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“I don’t know. I’ve been laying here trying to figure it all out and I DON’T KNOW.” The last few words were screamed at Lori, loud enough that the uniform at the door stepped into the room, aggression written on his face until Lori held up her hand.
“There’s no problem here, Officer. We’re just having a – a loud discussion.” Lori helped Jessica lay back and repeated the words she’d heard while talking to the manager director of the juvenile detention center where Jessica had been housed. She’d called her from the vehicle on her way to see Jessica.
“Looks like you got the attention of one of the worst detainees at the joint, and she took her nastiness out on you… her and her band of freaks she keeps around her. I understand it’s her last offense. The hate-ridden bundle is too much for this juvenile system. It’s her third assault at that detention center, and since she’ll be celebrating her eighteenth birthday in a few weeks, they’re moving her to the adult system.”
“Good riddance.”
“Kinda what I said.” Lori changed the subject. “You were supposed to appear in court today, but they’ve postponed the hearing until the doctors are willing to release you.”
“Have they found my parents?” Jessica’s snide look let Lori know she figured they’d try a little and then give up. “Doesn’t matter anyway, they won’t care what happens to me. Only care about their own asses.”
“How’d you know they ran?”
“Saw it on the news before I got the shit kicked outta me.”
“Yeah, about that. I’m thinking they won’t put you back in the same place. There’s a much better option, and I’m working to get them to send you there next time.”
Jessica’s lips tightened, and she looked at the ceiling. “Don’t matter. Someone will step forward and beat the crap outta me there too. It’s what happens.”
Lori heard the pain in Jessica’s confession, and she squirmed, her stomach clenching with sorrow. “There’s another option, Jessica. They say you haven’t talked with anyone but me. And they want me to make a deal with you. It’s a good one, and I can only offer it to you because you didn’t injure anyone directly. Know what I mean? You didn’t aim the gun at the kids.”
“How could I? I saw their faces, the terror and desire to live.”
“Of course you couldn’t. Only a killer would take pleasure from that kind of thing, and as you already told me, you’re no killer.”
Jessica nodded. “Fucking lot of good that did me.”
“Actually, it did. If you tell me who talked you into taking this step, it will go a long way in your defense.”
Jessica’s reddened, swollen cheek where some of the deeper wounds were stitched and covered with a bandage, paled considerably. Skin on her throat and chest showed dark purple and yellow stains from the horrible bruises and made Lori want to reach out and tenderly hold the other girl. No one should suffer such a beating, not in today’s world where lawbreakers were supposed to be dealt with in a nonviolent manner.
“You want me to snitch.”
“Yep. After all, is he helping you now? Is he there for you? I don’t see anyone but me stepping up to be your friend.”
Jessica played for time. “How do you know it’s a he?”
“Tyler, the other boy involved in the same school shooting, sang like an opera star. Said his friend’s name was Johnny Ray. Look, I want to help.”
“Like you give a rat’s ass.”
“Like I do! Look at me, Jess. I do. I care. I hate that you’re in such pain and no one wants to look after you. I hate that the world has treated you appallingly and made you become so desperate that you did what you did. And worst of all, I hate that you don’t believe me.”
By now, Lori had stood up and was leaning in close to Jessica. Her voice had become low, gentled with the last sentence, and her hand had reached out to caress the girl’s matted hair, still filled with blood never washed away after her beating.
Tears started from under the lashes of two swollen, bruised eyes and made their way down to drip off her cheeks. Lori brushed them away with shaking hands and reached for the tissues when she saw that Jessica’s control had broken to match her heart.
Sadness enveloped Lori and she had to swallow multiple times to stay strong. Jessica needed her now, not a sniveling buddy but a trustful aide to work with her. Explain the law, the system that could function in her favor.
It would take time. That she knew, but the thought of more school shootings like the one the day before couldn’t be borne. Sucking a huge amount of air into her lungs and releasing it like letting steam out of a boiled-over pot, she waited until the other girl recovered. Then she moved in for the kill.
“I need your help, Jess. And if you give it to me, I’ll ask the District Attorney to plea bargain your case. It’s your first offense, and that goes a long way in your favor. That and what information you could give us to stop any more violence.”
Jessica’s voice raw with conviction, broke through her grief. “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. There won’t be any more shootings. Maybe I didn’t carry out my instructions, but that’s the end of it.”
“Except it isn’t. A young shooter wounded ten teens in Grimshaw High School yesterday including a teacher. Then he killed himself.”
“Oh, no. Oh, my God. No!”
