The Nature of Things

Chapter 22

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Three hours later Justin sat outside his father's house trying to find the courage to knock on the door. Just as the rain started again, he pounded on the door. Craig answered wearing only a robe.

"What the fuck do you want?'

"To talk to my father."

"We have nothing to talk about."

"Oh, but I think we do. Like why were you visiting Casey Adams?"

"I don't think that is any of your business."

"But you see, Dad, it is. In case you didn't know, Casey was my friend." Justin pushed his way into the house and made himself comfortable on the couch.  "Oh and he is also your daughter's rapist. So you can see why I might be a little curious as to why you would be visiting the son of a bitch in jail."

"You have no right to be here questioning me. This is none of your fucking business."

"I see that a little differently. Either you can start telling me the truth or I'll just go home and tell Molly all about the plan you concocted to have her raped. And how you used her brother's friend to do it."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Be that as it may, who do you think Molly will believe? What I don't get Dad is why?"

"I never planned for Molly to get hurt."

"Just me, is that it?" Justin waited and watched his father for a reaction. "Was it me who was supposed to get raped?"

"You're out of your fucking mind."

"I don't think so, Dad. See I'm remembering exactly what happened while I was living with Casey. All those lost memories are coming back and I'm going to find out exactly what you did. Then I'm going to make you pay for it."

"Get out of my house, you stupid little faggot."

"I'll leave when I'm fucking ready to leave. I want answers and you're going to give them to me. Who was it that raped me, Dad?"

"You are insane."

"Who was it? I know it wasn't Casey."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Craig nervously paced the living room, toying with the tie of his robe.

"But I think you do, Dad. I think you know exactly what I'm talking about. I think that you paid Casey to destroy me. Only Casey wasn't man enough to do the job alone so he had to get some help. And you just happened to have the money to help him find just the right person. What I don't understand is how you got Michael to do it."

Craig's stricken face told Justin that his dreams were reality.

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Michael sat in his mother's house worried about what was going to happen when everyone found out what he had done. He wasn't even sure why he'd done it.

"Michael, honey, are you okay?"

"Not really, Ma."

"Wanna tell me about it?"

"Not really."

"Now you know that that isn't going to fly, right? Start talking."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Bullshit. Is it about Ben? Did something happen between you two? Is that why you left?"

"No, Ma, it's not about Ben."

"Well the only other man who's ever made you this sad is Brian. What did the asshole do this time?"

"It's not Brian."

"Then what the fuck is it that has your panties all in a bunch?"

"Shit, Ma, I don't know. I've been having these thoughts and I think I might have done something to Justin."

"What? What the fuck did you do to Sunshine?"

"I'm not sure. While I was gone I kept having these dreams about him."

"Why would you do something to hurt Justin? I thought you two were getting along fine."

"I thought so too. I guess it all started when I met Casey."

"Casey? As in the piece of shit that raped Molly?"

"What?"

"Some kid named Casey raped Molly about the time you disappeared. He's in jail right now, but Molly is having a rough time. It was just in all the papers that she's pregnant. That poor girl has been through hell and it isn't over yet. She still has to face the trial in a few weeks."

"Casey Adams?"

"Yeah, I think so. Want to tell me how you know that little shit?"

"I met him at Babylon and we started talking about Rage. One thing led to another and somehow I ended up seeing him almost every night. Ben and I were having problems and I guess I liked the attention. It was nice to know that someone still found me attractive. One night I went to his house for a few drinks and the next morning I woke up in my car in my driveway. I didn't remember anything."

"What did you do?"

"Well, I chalked it up to just having drank too much. But then I wondered how I got home. I would never drive if I was so drunk that I didn't remember going home."

"So what makes you think that you did something to Sunshine?"

"When I was in Virginia, I kept having these dreams about Justin. For some reason he was crying and I was standing over him. I just got the feeling that I did something to make him cry. But the weird part was that we were in his room at Casey's."

Debbie just stared at her son, letting his words sink in and trying to not think the worst.

"Ma, I think I might've slept with Justin and I'm not sure that he was even aware that it was happening. I'm not sure that either of us were."

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