Coffee & Biscuits

27|confessions

"I don't know how you did it," Catherine suddenly said.

"Did what?" Aria asked.

"You went to school alongside your assailants, Aria! It's not only dangerous but incredible stupid, so I don't know how you managed." Catherine was holding back her anger.

"I knew you wouldn't approve which is part of why I couldn't tell you," Aria said and turned to face her mom, "if we had gone to the police with simply our words nothing would've happened. At the party I was wearing a little black dress and had been drinking alcohol,now I know that disappoints you but I have to be truthful, but if the police had seen me like that they wouldn't have bothered. At that point I would've feared for my safety in school." 

"The police has to take an accusation like that seriously regardless of their personal opinions! You aren't giving them the credit they deserve, Aria. An investigation would have started a lot earlier and--" Catherine tried.

"What would've happened with me and Rebecca in the meantime? We aren't protected from rumors, threats and angry people with revengeful minds. I'm not trying to blame the police, simply be realistic." Aria replied.

Catherine sighed once she realized this was a battle she wasn't going to win. Instead she turned Aria back around and began braiding her once more. It felt nice to have this time with her mother with everything out in the open, especially now that she could no longer speak to Tom about it. His words of comfort before leaving the cafe had stirred in her head since but she wasn't going to act on them. Him offering his shoulder if needed wasn't good enough for her and in some ways he knew that, she was certain of it. 

"Does he know? The man from the cafe, I mean." Catherine shockingly asked. 

Aria nodded, "He does. I needed to tell someone outside of my immediate circle and I choose him," she sensed her mom tensing up, "I know how you feel about him and my feelings toward him but he was there for me, mom. He wanted me to go to the police too but he supported me despite my reasons not to go and it meant everything to me." To think she weren't to see him at the cafe anymore made it difficult not to tear up.

"It doesn't seem like you're going to forget about this man any time soon..." Catherine said with a saddened voice.

"I'm going to have to regardless how I feel. You were right about college and focusing on my studies, mom. I have to at least give that a fighting chance." 

"I'm glad you said that, honey. Now that I've learned of what has happened to you it's important that you get time to heal," momentarily Catherine fell quiet but then sighed as she continued, "but I am glad he was there for you when you needed support, even if I wish I'd been there instead. For that I will always be grateful to him." 

Aria smiled and felt happy about her mom's statement. For now she'd take grateful but overtime she hoped her mother would look at Tom's roll in her life differently, hell maybe even Aria would look at it differently after time had passed.

"You know I had a crush on my teacher once, when I was in high school," Catherine confessed while giggling, "it was harmless, he was married with children, but there was something about the whole thing that excited me. Now that I'm older I know it had to do with the taboo of it all, which might sound awfully silly but it's the truth. I'm glad I didn't try to pursue him." 

"It wouldn't be taboo for me and him, mom." Aria mumbled, unsure of what the stories meaning was.

"I know sweetie but as your mother you understand that I don't share that opinion. But after this semester you've had even I can't call you a girl anymore, not after what you'd been through. As much as it pains me to realize it you're a woman now, Aria, one who has to make her own decisions." 

"--and I can't wait to make them, my own decisions that is." Aria responded.

---

After trying more then ten new hairstyles Aria and Catherine settled on a beautiful one. The rest of the evening was spent preparing for tomorrow night even though that wasn't half as important as tomorrow morning. Catherine hadn't asked many questions about it, only that she wanted to be present when they filed the report. Aria had told her no but not for the reason her mom had assumed. This was something she needed to do alongside her friends like she had from the start, perhaps proving her strength to the world as much as herself. 

Taking a look at her prom dress she felt a hint of excitement lure inside her. With this she'd steal looks but there was only one person's eyes she craved and it was Tom's. She wondered how long it would take until the space between them had grown large enough to forget the sadness she felt - hopefully not too long. A buzz from her cell phone caused Aria to close the doors on the dress for tonight and with a hint of a smile she allowed to recall the dance she'd shared with Tom at the cafe - a memory now ingrained in her dress. 

"Hello?" She said questioning the voice on the other end, having not looked at the display for some reason.

"Ready for our big day?" Rebecca's voice said and a giggle was heard in the background, most likely Jane.

"As ready as I'll ever be, what about the two of you? This must feel like a long time coming for the both of you." Aria asked. 

"As upsetting as it sounds this wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you, which is why you should be filing your own report." Rebecca said and stunned Aria in to silence.

Aria was taken aback by Rebecca's statement and wondered how long they'd been feeling this way. They were supposed to be doing this together, that was the point of waiting for the right time. She sighed, too tired to argue, but was at least going to find out why.

"Is there a reason I'm doing this alone, all of a sudden?" Her tone was pointed.

"You won't be alone, we'll be there and filing alongside you, just not together. Since I was there that night I can be your witness, tell the police I met you minutes after it happened." Rebecca explained.

"What about Jane?" Aria asked.

"Jane can attest to Brody's violent past but Jane and I have our own stories to tell, stories that lack evidence. We hope that your case will spark the police to investigate ours as well. Our cases will be filed separately to make sure he has as many as possible against him."

Aria understood now and felt at ease again, she had enough nerves as it were. 

"I can't believe this is all happening. It's still a little hard to wrap my head around what happened in the first place, but I'm glad we're doing this." Aria smiled at her encouraging words.

"It's strange to think that Brody, Bobby and the rest of them might not go to college because of this--" Rebecca said.

"--because of what they did, you mean? This is no one fault but their own." Jane cut in.

Aria thought of this school year again and how different she felt now compared to when she'd stepped inside the halls after summer break. Back then she had longed for college life and college boys, thinking the world had to be different outside of high school - but it wasn't. She just had to get used to looking extra hard for the good things in life; like Tom and her friendship with Jane and Rebecca. 

"It's time for bed now," Rebecca's voice rang out on the other end, "we need all the rest we can get." 

By tomorrow everyone would know about what had happened to Aria, Rebecca and Jane and more eyes of pity or perhaps disgust would be aimed toward them. She had made peace with whatever judgment came her way but besides the nerves there was one more thing lingering - that something would be lingering with her far beyond prom night and graduation.