Bulletproof Love
Stay Away From My Friends II
Ashley’s P.O.V
I screamed, and my eyes went wide as Jack banged on my window. I heard a high pitched wail come from over my shoulder, and I realized that Micah had become agitated with his sleep having been interrupted. The man that was walking with Jack, who I presumed to be Drew’s fiancé, made his way over to Drew’s window in front of me and looked at her with disgust.
“What the fuck are you doing, Jerry!?” Drew hollered over the sounds of my tear-coated whimpers and Micah’s upset toddler noises. Jack yelled something to her in response, but through the thick glass windows and cries, he couldn’t be heard.
“Dylan, floor it!” I managed to shout out, never breaking eye contact with Jack. His hazel eyes showed flashes of flames in them, as if he were burning like the gates of hell from deep within his soul.
“B-b-but the light’s red!” Dylan stammered back at me, her knuckles turning white from her vice grip on the steering wheel.
“DYLAN, DRIVE!” I screamed as loud as I could, ignoring the irritated child next to me only getting louder.
Without hesitation, Dylan slammed her foot into the gas and held her breath as she began to run the light. I felt the car run over a small bump and heard a muffled groan. I turned around to see Jack falling to the asphalt holding his foot, and Jerry rushed to his aid. I let out a sigh of relief as the two got smaller and smaller in my vision, but my tears continue to fall at lightning speed. Drew was silent, but I could feel her fury in the air.
Dylan only slowed down when we to the police station, which was only about five minutes away from where we ran into Jack and Jerry. When we pulled into the parking lot, we spotted Vic and Tony standing outside Vic’s white truck. Dylan pulled in beside them. “How the hell did you guys get here before us?” She called to them, getting out of the car. I followed suit, and Drew went to retrieve Micah from the backseat.
“We went a quicker way than you guys,” Vic responded casually. His entire demeanor changed when his eyes landed on me, however. “What happened?” he asked, evidently trying to remain calm.
“W-w-we…J-J-J-Jack…r-red l-l-l-light…” I stammered, trying to get my words together.
“What?” he repeated, taking a step towards me. Tony remained where he was, but his eyebrows furrowed in concern. I tried to speak again, but I only ended up sobbing again, and he pulled me into his chest, allowing me to spill my tears onto his shirt.
Dylan’s P.O.V
Vic rubbed Ashley’s back as he held her, and looked at me with a pleading expression. Tony’s face mimicked Vic’s. I sighed, “On the way here, we pulled up to a red light. Jack and Jerry were crossing the street. They recognized Drew and Ashley, and they started breaking on the windows and shit, so I ran the light, and I think I ran over one of their feet. Ashley and Micah might be a bit traumatized.”
Tony and I looked at Vic and watched as his hands gripped Ashley’s shirt angrily. He sighed heavily before he unclenched his fists. He ran his hands down her arms, as if that were the only thing that would calm him down, and he held her hand in his. Ashley stepped away from him. “Ok, we need to let the police know that we know where this guy is,” Vic said, determination laced in his voice. With that, Drew emerged with Micah perched on her hip, and the six of us made our way into the station.
As soon as we got inside, Drew hastily made her way to the man at the front desk. He was very hefty, with a red face and thinning red hair. “We have a man that y’all need to arrest for murder immediately,” Drew said sassily at the man.
“Excuse me?” The officer raised his eyebrow at her. His voice was hollow, and it held a bit of a southern accent, making it obvious that he wasn’t originally from California.
“You heard me-“ I stepped behind Drew and placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling her tension subside a bit. “-Officer…Bates…” she continued, calmer than before while reading the man’s badge.
“Who is this man that supposedly needs to be arrested?” Officer Bates asked Drew, never lowering his eyebrow.
“The man who stabbed my friend and killed her child!” Drew answered the question as if Officer Bates was already supposed to know the answer. She gestured in Ashley’s direction for her to come forth, and she did so reluctantly.
After a few seconds of studying Ashley’s features, Officer Bates shuffled through some papers on the desk in front of him. “Ah, yes, are you-ah-Ashlana Lopez?” He read of the name on the paper. He pronounced her name Ash-lay-na instead of Ash-lah-na, but no one was in the mood to correct him.
“Yes, that’s me,” Ashley replied, playing with the fabric of her shirt.
“Hmph, alright. So you must be Dylan,” he pointed at Drew, “you must be Vic,” he pointed at
Vic, “and you must be Tony,” and he pointed at Tony, still reading off the pile of papers.
“Actually,” I interrupted. “I’m Dylan.”
“Then who are you?” he raised his eyebrow at Drew once again.
“I’m Drew, this is my son, Micah. Jack is staying at my house; he’s my fiancé’s brother.”
“Ah, yes.” He jotted something down on a piece of paper. “Step right this way, all of you. The detective will meet with you shortly.”
Officer Bates led us to a large room in the back with a conference table in the middle. This was probably where suspects and witnesses were questioned for crimes. Once he left, the six of us sat there in silence. Micah had fallen asleep on his mother’s shoulder, Vic had his arm around Ashley, and Tony sat close to me. Our thighs were touching, but we weren’t saying anything; we were only finding slight comfort in each other’s company.
After about twenty minutes of uncomfortable silence, a tall man stepped through the door. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, and was wearing a white dress shirt with a black tie, black slacks, and black shoes. He was quite good looking, but his face held a stern expression, almost as if he never smiled. “Hello, my name is Detective Samuel,” he said as he walked around and shook all of the adults’ hands. He sat at the head of the table. “So, which one of you is Ashlana?” He pronounced her name correctly.
“Me,” Ashley said quietly.
“Hello, Ashlana. Can you tell me about your relationship with, uh…Jack…before the incident last week?”
Ashley took a deep breath as if to gather her thoughts and the memories that plagued her. “Well,” she started, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat and began again. “Jack and I met back in Miami, my hometown, in 2009, when I was 20 and he was 23. We met at the tattoo parlor that one of his friends owned. He saw me one day there and we just hit it off. At first, everything was fine and dandy until I moved in with him the next year. That’s when he started getting abusive. He would hit me, and call me all sorts of degrading names, and he would always take advantage of me.”
“Take advantage of you in what way?” Detective Samuel asked, scribbling notes on a notepad.
Ashley swallowed hard. “You know…like…in bed.” Her voice trailed off at the end of her sentence, and her eyes dropped to the table we were sitting at. Vic shook her shoulder where his hand was resting a bit, and turned her head to face his, his finger curling under her chin.
“Hey, it’ll be okay. We’re here for you. You just have to tell us everything.” He whispered to her just loud enough for the rest of us to hear what he was saying. She nodded in understanding and continued to tell the detective the extent of her troubles.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Ashlana.” Detective Samuel said. “If you don’t mind, would you please continue?”
Ashley swallowed again. “Finally, a little over a month ago, I decided enough was enough. One day when he was out drinking and probably cheating on me like he always was, I packed all my stuff and got on the first plane to San Diego, thinking that he’d never find me here,” Ashley continued, her voice a bit stronger this time.
“How did he find you?” the detective asked. Ashley shrugged her shoulders and looked around the room.
“Well,” Drew cleared her throat. “My fiancé, Jerry, is Jack’s brother.”
“Yeah, I moved here because I knew Jerry lived here. I always talked to Jerry when things got especially bad with me and Jack, so I figured moving here would be a good thing for me.” Ashley added.
“Until Jerry told Jack that Ashley was here,” I spoke up for the first time since we stepped foot into this room.
“What happened then?” Detective Samuel urged us on.
“I went to take a walk one morning, and when I came back he was in my kitchen. I tried to get him to leave, but instead, he pulled a knife on me.”
“Vic, Dylan, and I found her a little while later,” Tony said.
The detective nodded as he frantically wrote more notes, taking in all that we had said.
“Alright. It’s a loaded story, but I think I’ve got as much as I need to build a case.” We all collectively let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, wait, one more thing,” Detective Samuel said, reviewing his notes. “Ashley, can I call you Ashley?” She nodded. “Good. How old was your child?”
“Um, it wasn’t born yet. I couldn’t have been pregnant longer than a month or two, I had just found out I was pregnant that very day.”
“I see. You might not like what I have to say next, then.” We all looked at Detective Samuel with confused expressions. He sighed. “Technically, an unborn fetus Is not yet a person, so while Jack can, in fact, be charged with assault and battery, he cannot be charged for murder.”
I watched as Ashley’s face fell, and she spoke, her voice wavering from the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. “So, what does that mean?”
“It means that he will only be in jail for 3, maybe 4, 5 years tops, definitely not the 20 to life you were probably looking for.”
“Well this is just freaking great,” Vic said sarcastically. “What is she supposed to do in the meantime, wait for this psychopath to find her and steal her away from me!?” His voice rose with every word he spoke.
“Vic-“ Ashley gingerly touched his arm, but he shook her touch away.
“No, I’m not gonna let this happen!”
“Would you like to file for a restraining order…?” Detective Samuel remained calm.
“No, I don’t want a goddamn restraining order! A piece of paper isn't gonna do a damn thing! I want him behind fucking bars!”
“Sir, I’m going to need you to calm yourself before I put you in a holding cell for reckless behavior!” the detective’s words came out sternly, but Vic relaxed at the sound of them. “You all are free to go. We will be sure to contact you if we have any news for you. Be safe. Goodnight.” With that, he rose from his seat at the head of the table and exited the room.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Ashley whisper-yelled to Vic. “You’re not making this any easier on me!”
“Ashley, I’m-“
“I’m not in the mood. Just take me home. Now.” Vic bowed his head, and we all walked outside; Vic and Ashley were no longer hand-in-hand.
Once we were outside, we all hugged and told each other to be safe. Then, Drew, Micah, and I returned to my car while Ashley went to ride home with Tony and Vic.
“Drew, please stay with me tonight. I don’t want you there with them,” I said once I was in the car.
Drew sighed. “They know where you live, too Dylan. It’s no use.”
“Then let’s go to a hotel. On the other side other side of town.”
I heard her chuckle, and out of the corner of my eye I saw her shake her head. "Where do you come up with this stuff?”
I smirked in her direction without answering her question as I started off toward the eastern part of San Diego.
I screamed, and my eyes went wide as Jack banged on my window. I heard a high pitched wail come from over my shoulder, and I realized that Micah had become agitated with his sleep having been interrupted. The man that was walking with Jack, who I presumed to be Drew’s fiancé, made his way over to Drew’s window in front of me and looked at her with disgust.
“What the fuck are you doing, Jerry!?” Drew hollered over the sounds of my tear-coated whimpers and Micah’s upset toddler noises. Jack yelled something to her in response, but through the thick glass windows and cries, he couldn’t be heard.
“Dylan, floor it!” I managed to shout out, never breaking eye contact with Jack. His hazel eyes showed flashes of flames in them, as if he were burning like the gates of hell from deep within his soul.
“B-b-but the light’s red!” Dylan stammered back at me, her knuckles turning white from her vice grip on the steering wheel.
“DYLAN, DRIVE!” I screamed as loud as I could, ignoring the irritated child next to me only getting louder.
Without hesitation, Dylan slammed her foot into the gas and held her breath as she began to run the light. I felt the car run over a small bump and heard a muffled groan. I turned around to see Jack falling to the asphalt holding his foot, and Jerry rushed to his aid. I let out a sigh of relief as the two got smaller and smaller in my vision, but my tears continue to fall at lightning speed. Drew was silent, but I could feel her fury in the air.
Dylan only slowed down when we to the police station, which was only about five minutes away from where we ran into Jack and Jerry. When we pulled into the parking lot, we spotted Vic and Tony standing outside Vic’s white truck. Dylan pulled in beside them. “How the hell did you guys get here before us?” She called to them, getting out of the car. I followed suit, and Drew went to retrieve Micah from the backseat.
“We went a quicker way than you guys,” Vic responded casually. His entire demeanor changed when his eyes landed on me, however. “What happened?” he asked, evidently trying to remain calm.
“W-w-we…J-J-J-Jack…r-red l-l-l-light…” I stammered, trying to get my words together.
“What?” he repeated, taking a step towards me. Tony remained where he was, but his eyebrows furrowed in concern. I tried to speak again, but I only ended up sobbing again, and he pulled me into his chest, allowing me to spill my tears onto his shirt.
Dylan’s P.O.V
Vic rubbed Ashley’s back as he held her, and looked at me with a pleading expression. Tony’s face mimicked Vic’s. I sighed, “On the way here, we pulled up to a red light. Jack and Jerry were crossing the street. They recognized Drew and Ashley, and they started breaking on the windows and shit, so I ran the light, and I think I ran over one of their feet. Ashley and Micah might be a bit traumatized.”
Tony and I looked at Vic and watched as his hands gripped Ashley’s shirt angrily. He sighed heavily before he unclenched his fists. He ran his hands down her arms, as if that were the only thing that would calm him down, and he held her hand in his. Ashley stepped away from him. “Ok, we need to let the police know that we know where this guy is,” Vic said, determination laced in his voice. With that, Drew emerged with Micah perched on her hip, and the six of us made our way into the station.
As soon as we got inside, Drew hastily made her way to the man at the front desk. He was very hefty, with a red face and thinning red hair. “We have a man that y’all need to arrest for murder immediately,” Drew said sassily at the man.
“Excuse me?” The officer raised his eyebrow at her. His voice was hollow, and it held a bit of a southern accent, making it obvious that he wasn’t originally from California.
“You heard me-“ I stepped behind Drew and placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling her tension subside a bit. “-Officer…Bates…” she continued, calmer than before while reading the man’s badge.
“Who is this man that supposedly needs to be arrested?” Officer Bates asked Drew, never lowering his eyebrow.
“The man who stabbed my friend and killed her child!” Drew answered the question as if Officer Bates was already supposed to know the answer. She gestured in Ashley’s direction for her to come forth, and she did so reluctantly.
After a few seconds of studying Ashley’s features, Officer Bates shuffled through some papers on the desk in front of him. “Ah, yes, are you-ah-Ashlana Lopez?” He read of the name on the paper. He pronounced her name Ash-lay-na instead of Ash-lah-na, but no one was in the mood to correct him.
“Yes, that’s me,” Ashley replied, playing with the fabric of her shirt.
“Hmph, alright. So you must be Dylan,” he pointed at Drew, “you must be Vic,” he pointed at
Vic, “and you must be Tony,” and he pointed at Tony, still reading off the pile of papers.
“Actually,” I interrupted. “I’m Dylan.”
“Then who are you?” he raised his eyebrow at Drew once again.
“I’m Drew, this is my son, Micah. Jack is staying at my house; he’s my fiancé’s brother.”
“Ah, yes.” He jotted something down on a piece of paper. “Step right this way, all of you. The detective will meet with you shortly.”
Officer Bates led us to a large room in the back with a conference table in the middle. This was probably where suspects and witnesses were questioned for crimes. Once he left, the six of us sat there in silence. Micah had fallen asleep on his mother’s shoulder, Vic had his arm around Ashley, and Tony sat close to me. Our thighs were touching, but we weren’t saying anything; we were only finding slight comfort in each other’s company.
After about twenty minutes of uncomfortable silence, a tall man stepped through the door. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, and was wearing a white dress shirt with a black tie, black slacks, and black shoes. He was quite good looking, but his face held a stern expression, almost as if he never smiled. “Hello, my name is Detective Samuel,” he said as he walked around and shook all of the adults’ hands. He sat at the head of the table. “So, which one of you is Ashlana?” He pronounced her name correctly.
“Me,” Ashley said quietly.
“Hello, Ashlana. Can you tell me about your relationship with, uh…Jack…before the incident last week?”
Ashley took a deep breath as if to gather her thoughts and the memories that plagued her. “Well,” she started, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat and began again. “Jack and I met back in Miami, my hometown, in 2009, when I was 20 and he was 23. We met at the tattoo parlor that one of his friends owned. He saw me one day there and we just hit it off. At first, everything was fine and dandy until I moved in with him the next year. That’s when he started getting abusive. He would hit me, and call me all sorts of degrading names, and he would always take advantage of me.”
“Take advantage of you in what way?” Detective Samuel asked, scribbling notes on a notepad.
Ashley swallowed hard. “You know…like…in bed.” Her voice trailed off at the end of her sentence, and her eyes dropped to the table we were sitting at. Vic shook her shoulder where his hand was resting a bit, and turned her head to face his, his finger curling under her chin.
“Hey, it’ll be okay. We’re here for you. You just have to tell us everything.” He whispered to her just loud enough for the rest of us to hear what he was saying. She nodded in understanding and continued to tell the detective the extent of her troubles.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Ashlana.” Detective Samuel said. “If you don’t mind, would you please continue?”
Ashley swallowed again. “Finally, a little over a month ago, I decided enough was enough. One day when he was out drinking and probably cheating on me like he always was, I packed all my stuff and got on the first plane to San Diego, thinking that he’d never find me here,” Ashley continued, her voice a bit stronger this time.
“How did he find you?” the detective asked. Ashley shrugged her shoulders and looked around the room.
“Well,” Drew cleared her throat. “My fiancé, Jerry, is Jack’s brother.”
“Yeah, I moved here because I knew Jerry lived here. I always talked to Jerry when things got especially bad with me and Jack, so I figured moving here would be a good thing for me.” Ashley added.
“Until Jerry told Jack that Ashley was here,” I spoke up for the first time since we stepped foot into this room.
“What happened then?” Detective Samuel urged us on.
“I went to take a walk one morning, and when I came back he was in my kitchen. I tried to get him to leave, but instead, he pulled a knife on me.”
“Vic, Dylan, and I found her a little while later,” Tony said.
The detective nodded as he frantically wrote more notes, taking in all that we had said.
“Alright. It’s a loaded story, but I think I’ve got as much as I need to build a case.” We all collectively let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, wait, one more thing,” Detective Samuel said, reviewing his notes. “Ashley, can I call you Ashley?” She nodded. “Good. How old was your child?”
“Um, it wasn’t born yet. I couldn’t have been pregnant longer than a month or two, I had just found out I was pregnant that very day.”
“I see. You might not like what I have to say next, then.” We all looked at Detective Samuel with confused expressions. He sighed. “Technically, an unborn fetus Is not yet a person, so while Jack can, in fact, be charged with assault and battery, he cannot be charged for murder.”
I watched as Ashley’s face fell, and she spoke, her voice wavering from the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. “So, what does that mean?”
“It means that he will only be in jail for 3, maybe 4, 5 years tops, definitely not the 20 to life you were probably looking for.”
“Well this is just freaking great,” Vic said sarcastically. “What is she supposed to do in the meantime, wait for this psychopath to find her and steal her away from me!?” His voice rose with every word he spoke.
“Vic-“ Ashley gingerly touched his arm, but he shook her touch away.
“No, I’m not gonna let this happen!”
“Would you like to file for a restraining order…?” Detective Samuel remained calm.
“No, I don’t want a goddamn restraining order! A piece of paper isn't gonna do a damn thing! I want him behind fucking bars!”
“Sir, I’m going to need you to calm yourself before I put you in a holding cell for reckless behavior!” the detective’s words came out sternly, but Vic relaxed at the sound of them. “You all are free to go. We will be sure to contact you if we have any news for you. Be safe. Goodnight.” With that, he rose from his seat at the head of the table and exited the room.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Ashley whisper-yelled to Vic. “You’re not making this any easier on me!”
“Ashley, I’m-“
“I’m not in the mood. Just take me home. Now.” Vic bowed his head, and we all walked outside; Vic and Ashley were no longer hand-in-hand.
Once we were outside, we all hugged and told each other to be safe. Then, Drew, Micah, and I returned to my car while Ashley went to ride home with Tony and Vic.
“Drew, please stay with me tonight. I don’t want you there with them,” I said once I was in the car.
Drew sighed. “They know where you live, too Dylan. It’s no use.”
“Then let’s go to a hotel. On the other side other side of town.”
I heard her chuckle, and out of the corner of my eye I saw her shake her head. "Where do you come up with this stuff?”
I smirked in her direction without answering her question as I started off toward the eastern part of San Diego.
Plot twist! Dx
3/17/14