Chapter Seventeen:
March 9, 2002,

I'm so worried about Kay. I know that I've been saying the same thing for weeks now, but the way that she allows what almost happened to her to control her life scares me.

She barely eats. She doesn't do her homework or study for her exams. She doesn't seem to want to do anything anymore.

All she does is hide out in my treehouse and cry in my arms.

And that's ok. I don't mind the fact that she feels that she can lean on me when she needs some help. In fact, I'm overjoyed that she feels that she can trust me and that she doesn't have to go through all of this alone.

But, slowly, she's becoming a shell of the person that she once was. It's beyond the point that she had reached as Miguel's girlfriend. At least then she had some spark, some bit of life within her.

Now, she's like this walking zombie who doesn't seem to care about anything anymore. And that's what scares me.

So, somehow, I've got to find a way to bring her out of this funk she's fallen into. And I think that I know just how to do it…

"Kay, what's happened to you?" Reese asked out of nowhere one sunny afternoon.

"What the hell do you mean, Reese? You know what almost happened to me!" Kay sniffed, as she lifted her head off of his chest.

"I know that, Kay, but that's not what I meant. You're not the same person anymore. When I look into your eyes, I don't see the fire that used to burn inside of them. You don't seem to care about anything anymore. Kay, what happened?"

Kay shrugged her shoulders, almost out of uncertainty. She didn't seem to know or care why her life was changing so much.

But Reese cared—more than he cared to admit at that moment. And because he cared, he had to find a way to get her out of this downward spiral.

"Kay, you have to tell someone about what happened. Tell your father—he could help you more than I ever could."

Kay spun around and stared at Reese like he had just slapped her. "Are—are you serious? Reese, I told you that I can't tell anyone. I thought you understood that. And now… you want me to tell my father?"

"Kay, look, it's just that—"

Kay quickly tried to extricate herself from Reese's grasp, but he just wrapped his arms tightly around her, barely allowing her to move an inch.

"Kay, let me explain. Please. He's your father. He, and the rest of your family, can help you more than I ever could. Plus, he's the police chief, so he can punish Jordan for what he's done to you." He paused to stare Kay's eyes. "Kay, I love our talks and that fact that you feel that you can trust me. I'm glad that we have been able to rebuild our friendship. But you need more than me. Please, Kay, at least tell someone else. Someone else that you feel that you can trust, that you believe in. Please, Kay, don't hide from the world in my treehouse. Go out there and live."

Kay looked up at him, tears shining in her eyes. He hoped that he had reached her, that she had heard what he had said.

Slowly, she nodded. "Ok, Reese. I will."

She stood up to leave the treehouse. "Do you need me come with you?" Reese asked, quickly getting to his feet himself.

Kay shook her head slightly. "No, Reese. This is something that I need to do on my own."

~*~

Hours later, Reese climbed up to the treehouse, wondering how Kay had done when she had told her father. He hadn't heard anything—from either Chief Bennett or Kay, and he was beginning to get worried.

"K—Kay?" he asked the huddled form curled into a ball in the corner of the room.

The figure sniffed loudly. "What the hell do you want, Reese?"

"Kay, what's wrong?" he asked as he quickly approached her. "Why didn't you come and find me."

"I just wanted to be alone, Reese, after Miguel did exactly what I was afraid that he might do."

Reese winced. He could have told her that talking to Miguel the Dense wouldn't have done her much good.

"Kay, what did he do?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Reese. Now leave me alone!"

"Fine, Kay," Reese replied, slowly climbing down the ladder. "I'll see you later."

Dammit , he thought to himself as hit the ground and broke into a run. What the hell did you say to her, Miguel?

~*~

"Hey, LoFitz!" Reese called out as he approached the Lopez-Fitzgerald home.

"Hey, Reese," Miguel replied, turning away from the basketball hoop, with the ball in his hands. "What's going on?"

"Was Kay here before?" Reese didn't have time for small talk. He had to get to the bottom of this—and fast.

"Yeah, she was. She left awhile ago. I don't know where she is now though. Sorry, man."

"What did you guys talk about?" Reese asked. Getting any kind of information out of Miguel was almost like pulling teeth!

Miguel shrugged. "Not much. She told me that she thought that Jordan was trying to rape her." He laughed. "Can you believe that? Jordan would never do a thing like that! So I told her that she probably just misunderstood his actions. Then she left. That was it."

Without a second thought, Reese's fist flew towards Miguel's jaw, causing him to loose his grip on the ball. So that was what she had been so afraid of. She hadn't wanted to tell anyone since she thought that they wouldn't believe her. And of course Miguel had had to go and prove her right.

"Dammit, Reese," Miguel groaned as he rubbed his jaw. "What the hell was that for?"

"That was for Kay," Reese informed him gravely. "She's supposed to be your best friend, and she came to you to tell you what has been bothering her for almost a month—and you blew her off."

"Whatever, Reese. How do you know that you have the true story? I mean, I know Jordan pretty well from basketball and baseball and stuff. He wouldn't do anything like that."

"So you're saying that Kay would lie?"

"I wouldn't blame her. She's practically invisible in her family—she was always complaining about it. This kind of scandal would get her some attention and throw her back in the limelight."

Reese couldn't believe what Miguel was saying. These were the types of things that he had expected Kay's words to bring from Jordan's friends—not from her own. But here was Miguel Emanuel Lopez-Fitzgerald accusing his own friend of lying to him.

Unable to resist, Reese threw another punch, and then another. Once Miguel realized what was going on, he threw some blows of his own, but Reese was able to deflect the majority of them.

Suddenly, a loud gasp interrupted Reese's concentration. "Reese, Miguel, stop!"

Kay. She was there. Immediately, Reese turned around to explain what was going on, but he didn't have a chance.

He didn't see the opportunity that he was giving Miguel. He didn't see Miguel's fist aiming for his head.

And then, he didn't see anything.