Along Came Ari (boyxboy; Open Novella Contest 2019)(Complete)✅

Chapter 11

A/N

Re-edited version (1/3/2020-1/4/2020). Some of the comments were made before the edit so they might not make sense.

My mother knocked quietly on my door, opening it before I said, "come in." Her brow furrowed, that angry yet concerned look she used to give me when I was little, when I did something I wasn't supposed to do. The only bad thing I did lately was get stupidly drunk at John's party last weekend, not something I usually did.  She never wanted me to drink, but she wouldn't get this angry at me.

"What?" I said.

"There are two police officers downstairs, looking for you," she stated.

"Looking for me?" I asked, equally confused.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing," I said, my insides shaking. "Honestly, I didn't do anything."

Following my mother down the stairs, I wrecked my brain, trying to figure out what I could have possibly done. Maybe it was a case of mistaken identity and they got the wrong person and the wrong house.

As I made my way to the front door, I spotted two officers, one holding a piece of paper.

"Ari Loew?" one of the officers said to me.

"Yes," I said nervously.

"We have a warrant for your arrest," he said.

For a second I thought I was in a dream, re-living an episode of Law and Order: SVU.

"What?" Both me and my mother said at the same time.

"For what?" I asked.

The officer held the arrest warrant in front of my face. I couldn't believe what I was reading. It didn't make sense.

"I didn't do it," I said. "That's crazy."

What the hell was Caitlyn thinking? What was she trying to do to me? Caitlyn Collins accused me of raping her?

Bending over, I threw up all over the floor.

One officer took out a pair of handcuffs while the one with the warrant attempted to grab my wrist. My initial reaction was to pull away from him. I didn't do anything wrong, so they had no business handcuffing me.

"Mom, I didn't do it," I professed. "I'd never touch a girl."

And then one of the officers started spewing off some shit, something about my rights and blah blah blah, something I had heard dozens of times in Law and Order episodes.

"You have the right to remain silent," he started.

This can't be real. This can't be happening...

"Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law," he continued.

"Mom!" I shouted as they led me outside. "I didn't do anything. I didn't rape anyone."

"You have the right to an attorney," the officer went on and on, speaking over me. "If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?"

I was about to open my mouth, but my mother stopped me.

"Don't say a word," my mother said. "There has to be a mistake. My son is a good boy. He'd never do anything..."

The neighbors hung around outside, getting a good view of this spectacle.

My mother watched the officer nearly push me into the police cruiser since I somewhat resisted getting in.