The Pledge (14 page)

She nodded.

“So tell me about this guy you've been seeing,” I said as we stood waiting on my mother.

“I really like him,” Bree said, getting this look in her eyes I had never seen before.

“Really? I couldn't tell,” I said sarcastically.

We both started laughing.

“So have you heard from Allen?” she asked me.

“No,” I said, kicking a rock on the ground. “He's out of jail, but I heard he's getting homeschooled for a while.”

“Don't take this the wrong way, but do you think it's true what they're saying about him assaulting and raping that girl?”

I hesitated, and Bree quickly said, “I'm sorry I asked that. I know I told you I'd testify for him, but the more I've been thinking about it, maybe he did do it. I didn't want to upset you, but he was trying to hook up with that girl.”

I shook my head. “No, it's okay. You're my girl, so you're probably the only one who could ask me that.” I took a deep breath. “Do you promise you won't tell anyone what I'm about to say?”

Bree nodded. “You know I would never tell anyone what we talk about.”

“He said they slept together, but he denied putting his hands on her.” I hesitated. “I've been doing a lot of thinking, and I actually wouldn't be surprised if he did assault her. I'm not saying that he did,” I rushed to say, “but a couple of times I've seen this side of him that I didn't like.”

“What do you mean?” Bree asked.

I hesitated again, and Bree grabbed my hand and squeezed. “It's okay. You can tell me,” she said.

I felt myself welling up. “He put his hands on me—twice,” I said softly, and Bree tightened her grip.

“Why didn't you tell me?” she asked.

I couldn't even look at her I was so embarrassed. “Because I was afraid. I kept telling myself that he was sorry and didn't mean it, but…”

Bree reached over and gave me a hug. “So what are you going to do about it?”

“I don't know.”

“Really?” Bree asked. Her question made me look at her. “Physical pains heal, Courtland, but what has this done to you emotionally? I didn't want to say anything, but since you've started dating Allen, you've changed. We don't hang out anymore, you dress differently…It's like he's got this hold over you. I think it might help if you talked to someone. Have you thought about saying something to your mom?”

I nodded. “I have,” I said, “but…”

“But what?” Bree asked.

“She really likes Allen. I don't know if she'll believe me.”

“Of course she'll believe you,” she said.

“If you say so.”

We sat there in silence for a few minutes. I guess we were both absorbing what I had said. I looked at my watch and realized my mom was about thirty minutes late, which wasn't like her at all, especially when she had to pick me up at night.

I pulled out my phone and called her on her cell, but it went straight to voice mail, which meant she didn't have it on. I called the house, but the phone just rang and rang until finally voice mail picked up.

We waited a little while longer, and when she still hadn't shown up, Bree called her mom, who came and got us. I was starting to get a little worried, but I tried not to let it show. When we got to our block, police cars and ambulances were everywhere, and we couldn't get through. That's when I really started to get scared.

Before Bree's mother could stop me, I jumped out of the car and ran down the street, praying that the flashing lights were at one of my neighbors' houses. I made it to my front yard just as EMT workers were rolling a stretcher with a body bag from the house. When I saw it, I lost it. I had seen enough movies and TV shows to know someone was dead, but I wasn't sure who.

I felt someone grab me, and I looked up to see my mother. She looked really scared, which scared me even more.

“Momma,” I said, running into her arms.

She grabbed me and squeezed me so tight I thought she was going to crush my ribs. “I'm okay,” she said, rubbing my hair.

I realized if she was standing there that only left two other possibilities. I searched her face. “Where's Cory?” I asked.

Her face crumbled, and I started crying even harder. “She's—”

I couldn't even make myself say the word.

She shook her head. “No, baby. She's okay.” She pointed to a police car, and Cory was sitting in the back. I ran over to the car and threw open the door, then grabbed my little sister in a hug. When Cory saw me, she burst into tears.

“It was awful, Courtland,” she said.

“What happened?” I asked, trying to make sense of all that was going on.

I held her to me, like I had done so many times before. “It's okay,” I said softly, rubbing her hair.

I watched as the EMT workers rolled out a stretcher with my daddy on it. His shoulder was wrapped up, and there was blood on the sheets. I felt sorry for him, and I wondered if he was going to be okay.

“What happened?” I whispered to my sister.

She just shook her head and cried harder, then started talking so fast I could barely understand her. “It was horrible,” she said. “I had just fallen asleep when I heard voices outside. I thought it was Momma and Daddy at first, but then there was this strange sound downstairs, so I went to see what it was and someone was walking out the back door. I started screaming, and Mommy and Daddy came running. The guy pulled a gun on Daddy, and Momma jumped in and tried to help. The guy shot at Daddy, but he missed. When he tried to shoot again, I knocked the gun out of his hand, then Daddy grabbed it and shot him.” Cory broke down and started crying.

I stood there holding my sister, watching as Daddy sat up on the stretcher, refusing medical help. He walked over to a few of his friends who I recognized from the police force. He said something to them, then shook their hands. Most of them got in their patrol cars and left, but a few stayed around checking our house and looking around the neighborhood for evidence. Daddy came over to Momma, who had walked over to check on us. He hugged Momma, and for the first time in a while, I saw that he really cared about her.

He walked over to us. “You kids okay?”

I just nodded, then I turned to look at my sister, who was still upset.

“Am I going to jail?” she asked.

Daddy walked over to her and smoothed her hair. “No,” he said. “We'll have to go down to the station and answer some questions, but me killing him was self-defense. You saved my life. You okay?”

There was something different about the way he was talking and looking at Cory. Normally he never really looked at either of us. I guess almost losing Momma and Cory was a wake-up call. I hoped it would last.

The
next couple of days were crazy as we tried to piece together all that had happened at our home. It turned out the guy who had broken in was someone Daddy had arrested a few years earlier, and the officers weren't sure if he was trying to get revenge or if it was a random break-in. He had brought someone else with him, but the other person had gotten away with some of our stuff, including some of our Christmas gifts, my purity necklace, which I'd forgotten to wear, some money Momma kept in the house for emergencies and Cory's beloved Sony PSP, although I didn't know why anyone besides us would want those things. I shuddered every time I thought about what would have happened if Cory hadn't woken up.

My little sister was still pretty traumatized by the whole thing. We were out of school for another week for Christmas break, and I was glad. Between what had happened at our house, which had made the news, and all that was going on with Allen, I didn't want to be bothered.

Cory and I spent most of our time playing video games. She had gotten a Nintendo Wii for Christmas, which hadn't been taken since it was in her room, and we would spend hours playing. I wanted to get more details of what had happened that night, but Momma told me not to force Cory to talk about it. She felt Cory would open up to the counselor Momma had gotten for her when she was ready.

The one good thing to come from the situation was that Daddy was home more, and he was actually interacting with us. The Sunday after the break-in he was dressed before we were and he went to church with us. Usually he was what Momma called a CME saint—the only time he went to church was Christmas, Mother's Day and Easter. I still didn't really trust him, but I admitted to myself it was nice having him around and taking an interest in us.

Aunt Dani talked Momma into a girls-only day with me and Cory, so the four of us went out to lunch at Johnny Rockets, a hamburger place near the Galleria. I was probably more excited than I should be. I figured the change of scenery would do us all good.

When Aunt Dani pulled up at our house, I didn't realize it was her at first. She was driving a Honda Accord, and although it was nice, it just didn't seem like something she would drive.

“Where's your car?” I asked the minute she walked over. Cory and I had been shooting hoops while we waited for her, despite the cold.

“It was stolen,” she said. “Miles let me borrow his.”

I looked up in surprise. “What is with our family? I can't believe you were robbed, too.” I looked at the car again. “I thought you said you'd never be caught driving anything but a BMW or Mercedes.”

She didn't respond.

“Dani, I didn't know you were here,” Momma said.

“I was just spending some time with my nieces,” she said.

“You guys ready?” Momma asked, walking outside.

“Yeah,” I said.

Aunt Dani frowned. “Aren't you gonna shower or something? You've been playing ball, so I know you're funky.”

“Dani, she's fine,” Momma said.

I smiled my thanks. It wasn't not like Cory and I had been playing a serious game.

We all piled into Momma's car and headed to eat. Bree had been to Johnny Rockets a couple of times before, and she had told me the burgers were good, and she was right. After we finished eating, we decided to drive to the Galleria.

I was surprised when Aunt Dani didn't buy anything. Usually she had to leave every store with at least one purchase, but that day she just looked at stuff.

I stopped looking at jewelry and just watched her for a while as she checked out some gold hoop earrings. She really was pretty.

“Why are you staring at me?” she asked.

“My aunt Dani is growing up,” I said, feeling like my momma.

She just laughed at me. “What?” she said, sounding slightly puzzled.

“Miles is good for you,” I said. “You seem to be changing for the better.”

She wore this stupid grin. “Yeah, I guess a good man will do that for you.”

“We should all hang out together….” I caught myself. Allen had been released a few days earlier, but I hadn't spoken to him. I just assumed Allen and I were no longer together. I had thought about calling him a few times, but my daddy had told me not to. It's not that I really listened to him, but something in me just couldn't make that call to see if Allen was okay.

“You miss him, don't you?” Aunt Dani asked.

I just nodded. Suddenly I felt like crying. I had waited a long time to date and to find someone who loved me, and now that I had, it was all falling apart. I mean, Allen had done a lot of things I didn't really agree with, but I believed he was a good guy. Any time he put his hands on me, he always apologized. Maybe he just didn't know how to treat women. I mean, his mom wasn't really around, so he probably didn't know any better.

“Girl, don't let that man get you down.” Aunt Dani leaned over and gave me a hug.

I nodded again, scared that if I spoke, I would really start crying.

She walked away from the earrings and glanced down at a watch in the display case.

“Now, that's nice,” she said, admiring the diamonds that decorated its face. She called the salesperson over, then after trying on the watch and debating for a few seconds, she pulled out her American Express card.

The salesperson came back a few minutes later empty-handed, and Aunt Dani looked around for her watch.

“Ma'am, do you have another card you'd like to use? The charge isn't going through.”

Aunt Dani looked at her like she was crazy. “What are you talking about? It's an American Express. There's no limit on it. Try it again.”

The woman started to say something, but turned toward the cash register. We watched as she keyed in some numbers, swiped the card, then tapped her foot while waiting for the transaction. A few minutes later she slid the card across the counter. “I'm sorry. It didn't go through. Perhaps you need to call the company.”

“This is ridiculous,” Aunt Dani said. I was embarrassed, so I tried not to look at her.

“Come on, let's go.” We headed out the door toward the middle of the mall. As we walked out, the security alarm began blaring, like it was signaling what had just happened. Aunt Dani and I looked up in surprise, since we obviously hadn't bought anything.

“Come on,” Aunt Dani said. “Those things get on my nerves.”

She grabbed me, trying to pull me through the door, but I stopped. “Wait. We need to at least let them check us. I don't want them to think we're trying to steal anything,” I said as a salesclerk walked over.

“I don't know why it went off,” I said.

“It's been doing that all day,” she said, sighing. “It must have some type of malfunction. You guys didn't buy anything, right?”

I shook my head.

“Go ahead,” she said, waving us through.

“That was so embarrassing,” I said as we headed toward the food court. I thought about my words as soon as I said them, and I hoped she didn't think I was talking about her card being declined.

“Wasn't it?” Aunt Dani said. “That's why I told you to come on. Did you see those people staring at us?”

“I tried not to look,” I admitted.

I headed over to Chick-fil-A. “What are you going to get?” I asked.

“Didn't you eat right before we got here?” she said.

“Yeah, but I want a snack.” Lately I found myself eating more and more, and I tried not to think about the fact that I had gained a few pounds. I figured I would work it off at practice at some point.

“What are you getting?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.

“Probably just a chicken sandwich and some lemonade,” I said. “You don't like Chick-fil-A?”

“What is it?” she asked with her lip still turned up.

“Chicken—actually, it's the best chicken I've ever tasted. They do nuggets, strips and sandwiches, and I don't know how they do it, but all of them taste different. I can't believe you've never had it.”

“Well, I guess I'll try it,” she said, still not looking convinced. She reached in her purse. “Oh, man, all I brought with me was my AmEx card. I've got to call them,” she muttered.

“It's cool. I got you,” I said. “Let me call Momma and Cory to see what they want. You know they are probably still in the video game store.” I reached in my purse for my cell phone and as I pulled it out, a brand-new pair of earrings—the exact pair Aunt Dani had been looking at—dropped on the floor.

My mouth fell open in shock as she scooped them up off the floor.

“Corky, what are you doing with these?” she asked.

I didn't know what to say.

“Did you steal these?” she asked.

I could only shake my head. Finally I forced myself to speak. “I don't know where they came from,” I said.

She laughed. “Girl, please. I was young once. You better be glad it was me who saw these and not your mother.”

“Seriously, Aunt Dani, I don't know where they came from. I didn't take them.”

“Then how did they get in your bag?” she asked, and I shrugged.

She sighed. “I guess we need to take them back.”

My eyes got really big. I didn't even want to think about what the salesclerk would say when I took the earrings back to her.

Aunt Dani must have read my thoughts. “I tell you what—I'll take them back.”

“Thank you,” I said, relieved. I was still trying to figure out how the earrings had gotten in my purse as Aunt Dani walked toward the store. I replayed the scene in my mind, trying to recall if I had accidentally brushed against the counter, causing the earrings to fall into my purse, but I didn't remember doing that.

The one thing that did come to mind was when Aunt Dani hugged me.

I really didn't have time to give it a whole lot of thought because I looked up to see Allen heading toward me.

I tried to ignore the way my heart sped up.

Aunt Dani spotted him the same time I did. I watched as she went over and wrapped herself around his arm, and they spent a few minutes laughing and talking before Allen looked up and found me staring at him. I tried to play it off, but when I looked at him again, he was grinning, and I couldn't help but grin, too.

By silent agreement, we started walking toward each other, and it was like everyone else in the mall disappeared.

“Hey,” Allen said when he was standing directly in front of me.

“Hey,” I said.

“It's good to see you.”

I looked at the floor and smoothed my hair, trying to figure out how to respond.

“You don't have to say anything,” he said. “I know you miss me, too.” He lifted my chin with his finger. “You do miss me, don't you?”

“Yeah,” I said.

“The charges were dropped against me,” he said.

My mouth dropped open. “Really?” I said. Before I could stop myself, I ran into his arms, and he held me tight. It felt so good to be with him again. I gazed into his eyes, and I couldn't help but kiss him—or maybe he kissed me, I'm not sure. We just got caught up in the moment. It reminded me of the night of our first date when we had gone to the park.

Just like that night, we were rudely interrupted.

“Y'all need to get a room,” Aunt Dani said, doing her version of a Southern accent.

I blushed. Aunt Dani was cool and all, but it still felt strange having her see me give my boyfriend a real kiss. I also remembered Momma and Cory were nearby

I smiled. Allen hadn't said anything, but I could feel he wanted to be with me just as much as I wanted to be with him.

“So, can I take you home?” he asked.

I looked at Aunt Dani to see if it was okay. “I am not getting involved in any mess,” she said. “Corky, you know your parents don't want you seeing Allen. How are you going to explain him dropping you off?”

I hadn't really thought about that.

“I can talk to your parents. You know me and your mom are cool,” he said.

“You forget you haven't been around for a while,” Aunt Dani said. “Things have changed in the Murphy household. Courtland's parents are acting like they're in love now, and her father is trying to be involved in her life.”

Allen looked at me for confirmation, and I nodded.

“I'll just call you later,” he said.

 

I was worried Aunt Dani was going to tell Momma we had seen Allen at the mall, but she seemed to have other things on her mind. She didn't say much on the drive home, and I was glad. I was trying to think of how I could see Allen. I knew my parents wouldn't allow it, but that didn't stop me from wanting to spend time with him. I mean, I wouldn't be able to see him much during school, and Momma was back to picking me up after.