Her Teen Dream (18 page)

Without looking at him, Karin said, “I’m not
supposed to be talking to you.”

“Why not?”

“I think you know why not.”

A group of girls passed by, each giving Reese
the evil eye. One commented, “You’re sick, you know that? I hope
you get what you deserve.”

Reese glared, while saying nothing in his
defense.

Another girl shot Karin a cold look and said,
“He ain’t worth it. I’d lose him, if I were you!”

“But you’re not me, okay!” Karin sneered at
her and the other girls. She watched them walk off whispering and
wished she hadn’t been made to feel like the world was suddenly on
her shoulders.

She imagined Reese felt the same way. Only
worse.

He looked at her. “I didn’t do anything,
Karin. No matter what Lesley told you or what anyone else chooses
to believe.”

Karin met his eyes. “She didn’t tell me
anything. Her mother won’t let me talk to her.”

“And that’s my fault?” Reese asked,
frowning.

“Isn’t it?”

“No! Maybe you should consider that if
someone’s lying, it’s her, not me.”

Karin rolled her eyes. “Isn’t that what all
guys say when they’re accused of a sexual assault? It’s always the
girl’s fault.” She knew that was unfair, but she couldn’t help
it.

“I never said that.”

Karin reached her locker. She turned and
faced him. “So what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that you should give me a chance
before you throw us away based on false allegations.”

“That hasn’t been established,” she told
him.

“You sound like your old man in the
courtroom,” Reese said, unsmiling.

“No, I sound like someone who’s looking out
for my best friend!” Karin retorted. Admittedly, she didn’t know if
the label fit anymore, since Lesley wouldn’t even speak to her.
What type of real friendship was that?

“Yeah, right. At the expense of your
boyfriend, who’s done nothing wrong. That sounds really fair to
me.”

“I’m not sure you still are my boyfriend,”
she hated to say.

Reese looked genuinely hurt. “You’re dumping
me?”

Karin raised her brows at the question, and
then put the onus back on him. “I thought that after the party, you
felt we weren’t really on the same page.” In light of Lesley’s
accusations, she had to wonder even more.

“I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“Yeah, I did,” he insisted. “As far as I’m
concerned, Karin, you’re
still
my girl—if you want to be,
that is.”

Karin felt herself pull in his direction,
still very much attracted to him and maybe even still in love. But
she had to keep her feelings in check, at least for the time being.
It was Lesley who needed her loyalty at the moment, though she may
not have been aware of it.

“I can’t talk about this right now, Reese,”
she told him, hard as it was.

“Then when?” he pressed.

“I don’t know,” Karin uttered and added
quickly, “I have to go to class.”

She walked away and was happy and sad at the
same time that he did not try to follow her.

* * *

Karin did her best to dodge questions and
comments about Lesley’s accusation, while just trying to get
through the day.

After a peer counseling session, Karin went
to the girls’ bathroom to freshen up. Cheryl was in there, standing
before the mirror expertly applying her lipstick.

She spotted Karin’s reflection and began
talking to it. “Well, well, well. It looks like things are getting
pretty
interesting these days with you, Reese...and
Lesley—”

Karin’s first instinct was to come back
later, not wanting Cheryl to thrill in her misery. But the better
part of Karin hoped she might be able to provide some answers or at
least some clues as to what might have happened Saturday night.

Karin stood beside Cheryl and took out her
lip gloss, dabbing it lightly on her lips.

“I think
scary
is more like it,” Karin
said, hoping for a reaction.

Cheryl raised a brow. “Yeah, that’s for
sure.”

“So you heard about Lesley accusing Reese of
sexually assaulting her?” Karin had no doubt she had.

“Who hasn’t?” Cheryl confirmed. “Everybody’s
talking about it.”

“Do you believe it?”

“Do you care?” Cheryl asked.

Karin met her gaze. “Look, Cheryl, I know
we’ll probably never be friends, but you still care about Reese,
even though you’re pretending not to.”

“So what’s your point?”

“My point is that I don’t want to see him
hurt by this, if he’s innocent. And I think you feel the same
way.”

Cheryl considered this, glancing at the
mirror and back. “Maybe I do.”

Karin sensed there was more to be said. “I
need some answers about what may have happened between Reese and
Lesley at the party after I left,” she told her frankly. “Right
now, I don’t seem to be getting any answers. If you know something,
I’d like to hear it.”

Cheryl shot her a direct look. “All right. I
don’t believe Reese sexually assaulted Lesley like she claims. Not
the Reese I know. He has, well let’s just say, a healthy
libido.”

“I know,” Karin said self-consciously, having
experienced it firsthand to some extent. “But the same could
probably be said of anyone who sexually assaults females.”

“True. But since girls are willing to give
themselves to Reese at practically the drop of a hat—if he weren’t
attracted to me or you—I just don’t see him falling into that trap
and jeopardizing his chances to make something of himself by doing
something so crazy and stupid.”

“People sometimes do crazy and stupid things,
especially after they’ve been drinking,” Karin pointed out, and
thought of Marcus trashing Jayne’s house.

Cheryl dismissed this. “Not Reese. I’ve never
seen him drunk. He likes to be in control of his faculties.”

Karin believed that much from what she knew
about him. But just how much did she really know about him?

“Do you have an opinion about why Lesley
would accuse Reese of this?” Karin felt as if she were going behind
her friend’s back in asking, but she needed some perspective other
than her own, which was clouded with loyalty toward Lesley.

Cheryl smoothed her braids. “Well, from what
I’ve heard, she and Marcus went all the way that night. Maybe
Lesley felt guilty and needed someone other than Marcus to take the
blame. Maybe Reese was an easy choice after you left the party and
he became a free floater.”

Karin wondered if Cheryl was actually blaming
her for what Lesley said had happened. Could she have been at
fault? If she had just stayed at the party, maybe none of this
would have happened.

“I just hope your Dad can help Reese the way
he helped Marcus,” Cheryl interrupted her thoughts.

“Me, too. He may need all the help he can
get.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Karin was shocked when she saw Lesley outside
the cafeteria with a group of girls huddled around her. She hadn’t
seen Lesley in any of the classes they shared. When Lesley spotted
Karin, she tried to walk away. But Karin had no intention of
allowing her to get away. Not till they at least talked about
this.

She grabbed Lesley’s arm. “Your mother said
you weren’t coming to school today.”

Lesley rounded on her. “Yeah, well, it felt
like I was suffocating in that house and I needed to get out. So I
decided to come for the afternoon session.”

Karin thought Lesley looked worn down. She
took a deep breath, and then asked her, “So were you ever going to
talk to me about what happened between you and my boyfriend?” Even
if Reese’s status with her was up in the air at this point, Karin
was not ready to put their relationship in past tense.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Lesley said
tersely.

Karin frowned. “I think there is. You accused
Reese of sexually assaulting you. Is it true?”

Lesley curled her lip. “Do you really even
care?”

“How can you say that? Of course I care!
You’re my best friend. At least I thought you were. Talk to me,
Lesley...”

After a moment or two, she said tonelessly,
“Okay, yeah, it’s true.”

Karin’s heart sank. “So what did he do? Did
Reese rape you?”

“No, just other stuff.” Lesley sighed. “Look,
Karin, I can’t talk about this right now. I’m sorry.”

“Reese said he just drove you home and
nothing else happened,” Karin stated, ignoring Lesley’s desire to
end the conversation.

“So he’s lying!” she snapped.

“Why would my boyfriend go after my
best
friend?” Karin asked. “I’m just trying to figure it
out.”

Lesley shrugged. “Why do people do anything
they aren’t supposed to do? Guess he felt I wouldn’t say
anything.”

Karin softened her tone. “Are you sure there
wasn’t some kind of misunderstanding between you two that could
explain whatever happened?”

Lesley seemed to think about it. “I don’t
know what you want me to say.”

“Why don’t you just tell her the truth? That
you made the whole thing up!” Both girls turned to see Reese
approaching.

Karin tensed at the confrontation, but also
welcomed it, even if she knew that her father had warned Reese to
stay away from Lesley. But it wasn’t like running into each other
on school property was totally avoidable.

“What did I ever do to you to deserve this,
Lesley?” Reese demanded, looking down at her.

Lesley stood her ground. “I think you
know.”

“I don’t know anything, except that you’re
lying and half the student body believes it.”

“So what about you, Karin?” Lesley asked
bluntly. “Whose side are you on?”

Karin’s head was spinning, as she wasn’t sure
which way to turn. To show support towards either could cost her
someone dear. But to be hasty in leaning one way or the other could
be just as damaging.

She swallowed and said, “I’m not taking
sides. This isn’t about me. It’s about what really went on and what
the consequences will be.”

“I think we both know the answer to that,”
Reese said matter-of-factly, “if she’s allowed to get away with
this.”

“She won’t be,” Karin quickly said and then
tried to correct herself. “I mean, not on words alone without
corroboration.” She looked at Lesley and could see the anger and
sense of betrayal in her face. “I’m sorry, Lesley. I just want
what’s right to come out of this.”

“You mean what’s right for him, not me.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Just leave me alone—both of you!” Lesley
glared at Karin and ran off.

Karin started to go after Lesley, but Reese
stopped her. “Let her go. Maybe she’ll think about it and do the
right thing for everyone before it’s too late.”

“Or maybe she already has,” Karin said
tartly, and left him standing there.

* * *

Later that day, Karin spotted Marcus walking
down the hall with some of his friends, not including Reese or
Lesley. He seemed in good spirits and wasn’t acting like someone
whose girlfriend was a wreck and allegedly the victim of a sexual
assault.

He acted as though he hadn’t seen her, so
Karin called out to him. When he turned around, she said in a blunt
voice, “I need to talk to you, Marcus.”

He looked at his friends uneasily and
muttered, “I’ll catch up with you later.”

Karin watched them amble away and turned to
Marcus.

“So what’s up, Karin?” he asked
innocently.

“Why don’t you tell me?” she said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She made a face. “I think you do. Lesley
accused Reese of sexually assaulting her.”

“Yeah, I know.” He looked away like this
would make it all just vanish.

“So what do
you
have to say about
it?”

“What do you want me to say, Karin?”

“I want you to tell me if it’s true.”

“How would I know?” Marcus said.

“Because you’re her boyfriend—last I knew—and
Lesley would have told you if something had happened between her
and Reese.”

He shrugged. “Well, she didn’t.”

Karin sighed, locking eyes with him. “I saw
you making out with her at the party.”

“So, what does that prove?”

“It proves that
maybe
Lesley’s trying
to protect you by implicating Reese.” Even if this seemed like a
stretch, Karin couldn’t rule it out either.

Marcus’s brow creased. “You’re saying you
think I sexually assaulted her?”

“Did you?”

“No way!” he insisted.

Yes, there was definitely
some way
for
it to happen. Was he telling the truth or was he distorting it for
his own best interests?

Admittedly, Karin was not sure what or who to
believe at this point. She had to take Marcus’s word for it right
now, but wondered just how much it was worth.

“Do you think Reese would do such a thing?”
she asked Marcus straight up, mindful that Reese had stuck his neck
out for him.

Marcus seemed to wrestle with the question
before saying, “Probably not.”

“Then you think Lesley made the whole thing
up?”

“I’m not saying that.”

“So what are you saying?”

He gritted his teeth. “I’m saying that I
don’t know if anything happened between Lesley and Reese, okay?
Maybe you need to talk to Lesley about it.”

“Maybe
you
do,” Karin challenged him.
Unless you have a good reason for not wanting to be anywhere
near her.

“Look, I’ve gotta go,” he said, paused, and
added, “Lesley’s been avoiding me. Don’t ask me why. I’ll try
calling her...again.”

Why would Lesley be avoiding Marcus?
Was it out of guilt? Or because of his friendship with Reese?

Karin felt more confused and torn than ever.
She was on the verge of losing her best friend and boyfriend and
was not sure which one of them was on the level with her or even if
Marcus was less than innocent in all of this. All Karin knew was
that the boy Lesley had fallen for was the last person Karin saw
her friend with at the party. Before everything turned sour.