Reality Check, PT. 3

For the first time in her life, she thought of running away, but that would be short-lived, embarrassing, and even more incriminating if it wasn’t Jesse’s intention to tell their parents everything.

Lightheaded with worry, she sank onto the edge of her bed and buried her face in her hands. Ten minutes ago, she felt like a powerful sex goddess. Now, she felt ashamed, tainted, and scared.

Why hadn’t she texted Tucker to make sure he was okay? She witnessed firsthand the brutal blows Jesse had doled out. The only time he crossed her mind this week was when her friends asked about him. She’d been waiting for him to return to school so she could break up with him in person, only to discover he’d been in considerable pain while she’d moved on with another guy. What if Tucker sustained permanent brain damage?

She shot to her feet and put her ear to the door. She couldn’t hear anything. What was Jesse telling them? Why was it taking so long? Why was the silence more ominous than the sound of shouting and glass breaking? Were their parents in shock? Is that why she couldn’t hear their reaction?

Consumed by the need to do something, she started organizing her backpack and was so deep in her head, she didn’t hear the door open.

“Violet?”

She whirled up to find Lynne beckoning to her.

“Are you ready for church?”

Lynne wasn’t smiling, but she also wasn’t staring at her with revulsion or anger. That was a good sign, wasn’t it? “Yes, I’m ready.”

As Mom slipped back into the hallway, she slipped on her sandals and dashed through the bathroom to Jesse’s room. It was empty. She hurried down the hallway only to find the dining room also empty. What the heck?

“They’re waiting for us in the truck,” Mom said.

She opened her mouth to ask questions, but thought better of it and stayed quiet. She had to talk to Jesse first. She walked down the steps and heard Lynne lock up the house. She climbed in behind the front passenger seat. Jesse sat behind Dad. The atmosphere in the truck was tense and silent. Heart in her throat, she buckled in and folded her hands on her lap as Lynne got settled.

As they left the house, she glanced at Jesse, but he was looking out the window. Not reassuring. Her hands twisted in the folds of her dress as she waited for someone to announce her sentence.

When they were several minutes away from church, Dad finally spoke.

“We got in touch with Tucker’s parents and thankfully, it seems like he’s going to be okay. Jesse offered to go to the hospital to apologize, but they didn’t want him there. Thankfully, they’ve decided not to press assault charges. As punishment for his actions, Jesse’s dropping out of football.”

She audibly gasped. Football was Jesse’s favorite sport, and he was one of the best players on the team. Last year, they made it to the national championship, and they were counting on Jesse to take them there again. Football was sacred in Texas and ranked just a few notches below church. She glanced at Jesse, who was still looking out the window.

“And you, Violet, aren’t allowed to date for the rest of the year.”

She looked up and although Dad wore sunglasses, she felt the impact of his stare in the rearview mirror.

“You also aren’t going out after school or on weekends for the foreseeable future. With something this serious, we should have been told. Violence is never the answer. If Tucker’s parents chose to press charges, Jesse could have destroyed his future because you chose someone who—”

Lynne reached across the console and gripped Dad’s arm. “Isaac.”

Dad smacked the steering wheel, clearly still aggravated. “I won’t have Vi turn out like her.”

Violet went rigid. He didn’t say her name. In fact, he never had, but she knew exactly who he was referring to—the mother who left in the middle of the night when she was two. He hadn’t mentioned her in years and brought her up now because he thought she was acting like her? What had Jesse said? The flicker of indignation died before it had a chance to take root. It didn’t matter what he said. It was her fault, and it was because she’d been reckless, irresponsible, and foolish. She turned toward the window as her vision blurred.

“Violet made a mistake,” Lynne stated. “And Jesse made a mistake. They’ll be punished for keeping secrets, bad judgment, and they’ll have to earn back our trust. It’s a blessing that Tucker’s okay and his parents were so understanding. Let’s leave it at that.”

No one said another word as they pulled up to the church. Violet hopped out of the truck and fussed with her dress to give herself time to compose herself. Lynne came to stand beside her and waited patiently. When she started toward the church, Lynne stroked her back. She didn’t meet anyone’s eyes as she walked up the steps and paused on the threshold, unsure if she should be allowed in after the countless sins she’d committed this week. Several hundred years ago, she would have been stoned to death.

“Don’t take what your dad said to heart,” Lynne murmured as she put an arm around her waist. “He’s upset, but he’ll get past it. We all will.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. She didn’t deserve Lynne’s sympathy or faith in her. She raised her head and saw Dad standing beside a pew, watching her hover on the threshold, almost as if he knew… He shook his head and took a seat, staring straight ahead at the empty stage.

**This is a raw draft of the prequel for Corrupt Idol. Please do not share or distribute.

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