10 Reasons, Why You Like Me

10 Reasons - Chapter 3

Chapter THREE

In my mind, I had done what I could. I was going to walk home, try to calm down. I prayed that the people in the tree house would be okay. There wasn't anything else I could do.

   But before I made it back to the street, I heard sirens. No. This couldn't be happening. I sped up a bit, hoping I was close to the road. But once I hit the clearing, it was obvious that I was done.

   "Miss," a female officer was getting out of a cruiser.

   Someone else must have called. There was no way they would have gotten there that fast. It had only been five minutes since I had called.

   I looked up, quickly realizing I was still drunk. I blinked hard.

   "What's your name?" she asked me, just as a second cruiser pulled up.

   "Uh. Kelsey."

   "Okay, Kelsey, what were you doing down in the woods?"

   She motioned to the other two cops to go down the path. I had to get out of there.

   "Uh, nothing," I said quietly.

   "Kelsey, we got calls about an accident, down here. Do you know anything about it?"

   Tears started down my cheeks again. "The tree house... it just collapsed."

   "There's a tree house, out there?" she asked, looking concerned. I nodded. "What were you doing there?"

   "I have to get home," I said, trying to walk around her.

   An ambulance pulled up, and two EMTs hopped out. The woman cop asked for an update in her radio. I was still ready to run.

   "Three kids are trapped, one is seriously injured. We have about five other teenagers, here -"

   The cop turned to the EMTs, said something in code, and then we watched them go down the path with bags and a stretcher. This was all too much.

   "Kelsey, I need you to blow into this," she said, turning back to me.

   "I'm not... I wasn't..."

   "If you weren't drinking, this was tell me."

   But I was, and the breathalyzer told her so. She told me to get in the back of her cruiser. She asked me all kinds of questions about the party, but I wouldn't talk. I was in shock. Finally, she started the car.

   "What's your address, Kelsey?" she asked me. I kept quiet. "If you don't let me take you home, you'll spend the night in a jail cell at the station."

   I swallowed hard. "91 Applepine."

   When she pulled up to the house, I started to cry again. My dad was pretty laid back, but this was next level. I had no idea what he was going to do or say.

   "I'm Officer Raymond," she said, when my dad opened the door. It was almost midnight. I avoided his eyes. "Your daughter was seen leaving a party, in the Eastwood area, and my Breathalyzer showed her at .10 per cent."

   My dad took in a breath. "She's seventeen. Teenagers drink at parties all the time."

   "Well, this party was on public property and involved an accident, with injuries."

   He looked at me. "Kelsey."

   "It was an old tree house, in the woods. It just fell-"

   My Dad took another breath. "Is she in trouble?"

   "Well, she could be fined up to five thousand for drinking underage and in public," Officer Raymond said, like this was no big deal.

   "There were like forty people there," I said loudly. "I stayed to see if they were okay while everyone else ran-"

   "Kelsey, get inside," my Dad interrupted me.

   I hung my head and went into the house, past him. I went straight up to my room, kicked off my shoes and tossed myself onto my bed. Finally it really hit me. What happened was actually sinking in.

   DID YOU GET HOME OKAY? Rayna had texted.

   YEAH IN A COP CAR. I sent back.

   WHAT?!

   I  HUNG AROUND TO SEE IF THEY WERE OKAY AND BY THE TIME I WENT TO LEAVE THE COPS WERE THERE.

   OH MY GOD.

   I MIGHT BE IN BIG TROUBLE, RAYNA.

   YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT WITH US.

   WELL, I DIDN'T.

   

It wasn't until the next morning that my life was turned upside down, for real. I barely slept. I kept hearing the sound of the tree house hitting the ground and the girls who were screaming. I kept replaying it over and over, how I called 911 and ran.

   "Two thousand dollar fine, or a court date and up to five thousand if you are found guilty," my dad shouted, as soon as I entered the kitchen, the next morning.

   "Oh my god," I said, in disbelief.

   "Why are you not smart enough to know this was a stupid idea? Why would you go to a party on public property?" he yelled.

   "I didn't know... they have parties there a lot. This was the first time I went -"

   "And the last party they'll have," he snapped. "They condemned the whole area. The two girls got out with just scratches and bumps but the boy who was stuck has a concussion and broken femur."

   "Oh my god," I said again. "Dad, I-"

   "There are lots of charges being laid. All three of them were drunk, as were the other few who were still there, trying to help."

   "I don't know what to say." I shook my head.

   "Well, you're going to count your savings, pay the fine with whatever money you have, and then you're going to Minnesota." He was dead serious.

   "Minnesota?" I repeated.

   "You know, that lovely state your mother lives in?" he told me.

   I hadn't seen her in three years. Before that, another year. I only saw her posts on Facebook now and then, but I hardly knew her. She wanted to "find herself" when I was twelve, when I needed her the most.

   "But, I don't understand," I told my Dad.

   "I am a highly respected member of our community, Kelsey. My job requires the public to know about my life, my family. I need my children to be well mannered, and not be in trouble." He kept a straight face.

   "Dad, I won't -"

   "No, you won't. Because you're going to live with your Mother."