trigger warnings: alcohol and tobacco depictions, mentions of physical harm
the police station is quiet as i walk in, only the occasional phone ringing and some officers having light conversations by desks.
i take my glasses off and hook them onto the collar of my shirt as a cop waves me over, smiling.
"morning," i mutter and shake his hand.
"since it was just a skin to skin fight and neither of you lot are gagging to get fines on him, we just got his name took and you're free to do with him what you wish," he jokes.
i smile and try to ignore the growing feeling of sick rising in my chest as we stop in front of a closed office door. the cop opens it and allen sits in an old plastic chair, leaning back.
he looks up at us with no emotion, as if he's looking through me like i'm irrelevant. his face is so annoying, my god. the cop holds onto his forearm and pulls him up, leading him out of the room.
he turns to me, "i'll take you to my desk where you can fill out some paperwork."
i nod, making my way to his small wooden desk with a single computer and a few astray papers. i fill in the page of paperwork and set down the pen. allen is standing a few meters away, leaned against the wall. he looks like an embarrassed school boy who got called to the office, but the streaks of drunk and anger are still lingering in his eyes. and breath.
i start walking away when i'm gingerly tapped on the shoulder. it's the cop again, but he seems nervous now.
"i'm sorry if this is a bad time but i'm a really a really big fan would you mind signing my cd?"
"oh yeah not a problem," i reassure as he smiled and quickly digs through his duffel bag and pulls out a "favourite worst nightmare" cd.
i quickly sign it and snap a picture with him, then pay him on the back and make my way back to allen.
his face has grown considerably more red, and i assume he's aching to get out.
i walk out through the door and let him follow me to the car, where he slams himself into my passenger seat. i want to yell at him for having such an attitude, but i just ignore him and start the car.
the radio automatically comes on, which is coincidentally playing "colour of the trap" by miles, and i smile to myself. allen reaches to switch the station, but i put my hand in front of the toggle. the cigarette in my hand burns orange and deters his hand.
"sorry, it's my car, my music," i explain. i see him roll his eyes in the rear view mirror, but i just keep driving.
after a few more minutes of silence broken only by the light music on the radio, allen clears his throat.
"i'm sorry," he forces out and i hear him straining to hold in more words.
"but," i encourage. i'm not gonna throw him back in jail for telling me what he thinks, and i know he hates me already so it really can't get much worse.
"but i'm her boyfriend and you're always rubbed all up on her and she really likes you as a friend, so i know she doesn't think about it that way and she's said that she knows you don't like her romantically, but when i first met you guys at the club," my mind flashes to that night, which i can only remember in flashes, "you were dead drunk and muttering all this stuff and looking at her like you were writing a million sobbed about her in that exact moment and i-and i-i just-"
he cuts himself off with a groan, and i pull into the parking lot. "i never did anything with yn after you two started dating. and since you guys aren't together anymore it's not-"
"what?" he cuts me off, turning to me. i look at him, raising my eyebrows.
"are you serious? you thought that after you beat her up, she's going to still date you? you're mental," i laugh in disbelief. he seems genuinely shocked as if he didn't realize his actions would lead him to some form of consequence.
"yeah, you abuse your girlfriend and they'll typically break up with you."
allen's face changes, regret and fear weighing him down. i almost feel bad for him, the way he seems smaller with every word i speak.
"off you go," i say, not losing the slight aggression in my voice as i urge him out. he pushes both sides of his hair back before he steps out of the car and makes his way into the apartment complex.