Destroying the Wrong

  “You're so beautiful. I've wanted to touch you since the first time I met you. I've dreamed about touching you and kissing you and making you scream my name.” His lips kissed my neck and he ran his tongue up and down like he was tasting me.

  “But you had to go and be with someone else, didn't you? I tried to be patient because I know I'm the only one that can make you happy. Why can't you understand that? Why do you keep ignoring me?” He grabbed my butt and pressed against me harder. His hand left my leg and moved up my dress. His fingers started rubbing me through my panties. I wanted to scream, but his threat was still ringing in my ears.

  “You know you want this too, Katherine. You know you want me right here.” He pushed his finger under my panties and rubbed all over, and I was ashamed that my body reacted to his revolting touch. “See, already you're getting wet for me. You should only get wet for me, no one else. Do you understand that?”

  Tears started running down my cheeks as I nodded to keep him from getting angry.

  This can’t be happening. Please someone help me!

  Chapter 15

  Alissa

  I saw Kat walk out of the bathroom and I was about to catch up with her to get the scoop on that dance she just had with Dillon, but Matt showed up. He was grinning.

  Why is everything about him irritating me?

  “What’s that smile for?”

  “I'm just happy.” His smile diminished slightly. “I don't think your brother likes me very much.”

  “What makes you think that?” I know I sounded sarcastic, but I was not in the mood for his insecurities at the moment.

  “You know what I'm talking about. Even you are being cold tonight. Let's go sit down next to him and you can see what I mean.” I followed him over to the table.

  “Alissa, do you know where Katherine went?” Dillon was looking around with a worried look on his face.

  “I just saw her. I'm sure she'll be right back.”

  “I saw her go into the back with Walt.” Matt's smile returned which made me feel uneasy.

  “Walt? Why didn't you go save her? I told you he creeps her out.” He was such an idiot. “Come on, Dillon, let's go find her.” Matt stood up with us and led the way without being asked.

  The moment we passed through the curtains to the back, I could feel something was wrong. I quickened my pace, passing Matt, but Dillon was faster. He must have felt it, too. When we reached the back, I couldn't really see anything, but I heard soft crying. Two shadows were hidden behind a stack of boxes. “Kat? Is that you,” I asked, squinting my eyes hoping to see better in the dark, but she didn't answer. Dillon threw the boxes aside and reached for one of the figures, throwing someone down to the ground.

  Kat pushed herself around Dillon and ran into my arms sobbing. “What happened? Why are you crying?” She couldn't answer as her crying intensified. I looked down at the ground and watched Dillon punch someone. The back lights came on and Matt turned the corner rushing over to Dillon and Walt. Walt was on the ground, his face covered in blood as Dillon continued to rain blows down on him. Matt wrestled Dillon off Walt, pinning him against the wall, but only barely.

  Scott and a couple more guys came running towards us. “What the hell is going on back here?” Scott was looking between all of us, anger and confusion warring on his face.

  “I don't know what happened. We came back here looking for Kat. Is he dead?” I pointed to Walt but held on tight to Kat with the other arm.

  Scott bent down to check on him while Matt was holding Dillon back against the wall.

  “That son of a bitch was hurting Kat! Let go of me, damn it! Let go!” Dillon had a murderous look on his face and I wanted to run to him, but Kat needed me more. I knew Scott could handle the boys, so I rushed Kat out and straight to the bathroom. Everyone was watching us and the music had stopped.

  I sat down on the bathroom floor with Kat and let her cry. I knew I could get answers later but adrenaline was rushing through my veins and I couldn't sit still.

  “Kat, we have to go back out there. We need to call the police. I won't leave your side, I promise.” She grabbed me tighter and cried even harder.

  “He tried to hurt me but didn't. Please don't call the cops. Please? Please don't make me have to tell anyone. Please?” I didn't answer her because I couldn't do what she asked.

  I wouldn’t let Walt get away with this.

  I heard sirens and there was a knock before Scott opened the bathroom door, waving at us to come out.

  “Kat, the cops are here and we are all going to need to make statements. I promise I will stay with you. Okay?” She nodded slightly and let me help her up but hid her face in my shoulder as we walked straight out to the ambulance. One of the EMT's wrapped her up in a blanket and had her sit on the back of the vehicle. Another ambulance pulled up and rushed through the doors with a stretcher in tow, returning just moments later with Walt strapped in.

  I looked around for Scott or Dillon but didn't see either of them. Matt came rushing out of the door toward us. He had blood stains on the front of his shirt.

  “What is going on? Where are Scott and Dillon?” I knew I sounded desperate. He looked at me like I’d punched him in the gut.

  “Scott is in there with Dillon while the police question him.”

  I nodded and got back to consoling Kat, trying to wipe off the mascara that was running down her cheeks. One of her dress straps was torn, and the slit over one leg in front that had been a slight tease earlier had been ripped open almost to her waist.

  A couple of minutes later, an officer walked over and asked to speak with Kat alone. I took the opportunity to go inside and find Dillon. He was sitting down handcuffed while one of the EMTs was putting bandages on his knuckles. Another officer stopped me before I could get any closer to my brother.

  “You need to leave, Miss.”

  “That's my brother and I want to know what's going on.”

  “I'm okay, Alissa. They are going to take me down for questioning. Call Mom and Dad and have them meet us there.”

  “Questioning for what, exactly? He just saved my friend from being attacked.”

  “Miss, he beat another man unconscious. He needs to go to the station for questioning.”

  After his bandaging was completed, the officers stood my brother up and took him away, leaving only Scott and I standing there, bewilderment hovering in the air between us.

  “I have to go.” I turned to walk away, but Scott stopped me and pulled me into his arms.

  “Call me if you need anything. Anything at all.” I didn't want to let go. I wanted to close my eyes and make this all go away. Get it together, Alissa. This isn’t about you.

  “Thank you, I will.”

  I ran back to where Kat was being loaded into the second ambulance and said, “I'll meet you down at the hospital. I'm calling your mom.”

  She nodded at me. I had never seen her look so scared and it tore at my heart.

  ~*~

  Kat's mom arrived at the hospital only a couple of minutes after I did. The staff wouldn't let me go back into the room, so Kat's mom promised to call me when she could have visitors. I left the hospital without bothering to get any information about Walt’s condition.

  Pulling up to the police station, I spotted my dad's car and parked next to him. I had never been in a police station so I wasn't even sure where to go. Luckily, my mom was sitting in the waiting area just inside the front door. She pulled me into a hug the moment she saw me.

  “What's going on? Have they let Dillon go yet?” My voice was shaking.

  “Not yet. I think they may want to ask you a few questions as well just to back up his side of the story.” My stomach knotted up. Any time I knew I could get into trouble, I started to feel nauseous. Not that I’d get in trouble for any of this, but the feeling was the same.

  “I'm not even sure what Walt was doing to Kat. It was dark and I know I saw Dillon jump on Walt and punch him, but I didn't see anything else
. Kat didn't tell me anything, so what am I supposed to say?”

  “Tell them what you just told me. That's all you can do.” My mom sat down and pulled me into the chair next to her. We sat there silently, holding hands until my dad approached us and we both stood up at the same time. He did not look happy.

  “Walt still isn't awake and they need to talk to Kat, but she's in with a counselor and Walt's father put his lawyer in contact with ours. We need to go home and wait for updates.” My mom nodded at him and they turned towards the door.

  “Wait. So, Dillon has to stay in custody until they get their shit together? He's not the bad guy here!” I said a little too loudly.

  “Watch your language. I know you're upset, but we have to play by the rules. Let's go home and wait until we figure out what's going on.” Dad gave a sharp jerk of his head and then was walking out the exit.

  How can he be so calm right now?

  I got to my car and called Scott. I explained to him what was going on while still sitting in the station parking lot. He tried to reassure me, but I was still too agitated to go home. I decided to go back to the hospital, hoping Kat's mom would have an update.

  I asked the nurse sitting at their station to let Kat's mom know I was there. Waiting in a tiny room with other families that were crying and making phone calls did not help my out-of-control emotions. I was so tired I ended up falling asleep in my chair. Kat's mom woke me up a while later to let me know Kat was ready to go home. She asked me not to follow her home so that Kat could try and get some sleep. I made her promise to call me first thing in the morning.

  I cried myself to sleep for the first time in a really long time.

  ~*~

  The first thing I did when I woke up was check my phone. I had a couple of missed texts from Matt asking for updates but no calls. I didn't remember seeing him after everything had happened but I hadn't been looking for him, either.

  Alissa: Where were you last night after the cops showed up?

  Matt: I was with Walt.

  Alissa: So after what he did to my friend, you stayed with him? Not me?

  Matt: Let's not do this over text. Can I come over? I feel really bad about what happened.

  Alissa: No. You should feel bad.

  I threw my phone on my bed and walked downstairs to see if there was news about Dillon. Passing by the hallway window, I could see snow falling. New York got a lot of snow, and during each snowfall, Kat and I would sit for hours, talking or just enjoying the quiet together. I fought back tears as I climbed down the rest of the stairs.

  She’d better be okay.

  My dad was on the phone when I reached the kitchen and my mom was making a pot of coffee. Neither of them looked like they’d gotten any sleep. I walked over to my mom first and gave her a hug.

  “Anything new?”

  “Your father is talking to one of his partners at the firm. Dillon is still at the station and Walt hasn't woken up.” Her hand was shaking as she tried to put water in the coffee machine. Water spilled everywhere and my mom gave a broken sob.

  “Go sit. I’ll finish that.”

  I heard a knock on the door. My temper started to boil because I could guess who was probably on the other side. I looked through the peephole and sure enough, there stood Matt. I put on my jacket and slippers before opening the door. I didn't want to let him in, so I walked outside and stood on the porch with my arms crossed.

  “I know you told me not to come over, but I really need to talk to you.” He looked at me with pleading eyes.

  “Make it fast.”

  “I know I should have stayed with you last night but you have to remember, I've been working with Walt for a long time and never did I think he was capable of hurting someone. I thought maybe Dillon was over-reacting to Walt being alone with Kat. After I left the hospital, Scott called me and told me what happened. He told me to leave you alone for the rest of the night so you could have some space.” He looked down avoiding my stare.

  “Don't use Scott as your excuse not to call me. Do you have any idea what I'm going through right now? What my parents and my brother are going through? Kat and her mom? You don't just stay away when people need you the most.” I choked on my angry tears, forcing them not to fall.

  “Okay, you're right. I get that, but Scott has been really pushing Walt to go after what he wants. I think Walt may have taken it the wrong way. Then I encouraged him to ask Kat to dance because I wanted more time with your brother so I could make a good impression. I don't think it is all Walt’s fault.”

  “No.” I shook my head and took a couple of steps back. “No. Don't you dare blame anyone other than Walt. No one can make you do things like that. No one can make you hurt someone. Now go home and if I feel like it, I will call you later.” I walked back inside and stood by the door until I heard his car pull out of the driveway.

  “Was that Matt?” My dad was off the phone, finally.

  “Yes, he needed to get going.” I sat down at the table and held on to my coffee cup until my hands stopped shaking.

  “Are you okay, honey? Maybe you should go back to bed for a while.” My mom looked at me, concern pushing additional strain across her face. She was the one that needed to go back to bed, but I didn’t want to say that in case it upset her.

  “I think I’ll go take a shower and then check on Kat. Call me, text me, whatever you need to do once you hear anything about Dillon?”

  “Of course,” my mom and dad said in unison.

  Chapter 16

  Katherine

  I wasn’t sure what was worse — freezing up when Walt had attacked me or having to re-count the story over and over. The nurse at the hospital ran tests and gave me my first “woman” exam, even though I told her he hadn’t gotten that far. Their protocol overruled everything I had to say. It didn't help my mom’s freaking out when they asked to run extra tests. The counselor thought I may have been hiding information or not wanting to share things because I was in denial. Honestly, I think I was the only sane person in that room.

  I wanted to call Alissa when I got home, but my mom crawled in bed with me and made sure I fell asleep right away, even though I didn’t. I heard her crying at one point but nothing I could say would make her feel any better.

  I didn't dream about the attack like the counselor had warned I would.

  The next morning I woke up alone and could finally breathe again. I was a little sore where Walt had tried to force his fingers and along my back where he’d pinned me against the wall. I was lucky nothing else had happened, though it would take a while before I was no longer embarrassed. The stupid classes on what to do if you faced an attacker they offered during P.E. had ended up being completely useless in the face of what had happened last night.

  I walked into the kitchen and found my mom staring into her coffee mug.

  “Do you need a refill?”

  Her head shot up straight and I knew I had startled her. “Actually, I need to make another pot. Do you want a cup?” She looked like she hadn’t slept a wink and I felt guilty for not consoling her when I’d heard her crying.

  “Sure. Please.” I sat down at the table and watched her fumble around the kitchen. The smell of coffee perked me up some. My mom stood by the coffee maker watching it trickle down slowly into the pot. “I'm sorry I scared you last night, Mom. I know I shouldn’t have followed him into the back room, but it never crossed my mind that he would end up being a perv,” I smiled a little trying to use humor so I wouldn’t cry.

  She looked over at me and I could see the tears forming in her eyes. “Kitty Kat, this was in no way your fault. Why would you apologize? I just can't stop thinking about what could have happened.” She shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose fiercely.

  “I froze up. I know I'm stronger than that, I could have stopped him from getting as far as he did, but I froze. It was stupid and really, I just don't want to ever talk about it again.” I played with my fingernails to have an excuse to look do
wn, aware that my mom was standing next to me, but I couldn't look at her. She looked like she had been through hell and I couldn't take that back.

  She leaned down and hugged me from the side. “If I hear you blame yourself one more time or say how stupid you were, I'll start drawing pictures all over the covers of your beloved books. No one deserves what you went through, Kitty Kat,” she said, pulling me in for a full hug. Mom and I had never been good at expressing feelings out loud, so whenever we had something deep to talk about, we typically wrote each other letters.

  I wanted to ask about Walt and find out what had happened to Dillon but by the time she set my coffee down in front of me, I realized the discussion would only upset her more. I made my mom go back to bed and promised not to leave the apartment or even open the door unless I was positive about who was on the other side. Once I was sure she was asleep, I went back into my room and called Alissa.

  She answered on the first ring. “Oh my God, Kat! Are you okay? Where are you?”

  I smiled at the sound of my best friend's voice. “I'm home. Mom just went back to bed and I need to take a shower, but I wanted to make sure you're okay. Is Dillon okay?”

  “Get in the shower. I'm coming over. I need to get out of this house and I need a Kat-hug.”

  She didn't even let me answer before she hung up and I figured I would have a good fifteen minutes before she started pounding on the door. I took a quick shower even though my muscles were begging me to stay under the hot water longer with just enough time to put on a robe and throw my hair up into the towel before my text alert went off letting me know Alissa was outside.

  “I didn't want to knock because you said your mom was back in bed.” She didn't knock her boots off outside, leaving a trail of snow through the entryway.

  “How thoughtful of you.” I closed the door and double-checked the locks. I normally didn’t remember to lock the doors, but I promised my mom. Once I turned back around, Alissa wrapped me up into her arms and we stood there until my towel slid off my head.

  Alissa stepped back and looked me up and down a couple of times.

  “What are you looking at?” I looked down to make sure my robe hadn’t opened up.