Nobody's Business (BOOK ONE)

Chapter 29

Across the state, Keenan sits at a table in prison with his lawyer. His wrist hurts from the cuffs being too tight and the dim room has a draft blowing through it. He stares at the man sitting across from him with his black and gray hair, square glasses and suit. They've been sitting here for an hour and a half while the lawyer tries to pull information out of Keenan who isn't making the task easy.

When the police arrested Keenan Saturday night he was bloody and in pain. His head was pounding and his body was throbbing in the places that Ty and Malcolm had beat the shit out of him. The police dragged him outside to the cop car as a team of medics rushed inside to tend to a passed out Sevyn. Keenan was slammed against the car after attempting to run and read his Miranda rights. Once they pushed him into the car, he knew he had screwed up.

The lawyer, Mr. Warner, takes off his glasses and sets them down on the table. He clasp his hands together and tilts his head to the side, his eyes locked on Keenan. "I know you're not giving me the full story of what happened saturday night Keenan and I'm just here to help you." He says before scrunching up his brows. "But if you don't let me help you, then you will be here longer than you need to be."

Keenan doesn't say anything. He stays perfectly still, staring at Mr.Warner and keeping his lips in a tight line. He already told the police that he spiked Sevyn's drink but he won't reveal who supplied him with the drugs and alcohol. Maybe it's because he and Janine used to be a couple and no matter how messy their break up was, he doesn't want to sell her out. She's not as bad as people think, there's reasons why she acts the way she does that only Keenan knows. They have a unspoken bond even if they arent together anymore.

"Alright, let me ask you this Keenan. Don't you have a family back home? Loved ones who care about you? I'm sure your parents are worried about their little boy being locked away." Mr. Warner says. Keenan remembers being interrogated in an all white room, two police officers explain to him why he had been arrested and why he had done what he did. He didn't want to answer because he couldn't think of a good enough answer to get him out of this mess. The officer finally gave up on questioning him and chose to put him behind bars based off the police report. Keenan remembers his mother crying hard in his fathers arms at the police station, begging them not to lock her baby away. He didn't get to see them very long before he was escorted to his new cell and forced into a new outfit of a white t-shirt and blue scrub pants.

His lawyer speaks again, breaking his thoughts. "At the rate you're going you'll be in here for a long time and life is just gonna speed right past you. You're future is looking meek son." He says, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.

Keenan closes his eyes and lets his mind wonder to the future. He's just gotten out of jail and everything has changed. His friends have graduated college, his parents look a little older, his town has had a few alterations. His sister is married to Marcus and they're moving away to another state. Then he sees Aubrey, shes matured and is carrying a child on her hip. He can't tell whether its a boy or girl but he knows its his. A wave of emotion washes over him. He missed his own child's birth, their first breath, first steps, first word, first tooth.

His eyes pop open at the sound of a chair scraping across the floor. Mr. Warner stands and tucks his glasses into his jacket pocket. "Fine, don't speak. Rot in this cell if you please, I still get paid."

Keenan watches as he heads for the door. His hand is grasps the knob. Keenan swallows, desperate for something to drink. "Janine,"
Mr.Warner turns and looks at him. Keenan blinks slowly, "Janine gave me the drugs and alcohol." Mr. Warner sits down again and waits for Keenan to continue. Keenan stares blankly ahead, his face a mask of nothingness.

"She told me that if I dropped the pills into her drink and mix them with alcohol then...Sevyn would be all mine again." Keenan admits. Mr.Warner quickly scribbles something down in his note pad, Keenan continues speaking, realizing that he can't hold back the truth any longer.

"I took a sip of the liquor too so that I wouldn't feel guilty about what I planned to do. I originally meant to just talk to her, apologize to her for cheating and beg for her back. I knew I was going to kiss her, but I didn't mean for things to get out of hand. The alcohol fucked me up and next thing I know, I've pinned her to the floor." The heaviness of his voice makes the air grow tense. "I didn't mean to hurt her. I was jealous that this other guy was all up on her and I just wanted her back in my possession."

Mr.Warner nods and makes more notes. "So you admit that you were also drunk when you attempted to rape Sevyn?"

Keenan nods and Mr.Warner scribbles something down again. Keenan wonders why he suddenly decided to speak up. Maybe it has to do with the fact that Janine was only thinking of herself. Keenan saw how pissed off she was while Jackson was dancing with Sevyn and he knew that she wasn't trying to help him out. She only thought of her self. She could have easily spiked Sevyn's drink on her own but she didn't want to be the one who takes the fall. She put him out there on the line. Now she's gonna pay for it.

Mr.Warner pushes his chair in, "I'll be back tomorrow with updates about your case. You'll probably have a court hearing soon now that we've got more information. I'm glad you decided to cooperate."

"I did it for my child." Keenan whispers, barely loud enough for his lawyer to hear. "I'm gonna be there when the baby is born no matter what."

That same day, Keenan is scheduled to have a meeting with a psychologist. He sits down in a hard metal chair and the lady across from him greets him with a warm smile. "Hello Keenan, I'm Rose, how are you today?"

"I'm locked up, there's no way to look on the bright side." Keenan replies, refusing to offer this woman any type of friendliness. His harsh tone doesn't bother her though, she continues to give him a small smile and her bright eyes twinkle as she takes him in. From his busted lip, bruised jaw and cut above his eye, she can tell he's been through alot.

"I heard that you're in here for attempted rape." She says, opening a folder and skimming it. "Was she your ex-girlfriend?" Keenan simply nods. "So you tried to rape her because you still love her?"

"No. I was drunk and out of my mind." Keenan sets her straight. "Why the hell am I here? I already talked to one suit today, I don't wanna talk to another."

Mrs.Rose nods her head, "I understand where you're coming from. This is your first time in prison and you feel uncomfortable talking to people you're not familiar with, especially in a place like this." She looks around at the grey walls. "But I'm here to make sure the court doesn't label you as mentally ill."

"Why the fuck would they do that? I'm fine." He says.

"Well when the court reviewed your case they figured you were simply obsessed with the victim. Sevyn is her name, correct?" Rose asks and Keenan nods again. Rose leans in towards him. "I'm here to get your point of view."

Keenan grits his teeth together, wishing he could get up from the table and just go back to his cell. But his ankle is handcuffed to the table. "Look, I'm not obsessed with Sevyn, alright? I may have gone off on her once but what happened Saturday night wasn't intentional. I was drunk, and so was Sevyn. But even though she wasn't in the right state of mind she still fought me off. So I get it, she don't want nothing to do with me. But I can't help it if I still miss her."

"So this is just post break up feelings that you're going through? You're not planning to try and win her over again right? Because she has a restraining order against you." Rose tells him.

"Look, I ain't messin with her again. Her brothers and my old friends got her on lockdown, I'm not tryin to end up dead." Keenan says. "I got a baby to worry about.

Roses's ear perk up at this. "Really? They didn't mention that in your files." She says, sorting through the folder again.

"That's cuz I just told the detective a few hours ago." Keenan says.

Rose nods her head. "And is the baby Sevyn's?" She asks.

Keenan clenches his teeth and sneers, "No."

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