balance?”
“This is different,” Sara repeated sternly.
“How?”
Sara face twisted up as if she had just experienced some internal pain.
“How is this different?” Rachel asked.
“I … I … He made me … I had …” She looked at Rachel with watery eyes. “I had an abortion.” Tears barreled down her face.
“Oh my God.” Rachel got up and went to sit next to her. She wrapped her arm around her. She remembered Sara was still a minor. “But how? Do your parents know?”
“Yeah right.” Sara managed to bark out a short laugh. She tossed her head back. “They would kill me.”
“Then how? You would have had to have their consent before you could …”
“They don’t know.” Sara’s face went cold as she continued. “James had a friend. He told me it wouldn’t hurt. He told me I wouldn’t even remember it.”
“Oh no, Sara. No. Have you been to a doctor?” But Rachel already knew the answer. Of course she hadn’t seen a doctor.
“I don’t need to see a doctor.”
“This is criminal . Your boyfriend and his friend could go to jail for this.”
“He said everything would be okay. He said things would go right back to the way they were before I got pregnant. But now he doesn’t call me back. He must have disconnected his phone. You can’t even leave a message. I wait for him outside of his house, but he never comes.” She began to cry again. “Shit.” She pressed a button on her phone and stared at the screen.
“This is not okay.” Rachel said.
“You’re not going to turn him in, are you?” Sara turned to look at Rachel with fear in her eyes. “I wouldn’t have come to you if I knew you would turn him in.”
“I can’t keep—” Rachel began, but suddenly froze when she glanced at the screensaver on Sara’s phone. Rachel’s heart started beating faster. The picture was blurry, but she could make out two people. One was Sara. Rachel could tell from her hair and the familiar purple shirt she was wearing. The other person was a man. His hand was caught in time, a blur reaching towards his head as if he were trying to hide behind it, but the camera had captured him before he could cover his face. The image was grainy, but Rachel knew who it was. Those eyes. Those lips. That face. The same face that had haunted her for months, the face that still crept into her subconscious and plagued her dreams.
“Is this him?” Rachel asked, pointing to the picture. She put her hand down when she saw it was shaking.
“What?” Sara looked at her phone. “Yeah, why?”
“What did you say his name was?”
“James. Why?” Sara wiped her face with a wrinkled, wadded-up tissue as she turned to look at Rachel.
“James what?”
“James McNew. Do you know him?”
Rachel sunk back in the couch. Her mind raced to place the name. She knew she had heard that name before, but where? Then it came to her. James McNew. She had met him with Edward at a small club in Aspen a few years ago. She met him after a concert. James McNew was the bass player from the band Yo La Tengo .
“Do you know him?” Sara asked again.
Rachel was looking at Sara, but she wasn’t really focused on her. Her thoughts were going a million miles per minute. He’s been toying with Sara for months, at least since February, maybe longer. The entire time he’s been with Elena, for sure. When they got married, even when we were together. Sara’s only sixteen. That’s statutory rape. Good Lord, he got her pregnant and then had someone give her an abortion who knows where. She could have died. Who the hell is this guy?
“Rachel?” Sara said trying to get her attention.
Rachel looked into Sara’s eyes, grabbed her by her shoulders and said, “Listen to me. You need to see a doctor. I know one. You can trust her. She’ll see you, but I need to talk to her first.”
“I already told you, I don’t need to see a doctor,” Sara protested.
“I can’t argue with you right now. I have to go do
“This is different,” Sara repeated sternly.
“How?”
Sara face twisted up as if she had just experienced some internal pain.
“How is this different?” Rachel asked.
“I … I … He made me … I had …” She looked at Rachel with watery eyes. “I had an abortion.” Tears barreled down her face.
“Oh my God.” Rachel got up and went to sit next to her. She wrapped her arm around her. She remembered Sara was still a minor. “But how? Do your parents know?”
“Yeah right.” Sara managed to bark out a short laugh. She tossed her head back. “They would kill me.”
“Then how? You would have had to have their consent before you could …”
“They don’t know.” Sara’s face went cold as she continued. “James had a friend. He told me it wouldn’t hurt. He told me I wouldn’t even remember it.”
“Oh no, Sara. No. Have you been to a doctor?” But Rachel already knew the answer. Of course she hadn’t seen a doctor.
“I don’t need to see a doctor.”
“This is criminal . Your boyfriend and his friend could go to jail for this.”
“He said everything would be okay. He said things would go right back to the way they were before I got pregnant. But now he doesn’t call me back. He must have disconnected his phone. You can’t even leave a message. I wait for him outside of his house, but he never comes.” She began to cry again. “Shit.” She pressed a button on her phone and stared at the screen.
“This is not okay.” Rachel said.
“You’re not going to turn him in, are you?” Sara turned to look at Rachel with fear in her eyes. “I wouldn’t have come to you if I knew you would turn him in.”
“I can’t keep—” Rachel began, but suddenly froze when she glanced at the screensaver on Sara’s phone. Rachel’s heart started beating faster. The picture was blurry, but she could make out two people. One was Sara. Rachel could tell from her hair and the familiar purple shirt she was wearing. The other person was a man. His hand was caught in time, a blur reaching towards his head as if he were trying to hide behind it, but the camera had captured him before he could cover his face. The image was grainy, but Rachel knew who it was. Those eyes. Those lips. That face. The same face that had haunted her for months, the face that still crept into her subconscious and plagued her dreams.
“Is this him?” Rachel asked, pointing to the picture. She put her hand down when she saw it was shaking.
“What?” Sara looked at her phone. “Yeah, why?”
“What did you say his name was?”
“James. Why?” Sara wiped her face with a wrinkled, wadded-up tissue as she turned to look at Rachel.
“James what?”
“James McNew. Do you know him?”
Rachel sunk back in the couch. Her mind raced to place the name. She knew she had heard that name before, but where? Then it came to her. James McNew. She had met him with Edward at a small club in Aspen a few years ago. She met him after a concert. James McNew was the bass player from the band Yo La Tengo .
“Do you know him?” Sara asked again.
Rachel was looking at Sara, but she wasn’t really focused on her. Her thoughts were going a million miles per minute. He’s been toying with Sara for months, at least since February, maybe longer. The entire time he’s been with Elena, for sure. When they got married, even when we were together. Sara’s only sixteen. That’s statutory rape. Good Lord, he got her pregnant and then had someone give her an abortion who knows where. She could have died. Who the hell is this guy?
“Rachel?” Sara said trying to get her attention.
Rachel looked into Sara’s eyes, grabbed her by her shoulders and said, “Listen to me. You need to see a doctor. I know one. You can trust her. She’ll see you, but I need to talk to her first.”
“I already told you, I don’t need to see a doctor,” Sara protested.
“I can’t argue with you right now. I have to go do
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