CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
nothing i wouldn't do
"Let me be apart of the narrative. In the story they will write someday. Let this moment be the first chapter, where you decide to stay."
-
"It has to be the clubhouse, don't you think?" Clay asks from the backseat as Natalie looks over at Justin who had his face against the window, staring outside.
"Right." Justin nodded as Natalie puts her hand out on his thigh.
"Justin, are you high?" Natalie asks with a sweet tone so it didn't come off as her being aggressive about it.
"Jesus, no." Justin shook his head as he leaned up in his seat.
"Good. Because I can't do that shit anymore and Clay can't bring it home again." Natalie shakes her head as she turns to the next street.
"I'm not. I'm just tired." Justin defended with a head shake.
"So if you weren't using, what have you been doing the past 24 hours?" Clay asks, leaning up.
"I saw my mom." Justin took a deep breath.
"Your mom? I thought you didn't know where she moved." Clay says in a confused tone.
"Turns out I lie sometimes." Justin rolled his eyes, obviously annoyed by Clay constantly bringing it up.
"So you went home?" Clay asked.
"No, I saw my mom." Justin said sternly. "She gave me some cash."
Justin handed the cash to Clay and Clay's eyes widened. "She gave you that?"
"It's for you. Here. Consider it rent. Until Natalie and I can find something more permanent here." Justin shrugged and just like he thought it would, it made her smile.
"Keep it." Clay shook his head. "I don't pay rent anyway so. If you have all that cash, why would you come back anyway?"
"Natalie said you guys needed me. I'm done doing fucked up things." Justin said, looking back out the window.
"We may need you to do one or two more fucked up- things." Natalie looked at him before showing him her charming smile that was sure to convince him.
Natalie dropped them off at Clay's house when they arrived back but Justin still was nervous. He shouldn't have tried to leave today. He didn't want to put Natalie in a position to get hurt which is why it made him extra nervous sending her to that house where the man he hated more than anything lived.
-
Natalie walked in between Clay and Justin into school. In one hand she was playing on her phone and in the other she was holding Justin's hand despite her overlarge windbreaker not making it obvious.
"What the hell have you two got to say for yourself?" Justin and Natalie heard as they turned to see Jessica's father yelling. Jessica was yelling at him to stop as he made his way closer to the couple. "You be very careful of yourself, young man." He pointed his finger at Justin.
Natalie rolled her eyes as she pulled Justin by his hand back into school. She felt so humiliated in front of everybody and couldn't imagine how Jessica or Justin was feeling.
-
After school, Natalie, Justin and Clay met Sherri at Monet's. "We've gotta get in there. We have a plan." Clay says, turning to look at Sherri who was sitting right next to him.
"What's the plan?" Sherri asked, taking a sip of her coffee. Justin pulls out a large pair of pliers and Natalie nods. "Seriously? That's the plan? Put those away."
"What? Why?" Justin asks quickly and Sherri's eyes widen.
"Why not just break down the door?" Sherri asked.
"Because then the door would be broken." Justin says causing a quick eye roll from Natalie.
"Exactly. What I'm saying is we gotta do it without tipping them off that we were there." Sherri nods.
"So I'll try to get in with Bryce." Natalie shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Nat, babe, you are the most suspicious person to go in there. Let me handle this. I'll text you guys." Sherri says and stands up quickly.
-
"They put my picture in this box with like a billion others." Sherri said after Natalie typed in the code on her notes app.
"Like trophies? That's fucking disgusting." Natalie rolled her eyes at her brother and his disgusting friends as she fell into Justin's chest.
"Insurance." Justin nodded "What happens in the Clubhouse stays in the Clubhouse."
"We have to get those pictures. We'll go during the game." Clay shakes his head.
"You go. I'm out. I can't go back there." Sherri takes a deep breath.
"I'm out too. My parents will be watching me like a hawk all afternoon." Natalie takes a deep breath.
-
"So what is your plan long-term?" Porter asked as he leaned back in the chair.
"I'll get a job, save up. Natalie will go to USC and we'll move to LA so I can get a place." Justin shrugged. Sounded like a perfect plan to him.
"Justin, I'm not gonna be at this job much longer and whoever replaces me will want you back at your moms house. This is gonna be hard for you and you need to let people help. You need to let go of your past wrongs and figure out what you can do right. Understand me? Take care of yourself, Justin." Porter nodded.
"Yes sir." Justin said as he stands up, grabbing his backpack and walking back to class.
-
Natalie sat in between her mother and Chloe on the stands as they watched the baseball game. She clapped when she needed too but didn't really pay attention.
Natalie noticed Zach and Bryce fighting as Zach threw his helmet on the ground before storming out. She pulled out her phone quickly as she noticed him making his way to the Clubhouse.
But as much as she tried to text, Zach got their too quick. He came storming out a little after he went in. "I have to go to the bathroom." Natalie said as she stood up, walking out of the stands. After Zach was out of sight, she made her way to the Clubhouse.
Clay and Justin jumped before realizing it was Natalie. "What happened with Zach?" She raises an eyebrow.
Clay drops the box of pictures in front of Natalie. "He was the one sending the pictures."
Natalie examines the pictures and takes a deep breath. "Oh God."
-
They took the pictures back to Clay's after the baseball game and started sorting them with Sherri. "These photos go back like years." Natalie shook her head at the disgusting shit she saw in the photos.
"It's no wonder these fucking baseball guys are so fucking tight. I mean they are all covering each other's asses for this shit." Justin responded.
"These poor girls." Natalie's eyes drifted as she started at the pictures - started seeing someone familiar.
"That's the thing I don't get. I mean, why are these girls getting themselves in their situations in the first place?" Clay asks and all three of the others send him a glare.
"Seriously, Clay? You're gonna blame the girls?" Sherri asks with a scoff.
"No, I mean-look here." Clay holds up a picture. "This girls laughing like she's having fun."
"Oh my god. That's Nina, the girl on the track team - that's Jessica's friend." Natalie said as she grabbed the picture only to have Justin then take it from her.
"Shit, really?" He raises an eyebrow as he stares at the picture.
"Clay, we have no idea what's really happening in this photo. You don't know what happened after. That's not our place to decide." Natalie shook her head.
"But clearly no one's forcing her to be there." Clay shrugs as he points to the picture.
"Clay, girls just don't get themselves into bad situations. Guys make the situations bad. You have no idea what it feels like to be a girl in that room." Sherri rolls her eyes and it keeps Clay quiet for a while until he finds a picture that catches him by surprise before shoving it down quickly.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Clay shrugs uncomfortably.
"I'm just saying, it's complicated." Sherri said as she pulled another stack out of the box.
"Yeah." Clay whispered as Justin's eyebrows raise up.
"Nat, Nat. Shit. Look." Justin says and Natalie moves closer to him as the other two do. Natalie feels sick to her stomach.
"Oh my god. It's Chloe." Natalie said, feeling shivers up her arms and legs.
"He did that to his own girlfriend?" Sherri asked as Natalie fell back onto the couch. She didn't know what to say. She didn't even know how to talk or to breath.
"This is how we take him down." Clay nods confidently but noticing Natalie's state, Justin wraps his arm around her.
"What do you mean?" Sherri asked.
"She's unconscious in these pictures." Clay shakes his head as he gathered the pictures. "He's fucking raping her. If we show her these pictures, maybe we can get her to report it. Maybe we can get her to turn against him."
"Do you really think she will?" Justin asks.
"I think we have to try." Clay nods as Natalie holds back her emotions, not wanting to look weak in front of her friends. She was going to have to get up on the stands in less than 24 hours and she didn't know what she was going to do.
A/N: AHHHH I'm so excited for Bryce and Natalie to take the stand next chapter! Also, I made a Clay Jensen book so check that out! As always, vote, comment and leave feedback if you guys are enjoying! I love how much you guys love this story!! I'm so grateful for all of you.
word count - 1629