This Is Why I Hate You Too

18. Patterns, Patterns, Patterns

"After he talks about you, Mr. Lindfelt talks for. . a while, might I add, about a fight he got into with this other jock named—"

"John Reid?"

"Yes, John, he talks in length about how he touched your hip, how it made you uncomfortable, and how he broke John's arm as retaliation."

Ashley covered her grinning mouth, holding back from laughing. "Now, listen, I. ." she replied, "First of all, John didn't mean to touch my hip like that; at that point, he and I had been friends since middle school. Second of all, I told Arthur not to hurt him; I texted him about it, and he said, "I'll try not to,". Third of all, he was trying to make John out to be this giant pervert when he was thirsting about me getting creampied by him three paragraphs ago!"

Everyone in that room—the femmes, Ivy and Andrew—looked back at her with gasps, their jaws dropping to the floor. Even Matt's jaw dropped.

"And the next day, he went to John first thing in the morning, fought him and then actually broke his arm," Ashley resumed, her voice getting louder. "Legitimately, in front of the whole school. A bunch of paramedics came in, the police came. . I heard our guidance counselor, Ms. Wells, slapped him after that happened. And honestly, I should've done the same instead of going back to him while he was suspended, which. . . was awful. I asked him what he was doing through that whole thing, and he told me he would just jerk off to porn while his dad and his stepmom were gone."

Matt sighed. Even his professionalism couldn't hide his disgust.

"And there was another incident—he got expelled after he went to juvie for fighting his dad, and even then, I still came back to him. I thought that if I just spent more time with him, he'll turn into a better person; he just got worse. He got more violent, more demanding. . . it got to a point where I started cutting my arms and inner thighs. My brother Tommy walked in on me doing that, and. . . I told my parents everything that happened between us and they told his dad that I wanted a break from the relationship."

"And that was while he was in basic training?" Matt asked.

"Yes. And then, one day, when I was in Orange, I saw him outside the house my family and I were staying in, and that's when he killed a gray cat in front of me with his revolver and slit its stomach open. After I went to the police for what happened, I was so mad at myself that I slit my wrists and bled out until I passed out. I lost so much blood that my brother had to donate some of his own. I can never thank him enough for that."

"Okay, Miss Chu, is it true that Arthur Lindfelt ducked you after he told you to 'ditch your loser idiot friends' and you didn't listen to him."

"Yes." Ashley nodded.

"To 'prove yourself to him' after that incident, Mr. Lindfelt made you dress goth. Is that true?"

"Yes."

"Did your late brother Thomas inspire him to enlist in the Air Force?"

"No. Tommy would've killed him."

"Is it true that during a call with him while he was stationed in Lackland AFB, you referred to Mr. Lindfelt as 'the guy who took your virginity'?"

"No."

"Mr. Lindfelt claims that while he was stationed in Tinker Air Force Base, I believe, you emailed him, skyped him about the Southfort High School massacre and your brother's death, asked him to fly home, kissed him passionately in the airport, had sex with him and went to your brother's funeral with him. Is that true?"

"No, no, no—all of that is wrong. He wasn't even in Oklahoma! He was in South Korea! I skyped him, yes, but he reached out to me first, he asked if he could fly home, he stood outside while I was in the cemetery, and raped me in his room. I went back home crying. I went to the cemetery, and I saw my friend Jordan Lim there. I sat next to the man. We cried together, and that fucking asshole knew I was there, found me, tried to fight him, and had the audacity to say that Jordan wanted to take advantage of me when he did that to me half an hour ago!"