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CHAPTER 15
‘It’s you and me, there’s nothing like this
Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince’
Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince – Taylor Swift
Jamie
Two hours. That’s how long I’ve been waiting at the police station with Luke by my side. He finally got through to Emily, waking her from her drunken sleep, so she could bring me some clothes. She must be on her way now. We still haven’t heard from Jake or Nathan, both in custody.
“How’s Chris?” I ask. My voice is so quiet and raw from the lack of sleep and from screaming.
Luke sends him a quick text and the response comes straight away.
“Still at the ER, still waiting to be seen. Don’t worry, he’s tough. It wouldn’t be the first time he loses a tooth in a fight. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s the same one every time.”
I appreciate his attempt at a joke, but I can’t get myself to even smile. Not when Jake is in there. Not after they found his gun on him.
“Look,” he puts a hand on my knee in a friendly gesture. “It’s not my place to tell you all of Jake’s life but I can sure as hell tell you about all the stupid shit we did together. He fires up at the slightest spark, so do I. We got in fights countless times over meaningless shit. Chris is always there to support our dumb choices even when we’re in the wrong. The three of us have lost teeth, got concussed, and know that shitty cell they put you into to sober up like it’s our vacation home. And don’t get me started on the times we got Rose out of shit she put herself in. The number of times we waited for her to be let out. It’s going to be fine, Jamie.”
“Was he carrying a gun all those times?” My cold statement forces him to retreat as he runs his hand through his bright blond hair, over his face, and rubs his eyes.
“No. No, he didn’t.” He pauses while thinking of all the outcomes possible.
I’m guessing this is what he does because he looks like how I feel, and I’ve been running through every possibility on how this could end.
Most of them lead me to Jake being in juvie. How is that fair? How can he live a fair life when it started with his parents leaving him behind? When he grew up in the foster system. When he got taken in by organized crime and was forced to follow their lifestyle. When he got a chance at a better life only for his shitty past to catch up with him. None of this is fair. None of this should have happened, even less because of me.
“This is Stoneview. It’s all about reputation. Everyone loves Jake. Mayor Simmons secretly wishes she could adopt him. And you know who loves him above all? Judge Joly. Emily’s mom. You know her, I know her, Jake knows her. There is no way in hell Jake is going away for carrying a stupid gun.”
I don’t know if I agree but his words do give me a glimmer of hope.
The glass door to the police station opens and Rose enters. She’s still wearing her long black silk dress from the ball. Only it’s creased, her white sneakers are now dirty from the party and she’s wearing a dark grey sweater on top of the dress. I don’t even wonder who it belongs to, especially when Sam enters right after her.
“Fuck,” Luke whispers. “Good thing Chris isn’t here. See? It all works out,” he jokes.
I wonder where he finds this optimism. I guess it’s just who he is. When Rose and Sam reach us, he stays slightly behind her, not willing to participate in any conversation with us.
“None of them are out?” she asks, surprised.
She puts her purse on a seat next to Luke and puts her hands in the pocket of the sweater.
“Nope. It’s only been like what–”
“Two hours and twenty minutes,” I cut off Luke.
“We’ve spent entire nights in there,” Luke insists, and I know he’s trying to get Rose on board to reassure me.
Rose runs her hands through her hair and she and Sam share a look. She’s worried. Rose White is concerned and there is nothing that scares me more.
“Yeah, but we were drunk or coked up. Neither of them is.” Her naturally hoarse voice hits me. Her statement is like an ocean wave: You don’t expect it to hit hard but the force always surprises you.
There’s a long silence. Even Luke can’t find anything to comfort us because she’s right; Jake didn’t have time to drink more at Cal’s and he wasn’t even tipsy in the car. Nathan was clearly sober.
“Rose,” a voice calls out. We all turn to a young police officer. I’ve never seen him before. He never worked under my dad. He and Rose seem to know each other though.
“Hey, Craig,” she says as she walks to him.
