24 Weeks - Chapter 8

After everyone had picked up the folders they all settled in their own bunks enjoying the read now that they knew that they were only few days away from joining the New York�s finest.

�I thought they arrested the bastard who broke in, what is the case about?� Jaq asked a loud without even reading the whole file.

�Oh it wasn�t just a simple breaking in, it was a drug bust. The case is about finding the inside person who orchestrated the storing and transporting drugs in the back room of the store. So why are you a suspect Jaq?� Stacey a.k.a Cheerleader was the fastest reader and was already half way through the file.

�Good enough a friend to know the security codes huh?� Chris pointed out with a mischievous smile reading Jaq�s part of the page.

Olivia kept her smile to herself as she listened to the women tease Jaq about her girlfriend. From the corner of her eyes she also noticed Gina getting agitated but Gina always got agitated when anyone talked to Jaq. She expected everyone to treat her like she was plagued but no one really was bothered by Jaq�s sexuality like Gina was so they stayed on the neutral side of both the women. Something that Olivia should have done but unfortunately found herself on Gina�s side more than once to join in on the light hearted hazing that was going on.

�You know what � I know who did it?� Stacey who had barely spoken for a while finally said keeping the folder open to one particular page.

�This new manager�what�s her name�Jena Rollins.� She said reading the name.

�Yeah�look at this. You know how much money she is making out of the insurance because of the bust�. over 300 grand. I am telling you, she did it.�

�Keep your ditzy wisdom to yourself Cheerleader. I know her�she didn�t do it.� Jaq yelled back from the top of Olivia�s bunk.

�Hey�before you go around closing the case what�s it�s about�come on someone do the briefing.� Chris from her bunk on the other side of the dorm said. She was always too lazy to read through a case file so she preferred listening.

�The case is about the break in that took place about a week ago in the Seven Eleven. When the police came the guy was still there still fumbling with the alarm as he had the codes. The only thing is the new owner had just changed the codes that morning so when he punched the wrong code the alarm went off. Then the owner who lived upstairs called the cops. Now the real case starts from here � as the guy wasn�t there to steal the store but to just collect some of the drugs that were stored in the back room of the store. Under interrogation he revealed that he had been dropping off and picking up stash for couple of months now. Unfortunately he dealt with his boss through notes that was dropped to his mailbox so he doesn�t know who it was. Now because he had the old security codes, everyone who had the old codes are a suspect�including our resident suspect Neill here.�

�Exactly and when Jena is the one who changed the codes and called the cops then she is not the one who was the boss.� Jaq added.

�Yeah but that is a perfect cover-up for what she was really after. The insurance money.� Stacey once again spoke out her mind.

�I am sorry Jaq I was pointing it out because she just bought the store only a week before and then she switches insurance company. Not just that, she upgrades the insurance coverage from minimal to full and takes all the bells and whistles too. Look my mom is in the insurance and I am telling you, no one puts this much insurance on a store. I mean with the amount she was willing to stake for depreciation protection is maximum, because of which alone she�ll be receiving 150 grand that is double the value of the store. The premium by itself must have cost her over 20 grand a year, now who would put a 20 grand a year insurance on a 75 grand store�unless you have a plan in action.�

�May be someone who has lost couple of business ventures due to bad luck and wanted to make sure this one was completely protected.� Jaq knew her friend well enough to speak for her.

�Yeah � just because she chose a high insurance doesn�t mean she would be involved in drugs.� Olivia added as unwillingly to believe Stacey�s reasoning as Jaq.

�Ok guys�majority wins that was just a theory. I wasn�t attacking the woman.� Stacey said giving up.

�Why just because you are fucking the bitch doesn�t mean she is a saint. On the contrary actually it means that she is capable of anything, and hell lookie your girlfriend is a druggie.� Gina said calmly.

�No she is not and keep your bigot mouth shut today�I am not in the mood to tolerate it.� Jaq warned.

�Of course there is this Bill Casey, who is awfully suspicious too.� Stacey had only started to say when Gina cut her sentence and took over the conversation.

�Nope�. case closed the dyke did it. Her previous businesses failed because of which she was in debt, she needed quick cash and she first agreed to deal drugs but when the money wasn�t quick enough she hiked up the insurance and changed the codes.�

As much as Gina�s words sounded valid Olivia knew them to be false. She just knew it couldn�t be true.

�I am leaning towards Bill Casey too.� Olivia said hoping that Gina would move past Jena.

�Come on Liv�You are blind to not see the obvious that it�s the dyke. Like the Cheerleader said, unless she had a plan why would she put such high insurance.� Gina who had got up and turned to Olivia said.

�For all I know she is already arrested so why do I even need to try and prove it to you.� Gina said going back to lying on her bunk while her friend�s heart beat and every thing else froze with panic. Olivia got up immediately and rushed out as though she was running to save her life.

She reached the end of the hallway and the corner where the phone was. She dialed frantically and listened, as her heartbeat got louder with every unanswered ring. And then the phone was picked up.

�It�s just that we�I heard that an arrest was made for the break in case.�

�Oh! Yeah. I heard they arrested Bill. I would have told you that tomorrow. Why do you sound like you are crying?�

�I am not.� Olivia said feeling stupid that she panicked. �Hey I graduated. I mean I have three more classes, and then I am done.�

�That�s great babe. And here I was thinking you won�t make it.� Jen always joked.

�Oh shut up and go back to sleep.� Olivia said before she blew a kiss and put down the phone.

Feeling much happier Olivia walked towards her dorm in no hurry. As she neared it, she heard some kind of disturbance and loud voices. She quickened her pace and rushed to her dorm when she saw Gina and Jaq separated by her dorm mates.

�I have had enough of you�.� Jaq was saying freeing herself and landing a punch and another right at Gina. �You got a fucking problem with me�take it up with me�attacking my friends is going too damn far.�

Everyone immediately shifted to grab Jaq, when Gina took the opportunity to throw few punches at her attacker. �It�s not my fault that the dyke is a druggie.�

�Enough!� Olivia yelled as soon as she placed herself in the middle of the two.

�She is already fucking incarcerated. But wait wouldn�t that be her dream come true.� Olivia and Chris were pushing Gina to the other corner knowing that the other three women were needed to hold off Jaq.

�Now dykes should be put in men�s prison so that the fucking rapist�s could show them��

A sharp slap landed on her face rendering her shut immediately. The two friends glared at one other � each shocked by the other�s action.

The entire room calmed down at the moment and even Jaq chose not to speak when Gina strode off to the locker room. Olivia waited for a good moment or two before following her. Gina was sitting on the corner with her eyes red with anger and hurt at the same time.

�I know... I am sorry I shouldn�t have mentioned rapists.� Gina assumed that the reason for Olivia�s sudden out lash was because of her poor choice of words and apologized.

�No�it�s not just that. I never wanted to admit that you were homophobic�I always thought it was just Jaq because she fucked up your head but now�G! I don�t know. You really� what the fuck is your problem?�

�My problem is I know them�I know those dykes more than you think. At the core of every fucking shit�it�s some or the other dyke.�

�Am I really? Look I got no problem with who does who�I don�t give a fucking shit ok�but believe me when I say this. Dykes have their head on backwards or something�they always make wrong choices� I know it to be a fact.�

�Choices?� Olivia asked a little surprised at where the confrontation was turning. �You think people choose to be gay?�

�I don�t fucking know about that�But everything else in their life seem to not matter when they turn gay though. Jaq and I had a good damn friendship. It�s not like I was blind and I didn�t know she was gay. But I chose to ignore that. I chose our friendship over our differences. But what did she choose. She chose to come out to me and fuck up everything. That�s how they are Liv. There be all and end all is being gay. They are not friends�they are not mothers�they are not anything�they are just gay�they are fucking gay.�

�And this is what this is all about. One gay woman comes out to you� and you think everyone�s head is on back wards��

�It�s not just Jaq�.� Gina paused for the longest second before speaking again. �My mother is gay too� or let me rephrase it�when she turned gay�she stopped being my mother.�

�What do you mean by so?� Olivia was surprised at the normalcy of Jena�s reaction to one of the most shocking news she had heard.

�Ok�so Gina�s mother is gay and she left her father for her lover. That hardly means she left Gina for her lover. You don�t know if she chose to leave Gina behind or if she actually fought for her and lost the custody battle. How many gay women would win custody right now? So, for Gina to go around blaming her mom is still not right.� Jena refused to even look up from the file that she was peering at while she spoke.

�Agreed; but at least that gives a valid explanation for G�s anger. Her mother leaving had scared her childhood and now she thinks all gay women make wrong choices in life. Jaq�s action just confirmed her belief.� Olivia felt more sympathetic towards her friend even though she knew that her anger was misplaced.

�Still doesn�t give her the right to try to and prove me to be a drug dealer.� Jena, who had already got a word-by-word replay of the entire scene from Jaq, didn�t really like Gina at that moment. �You know what scares me right now�God forbid if she was the one handling this case. She would have gone after me without even bothering to look at any other suspects just because I am gay.�

�That�s why she has to take the Overview Class again.� Olivia offered as though repeating a one-hour class would suffice.

�If it was up to me, I would just not let her graduate.� Jena confessed instead.

�Come on have some sympathy here sweetheart�after all her gay mother left her when she was a kid�� Olivia walked up on the other side of the table and sat up on the table so that her leg could rest on Jena�s chair.

�You know I don�t give a shit about her or her mom�if she didn�t make it a point to single me out.� Jena said trying to keep focus. �And why are you telling me about her mom anyway�she said that to you in confidence.�

�I know.� Olivia hadn�t even thought twice about telling her girlfriend something that was private to her friend. Jena made her want to share everything she knew, and it just felt natural to be talking about it with her, even though as Jena pointed out she shouldn�t have. �But�you make me feel like I want to share everything with you. Tell you everything�.Is that too crazy about me?�

�No�� Jena said getting up and giving her girl a soft kiss and interlocking their arms. �It�s just called being crazily in love�and I am in it too.�

�Good�then tell me about this insurance that is making you rich right now?� Olivia thought she would ask after all, even though Jena wasn�t the dealer, it made her look very suspicious and she wanted to know.

�It�s not making me rich babe. I had so much debt, it just going to pull me out of some of them.� Jena got out of their interlocked state and moved out of Olivia�s sight as she continued. �And believe it or not, the insurance was a mistake. I mean I was in the process of changing companies, and when I filled up the paperwork I made a complete mess out of it. But it was already processed by the time I realized it. When they sent me the bill of seven freaking grand for first payment I realized what the fuck I did. I even called the company to cancel it but they said I got to keep it for at least one month before canceling or making changes. Anyway right now�I am just glad it was so�now they have to give me the money because they cashed in my check.�

Olivia believed her. She did not need any more reassurance or evidence, Jena�s words were enough. She sneaked up behind Jena from the back and grabbed her when door opened and a man peeked in.

�Ray�come on in�I was waiting for you.� Jena said without trying to get out of the hug. Instead she just turned so that she was equally holding Olivia.

�You are being more than mentioned�ranted about would be more towards the truth.� Ray was charming even though Jena never thought so.

�As long as it�s all good�I am good.� Olivia replied an obvious answer to an obvious line.

�Hey I got to go�but Jen before I go, I wanted to ask you�when you said you had a plan in action the other night�what was it?� Olivia asked remembering something else that was bothering her. Then she immediately thought how inappropriate the timing of the question was since her friend was in the room.

�Oh not really a plan �just that Uncle Guru had offered to buy the store for double what I paid for, which was going to bail me out.� Jena replied casually before the two women said goodbye.

Several minutes had passed since Olivia had left but Ray was still standing and he hadn�t said a word.

�Guru never made any such offer. You had no plan for getting the money until this insurance thing happened.�

�Yeah it�s a word that is highly over rated. Now, let�s go and squeeze out my money and save my ass.�