【悬疑】Mirror （7）Abby
“Daniel!” I yell into my cell phone as I stomp out of the police station, “where are you?”
“On my way! Don’t call me if you want me to get there faster!” Daniel barks, his labored breathing blowing into the phone like he’s running on a treadmill. “Do you have any idea...” he pants, “...how hard it is to bike...” more panting, “...and talk on the phone at the same time? I am on a fucking uphill road!”
I flinch, and move the phone away from my ear before yelling back at him, “Why don't you drive your dad’s car?”
“They hid the key before they went on vacation.” He heaves a heavy sigh, “I totaled the Lexus last week, remember?” He answers breathlessly.
“Oh.” I want to remind him that I've been living like a hermit crab for the past two weeks, but decide to leave it for now. “Okay, ride faster!”
The line goes dead. Out on the street, there’s no traffic except for the occasional police cruisers making rounds in the neighborhood. I’ve been in and out of the station for the past two hours, but the sky remains the same shade of cool indigo, like it has forgotten its job to darken as time passes. Why can’t the clock stop working too? Mom would stop calling me. Telling her I am staying at Debbie’s place for dinner can buy me some time and Debbie would totally back me up, but a sleepover is a bit of a stretch. It sounds too suspicious now that I have a boyfriend.
Tucking the phone into my jeans pocket, I continue monitoring incoming traffic as I pace back and forth under the dimly lit street light. Compared to the suffocating air inside, the urine stink and cigarette smoke feels much less offensive. Watching a thug circus parade is not my thing either. So yeah, I think I like it better here.
The chill of an evening breeze raises goosebumps on my bare arms, reminding me of the hoodie I took off for Chase earlier. He covered me with it when he came to comfort me a couple of days ago and never asked for it back. It’s his favorite Giants jacket, but he needs it more than I do now. I just hope the cops would change him like I asked them to. Wearing your own puke can’t be comfortable.
Some dark figures at the nearby street corner start moving towards me. It’s hard to make out who, or what it is from this distance with my poor eyesight, but I don’t give it a second thought before I walk back into police station, reclaiming the plastic chair I’ve been occupying since Officer Sherman dismissed me.
What an asshole!
There’s got to be a reason why he’s dead set on calling me the porn star in this tape. Sure, I look a lot like the girl, but how can he be so certain when I don’t know for sure myself? Besides, he treats me like I am a child throwing a tantrum, or a fly he can easily swat away. It’s not like this mess is my imaginary creation. When a simple case of mistaken identity spirals into a porn tape starring myself and a possible rape charge against my boyfriend, how can he accuse me of being dramatic?
And this girl...she looked like another me from a parallel universe. No, my life is not a sci-fi. So is she my twin or, better yet, my evil twin? That would make me a good girl, right? Wait, since when do I have a twin? Oh, I could also have been possessed by a ghost that hated Chase’s guts. I’ve been called a ghost too many times to count because of my looks. It wouldn’t surprise me much. Or, is this a giant trick a Leprechaun played on us to...what, test our love?
I shake my head. Today’s been a whirlwind. I need a clear head to think this through. At this time, “she” can be a plastic life-sized figure from a 3-D printer for all I know.
The wall clock is ticking like a bomb. I glance at it and look away immediately. It’s getting really late. 9:47 PM.
Where are you, Daniel?
The front door bursts open, and a guy tumbles into the station, a purple bike helmet in hand. Right behind him, is another biker with a matching purple helmet.
I let out a sigh of relieve as I rush over to stable him, “you are here!”
Daniel unplugs a Bluetooth headset from his ear as he stands up straight, still gasping for air. “Where’s Chase?”
“Back there.” I point to the door Officer Sherman disappeared into and tell him, “they say they’ll transfer him to the county jail soon.”
“For what?”
Not wanting to draw attention, I push him away from the railing the stinky guy is cuffed to and hiss into his ear, “I already told you!”
He snaps right back, “you just said, ‘Chase is arrested. Come to the Tenderloin Police Station ASAP.’ I thought you were messing with me, but then I got a weird call from Chase, so I rushed here. What happened?”
I sigh, and start counting with my fingers as I recall the ridiculous charges one by one, “he was arrested for violating a restraining order, carrying a Taser, possession and production of child porn, and possibly rape. From the murmurs I’ve overheard, there may be drug charge as well.”
Daniel whistles before he drops a comment, “wow, I’ve always thought I was the bad boy.” I slap him on the arm, hard. “Ouch! What was that for?” He rubs his arms in protest.
“It's not funny!” I shout in his face, not caring about the eyes darting our way any more. “He could be thrown in jail for days and he’ll have a criminal record and then no school would accept him and nobody would want to hire him...”
Holding out both of his palms down, Daniel gestures for me to stop babbling, “relax, Abby,” he announces proudly with a grin, “I’ve got you a very good defense attorney.”
“Really? That's wonderful!” A small concern crosses my mind at hearing this great news. “How much does she charge?” Suddenly remembering the six-figure bank account balance slip I've found in Chase's wallet, I realize this should be a non-issue. But Daniel doesn't have to know that. “Never mind.” I say quickly and replace it with a more urgent question, “where is she now?”
He rolls his eyes. “In her bed. How could you expect a lawyer to drag her ass out of bed in the middle of night for a client she's never met?”
Yeah, he's right, but I can't help feeling a little disappointed. “Where did you find this lawyer?”
“I’ve got my connections.” He waives with a dismissive hand, “Chase’s saved my ass too many times. It’s time for me to return the favor. Anyway, what matters is that she’s very good.”
“How good?”
“Well, she specializes in sexual assault related cases, and has a long history of winning.”
I let out a long sigh of relieve. “Okay, I hope she wins this one too. I'll meet you tomorrow morning at the county jail.”
“There's no visiting at the Intake and Release Center. The lawyer will try to post bail first thing in the morning.” He assures me, “now go home before your mom calls 911. I'll let you know as soon as he gets out.”
“Oh, I almost forgot!” I turn on my heels and dart out of the station without wasting a second to say goodbye. I've barely walked out of the door before it dawns on me that this neighborhood has the highest crime rate in the city. Although this is not too far from the metro train station, walking alone on these streets at night is probably not a smart idea.
“Daniel, can I borrow your bike?” I ask hesitantly. There’s only a little traffic, so biking there shouldn’t be a problem, I think.
“Why?” Before I have a chance to reply, Daniel slaps his forehead as he realizes this issue. “Sorry, I forgot about it. But no, you can't borrow my bike because you'll get run over by a car with your eyesight.” Turning to the biker he came with, Daniel asks gently, “Marcus, could you do me a favor and walk her to the metro station? I want to stay here to make sure Chase is okay.”
This Marcus guy just stands there staring at me like he's seen a ghost. Oh no, I really don't have time to give him a lesson on my condition now. Apparently Daniel notices this as well, because he gives Marcus a nudge as he clears his throat. “I don't think you two have met yet. Marcus, this is Chase's girlfriend Abby.” He gestures to Marcus, “and Abby, this is my boyfriend Marcus.”
I am normally not a rude person, but this is hardly the time to exchange pleasantries, so I nod briefly and offer Marcus a weak smile, “hi, Marcus. Could you please walk me there?”
Marcus blinks a couple of times as if he wants to make sure I am a real human being. Finally, he nods back. Waving Daniel goodbye, we head out to the metro station in mutual silence.
To say that the walk is awkward would be an understatement. I can’t see well, but I can feel him stealing glances at me from time to time. This doesn’t have to do with the fact that he’s gay, and being gawked at normally doesn’t make me uncomfortable. My appearance tends to bring out the universal trait of curiousity in people regardless of age, race, sex, and sexual orientation. But knowing the high turnover rate in Daniel’s boyfriend department, this Marcus guy could be gone in two weeks. Although the chance of him spreading the words far enough to make an impact on our lives is slim, I’d still rather keep this between the three of us, or as few people as possible. The thought of my parents finding out the real reason I come home so late tonight is certainly not pleasant.
Fortunately, we arrive at the metro train station before I have time to dwell on that thought for too long. I thank him before dashing off to the platform in search of the N train. The next one will be coming in 8 minutes. As I anxiously wait for its arrival, I call mom to let her know I’ll be home soon before scrolling through the voicemails on my phone. Besides the three mom left me earlier, there’s a message from an unfamiliar local number. I click play.
Hi Abby, this is Dr. Morris from the General Hospital. I am calling you about the lab test result from your visit to the ER two weeks ago. I would like to go over this with you in person. Please come to the OBGYN department at Building 5, 5th floor tomorrow at 4:30PM. I’ll see you then.
I freeze. What does he want to discuss about? The nurse’s words replay in my head like a recorder, “the blood test is more accurate, but the result of a urine test comes back faster.”
Oh no. Am I pregnant?
【悬疑】Mirror (9) Chase