Ok so this chapter has a police interrogation, of which I really don't have a clue...so I just made it all up and hope it works...I think it does lol
Chapter 37
Bruno lifted his head suddenly to the thunderous knocking coming from the door.
Steph stirred next to him, "Wha'the hell?" she muttered, drunk with sleep.
Alex grunted something inaudible and buried his head into his pillow.
He looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table.
It was almost 8am.
He groaned and shifted his body out the bed and hauled himself to the sleepily to see who on earth would be knocking on the door and hoped, for her sake, Steph hadn't organised some kind of stupid wake up call for them all.
Alvin poked his head out from the other bedroom, rubbing his eyes as Bruno shuffled closer to the door, "I swear if them fans have tracked us down...Who the hell is that anyway?"
Bruno shrugged and yawned, "No idea man, can't see through the door" he smirked as Alvin rolled his eyes and came out to stand in the lounge room in his PJs, arms folded watching as Bruno took a look through the peep hole.
He looked confused as he opened the door, "Um, can I help you?"
Before him stood two police officers; the taller of the two smiled at Bruno, "Morning young sir, um, we were looking for a Miss Stephanie Xanatos, we have reason to believe she is here in one of these rooms?" he looked between the two rooms.
Bruno was still looking confused as Alvin took a step forward calling out, "Whoissit?"
Bruno snapped from a trance and turned to Alvin, "Cops. After Steph" he turned back to the cops as Steph and Brittany both sleepily emerged from their rooms.
"What's going on?" Steph asked.
Bruno stood with his arms folded at the cops, "Yeah, what is going on?" and frowned.
The shorter guy cleared his throat and took a slight step forward, making Bruno instinctively square up, "We have charges laid against Miss Xanatos from Miss Jessica Price"
Steph snapped herself awake, "What? What the %$# for?"
Alex trudged out rubbing his eyes, "What's going on?"
Brittany looked at Alex, "You're asking the million dollar question there"
Shorty smiled curtly, "For assault; apparently you were both involved in an altercation last night, where Miss Price sustained injuries that coincide with reasons to press charges for assault"
Steph shook her head, "That's bull sh*t!"
Brittany tried to reassure her, "Steph, maybe it's not that bad"
Steph whipped her head in Brittany's direction, "Seriously? Britt, there's two coppers at the door" she turned back at the police and folded her arms saying sternly, "I'm not going %$# in' nowhere"
The taller cop rolled his eyes and sighed, "Look, Miss Xanatos, we need to take you down to the station, get your statement and process-"
"Hell no!" Steph interrupted, "I am NOT going anywhere! I didn't do anything wrong"
The two police exchanged a look before stepping into the room, "Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, which do you prefer?"
Steph backed against Alex, "Whichever way means I do NOT have to go with you!"
The taller police officer rolled his eyes, "It's too early for this sh*t" and grabbed Steph's arm, "Come on missy, we just need to ask a few-"
"LET GO OF ME!" Steph screamed, trying to twist her arm free and gripping onto the arm of the lounge with her other arm, "OW! You're...you're hurting me!", as the others came in concerned from the other room to be hit with shock from the scene before them.
Simon was about to ask what was going on when Bruno snapped and lunged at the cop holding Steph's arm, tackling her to the ground, "Get ya %$# in' hands off her, Pig!" he yelled and laid into the cop's shoulder.
Simon tried to step in, and yelled at Bruno, "Bruno, get off him!"
"Sh*t, ya don't mess with cops man!" Alvin yelled out.
But Bruno wasn't listening.
His mind was focused on one thing; making sure Steph was safe, and threw another few punches into the cop's torso before being flung onto his back.
Steph shook her head, "Dammit Bruno! You're not helping here!" she yelled out and tried to reason with him.
Bruno grunted as the officers lunged at him, as he rolled over and got to his feet near the door, "Arrest Jess, she's the one who started this sh*t!"
Shorty radioed something quickly before turning his attention back to Bruno, who was backing out into the hallway, a menacing look on his face, fists ready, "You want her? You take on me!" he threatened.
The taller officer groaned and rolled his eyes, "Seriously do not have time for this sh*t" he went for Bruno, who blocked his attack with a defensive blow into his stomach.
The officer doubled over, spluttering, and indicated to his partner to get after Bruno, who'd edged further down the hallway.
Eleanor and Jeanette instinctively rushed to the officer's aid as Steph stood frozen against Alex, wondering what the hell was happening; she was thankful they'd seemingly forgotten about her, but was freaked at what would happen to Bruno if they took him down.
They all heard the ping of the elevator and rushed to the doorway to see another two officers emerge and crash tackle Bruno to the ground.
He kept fighting, but it was no use, these guys had him pinned and after reefing his arms round, cuffed him and forced him to stand up.
The shorter officer wiped his brow, "Geez finally" he turned to his partner as Jeanette and Eleanor got the other officer to his feet, "You ok?"
The taller officer shook his head, "Punk ass kid" he looked at Steph, "Right well, you coming?"
Steph looked at the officer, and out into the hallway listening to Bruno being hauled away, cursing and still trying to fight, "Still don't wanna"
The officer frowned, "Still don't care, come on"
Steph turned to Alex, "Find Jess, make her reverse this bullsh*t"
Alex looked at her confused, "What? Find Jess?"
Steph nodded as she walked over to the officer, "Um, sorry for my friend?"
The officer snorted, "Yeah well he's gonna need some friends right now"
Steph looked back at the others as Simon stepped closer asking, "So what happens now then?"
The officer stopped in the doorway and looked back at them all, the at Steph, "She'll come with us, answer our questions and if her file checks out, we can let her go with a fine and a warning"
Alvin's face tensed as he asked, "And, Bruno?"
The officer's eyes widened as he looked down the hallway towards the elevators, "Him?" he looked back at the group, "Well assaulting an officer is an act we take very seriously, and will be dealt with accordingly. We'll look up his records and with any luck he'll be out in a couple of hours, if one, he calms down enough to cooperate and two, if he comes up with bail"
"Sh*t" Steph muttered to herself, and turned to the officer, "Hang on a sec"
The officer rolled his eyes, "Sure, cause you're the one in charge"
Steph scoffed at him, "I'm coming...I am, I just need to...do something"
She closed in towards Alvin and whispered something to him, making him nod as he understood.
Then after a couple of minutes of Steph whispering and gesturing with her hands and Alvin nodding along, she grabbed a pair of shorts from the floor and picked up the first shirt she could find, Bruno's, by the door and kissed Alex and headed out the door obediently with the officer following.
The others looked over at Alvin, Alex asking, "What'd she say?"
Alvin shook his head slightly, "Bruno's 17, his dad will probably be informed of his little show, and Steph's guess is he probably doesn't want his dad knowing where the hell he is, seeing as how he ran off and all...that and with Bruno's past history, chances are things could get a little more serious for him. Steph said she'll try and stall them from calling his dad as best she can from her end, but that we have to find Jess"
Alex nodded, interrupting, "Yeah, she said that to me, 'Find Jess, make her reverse this sh*t'"
Eleanor folded her arms and rolled her eyes, "Yeah after last night, that's not likely, besides, we don't even know where to start looking for her"
Brittany thought a moment and said, "We start at the most chic fashion store in town and work out from there"
The police office wasn't huge like the ones back home, so everyone was piled into a room as they waited to be questioned or whatever they'd been brought in for.
Bruno sat with his hands cuffed together and then to a hook on the wall.
He rolled his eyes as another officer passed him and held his hands up a little, "Is this really %$# ing necessary?"
The officer just looked at him and shook her head before continuing past him.
Bruno sighed to himself and lowered his head into his hands, shaking it slightly when he heard a familiar voice, "Bruno? Oh sh*t you're ok!"
Steph came over and hugged him round his shoulders as he looked up, "Dammit, you weren't supposed to be brought down here, I thought if I %$# ed around with them, they'd take me and forget about you...are you wearing my shirt?" the corners of his mouth turned upward into a small smirk.
Steph looked down at the shirt and shrugged before sitting next to him, "Yes, it appears I am, but, Bruno, what the hell?! That's %$# ing crazy Bruno, even for you...I mean it's sweet in a weird way, but" she shook her head, "Dammit" and closed her eyes.
Bruno looked at her and was about to reach for her hand, but the chain didn't have that much give on it.
"Steph?"
She looked up at him, "Yeah?"
He hung his head, "Sorry"
Steph smirked, "You're such a goosehead" she sighed, "You're lucky you have a friend like me though"
He tilted his head sideways, "Huh?"
Steph leant in, "Look, Bruno, you're only 17, not an adult, so you're dad's gonna be called about this probably or something"
Bruno closed his eyes, "Sh*t, I forgot about that"
Steph nodded, "Figured that, look I've got the guys looking for Jess to make her drop the charges" she looked up and noticed a few officers talking and motioning towards them, "I don't know how, but we're gonna have to stall them from calling your dad, cause from you've told me, I'm pretty sure he'd be mega pissed if he found out this sh*t huh?"
Bruno nodded, "Oh he'd have a %$# ing field trip on me" he said sarcastically, "I've done so well to not have him track me down...not that he would, I made that pretty clear when I left, but I also don't want him to know where the hell I am"
Steph nodded, "Yeah I thought so" she watched as two officers made their way towards them, "I don't care what you do, but do not allow them to make that call" she paused and folded her arms, "But in no way are you to go all street fighter on them again, ya hear me?"
Bruno looked at her and nodded, like a child obeying a parent.
She sighed, "Bruno, you realise they're also gonna pull up your file?"
Bruno nodded slowly, Steph filling the gaps, "You're already on a couple of strikes yeah? This could get serious" Bruno nodded again as she reached out and held his hand, "But whatever happens, I'm here for you babe, got it?"
Bruno gave a small smile and nodded a little as the two officers approached and looked down at them, "Miss Xanatos?"
Steph smiled at them, "Yes officers?"
They motioned for her to get up, "This way"
She smiled flirtatiously at the younger one, "Oh I could go anywhere with you" she winked as Bruno and the older officer rolled their eyes while the younger officer smiled a little, then coughed as he caught the eye of the older officer, "Um, just down here"
Bruno watched as Steph was lead off and escorted into another room, then leant back and closed his eyes while he waited his turn.
Meanwhile in town the others had split up and were in search of all the so called 'chic' stores in pursuit of finding Jess.
Alvin was with Brittany, Alex and Simon, while Jeanette and Eleanor went with Theodore; they would message each other where to go to when they found Jess...if they found her.
Eventually they found the store; and somewhat surprisingly it was a little chic store (Brittany had a moment to bask in the fact she was so totally right) and headed in.
Hilary was stocking the shelves while Monica sat on a stool at the counter mindlessly playing on her phone and looked up when she heard the door buzzer go off and sat up a little straighter.
"Where's Jess?" Alex demanded.
Monica slid off the stool and backed away a little, "I...I don't know what you're talking about" she glanced sideways.
Alex slammed his hands on the counter, "%$# it! Where is she Monica?!"
Hilary snuck behind the counter and reached out, hitting a bell on the counter, "Kelsey!" as a tall young woman came out from the back room.
She looked at Monica and then at Alex and the others in the store, "What's going on here?" she asked, folding her arms.
Simon took a step forward, trying to calm the situation down, "Hi, I'm Simon, um, we were just wondering if Jess was here?"
Kelsey looked Simon up and down, nodding slightly, "Yah, I know who you are" then at the looks on Monica and Hilary's faces, "Can I ask why you're after Jess?"
Alex shook his head, "My girlfriend's getting charged for something she started" he growled.
Kelsey raised her eyebrows, "She what?" she looked at Monica, who looked away and rubbed her hand over her eyes, "Oh geez, Mon, go put a sign in the window and lock up"
Monica sat there until Kelsey shot her a glare, before scooting past everyone and doing what her cousin said.
Kelsey turned and headed into the back room, beckoning the others to follow, "Come with me"
They followed as Brittany called the others quickly to let them know where they were.
Kelsey invited them to sit around a small retro card table set up in the back break room.
She, herself sat on one chair as Monica and Hilary stood just off side to her, while Alex, Simon and Brittany sat on the other chairs; Alvin leaning in the doorway of the break room.
Kelsey sighed, "Ok first of all, I want to apologise for Jessica's behaviour" she shook her head a little, "Girl looked like hell running in here last night, so I had to take her to the emergency department" she took a breath in, "Anyway, she's fractured her nose, and has a heap of bruises, but she'll live"
Kelsey looked back at her cousin and her friend, glaring slightly, "It took a bit to finally find out the whole story" she looked at Alex and shook her head, "Jess is a bit of a B, I know" she leant in, "I have to put up with her every damn summer holidays and she's always causing some kind of riff"
"Why the hell do you put up with her then?" Alvin pointed out.
Kelsey faked a smile, "She's actually really good in the shop, believe it or not...surprisingly good nature when it comes to helping customers with fashion choices" she shrugged.
Alex looked at Monica and Hilary and folded his arms, leaning back on the chair, "Look, I know Jess is a bitch, what I want to know is why the hell she's charged my girlfriend?!"
Kelsey shrugged, "Look I didn't even know she placed those charges until, like now, when you rocked up" she stood up and addressed Monica, "Seriously, if you weren't family, I'd kill you for what your friends have caused" she sighed and turned back to Alex, "How about I go get Jess, and you can all sort this out, yeah?"
Alex nodded, "Please" he said quite abruptly.
Kelsey looked at Monica and Hilary, "You two, go make yourselves useful and finish stacking the stock, and clean out the store" she headed up some stairs, "I'll go see how our little 'princess' is doing"
Simon looked over at Alex, "Ok, so now what?"
Alex shook his head and closed his eyes, "I have no %$# ing idea"
Alvin came and stood behind Brittany, massaging her shoulders as she shrugged, "Let's hope Steph's having some luck at the station"
Steph sat looking around the Interrogation room as the officers started taking down and confirming details with her, reading her certain rights and such and introducing themselves; the older officer was Lt Holmes and the younger was Officer Mahoney.
Steph couldn't help but laugh, "Seriously? Mahoney? Seen Police Academy? Livin' to character?"
Mahoney shook his head, "Yes it's Mahoney, yes I've seen the movies and no I'm nothing like him"
Steph shrugged, containing her giggles, "Shame then, he always seemed like fun" she tilted her head, "I think you're a hell of a lot cuter than Steve Guttenberg though" she smiled, "If you ask me" and looked around the room, as Mahoney blushed a little, making Holmes roll his eyes once more, "Wow, this really doesn't look anything like it does on Law and Order" she stated.
Holmes rolled his eyes, "I hate them shows, they seriously play up everything, make it all look a hell'ov a lot better than we actually have it"
Steph looked at the mirror on the back wall, "Sooo, there's no one behind that then?" she pointed.
Mahoney looked behind him and then back at Steph, "Not at the moment"
Holmes reached over and pressed down on a recording device, "Interrogation begin at 8:57am with Miss Stephanie Elizabeth Xan...wait a minute"
Steph sniggered, "Yep, my initials spell SEX" she shrugged, "I blame it on hippie parents"
Holmes shook his head briefly as Mahoney turned his back to cover a laugh, which was still visible on account the back wall was mirrored.
Holmes continued, "Apologies, with Miss Stephanie Elizabeth Xanatos, file number 04187"
Steph nodded and paused before taking in a breath, "So how serious is the sh*t I'm in?"
Holmes looked at the charge file in front of him, skimming through, "From this, you punched another female in the head region, causing her to sustain injuries, thus causing the file for a charge of assault" he looked up at her from the file, "Yeah, it's not worth just a mere telling off"
Steph looked at her feet, "I was afraid you'd say something like that...you're not gonna call my daddy are you?" she looked up.
Mahoney and Holmes exchanged glances, as Holmes said, "Well, you are 18, and technically an adult"
Steph's eyes lit up a little and she managed a small smile.
"But seeing as you're from out of state, we think it may be best to contact your parents"
Steph's face fell, "Parent"
"Pardon?"
"Parent. Daddy. That's it" Steph corrected.
Holmes sat up a little, "I'm sorry to hear"
Steph reeled her head back a bit, "Huh? Oh you think my mum's dead? Pfft, how should I know, she may be, but she ran out on me when I was a kid"
Holmes nodded, "Ah, I see" he looked back at the files and then at Steph, "Well then, we'll need to contact your father"
"Daddy's gonna kill me" Steph sighed and fiddled with the hem of Bruno's shirt.
Mahoney flipped a seat and sat on it backwards, "Good news is we checked your file, seems you've been playing by the rules so far" he smiled at her, as Holmes gave him a sideways glance.
Steph smirked, "I like to think I'm generally a good girl"
She knew this was a total lie, but there was no way she was going to admit all the sh*t she'd done where she just so happened to not get busted.
"Can you give us your account of the events that occurred last night?" Holmes asked.
Steph nodded, "Yeah, in short, that bitch Jess kissed my man, so I reacted...she also implied I was a whore, which I am totally not!" she sighed, "She'd been cracking onto him all night, despite me being there and all"
Holmes nodded absent minded as Mahoney made some rough notes.
Steph frowned, "Look, I wasn't planning on decking her, but no one messes with me or my boyfriend...that whole whore comment kinda threw me over the edge"
Mahoney nodded as if he agreed with her as Steph looked down and realised she had no bra on still, so folded her arms in front of her, even though the shirt wasn't see-through.
"Can I ask what'll happen to my friend? The, um, one who went a little brutal on the cops?" Steph asked.
Holmes looked at Mahoney then at Steph, "Now, we're not at liberty to share that information"
Steph leant over the table a little, "Aww, come on, I'm kinda all he has out here" she looked down, "I said I'd look after him, he's my responsibility"
Holmes raised an eyebrow, "Relation?"
Steph almost laughed, "Sh*t I hope not! No, I just picked him off the side of the road and..." she glanced over realising the recording device was still running.
She folded her arms, and sighed, "Shut that thing off, you got my statement"
Holmes looked at the device then at Steph, "We generally continue until the interview is terminated, meaning we have all the information we need"
Steph looked at him, then Mahoney, "Wait a minute, you're wanting me to spill on Bruno?" she shook her head furiously, her hair waving and flicking her in the face, "No %$# ing way. Bruno's a friend, I'm not saying anything"
Holmes leant closer, "Look, can you at least answer us and confirm or deny whether or not Bruno Oliver has a history with violence?"
Steph remained silent.
"How well do you know Bruno Oliver?"
Still Steph remained silent before saying, "Well enough to know he's a damn decent guy...look, I know what you're trying to do"
"Oh? And what's that?" Holmes asked, remaining calm.
"You're trying to make me doubt him...and to that I say" she turned and spoke into the recording device, "%$# No!"
Holmes and Mahoney exchanged glances before looking at the stubborn teen sitting opposite them.
Kelsey came back down to stairs, prodding Jess in front of her, "Come on, I don't care what they hell you look like, you at least have to have the decency to explain yourself"
Jess came and stood with her arms folded, pouting, at the bottom of the stairs.
Her face was pretty bruised and she had a split covering her nose.
Alex frowned at her, "Seriously Jess, what the hell?"
Jess shrugged, "Look what she did to me! Look at what your so called girlfriend did to me!"
Alvin sniggered, "Oh I don't know, maybe it's an improvement?"
Brittany covered her mouth giggling a little as Jess glared at him, "My uncle's a lawyer and when I told him what happened, he said to press charges against her, so that's what I did" and touched her nose lightly.
Alex shook his head, "Steph would never have hit you if you hadn't 1) kissed me and 2) provoked her" he sighed in frustration, "Steph isn't the bad guy here, I mean I could press charges for sexual harassment"
Jess's eyes widened briefly before she frowned, "You couldn't do that, who'd believe you?"
"Um, we all saw that you were coming onto Alex all night, and that he asked you to stop and you didn't" Simon pointed out, "That's pretty clear grounds to press charges"
He actually had no idea exactly, but was punting on the chance Jess didn't know any better.
Jess frowned and folded her arms tighter.
She looked back at Kelsey who just gave her a look and shrugged.
Jess sighed and looked back at the others, "Well what do you want me to do then?"
Alex sat up a little, "Drop the charges on Steph"
Jess shook her head, "And pay for all this on my own?" she pointed at her nose as Kelsey groaned, "Oh for goodness sake Jess, grow up, you live off your dad's credit card, it'll be nothing"
Jess pursed her lips and scuffed her foot on the ground, "I suppose I could then, if that's what you really want"
Alex nodded, "Yes, get Steph out of this sh*t that you caused"
Kelsey turned and retrieved the phone from the wall, "I'll even dial the station for you" she faked a smile at Jess, who grumbled as she took the handset.
Brittany leaned in towards Alex, "Well, that was easier than anticipated" as Alex nodded and sighed relief.
Steph had been sitting silent in a holding cell waiting to see what happened next after 'not cooperating' in the interrogation room meaning they had to cease the interrogation.
She had paced around a little before turning and sliding down the wall to sit on the ground and nodded her head back and forth as she sung in her head, seeing as how she didn't have her phone or anything else to entertain her with.
She dreaded getting back to the hotel room and finding all the possible missed and panicked calls from her daddy wondering what the hell was going on.
She closed her eyes and lowered her head onto her arms, as she rested them on her knees.
She looked up to the clank of the door opening and an officer standing at the door, "Seems you're free to go, your charges have been dropped"
Steph tilted her head, unsure if she'd heard right, "Come again?"
The officer stepped back from the door, "You'll need to sign a few things before you leave, so see the officers at the front desk"
Steph pulled herself up and passed the officer, following her down the hallway towards the front desk.
As they walked, Steph asked, "Do you know where they'd be holding my friend?"
"That young man you were talking to when you first arrived?" the officer replied as Steph nodded, "Yeah, Bruno, know what's happening to him?"
The officer pointed to a sign at the end of the hallway, "My guess is he's probably being interrogated or else he'd be getting his numbers"
"Numbers?" Steph asked as they got closer to the end of the hallway.
The officer nodded, "Yeah, if they've found anything incriminating on his record, then we'll have to you know, take his photo, get his prints all that stuff"
Steph panicked on the inside, "Sh*t"
It wasn't supposed to get to this point.
"Can he get out on bail? Like if we pay money?" Steph asked
The officer stopped at the end of the hallway; Steph could see Alex and the others eagerly waiting for her on the other side of a barred door; "Look, assaulting an officer isn't a crime we take lightly, but it depends on his past as well. But yes, bail is a possibility but that's up to the officer's in charge of his case"
Steph nodded and looked down the other end of the hallway, noticing lots of doors to rooms on both sides, and a sign in the distance pointing down to the interrogation rooms.
She could see Alex and the others waiting on the other side of the barred door.
She could see freedom.
But she could also see a way without Bruno.
The officer started towards the barred door, turning back to Steph, "This way Miss Xanatos"
Steph took one look at the officer, then at Alex, before turning and bolting down the hallway, disappearing round the corner.
Alex ran to the barred door, "STEPH?!" the others came running up and stopped short at the door too.
"Where's she gone to now?" Eleanor asked.
The officer who was leading Steph to 'freedom' radioed into her CB before chasing after Steph.
Alex turned and put his hand to his head, "%$# I can't keep up with her" he shook his head as Theodore patted him on the shoulder, "Reckon she's trying to find Bruno?"
Alvin nodded, "That'd be my guess"
Alex rolled his eyes, "Why, for once can't she do things the way you're supposed to? We could've asked the officers where Bruno was and what was happening to him and all, without her jeopardising herself in the meantime"
Brittany shrugged, "Cause its Steph, she acts on impulse remember, not rational thinking"
Alex shook his head, trying to assemble his thoughts then jumped a bit as his phone went off in his back pocket.
He reached for it and groaned at the number on the display, "Sh*t it's Steph's dad"
Alvin folded his arms, "Ooh, have fun with that one"
Alex frowned at him before looking at the phone still buzzing in his hand and then at the group, "Seriously, I'll give you $100 to take the call"
Alvin shook his head, "Are you crazy? No way"
Simon smirked, "You're the boyfriend, I believe in the event of Steph not answering her phone, it's your duty to field all the questions Mr X may have for you"
Alex sighed and put his hand over his eyes, pressing to answer the phone, "Hello?"
"Alex?! Sh*t, thank goodness, what the hell is going on? Where's Steph?!" Ron called down the phone.
Alex looked at the others and headed to a quiet corner to explain the situation, "Lemme start from the beginning" he said, as Alvin smirked and whispered out to him, "Good start"
Alex thrust his finger up at Alvin before turning his back on the others to explain the events that had unfolded.
Bruno was sitting on a metal chair in an interrogation room, still cuffed, despite the fact he'd calmed down a hell of a lot since that morning.
He'd already had his prints taken and rights read out to him and was now sitting comfortably answering the usual list of questions.
"Full name?"
"Bruno Oliver"
"Date of Birth?"
"8th July 1995"
The officer marking his details against his file looked up at him, "So 18 on Friday then?"
Bruno nodded nonchalantly, "Guess I am"
"Do you understand why you're here?"
Bruno shifted in his seat a little, "Yeah, I assaulted an officer"
The second officer, a male, looked over his file, "Seems this isn't your first offence of assault, is that right?"
Bruno tried to look at his file, "What else have you got in there?"
The officer tilted the file up so Bruno couldn't read it, "Uh-uh, I can't allow you to read that"
Bruno frowned, "Uh, it's my file, all about me yeah?"
"Yeah"
"Then why the hell can't I read it?" he said, the tone rising in his voice slightly.
The male officer smiled at the corner of his mouth.
Bruno saw this and although it pissed him off more he closed his eyes and concentrated on keeping his cool.
The second officer, a female, remained calm, sitting opposite Bruno while her partner paced behind her, trying to act intimidating to Bruno; "Now, can you tell me who your next of kin is? Seeing as how you're out of state, we need to confirm the names we have here are indeed your parents so we can contact them"
Bruno reeled back a bit, his eyes shooting open, "Parents?" he asked, not sure if he'd heard right.
The female officer nodded, "Yes, we have a Mitchell and a-"
"Stop!" Bruno cried.
The officers looked at him, paused in thought as Bruno lowered his head, "My mother passed away. Fix your damn file"
The male officer snorted while the female officer reached her hand out across the table, "I'm sorry to hear that, um, I apologise if that has upset you, I'm unsure why the file hasn't been updated with that information"
Bruno closed his eyes again and clenched his fists as the officer continued, "So, is Mitchell your father?"
Bruno opened his eyes and sighed heavily, "Unfortunately and regrettably, yes"
The male officer stopped pace and leant on a filing cabinet, "Not a fan of your old man?"
Bruno looked up at him, and said flatly, "That's one way of putting it I suppose"
The officer folded his arms, "Tell me another way?"
Bruno thought a moment, "He's a pig headed asshole that I'd rather not be related to or have anything to do with" he said dryly, but with a flare of anger to his tone of voice.
Tilting her head in concern the female officer leant forward asking, "Bruno, was your father ever violent towards you? Is that where this violent streak has come from?"
Bruno looked up at the officers and shook his head, "He's a %$# ing asshole who used to beat up on my mama, and yeah used to throw his weight around with me a bit, but as I got older I learnt how to defend myself and how to fend for myself"
"Like the incident in the school cafeteria? When you assaulted another student? I suppose you were just 'fending' for yourself then too?" the male officer pressed.
"Sh*t" Bruno thought, "Knew this would come back to bite me on the ass"
Bruno shrugged, trying to contain his emotions, "Yeah, a bit"
The male officer reached down and snatched the file up from the table, scanning the details then paraphrasing them back to Bruno, "Says here you rammed a milk carton, which you had previously filled with chilli sauce into the student's face before slamming a lunch tray over his head, causing the student to fall to the ground, where you then repeatedly threw punches to his head and upper torso regions?"
Bruno nodded, "That about sums it up, yeah"
"You show no remorse for your actions?"
"Look" Bruno started, getting suddenly very defensive, "You have no idea what that prick put me through the days, weeks, months even leading up to that incident. He was an asshole who thought he was kingsh*t of the school cause he was the principal's kid, and therefore thought he could lord it over anyone he thought was below him, which might I add was anyone who wasn't on the football team or one of his cheerleading skanks" he sat up in his seat, "I had a really sh*t week that week, it was the anniversary of my mother's death, my dad was being a drunken asshole as per usual, I had my student allowance stuffed up so I would have to stretch $40 across two weeks, I was already on my last warning because of some science assessment I hadn't completed and to make it worse, I was kept in after the class before lunch, meaning I missed out on the better of the two options for lunch, so yeah you could say I was already a little high strung that day" his hands were shaking with anger as he recalled the events, "Jason comes over all prince like, and ok, I can't remember exactly what he said, but it tipped me over the edge ok? I was %$# ing sick of taking his sh*t, so I decided to put him in his place and knock him back to reality"
The officers were taken back a little by Bruno's rant, expecting him to be done, but he was on a roll and couldn't stop himself from continuing.
He stood up and flattened his hands on the table, making the female officer stand abruptly and take a step back from the table, "So I have a short fuse, and have some trouble with my temper, I'm fully aware of that" he lowered his head, "But dammit, no one's been there to help me, I've been going through my life since I was 5 years old, practically on my own. A fat load of %$# ing good my so-called father has been; the guy's more concerned when he'll get his next pay check so he can waste it all on booze than what the hell his own son is doing" he could feel tears burning in his eyes, and looked up glaring at the officers, "And I finally find friends who actually love and care for me and sh*t, and I get %$# ing shot down for trying to stand up for them. Steph did nothing wrong" he paused a moment then added, "Ok, so yes she punched Jess in the head, but the bitch deserved it" his voice was rising, "She was making out with Steph's boyfriend, she has no moral compass and isn't used to anyone standing up against her because she gets the world served to her on a silver platter"
The male officer whispered something into his CB as Bruno leant down on the table, looking intently at the officers, "I'm not the %$# ing bad guy here, it's all the people out there who have the money to get what they want, any way they can and bring the rest of us down" he slammed his fists on the table, "I could raise my voice and you'd probably set the SWAT team on me, yet I'll bet if someone like Jess were to carry out murder, you'd turn a blind %$# ing eye!"
Just then, two officers burst into the door and slammed Bruno onto the table, retraining him as Bruno yelled out and thrashed around.
At that moment Steph burst in through the door, "%$# here you are" she panted, then stopped and looked at what was happening, "What the hell?!"
Bruno tried to twist around, "Steph?!"
Steph panicked, "What are you doing to him?!" she looked at the officers on the other side of the room, frantic.
"Mr Oliver was becoming violent and we need to retrain him" the female officer pointed out.
"What?!" Bruno cried out, "You were the ones who were-" the rest of his sentence was cut off as his face was pressed into the table.
He felt his body being heaved upright and forced to walk, "Let's go find you a nice cosy cell to cool off then shall we?" another officer commented.
Steph held her head with her hand and tried to follow, "Wait! Where are you taking him?" she asked the officers leading Bruno away.
By now the officer chasing Steph had caught up, "Geez you're fast" she panted and grabbed Steph by the arm, "What are you doing down here?"
Steph looked up at the officer, desperate, "Please, please let me talk to him, I can make him calm down, please, just let me talk to him"
The male officer from the interrogation stepped out of the room as the other officers lead Bruno around a corner to a holding cell and folded his arms looking down at Steph, "Miss, I don't know how you got here, first off, and secondly, what in the hell makes you think we'd let you go and talk to him? We're still trying to conduct an interrogation here"
Steph nodded, "I know" she ran her fingers through her hair, "But, you see, well, I'm kinda responsible for him, in an unofficial self-appointed way and, I can get him to calm down, if you just let me talk to him"
The male officer shook his head, "Sorry miss, not gonna happen" and turned to head down the hallway.
Steph watched as he turned the corner, his partner taking one look at Steph before following as the remaining officer took Steph by the shoulders and began guiding her back the other way, "Come on, you can wait for your friend out here"
Steph wiped the tears from her eyes and reluctantly walked back with the officer to the reception area where Alex and the others were waiting.
The others were all waiting on a group of chairs, waiting in the reception.
They'd played a few games of eye spy to pass the time and laughed as Alvin tried to interpret the conversation Alex was still having with Ron.
Eleanor looked up at the sound of the barred door unbolting and got the other's attention as Steph was lead out with another officer.
They all got up and headed towards her, crowding around to find out what had happened; Alex was still pacing in corner of the station trying to reason with and explain to Ron.
Brittany gave Steph a hug, "Geez, what happened? One minute you're headed out here, the next you bolted in the other direction"
Steph nodded, "I had to find out if Bruno was ok"
"And is he?" Simon asked, as they lead Steph back to the chairs.
She shrugged, "I dunno what happened to him, they were leading him to a holding cell when I found him, something about him needing to calm down or some sh*t"
Jeanette came back with a coffee, "It's not the best quality but" she shrugged and handed the cup to Steph who welcomed the steaming cup of java and inhaled the aroma, "Thanks Jeanette, you're right it's not the best, but right now, I couldn't give a sh*t" she lifted the cup to her lips and sipped before looking around, "Where's Alex?"
Alvin smirked and pointed over to Alex, who looked exhausted, "He's on the phone to your dad"
"%$# " Steph muttered, and looked at Alvin, "How you reckon he's been holding up?"
Alvin looked over at Alex, who had his eyes closed, hand over his eyes and was leaning against a wall.
He looked back at Steph and shrugged, "I reckon your dad's giving him the third degree" he gave a weak smile, as Steph rolled her eyes and took a deep breath, "%$# he's never gonna think I'm worth it now" she handed her coffee back to Jeanette and headed over to Alex.
Tapping him gently on the shoulder she offered a weak sideways smile, raising her shoulders slightly.
Alex looked relieved and gave her a brief hug, still in conversation with Ron, he added a few, "Uh-huhs" and "Yeps" but covered the mouthpiece and leant closer to Steph, kissing her forehead, and whispering, "Ok, I'm glad you're out and safe and sh*t, now SAVE ME! I swear you're dad is crawling through the phone as we speak to beat the sh*t outta me"
Steph stifled her laugh and held her hand out to take the phone, which Alex gladly handed over.
She took another breath in and held the phone to her ear, listening to the one sided rant from her father, "...I thought I could trust you with my daughter Alex, I mean, first you sleep together, which ok, it is Steph, so that may be a given but-"
"Hi daddy" Steph muttered down the phone.
There was a silence before the storm.
"STEPHANIE ELIZABETH!" Ron yelled, making Steph pull the phone away from her ear briefly, "What in the hell have you got yourself into now?!" Ron questioned, adding quickly, "And might I add I am NOT in the mood for one of your smart ass responses" he said sternly.
Steph rolled her eyes, "Daddy, ok, first, calm down-"
"Calm down?! How in the hell am I supposed to do that? My ONLY daughter, my baby girl has been arrested on assault charges in another state" Ron interrupted, his voice peaking.
Steph gritted her teeth and slid down the wall, "Daddy, stop it! Geez, the charges got dropped, I'm in the clear" she exhaled and rubbed her eyes, "Look, I'm fine, I admit it probably wasn't the smartest of responses-"
"Damn right there" Ron added, making Steph huff, "Are you going to let me explain?!" she growled.
Silence.
"Thank you. Ok so yes, I got in a bit of a punch up last night, but the bitch deserved it, she was kissing Alex and she implied I was a whore daddy, what was I suppose to do?"
Ron shook his head, "I did not raise my girl to be violent" he pointed out.
Steph nodded, the tone of her voice softening, "I know, I'm sorry daddy, but you did teach me to stand up for myself and for those I love, and I did that"
Ron sighed, "I guess for that part I am proud" Steph smiled a little as he continued, "But dammit, you already make me worry, this was the last thing I needed"
Steph nodded again, understanding she had put her dad through a bit of a fright, "I am sorry daddy" she heaved herself up, "We're still here at the station though"
"I thought you said you were clear to go?"
"Yeah, I am" Steph started, looking over at the others, "But Bruno's still being held in-"
"The guy you picked up? The hitchhiker?" Ron asked, trying to remember.
Steph nodded, "Yeah, that's right...he um, came to my defence so to speak"
Ron sighed, "Where do you find these boys Stephi?"
Steph smirked, "This one was on the side of the road...he's a good guy though daddy, don't judge him 'kay?"
Ron sighed again, "OK, continue"
Steph played with a loose thread on Bruno's shirt, "Um, oh yeah, so he's still in there, so we're not leaving til he gets out"
Ron nodded; his voice waning out, "OK then...but Bear, you gotta promise not to scare me like that again, alright?"
Steph laughed nervously, "Aww, but where would the adventure be daddy?"
He returned the nervous laugh as Steph started heading back to the others, "Oh and daddy?"
"Mmm?"
"Go easy on Alex 'kay? He's a great guy, and has done nothing but look after and protect me ok?" she reasoned.
"I know Bear" Ron said softly, "Just having a hard time letting you go that's all"
Steph smiled, "Don't let go just yet, I still need my daddy"
Ron smiled and said his goodbyes.
Steph blew a kiss down the phone and hung up, handing the phone back to Alex, "He still likes you, don't freak"
Alex faked a smile, "Oh great, well that's a relief" he said sarcastically.
Steph punched him lightly in the arm and scooped in to hug him, kissing his chest as Simon and Theodore came back to the group.
"Ok, we've asked the officer at the desk on the whereabouts of Bruno" Simon started, as everyone looked intently at him, "Seems he's still in a holding cell awaiting to hear what happens next"
"Apparently he was starting to get violent" Theodore added, "Or something"
Brittany shook her head, "Oh Bruno"
Steph looked at the others and shook her own head, pulling away from Alex, "Uh-uh, no way, he wasn't getting violent, he was cuffed up, how could he start getting violent with his hands cuffed?"
Eleanor shrugged, "He did say he was a kick boxer"
Jeanette nodded, "Yeah, maybe he lashed out with his feet"
Steph folded her arms and shook her head again, "Not buying it, I said to him specifically not to go all street fighter on the cops, he listens to me"
Alex gave a half nod, "Yeah I gotta hand that one to Steph; Bruno does seem to listen most to her"
Steph nudged him, "Thanks babe" she looked about, "I think what happened was Bruno may have become a little too vocal for the cops to handle, so instead of letting me talk to him and help them calm him down, they shoved him off to a holding cell"
Brittany slumped into a chair, "I guess we can only wait then"
The others nodded and took their seats as Alex looked at Steph, "Maybe we should take you back to the hotel, get you dressed" he looked at her feet, "Get you some shoes?"
Steph looked down at what she was wearing and sighed, "I'd rather wait til Bruno gets out"
"But we're not sure when that'll be Steph" Jeanette pointed out, "You go, we'll stay here and call you if we hear anything"
Steph nodded and left with Alex back to the hotel.
Alvin reclined back in his chair, "Ok, so this is totally not fun"
Simon looked over at him, "Yeah, somehow I don't think it's supposed to be"
Jeanette nodded, "But we said we'd stay til Bruno got out; or until we at least find out what's going on and what'll happen to him"
Alvin stood up and stretched, "Correction, you said you'd stay, I didn't agree to that"
"Alvin" Simon started, but Alvin shook his head, "I need something to eat at least, I'm starving, we skipped dinner last night and my stomach is going to start eating itself unless I get some food in it"
Theodore clutched at his own stomach, "Now that you mention it, I'm kinda hungry too"
Eleanor and Brittany nodded too as Simon sighed, "Alright, go get something, but bring us back something too"
Alvin smiled, "You got it" and took Brittany's hand, "Let's go babe"
She smiled and stood up, Eleanor and Theodore following behind as Simon and Jeanette watched the four of them leave and head out into the street.
Jeanette leant over and rested her head on Simon's shoulder, "And so the waiting begins"
Simon nodded and rested his head on hers, "Yep, let's hope Bruno hasn't caused too much trouble for himself"
In the holding cell Bruno now had his hands cuffed behind him.
It was making sitting a little uncomfortable, but he managed somehow to find a position that was tolerable; leaning, slouched against the wall.
He wasn't sure how long his back would like it though, and he was feeling the beginnings of pins and needles in his butt.
He looked up slowly to the clank of the lock and the door swinging open.
The two officers who had been interrogating him were standing at the door.
The male officer, with arms folded asked flatly, "Ready to try again?"
Bruno nodded slowly and tried to get himself up, only to be assisted by the officer and helped to his feet, and lead back to the interrogation room.
He sat in the same chair, facing the same wall with the same officers in front of him and watching as they pressed down on the same recording device.
He sighed as the female officer started up the interview again, making note of the time and such.
The male officer was now sitting next to his partner with hands clasped, "OK Mr Oliver, let's try this again shall we?"
Bruno nodded, and asked dryly, "Can you just tell me what's gonna to happen to me?"
The male officer leant back in his chair and gestured with his hands, "Well, that depends on how well you can cooperate with us"
Bruno sighed and dipped his head, looking back at the officers and shifting in his seat; his hands still cuffed behind him, "Go on"
The female officer looked over at her partner, then back at Bruno, "Well, we could let you off on a warning and a fine for your assault this morning"
Bruno nodded, understanding.
"However" the male officer started.
"However?" Bruno repeated slowly; eyebrows slightly raised.
"However, there is the fact of your past history with violence and your tendency to lash out unexpectedly on others"
Bruno snorted a little, "If you knew me, you could read the warning signs and know when I'm about to lose it"
"That's not helping Mr Oliver" the female officer added.
Bruno closed his mouth and slumped in the chair as the male officer leant back across the table, clasping his hands once more, "We feel it would be better if you were to be placed on probationary care under the watch of your legal parent, so they can monitor that you don't get into any strife until you are deemed a legal adult, and therefore can be held responsible for your own actions"
"What?!" Bruno yelled, his temper rising, "You cannot be serious?! You're gonna send me back with that asshole? For like three days, then what? What the hell kind of justice system is that?!"
"Mr Oliver calm down or we will call back up in to restrain you again" the male officer said sternly, his tone meaning business.
Bruno shook his head, "No! I mean, come on, I told you what he's like, I can't go back there, he's already got it in for me cause I ran out, do not send me back there, please" he pleaded.
The female officer looked at Bruno in his eyes and nudged at her partner, whispering behind a covered hand, "Perhaps we should make another arrangement" she snuck a look at Bruno who had lowered his head and was shaking it slightly, unable to comprehend the news he'd been given.
The males officer took a breath in and motioned for his partner to stand up, "Just...give us a minute, we'll be right back"
Bruno didn't look up as the two officers left.
Standing outside the door, the female officer turned to her partner, "Craig, look, the kid seems pretty shaken up to be sent back to his father" she sighed, "What if his father has been a cause of abuse to him? That's terrible if we were to send him back and something were to happen to him"
Craig thought a moment before nodding, "You may be right there Helen, but the kid has no one else we can send into his care, legally, despite if the fact his father is a lowlife drunk, he hasn't got anyone else"
Helen paced a little then looked up at Craig, "You think we should get Child Services involved?"
Craig shook his head, "Nah, not worth the paperwork; if we were in his home state it'd be easier" he paced a little and scratched his chin, "We can make the suggestion to him though, that he can legally divorce his father if he chooses and point him in the right direction?"
"But he turns 18 on Friday" Helen pointed out
Craig snapped his fingers, "That's right, he does too" he peered into the interrogation room, and noted Bruno still sitting in the same way when they'd left, occasionally shifting slightly at the discomfort the cuffs must be giving him, his head was still lowered.
Craig cleared his throat, "Well, we need someone who can take temporary legal responsibility for him until Friday then; they need to ensure he doesn't get into any mischief until Friday, when he's legally deemed an adult and can suffer under his own hands if he causes anything and has a run in with the law"
Helen smiled and nodded, "That sounds like a fair deal"
"But he's still copping a fine, he laid a pretty hard slog into Joe" Craig added, his harsh tone of voice returning suddenly.
Helen nodded and opened the door as the two of them headed back in.
Bruno lifted his head slowly and followed with his eyes as the officers came to sit back opposite him.
Craig looked over at him, and exhaled, "Alright, we've managed to come up with something that might work a little more for your situation"
Bruno cocked his head to the side, unsure where this was headed as Helen continued, "We need you to give us the name of someone who is legally an adult-"
"Steph?" Bruno thought with slight hope.
"-Without a criminal record-"
"Not Steph" Bruno thought again, his hope fading quickly.
"-Who can be responsible for you temporarily until Friday when you're 18, when then if you run into the law again, you will be held legally responsible for your own crimes, and if, in your case it's associated with violence, you can guarantee, that with your past history and this included incident, you will be looking at possible jail time"
Bruno nodded, slowly letting this new information sink in.
"We'll still hold this crime on your file, and you will need to pay a fine for your actions, however we're willing to allow you off with a warning, this time" Craig added
Bruno wasn't sure if he should smile or not, this news was fantastic.
Well, not fantastic, but out of the two outcomes he'd been given, this was by far the better choice.
"So, all I have to do is find someone willing to be my guardian until Friday?" Bruno asked as
Craig nodded, "And might I suggest you call into Child Services about your father? It might be best for you to look for alternative accommodation when you return back home"
Bruno nodded again, this time letting a smile creep out, "Yeah, thanks, um, I'll, I'll get onto that" as he thought, "Oh yeah somewhere to live...geez so much to figure out" he let out a sigh in passing thought.
Helen looked at the paperwork in front of her, "So, anyone come into mind?"
Alvin, Brittany, Theodore and Eleanor were sitting in a cafe only a few blocks away from the station, waiting for their order.
"So, what's doing with you guys then?" Alvin asked, pouring another glass of orange juice for himself as Brittany nudged him and shot a sideways glare.
Theodore looked at Eleanor then back at Alvin, blankly, "What do you mean?"
Alvin smiled and winked, "You know"
Theodore looked away bashfully; "We're fine" he smiled a little at Eleanor.
Alvin leant back in the booth, "That's it? You're fine? Come on, we've been on this road trip for almost two weeks, and you're just fine?"
Theodore nodded, feeling uncomfortable as Eleanor piped up, "Well, we would like to have our own room for once...twice?" she thought back, correcting herself.
Alvin and Brittany looked at their younger siblings with eyebrows raised; Alvin in mid sip of juice.
Eleanor looked over at them, then at Theodore, "What? Why's it a shock? Look, we're not saying we're gonna start jumping each other like you two"
Brittany twisted her mouth and flushed a little as Alvin beamed and smiled proudly, sitting a little straighter and wrapped his arm round Brittany as Eleanor continued, "But it's been nice to spend time together...just to see, I dunno, where we can take the relationship and all"
"Not that we're thinking of sleeping together" Theodore quickly added, before Alvin could jump in.
Alvin leant across, about to comment, when Brittany gripped at his leg, with a squeeze that warned him to think before he said anything stupid.
He grimaced a bit at the pain of Brittany's nails digging into his flesh and changed his response, "Well, that's great then" he shot a glance at Brittany who smiled and released her grip, "Yeah, I think Dave's just gonna have to realise we're getting older now, and we gotta be in charge of our own decisions...and if that means sleeping co-ed, then that's just something he'll have to deal with" he reached down and rubbed his leg as Eleanor nodded, "Yeah, but good luck trying to convince that to Dave though"
Alvin shrugged as their food was deliver to the table, "Ellie, we're 18, not like he can really say anything against it...well ok so he can, but I think he'll be fine with it...if not, well you just have to learn how to perfect the art or sneaking out"
Eleanor and Brittany giggled as Theodore smirked and shook his head slightly.
Alvin simply shrugged and started on his bacon and eggs before looking down at his phone buzzing on the table, "%$# not yet" he groaned, reading the message.
Brittany looked at her bagel, "Can't we just go after breakfast?"
Eleanor shook her head, "We should go now"
Theodore tapped her arm lightly, "Or we should go after breakfast" he smiled sweetly to Eleanor, as Alvin added, "Listen to the boy Ellie, he's got a point there"
Eleanor rolled her eyes and sighed, "Oh fine, but we gotta eat quick then"
Alvin and Theodore exchanged a smile and got stuck in to shovelling their breakfasts down as quickly as they could.
Steph sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her phone, scrolling through the messages and missed phone calls, 27 in total.
Alex came in to the bedroom and sat beside her, "Ready to head back?"
Steph smirked at her phone, "Man, check it out, look how many times daddy tried to call" she gave a short burst of laughter, "I am soo grounded for the rest of my life when I get home"
Alex nodded, "You'll be grounded and I'll be dead"
Steph smiled at him and leant in to kiss him, "Daddy still likes you...even if we slept together...and I had a run in with the cops, which wasn't your fault"
"But your dad would probably have blamed me for not looking after you or whatever" Alex interrupted, "It's the duty of a boyfriend to protect the daughter of the dad when the dad is not present...and if anything should happen, despite whose fault it really is, blame tends to land back on said boyfriend" he faked a smile as Steph laughed and shook her head, "That's the biggest load of bullsh*t ever" and stood up, fixing her hair in the mirror on the wall.
Alex leant back on the bed, "It's not that big a load of bullsh*t, come on think about it, from a guy's perspective for once"
Steph tried, but came to the same conclusion.
Alex shrugged and lowered himself onto his elbows, "Your dad trusted me, and now I've gone and let you do this...after us sleeping together that is, yeah pretty sure I've violated that trust that was forming ever so nicely there"
Steph rolled her eyes and pulled her hair into a high pony tail, brushing the loose ends up with her fingers and securing it in place with a hair tie, "You're looking waaaay to much into this" she smiled at her efforts and turned back to face Alex, hands on her hips, "Daddy knows me" she shrugged, "Probably would've only been a matter of time before I got into some kind of sh*t with the cops, really" she came and sat back on the bed, her knee tucked underneath her.
Alex looked away a second then sat up a little more, looking back at Steph, "Gonna tell your dad about you and Bruno?"
Steph's brow furrowed, "No" she said softly, "No I'm not" she snorted, "Talk about your own death sentence, geez daddy would kill me" she shook her head, "No way, if daddy found out I'd been sleeping with two guys at once, he'd probably ship me off to live with nuns or something"
Alex gave a sideways smile and tilted his head, "At least you'd be the hot nun"
Steph laughed out loud, "Yeah the rebel nun who wears nothing but lingerie under her habit, or whatever it is they wear"
Alex sat up and ran his hands round her hips, "Hmm, I may have to become a Catholic if that were the case"
Steph smiled, rolling her eyes, "You'd forever be confession"
Alex laughed and nodded, "Yeah true...I think I'd make a terrible Catholic actually, now I think of it"
Steph laughed again, and ran her fingers up along Alex's arm, "Soo, you're ok then now about what happened between me and Bruno?"
Alex stopped smiling and thought before deciding his final answer, "Well, yes and no. I'm still not happy with what happened, I'm not sure I ever will"
Steph lowered her head a little as Alex continued, "But, I can take two paths; either be completely pissed off at the two of you and let that consume me, losing you in the process, and losing out on a new mate. Or I suck it up, I move on, I enjoy life with my girlfriend and I have a laugh with a new mate"
Steph nodded, "I'm sorry again for that happening"
Alex shrugged, tracing around Steph's fingers on the bed, "I know you are, and you won't do it again will you?"
Steph shook her head, "Uh-uh"
Alex smiled and pushed himself up to kiss her, "Thought so" he turned and picked up Steph's phone, noting the time, "Ok, we should get back now" he said as Steph's phone chimed a message.
He handed the phone to Steph as she unlocked it and looked at the message, a smile creeping across her face, "He's been let free"
She stood up and slipped her thongs on (flip flops) then scrolled down the message and headed out the door, Alex following closely behind when she stopped abruptly, making Alex bump into her, "Whoa, what's up?"
Steph re-read the message and turned to Alex, "Bruno wants you to be his legal guardian"
Alex reeled his head back, "Huh?"