Adrienne's Duet Pt. 02

No one seemed to know the girl, or Randall, and she got the feeling that Randall and Juliet did not move within the same circle of friends. Most of the rooms had people in them, some of them making out, but still no sign of her friend. All that was left to search was upstairs, and so, she bounded up the stairs.

"Juliet!" Adrienne hollered as she made her way down the hall.

Again, no answer. The rooms on the upper floor all had closed doors and that certainly complicated things. She could hear music coming from within one of the rooms, and knocked. There was no response, but she could hear voices. She was getting desperate, and opened the door.

In the middle of the room, on a mattress placed on the floor, was Juliet. She was stretched out on her back, clad only in her bra and panties. Sitting next to her, cross-legged on the floor, was a sinewy fellow, idly rubbing her tummy with the palm of his hand. Her first thought was, he must be Randall.

Adrienne was so embarrassed and upset to see Juliet lying in her underwear on a mattress that she nearly turned around and exited the room. But then her common sense kicked in. Why would Juliet have asked her to drive all the way out here to get her and then decide to do something like this? It didn't make sense. Juliet definitely looked high on something. Did she end up doing cocaine with Randall? And then came up here to have sex with him in front of a roomful of people?

"Randall...?" she asked tentatively of the guy sitting on the floor. He looked up at her and frowned. "No Randall here."

Adrienne's stomach dropped. Who was this guy? A creepy feeling began to overtake her. She looked around at the handful of people in the room, mostly guys, but for one young blonde girl sitting on someone's lap. And then it dawned on her that this was not consensual. Juliet was clearly in some sort of drugged state, and very likely about to be raped, and no one in the room seemed to give a damn.

Adrienne dropped down next to her comatose friend, and shook her. "Juliet! Juliet, it's me, Adrienne! Juliet, wake up!!" Juliet's eyes were open, yet they barely registered any awareness. Adrienne's heart began to race. Why wasn't she responding? Again, she shook her.

"Get away, bitch," the guy told her in a slurred cadence, while shoving her back with his free hand.

Adrienne stared him right in the eyes, which seemed unfocused. "I'm here to pick up my friend. I don't know what you've done to her, but I'm taking her home with me." She stood up and angrily addressed the room, spitting her words at them. "Either someone helps me get my friend out to my car, or I'm calling the police."

The guy on the floor got up on his knees. "Fuck off," he snarled, shoving her back from her girlfriend.

In a flash, Adrienne threw herself at the guy, hitting him with her body so hard that he was flung onto his back. She tried to get off the guy when she felt a painful blow to the left side of her face. It stunned her for a moment, but with adrenalin pumping through her body, she went crazy, flailing at his face, and scratching him, her voice screaming in anger.

Two other guys jumped in to separate them. "You fucking bitch," the guy hissed at Adrienne, as he was hauled to his feet, his arms pinned behind his body. Adrienne was glad he was being held, for he looked out of control.

She felt a painful throbbing on the left side of her face as she desperately confronted the others in the room. "If someone doesn't help me get my friend out to my car, I'm going to call the police. I swear I will!" Despite some muted laughter, one of the guys attempted to calm her down and defuse the situation.

"Alright, relax. There's no need to call the cops. We'll help you get your friend out of here. Come on," he urged the others.

"The fuck she will," the guy she'd grappled with, told his friends.

"Chill out, dude!" someone cautioned him, pushing him away.

In her haste to get Juliet to safety, Adrienne frantically gathered up what she surmised to be Juliet's clothes, including her carryall. She carefully rummaged inside the purse to make sure she still had her wallet, keys and phone. She thought about getting Juliet back into her clothes, but decided it was best to get out of there as quickly as possible. Furthermore, she was so shaken that she wasn't sure she could even accomplish the task.

Meanwhile, one of the stronger guys had picked Juliet up so he could carry her down to Adrienne's car. Together, they made their way downstairs, and out the front door without anyone paying much mind to them.

The bulky fellow then helped Adrienne get Juliet into the back seat of her car. Her friend was still out cold, so it wasn't easy to manage. By the time they finished, Adrienne was breathing heavily.

"Thanks," she said to the guy.

"Sure. Hope she's alright. No call to the cops, okay?" And with that lame request, he loped back to the house.

Adrienne felt her anger mounting, but knew she had to stay focused. She managed to get Juliet into her skirt, but tossed her shoes on the floor, then laid her blouse over her for warmth, and took off for the hospital.

As she made her way back to town, she occasionally checked the back to see if Juliet was okay. She'd call back to her once in a while to see if she could get a response. But other than a few groans, she never did. She also became aware of the pain radiating from where she'd been punched. She checked in the rearview mirror and could see a dark area beginning to form on her cheek.

"Where the fuck was her date?" she wondered. Did he leave her at the party? Had he been the one to set her up? It was all too creepy and sordid.

The drive seemed to take forever. But eventually, she arrived at the hospital. After pulling up to the ER entrance, things progressed quickly. She got out and called for help, explaining to arriving staff that her friend had been drugged, and was in need of immediate care. They quickly placed Juliet on a gurney and wheeled her into the hospital.

Meanwhile, Adrienne got out Juliet's wallet and found her Medical card. She gave it to the nurse, and then answered what questions she could.

"We should be able to track down her parents with this information," the nurse assured Adrienne. "Did you get that bruise at the party as well?" she queried, knowingly. The nurse had a kindly face, and seemed genuinely concerned for Adrienne's well-being.

"Yeah, let's just say it got hostile. Is she going to be alright?"

"I'll find out for you as soon as I can. And I'll get you some painkillers for that bruise. We might also want to X-ray it, just to be sure there isn't any sign of a fracture."

"Thanks. But I need to call home first."

"You go ahead," the nurse said, rubbing her tired eyes. "I'll let you know what we learn. Meanwhile, I'll get you those painkillers."

Adrienne then called home. "Hello, Mom?"

"Adrienne, where are you? Did you pick up Juliet?"

"Yeah, I did. But I had to bring her to the hospital."

"The hospital? Why? What's wrong with her?"

Adrienne told her what she could, omitting the potential rape scenario and that she had a nasty bruise on her face, which had swelled up a bit, and was now very tender. "Turns out someone had slipped her some drugs at the party and she ended up passing out. I drove her here as quickly as I could, and now I'm waiting to find out from the nurses if she's going to be okay."

"That's terrible. I trust you didn't take any drugs?"

"Mom! How could you even think that? First of all, I was driving, and secondly, you know I don't do drugs."

Just then a nurse returned with some water and two tablets. "Uh, mom, the nurse is here with an update. I'll call you back as soon as I know something."

Adrienne downed the tablets, as the nurse filled her in. "As we suspected, your friend has in her system a drug that depresses a person's central nervous system. It's like Valium, but much more potent. And it makes them vulnerable to sexual assault. You might have heard the term "roofie?"

"Yeah, but I don't really know what it is," Adrienne confessed.

"Well, it's a date rape drug. It's tasteless and odorless when dissolved in liquid, and can be slipped into a person's drink without it being detected. The effects can last up to twelve hours, so it's going to be a while before Juliet is back to her normal self. Though we did check and there's no sign of her being penetrated. Looks like you got there just in time."

"That's a relief," Adrienne sighed, managing a weak smile. She also felt her eyes tearing up, though from emotion or the pain, she wasn't sure.

"We also reached her parents and they're on their way to the hospital now. You're welcome to wait in the lobby."

Adrienne felt frozen to the spot. What should she do? Part of her wanted to get the heck out of the hospital before she confronted Juliet's mom, or her father, whom she didn't know. Maybe he was worse? But she also felt that she owed it to them to fill them in on what happened, and deal with any fallout. And so, she took a seat in the lobby and waited.

Adrienne started to doze off, when she heard voices. She looked up to see a man and a woman approaching the nurse's station. She instantly recognized the woman as Juliet's mother, and noticed that she was wearing the same hard expression she'd had on back when she first met Adrienne at the theatre. And yet despite her unpleasant demeanor, she was elegantly attired.

"How does she manage that?" Adrienne wondered aloud, considering the rush they must've made to get to the hospital. To Adrienne's relief, the nurse that had been so friendly with Adrienne was the one to greet and usher the parents back to see Juliet. Before she left, the nurse looked over at Adrienne and winked.

"Well, I've got one ally here," Adrienne recorded in her mental notebook.

Fifteen minutes passed, and Adrienne was not sure she could last much longer. It was getting late and she was drained, exhausted and despite the painkillers, her face was still hurting. She had just finished catching her mom up on the situation with the drug and Juliet's parents, and was about to head home, when Juliet's father appeared.

"Adrienne?"

"Mr. Langford," she replied with as much energy as she could muster, as she stood up and shook his hand.

"My god, what happened to your face?" Her face was now slightly bluish and definitely swollen.

"A guy at the party punched me when I tried to get Juliet away from him."

He looked horrified. "He punched you? What the hell kind of party was this?"

"I don't really know, sir. It's not my scene," Adrienne assured him.

"But the nurse said you were at the party and brought Juliet to the hospital."

Adrienne took a breath. "That's because Juliet texted me and asked me to come get her. She didn't want to be there anymore."

"Did you see her date? Did she say why he wasn't taking her home?"

This was the moment of truth. "When she texted, she said that Randall was off doing drugs with some friends. She was pretty angry and wanted to come home. She also said she wasn't feeling well. And so, I drove out there to get her. That's when I found her passed out. And she wasn't with Randall."

"You swear that everything you've just told me is true?" he pressed, making it sound like she was on the witness stand being cross examined.

"Yes, sir, it is." She felt uncomfortable ratting on a guy she'd never met. But it was exactly what Juliet had said to her, and he certainly wasn't with Juliet when Adrienne found her.

Mr. Langford then became quite emotional. "Adrienne, the nurse was very complimentary of your actions. She said your bravery likely saved Juliet from more serious harm. And from that wound to your face, I can see that this wasn't easy for you. We can't thank you enough for all you did for our daughter. And if you need to pay for any medical care, or need someone to support your story, please let us know. Her mother and I are forever grateful, and relieved that you were there for Juliet. She's lucky to have a friend like you to turn to."

The surge of pride Adrienne felt was short-lived for it was at that moment that Mrs. Langford appeared. But instead of stopping, she walked right past Adrienne and her husband, making for the exit, as if they weren't even there.

"I'll be out in a minute," Mr. Langford called after her. His tone was not friendly. "Do you have a way of getting home?" he asked, turning his attention back to Adrienne.

"Yes, sir. I've got my car."

"Oh, of course," he said, with an embarrassed nod, realizing that she drove Juliet to the hospital. "Well, Juliet is in good hands now, so we'll be back to get her in the morning. By the way, I never got to tell you how much I enjoyed hearing you play. Juliet is always going on about that piece you perform together, and seems to have nothing but nice things to say about you. I can see why. Again, thank you for being a good friend to her."

Adrienne felt herself tearing up. "Thank you, Mr. Langford, and I really hope Juliet's alright. If there's anything I can do, just let me know."

He smiled. "I will." And with that, he strode stiffly out of the hospital.

Adrienne waited around for a few minutes before deciding she needed to leave too. She was exhausted, in pain and an emotional wreck. However, as she made her way to her car, she heard angry voices coming from a few stalls away. Though it was dark out, the lot lights helped her identify Juliet's parents standing by their car, arguing. And from what she was able to glean, it was heated.

The first voice she recognized, was that of Mr. Langford. "I'm sick and tired of you forcing these useless, pampered shits down her throat. It's her life, Clarissa. Let her live it!"

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic. I'm not forcing them down her throat."

"You know very well she hates it. And this time, you nearly got her killed!"

"Don't you dare put this on me, Ted," Clarissa Langford hissed at her husband. "Randall is a perfectly fine young man, and until we know exactly what happened, I'm not going to accuse him anything."

"Our daughter is in a hospital with drugs in her body. What else do you need to know?"

"Unlike you, I refuse to take the word of that college girl. I'm sorry, but I don't trust her! I wish to hear Randall's side of the story."

"So, let me get this straight. You don't trust her friend who brought her to the hospital—but you trust that feckless moron who hasn't yet found the decency to call us and find out where his date even is?"

"He's probably ringing Juliet's phone, wondering where she is."

Ted Langford smacked the roof of the car. "Just who's side are you on, Clarissa?" But it was his next statement that packed the biggest wallop. It was said in not so harsh a tone, yet charged with meaning. "You really don't care much for your daughter, do you?"

"Oh, don't be stupid, of course, I care," she hissed. "Our personalities have always clashed, that's normal. But just because we don't always agree on what's best for her, doesn't mean I don't care about her."

"I'm tired of this, and we need to be back here first thing tomorrow. But I'm telling you now, if Juliet's story squares with what Adrienne told me in the lobby, Randall Harrison is going to rue the day he was born!"

At the mention of her name, Adrienne quietly opened her car door and slipped inside. She definitely didn't want them to find out she'd been eavesdropping on them. She started her engine and slowly drove out of the lot, without looking back.

When she got home, her mother was waiting up for her. Caroline was horrified to see how bruised Adrienne's face was. But before she could ask any questions, Adrienne broke down in tears.

~*~*~*~*~*

It was ten o'clock the next morning, when Adrienne's phone rang. She was still sound asleep in bed. Anxious for any word, she got up and answered.

"Hello?"

"May I please speak with Adrienne Sokol?" It was a vaguely familiar male voice.

"This is Adrienne." She was still half asleep, but instinctively knew this was about Juliet.

"Hello Adrienne. This is Mr. Langford, Juliet's father. We spoke at the hospital yesterday evening."

"Yes, I remember." She yawned.

"Well, her mother and I are here at the hospital, visiting with Juliet."

"She's awake? How is she doing? Is she alright?" Adrienne asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"She's doing much better. But she's been asking for you. Do you have a few minutes to speak with her?"

"Yes, I do." Adrienne's heart beat accelerated. She heard some unintelligible voices in the background, and then Juliet's voice.

"Hey, 'A'."

"Juliet! God, it's so good to hear your voice. I've been so worried about you."

"Adrienne, Adrienne...My knight in shining armor. You saved my life, girl."

Adrienne sniffed. "Well, I don't know if I saved your life, but I definitely saved your ass!"

Juliet burst out in laughter, ending with her coughing. "That you did! You know, I have no memory of what happened to me. All I remember was calling you, and then waking up in the hospital. The rest is just a blank." Juliet paused.

"It's probably just as well," Adrienne told her, still in disbelief over what she'd seen.

"You know who called my parents' house this morning? That fucker, Randall. He wanted to know if I got home alright!" She gave a hollow laugh. "The prick had no idea what had happened to me. Probably still hung over from doing all those lines. He'd left about six messages with me, freaking out, wondering where I was, telling me to call him, and hoping that I was alright. But I didn't return a single one. Let him think I'm lying in a gutter somewhere. Oh, Adrienne, you should have heard my father. If Randall had been at the house, I'm pretty sure Dad would have killed him."

"Can't say I'd blame him," Adrienne said with a half-hearted laugh. "But seriously, you have no idea how bad it was, and how afraid I was for you. You were out cold when I found you."

"A policewoman talked to me this morning, and she asked for the address of the party and names and descriptions of people I might know."

"Did you tell her about Randall?"

"Sure, I had to. His dad's pretty powerful, though. I hope this doesn't come back to bite me."

"You had to say something, Juliet. Someone tried to drug you, for god sakes. And they were going to do more than that to you, too."

"Oh Adrienne..." Juliet was sniffling. "The nurse said nothing, you know, sexual happened to me. Though Dad says someone punched you in the face. Is that true?"

"Yeah, some asshole hit me. I've got a nasty shiner below my left eye, but my eyesight wasn't affected, so I'll still be able to play my concert, though I won't look so good."

"Don't you worry, I'll take care of you. I'm sure it's nothing a little makeup can't fix."

Having Juliet back, and hearing her playfulness, brought a smile to Adrienne's face. "But what about you? Are you going to be able to do the show this Thursday?"

"I think so. I'm still feeling weak, but the drug has pretty much worked its way through my system. I've got a couple of days to get stronger. It's like I'm recovering from a hangover, or a very long nap. But listen: My parents want me to move back home and live with them for a while."

"What's wrong with your apartment?" Adrienne asked.

"Turns out the landlord wants to sell the building, so he's hiking the rent again. Dad doesn't want to deal with him anymore. Trisha has already moved in with her boyfriend, so...No more apartment."

"Are you okay moving back home?" Adrienne could easily see where this was heading.

"No! Of course, I'm not. You think I want to be in the same house with my mother? So, she can set me up with another drug dealer or rapist?!"

"I take it your parents aren't in the room with you?" Adrienne whispered.