On Sleepless Roads
Chapter Fourteen
Brendon’s POV
We decided to go see Spencer and Jon.
They were both at Spencer’s house,
And we figured that there was no way Marti’s mom or stepdad would be there.
When we got there we just walked right on in.
We are way past the days of knocking.
“We’re downstairs!” Spencer called when he heard us talking.
With Ryan leading the way we clambered down the stairs.
Sure enough Spencer was sitting on the couch while Jon was playing his bass.
“What brings you here?” Spencer asked, not taking his eyes away from the TV.
“It’s safe here.” Ryan muttered.
Both Jon and Spencer turned to stare at him.
“Safe from what?” They asked.
Ryan shrugged.
“You know, whatever.” He said, looking at Marti.
She was staring at Jon intently, watching him play.
“Right.” Spencer said slowly, following Brendon’s gaze.
He didn’t say anything else about it though.
He knew that we’d tell him later,
When Marti wasn’t around.
“So what have you guys been up to?” Jon asked.
I shrugged.
“We went to the park.” I said.
“How was that?” Jon asked, staring at Marti.
She was still watching him play.
“Good.” Ryan said.
“Anything interesting happen?” Spencer asked.
“No.” Ryan said hesitantly.
Neither of us wanted to talk about Marti’s stepdad in front of her.
And I still had to tell the guys what my mom said.
“What are you doing later?” Jon asked.
I shrugged.
“Don’t know yet, why?” I asked.
He shrugged.
“Just wondering.” He said.
Marti still hadn’t stopped watching him yet.
“Do you play anything?” Jon asked.
It took Marti a second to figure out that he was talking to her.
“Piano and flute.” She said quietly.
“Do you sing?” Spencer asked.
Marti shook her head.
“Do you want to try playing this?” Jon asked, motioning to his bass.
Immediately Marti shook her head.
“Are you sure?” Jon asked.
Marti nodded.
“Okay then.” Jon said, picking up from where he’d left off.
Marti’s POV
It was an hour later and we were all watching TV.
I was on the couch with Spencer and Brendon,
While Ryan and Jon were sitting in chairs.
Suddenly Ryan’s phone rang,
Like it tends to do a lot.
“Hello?” He said, answering it.
Then there was a long pause.
“Sure, just a second.” He said.
He held out the phone towards me.
“It’s my mom, she wants to talk to you.” He said.
Hesitantly I took the phone.
What did she want to talk to me about?
“Hello?” I said slowly.
“Hey Marti, how’s it going?” Mrs. Ross asked.
“Good.”
“Ryan’s being nice?” She asked.
“Yes.” I said slowly.
“That’s good, now Marti, I know you probably don’t want to, but we need you to come down to the police station and make a statement.” She said.
“What’s a statement?” I asked.
Immediately I regretted saying that word out loud.
Ryan, Brendon, Jon and Spencer all turned to stare at me,
A look of astonishment on their faces.
“Basically we just need you to tell some police officers what your mother and stepfather did to you.” Mrs. Ross said.
I felt myself go cold.
“They didn’t do anything!” I said quickly, feeling the panic in me rising.
“Marti, we don’t want them to ever hurt you again. If you tell the police what they did, then they’ll be locked away and will never touch you again.” Mrs. Ross said patiently.
“They didn’t do anything!” I insisted.
“I know you’re scared Marti, but we need you to talk to the police.” She said.
Did she think that it was just that easy?
If I said anything then my Mom and Carl would kill me.
They would hurt Mark or Maddie,
I know they would!
“There’s nothing to tell!” I said.
“Okay honey, I believe you. Can you please give the phone to Ryan, I need to talk to him again.” She said.
Quickly I handed the phone back to Ryan.
Ryan’s POV
“Yes?” I said as soon as I got the phone back from Marti.
“Ryan, I know you’ve done so much for us already…” Mom began.
I didn’t say anything.
“But we need Marti to come down to the police station and make a statement.” She continued.
I still didn’t say anything.
“But she insists that Jill and her stepfather didn’t do anything to her.” Mom said.
“Okay.” I said slowly.
I did not like where this was going.
“Do you think, that maybe, you could try and convince Marti to come make a statement?” Mom asked, her voice changing into a begging tone.
“Mom…” I started but she interrupted me.
“As it stands right now, Jill is going to get Marti unless we can prove that Jill abused her.” She said.
“What about her…” I said, letting my voice trail off.
I hope my mom would fill in the blank.
“Her bruise? We can’t prove that Jill did that. Right now, only a statement from Marti will work.” She said.
“Fine.” I said after a long pause.
“You’ll try?” She asked.
“Yes.” I said.
“Thank you so much honey! I’m so sorry I’m putting this all on your shoulders!” Mom apologized.
“It’s okay.” I said.
“Thanks again, but I got to go!” Mom said.
“Bye.” I said but she had already hung up.
“What was that all about?” Brendon asked.
I shrugged.
“I don’t know, ask her.” I sad, motioning towards Marti.
She didn’t say anything.
“So we’re not going to find out?” Spencer asked.
“Apparently not.” I replied.
How exactly was I supposed to convince Marti,
Who didn’t even like me,
To go into the police station and tell them what her mother did to her?
Apparently my mom was forgetting that this was real life,
Not a movie.
Marti and I weren’t just going to be talking and then she tells me everything.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get her to admit that her mom beat her.
We decided to go see Spencer and Jon.
They were both at Spencer’s house,
And we figured that there was no way Marti’s mom or stepdad would be there.
When we got there we just walked right on in.
We are way past the days of knocking.
“We’re downstairs!” Spencer called when he heard us talking.
With Ryan leading the way we clambered down the stairs.
Sure enough Spencer was sitting on the couch while Jon was playing his bass.
“What brings you here?” Spencer asked, not taking his eyes away from the TV.
“It’s safe here.” Ryan muttered.
Both Jon and Spencer turned to stare at him.
“Safe from what?” They asked.
Ryan shrugged.
“You know, whatever.” He said, looking at Marti.
She was staring at Jon intently, watching him play.
“Right.” Spencer said slowly, following Brendon’s gaze.
He didn’t say anything else about it though.
He knew that we’d tell him later,
When Marti wasn’t around.
“So what have you guys been up to?” Jon asked.
I shrugged.
“We went to the park.” I said.
“How was that?” Jon asked, staring at Marti.
She was still watching him play.
“Good.” Ryan said.
“Anything interesting happen?” Spencer asked.
“No.” Ryan said hesitantly.
Neither of us wanted to talk about Marti’s stepdad in front of her.
And I still had to tell the guys what my mom said.
“What are you doing later?” Jon asked.
I shrugged.
“Don’t know yet, why?” I asked.
He shrugged.
“Just wondering.” He said.
Marti still hadn’t stopped watching him yet.
“Do you play anything?” Jon asked.
It took Marti a second to figure out that he was talking to her.
“Piano and flute.” She said quietly.
“Do you sing?” Spencer asked.
Marti shook her head.
“Do you want to try playing this?” Jon asked, motioning to his bass.
Immediately Marti shook her head.
“Are you sure?” Jon asked.
Marti nodded.
“Okay then.” Jon said, picking up from where he’d left off.
Marti’s POV
It was an hour later and we were all watching TV.
I was on the couch with Spencer and Brendon,
While Ryan and Jon were sitting in chairs.
Suddenly Ryan’s phone rang,
Like it tends to do a lot.
“Hello?” He said, answering it.
Then there was a long pause.
“Sure, just a second.” He said.
He held out the phone towards me.
“It’s my mom, she wants to talk to you.” He said.
Hesitantly I took the phone.
What did she want to talk to me about?
“Hello?” I said slowly.
“Hey Marti, how’s it going?” Mrs. Ross asked.
“Good.”
“Ryan’s being nice?” She asked.
“Yes.” I said slowly.
“That’s good, now Marti, I know you probably don’t want to, but we need you to come down to the police station and make a statement.” She said.
“What’s a statement?” I asked.
Immediately I regretted saying that word out loud.
Ryan, Brendon, Jon and Spencer all turned to stare at me,
A look of astonishment on their faces.
“Basically we just need you to tell some police officers what your mother and stepfather did to you.” Mrs. Ross said.
I felt myself go cold.
“They didn’t do anything!” I said quickly, feeling the panic in me rising.
“Marti, we don’t want them to ever hurt you again. If you tell the police what they did, then they’ll be locked away and will never touch you again.” Mrs. Ross said patiently.
“They didn’t do anything!” I insisted.
“I know you’re scared Marti, but we need you to talk to the police.” She said.
Did she think that it was just that easy?
If I said anything then my Mom and Carl would kill me.
They would hurt Mark or Maddie,
I know they would!
“There’s nothing to tell!” I said.
“Okay honey, I believe you. Can you please give the phone to Ryan, I need to talk to him again.” She said.
Quickly I handed the phone back to Ryan.
Ryan’s POV
“Yes?” I said as soon as I got the phone back from Marti.
“Ryan, I know you’ve done so much for us already…” Mom began.
I didn’t say anything.
“But we need Marti to come down to the police station and make a statement.” She continued.
I still didn’t say anything.
“But she insists that Jill and her stepfather didn’t do anything to her.” Mom said.
“Okay.” I said slowly.
I did not like where this was going.
“Do you think, that maybe, you could try and convince Marti to come make a statement?” Mom asked, her voice changing into a begging tone.
“Mom…” I started but she interrupted me.
“As it stands right now, Jill is going to get Marti unless we can prove that Jill abused her.” She said.
“What about her…” I said, letting my voice trail off.
I hope my mom would fill in the blank.
“Her bruise? We can’t prove that Jill did that. Right now, only a statement from Marti will work.” She said.
“Fine.” I said after a long pause.
“You’ll try?” She asked.
“Yes.” I said.
“Thank you so much honey! I’m so sorry I’m putting this all on your shoulders!” Mom apologized.
“It’s okay.” I said.
“Thanks again, but I got to go!” Mom said.
“Bye.” I said but she had already hung up.
“What was that all about?” Brendon asked.
I shrugged.
“I don’t know, ask her.” I sad, motioning towards Marti.
She didn’t say anything.
“So we’re not going to find out?” Spencer asked.
“Apparently not.” I replied.
How exactly was I supposed to convince Marti,
Who didn’t even like me,
To go into the police station and tell them what her mother did to her?
Apparently my mom was forgetting that this was real life,
Not a movie.
Marti and I weren’t just going to be talking and then she tells me everything.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get her to admit that her mom beat her.