Hope's Chance(65)

Buffy grabbed me before I could run after them, but the tears came even worse.

Before the car pulled away, my father had a lawyer on the phone. We all packed into the SUV and headed to the station.

At first, my father was quiet, but after a few minutes, he shocked us both. “Hope, I need to know if you have ever been intimate with Trevor. He has a reputation at the club and I need to know the truth.

I was afraid, but I wanted my dad to hate Trevor. “Yes. He was my first Dad. He forced me then too. He would either threaten me or hold me down even when I begged him not to. He cheated on me and lied to me, and if Chance hadn’t been there over the summer, he would have raped me.” I confessed.

I was shocked at myself. I had never said it out loud like that.

My father got all choked up and then began hitting the steering wheel. “How could I have been so stupid?” He yelled.

Buffy leaned over to grab his shoulder and I leaned in and did the same. “You didn’t know Dad. Nobody knew, well except Chance.”

“I sent him away, away from the only family he has, for a f*cking business deal, and now he gets arrested for keeping you safe?” His remorseful words touched my heart. He was finally opening his eyes. “Honey I am so sorry.” He looked to Buffy. “And I am sorry the most to you Hope. God, I can’t believe I put a business deal before my own daughter’s safety.”

“Dad, let’s just worry about Chance.”

For the rest of the ride to the jail we all remained quiet. Once we got inside, we were told that Chance was in intake. My father left Buffy and I to go find out what bail would be set at. After we waited another forty minutes he came back out and said that he couldn’t face the judge for a bail hearing until morning and there was nothing that we could do.

I thought about going straight to an officer and filing a report about Trevor, but I had thought of another plan while I waited.

During the drive home, my father and Buffy talked about getting to the court tomorrow morning and how they were going to deal with things. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and searched for a number I never thought I would be using again.





Chapter 37


Hope


This was my last resort. I buried my pride and built up the strength to do it. Then I dialed the number.

Rylee we need to talk. ~ Hope We were almost home before she responded.

We really don’t have anything to say. ~ R

No, there is A LOT to talk about. U owe me. ~ Hope Look, I am sorry. ~ R

I am pressing charges against Trevor for sexual assault. ~ Hope Please don’t!!! ~ R

This is what is going to happen. You are going to bring Trevor to talk to me right now. If you don’t show, I am going straight to the police. ~ Hope What if he doesn’t want to come? ~ R

Then I guess he can call a lawyer. You may want to tell him I have pictures of everything he did to me and witnesses. ~ Hope Where? ~ R

The park in one hour. ~ Hope Rylee didn’t write back but I knew she was going to do her damndest to get Trevor there. She had been in love with him since she was little. The last thing she wanted was for her meal ticket out of this town to be incarcerated or have a criminal record.

Once Buffy and my dad went inside, I ran up to my room and changed my clothes. I decided on black capris and a black shirt. I wanted to be invisible when they showed up, in case they weren’t alone. Before heading out, I ran to the pool house and grabbed a bat that Chance kept in his closet. There was no way I was going there without something to defend myself.

On the way there, my heart was pounding through my chest. I heard my phone ringing over and over, but knew it was my dad. If I told them what I had planned, they never would have let me go through with it.

When I pulled up, I realized I was alone. The park was empty and dark, with only the sounds of insects harping in the distance. I exited my vehicle and sat down on a bench located directly in front of where I parked my car. The headlights illuminated where I sat, causing it to be difficult for me to see the approaching vehicle. I could hear the tires on the gravel road and decided to stand up to see how close the car was getting. When it pulled up beside mine, I tried to remain calm by holding my head up high and focusing on what I had come there for.

Trevor stepped out of the car first. He looked angry but I refused to fear him anymore. If he wanted to hurt me, it wasn’t going to happen. After what he did to Chance today and the things that he said to me, I wouldn’t care if I killed him myself. When he got about five feet away from me I yelled at him. “Stop! Don’t come any further.” I warned.

“What do you want Hope? Why have you drug me out here in the middle of nowhere? What do you think you are going to accomplish?” Trevor yelled.

“I have a proposition for you.” I replied.

Even though I knew I was in quite a predicament, it felt good to be calling the shots.

“Okay, let’s hear it.”

“I want you to drop the charges on Chance.” I declared.

“Hell no! Why would you think I would do such a thing? Do you think I owe you some kind of favor? Everything I did to you was because you wanted it Hope. Stop acting like you didn’t like it. Everyone likes it.” Trevor argued.

I snickered. “It’s so funny that you ask that.” I held the bat tightly in one hand, but began circling around Trevor. For some reason I felt like I had someone standing behind me, ready to attack Trevor if he made any moves. “I never enjoyed it Trevor, in fact being with you was like giving myself thousands of paper cuts. You disgust me.”