The Good Girls (16 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Cara

I
woke up on a Tuesday. My eyes fluttered open, and I glanced around the stark white room. I was surrounded by paper swans that hung from the ceiling, and I held my breath, afraid that I hadn’t survived my attack by Tristan.
Was this heaven? Had they somehow let me slip through?
The beeping of machines filled my ears, but a blurred vision of Ellie was what I struggled to focus on.

“I’m here,” she spoke, and the beeping of my heart monitor increased as her fingers wrapped around mine.

I tried to speak, but my throat was raw and sore. A nurse was quickly by my side to give me a sip of water.

“Your throat was injured in the attack. Just take it easy,” the nurse said as she placed her hand on my shoulder. I kept my eyes locked on El as if she was an illusion that would vanish if I looked away.
Please don’t disappear.

The nurse made a few notes on a clipboard and asked me a few questions before finally giving me a moment alone with Ellie. She leaned down, placing her forehead against mine, and I finally let my eyes close.

“We don’t have much time,” she whispered as she pulled back to look me in the eye. “This was Tristan, wasn’t it? You have to tell them that this was a hate crime, Cara.”

I shook my head as I croaked out the word no.

“You can’t let him get away with this, Cara. I won’t let you let him get away with this.”

I shook my head again as she held up my cup of water so I could take another drink. “No one can know, El. Please. My mother…”

“Isn’t a mother at all if she doesn’t care about your safety or happiness.”

“What happiness?” I asked, and she gave me a sad smile as her hand covered mine. My knuckles hurt, but I squeezed her back, needing to be closer to her.

“El, there aren’t any laws in Georgia to prevent hate crimes.”

I watched her lip quiver as that reality hit her. Our own government didn’t accept us as equals.

“But he will still go to jail for what he’s done.”

“How much time do you think they’ll give to a ‘good ole’ boy’ who tried to cure me of my sins?”

Tears trailed down her cheeks as she silently cried.

My gaze drifted over Ellie’s right shoulder to a girl with short red hair whose back was pressed against the wall. I looked back to Ellie, struggling to smile.

“Did you read my book?” I asked, the lump forming in my throat making it nearly impossible to talk now.

“Yes. Yes, I did.” Her eyes glossed over, and I wanted to pull her in to hug me but my body felt so heavy. I glanced to the machine on my left and a long pole with bags hanging from it that were attached to my arm via tubes.

Ellie’s gaze followed mine. “They have you on some good stuff, huh?”

I shrugged. “I’ve had better at some of those keggers.” I smiled, and Ellie giggled, even though I knew she was struggling to remain serious. My smile faded. “Are you going to introduce me?”

Whatever Tristan had put me through, it was nothing to the pain in my chest at this moment. I’d already lost her. I could only hope that she was happy and didn’t have to hide who she was any longer.

Ellie looked behind her before her eyes met mine. “That’s Julie.” The girl with the red hair stepped up beside Ellie and put her hand on her shoulder. In that moment, I wished I never had woken up. But I deserved every shard of glass pressed into my heart. I’d hurt Ellie, and I never would forgive myself for leaving her like I did.

“Are you all right?” Julie looked to Ellie. She swallowed hard and nodded. “I’m going to give you two a few minutes alone.” She pressed a kiss to Ellie’s temple, and I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the small token of affection.

I opened my eyes to find I was now alone with Ellie, who was struggling to hold herself together. I reached up with shaky fingers and slid the pad of my thumb under her eye, catching a tear.

“She’s very beautiful,” I said as I forced a smile. I didn’t want her to feel guilty for moving on. As long as she was happy, I was happy for her.

“She is.” Ellie glanced over her shoulder to the empty doorway. “Too bad she’s straight.”

“What?” I wasn’t sure if the drugs had fogged my brain.

“As an arrow.” Ellie laughed, shaking her head. She leaned in closer, and I held my breath as our eyes locked, her face turning serious. “But I
think
her two dads might be gay.” Her eyebrow rose.

I laughed, pain shooting through my ribs. Ellie’s smile faded as she placed her hand featherlight on my belly.

“I’m so sorry.” She frowned, but I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face.

“
I’
m
sorry.” I reached up, sliding my fingers into her silky hair. She leaned closer, pressing a soft kiss against my lips. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, Cara. I always have.”

“I wish you didn’t.”

Ellie pulled back from me, unable to hide the shock from her expression. She never was good at masking her feelings.

“I only mean that you wouldn’t have gone through so much had I left you alone.”

“Had you left me alone, I would have never known what it was like to truly love someone. It was worth all of the pain.
You
are worth it all.”

“You would have found someone,” I tucked her hair behind her ear, my eyes taking in her beauty. “I have no doubt in my mind.”

“I don’t want anyone else, Cara. What do I have to do to prove to you that I won’t run away?”

I tried not to think of my mother or the others who’d left me behind when I needed them the most. Ellie was different.

“Marry me.”

She laughed as she clasped her hand over her mouth and shook her head. “Okay, now I know they have you on some good drugs.”

My eyes searched hers, and I had no doubt in my mind that she was the only person I wanted for the rest of my life.

“Not now, just promise me that this is forever.”

Her smile faded when she realized I was serious; the gravity of the situation hit her. Leaning closer, she inhaled a ragged breath. Her gaze drifted to the ceiling, and I glanced up with her to look over the paper cranes that hung overhead.

“Is that your wish?” she asked as her eyes searched mine. I nodded as my hand slid to the back of her neck into her hair. I pulled her mouth to mine, wincing as pain shot through my swollen lip, but it was worth it. Every second of suffering was worth it to finally be able to call Ellie mine.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Ellie

C
ara was released from the hospital, and she came to stay with David. I didn’t return to school because I was terrified to leave her side. Instead, I gave my car to Julie so she wouldn’t miss any classes. For two days, Cara would wince whenever she had to move, but she pretended that she was okay.

In the middle of the night, I’d wrap my arms and legs around her to keep her from hurting herself as she clawed at the sheets, engulfed in the memory of what Tristan had done. I felt helpless watching the person I loved struggling to overcome something so horrific. When she finally admitted, through broken sobs, how far the attack went, I couldn’t breathe. It was as if he’d reached in my chest and squeezed the life from me. She never actually said the word rape, but she didn’t have to. Part of me knew before she confessed. She refused to undress near me, and her body stiffened when hugged before she’d relax into me. Too much time had passed to even have enough evidence to prove he’d forced himself on her, and I was left feeling helpless.

It was killing me inside to see her suffer, and Tristan was going to walk away from it all. Cara didn’t want our names dragged through the mud. In a small town like this, they wouldn’t side with us. It was the reality of the situation, and it made me furious that I couldn’t protect the person I loved.

By the fourth day of unbearable suffering, I called Brody, desperately in need to talk to someone.

He agreed to meet me while Cara was at her follow-up appointment with Dawn. Between her attack and coming out to our friends and family, I needed someone to confide in. I couldn’t be strong any longer.

I waited on the steps of the library, lost in the pages of
On a Tuesday,
when his car pulled up to the curb.
I stood, brushing off my bottom as he got out of the car and hurried toward me. His arms wrapped around my waist, and he lifted me from the bottom step in a tight hug before depositing me on the sidewalk.

“I’ve been worried about you two,” he said as we walked to his car. I slid into the passenger seat and fiddled with the radio as he got in and buckled his seat belt.

“It’s been a long couple of days, Bro.” I shook my head, my eyes feeling like they were burned open from exhaustion.

“How is she feeling? Is she starting to heal?” He pulled out onto the road and began to slowly drive.

I glanced over at Brody’s concerned expression and shook my head. The scars that Cara would wear from this attack were on the inside. “It’s…so much worse than…it wasn’t the beating that really hurt her…” I couldn’t even finish my thought as I burst into tears. Brody pulled the car off the road and wrapped his strong arms around me, rubbing my back. I sobbed into his chest until my body felt like it had nothing left to give. I sagged against him as I tugged at the thin material of his T-shirt. It was the color of Cara’s eyes, which were no longer vibrant and full of life.

Brody cleared his throat, causing his chest to rumble beneath my ear.

“He didn’t,” he whispered, shaking his head in disbelief as his arms banded around me tighter, crushing me in his grasp. “I’ll fucking kill him, Ellie.” His mouth was against my ear as he made me a quiet promise.

“You can’t, Brody. Cara—” He cut me off before I could plead with him not to go after Tristan.

“I’m not asking for your permission.” He pulled back and ran his hand over his face as the reality of what had happened hit him. “He did this to Ally.”

“What?” I asked, lost in his train of thought.

“Ally, Tristan’s ex.”

The girl from the first frat party we attended flashed through my mind. “He…raped her?”

“He tried. She said he cornered her about a week after he got together with Cara. We all thought she was jealous. I’m going to be sick.” His face paled as he leaned against the steering wheel, his head still shaking in disbelief. Brody put the car in drive and headed down the road in the direction of David’s house.

“Where are we going?”

“I’m taking you home,” he replied but wouldn’t look at me.

“Why, Brody?” I watched as the muscles in his jaw ticked beneath his skin. I’d never seen him angry like this, and it was terrifying.

His eyes met mine briefly before he looked back to the road, stepping on the gas.

“Brody, Cara doesn’t want this shared with the world. She doesn’t want people to know what he did.”

“Don’t worry. He won’t be able to talk with his fucking jaw wired shut.” He turned down my driveway, kicking up stones in our path and leaving a cloud of dust in our wake. He stopped next to the front door and threw the car in park without saying a word.

“I’m not getting out.”

Running his hand roughly over his hair, he struggled to calm his erratic breathing. “El, this is something I
have
to do.”

I shook my head, begging my mind to come up with a logical reason that I could give him to make him reconsider, but I wanted Tristan to suffer for what he did as well. It made me sick to think that he’d turned us all into monsters just like him. “No.”

He looked over at me, pain in his eyes.

“You think I don’t want to hurt him? You think it isn’t killing me inside that this prick hurt Cara, and I can’t even defend her?”

“You don’t have to.”

“Brody, you can’t fight our battles for us.” I picked at the tattered frays on my jean shorts as my eyes blurred over with fresh tears.

“Someone needs to stand up for you, and if the fucking cops won’t, I will.”

“You’ll go to jail.”

“I’ll put him in a fucking body bag first.”

I looked over at Brody, my eyes wide with shock, but his expression was eerily calm. He had made up his mind, and I had to convince him not to.

“Have I ever told you…how much I love you?” I asked with a sad smile.

Brody’s eyes glossed over. The column of his throat moved when he swallowed hard. He reached out, ghosting his knuckles over my cheek, and I leaned into his touch, the corners of my mouth tugging down in a frown.

“It’s because of how much I love you that I have to do this.” His eyebrows pulled together as if it physically pained him to say the words. “I hate to see you hurting.”

I grabbed his hand from my face and pulled it to my lap, wrapping my fingers around his. “If anything happened to you, it would hurt me.”

He looked down at our hands, and I ducked my head to catch his eye again.
“Please.”

“Ellie, I never lied to you.” He pulled his hand free from mine as his expression turned hard again. “I won’t start now.”

I pressed the lock down on the passenger-side door and crossed my arms over my chest. “I won’t leave you.” I was acting like a child, but I was at a complete loss as to what to do.

“Fine,” he spat angrily as he put the car in drive and turned around, speeding back down the driveway. My heart was racing as we made our way across town toward Tristan’s apartment. I knew without a doubt if we found him there, Brody would beat him within an inch of his life, and that was if he was lucky. I had my doubts that he would be able to stop once he got ahold of him. That only gave me a few minutes to stop this from happening and come up with something better.

I slammed my hands on the dash. Brody swerved and nearly ran off the road.

“His mom,” I practically screamed. “His fucking mom.” I began to laugh like an idiot.

Brody was looking at me as if I’d lost my mind. “Care to share with the rest of the class?”

I rolled my eyes but ignored his remark. “Tristan’s mother is in town. Cara mentioned it as she told me…” I let my voice trail off and shook the vivid details from my mind. “His parents pay for everything, right?”

“Yeah, he’s a spoiled fucking bitch.”

“Exactly.” I held up my hands as if the solution was obvious, but Brody still didn’t seem to get it. “We tell his fucking mom. We show her what her precious son did to Cara.”

“You can’t just walk up to someone and tell them their son is a rapist.”

I flinched at his words, and he placed his hand on my thigh and gave it a small squeeze before placing it back on the wheel.

“It’s worth a shot, Bro. I want Tristan to pay for what he did to Cara, too, but not by you getting in trouble.”

He sighed loudly and was quiet for a moment as he thought it over. When Tristan’s apartment came into view, my heart seized in my chest. Brody threw the car into park and got out before I could even unbuckle my seat belt. I scrambled out of the car and hurried after him.

As he rang the doorbell, I glanced up at him. His gaze flicked to me, and he looked torn. I knew he didn’t want to let Tristan get off so easily, and I was out of time.

As the door pulled open, I sighed with relief when it was one of his roommates.

“Where’s Tris?” Brody had forgone any small talk, and I could almost feel the energy vibrating off him.

“How the fuck should I know?” the guy responded, his eyes glossed over and half-mast. I knew he was stoned, but with one look at Brody’s narrowed gaze he seemed to sober up quickly. “I think he’s with his mom. He said something about dinner.” The guy gave an apologetic shrug, and Brody nodded once before turning and heading back to his car.

I jumped in the passenger seat and buckled quickly, afraid I’d get left behind if I didn’t keep up with him. We took off down the road as my cell phone rang.

“Hey, baby. How was your appointment?” I asked as Cara sighed into the receiver.

“I never want to go to another doctor again.”

“I wish I could have come along, but you know they would have made me wait outside because I’m not a relative.”

“It’s not fair,” she mumbled, and I wished I could hold her.

“None of this is,” I agreed as I looked to Brody.

“I should be home soon.”

“Well, I…uh…I might not be there for a while.”

“Why?” I could hear the panic in her voice. After the accident I’d barely left her side.

“I’m with Brody. We’re at the library. I promise I won’t be too late, okay?”

She was silent for a moment before she responded. “I miss you.” Her voice sounded defeated.

“I miss you, too, Cara. I won’t be long, okay?”

“I love you.” She sounded so small, not the normal vibrant and fun-loving Cara she’d always been. But it warmed me to hear her say those words. I couldn’t get enough of it.

“I love you, too.”

We said our good-byes, and I cleared my throat, trying to push the sadness from my mind. I needed to keep focused on what was about to happen, because if I couldn’t keep Brody away from Tristan, I might not make it back home to Cara tonight. The last thing anyone in our family needed was to have to visit me in jail.

“You lied to her,” he said. He wasn’t judging, but it still made my spine stiffen.

“I couldn’t tell her we were going to go see Tris. It would kill her.”

He nodded once but didn’t respond as we continued down Main Street and turned off on Lincoln Road.

“That’s his fucking car.” Brody pulled off into a parking spot just two away from Tristan’s vehicle and slammed the car into park.