Ch. 14

Jack is sitting at his desk and can't believe what he's reading. In front of him lies the police report with Sonja's testimony. The girl stated that she was alone on the roof and that she took the tablets out of her own conviction. With this statement he can no longer harm the young people much. You will get away with a minor penalty or even a warning. Since one would like to give future citizens a chance to change, there are seldom severe penalties in adolescence.

He didn't make a bed for that, for the girl's sake he wanted the group to have been present and thus they would have a little more in hand than what is left now.

At the same time, this means for Sonja's family that they should be more serious about psychological support than they are currently doing. At the moment they are denying that their daughter needs the help of a shrinker.

On the other hand, he is not informed whether the parents already know what happened on the evening of the crime.

He sighs inwardly, how much he wishes that this case would already be one of the closed files and the youngsters get such a good shock that they'll never think about torturing someone else like that.

#

Mia is pretty nervous and not only because she has no idea how to direct the conversation to her cause tonight, but also because the girls are in a state of excitement because it is not yet known when Hayley or her child will be released.

After a caesarean section, it is common for the new mom to stay in the hospital for four to five days. If the baby is doing well, he can go home with his mother. If that is not the case, you hang on for a few more days.

But their teenagers don't understand that. She thinks that it is a bad omen that Hayley will not be released today because most of those who had their children here were released no later than two days after the birth. But first of all, these were not caesarean sections and secondly, only one day has passed since the birth.

How is she supposed to teach them that?

Mia takes door number two and lets it stay. You won't believe her after all.

"How about a game of Monopoly?", The only answers she gets are incredulous stare. "What? There is nothing we can do other than wait. "

After another half an hour, she gives up. It's just beyond belief how much they cling to the idea that something has to happen.

On the other hand, it's really cute that they care so much about each other and are so worried. Hopefully that will still be the case when they move out here again. Such friends are not easy to find. The time does not go by today. No matter what she tries, the hands are still in the same place as when she last checked the watch.

"Come on. Piss off. You're not helping me here after all. “, Mona has been taking a close look at her since this morning. "Thank you! Thank you!"

Taking a deep breath in and out, she leaves work. She has never been so happy to be out there. What the cause of it might be? About the fact that Jack comes by in the evening? Or about what she is going to say to him? If she listens to herself, she discovers a small ball in her stomach that starts to kick out nervously at the thought of Jack. Aha, there she has the culprit for her lack of concentration.

Frustrated, she gets into her car and drives to the rehab clinic. Emilia is due to be released next week and she doesn't know where to go yet. She lived with a friend who decided to look for a new roommate because Emilia refused to pay last month's rent because she spent it in the clinic, which also costs her money. Really nice. Advertisements from the newspaper are on the passenger seat. Maybe there is something there.

Mia first visited Emilia a week after the incident. Since she was still feeling really bad, or rather, she was just like she was when she met. Bitchy, arrogant and know-it-all. You could see her withdrawal. Clammy, pale skin, the eyes were never fixed on an object any longer. In short, it was bad. The fact that Mia was insulted and insulted during the 25-minute visit is not even mentioned.

In the meantime she has apologized and partially realized that she was not the bravest. Of course, the drugs weren't to blame for all of her demeanor. They only reproduced the bad in her more intensely.

Emilia can still be quite condescending and degrading, but on the whole she has done well.

Without getting lost, as she did again and again on the first visits, she finds Emilia's room. She knocks softly, enters and stops in amazement.

Aria is actually sitting at the table next to Emilia.

Her black bob looks exactly the same as it did two months ago. But the way you act has changed. She can see this even though they have not yet exchanged a word. Your facial expression is much more open and no longer so closed. "Aria. What a surprise. How are you? ”, Aria has not seen her yet and looks just as surprised as she does. "Mia! Hey, we didn't want to keep in touch! "

Laughing, they hug each other. "Somehow. It probably didn't work out as we imagined it would. We have already swapped the numbers. Let them and use them for the next few days! ”“ Definitely! ”“ Okay, okay! That was enough treat. It's disgusting. "

Aria and Mia look at each other ... and laugh. "You little pessimist."

"How did you come to visit our sunshine here?", Aria rocks her head back and forth. "After I'm out, I don't regret it for a second that I gave you my place, I thought about how we behaved. Well and as you indicated in the decision show, the camera that follows you all day changes more than you expected. That's why I'm here to give the 'sunshine' one more chance. "

“Uah, it's running cold down my spine. You cannot mean it the way you say it. Nobody is that nice, it only happens in films or books. Real life is very different. So stop making you angels. You certainly have a devil in you who has no small part of your soul. "

Yes, she is not the most lovable person, but you can make up for that with your own lovable manner. Mia decides to go back to the agenda. "So what have I missed since my last visit?"

Emilia has made amazing friends with a few people here and they enjoy life as it sounds every time. “Well, the three-way relationship broke up. Julia fell in love with Andreas and Andreas developed feelings for Tamara. Tamara is, however, unimpressed, she doesn't understand the whole outline and has disengaged. Laura has reconciled with Christian and I ... “, the unapproachable one got upset about a guy again and again during her last visits, so that Mia knew immediately that something was going on and now she seems to have understood it. "I spoke to Julian and it looks like we will make a date soon."

She and Aria cheer and throw our arms in the air. “I wouldn't have participated in another day with your rum stink. You would have had to look for someone else to listen to that. ", Aria comments.

"Go ahead, Mia. I want a full account of what happened. Your life is more exciting right now than my favorite series. ”Emilia is always the most happy about that. After her update, she seamlessly pokes at everyone, she is not excluded there. But the comments become less serious than sarcastic from time to time.

"For me it stayed quiet the week, if you disregard the fact that buzzer is pregnant .." "buzzer? Pregnant? Ha, she deserves it. Her pretty figure goes whistling and Jack ... Jack has to change dirty diapers soon. ", Emilia laughs delightedly.

".... the child does not come from Jack but from a one-night stand that buzzer had in the last few weeks of the recordings."

“It just keeps getting better.” She rubs her hands together like a witch and laughs up her sleeve. "Jack clears the shit away from a kid who isn't even his. How fair fate can be. ", She is not quite over the fact that we all simply called the clinic to have her fetched and she lets Mia feel that too, but Jack is really down with her. Even if she plans to apologize to him for her impossible behavior.

"Summer and Jack broke up."

Emilia snorts. “I thought nothing happened? What's wrong with you? Is there a screw that is not running the right way at the moment or something? ”Aria next to her shakes her head.

"And that was about it. Otherwise nothing was going on. ”As a precaution, she leaves out that she and Jack made out and that almost degenerated into an orgy. Why does it always have to be in public when there is sparks between them?

Offended, Emilia turns to her other new friend. "Tell me that you have nothing either. Just like that chick over there who doesn't recognize the importance of the information when they jump in her face. ", She grumbles. "I'm afraid, I'll have to disappoint you. I have absolutely top secret material. I worked all week. Isn't that exciting? Imagine if I was not on my way to my customers or taking passport photos, I took a nap at the time of day when it was dark. Absolutely awesome, isn't it? I probably saved your day with that. "

"Hahaha. Very funny you two. “, Emilia rolls her eyes with a smile on her face. “Let's get to the important things in life. When will you be released? ”“ The time will come next Thursday, I'll be free again. Then you don't have to come to see me out of pity. "Does she really believe that? Does she think we're just doing this to calm our guilty conscience, which Mia doesn't have, by the way?

“Why should we carry feelings of guilt around with us? We just helped you and you can't deny that. You are clearly better today than you were two months ago. "

Emilia bows her head briefly and Mia is afraid that she will make one of her sarcastic remarks again, after all, that's just part of her life.

But the two visitors are more than just surprised at what it really oozes out of their mouths.

“I know you would have arranged it with an ulterior motive. Because if you'd just sent me away I would never have come here. At least not voluntarily and you recognized that. Believe me, I was so mad at each of you at the beginning, but especially with Jack. Even if I didn't fall for him like you all did, I appreciated his manner. I just couldn't show it. Now, after a few weeks, I'm glad you brought me here. I feel so much better and not only physically because all the stuff is out of me, but also mentally I have become much fitter. I hope that there is no permanent damage to my brain and that I can get back to my old top form. “, The black head rises again. Mia has noticed that her hair grew quickly. When she last saw her Emilia's hair was shoulder length, today it reaches her neckline. This length suits her much better. It makes them look more grown up and more serious.

"I'm glad you see it." "That doesn't mean that you can do another number with me. I will not be led away anymore. Do you know how embarrassed I was? “, She shakes her head in frustration. "Don't do any more shit and you will never get into a situation like this again."

They talk a little more about therapy and everyday life to which they had to get used to. Finally, they go through the ads for apartments and promptly find one that Emilia likes.

After she made an appointment with the landlord on the phone to view the property, something happened that Aria would not have thought possible for us Mia. “Can you go with me? I admit that I've never had to worry about whether an apartment is good or not. I don't know what is overpriced or just a joke. "

"Are you asking us for help?" Mia's jaw hangs down. “I have to mark that in the calendar. The day Emilia was tamed. It goes down in history. "

"I can only repeat myself: Hahaha."

Aria and Mia accept and say goodbye.

#

“Come here right now. We don't pay them for free. We want / want you to move your lawyer ass to the hospital and listen to my daughter. ”Jack sighs. The girl's father has not given up since he knew what happened. He is of the firm belief that his little one could never do something like that. That she is such a nice and kind child that everyone would love her and therefore she has no reason to do this to herself. Therefore, there is no question that the young people must have been there.

Jack wishes himself that is the case. But he can't change the truth. “No, you don't understand. My daughter didn't do this alone. These people were there. ”“ I'm sorry. I know that this is difficult to understand, but Sonja has now stated that the young people weren't there and you shouldn't encourage them to make a false statement. "

A frustrated growl can be heard on the other end of the line. "Listen, come here right now because Sonja forgot to tell you something."

At that moment he could snap the chin on his father. He has already persuaded his daughter to do it! It won't work out well. "I'll be on my way right away."

Hopefully the police haven't been alerted and he can handle it again.

Twenty minutes later, Jack takes a deep breath before knocking and walking into the hospital room.

Sonja lies pale and weak in her bed. Your gaze is waved expectantly in his direction when you enter. But the disappointed expression tells her that he wasn't the person she was hoping for.

"Good day. I'm Jack Cole, the lawyer for your parents and you. ”He looks around the room. "They went to get something to eat." He wanted Jack to come as quickly as possible, but went away to allow himself something. Class.

"Your father called me to tell me that you didn't tell the policeman the truth?", Maybe she says no and he can go back calmly.

"Yeah." He damned didn't want to hear that. "Tell!"

She looks down and for the first time he pays attention to her incredibly red hair. She's not dyed, she has that red hair that you normally only see in Irish butter advertisements. "Patrick was there.", Patrick is one of the accused. Jack nods in silence. He doesn't want to press or influence you with wrong questions. “He tried to stop me. He didn't want me to swallow it. "Wait a minute. Right now he's no longer coming. Did she just say that one of the defendants even wanted to help her? "Really? Then why did you take it anyway? ”, Her brown eyes bore into his. Sonja's eyebrows pull together. "Because of his friends." So everyone was there?

“You bullied me. Didn't believe that I would really do it and cheered myself on. ”“ And Patrick took your side and tried to silence her. ”The silent listening doesn't work quite the way he imagined.

Sonja shakes her head. Is that confusing. “He was looking at me the whole time. Not like the others. He ... I like him ... and we met a couple of times. Without anyone knowing about it, of course. Patrick didn't want the other to know that we get along well. Then his friends started picking on me and he didn't do anything. ", A tear loosens from the corner of her eye. “He just stood there. I did not understand that. Later when we were alone he apologized. At least a hundred times. Invited me for an ice cream and showered me with compliments and at some point I forgot what happened at school that morning. But they came back. And every day from then on.

Patrick always tried to cheer me up and comfort me. We got closer, but we didn't know each other at school. "

A glowing white rage rages inside Jack. He would love to face this Patrick and give him his opinion. To take advantage of such a wonderful girl. What was he ashamed of? Couldn't he introduce her to his buddies because she wasn't cool enough? How he hated it when he was at school himself.

“Patrick and I had an appointment to go to the cinema that evening. I was waiting for him and then he came around the corner. With a grin on my face and a hug for me. ”For a moment the fog in her eyes clears. “It was the perfect moment .... Not two minutes later, his 'gang' also came to the ticket counter. At first he didn't see her and even took my hand .... Then came the laughter. "

He can only imagine too well what happened next. This coward pushed Sonja away and stuck with his friends. This filthy little newt preferred to tease the girl he likes than to be on the same side with her and protect her. Patrick doesn't deserve Sonja and Jack hopes that she can see that for herself soon.

“I wanted to go home after Patrick revealed that he was doing all this to hurt me. But they followed me, throwing trash at me and tapping slogans. It was dark and no one was out on the streets. I was scared and walked past our front door on the second floor to the roof. ”Somehow he escaped the fact that she tried to kill herself on her own roof.

“I was trapped. They stood at the door. Nobody ever got up there and I stood there and couldn't go on. Patrick looked at me and begged my forgiveness. He wants to be part of it. He doesn't want to be an outsider like me. ”That doesn't give him the right to behave like that. "If he had stuck to her then you would not have been liked by his friends, but you would be together and life is easier for two." At least mostly, he thinks, Mia in the back of her mind.

“One of them has a broken arm and she has prescription painkillers for the throbbing with her. He took it at my feet and suggested to end it right here and now. Since my life would no longer hold ready for me like what I had now. "

Jack is about to break something. How sick do you have to be to ask someone to end their life? How sick do you have to be to find that funny?

It's disgusting. It's amazing and gross.

"You're welcome! You have to help Patrick! "

He thinks he has misheard. That didn't really come out of Sonja's mouth, did it? She can't ask that I get Patrick out of there. He was there. He was a follower. His fault is as much as everyone else who was there that evening.

"No!", She pulls a pout. "Patrick can't help that his friends are so stupid."

“But Patrick can do something about how he acted and he didn't. He watched you swallow the pills. He would have let you die. He left without looking for you or calling for help. He put his friends above you. ”That came out a little rougher than he intended. But Sonja seems to be able to swallow it.

“I believe in Patrick. I think he will change. ", Impossible. It is unbelievable how attached she is to this guy. "Has he at least visited you here in the hospital?", The following embarrassed look says it all.

"OK! I wish you that he chooses you. He's an idiot if he doesn't come. But he will also get his punishment for what he did NOT do. ", Sonja reaches for something to drink and nods annoyed. "Are you ready to tell all of this to a police officer again so that we can correct your statement?"

Sonja hesitates. Jack breaks out in a sweat. How he wishes that this gang has to assert itself behind bars. That they are small fish in a shark tank and need to learn to lower their heads.

"Think it over well! You should tell the truth even if it will hurt someone you like. It is important that everything is correct. What if your best friend had been urged to cut her wrists. Would you think it would be okay if she kept letting these people wander out there with impunity? "

"Of course not," she snaps. "What is different with you then?", Sonja strokes her unusual hair, breathes in and out deeply and looks at every object, only it is avoided.

"There's Patrick ... I really like this guy and this is the first time a boy has cared about me as a girl. I want it to work Who knows when I'll run into someone who understands me and with whom I am on the same wavelength. "

“You are still young. Your life has only just begun. You are still in school. You will get to know so many people later. You will no longer be able to save yourself from offers. Don't worry about it, you will find someone.

Maybe Patrick will change too, but you have to leave that to him after he had to defend himself before the law. "

It takes some persuasion before he can get Sonja to tell the truth about what happened. Ultimately, he is relieved that there will still be consequences.

With a curse on his lips, he checks the time a second time. They haven't set a fixed time for the evening, but Jack doesn't want to keep Mia waiting either. He quickly leaves the hospital and hurries to his car.

What prompted you to invite him?