Chapter 11: Don't Talk About Ana

Jeanette didn't know how she got there, but she was here, in the bathroom, trying not to puke. The… witch, that had verbally assaulted her psyche out there had to be some internal vision. No one knew. Not a soul. What the hell was going on? She didn't have an explanation, and Jeanette couldn't handle life with explanations. It didn't make sense. It didn't fit.

She forced herself off the floor of the bathroom, having spent too much of her day sulking there anyway. She caught a glance of someone she would say resembled herself in the mirror. A broken chipmunk with a lot of explaining to do. Maybe she should have just told the reporter everything. But that wouldn't the others justice.

Still, the guilt ate away, and now, someone else knew. Things were starting to unravel. Her sins would soon be hung out like wet laundry to dry in front of the world. It was almost a relief. Soon, even if she was arrested for her misdeeds, she'd be free. From form the entrapment the guilt had locked her mind in. All the truth could air out on the news. She could turn herself in to the cops, and she would never have to face the horrified looks or disappointed stares. Just some filth ridden cell wall. None of this was going to stay secret for long.

But… Jeanette knew she couldn't go out like this. Not without trying to make things right. Talking to a reporter would be so cowardly. There were demons she needed to face, headstrong without backing out like she had a million times before.

She pulled out her phone. There were a few missed calls and unanswered texts from her sisters she was not going to concern herself with. Her phone was on six percent, and it was almost midnight. It was late but, if she didn't do it now, it would never happen.

Be strong Jeanette, she told herself. For once in your fucking life, be the strong one.

She dialed a series of numbers she'd memorized a long time ago. Her therapist told her at some point she might want to call. Make that first step. That she might be able to get the cinderblock off her chest. And she had dialed this number over a million times in the last three years, but this time she was going to press send. No going back on promises, no more breaking down and shattering on the bathroom floor. She would do it this time.

And she pressed send.

With a shaking hand, she put the phone up to her ear. Dark brown eyes stared back at her thro the mirror as it rang once… twice… four… six times.

Then the voicemail. It was impersonal. Just the regular answering machine with no feelings, and unaware of any intentions or wrong doings. Leave a message after the tone, she says. So nonchalant and mechanical.

Cold.

"Hey, this is… this is Jeanette Miller. You might not know me, or… well you do, but you might not remember… Of course you remember, you… I'm sorry. I can't… No! I need to say this to you… not an answering machine. I… I messed up. I should've said something before. I, I'm not innocent. I didn't know how to… I cared about him so much and I… Can we talk? I want to make things right. I'm not going to keep it a secret anymore. But I need you to know first. You… you d-deserve it. You deserved it back then. I'm sorry. P-p-please call me back."

Jeanette hung up the phone as tears streamed down her face. She watched her screen turn black and an empty battery flash the screen. She'd done it. She'd finally let it out. She prayed they would listen, and maybe even forgive her. But deep down she knew that was wishful thinking. Maybe they would just call the cops to pick her up in the morning. It didn't matter. She wanted this. Needed it. She just wanted to let go.

Sighing, Jeanette felt there was so much left to do, but nothing at the same time. Her time was limited. She was tired. Tonight might be the last night she slept in her bed. She wouldn't take it for granted.

First, she wanted a shower. It would clear her senses a bit. Let her relax for the first time in 3 years.

3 whole years.

The water didn't take long to get warm. She stripped herself of her clothes and entered, letting the warm water cascade down her body, taking a bit of the anxiety down the drain with it.

She let her mind mull over the last two weeks with Simon around. It hadn't been as bad as she thought. She thought the world would change direction as soon as he showed up. But in truth, it kept going. Day by day the world stayed on its axis like the obedient planet it was. She'd sulked, but her vision had become more clear. She understood what she had done wrong, and what she should have done right. So much time to mull over mistakes she'd made.

Maybe that's why she couldn't hate Simon. Sick or not, he'd made mistakes. They all had. And maybe he deserved his new life. If he was getting better, he'd already served his time, and would live with his mistakes, but he deserved the chance to fix them. Jeanette had run, and it was time to stop running. To face was Simon had faced all by himself in a way.

Her conversation with him earlier hadn't been that great. He said it was his fault, that she shouldn't have to take any punishment for him wrapping her up in something he caused. That he had used her in the worst way possible and had taken advantage of how much she cared. But that didn't matter to her. She knew what she was doing, and that it was wrong. He shouldn't have her be spared the rod when she deserved it more than anyone. And maybe if she served her punishment she could finally forgive herself. She had already forgiven him long ago. It was just herself left with the burden.

"I really did love you."

And that had never been more of the truth. And maybe, one day, after she was free and he finally forgave himself, they both could feel that way again.

Clink, Clink!

Jeanette paused her bathing. Something had hit the wall outside the bathroom. She reached to stop the faucet and then paused, thinking better of it and snatching her hand back. She listened more closely. There was a pause in the air, then heavy footsteps heading down the hall.

Ms. Miller wasn't in town, and wouldn't be for two more weeks. It couldn't be Brittany or Eleanor. They both were very verbal when they walked in the house to make their presence known. Besides, Brittany was at a sleepover and Eleanor said they wouldn't be back from the match until like two or three in the morning.

A cold chill ran down her neck, something definitely not right. She, as quietly as possible, exited the shower, leaving the water running on high power as to mask her exit. Throwing on her shirt and shorts, she walked up to the door and pressed her ear against it. The footsteps when back down the hall towards the stairs and opened the first door on the left.

Eleanor's room.

Jeanette was trying not to panic. Had someone broke in. The reporter? No, she wouldn't stoop that low and risk her own job. She reached for her phone, only to be painfully reminded it was dead. She was running out of options, and whoever it was might come back and try to harm her. The image of the girl with her head smashed in at the mall played before her, all to painfully clear and fresh.

I need to get out!

As quickly and as quietly as she could, she opened the door and stepped out. The only sounds she could hear were the shower and the muffled noises coming from Eleanor's room, like someone was rummaging through something. Her heart was trying to escape her chest, but Jeanette pressed forward as methodically as possible, making sure to avoid stepping where the floor creaked.

Then she reached Eleanor's room. She needed to make a run down the stairs and out the door. She could do it, but her curiosity hit her, and she wanted to know why. Why whoever this was broke in, and why they were in her sister's room.

Her head peaked around into the open room. The room had been destroyed. The bed turned over, her drawers ripped apart and strewn about, all her items like trophies, awards and miscellaneous things she kept neatly put up all over the floor.

And someone was bent over into her closet. She tried to get a close look at them but then whoever it was pulled out a shoebox and dropped it next to him. The lid came off, and out tumbled something silver. Jeanette gasped. Then the intruder turned, their eyes locked…

Jeanette screamed.

Then she ran.

The intruder wasn't far behind.

XxxX

"Brittany, everything okay?"

The chilly night air only irritated Brittany more as her sister's phone went to voicemail for the tenth time that night. Charlene stood at the entrance to Ashley's back patio. It was white washed with expensive cushioned furniture and a large black table in the center with red poinsettias on it. She had stared at the flowers with little interest as she waited for someone that never picked up on the other end.

"I don't know…" She didn't. She couldn't be so sure of Jeanette's mental state as of late. They were all seeming to unravel though, even Eleanor who liked to put on a strong face.

Brittany hated being out of control. And to think, she felt like she'd regain some of it after Simon was sent away, but ever since his return the walls around all of them started to shake and fall again. The ground wasn't as stable as it should be, and everyone one was waiting to be swallowed up whole in the cracks quickly forming under their feet.

Charlene walked over to her friend, trying to comfort something she hadn't completed made sense of yet.

"She might just be sleep. Or maybe… She just needs some time to herself?" Brittany didn't look convinced. "She hasn't responded all day?"

Brittany tugged at the pink sleeves of her pullover and shook her head. Jeanette's had plenty time to herself. Jeanette finished school early to graduate before them. She went across the country to go to college, as far away from them as possible. She spent last 2 years spring breaks working with med sponsors, and last summer interning as an EMT. It took weeks to convince her sister to come home this summer.

It was hard when the world seemed at your fingertips like it had when they were kids. Now, everything was out of her grasp. Her safety, her happiness, her sister. Space, was what Jeanette said her therapist recommended. But if felt more like distance. One that was expanding faster than Brittany would ever be able to catch up to.

"I have no idea how to fix this, Charlene…"

"You don't have to," she reassured her friend. "Trust me, Brit, things have a way of fixing themselves on their own. Stop worrying about her. She'll talk when she's ready. This, even though I'm not sure what it is exactly, doesn't seem like something you can fix. Stop trying so hard to do so."

Brittany looked at Charlene. She was so honest. Charlene always knew what to say, and how to say it. And her heart felt a little less heavy. "Thanks. I'll just try again in the morning. Her phone must be off anyway. It's going to voicemail."

Charlene smiled. "Good! Now let's have some fun! Ashley wants to tell horror stories over hot chocolate in the foyer. You up for it?"

Brittany nodded. "Definitely. I bet Kaitlyn is going to tell the story with the girl that got pimples form using mud masks with pickle juice!"

They both laughed, and Charlene motioned to the door. "You go ahead in I left you some hot chocolate on the kitchen counter. I'm going to Facebook my mom good morning. It's her birthday and I'm a little sad I'm not there."

Brittany frowned. "Wow, Charlene, I totally forgot! Tell her I said hi, alright?"

"Of course!" Charlene sat down on one of the white patio chairs and Brittany went inside. The house smelt of apple cinnamon candles and the brownies that had cooked earlier. She could hear the giggle and the chatter from her friends in the foyer. She saw a blue mug with a pink cat on that still had steam coming up from it. She smiled, internally thanking Charlene for always thinking about her. She grabbed her mug and went into the foyer, tan walls with a big cobblestone fireplace, brown and tan furniture and matching ornaments. Ashley's parents were both doctors or something like that, and everything they owned was over ten thousand dollars and shipped from overseas.

"There you are!" Ashley said, flicking her blonde hair and smiling from the center of the room. Everyone sat on the floor surrounded by pillows and blankets, everyone already in their pajamas and sipping hot chocolate on the floor.

"Yeah, sorry, you guys. Had to try and call my sister." Brittany joined them on the floor. "Jeanette's home by herself and I'm a little worried."

Kari, with black hair and brown eyes, rocking her blue and white Tweety Bird Sweatshirt looked back at her with concern. "Jeanette? She's the smart one right?"

Ashley scooted closer. "Does she still have those breakdowns?"

Brittany shifted uncomfortably as all eyes were on her. She remembered the periodic breakdowns Jeanette had after the…incident. She suffered from anxiety and panic attacks after what Simon did. Brittany tried to keep it under wraps. No one knew what happened, but still, even Jeanette, normally quiet, calm and responsible, was noticed by everyone becoming erratic and spacing out, having mini meltdowns in class and hyperventilating randomly in the halls.

The situation, at the time, had caused quite a stir. But everyone attributed it to Simon being gone. The story everyone else knew was that he left school, and the Alvin and the Chipmunks band to go to a school for advanced students. Talk about the situation spread like wildfire, but Brittany held it together just enough on the surface to get everyone to not think about it to in depth, mostly because Simon wasn't the only student to go missing at the time…

"Yeah… uh, she's doing just fine. Studying medicine at a University in Maine." So very, very far away. Brittany knew that Jeanette had done it to get away from them. Even her own sisters…

"She totally should've gotten accepted to that fancy pants school Simon went to!" Ashley told her.

"Fancy pants school?" Charlene's silky smooth voice erupted from the kitchen walkway.

Ashley looked up at her and nodded. "Yeah, they both had perfect SAT and MATT scores. Perfect GPA's too. Why Simon was the only one to get accepted is absolutely insane."

Brittany felt a lump form in her throat. She quickly thought of a thousand things to say to stop this conversation. If Charlene said anything…

But the other chipmunk didn't miss a beat. "Probably because she's a girl. You know how unfair they are when it comes to smart females and males."

The others all murmured in angry agreement as Charlene joined them all on the floor next to Brittany. The pink-clad Chipette gave her friend a relieved look and Charlene just gave her a knowing smile.

Brittany hated having to keep these from her friends, but the rumor mills that would've started if they knew the truth… yeah, to many people had been hurt by Simon already. The real story being out would have just added salt to everyone else's wounds.

"Hey, Ash," Kari started, "What ever happened to your ex, Bret?"

Ashley just rolled her eyes. "Don't get me started on him. You know I only went to OIU for him, and he fucking cheated on me? What a piece of shit." She huffed, staring angrily at a person who wasn't even in the room.

"I told you not to go out with him," Meagan said, drinking her hot chocolate on the couch. "You should've gone out with Caleb when he asked you!"

Charlene giggle next to Brittany. "I didn't know Caleb asked you out, Ash!"

"He did," Brittany told her. "And was totally heartbroken when she said no. He almost quit the football team over it!"

"Yeah, now I feel bad. He was a good guy. He even sang me one of the Chipmunk's songs during Homecoming." She smiled. Brittany remembered Junior homecoming pretty well. She was so bummed out that Charlene had left, but she had had actual fun. And that was the last dance she had fun out, because it was right before the… incident.

Lana, long ginger hair in a braid, spoke up. "Do you guy's remember Bret's best friend? Mikey? He was soo cute! What ever happened to him, Ash?"

Ashley shrugged. "Don't know. He dropped out halfway through senior year, remember."

"Mikey dropped out!" Charlene squealed, realizing just how out of touch she was. "How? Why? He was so smart, and he was so sweat!"

"It's all because of that bitch, Ana," Kari said. "She ruined his freaking life!"

The others murmured in agreement while Charlene looked at Brittany, confused. Brittany, on the other hand couldn't speak. That name made her stomach flip and her heart strain against the blood vessels in her chest.

That name…

Ana…

Don't talk about Ana!

Please don't talk about her…

Please….

"I'm really confused," Charlene said quietly. "Ana…?"

"Oh, she's no one…" Brittany managed to choke out.

"Please, don't stick up for her, Brit," Kari said. "She's some druggy runaway that couldn't keep herself together."

"Don't you think that's a little harsh?" Lana asked.

"Brittany, tell the truth," Kari went on, ignoring Lana, who looked uncomfortable but not nearly as uncomfortable as the lead Chipette sitting in the room. "Was she like, secretly dating Simon behind Mikey's back? C'mon, I know Alvin would have told you by now!"

Charlene gasped. "Umm, what?" She looked at Brittany, chocolate eyes trying to catch blue ones. "He dated this girl? And Mikey?" She was obviously confused.

Brittany wanted to respond, but she felt like she was going to throw up. This conversation was bringing up the worst memories imaginable, the ones she left behind three years ago when that stone-aged judge banged his gavel and gave his final verdict. This wasn't supposed to haunt her anymore. It wasn't.

But it was.

"Umm," Brittany started, rubbing her hands together, focusing on the neatly painted polish on her nails. "I wouldn't know…. Anything about Ana to be honest…" She gulped down dry air to try and calm herself. "And Alvin didn't know anything about her either. Or like, if Simon even talked to her so I doubt it." She forced a smile, trying to brush it all off. This subject needed to be dropped.

Kari smiled, shifting her body so she sat up straighter on the floor. Her blue and black pajamas a stark contrast to the large fluffy pink sheets that lined the floor. "I can't believe Brittany kept you in the dark about everything Charlene! After you left, things got pretty insane!"

"Really?"

"No, she's being extra dramatic," Brittany cut in on Charlene. "It was so stupid that I didn't think it mattered."

Charlene frowned. "Okay, I understand but, what happened?"

"Nothing!" Brittany shouted, a little louder than she meant to. "It was stupid high school drama that didn't matter and nothing even happened!"

"Stop trying to spare her the juicy details!" Meagan said. "Everyone huddle up, Charlene is in for a ride!"

Everyone surrounded the two chipmunks, Brittany suddenly feeling the world cave in on her. Why tonight, of all nights, did this have to come up. And now Charlene was going to find out…

Something foreboding foretold her this was the beginning of something really bad.

Really, really bad…

XxxX

The barking of a dog is what he came back to. Loud and vicious, really close to his ear. Hot breath, and loud snaps of teeth hitting together. It was unnerving, yet, some kind of relief, like he was in the midst of purgatory, or a dream. His mind was groggy, and his body was ten times slower than it.

"Where…?"

His voice sounded weird. His throat was dry. The dog got louder.

He forced his eyes opening. They stared at a black sky. No stars were out. The moon was half crest, peaking out behind some clouds. The dog only got louder.

Moving his head felt like pushing a cinderblock with his tongue. Not any less than a foot away was a dog, pulling against his chains and snapping his jaws trying to reach Simon. The end of the chain made a chink noise, and Simon knew the dog was winning.

Using whatever energy he could he pushed himself off onto his feet, wobbling and falling forward. The dog continued to act crazed, pulling as hard as it could to reach the chipmunk.

"Shit." His head still hurt, but the fear of getting killed by the dog was worse, and it pushed him towards the gate. He yanked on the door, but it was bolted, a lock making itself obvious even in the low moonlight.

"Dammit!" The dog growled viciously, pulling the chain again, and the noise it made had Simon's heart in his stomach. He tried to kick at the gate lock, but it didn't work. He glanced around the yard, and realized he didn't have anywhere else to go but towards the dog.

He saw some bricks behind the dog sitting up against the back gate. The dog house the chain was attached to was being worked on, and could see the blocks were meant to finish it at a later date. Gulping, he pushed forward with as much speed as he could, leaping so one foot hit the laid out bricks and the other helped brace himself on the fence. The dog was right behind him, and Simon forced his body to do one more push, and managed to pull himself over the fence. Right behind him the dog hit the fence hard, continuing its manic barking.

Simon got to his knees on the grass, breathing hard, trying to keep his head in one place. He glanced around and saw he recognized the back of this neighborhood. It was adjacent to the miller house.

How the hell did he get here?

He tried to recall something, anything that would clue him in on why he was there, in some stranger's backyard about to be mauled by a dog.

He's brain hurt when he tried to pull up the information, and suddenly felt too tired to remember. He started his trek back home, letting his jumbled mind just go blank so he could relax. The night air was heavy with humidity and made his five-minute walk feel like five hours. He hurts everywhere. But particularly his cheek felt sore and bloated. Had he fallen on it?

He walks into his house easily. His front door is ajar. He must have left and never closed it. He does this time, putting both locks on. He doesn't bother flicking on the lights. The windows show a little moonlight, and if his brothers rolled up to the driveway he'd want them to think he was sleep as to not ask him any questions he couldn't answer to himself.

He trudged up the staircase, feeling like he was going slower and slower by the step. His body felt like it was failing on him. All he wanted to do was go to bed. But he was filthy, covered in dirt and sweat from his excursion. He wanted a shower. Then bed.

Going into the bathroom, it was the first like he flicked on in the house.

Just a quick Shower, Simon, then go to bed-

His jaw dropped when he looked at his hands. Then he looked at the mirror and saw his face, and shirt, and pants.

It was all covered in blood.

Lord! Sorry took me so long. Full time college classes all year around. I WILL FINISH THIS STORY THOUGH! So anyway, next chapter is a real treat, let me tell you. Some story, and some turnabout development! All da good stuff.

Review :3

~Fruity