't get," The teen seethed. "Is that when I was looking for my birth parents you didn't have some guy hack into my files to help me, but now, now that I want you to stay out of it you go in and dig up my records!"
"Richie, I.."
"Go to hell!"
He turned and stormed out of the room.
"Richie!" Tessa started after him.
"Let him go," Duncan told her. "Give him some to cool down. Then we'll talk to him."
"I checked up on Adams records," Daunte told them. "He's on probation."
"And you think he's trying to use Richie as a pawn in his plans," Duncan stated.
"But why doesn't Richie just say no?" Tessa asked. "Jesse has no control over him anymore."
"Maybe he feels obligated," Daunte said. "Children from abuse often feel they have no choice but to do what the abuser tells them."
"Richie probably somehow feels that it was his fault," Mac continued. "That he still owes Jesse for whatever he did wrong."
"But that's ridiculous! It wasn't Richie's fault! He owes Jesse nothing!"
"You know that, and I know that, but Richie doesn't. Jesse made sure that Richie always believed it was his fault."
~~~~~~~~
Richie slammed the bedroom door closed behind him. He was so angry that he didn't know what to do.
"He had no right."
Richie paced back and forth in his room, rage coursing through is veins. It was only a cover to the pain that flowed inside him. The agonizing wound that resided in his soul and simply would not heal. There was no way for it to heal. He was damned to live this life in anguish.
Suddenly the hate that had filled him for so long began to overflow. He felt it pouring out of him and he had no where to put it. No where for it to go. Even the outburst from the night before hadn't done anything to subside what he was feeling right now. From Jesse he had expected betrayal, but from Mac? That he never would have thought.
Before Richie could stop himself he was destroying his room. He ripped apart the sheets on his bed, jumped over and threw his bedside lamp against the wall. He pulled the drawers out and slammed them into the floor. Then he turned and saw his guitar sitting there quietly in its stand.
The teen couldn't stop himself; he grabbed his guitar and started smashing it into whatever it would come in contact with. The pictures on his dresser, the mirror in his room, all shattered in an instant and he didn't care. He didn't care that he was destroying everything.
He had been in such a blind rage that he never heard the door open, but he screamed when he felt arms around him.
~~~~~~~~~
Tessa, Duncan, and Daunte had been talking about the situation at hand when the heard a crash from upstairs. All three of them immediately took off towards Richie's room.
"Richie!" Tessa yelled as they ran up the stairs.
"Richie!" Mac echoed.
They ran in the door just in time to see Richie cascade his guitar across the room. Tessa was completely dumbstruck. She had never seen the teen in such a rage before. Before she could react Duncan was already behind Richie grabbing him so his arms were pinned to his sides.
That of course didn't stop Richie from struggling. He fought with every ounce of strength he had, so much that Daunte went over and started to help Mac.
"Richie calm down!" Mac yelled.
Tessa took a stop back when Richie let out a blood curling scream sounded like someone was trying to murder the boy. Her heart wrenched at the sight. She had never seen Richie in such pain and she never wanted to see it again.
Richie collapsed to his knees and it was all Duncan and Daunte could do not to fall on top of him. The let go of him as he sagged to the ground. The teen was panting heavily, his hands over his eyes. Tessa was immediately by his side.
"Richie," She said putting a hand on his shoulder.
The teen jerked away screaming, "Don't touch me!"
"Richie it's me, Tessa."
"I know who it is," He mumbled from behind his hands. "Just please, please go away."
"I will not."
"Tessa," Duncan started.
"NO! I will not leave him, not like this. I'm not going to do whatever everyone else has done and abandon him in his time of need!"
Daunte exchanged a glance with the Highlander. "I'm going to leave you three alone. You know how to reach me."
Duncan nodded. "Thank you Daunte. I'll be in touch."
Without another word Daunte walked out.
"Richie," Tessa tried again. "Richie talk to us."
He pulled his hands away from his face and rubbed them on his jeans. There were no tears, just weary, tired eyes. Slowly he stood up and walked over to his bed, plopping down.
"Does Jesse want you to work for him again?" The Highlander asked.
"MAC!" Tessa said outraged.
"It's alright Tess," Richie told her. "I knew this was coming. Well I didn't. I mean I never thought you guys would find out, but once I knew you knew, I knew an explanation was coming. Does that make sense?"
Duncan smiled. "It makes perfect sense tough guy." Then he sobered. "Tell us, tell us what's going on."
Richie sighed. He never, not once thought it would come to this. He sat there contemplating every lie he could think of, anything to get him out of this, but knew that they were all useless. They knew the truth from his file.
"Yes, Jesse wants me to 'work' for him again. If that's what you call it, and I said yes."
"But why?" Tessa asked getting up and walking over to him. "Why on earth would you let that man sell you off again?"
"I have no choice!" Richie half yelled. "I didn't want you to find out the truth and he said he'd tell you if I didn't do as he said."
"Now we know," Mac told him. "And we don't think any less of you. You don't have to do what he tells you anymore."
Richie shook his head. "You don't understand. I have to do this. It's who I am. *Jesse was right, once a whore always whore, it doesn't matter what you put on, it always come off in the end."*
"Richie that's not true!" Tessa exclaimed. "You are not a whore! He forced you to do those things! You were nothing but a child!"
"No, it's who I am, who I was born to be!" He got up and started pacing. "Even now, here my past has caught up with me!"
Duncan stood in front of him and put his hands on Richie's shoulders. "You don't have to do this. More importantly I won't let you."
"I have to," Richie told him.
"Why? Why do you have to? We know everything he threatened to expose about you! You don't have to do anything he tells you ever again!"
"What you found out, that's not what he threatened to tell you," He whispered.
"Then what is it?" Tessa asked. "What could he possibly be hanging over your head?"
Richie pulled away from Mac and turned to face his window. He might as well tell them. They knew everything else anyways. He knew that before it was over they were going to kick him out. He's not the person that they thought he was.
"I killed someone."
~~~~~~~~~~
Please review!!
"There must be some sort of mistake," Mac said looking through the files.
"I checked," Daunte told him. "If there's any type of mistake it was when they put the information in the computer."
"Wouldn't they have put Jesse in jail?"
"They did, he got out on good behavior about a year ago."
"I still don't believe it. I mean wouldn't someone have known?"
"Known what?" Tessa asked walking into the kitchen.
Both men looked up at her.
"I got worried when you didn't come back upstairs."
"I'm sorry Tess; I got wrapped up in things. This is my friend Daunte. I asked him to do a little digging on Ritchie and Jesse."
"What did you find?"
The two of them exchanged a solemn glance. Duncan didn't think it would be a good idea for Tessa to know, not yet. Not until they figured things out.
"Duncan I'm not a little girl. What did you find?"
He handed her the file. Tessa glanced at both men before opening it and looking inside.
"This is a joke right?"
"Afraid not," Daunte told her. "It's what I found in his sealed files."
"Jesse did this to Richie?" She asked angrily.
"Did what?" Richie asked from behind her.
Tessa turned to face him and Duncan stood up. "Richie, we didn't expect you to be up so early."
He shrugged. "Restless night. What um, is it exactly that you think Jesse did to me?" In the back of his mind Richie was hoping, praying that they hadn't found out what he thought they found out.
"Richie this is my friend Daunte," Duncan began. "I had him do a bit of research."
"On me," The teen said angrily. "You had him do a background check on me?"
"Richie I thought you were in trouble and you wouldn't tell me anything."
"Dammit Mac you had no right!"
"Richie we care about you," Tessa said. "I know it seems like Duncan invaded your privacy, but he only did it because he loves you."
"You know what I don't get," The teen seethed. "Is that when I was looking for my birth parents you didn't have some guy hack into my files to help me, but now, now that I want you to stay out of it you go in and dig up my records!"
"Richie, I.."
"Go to hell!"
He turned and stormed out of the room.
"Richie!" Tessa started after him.
"Let him go," Duncan told her. "Give him some to cool down. Then we'll talk to him."
"I checked up on Adams records," Daunte told them. "He's on probation."
"And you think he's trying to use Richie as a pawn in his plans," Duncan stated.
"But why doesn't Richie just say no?" Tessa asked. "Jesse has no control over him anymore."
"Maybe he feels obligated," Daunte said. "Children from abuse often feel they have no choice but to do what the abuser tells them."
"Richie probably somehow feels that it was his fault," Mac continued. "That he still owes Jesse for whatever he did wrong."
"But that's ridiculous! It wasn't Richie's fault! He owes Jesse nothing!"
"You know that, and I know that, but Richie doesn't. Jesse made sure that Richie always believed it was his fault."
~~~~~~~~
Richie slammed the bedroom door closed behind him. He was so angry that he didn't know what to do.
"He had no right."
Richie paced back and forth in his room, rage coursing through is veins. It was only a cover to the pain that flowed inside him. The agonizing wound that resided in his soul and simply would not heal. There was no way for it to heal. He was damned to live this life in anguish.
Suddenly the hate that had filled him for so long began to overflow. He felt it pouring out of him and he had no where to put it. No where for it to go. Even the outburst from the night before hadn't done anything to subside what he was feeling right now. From Jesse he had expected betrayal, but from Mac? That he never would have thought.
Before Richie could stop himself he was destroying his room. He ripped apart the sheets on his bed, jumped over and threw his bedside lamp against the wall. He pulled the drawers out and slammed them into the floor. Then he turned and saw his guitar sitting there quietly in its stand.
The teen couldn't stop himself; he grabbed his guitar and started smashing it into whatever it would come in contact with. The pictures on his dresser, the mirror in his room, all shattered in an instant and he didn't care. He didn't care that he was destroying everything.
He had been in such a blind rage that he never heard the door open, but he screamed when he felt arms around him.
~~~~~~~~~
Tessa, Duncan, and Daunte had been talking about the situation at hand when the heard a crash from upstairs. All three of them immediately took off towards Richie's room.
"Richie!" Tessa yelled as they ran up the stairs.
"Richie!" Mac echoed.
They ran in the door just in time to see Richie cascade his guitar across the room. Tessa was completely dumbstruck. She had never seen the teen in such a rage before. Before she could react Duncan was already behind Richie grabbing him so his arms were pinned to his sides.
That of course didn't stop Richie from struggling. He fought with every ounce of strength he had, so much that Daunte went over and started to help Mac.
"Richie calm down!" Mac yelled.
Tessa took a stop back when Richie let out a blood curling scream sounded like someone was trying to murder the boy. Her heart wrenched at the sight. She had never seen Richie in such pain and she never wanted to see it again.
Richie collapsed to his knees and it was all Duncan and Daunte could do not to fall on top of him. The let go of him as he sagged to the ground. The teen was panting heavily, his hands over his eyes. Tessa was immediately by his side.
"Richie," She said putting a hand on his shoulder.
The teen jerked away screaming, "Don't touch me!"
"Richie it's me, Tessa."
"I know who it is," He mumbled from behind his hands. "Just please, please go away."
"I will not."
"Tessa," Duncan started.
"NO! I will not leave him, not like this. I'm not going to do whatever everyone else has done and abandon him in his time of need!"
Daunte exchanged a glance with the Highlander. "I'm going to leave you three alone. You know how to reach me."
Duncan nodded. "Thank you Daunte. I'll be in touch."
Without another word Daunte walked out.
"Richie," Tessa tried again. "Richie talk to us."
He pulled his hands away from his face and rubbed them on his jeans. There were no tears, just weary, tired eyes. Slowly he stood up and walked over to his bed, plopping down.
"Does Jesse want you to work for him again?" The Highlander asked.
"MAC!" Tessa said outraged.
"It's alright Tess," Richie told her. "I knew this was coming. Well I didn't. I mean I never thought you guys would find out, but once I knew you knew, I knew an explanation was coming. Does that make sense?"
Duncan smiled. "It makes perfect sense tough guy." Then he sobered. "Tell us, tell us what's going on."
Richie sighed. He never, not once thought it would come to this. He sat there contemplating every lie he could think of, anything to get him out of this, but knew that they were all useless. They knew the truth from his file.
"Yes, Jesse wants me to 'work' for him again. If that's what you call it, and I said yes."
"But why?" Tessa asked getting up and walking over to him. "Why on earth would you let that man sell you off again?"
"I have no choice!" Richie half yelled. "I didn't want you to find out the truth and he said he'd tell you if I didn't do as he said."
"Now we know," Mac told him. "And we don't think any less of you. You don't have to do what he tells you anymore."
Richie shook his head. "You don't understand. I have to do this. It's who I am. *Jesse was right, once a whore always whore, it doesn't matter what you put on, it always come off in the end."*
"Richie that's not true!" Tessa exclaimed. "You are not a whore! He forced you to do those things! You were nothing but a child!"
"No, it's who I am, who I was born to be!" He got up and started pacing. "Even now, here my past has caught up with me!"
Duncan stood in front of him and put his hands on Richie's shoulders. "You don't have to do this. More importantly I won't let you."
"I have to," Richie told him.
"Why? Why do you have to? We know everything he threatened to expose about you! You don't have to do anything he tells you ever again!"
"What you found out, that's not what he threatened to tell you," He whispered.
"Then what is it?" Tessa asked. "What could he possibly be hanging over your head?"
Richie pulled away from Mac and turned to face his window. He might as well tell them. They knew everything else anyways. He knew that before it was over they were going to kick him out. He's not the person that they thought he was.
"I killed someone."
~~~~~~~~~~
Please review!!