Hooked (10 page)

    
“Umm, I don’t think so,” I say. 

    
I try to lean around him and get up.  All of the sudden, I’m not feeling so well.  I feel dizzy and off kilter.  So
,
this is what it feels like to be drunk
,
I thought.  It feels like an out of body experience at first
,
but before I have time to think about if I feel good or bad, Cam starts kissing me.  I don’t respond at first and I feel confused.  I don’t want this in my mind
,
but I’m letting him do it anyway.  While these crazy thoughts are seeping in and out of my mind, Cam is pulled away from me so fast my head spins. 

    
“Get the fuck off her!” 
S
omeone
yells.
 
Wait a
minute;
I know that voice, Cash! 

    
“Who the hell do you think you are?”
  Cameron says.

    
“I’m the guy that’s
gonna
kick your ass for touching her again!”  Cash yells.

    
I am sitting on the tail gate shocked, upset, curious, surprised…I can’t even explain the thoughts or feeling
s
I have right now.  Of course
,
I am not of sound mind because of the alcohol
and
I’m not sure what to do.  That’s a
lie;
I wouldn’t know what to do if I was sober.  Everybody starts yelling and running.  I have no idea what they are saying.  Between the radio and everyone’s voices
,
I can’t hear anything. 

    
“Since when have you been her protector?  Are you dating?” 
Cameron asked.

    
Cash doesn’t say anything.  He just continues to stare him down. 

    
“You made a huge mistake by touching her.  What?  You thought you would get a girl drunk and have your way with her?”  Cash asked him.

     “What me and her do is none of your business, asshole
,
”
Cameron seethes.

     “That’s where
you’re
wrong.”

    
“Bring it
,
” Cam said
,
but before he could finish his sentence, Cash plowed into him.

Someone yelled cops at the same time their fight started.  I was at a loss of what to do. 

    
“Cash!”  I was screaming for him stop.  All I could see was him on
top of Cameron and his fist crushing Cameron’s face.  He kept on punching him.  “Cash, please stop!”  I yelled again.  Cash wasn’t hearing me.  At that moment, I got scared and began to sober up.  I realized that Cash was going to hurt Cameron bad. 

    
Just as I was about to try to yell at Cash again, someone pulled him off.  Oh
crap
,
I thought, and then my worst fear came true. Yep, it was my dad.  I quickly realized that I wasn’t even scared of my dad finding me here at the moment.  I was more worried about what he was doing to Cash.  He pulled Cash off of Cameron and ended up going to the ground with him. 

    
He yelled at him, “Don’t move!” 

    
I started crying at this moment.  All of my emotions hit me at once and I wasn’t really sure if I was crying because Cam tried to take advantage of me, Cash was hurting Cameron, or that I was about to be in big trouble.  I still don’t know the answer to that question ten minutes later when my dad ha
d
Cash in handcuffs.

     While my dad was putting Cash in the back of his car, Cameron ran over to him and started telling my dad that Cash just showed up and jumped him.  Cash d
idn’t
even try to defend himself, he stay
ed
silent.  My head was spinning.  How did this get so out of control so fast? 

    
“Dad”, I start.  He looks at me so hard, I stop speaking. 

    
He shuts the door of his police car in Cash’s face and says, “I will get you a ride home and after I take care of this, you and I will have our talk.” 

    
Man, I have never seen my dad so mad.  I look at Cash and he gives me a sincere look, almost like he is saying sorry.  “But dad, it wasn’t Cash’s fault,” I start again.  He turns on me so fast I backed up a few steps. 

     “I’VE ALREADY TOLD YOU WE WILL TALK WHEN I GET HOME!”
 
He screams.

    
Tears stroll down
my face and I hunker down a little bit.  My dad has never yelled at me like this and especially in front of anyone else.  I fe
e
l so sad in this moment.  I look
around for Jess and Cara.  I spot Jake and
he
motions to the car.  He pointed to Cara and Jess to let me know they were leaving.  He gave me a sad smile and I knew he felt sorry for me.  I sat there feeling as low as I ever have.  I watched my dad open the back door up and say something else to Cash and then close it again.  My thoughts went to my dad’s car.  I have played in the front seat of that car and touched all the buttons to see what each one did.  I thought it was so neat that my dad was a hero.  Perspective is the word that comes to mind right now because that was my perspective of my dad’s police car.  Cash
,
on the other hand, his perspective was different than mine.  He is now sitting in the back of my
dad’s
car handcuffed.

     My heart broke a little from the sight of it.  I stood there looking at
him through
the back passenger glass.  I was still crying and I lifted my hands to my heart.  My
dad was
b
usy talking to another officer at the moment.  I looked around
and it was kind of weird.  I could hear the crackling of the fire, the other officer’s whisper,
even
my own breath
,
but it was scary silent.
  Everyone had scattered when the police showed up.  I looked back at Cash in the police car. 

    
I watched my dad coming my way and I knew he was still mad at me, I could see it in his eyes.  “Go get in Taylor’s car, he’s taking you home
,
”
h
e said all business. “You and I will talk about this in the morning.”

     “Dad, Cas
h didn’t
---”

     “
Just stop it
,
Millie!
  I am so pissed off right now, just go!”

    
I put my head down and when I walked by him
,
I could feel the heat
radiate
off of him.  My dad has never been this
angry
at me, ever.  I kept walking towards Taylor’s car and when I passed Cash in the back of my dad’s car, I mouthed
,
“T
hank you,
”
knowing it wasn’t enough.  He winked at me as if it was no big deal.  How can he be so calm when he is being arrested?  I keep walking until Taylor opens my door.

     “Your dad is pissed
,
”
h
e says to me.

   
“I know,” was all I said. 

    
I looked out the window the rest of the way home.  I felt numb when I walked in my house.  Every light was off and the house was quiet.  I started up the stairs and couldn’t distinguish my feelings.

     When I get to my room, I throw myself on my bed face first.  I look at the clock beside my bed…2:15 am.  I can’t believe when I got to the party, I felt like it would be a great night
,
but somehow it has ended up being the worst night of my existence thus far.  I still can’t wrap my brain around the fact that my dad had arrested Cash, for defending me
,
no less.  A knock at my door brought me out of my
reverie.
 

    
“Yeah
,
” I answered.  My mom walks over to my bed and sits down.

     “Millie, what happened?”

     “Mom, it was a huge misunderstanding
,
” I say crying again.

     “Your dad called me and he is really angry with you
,
Millie.  I’ve talked to him and he said that you were at a party drinking out on the Foster’s land
,
”
s
he said sounding disappointed.  “He said he arrested one boy for battery and that it was Cash.  Millie, this isn’t you.  What were you thinking?”

     “I don’t know
,
” I answer quietly.  “You have to believe me when I tell you that Cash was standing up for me when he got in that fight.”

     “Why would he need to stand up for you?”

     I looked up at her and realized this was the first time I felt embarrassed by what had happened.  “Cam was sort of kissing me and Cash didn’t like it.”

     “How is that standing up for you?”

     “Well, I didn’t really like it either.  He sort of just did it and Cash walked up at that same moment.”

     “So, Cash was jealous and didn’t want Cameron to take advantage of you?  Is that what
you’re
saying?”

     “Yes, mom I was so scared.  I mean
,
Cash was just punching him one after another in the face.  At the same time
,
Cameron deserved it
.
I guess it was just so real that I was afraid for him.  After dad and the other officers showed up, Cameron told dad that Cash just showed up and jumped him.  Mom, I know dad is mad at me
,
but you have to talk to him.  Cash didn’t do anything wrong, he was just trying to protect me and he shouldn’t be in trouble because of me.  It was so sad seeing him in the back of dad’s car.  I need
to
speak with him, I don’t even know if his folks know
.”

     “Millie, just calm down, I’ll talk to your dad and we will figure this out
,
”
s
he
said hugging me. 
“Right now, just try to get some sleep
,
but you better be prepared in the morning though.  I have a feeling your dad is going to hand out a heavy dose of punishment.”

     I sink down in my covers.  When my mom leaves
,
I text
ed
Jess and Cara and let them know I’m ok
ay
.

    
*Hey, just
wanted
to let y
’
all know
I’
m home n my dad arrested Cash.  I
’
ll probably be grounded for a while but ill c u at school on Monday.

Cara text
ed
me
back immediately.  *
Soooooo
sry
girl.  Jason and I have made it back to his house.  I guess
I’
m staying over here since my folks are gone for the weekend.

I didn’t really have a reply for her
,
so I just sent her a smiley face. 

    
My phone beeps again
,
but it is from a number I didn’t recognize…*Hey its jess,
sry
I must have dropped my phone at the party cause I
can’t
find it.  Just wanted to make sure u were ok.

*
Lol
—
we must share the same brain cause I just text u that
I’
m fine
.  My

Dad
arrested Cash
tho
.  I’ll probably be grounded for the better part of this year too, wait whose number is this?