The Mute [Elliot Alderson]

17 | f a c i n g f e a r s

I just want to say thank you to every single person who has read, commented and voted on this story. We officially have 1k reads right now, and honestly when I started this story I didn't think it would even get 500. Wow. I'm shook. Anyways, here's the next chapter :)

BES'S POV

In that exact moment, time stood still.

I can't really remember the last time I felt breathless like that - like I had just gotten the wind knocked out of me.

Being caught snooping through someone's private belongings was one thing but finding illegal shit on a CD you were probably never supposed to find is another.

Sure, after Shayla had died there was the time that I had saw the rows of white powder waiting to be snorted but he was emotionally reckless and probably didn't give a shit about what I thought about that.

This.. This is prison time. Like.. This is a big fucking deal.

From reading these files, it looks as if though Elliot has been keeping tabs on Joe for a long time and although I'm not sure if he'd ever go to the police, he has enough criminal evidence to get my stepfather locked up for a very long time.

Elliot holds the fate of my life in his hands.

Joseph Brown is a piece of shit. Absolutely garbage, a dumpster fire. But I can't act like I don't financially depend on him more than anything else in the world.

Although I work at Allsafe, it's been a few days since I've been back and I'm praying that Gideon doesn't fire me over it. I don't have nearly enough money saved to be able to live comfortably without Joe paying for.. well, everything.

My schooling, which I have almost thrown completely out of the window since I moved here. My job, which not only did he help me get but could have me fired in the matter of seconds. He has my mother wrapped around his finger so tight emotionally that she might finally actually snap if he goes to prison.

Which, brings me to the present.

What do I say to Elliot? Do I pretend like I never saw this? What if I take the CD?

What if.. Maybe.. I could somehow use this to my advantage. Let's fucking hope so, because if not then I'm FUCKED.

My eyes quickly searched for my lifeline, my phone, but I couldn't quite find it at the moment.

The pensive man across from me just stared curiously down at my fidgeting fingers, trying to keep still but utterly failing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a pen and paper so I jump up quickly and jot down in the notebook,

"Lost my phone. But I found CD. I know u hack, u hacked my stepfather. joseph brown?!" I shoved the paper to him forcefully out of anxiety and lack of control over my nerves.

Elliot's eyes look over the paper, reading the words quickly and when he's finally done he looks up slowly.

"Why did you touch my things?"

The dreaded question.

I write,

"listen. i have no idea why u r doing this but first off i thought it was just a beatles cd!! how was i supposed to know u had evidence of illegal activity committed by my stepfather on it?"

I wave my hands in the air dramatically, trying to show him just how stressful this is for me.

"Bes, I.. I don't really know what to say." Elliot looks down at his hands, and from what I assume his brain is running a million miles a minute.

I tapped my foot impatiently, simply because I was waiting for him to say something - possibly explain himself.

What he does in his private time is up to him, but going as far to hack random people, who knows how many people he's done this to!

Maybe.. Maybe he did it to me?

"Bes, you were never intended to find any of this. This is extremely awkward." He's says in a monotone voice.

This slightly puts me off guard. He's able to turn his emotions on and off as easily as can be, without even a second thought.

While he sulked, I hurriedly tried to find my phone in the pile of blankets on Elliot's bed and night stand.

I find the silver object, and start typing.

"Listen, Elliot. This is some fucked up shit, you know? How am I supposed to act like I didn't see that. How could you be so careless? What if it had been anyone else? Regardless, you know Joseph is my step-father right? He's basically my main financial resource and if he's sitting in a jail cell, I'm fucking dead!"

Elliot stared at me for a moment, and then broke his silence with, "That's quite selfish, don't you think?"

My anger had just been boiling at the surface. He invaded someone's privacy to the deepest level, and he's saying I'm selfish?

"I don't know who you think you are, and I really don't know know who I thought you were, but this.. this is really fucked." I run my fingers through my kinky hair as thorough as possible and started chewing on my pinky nail.

"You do realize how many lawsuits were opened up for sexual harassment, right? You saw all the evidence that was there. These victims, they deserve better. Your need for money and a parent to continue to take care of you trumps the safety and comfortability of others. This business continues to stay open. He continues to sexually harass his female employees. For Christ sake,  he's a children's doctor. How sick is that? He's nonconsensually groping female employees in front of children. How does that make you feel?"

Elliot's words felt like a punch to the stomach. Now I'm breathless for the second time today.

I pondered over what Elliot said, and just stared into his eyes trying to come up with a valid excuse, or response.

I thought maybe I could say that the man paid his dues in court, he paid  the money to the victims. But then continued to do it. He's so rich, that the money he's giving this women is chump change.

It's no thing to him, and that is what should disgust me about him.

Although he's a pile of trash, it still doesn't negate the fact that I cannot survive for two seconds without his money.

Somehow, I need this to go in my favor.

My first impulsive thought is what I typed out immediately.

"Let's make a deal then."

He raised an eyebrow, questioning my statement.
"I'm glad you asked," I joked and continued, "You have years worth of criminal evidence against Joe on that CD. That's years worth of committing a crime. Not only have you invaded his deepest depths of privacy, but you have done nothing with this evidence for years. It would be a shame if someone.. maybe.. told someone about your little operation?"

"You wouldn't." He accuses.

"I would."
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AHHHH OK SO I KNOW THIS IS A SHORT CHAPTER AND YOU MIGHT BE HATING BES RN FOR ACTING LIKE THIS BUT TRUST ME ITS FOR A REASON!!