Present
1394 Words
Brittany (POV)
We were kept in the station for some hours and what made it worse was that the police refused to tell us why we were arrested and we weren’t even allowed to make a call.
“This is so stupid,” Avery muttered beside me, pacing.
I sat still, my hands clasped together.
My heart still hadn’t slowed down. “We didn’t even do anything,” I murmured quietly.
“Exactly!” Avery snapped. “So why are we here?”
“Because you won’t stop talking,” one of the officers said from across the room.
“Say something meaningful.” Avery hissed.
“Avery, please, just calm down,” I whispered urgently, grabbing her arm before she could lunge forward again.
“Don’t tell me to calm down, Brittany!” she snapped, yanking away from me. “Did you see the way they dragged me in here? Like I’m some criminal!”
“You were at an illegal party,” one of the officers finally said dryly from behind the desk, not even bothering to look up.
“Oh, please,” another girl scoffed from the bench beside us. “Half the people there ran away. Why are we the ones here?”
“Because you didn’t run fast enough,” the officer scoffed.
Avery let out a frustrated scream, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. “This is ridiculous! Do you even know who my parents are?”
I winced.
The officer finally looked up, unimpressed. “Sit down.”
“I’m not sitting down!”
“Avery,” I said again, softer this time, trying to steady my voice even though my heart was still racing. “Please… you’re making it worse.”
She turned to me, eyes blazing. “Worse? Brittany, we’re literally in a police station. How does it get worse than this?”
I didn’t answer.
“If you don’t shut up I’m going to deal with you.” One of the officers said roughly, standing up.
I got annoyed by his words.
You’re not touching her,” I snapped, stepping in front of Avery before I could even think.
“Oh, so now you’re the brave one?” the officer mocked me, moving closer.
“Back off,” I said, although my voice was shaking but I didn’t move.
Avery laughed behind me, wild and careless. “Brittany, don’t, this i***t actually thinks he can scare me—”
“Keep talking,” the officer said, lifting his hand.
My heart slammed. “If you hit her, I swear”
“Do something,” Avery cut in, taunting. “Go on.”
The officer’s hand came up, but suddenly, before his hands could move any further.
A loud and deep voice rang out. “Don’t you lay your f*****g hands on my her.”
The entire room went still, even me.
I turned slowly, a bit surprised, and then I saw him.
Ethan.
For a second, I couldn’t move. The room shifted the moment he stepped in.
Even the officers noticed.
One of them straightened. Another scoffed. “Of course it’s him.”
Ethan didn’t react, his eyes were locked on the officer in front of us.
“I said,” he repeated, voice low, “don’t touch her.”
The officer hesitated, then lowered his hand slowly. “You shouldn’t be here,” he spat out angrily.
Ethan ignored that completely and stepped forward. “She’s my sister.”
Avery let out a short, dry laugh behind me. “Now you remember,” she muttered.
The officers exchanged looks.
“And her?” the officer asked, glancing at me.
Ethan’s gaze shifted to me for a brief second. It was unreadable.
“She’s with us.”
Something about the way he said it made my chest tighten.
The officer scoffed. “You think that changes anything?”
Ethan didn’t raise his voice. “It should.”
One of the older officers sighed. “Let them go.”
“But sir,”
“I said let them go.”
Avery rolled her eyes immediately. “Finally,” she muttered, grabbing my wrist. “This place is suffocating.”
The officer stepped back. “Get out.”
We started moving. But just as we passed Ethan, Avery stopped.
She turned to him, her expression hard. “Don’t think this changes anything,” she said flatly.
I blinked.
Ethan didn’t react immediately, he just looked at her. “You got yourself arrested,” he said plainly.
“Oh, please,” Avery scoffed. “Like you’ve never been in worse situations.”
“That’s exactly why you shouldn’t be here.”
“I didn’t ask for your help,” she snapped.
“Clearly,” he said.
Avery rolled her eyes again and turned away. “Come on, Brittany.”
I hesitated for a second because he was staring at me again.
I looked away quickly and followed her.
———————————-
Some hours later, after we had gone home and changed, we quickly hurried to our first lecture.
“Britt, we’re going to be late.”
“I know, just relax a bit. We are just coming from the police station, don’t forget.” I muttered, tightening my grip on my bag as we hurried across campus.
Students rushed past us in every direction, voices overlapping, footsteps quick, everything moving too fast for my already pounding head.
Avery, somehow, looked perfectly fine.
I sighed, adjusting the strap on my shoulder.
We picked up our pace, weaving through people, trying not to bump into anyone which was nearly impossible at this point.
“You better not slow down,” Avery added. “I’m not explaining to Professor Lane why we’re late on the first day.”
“You’ll do the talking,” I said. “You’re better at lying.”
“I don’t lie.”
I gave her a look.
She smirked. “Okay, I lie. But only when necessary.”
I huffed a quiet laugh, then exhaled slowly.
The noise around us faded slightly.
My thoughts drifted. “I still haven’t gotten a call,” I muttered suddenly.
Avery glanced at me. “From your parents?”
I nodded, a bitter smile pulled at my lips. “Not surprising,” I added. “Why should I even expect one?”
“Britt—”
“They never cared,” I cut in, my voice sharper than I intended. “It’s always been like that.”
Avery slowed slightly, watching me.
I kept walking.
“They don’t even try,” I continued, my chest tightening. “And I keep thinking maybe this time will be different, maybe they’ll actually—” I stopped myself, shaking my head. “It’s stupid.”
“It’s not stupid.”
“It is,” I said flatly. “They’re never going to be proud of me. Not really.”
Avery frowned. “That’s not true.”
I looked ahead, focusing on the path, on anything but her. “Maybe it’s because of what happened,” I added quietly.
Avery didn’t respond immediately. “They still blame you?” she asked carefully.
I let out a small, humorless laugh. “They don’t say it. They don’t have to.”
“That’s not fair.” Avery nudged my arm lightly. “Hey.”
I glanced at her.
“You don’t get to decide your worth based on them,” she groaned. “That’s not how this works.”
I looked away. “It kind of is.”
“No,” she said firmly. “It’s not.”
I didn’t argue, I didn’t have the energy to.
We turned the corner, heading toward our building, the crowd getting tighter.
“Come on,” Avery said, grabbing my wrist. “Let us hurry to class first, we will cry later.”
I snorted softly. “You’re crazy.”
We hurried forward but then, I hit something or rather someone.
“Oh—sorry, sorry!” I blurted out immediately, stumbling back.
My bag slipped off my shoulder, my books falling to the ground.
“Shoot,” I crouched quickly, gathering them. “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking”
“Brittany.”
I froze. That voice.
My hands stopped mid-motion. “It can’t be.”
- Writer
