After some discussion, we all agreed—calling the police was the right move. We also decided to cut off all contact with the Slatons and pretend they didn’t exist. My mother, though reluctant, knew it had to be done. Kennith’s actions had destroyed any hope of maintaining a relationship between our families.
I spent the whole night tossing and turning, haunted by the image of Kennith’s twisted face. Every time I closed my eyes, I could feel the cold sweat breaking out on my skin. When morning finally came, I was exhausted but still wide awake.
As I lay there trying to gather the energy to get up, I suddenly heard a commotion outside my room. Curious and a bit on edge, I quickly threw on some clothes and rushed out. To my surprise, two police officers—one male, one female—were standing in our living room, looking serious in their uniforms.
My dad, who was already up, turned to me with a confused expression. “Did you call the police?”
I shook my head, equally baffled and then looked over at my brother, who seemed just as surprised.
The male officer spoke up, his tone authoritative. “Who here is Carrie Chidsey?”
“I am,” I said, trying to steady my voice.
The female officer stepped forward, her expression unreadable. “We received a report last night. Carrie is suspected of intentionally injuring someone. We need you to come with us to the station.”
My mind raced—intentionally injuring someone? It had to be about Kennith. The memory of hitting him with that stool last night came rushing back. Was this really happening? The nerve of him, turning this around on me after what he tried to do.
Before I could say anything, my dad intervened, his voice rising in disbelief. “This has to be a mistake! My daughter was nearly assaulted last night. She was just defending herself!”
The male officer gave a slight nod. “We’ll need to investigate the situation. Please come with us so we can get to the bottom of this.”
So there I was, going from being the victim to being treated like a criminal. At the police station, I told them everything, leaving no detail out. I could only hope that they’d see the truth in my story and that justice would finally be served.