Breathe In

•11•

-Tori-

I wake up confused, with a raging headache. Slowly, my brain registers the sounds of sirens.

Sirens? What's going on?

"She's awake," a voice grunts.

"Thanks, Lewis. Miss? Can you stand?"

I groggily nod and open my eyes.
"You're police officers," I state.

"Yes ma'am. Ma'am, we're afraid that we're going to have to put you under arrest."

Alarm bells ring in my ears and I force my panic down. "May I ask what for?"

"Yes ma'am, you're being arrested for-" he glances at his paper, "oh. Wow. Taking unauthorized pictures of a miss Lena Dulce-Lena Dulce, wow- in compromising positions and possibly initiating a gun fight." He whistles and stares at me questioningly. "Did you really do all that?"

What?!

"No! I would never, Lena is my...friend." I stutter, shocked.

"It seems to me like you two were a little more than friends," he remarks, showing me a blurry photo. "This look familiar?"

"Clark, we aren't allowed to question her yet. We have to read her her rights and take her to the station."

"Ah, shoot. I forgot. Alright, miss..." he lists off my Miranda rights and my mind trails elsewhere. I can hardly remember what happened...

"Claire!" I screech, pulling away from the handcuffs. "You have to help her, she took the photos but she didn't want to give them and she was shot and-" the officer yanked my arms back and snapped the handcuffs on.

"That's enough, miss! Get in the car," he ordered.

I complied, nerves buzzing in my veins. The drive to the station was terrifying, to say the least. Clark and Lewis repeatedly looked back, as if they thought I would somehow try to claw my way out of the cramped police car.

I tuned out as they pulled me out, dragging me to the intimidating brick police station.

What about Claire? What about Lena?

I shudder at the thought of the officers informing Lena that I had supposedly been stalking and photographing her creepily. How would I have even gotten pictures of Claire and Lena? More importantly, how did she get pictures of me with Lena? She was at her house when Lena left.

There's a chance you'll never figure it out, since you probably killed her.

I shiver at the thought and come back to reality, finding myself in a cramped room. The officer gestures to a phone hanging on the wall.
"If you want to contact your lawyer or ask a friend to bail you out, now's the time. Keep it short and sweet."

I nod and pick it up, hesitating. I have no lawyer. I have no friends, other than Lena... is she really my friend?

You have no friends. Lena pities you. That's the only reason she hung out with you.

But she did kiss me, I argue with myself before shaking off the strange conversation.

"Hurry up, short stack. We haven't got all day."