“This isn’t about what he did to that girl, it’s about what you allowed to happen to him at the stupid Bradford party with all your stupid new friends.”
“Are you hearing yourself?” I yell at her. “You weren’t even there. You have no idea how it went down, which could only mean that you’ve been talking to Colby, and he’s been feeding you bullshit lies.”
“He hasn’t.”
“Really?” I scoff. “Did he tell you how he grabbed me, how he dug his fingers in and when I tried to pull away, he told me if I wasn’t careful, he’d fucking rape me next? No, I bet he skipped over those little details, didn’t he? Look at me, Erica. Look at my arms,” I demand, pointing out the scratches and bruises that mar my skin. “All of this is from Colby. I didn’t do this to myself. That’s the asshole you’re defending right now, and honestly, I really can’t believe that you are. You’ve seen the messages he’s been sending me.”
“I know, I just … you shouldn’t have let your boyfriend hurt him. That was uncalled for.”
I gape at her, unable to believe what I’m hearing. “Colby came onto our turf. He came to a Bradford party looking to hurt me. He assaulted me in front of the whole senior class, so whether Tanner was there or not, whether he hurt Addison or not, he was going to get his ass handed to him, and rightfully so.”
She looks away from me, guilt heavy in her eyes.
“Are you serious right now?” I question. “You said in your message that I’m not who you thought I was, but honestly, Erica, you’re the stranger right now. You’re defending Colby. What if that had been me who he raped and left in a coma? Would you be defending him then? What if it was your little brother who’d been hurt? What if—” I let my sentence trail off, hating that she won’t even look at me. “Am I missing something? Is there something you’re keeping from me? This doesn’t make sense. You shouldn’t be defending him like this.”
“I’m not defending him, I’m just … you’re turning your back on everything. Colby is our star player and you let your boyfriend beat him senseless. Where’s your loyalty—”
“COLBY RAPED HIS FUCKING SISTER, ERICA,” I yell, the wild rage burning up inside of me. “He should be rotting in a fucking prison. How can you not see that? The beating Tanner gave him wasn’t even a portion of what he deserves. The asshole drugged her, held her down, and stripped her bare while she screamed through the phone for Tanner to save her. Colby fucking laughed while he raped her and then left her for fucking dead. Can’t you—”
“THAT’S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED,” she fires back at me. “THAT BITCH TOOK THOSE DRUGS HERSELF. SHE KNEW WHAT SHE WAS DOING.”
My eyes bug out of my head, my jaw dropping as I watch Erica realize what the fuck she just said. She shakes her head, her eyes widening and beginning to flick around, desperate to start backtracking. “No, no,” she rushes out, her hands flying up as if to express her innocence. “That’s not what I meant. She just—”
“You were there,” I say, bile rising in my throat. “You and Colby. You were both in on this.”
“No,” she rushes out. “I swear, I didn’t know he was going to hurt her. We just wanted to take a few pills and she was down so Colby gave her some. I … I didn’t know he—”
I shake my head, not even recognizing the girl standing across from me. “Tell me you’re lying. Tell me you had nothing to do with this.”
“I … I …”
“I swear to fucking God, Erica, stop trying to come up with some bullshit story and be honest for once in your fucking life. WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED THAT NIGHT?”
Heaving sobs tear from the back of Erica’s throat and she drops to her knees, her face falling into her hands. “I didn’t know,” she cries. “I didn’t know he was going to hurt her.”
“Erica,” I snap, silently demanding the whole story.
“We’ve been fucking, okay,” she rushes out. “All summer long. You weren’t giving him what he needed and so he came to me the night of your eighteenth, and you know how I’ve always liked him. Ever since sophomore year and—”
“You were fucking my boyfriend? On my birthday? What the fuck, Erica?”
She swallows hard and nods, her eyes filling with tears. “I … I didn’t mean to. It just—”
I look away, unable to meet her stare as the betrayal shoots through my body, tears falling down my face. “Let me guess, you fell and your loose fucking vagina landed on his three-inch cock and all the moving trying to get back up just happened to make you both come?” I question, shaking my head. “Just stop with your bullshit excuses and tell me what happened to Addison.”
Erica sobs and crumbles a little bit more. “Colby and I … we were taking pills and getting fucked up out back when she asked if she could have some. I’d seen her earlier dancing on all the guys, and she was looking at Colby like she wanted to fuck him, and I didn’t like it. I told her to fuck off, but Colby was down, so he gave her a bunch of pills. He was all over her and I was jealous, so we got in a fight and he shoved me away. That’s when I went back to you. The next thing I know,” she continues, her relentless sobbing making it hard to follow, “I had a call from Colby and he was panicking. I went to find him and he was in the bedroom with her. She was naked and they’d clearly just fucked, and I didn’t even notice her torn clothing or how she was bleeding because she was seizing on the ground.”
Erica stops as if that’s a good ending for her story, but I step toward her, not nearly finished with her. “What did you do?”
Her eyes widen. “What do you mean? We fucking ran. She was a rich kid from Bradford. The cops were coming and we … we just grabbed you and took off. What else were we supposed to do?”
My hand whips out, smacking hard across her face. “Addison has been in a fucking coma for six weeks,” I roar. “SIX FUCKING WEEKS AND THAT’S ALL ON YOU.”
Erica throws herself to her feet, shoving me hard in the chest. “Don’t you dare put this on my shoulders,” she spits. “I didn’t shove those pills down her fucking throat, and I sure as fuck wasn’t the one to put my hands on her. This has nothing to do with me.”
“You fucking ran while a girl was lying there seizing, just moments after being brutally attacked while on a cocktail of drugs. Who the fuck are you, Erica?” I spit. “You may not have given her those drugs or physically raped her, but you are just as guilty as he is, and I swear to you, Erica, if you don’t go and hand yourself in to the cops right fucking now, I will do it for you.”
Her face pales and she stares at me in horror, betrayal slicing through her stare. “What did you just say?”
“You heard me.”
“But I’m your best friend.”
I shake my head. “You stopped being my best friend the moment you decided to fuck my boyfriend. Right now, all you are is the girl who helped Colby Jacobs assault a minor. You’re nothing to me, Erica. Don’t ever come here again.”