Guilty By Association

Chapter 14 - Breaking the News

“Yeah. Do you think you can come by the office after your classes today? I want to get an official statement from you. It’s already happened, Kelsey. Your sister is a fugitive. It’s better if your parents know what she did so they don’t try to help her.?”

“That’s all I wanted to know.” Kelsey responded, feeling a weight lift off of her chest, only to be replaced by a heavier one. “I’ve cancelled my classes today.” Kelsey told him. “It’s the first time since…” Kelsey’s voice trailed off as she wondered when the last time she’d cancelled her classes was. “It’s been a while.” She admitted, feeling like some kind of hermit.

Alex chuckled. “I don’t blame you. After everything you went through yesterday, you deserve to rest. How did you sleep last night?”

“Horrible.” Kelsey groaned. “I could barely sleep. I felt awful when I woke up.” And yet, the second she started talking to Alex, her mood and her health had seemed to take a full 360 degree turn. His voice seemed to brighten up her day. It didn’t matter what he was saying.

“That’s normal.” Alex assured her “Listen, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Okay.” Kelsey responded, quickly hanging up.

She stared at her cell phone with a big goofy grin on her face. What was happening to her? She’d never let a man affect her this way before.

All too soon, her doorbell rang. Kelsey turned off her TV. All morning, the media had been going off about Caleb Rocha slipped through the police’s fingers. They’d shown various versions of the story but not one had mentioned Kelsey’s name, for which she was grateful.

She set her remote down on her coffee table and headed for the door, Grizzly close behind her. Kelsey found it odd how she’d accustomed herself into Grizzly’s new name so quickly. She supposed near death experiences tended to have the effect on people.

She picked Grizzly up, so he wouldn’t jump at her parents and locked him in her bedroom. She wanted to do this alone.

She made her way to the front door, albeit a little grudgingly, and peered through the peephole. Sure enough, her dad stood there, with her mom beside him. Kelsey took a deep breath and unlocked the front door, slowly pulling it open.

Both of her parents appeared to be startled at her sudden appearance. Gwen reacted first. “Oh my god, Kelsey! What happened to you? You look horrible.”

“I feel horrible, too.” Kelsey admitted. “Come inside.” She didn’t want to put on a show for her neighbors, and she suspected that things were about to get very crazy soon. She doubted that either of her parents would respond positively to what she was about to tell them.

“Are you sick?” Her dad asked. “I have this new medication that works wonders.”

“I’m fine, dad.” Kelsey told him. “Have a seat. I’ll be right back.” She headed towards the kitchen, hoping to get a few moments to mentally prepare herself before she shared the harsh reality Kara had gotten involved in with her parents.

“Your coffee table is awfully empty.” Her Dad’s voice interrupted her before she got very far. “Is everything okay?”

Kelsey briefly cursed her dad’s perceptive nature, something both Kara and Kelsey had inherited. After she’d emptied her coffee table the night Alex was spending the night on her couch, it was true that she hadn’t had any time to get any work done. Normally, her coffee table was filled with papers. She should have known her dad would notice. But how could she concentrate on work when her life had been flipped inside out?

“I haven’t had time to work, today.” She told him, instead. “It’s only morning.”

“Oh my!” Suddenly, Gwen was on her feet. She hurried across the room and started inspecting the large bump on Kelsey’s head. “How did this happen?” She asked, rubbing her hands over it. Kelsey hesitated. This had to have been the most motherly thing Gwen had done since the divorce.