“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but in Lauren’s defense, I think Jaxon probably targeted her,”Jess tells Amy.
“Yes. I’m the victim here, too, you know.” Lauren tosses her hair.
“Thanks for bailing me out,” I tell them.
“Your grandmother camped out here all weekend. She was waving cash around like it was a strip club.” Jess smirks. “They almost threw her in jail, too, for harassing the cops.”
“I even offered to exchange sexual favors for an early release,” Gran pipes up. “I don’t know what the world is coming to if you can’t even bribe a cop anymore.”
“They kept saying we needed to wait until Monday.” My mother is indignant. “They wanted my daughter to be in jail all weekend! You’re not a threat to anyone. You didn’t break any laws. I don’t understand why they couldn’t just take the money. Your father pays taxes,” my mother insists as she leads me out to the car. “You shouldn’t have even been there in the first place. I’m getting a refund on that bail money, believe it.”
“I think they give it back to you when you show up for court.” I climb into the car.
“Court,” my mother scoffs. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You’re not going to court.”
My dad sits silently in the back seat with me, patting my hand.
I feel horrible. I just want to sink in the seat and disappear.
“Did you get a prison girlfriend?” Gran asks.
“Gran, Mandy’s not pretty enough to have a prison girlfriend.” Lauren scrolls through her phone.
“Be nice to Mandy,” my mom calls from the driver's seat. “She’s had a hard weekend.”
Gran rummages around in her shirt. “Thought you might need this.” She shoves a mini bottle of tequila at me.
“Ma, it’s eight in the morning.”
“Your daughter is a criminal, Gale. Is morning drinking really the hill you want to die on right now?”
“What the hell.” I unscrew the little metal cap and down the tequila.
Jess rolls down a window. “Okay, so you do smell a little weird.”
I check my phone. There aren’t any messages from him—Salinger, not Jaxon. I want to ask if my family heard anything from Jaxon, but that would start a conversation I’m not ready to have.
“I’ve been looking into which dog pound they took Pepper to,” Jess tells me.
“Yes, we have to recue my Pepperoni!” Lauren snaps a pic of her and me.
Speaking of rescue…
“Oh my gosh, Salinger!” I feel horribly guilty. Even if he is the reason I was in jail, I don’t want to leave him there. “We should go back for him.”
Jess scowls. “Salinger pulled some strings and got released on Friday a few hours after you two were booked.”
“Friday?” I gasp. “He got out Friday, and he left me there all weekend?”
“This is why I’m not going to work today. I’d just punch him in the face.” Jess seethes.
“He’s just going on with his life like nothing happened, isn’t he?” I’m crying now. “He’s such a liar. He said he loved me.”
Jess crawls in the back seat and wraps her arms around me.
“Give her another of these.” Gran shoves more mini tequila bottles into my lap.
“Mandy, don’t cry.” My dad’s voice catches on the words.
