“Oakley, are you sure you know what you’re doing? Drawing this much attention to Cole?” Jasper trailed off, frowning as he debated internally with himself. He locked the front door behind us.
I was overwhelmed by the support everyone was showing and just needed to keep going. “I can’t sit around and do nothing. It’s already all over the news, and I want people on Cole’s side. And if Linda thinks it’s a good idea…”
I pushed past Jasper and headed back up to Lizzie’s room to get my phone and try calling Linda for some news. Lizzie was in her room for the first time in weeks. She looked up, startled. “Oh, sorry.”
“Lizzie, this is your room. Don’t be sorry. I was just getting my phone.”
“You don’t have to go, you know?”
“You don’t have to stay over at your boyfriend’s every night, either.”
She shook her head and shrugged. “He’s not my boyfriend.” But she wanted him to be, that much was clear.
“Maybe not yet.” I grabbed my phone and headed to the door before I realised we’d just had a normal conversation. She really wasn’t that bad. “Lizzie, tell him how you feel. You never know you could just get everything you want.” I did, and I hoped with everything that I hadn’t lost it again.
“Oakley,” she called, and I turned around, poking my head around the door. “You’ll tell me if there’s anything I can do, right?”
“Yes. Thanks.” I closed her door, giving her some privacy. “Jasper,” I shouted, running down the stairs. He jumped up and spun around, looking up at me confused. What had he been doing? I didn’t even want to know. “Can you take me to the station, please?”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
I nodded. “Yes.” Now I’d told the world and asked them go get behind Cole, I needed to do the same thing.
He frowned as he considered what would be the best thing to do. Finally, he gave in with a grunt of exasperation. Jasper found it hard to say no to me, and I tried not to use it to my advantage too much, but this was different. “We leave if we need to, though. If it’s best for Cole, we leave, okay?”
Of course that was okay. “Yes, I promise. Let’s go. Mum can you—”
“We’ll keep calling and researching. You go.” She waved her hands, dismissing us and went back to the computer. She was looking into laws and calling our local MP with Miles and Mia.
We arrived at the station and headed straight to the front desk. A short plump woman in a police uniform sat behind the window drinking from a take-away cup.
“Hello?” I snapped to get her attention.
She looked up at me and sighed. Oh, sorry, was I disturbing your break? Putting down the cup, she scooted her chair to the opening. “How can I help?”
“I need to know what’s happening with Cole Benson. Please?”
“He’s still being questioned. That’s all I can tell you, Miss Farrell.” She knew who I was, then; not that it was a surprise.
I sighed. “Please?”
Jasper pulled my arm. “Go and sit down, Oakley. I’ll try talking to someone who knows what’s going on.” She made a face at him but didn’t comment, just sat back down and looked at her computer screen.
“David!” I pushed past Jasper and ran to Cole’s dad, who had just appeared from around the corner. “Where is he? Is he okay? What’s going on?” I questioned, speaking too fast.
He held his hands up. “Calm down, it’s okay. He’s still being questioned. Linda’s with him. I don’t know anything else, but Linda assured me she would do everything she could. We didn’t get time to speak properly, but I think she’ll be able to get him off.”
David looked stressed and worried. He was usually a closed book, hiding his emotions well, but right now the book was lying wide open.
“Really?” Oh, God, please! My heart started pounding in my chest.
“We just have to wait. Come and sit.” I let him lead me to the black fake-leather chairs, and Jasper followed.
Just have to wait. How long for though? What did they have to ask? Yes, we’d slept together when I was underage but we both wanted to, we were both kids. It wasn’t the same. They were turning it into something sick and twisted and that wasn’t what it was.
We all sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. The mahogany clad clock on the wall ticked loudly with every second. Watching time pass was never a good idea. Time was different in here it seemed. Every second lasted a minute.
“What the…?” David trailed off, looking out of the window.