High Tide

Kelly stared at the iron bars in front of her, rubbing her bloody knuckles and gritting her teeth. It had been a long night. She thought back to the look on Zach’s face when she’d caught him in bed with another woman. That was 2 years she’d never get back, 2 years she wasted on her drop-kick of a boyfriend. Well, ex-boyfriend now.

Kelly sighed and leant back on the cold bench, her back smacking against the cement wall behind her. A girl that looked to be in her early twenties was staring at her from the other side of the cell, her expression blank. She had faded purple hair, and what looked like a dragon tattoo peeking out from under her shirt sleeve. At this point, Kelly was still on edge, and more than a little pissed off. Her short temper seemed to be always getting her into trouble. The purple-haired girl continued to stare at Kelly.

“What?” Kelly snapped. The purple-haired girl didn’t even flinch.

“What’d ya do?” she said. Her eyes were dark and rimmed with red, like she hadn’t slept for days.

“I caught my boyfriend in bed with another woman, so I beat the hell out of him. Then accidentally hit her. Then she filed fucking assault charges.”

“Nice.”

A police officer appeared in front of the jail cell with a cordless phone. He put his arm through the iron bars, holding it out for Kelly. “Veneziano,” he said. “One phone call, keep it short.”

Kelly didn’t know who to call. She couldn’t call Becca – she’d just get a lecture about anger management and responsibility. Her best friend had changed ever since she’d become a mother. She wouldn’t understand the way she used to. And anyway, Becca’s boyfriend Matt was finally home from tour for a few months and she didn’t want to interrupt their time together, especially because Matt hadn’t seen his son Jamie in six months.

Instead, she dialled the familiar number of Becca’s older brother, Jona. They’d been friends for years and Kelly knew he wasn’t the type of person to judge her. Not that Becca was – it’s just that Jona would pick her up and take her home – no questions asked. He respected her privacy and never pushed her too far – he knew Kelly’s limits and she respected that.

Jona picked up after the third ring.

“Hello?”

“Jona? It’s me, Kelly. Listen, I need your help.”

“Oh God, what have you done this time?” Jona asked her, sighing audibly.

“I’m in jail, and I need you to bail me out.”

“Fucking hell, Kel,” Jona said. “I’ll be there in five.”

Kelly hung up and handed the phone back to the waiting officer, before returning to the bench inside the cell. She bit down on her lower lip as she held back tears. She didn’t even know why she was crying. God, she could be so stupid sometimes. She wiped at her runny nose with the back of her sleeve, before digging her hands into the pockets of her hoodie, staring down at her scuffed shoes.

When had her life completely fallen apart? When had she turned into the person she was now? If you’d told her she’d be in jail for assault a year ago, she would’ve laughed in your face. It just wasn’t her.

The look on Jona’s face when he arrived to pick her up said he agreed. He had known that Kelly had been having a tough time lately, but he had no idea it had gotten this bad. A police officer led her out of the cell and to the reception of the police station to collect her wallet and keys, which were sealed inside a zip-loc bag.

Jona was standing there waiting for her, and at the sight of her messed up hair, smudged makeup and bloodied knuckles, he opened his arms. Kelly walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her head on his chest. Jona hugged her tightly, resting his chin on the top of her head.

“Do I even want to know?” he asked. Kelly shook her head against his chest. Jona laughed softly.

“Oh Kelly, what am I going to do with you?” he said as he let go of her to lead her outside to his car. Kelly remained silent and unresponsive for the entire drive, until Jona pulled to a stop in front of his place, and Kelly raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“You’re not going back to your place alone tonight, not like this,” Jona explained. “You’re staying here with me, where I can keep an eye on you.”

And just like that, he was already starting to put the pieces back together.