Good Girl

"Hill, you've been bailed out. You’ve got someone waiting for you.”

An older police officer unlocked the holding cell that Mallory was in. She stood up from the hard bench instantly, walking over to the open cell door. She slipped through, wringing her hands nervously. She had sobered up quickly after being arrested. She wasn't sure how long she'd been in there for, but it felt like a lifetime. She couldn't imagine being locked up in a cell smaller than that for years.

"Follow me," The police officer said after he closed the sliding door of the empty cell.

Mallory followed the officer through the police department and to the lobby. She was sure her hair and makeup was a mess. She’d been crying all the way to the jail and for half the time she was there. She smoothed down her wrinkled, coral-colored blouse and her black skirt.

She slowed when she saw Matt talking to a female officer behind the lobby desk. He looked tired and irritated. He looked up as the officer approached him, handing Mallory off to him. Matt quickly scribbled his signature on a piece of paper before handing it to the woman behind the desk. Matt accepted Mallory's "personal belongings", which was only her keys.

"Thanks," Matt told the officers flatly. He placed his hand on the small of Mallory's back, ushering her through the lobby and outside to the warm, humid air.

"Don't fucking touch me," Mallory hissed, shrugging his hand off of her and stepping to the side.

Matt stayed silent, but rolled his eyes in annoyance. Mallory saw her Charger parked at the curb. Matt went around to the driver's side, forcing Mallory to get into the passenger's seat. He started the engine and sped away from the police department.

The ride was tense. Matt's hands clutched the steering wheel and his jaw clenched. Mallory stared straight ahead at the street. Neither of them wanted to say anything or even look at each other.

"Here," Matt braked at a red light. He reached his arm into the backseat. He practically threw Mallory's Prada tote into her lap. "Next time you want to destroy someone's car, don't leave expensive shit in your own."

Mallory fidgeted with the leather handles of her purse. "Why'd you come get me?" She whispered.

"What do you mean why," Matt asked rhetorically. "You just totaled my fucking car, but I wouldn't let you spend a weekend in jail. At least I can be the bigger person, and let that go."

"You're never just the 'bigger person', Matt. You only do things so people can owe you something," Mallory accused. "I don't owe you anything. I'm not going to forgive you just because you bailed me out of jail."

"I'm not asking you to," Matt said calmly. "I did it because I still care about you."

"Bullshit," Mallory snapped. "If you cared, you would call! You would try to find me! You wouldn't be at her house!"

"I was at her house to explain that it was over," Matt explained, his knuckles going white from how hard he was gripping the wheel. "I told her once, and I told her twice, and she just doesn't fucking get it. I was over there to explain to her that if she doesn't fucking stop, I'm going to file charges for harassment." He shook his head. "You're both fucking psycho tonight."

"Right, because I'm always the crazy one," Mallory said sarcastically. "You wouldn't have to go through this if you were just fucking faithful, Matt! I didn't ask you to go down to the police station and pay to get me out!"

"And who was going to do it, Mallory?" Matt yelled at her. "Brian and Erin? Your parents live two hours away, so at best they could get you in the morning. I just paid five fucking grand to get you out, and you should have seen what they were charging you with, which by the way, I didn't press charges for my car. However, Tess is for hers."

It didn’t surprise her that Tess would press charges.

“You better pray to fucking God that your dad knows the judge, or can get him to dismiss the entire thing,” Matt advised.

"You shouldn't have bought it for her," Mallory muttered out of the blue.

"Do you honestly believe I bought that car for her?" Matt asked, pulling over to the side of the road. He turned to look at Mallory, remorsefully. "I wined and dined her just to get in bed with her, I can admit that. But I didn't pay for that car or anything else that she suddenly got. Whatever Tess does on the side is her business, and you and I both know that she's been screwing around too."

Mallory was almost speechless at his bluntness. She swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling sick to her stomach. She turned away from him and looked out the window, more tears pricking her eyes. "Then explain your declined credit card."

"It got maxed out between you and me," He said, like it was obvious. "If you didn't notice, I paid it off once I realized it the next day."

"We shared it all the time," Mallory pushed, not believing him. "It's never declined, ever."

"Well it did that time," Matt said sharply. "You went out with Erin every weekend and bought thousands of dollars worth of stuff. I did the same when I was out with the guys. If you don't believe me, I'll show you the statement and you can see that I never bought Tess a fucking thing."

"You're still fucking lying," Mallory accused bitterly. "You still think I'm going to believe everything you tell me. After everything that you kept from me, I'm never going to know what's true and what’s not."

"I'm not lying," Matt said. "I don't have a reason to lie anymore."

"How do I even know you were over there with Tess to tell her that it was over?" Mallory asked. "You were probably fucking her and you're still trying to save your ass." Mallory brought her hand to her face, wiping the tears that were trickling down. Mallory opened the door, stepping outside with intentions of walking, albeit her feet ached in her heels.

Matt got out of the car too, leaving it running and striding over to Mallory. She stumbled backwards when he grabbed her upper arm, although it wasn’t forceful enough to hurt her. She turned around, glaring up at him.

“Why can’t you ever just leave me alone?”

“I don’t understand you, Mallory,” Matt said, glowering down at her. “Five minutes ago you’re accusing me that I don’t care because I don’t call you. I don’t call you because you moved for a reason. You want your space, and I respect that. Then you’re pissed because I bailed your ass out of jail and I don’t want you walking alone at three in the morning. So, which one is it? Do you really want me to leave you alone or do you want to come back?”

Mallory wanted him to come back. She wasn’t going to crawl back to him like he expected.

“I know you hate me right now, and you have every reason to. I’ve already apologized a hundred fucking times and you’re not telling me what I can do to fix this, if there’s even anything I can do. I was hoping we could move past this whole thing, even if it’s not easy.”

It sure as hell wouldn’t be easy. They were never going to move past it. It was hard to forgive and forget something like this. Mallory made up her mind, even if she was confused like Matt said she was.

She tried to speak without her voice cracking. “I want you to leave me alone, and there’s nothing you could ever do to get me to forgive you.”