Mean Girls of Maplewood Ch. 20

"Red, you're on probation; I'll toss your ass in jail, right now."

"I dare you Sheriff; I dare you to fuck with me, ass wipe. Want everyone to know how I found my daddy dearest GOING DOWN ON MY BEST FRIEND, huh?!! You're gonna stay out of my face and watch me KILL your girlfriend, dad."

The dead glare in her green eyes sent chills down his spine knowing she meant every word.

Father and Daughter faced off in a test of wills as his own piercing glare bore into her trying to silently reassert a dominance that had been forever lost. He was twice her size and width, one of the few people able to physically overpower the willful teen, but she had an indomitable will. They were both irresistible force and simultaneously immovable objects. Fire boiled in both of their veins while they cared little for the other people and world around them. It had been the single trait that kept them loyal and bonded to one another. Now, that vital link had been severed.

"Melissa?" He faltered.

"Red." She corrected, defiantly daring him to do anything to her; knowing he wouldn't because it would only fuel her unquenchable rage.

"Red, do you want me to fucking cuff you to your bed?" He brandished the cuffs in front of her face, snatching her phone away. Her face still beautiful, even with the scratches and the one black eye, clouded and flushed as she gritted her teeth.

"YOU CAN'T STOP ME; I'M GONNA GET HER AND THERE AINT NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT OUTSIDE OF SHOOTING ME DEAD!! FUCK YOU DADDY!!"

Her face broke as she ran into her room slamming the door as hard as she could in his face. Seconds later, he could hear her trashing her room and shrieking like some caged animal. Sheriff Reed knew better, wisely pocketing her phone backing away from the door.

*

The living room was partially dark due to the drawn curtains, but it would be less than thirty minutes before the housekeeper arrived to start work. She'd taken several showers since arriving home until the water ran cold before getting out still frightened of the shadows. The stunning brunette tried to put on some makeup but found that she had difficulty looking in the mirror. Nothing could take away the nasty, soiled feeling left behind after she'd allowed April to touch her flesh.

Her first instinct had been to drive to the police station, but April's knowledge of her misdeeds held her in check along with the hope that she might be able to get Humbert to come down and talk to her. There was no doubt that he was in trouble now that the fat witch pretending to be his girlfriend had been deposed. Part of her regretted not bashing the chubby blonde's brains out when she had the upper hand. April had revealed herself beyond insane trying to barter the life of her developing child for Humbert Jenkins.

Her mind raced around in circles going over the chronological time line from the moment they formally met in the library to her fight for the survival of her child locked in April's bedroom. She tried to tell herself that the woman who saved her, April's mother would take care of things. Deep down she knew better, seeing the obsessive glee in her nemesis blue eyes. This chubby girl had gone from being Red's punching bag and personal toilet, to being a real life monster in every sense of the word. Not content to simply ravish Leslie through extreme coercion, she'd made every attempt to harm an unborn child.

Leslie found something deep inside, fighting almost to the death with the demented sycophant until her own mother arrived. She'd escaped in the nude driving a hundred miles an hour down the freeway before skidding to a stop hysterically crying. It was only natural in her opinion to warn Humbert Jenkins of the horror right under his nose. For the second time that night she pushed her car to the limit speeding to his home only to be rebuffed when he simply stared down at her from his bedroom window. Now, she was sitting on the floor in a robe with her phone and a kitchen knife between her legs. Leslie picked up her phone dialing up a long neglected number.

"Mom?" She whimpered into her phone after a few moments.

"You've reached the law offices of Kennedy, Rosenberg and Brennan; we are unavailable to take your call at this time. Press zero to be directed to a live operator or leave a message at the sound of the beep."

Leslie hung up as soon as the automated voice responded, rubbing her belly before dialing another number.

"Hello; I uhm, need to come in for a medical checkup, yeah...yeah." She tapped aaway at her cell for a few moments before hanging up again, still rubbing her belly.

"Won't be long now; until then, guess it's just you and me." She spoke to her unborn child watching slivers of sunlight filter into the living room.

*

Humbert was anxious and twitchy at the prospect of seeing his troubled girlfriend but couldn't think of a way out of meeting her. She'd called in the middle of the night, strangely contrite only wanting to talk to him in person. Part of him hoped they were breaking up because April seemed overbearing as of late, wanting some intangible that he was unsure of and not sure he wanted to find out. He recalled the day they met as he sat in the bleachers and how pleasant she'd been. There had always been something undeniably dark about her personality with the chubby blonde more than willing to share, even though he never asked. Humbert admitted internally that he hadn't wanted to know because the logical progression of affairs would've rested on his shoulders to do the same.

He didn't want April to know that he'd been raped. He didn't want anyone to know he'd been assaulted by two cheerleaders and especially didn't want Leslie outed. His father was already giving him a wide berth, uneasy in his son's presence Home had become stifling as of late with his mother shadowing his every movement for the most part, out of concern and self-appointed personal guilt for his situation.

Leslie's visage haunted him constantly, her beautiful face in a wide variety of emotion continually beckoning to him in the light and darkness. Humbert recalled the first time he'd laid eyes on her walking the halls of Maplewood High at Red's side, untouchable. A vision of undeniable beauty and the envy of her peers, Leslie was known to be an ice queen shutting down many potential suitors in her social orbit. Queens of the campus, anointed by their peers across the whole of the student body and Maplewood at large, he was little more than an ant in the shadow of their heels.

Humbert knew this along with many others on his social tier accepting what would be a mundane lifestyle to most. But things were irreparably changed once the Queens appeared in the library that fateful day. Both girls seemed to stand out in the library, almost radiating an out of place brilliance that caught him wanting when he was called over. The nerd's response to a verbal slight by the two harpies had opened a Pandora's box that engulfed them all when Leslie took a shine to him, unshakably obsessed with him. He paid the price a second time as she assaulted him again, in his own bedroom no less.

"April."

"Come on, sit down and have some breakfast with me; I'm paying." She sat in their favorite booth at Happy's. Humbert hadn't even registered walking into the truck stop / restaurant, even his stilted stroll up the aisle to the booth where his girlfriend sat waiting.

"What happened to you?" He asked sliding in across from his girlfriend.

"Not important."

April sat there before him with visible bruises on her face in multiple scratches on a cheek, a darkened blemish on the other. There was a visible lump on her temple and a crescent shaped cut under her left eye. He noticed more scratches and bruising on her impressive cleavage.

"Of course it's important; what the fuck happened?" Humbert leaned in placing a hand on top of her own. She smiled faintly, looking warmly into his eyes, appearing relieved.

"I don't want to talk about that right now; I want you to know that I'm sorry for everything."

"Sorry, for what?"

"Come on Humbert; I've been making you unhappy since we started-being together."

"No, April; you've made me-!" It sounded like she was breaking up with him, Humbert didn't know if he wanted to stop her.

"Stop." Her blue eyes darted through the window at the traffic filtering in and out of the truck stop.

"Are we breaking up, April?"

Her eyes slid back over examining him sitting there in front of her, pondering an answer she knew he wanted to hear. She'd purposely started sticking it to him once they got closer figuring it would make his eventual fate all the more sweeter. Now, she'd discovered Leslie's secret which made her malevolent designs more potent than before. Every interaction had been planned to keep him off balance and guessing while she herded the clueless nerd to a horrific fate. April wanted to look into his eyes as he shattered beneath her becoming something malleable and subservient to her will. April hungered to realize this dark dream and punish the stunning cheerleader who'd fought her off the night prior. She rested her chin on her fist swirling a finger in her coffee mug.

"Leslie's very pretty." She answered getting the audible scoff and face palm she expected from her bootleg boyfriend.

"Look, you don't have anything to worry about." He used his hands as he spoke to emphasize his words, letting her know that he was at the point of severing their relationship himself.

"Hey, I want you to know that I'm sorry for giving you a hard time, Humbert. I think-I've been really insufferable, and I just really want to apologize for that, okay?" April put a hand over his, looking sincere.

"April, what's going on?"

"I was mad because you wouldn't tell me anything; felt like you were holding back even though I let you inside. Thought if maybe we connected, you'd be more open and that's why I was acting like such a heinous bitch, Humbert."

"Well uhm, I'm sorry but it's something I'm working on, April."

"Yeah I know, and I think Leslie has something to do with that, Humbert. I think she's in love with you and there's nothing you can do about it. Maybe, you should explore that." April was shooting from the hip, believing nothing spewing from her mouth.

"Leslie, uhm..."

"It's okay, I know there's like something between you two. Fuck, a girl's love is nothing to play with Humbert. Remember that because you have to be madly in love with somebody to run down a rival and beat her up. There's a lot-of passion between you two, Humbert. How could I compare to her? I'm nothing like her in anyway."

"April please; there's nothing going on between us." She could see him twisting in the wind, internally smiling behind the outer facade of sadness on her face.

"Who's lying now? Leslie is willing to fight me to the death for you, Humbert. Me, I just wanted to have something nice with this great guy I met on the bleachers."

"You don't understand, April." His pulse was quickening.

"Maybe I don't; all I know is that I'm thankful you were the first man I ever slept with even if it has to be over. If you find happiness with Leslie, I'll try really hard to be happy for you two."

His eyes were tightly shut as his knuckles whitened; fists balled too tightly. It felt like the chubby blonde was doing psychic surgery, stabbing deep into his soul for answers.

"She raped me."

It just spilled from his lips out in the open between them, right there in the restaurant half full of visitors, transients and townies. Right out on the table between them, right over the cracked mug of coffee April was drinking from. He couldn't hold it in any longer, wanting to stifle and kill the narrative being forced upon him by his estranged girlfriend. It appeared Leslie had somehow managed to find and assault the hapless teen in front of him and that guilt was overwhelming.

It was something lingering about his person, tainting everything done to him since two cheerleaders forced a plastic sex toy into his rectum. The shame of it all, hanging there along with the memory of how a beautiful teen with the body of a twenty five year old woman was able to do it a second time. Humbert found himself unable to keep it buried, prodded out of the depths by the woman sitting in front of him.

"Humbert, fuck." April replied, her eyes widening a little at an unsuspected success.

"Couple of months ago, she raped me with another girl, Red." He looked her dead in the eye meaning to get his point across.

"Humbert?"

"They uh, got me at work after everyone was gone. Beat me up, then Red and her played some kinda game where I got to "be with her" and uhm, after they like, did it. Told me I was gonna go to jail because Red was gonna tell her father that I raped her, okay?"

April leaned forward on the table hiding her lower face behind her hands. She wanted to laugh in his face, wishing she were there to get in on the action. Seconds later, she covered her entire face with her hands unable to stifle the crazed grin on her face as a waitress walked over taking notice.

"Hey honey, you okay?" He noticed the waitress eyeing him suspiciously but ignored it.

"Yeah, just uh, fill my cup please." April was busy forcing some tears out of her eyes as she quickly grabbed some napkins dabbing at her face.

"Well, since it's all out in the open, I have to let you know that it wasn't the only time that she, came to me. Leslie, blackmailed me one more time and would've kept on trying if it I didn't stop her." He admitted looking down at the menu on the table.

"What do you mean, stop her?"

"She wanted to "do me" in front of Red and some other bitch, but I fucked that shit up. I don't know what happened after that, but she just keeps popping up, alright?!"

"Humbert, I'm really sorry; I had no idea."

"WELL NOW, YOU DO!!" He would've stormed off, but April was too quick snatching a hold of his wrist.

They jostled for a few seconds before he relented knowing other patrons were watching. It was no stretch of the imagination figuring they believed him responsible for April's facial bruises.

"Don't-stay please."

"Why?" His voice trailed off as he witnessed an indecipherable expression on her face.

"I just don't want you to go."

"Every time I come out of my house; I feel like everyone who sees me knows what happened. That's one of the reasons I don't go to school anymore and it's not any better at home with my parents. My mom shadows me calling all the time, feeling like it was her fault and coddling me with video games and stuff while my dad-CAN'T EVEN LOOK AT ME!"

Humbert was shaking slightly as he spoke trying to hold everything inside but failing miserably.

"Shit, now I really feel guilty." April admitted biting into her lower lip.

"Huh?"

"This morning I got up thinking about you and the other girl, Leslie. I figured after what happened, I'd just, bow out and let you figure it out with her. I only wanted to sleep with you one more time and try to be the girl you met on those bleachers; just one more time for one last good memory. But now, I know I can't even ask you for that."

April glanced downward at the table hiding the neutral expression on her face, internally fighting the urge to say something that would destroy him. She fidgeted about, secretly wet thinking of the look on his face when she finally freed the beast on his clueless ass and the look on Leslie's face when she found out her beloved bottom was Brad Tucker 2.0. Her nipples were so hard, they felt like they were on fire.

"Humbert, I'm sorry for being so selfish." She tossed a couple of fives on the table, before sliding out of the booth to the nearest exit.

April was nearly swooning, realizing it was time to cash in on the long game she'd been playing. She'd already decided to tell Humbert about his baby after she was done turning him to mush. The thought alone had her panties so wet that it almost seemed like she wet herself.

"HEY, YOU STOP RIGHT THERE!!" Predictably, Humbert ran after her, obviously desperate to prove himself as he took her in his arms, kissing her hard. That kiss seemed to go on forever in the parking lot before he broke off staring at her, both gasping.

"What, why're you kissing me, Humbert?"

"Come on."

Humbert Jenkins roughly snatched her hand leading April off the parking lot, not even looking back at her face. He was determined to face his demons, unaware of the one he was presently holding hands with.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

*

"Let me do the talking Jimmy, okay?" Deputy Mooney took visual stock of his partner as they hung back after stepping off the hospital elevator.

"You always do the talking."

"Well, that's my thing and slapping cuffs is yours, good buddy." He tried to be reassuring, but Deputy Jimmy didn't look convinced.

"You know; I think you feel you're smarter than me, don't you?"

"Look Jimmy, we on the job right now and I ain't gonna be making no excuses on account of your lack of manners. We need to talk with this girl, and I want Red's fat ass behind bars, come hell or high water; judge or not. If you still got a problem after that, we can go throw hands out in the field or something."

"Violence is not the answer; fucks sake we role models Mooney!"

"That's right we sure are Jimmy; I'm doing the talking, okay?"

"Okay."

Both deputies tipped their respective cowboy hats before continuing on to Chelsea's hospital room where they found her little sister Antoinette standing in the door frame. The room was full of family members gathered about her older sister's hospital bed.

"Excuse me ma'am, we have business." Mooney tried to sound cordial.

"Yeah, you gonna tell us that ginger bitch in jail?" Her posture spoke to the anger seething inside after finding her sister hospitalized.

"Language young lady." Jimmy cut in, cautioning.

"Fuck you man; tell that shit to my sister." Mooney reached out admonishing his partner non verbally for speaking out of turn.

"We are presently conducting an investigation into the sequence of events."

"Hey, you see my sister laid up connected to machines, right?"

"I do see it ma'am; I see it." He nodded trying to deescalate the situation as best he could.

"Case closed, go put Red in jail and leave us the fuck alone!" The stress and raw emotion in Antoinette's voice gave him pause as her father noticed drifting over to the door cradling his distraught daughter.

"What you cops want here?"

"Sir, we were intending on asking a few questions to get a good idea of the sequence of events. It a standard operating procedure, that's all I'm saying sir." The balding middle aged father of five didn't seem to get what they were saying right off the bat, his brow furrowing.

"That other girl father is the Sheriff, right?"

"Well yes, that is correct, sir."

"Some fuck lawyer come by here talking a bunch of mess telling us that my kid is the fault of her ending up in that hospital bed! He talking shit about my kid going to jail for assault and it took everything I know and Jesus not to put my foot up in his ass!! We getting a lawyer too; you talk to him!!"

"My apologies sir." Deputy Mooney knew there was no wiggle room, resolving himself to other channels as the hospital door was closed in their faces.

"I should've done the talking." Deputy Jimmy had a talent for speaking at the wrong time as his radio chirped.

"Yeah maybe you should've; I'd love seeing that guy kicking your ass all over the hallway."

Both deputies glanced inside the window on the hospital door finding Chelsea dozing under the watchful eye of her family. Mooney felt genuinely bad about things hoping against hope that a regime change was truly in the cards.

*

Humbert pushed the door open, offering April a first look at his bedroom since they'd started dating. He'd consciously kept her at arm's distance preferring to meet her at locations secretly, relieved the chubby blonde never brought him home to meet her mother in turn. There was no way the clueless nerd could've ever guessed his status as her pet project. April relished the distance knowing what it would mean to take him to her home and what meticulous work it would entail trying to hide her secrets from a future victim. It was part of the reason she started purposely annoying him during and after their excursion out of town to a comic book convention.