Lawyer Up

Chloe padded barefoot towards the living room, holding the back of her hand to her mouth as an involuntary yawn escaped her lips. She was still in her sleep clothes, but the growling of her stomach suggested that breakfast should be her priority. She didn’t even bother to wake Brandon, allowing the football player to enjoy a proper bed for the first time in days. And he was sleeping so soundly that Chloe just didn’t have the heart to rouse him from his slumber. She stopped, startled though, as she approached the living room and found Ashley, watching television on the couch, blanket at one side, pillow at the other, cupping a mug of coffee in her hands.

“Morning Chloe,” Ashley greeted her drearily, nodding back at the kitchen. “There’s coffee going if you’re interested.”

“Yeah, yeah, but…” Chloe took in the surroundings once again. “I mean, did you sleep out here?”

“Oh, I did, actually,” Ashley admitted, looking around and realising the bedding may seem suspicious. “But it’s not what you’re probably thinking. Heather-”

“I didn’t realise anyone else was up,” came a voice from the other side.

Chloe looked up as Ashley turned to see Zack enter the living room. Unlike Chloe though he was fully dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, jacket and shoes, as if he were on his way out the door. He stared back, smiling slightly at Chloe, his lips curling down as he glanced at Ashley. Not that the sight of her bothered him, though he still couldn’t quite believe how far she’d went last night with Victoria and then Madison. She had been way out of line, and clearly he wasn’t the only one who thought so, as he presumed the bedding meant that Heather had also kicked her out of their room.

“Yeah, as I was saying to Chloe, there’s coffee in the kitchen,” Ashley offered apologetically.

Zack shook his head, coupled with a wave of his hand, as he said, “no thanks. I’ll get something at the hospital. I want to go straight and talk to my mum about telling my dad everything.” He paused, unsure how to phrase his next question without sounding blunt or insensitive. “Did something happen between you and Heather last night too?”

“Huh?” Ashley tilted her head, until she realised he was talking about the duvet and pillow as well. “Oh, no, no, I choose to sleep out here. Heather was keeping me awake-”

“Oh, great, it’s you.” Madison sighed irritably, stepping out from behind Zack. “Want me to take off my clothes again, huh?”

“No, because that’s not my top,” Ashley snapped back, glaring at the brunette. “AND before YOU ask, yes I slept here, but only because I couldn’t sleep with Heather typing away at her laptop last night.”

“I don’t care where you sleep, so long as it’s nowhere near me. I don’t want to get fleas,” Madison retorted, before gesturing towards Chloe. “I’m gonna borrow some more clothes from someone. Anything sentimental you want to cling to because you can’t keep your boyfriend that I should know about?”

“Madison,” Zack warned her softly, knowing though that she probably wouldn’t listen to him either.

“It’s fine,” Ashley said, turning her eyes back to the television. “Keep your grubby pawns off my stuff and you can wear whatever you want.”

Smirking, feeling that she had won this round, Madison turned her head to Chloe, and asked, “Mind if I grab something to wear?”

“Yeah, go ahead, if you can find anything you like. Honestly, I’ve been borrowing from Heather myself lately because my clothes just felt too…conservative,” the redhead noted thoughtfully. “Though, why don’t you just borrow something from Victoria, seeing as you’re sharing a room?”

“I would have, but things were getting kind of awkward between Vicky and Kurt,” Madison explained, shifting from one leg to the other. “I just wanted to get out of there quickly.”

“Awkward?” Chloe asked, suddenly paying more attention. “Awkward how?”

“Shush,” Ashley said suddenly as she turned up the volume on the television. “They’re talking about Carlos Rivera.”

The four teens looked to the screen, a blonde young woman standing in front of the police station, microphone in hand, speaking confidently.

“-police have not released any further information since Detective Carlos Rivera’s arrest yesterday morning. However, his lawyer, Roy McRose was spotted entering the station earlier today, and while no official statement has been released, he had this to say about his client’s innocence:”

Chloe’s eyes widened at the mention of her father. The image changed to previously recorded footage of a tall, board shouldered man with flaming red hair, his pale skin looking almost as white as the shirt beneath his jacket, looking every bit the typical Scotsman that his heritage suggested. In fact, from the glower upon his face, one might have thought he was there to start a brawl, were it not for the small circular glasses resting upon his nose and the briefcase in his hand. He was there to fight but not with his fists.

“Mr. McRose, you represent Detective Rivera. Are you also here for his daughter?” The same female voice spoke from off-screen, thrusting the microphone towards Chloe’s father as they walked.

“At this time, all I’m willing to say is that I’m contracted to the Rivera family,” Roy replied sourly.

“What can you tell us about their situation?” She asked hurriedly, the door to the police station approaching.

“Nothing you don’t probably already know,” he stated without looking at her.

“Detective Rivera was charged with perverting the course of justice,” she said before asking her last question. “Would you say that incriminates his daughter further?”

Roy paused as he opened the door to the police station, turning to look at the camera. “Listen, Detective Rivera is an upstanding member of this community, many people in this town trust him implicitly, so if he told that judge that his daughter was innocent, I’m inclined to believe him, and I think a lot of people would too. And I believe the truth will win out in the end. If I were you, I’d spend a little less time asking me what I think the truth is, and a little more time doing some actual investigative journalism and finding out for yourselves. Good day.”

The camera cut back, just as Roy entered the station and the door slammed shut behind him, back to the present, the blonde standing exactly where it’d left her.

“Investigations and interrogations continue for this third day since Detective Rivera’s daughter was arrested. Roy McRose seems determined to fight the charges for his clients, telling channel 23 that ‘the truth will win out in the end’. The truth, however, may be as simple as that the fact that none of us ever really know the people next door-”

“Ugh, turn it off,” Zack growled, turning away from the screen. “Fucking idiots. He told them to investigate for themselves, and they’re just eating up what they’re told without thinking about it at all.”

“Did you know your dad was Carlos Rivera’s lawyer?” Ashley asked, her eyes moving to Chloe.

She shook her head, followed by a half shrug. “No, but I don’t know all of my father’s clients. I’m not surprised by it either though. I’m kinda glad actually. If anyone can keep those two out of jail, it’s my dad. Though speaking of Lisa, you never told me what happened with Hannah last night.”

“Oh, shit, yeah, I forgot,” Ashley realised, swallowing as she prepared to relay the whole story. “Well…”

“I don’t need to be here for this,” Zack remarked, heading for the door. “So, I’ll see you all later, hopefully with better news.”

“And I don’t care,” Madison added as she walked around Chloe, towards the red-head’s bedroom. “So, I’m off to get changed.

Zack exited through the front door, while Madison disappeared down the hall, as Chloe took a seat on the couch next to Ashley, sitting pivoted towards the blonde with one leg resting on the cushion, at an angle to the other which rested over the side. “Ok,” Chloe readied herself, waiting for the others to leave. “What happened? Did you get the recording?”

“Yep, we got the confession,” Ashley admitted with a nod, her expression not happy though. “But we snookered ourselves. Hannah had a video of her own, one that showed Heather…and her dad…or I suppose, it’s more accurate to say Heather was doing it to her dad…oh, god…I can’t even say it.”

Chloe was aghast. “Were…they fucking?”

Ashley put a hand up to silence Chloe, closing her eyes as she tried not to think about it. “No, thank god, no, though it’s weird and sickening to say that it wasn’t that bad, as if giving your dad a…” She paused, putting a fist to her lips as she struggled to say the word. “…blow job…is any better. It’s disgusting as well, but that wasn’t the worst part. After…that, Heather asked her dad about the affair with Monica and hinted that Zack might be his.”

“Oh shit,” Chloe clasped a hand over her mouth. “So, Hannah has something on Heather, Robert, Monica AND Zack. That’s like the holy fucking grail.”

“Right, which puts us in a really awkward position, because if we keep pursuing Lisa’s freedom, then Hannah will release the video,” Ashley revealed, taking a sip of her coffee. “We were divided about how to proceed, but we decided that this affected Zack as much, if not more, than the rest of us, so he should get a say. That’s why we had to talk to him first before anyone else.”

“And he chose to help Lisa, right?” Chloe guessed.

“Yeah, he always does the right thing,” Ashley agreed, looking into her cup, sombre and thoughtful. “Not always the good thing, but the right thing nonetheless.”

“I’d say that’s a matter of perspective,” Chloe remarked coolly, sensing that they were both remembering the same situation earlier in the week.

Ashley bit her lip, not wanting to anger the red head now that they were finally getting along and considering that she was fast haemorrhaging allies in the cabin. But there was one thought that crossed her mind. “Chloe, I hate to ask, but…you don’t think maybe Hannah was trying to get close to you because she knew your dad was involved in this case?”

“I fucking hope not,” Chloe rubbed her forehead. “I mean, when we were together, she never asked about my dad, or his job. If that was the case, she didn’t get anything from me. I guess it’s possible though.”

“You’re probably right. It’s just that Hannah has constantly been outthinking us at every turn and it’s starting to mess with my head,” Ashley remarked wearily. “This plan is our last shot. If she’s one step ahead of us here, that’s it. Game over.”

“So, what is the plan?” Chloe asked. “I assume Zack getting his mum to tell his dad everything is part of it?”

Ashley nodded. “Yeah, they’re preparing for the fallout, trying to undercut the video in the event it does get leaked. But the real plan is that I called-”

“YOU!”

Before Ashley could elaborate further, both girls looked around as Kurt stomped into the living room, barely looking at Chloe, staring only at the blonde with furious eyes.

“You! You have no idea what you’ve done,” Kurt insisted, already stomping into the kitchen, as he continued. “We need to talk. Now!”

“Don’t talk to me like-” Ashley began.

“NOW!” He bellowed, making both girls flinch.

Muttering and grumbling to herself, Ashley set her mug on the coffee table, glancing briefly at Chloe’s sympathetic face, as she rose from the couch and shuffled into the kitchen like a daughter going to face the judgement of her father. She could only imagine that it was a continuation of their argument from the night before, but Ashley couldn’t think of a single thing else she had to say on the matter. An orgasm and sleep had did little to dissuade Ashley of Victoria’s responsibility in destroying her relationship with Zack.