Bad Boy Attraction

Chapter 5

I look down on my cereals, not able to eat a single thing.

I think about last night. How scared I was. How scared I still am.

He knows my apartment.

I look again at my phone. I haven’t open Chloe’s messages, not knowing what to say to her. I haven’t told my parents anything, they are too far and they will worry powerlessly.

My phone rings, informing me a phone call. Chloe’s friends must have told her what happened since she is sending me worried message since this morning.

I pick up reluctantly the phone.

“Jade! Oh my god, I was so worried!” Chloe screams on he phone. I wince, my head hurting from last night, putting the phone away from my ear.

“Chloe…” I start, not knowing if I should tell her about what happened.

“Logan told me everything. They told me they kidnapped you, I was so afraid! Are you okey? Where are you?”

“I’m home.” I pause, breaking in sob. “I’m scared.”

“I’m so sorry, I should have come! I shouldn’t have let you go!”

“It’s not your fault, I was so useless back then. How are Logan and the others?” I feel powerless and ashamed of my inaction. But could have I had done something significant if I had more courage?

“Don’t say that! I’m coming to your house. Where do you live?”

Where do you live?

It makes me shiver to think again of this question. How could I have been so stupid?

“No!” I answer a bit too quickly, not feeling good about the security of my home for now. “How about I meet you somewhere? I think I would prefer to be surrounded by people,” I cover up.

“Okey, let’s meet in town, I’ll send you the address right now. Do you want me to come pick you up?”

“No, it’s okey, thank you. I’ll meet you there.”

“See you soon,” she finishes the call with worry.

I look down on my phone, back on the main page of the phone calls. I frown when I see a unknown number appearing on my calls historic. I don’t call often, preferring texting over calling. Usually, my call journals sums up at Mom and Dad and my best friend, with a few exception to the list. But since I don’t call much, I always register the phone number. It surprises me even more that it is phone call I made, instead of receiving.

00h38.

Where was I at midnight? I should have been at the bar with Chloe. Have I made this phone call by mistake?

I close my call journals and open my conversation with Chloe to see that she already sent me the address. I dress up quickly, and get my keys.

My hand freeze when I go to get the handle of the apartment. I haven’t slept all night, scared somebody will come in. And now I am scared something will be waiting for me outside the apartment.

I slowly unlock the door, and open it to see nothing out of the ordinary.

I sigh in relief but still be careful while getting down the stairs. I look maniacally around until I am in my car.

I drive until the meet up point given by Chloe. I park next what seem to be a cute coffee shop/brunch place. I go directly in the terrace as she told me, to see not only her but five other persons. I wince, thinking it would only be me and her and that I would be more at ease to talk to my friend. I recognize from where I am standing Logan, Stan, a girl named Sophie who left with Chloe after the bar. There are two other guys that I don’t think I’ve seen before.

I don’t have time to reach them that Chloe stands up to hug me.

“Jade, I was so worried when they told me what happened. I would have felt horrible if something had happened to you!” Chloe says to me with worry, but somehow, it doesn’t comfort me the way she intended to.

“Don’t worry, I’m alright,” I reply with a forced smile. I look at the table, and especially at Logan, my smile fading. “Was everything okey after? I am so sorry that I left, I should have tried to resist more to stay with you guys.”

He has a black eye and some more bruises on the face. It makes me feel bad that Jordan took me and brought me home safely while they had gotten beaten up.

He tries to smile at me but it must hurt since he grimaces shortly after. “Don’t worry about us. We were worried that he had done something bad to you.” He looks down, stopping our eye contact. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you, I let them take you away.”

I try to reassure him, he couldn’t have done anything, we were outnumbered, overpowered. He was so proud to have been accepted as a police officer, and it feels for him like a personal failure at protecting a citizen. I can’t blame him, but a flashback from yesterday’s night comes in mind. He is down on his knees, in the dark alley, trying hard to not look at me while Jordan gets me away from them.

I can’t blame him, he couldn’t have done anything, and in the end, I am the one who wasn’t hurt but what if Jordan didn’t bring me home? What if I had ended up raped and dead in a sewer?

I shiver at the though and breath out slowly to get the idea out of my head.

I look up, feeling a gaze on me. Everyone is turned toward Logan who is talking about yesterday’s event except the guy just next to him. He is staring on me. When he realizes I look back a him, he turns his head toward Logan, breaking the eye contact.

Chloe indicates to seat next to her, Logan being in front of me. I listen to him telling the beating he received. By the face of the people around the table, he must have told them a few times already, but they still listen to him.

He explains how they ambushed us out of nowhere. How they were more than a hundred. How he tried to protect us. How he beat up a few guys alone but got outnumbered in the end.

The more he talks, the more I frown, knowing it didn’t exactly happen that way. I sense that the guy next to Logan is stealing a few quick glances toward me before looking back at Logan.

“Could you describe your aggressors? At least one?” he asks when Logan finishes his story.

“Nah man, it was way too dark there. By the way, it makes me think we should rectify this. We should install more light in that area, there will be less mugging.”

“It’s too difficult to install anything there, they will break it as soon as it is done,” he answers, sighing. “I still can’t believe you went there at this time of the night. You should know better Logan,” he continues, scolding him.

Logan doesn’t reply, his eyes down on his plate, looking ashamed. I don’t know him from a long tim, but the few times I saw him, he always looked so arrogant and proud that it feels different. Like a little child being scold by his parents.

“You can’t act so recklessly, especially now that you are part of the police force,” the guy continues. “You realize you put your friends in danger?”

“It wasn’t my fault!” Logan argues. “It’s those bastard’s faults who attacked us. We should raid the district; it is full of garbage that we should have locked up a long time ago!”

“And on what base should we arrest them? We don’t know how many they were, we don’t know how they look like. We don’t know anything. We can’t just go there and arrest everyone based on a vague memory of a drunk officer.”

“What can we do Mike?” Logan asks more calmly.

Mike sighs, passing one hand in his hair. “You’ll come tomorrow at the station, you’ll make an official statement of what happened. What really happened, no exaggeration, no fantasy. We will try to track the stolen objects. But honestly Logan, I don’t think we will be able to catch them for that.”

He then turns toward me. “Will you be able to come tomorrow as well? I would like to take your statement.”

“He his Logan’s older brother, Mickael,” Chloe informs me, “he is a police officer as well.”

I understand now why he was looking at me from time to time when Logan was telling his story. I nod at him before remembering that I am working tomorrow.

“You can come during lunch time if that’s okey with you? Chloe told us you are working in the same firm. It is on the same street as the station, it will only take a minute.”

“Okey, I’ll come around noon,” I agree.

I should have told him that I’m scared since our aggressor knows where I live, but the words don’t leave my mouth. I feel Mickael’s stare again on me. He opens his mouth to tell me something but gets cut by Logan, who tries a new strategy to lock up all the bad guys, and another argue between brothers starts, making me chuckle.

We spend the afternoon on the terrace, and I’m thankful for being around them.

When everyone gets up to leave, I take Chloe’s arm so she doesn’t leave straight away. We say goodbye to the others, and she waits for me.

I explain her everything and her eyes go wide.

“You should have told Mickael!”

“I know, but nothing really happened so they couldn’t have done anything. But I am scared to be alone,” I explain poorly.

“You sleep with me tonight, let’s get your stuff and you stay with me.”