Chapter 5: Fast Friends
The next morning they came in Barba had made good his word for the DNA sample. They swabbed Landry and sent the sample off the lab. It came back an hour later that it was a match to the fluids on the bedsheet and the rape kit. They sent him off to booking and worked up the paperwork to hand the case over to the DA. Ariana called Chris fives times throughout the day. She tried to be patient with her but the girl needed more attention than she was used to giving. They were getting close to calling it a night when Chris got another call, this time from Ariana's mother.
"Señora Soto, más despacio. No puedo entender" she said into the phone. Mrs. Soto was hysterical and nothing Chris was saying was helping to calm her down. "Señora, Señora. No, no, no, no. I...please". By now she had the intention of almost everyone in the squad room. "Por favor. Necesito que te calmes y que me escuches. Vete a casa y esperar allí. Voy a encontrarla. ¿Entiendes? Encontraré Ariana". She hung up with Mrs. Soto and immediately dialed Ariana's number.
"Hey, what's going on?" Olivia asked.
"Ariana didn't come home from school. Her mother called and they said she never showed up" she said as she waited for an answer. The call went to voicemail so she hung up and called her again. When the call went to voicemail again she tried calling Raquel. She talked to her for a few minutes but she swore she didn't know where Ariana was and that she hadn't talked to her since the night of the party. She hung up with her and tried Ariana again. This time a boy answered the phone.
"Who is this?" she asked. He was laughing and slurring his words and not even attempting to answer her question. "Put Ariana on the phone" she said. She was past her limit with this girl. "I guess this is what Benson meant about knowing how to deal with victims" she thought to herself. "Ariana where the hell are you?" she asked. "Chill...Ariana, don't tell me to chill out. Where are you?" she asked her again. "Stay there. I'm coming to get you". She got up and started to put her jacket on. "Ariana, if you're not there when I get there I promise you're gonna wish you never met me, do you understand? Don't go anywhere. I'm on my way". She hung up the phone, grabbed her gun from her desk drawer and her keys. Rollins walked over to her desk.
"Hey, you want to some back up?" she asked. Chris didn't know why she was always being so friendly. Olivia and Nick had pretty much written her off on her first day and Fin hadn't shown that he felt one way or another. But Rollins had been in her corner from the start. She thought that maybe Amanda was interested in her but she wasn't for dating coworkers. She'd seen it happen and it never ended well. At any rate, if she wanted to tag along she wouldn't say no. "Uh, sure. Yeah" she said. They walked out together to go find Ariana.
They found her sitting on the stoop of a house with another girl and a couple of guys. All of them were at least five years older than her. They had no business hanging out with her on a school night and giving her alcohol. They searched all of them and found marijuana on the girl and a small bag of cocaine on each of the guys. Amanda called in for back up and had all of them taken in. Chris called Ariana's parents and told them to meet her at the station to take Ariana home. She ripped her a new one for skipping school and worrying her mother half to death. She gave her water to try to sober her up and left her in the interview room in tears. Olivia was furious with how she'd handled the situation with the girl.
"Reyes" she came over to her fuming, "What the hell were you thinking? You don't talk to her like that. She's a victim" she said angrily.
"She's a teenager who skipped school, stayed out all day without calling her parents, and got drunk with a bunch of idiots she barely knows. Not to mention she got on my nerves all day. She's needs to know that I won't put up with it. Otherwise she'll just keep doing this over and over again" she said.
"Ok, the figurative heavy hand might've worked for you before but it's obviously not working anymore. She's a regular kid, who's scared and traumatized and she's having feelings of shame and guilt. She needs someone on her side to tell her that the rape wasn't her fault and that she can get through this. She doesn't need you yelling at her about what a screw up she is and...". By this point in her rant, Olivia was practically yelling.
"Ok, ok, ok. I got it" Reyes said shrugging out of her jacket. She unclipped her gun from her hip and returned it to her drawer. "I will talk to her. I'll...apologize". She pulled out her chair and sat down.
Olivia looked at her sideways, "Ummm...you just said you would go talk to her. Why are you sitting down?" she asked.
"Oh, I can't talk to her now with the crying and all. I'll just give her some time to calm down" she said logging into her laptop. "Reyes, get in there right. now." Olivia said flexing her authority. Chris let out a heavy sigh and shut her laptop. She got up from her chair and dragged herself over to the interview room to talk to Ariana. She opened the door and got the biggest death stare she'd ever gotten from anyone. She ignored it and pulled a chair around to sit down next to the teenager.
"Go away" she said still crying. "I don't want to talk to you". She hiccupped and sniffled and her hand shook as she held on to the cup of water that Chris had given her a while earlier.
"Ok, then you can just listen" Reyes said. She tried to soften her voice to let Ariana know that she wasn't there to come down on her again. "I'm sorry. I know this hard and..." Ariana was determined to be stubborn and test Chris to see if she was really sorry about what she'd said.
"No, you're not. You think I'm a stupid kid; that I'm a screw up. You think what happened to me was my fault" she yelled. She still had tears streaming down her face but she'd gotten control of her breathing and stopped sniffling. "It was, wasn't it? I shouldn't have taken those drinks. I was so stupid. And that's what you think too". Chris felt horrible that she made Ariana feel like the assault was her fault.
"Ariana that's not true. I don't think you're stupid. You're young and you just wanted to fit in and there's nothing wrong with that. Nothing you did that night was wrong, do you understand? This didn't happen because of anything you did. This happened because Mike Landry is a predator. Nothing about you or what you did that night would've changed that. Ariana, look at me". She waited but the girl wouldn't meet her eyes. "Please". She still refused to look at her. She just stared at the cup in her hands. "Ok, well just listen to me", she said seeing that she wouldn't give in, "This is going to be hard for you. It's gonna be hard for a while to trust people and to know who's on your side and to be confident in yourself and who you are and what you deserve but I want you to know that you are strong and you deserve the very best of everything...and I know that you can get through this. It won't be easy but you can get through this and things will get better. It might not seem like it now but I promise...it will get better" she said softly.
"No, I can't do this. I can't see him again. I don't want to go to court and talk about what he did to me in front of everyone, in front of my parents. Please I can't". She started sobbing again and Chris was losing her steam. She didn't know what she was doing. She was actually open to the idea of Benson coming in and taking over her but couldn't let her do that. Ariana had reached out to her. It'd been her that she'd opened up to about her assault and her that she'd been calling all day. She couldn't just pass her off to someone else.
"Yes, you can" she said. "You can do it...and I'll be right there with you. You don't have to go through this alone. You're stronger than you think you are. You survived the assault. You can survive the trial and everything that comes after. You cannot let him keep control of your life or make you live in fear. If you do, he wins". Ariana seemed to be listening to what she was saying. She started to calm down and drank the rest of her water.
"You really think I can do it?" she asked.
Chris nodded her head, "I know you can" she said simply. "And whenever you think you can't...you just take a deep breath and tell yourself "Si puedo". A small smile crossed her Ariana's lips and Chris relaxed knowing she'd managed to make the girl feel better. There was a knock on the door and Fin stuck his head, "Parents are here" she said. Reyes nodded and he backed out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. Reyes gave Ariana's shoulder a supportive squeeze before standing up and returning her chair to the other side of the table. Ariana stood up and they walked out of the room together. She walked over to her mother who took her in her arms and her father stood there with a stern look on his face.
"Señor Soto, ¿puedo tener un minuto por favor?" They walked over to the stand by the window and from the looks of it Chris was giving him another stern talking to about his attitude. A few minutes later when they returned to the group, Mr. Soto had a softer look on his face.
"You won't be going back to school tomorrow" he said looking at his daughter. "I'll go talk to your teachers, get your work. You don't have to go back until you're ready" he said nicely. Ariana gave a small smile and wrapped him in a hug and he returned it. They said there goodbyes and started to walk out of the squad room. Without any warning, Ariana turned around and ran back to Chris throwing her arms around her neck. Chris was caught completely off guard.
"Oh...ummm...ok" she said hesitantly returning her embrace.
Ariana slowly let go, "Thank you" she said with a shaky voice. Reyes just smiled and nodded her head. Ariana turned and walked out with her parents. After another hour they were calling it quits for the day.
"Hey". Reyes turned around to see Rollins standing next to her desk. "You wanna go get a drink or something" she asked. The thought of Rollins being attracted to her crept back into her mind. She really didn't want to deal with that kind of awkwardness.
"Ummm, I'm really not in the mood for a group drink" she said trying to decline nicely.
"No group" she said, "Just us". Reyes opened her drawer to get her gun out. "That's even worse" she thought to herself.
"I..." just as she was about to let Rollins down easy her phone started to ring. She looked at the caller id and saw it was her brother calling. She talked to him for a minute and Rollins got from the tenor of the side of the conversation that she could hear that Reyes had to go home. "I'm sorry. That was my brother. I have to get home" she said.
Rollins nodded her head, "Rain check?" she asked.
"Rain check". Reyes grabbed her bag and headed out the door. Rollins wasn't ready to go home yet so she asked Fin if he wanted to get a beer. He accepted and they left the squad room together.
The next day, Barba came into the squad room to talk to them about the little stunt that Ariana pulled the day before. He wasn't happy with her antics. He understood the "acting out" phase some victims went through but he didn't want her jeopardizing the trial. The defense would use anything they could to undercut her credibility.
"So, how bad was it?" he asked directing the question at Reyes.
"Not that bad" she said shrugging her shoulders.
"Care to elaborate, detective?".
She sat on top of the table in front of the large screen, "Not really". She pulled a piece from her bagel and popped it in her mouth.
Barba was about to say something but Rollins stepped forward, "She skipped school, met some kids while she wandering around the city, and decided to hang out with them. That's all" she said giving the elaboration he was asking for.
"Define hang out" he said.
"They sat on the front stoop of one their houses all day; drinking...maybe smoked a little pot".
Barba rubbed his forehead, "That's just great".
"Yeah, what does any of this have to do with her rape?" Reyes asked confused.
"The defense could use this to argue that she's a wild kid; likes drinking and experimenting with drugs..."
Chris rolled her eyes, "Oh please don't tell me y'all use that "pot is the gateway drug" argument out here" she said sitting her bagel on the table.
"It's just a way for the defense to throw dirt on her character" he said.
"Yeah. They don't have to believe their own drivel. They just have to sell it to a jury" Fin said clearly not a fan of defense tactics.
"Ok, that's cool. What does her character have to with her rape?" she said clearly not understanding the problem.
"Juries are less likely to believe victims that have a less than spotless background" Barba explained.
"So they don't believe anybody" she said.
"What about the kids she was found with?" Barba asked ignoring Reyes' comment. He didn't think she was taking this serious enough so he directed his questions to the rest of the team.
"Minor drug violations. The girl had the pot, the other two had cocaine. Small amounts, not distribution weight. I'd say they're just users". Chris answered just because she could tell that Barba didn't want to deal with her anymore.
"She couldn't find better kids to skip school with?" he asked a bit sarcastic.
"The "better kids" are the ones who don't skip school so probably not" Reyes answered not so sarcastically. Barba was clearly annoyed with her. "Ok, I'm just...listen, clearly I have a lot to learn but come on...you're telling me that a jury isn't gonna believe that she was drugged and raped because she skipped school, for the first time in her life I might add, had a few drinks and smoked pot with some local losers. I mean, doesn't the average teenager do that at least once?"
"This isn't about what the average teenager does. This is about Ariana and convicting her rapist. Her behavior matters. It shouldn't but it does. It's not right but it's reality. I need her behavior to be impeccable for the duration of the trial" he said in very serious tone. Reyes heard him loud and clear.
"I will relay the message" she said. Her tone was clear of any sarcasm so Barba knew she took him seriously.
"Thank you. I'll be calling to set up times with you three" he said gesturing to Reyes, Rollins and Amaro, "to do trial prep. That sarcasm thing you do all the time, not gonna fly with a jury, you understand?" he said looking at Reyes. She wasn't a fan of his fatherly tone but she decided to let it slide this time.
"Come on, juries love me...and my sarcasm". He looked at her sideways and she put her hands up in surrender, "Alright. I'll put it away". Barba turned and walked out of the squad room.
They took a few complaints throughout the rest of the day; two for domestic violence and a couple of suspicions of child abuse. One of the DV victims backed off her complaint but the other stuck it out and the boyfriend was arrested. It was a strong case so, assuming she didn't back out leading up to the trial, they were confident he'd be doing some jail time. The child abuse complaints turned up nothing; just normal injuries that active kids get. Reyes felt like she could last here, even if they didn't exactly like her yet. She had the ability to grow on people so she wasn't too worried. They decided to go out to a bar for some drinks after their shift. They crowded into a booth with Fin and Amanda on one side and Reyes, Amaro and Benson on the other. Reyes bought the first round.
"So, what do you think, rookie? You gonna stick around for a while?" Amaro asked grabbing a beer as the waitress sat it down on the table.
"I think I'm tired of you calling me rookie" she said grabbing a beer of her own and taking a drink. She ignore the second half of his question and waited for someone else to continue the conversation.
"I think you'll do alright here" Fin said, "You handled yourself pretty well on your first case".
Chris took another drink from her beer, "Yeah well, it's not over yet. Still plenty of time for me to screw it up" she joked. Olivia rolled her eyes. As impressed as she was with how Reyes handled the Soto parents and the interrogation with Landry it was all wiped away with how she'd handled Ariana's acting out. She thought she had one thing right: she had a lot of learning to do.
"You'll be fine" Rollins said giving her a small smile. She gave a small smile back but quickly looked away. She didn't want Rollins to think she was flirting with her.
Amanda wasn't at all attracted to women. She'd never even gone through an experimenting phase. She was straight, no doubts in her mind about that. Yet there was something about Reyes that really caught her attention and had her wanting to know more about her. She didn't know what it was but something had her interested. Maybe it was the way she carried herself. She had a certain swag in the way she walked and talked that got everyone's attention. She did it her first day at the precinct, when they went to dinner that first night, and she was doing it now. She had the attention of almost everyone in the bar. She was intriguing for sure and Rollins wanted to know more about her. She seemed to have a lot going on at home and Amanda thought they might have a lot in common outside of work. She wanted to let Reyes know that she could talk to her and it wouldn't hurt to have someone to hang out with when the work day was over.
"I gotta call it a night" Amaro said tapping Reyes on the shoulder. Reyes got up and let him out of the booth. "I'm gonna try to get some skype time with Zara before Maria puts her to bed", he said putting his jacket on.
"I'm gonna go too" Olivia said sliding out of the booth. "Brian just texted and he's on his way home. Haven't really seen him much in a few days with our crazy schedules". She put her jacket on and she and Amaro walked out together. Chris finished her beer and asked if they wanted another round. Rollins said yes. She didn't have anywhere better to be.
"I'll go for one more then I'm gonna get out of here" Fin said. Reyes got another round and Fin filled her in on how to finesse her way into Liv's good graces.
"Thanks for the advice but I honestly don't care about being in her good graces" she said bluntly.
"You sure that's the attitude you want to have?" he asked her. Fin liked her just fine. She seemed like a cool person and she was proving herself to be a good detective. But Olivia wasn't so easy to please. He didn't think that Reyes' attitude was a good one in trying to build a relationship with Olivia, even if it was just a work relationship.
"That's the kind of attitude she has. She doesn't know me. She doesn't know anything about me but she's decided already that she doesn't like me. I'm not really fond of people like that" she said bringing her beer to her lips.
"Whether you like it or not, you are the newbie. You have to prove yourself just like any other rookie would" Fin said finishing his beer.
"I'm fine with proving myself if she's willing to give me the chance. She wasn't. She wanted me to sit at my desk and keep my mouth shut". She knew she hadn't completely won Benson over yet but if she was being honest, that wasn't her priority. She wasn't going to lie to Tutuola and Rollins about that to stay on their good side, either. Fin explained to her that Benson had gone through a lot of changes and hardships in a short period of time and asked that she be patient with her. Reyes decided she'd try to put herself in Benson's shoes and be understanding of where she was coming from. Fin said his goodbyes and left Rollins and Reyes alone at the bar.
"So, Rollins, what's the deal? Why do you like me so much?" she asked. She wanted to get right to the point and figure out why Amanda's guard wasn't up like Benson and Amaro's.
"Never said I liked you" she joked.
Reyes laughed and finished her beer, "Touche" she said.
"No, I just...I know what it's like to be the new girl" she said in a serious tone. "I figured I'd give you a chance, get to know you before I decided you were no good". Chris appreciated that about Rollins. She could've been like Benson and Amaro and decided to put her through the ringer to see if she could take the heat but she decided to just give her an easy chance, allow her to do her job, and show her what she was about. "So, you moved here with your family?" Amanda asked, thinking she'd start getting to know her better right then.
"Uh, yeah. Mom, dad, sister, brother. Whole gang" she said. She was debating whether she wanted to get another beer. If she got another then that meant she'd stay and talk for a while. If she didn't then she'd ease her way out of the conversation. Before she could decide, Rollins ordered another for herself and asked she wanted one. She couldn't say no now. "What about you? You said you're from Georgia. Why'd you come up here?" Rollins gripped her glass a little tighter and Reyes wondered if she'd asked the wrong question.
"Uh, just needed a fresh start. Had a lot of drama back home, you know?". She thought it was too soon to tell her the whole truth about why'd she left.
"Yeah, I do" Chris said conveying her understanding. "If there's one thing my family knows, it's drama".
They stayed at the bar for another two hours or so. They talked about everything from family and how they'd grown up to sports; any and everything they could think of. They both had a feeling that they would be fast friends. They both got hit on all night by both men and women testing the waters to see if they were together. They finally settled up their tab and walked out of the bar together. Amanda got a cab but Chris said she wanted to walk. She liked the fresh air. Rollins laughed at her calling New York air fresh. Reyes reminded her that she was from Cali where the exhaust was thick. New York was big and definitely had a lot of exhaust but breathing here just felt easier. Rollins made her promise to call her when she got in to let her know she'd made it safely. They said their good nights and parted ways.
Spanish-English Translation
Señora Soto, más despacio. No puedo entender- Mrs. Soto, slow. I can't understand you.
Por favor. Necesito que te calmes y que me escuches. Vete a casa y esperar allí. Voy a encontrarla. ¿Entiendes? Encontraré Ariana- Please. I need y to calm down and listen to me. Go home and wait there. I will look for her. You understand? I will look for Ariana.
Señor Soto, ¿puedo tener un minuto por favor- Mr. Soto, can I have a minute please?