⊹₊⟡⋆ 𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 ..! ⊹₊⟡⋆

. ݁₊ ⊹ (The Bascketball Diaries) .. #

"because you and i we were born to live"

Adrienne lounged on the couch, curled up with her younger brother Wyatt, watching an old episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. They had a bowl of popcorn balanced precariously between them, and Wyatt had started stacking the kernels to make tiny popcorn towers, daring himself not to knock them down. It was a quiet weekend morning, and the sun filtered softly through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room. For a moment, Adrienne felt a rare sense of calm.

They were absorbed in the show when a loud slam echoed from downstairs, breaking the peace. Adrienne flinched, sitting up straighter as her younger brother looked at her, eyes wide. They both turned their heads toward the sound of voices rising from below.

From down the hall, she heard Grayson’s furious rant tearing through the calm, his words sharp and laced with venom.

"I knew it was him!” Grayson’s voice was practically shaking with rage. “I should have called the police the first time he showed up at my doorstep. those bastards never understand what real power is. I swear, I will ruin that boy's life! That fucking thief has cost me millions, just gone to waste, rotting in that room. I'll end him for this!"

Adrienne’s heart pounded as she exchanged a worried look with Wyatt, who was now clutching the edge of the couch. Grayson sounded more unhinged than she’d ever heard, and her mother’s soft murmurs were barely audible as she tried to calm him down. But nothing was working.

Then, Grayson’s words cut deeper. “And Adrienne! What on earth is she thinking, associating with that kind of trash? She needs to understand her place. If it were up to me, she’d be sent off to that Germany boarding school. She’s ungrateful, defiant, and if she thinks she can defy me, she’s wrong.”

Adrienne felt her stomach twist. Her pulse pounded in her ears as her heart sank. What had happened? She glanced at Wyatt, putting a finger to her lips, signaling for him to stay quiet. She edged off the couch, creeping to the staircase to listen more closely.

Suddenly, the voices dropped, and there was a pause, followed by a faint whispering, almost as if they’d noticed her approach. Adrienne froze, heart pounding, straining to make out any words. The next thing she heard was her mother’s voice, much clearer.

“Adrienne, could you come down here for a second?”

Her breath caught, and she cast one last glance back at Wyatt, whose worried eyes mirrored her own.
⋆. 𐙚 ˚

Adrienne sat in the corner of the police station, hunched over, her arms crossed tightly across her chest. She could still hear the muffled voices of her parents and the other families as they spoke with the police, relaying the same story she’d heard bits and pieces of throughout the past few hours. Her head throbbed with every new piece of information, each one falling like a sharp blow, and her stomach twisted in knots she couldn’t unravel.

Jim. Her mind repeated the name, as if saying it enough times would make it make sense. Jim. The one person she’d let herself trust, the one she thought might be different. He’d spent time in her home, shared her world. She remembered the nights he’d sat beside her, laughing, talking like he was someone she could finally rely on. But here she was, sitting in a police station because he had betrayed her.. again.

She turned over each detail in her mind like jagged glass, struggling to make sense of it. A camera—a simple baby monitor camera in the backyard, of all things—had been the missing puzzle piece. It had captured Jim and Mikey, caught them jumping over the fence after trashing her parents’ room and stealing anything they could get their hands on. She wondered if he even knew about the camera or if he’d thought he was smart enough to get away with it. That almost hurt more, the thought that he hadn’t even tried to cover his tracks because he’d been so sure she’d never figure it out.

Adrienne’s fingers tightened around her elbows, and she glared down at the scuffed floor tiles. She couldn’t help but feel like a fool—falling for the same tricks, letting herself believe Jim was different. How had she not seen this coming? How had she let herself be so vulnerable again, only to end up betrayed? Her thoughts spiraled, cycling between anger and disappointment, then right back to self-blame. She wanted to be anywhere but here, anywhere but stuck in this mess.

A police officer walked past, casting her a sympathetic glance that only added to the weight in her chest. Her mom and Grayson were still in the room with the other parents, likely rehashing details she didn’t want to hear anymore. Adrienne just stared straight ahead, feeling the sting of humiliation and betrayal seeping deeper.

In that moment, she promised herself: this was the last time. No more second chances, no more giving people the benefit of the doubt.
⋆. 𐙚 ˚

Adrienne looked up as her mom and Grayson emerged from the room, followed by a police officer. She quickly exchanged a glance with Wyatt, her nerves winding tighter with each step her family took toward them. The officer’s gaze settled on her, and, without a word, Grayson pointed directly at Adrienne. “She’s the one,” he stated curtly, barely glancing her way. “She knows who he is.”

Adrienne’s breath caught, but she tried to stay calm. She knew the officer would likely have questions—about Jim, about how long she’d known him, and about whether she’d known anything about the robbery before it happened. Even though she’d told herself she was done trusting so easily, part of her heart still hurt, realizing she would have to lay out the full truth to strangers.

The officer approached her. “I’m going to need to ask you a few questions,” he said, his tone measured but firm. “About how long you’ve known Jim, how you knew him, and anything you know about his actions. Just routine,” he added, sensing her unease.

Adrienne opened her mouth, but her mom placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Her expression was complicated—anger mixed with a hint of sympathy. “Honey, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” her mom said softly. “But they’re asking these questions to make sure we’re all safe. If you’re not comfortable, it’s okay to say no.”

Adrienne took a steadying breath, forcing herself to look back at her mom, then at the officer. “I’ll do it,” she replied quietly. “It’s okay.”

Before the officer could start, Grayson jumped in, his face red with barely suppressed rage. “I don’t even understand why we’re giving these kids such a slap on the wrist,” he said bitterly, crossing his arms. “Eight months of jail time? They should be given a lifetime—let them work off every penny they stole from us, ten times over.”

The officer turned back to Grayson, his voice steady. “Sir, I understand your frustration, but they’re both minors. And since this is their first offense on record, we’re bound to follow protocol.”

Grayson’s face twisted in disbelief. “First offense? You have no idea what these kids get up to. They’re on substances—they sell them, they do them. They’re not ‘first offenders.’”

“Yes, sir,” the officer replied, his patience thinning. “But, as I mentioned, we didn’t catch them with any substances, so it doesn’t apply to their current record.”

Grayson shook his head, his frustration flaring up all over again. Without another word, he stalked past them, yanked open the station’s front door, and stormed out to the car, slamming the door behind him. The officer turned back to Adrienne, motioning for her to follow him. Her mom gave her a small, reassuring nod.

As Adrienne walked alongside the officer, her thoughts raced. She still couldn’t wrap her mind around it: Jim, the one person she thought she could trust, the one she’d let into her home—her family’s life—had thrown it all away. The cold, steady anger inside her felt like it had nowhere to go, and yet she knew she’d need to hold herself together. There were answers she had to give, and she had to get through this—for herself, if nothing else.
⋆. 𐙚 ˚

Adrienne sat across from the officer in the small, dimly lit room, the fluorescent lights casting a pale glow over the table between them. The officer sifted through a stack of photos—images of ransacked rooms, broken furniture, scattered belongings. The sight of them made Adrienne’s stomach twist. She could still barely believe it: her home, her family’s sanctuary, violated by someone she’d trusted.

The officer cleared his throat and focused on her, finally breaking the silence. “Let’s begin with a few questions, Adrienne,” he said, his tone steady and neutral. He flipped to a fresh page on his notepad. “How long have you known Mr. Carroll?”

Adrienne took a deep breath, trying to settle the knot of emotions in her chest. “Since the end of August,” she replied, her voice steady. “We met… toward the end of the summer.”

The officer made a note and continued. “Did you and Mr. Carroll see each other often?”

Adrienne hesitated, searching for a way to explain their unpredictable meetings. To her, it had always felt like chance or fate bringing them together—never planned, but somehow inevitable. She took a moment, then said, “I’d see him when I’d see him… it was never, you know, scheduled or anything. Just… kind of a surprise every time.” She shrugged slightly, unsure if that was enough, but the officer just nodded and moved to the next question.

“Were you in a relationship with Mr. Carroll?”

Adrienne froze, her mind racing. She thought back to all the late-night conversations, the long stares, the unspoken feelings she’d once felt certain were mutual. But looking at it now, with the weight of his betrayal pressing down on her, she wasn’t sure what to call it. After a brief pause, she shook her head. “No. We were… just friends. Maybe… maybe it seemed like something more. But… no.”

The officer seemed satisfied with her response and made another note. Then he looked up again, his gaze sharp and observant. “Your stepfather mentioned that Mr. Carroll would often sneak around with you, going out at odd hours. Did he ever take you to places that felt… off to you? Anywhere unusual?”

Adrienne blinked, the question catching her off guard. She felt an instinct to protect herself, to keep the memories untainted by the idea of danger. Almost without thinking, she shook her head. “No… Jim never took me anywhere strange. We… mostly just talked. He never did anything… that felt off.”

Even as she answered, her heart twisted with doubt. A part of her wanted to expose everything he’d done, every strange interaction or offhand comment, yet another part felt reluctant. She hated him for what he’d done to her and her family, but some small, foolish part of her still remembered the good she’d seen in him.

The officer continued to flip through the pages of his notes before looking up at Adrienne, his expression unreadable. “We’ve spoken to Mr. Carroll’s mother,” he began, “and last night, she was actually the one who reported him to us. Apparently, he’d been stealing her medications and was under the influence when we took him into custody. This leads me to my next question: has Mr. Carroll ever brought substances around you, or even offered you any?”

Adrienne’s stomach knotted. She thought back, running through her memories of Jim. A few times, maybe, he’d seemed off, his words slurred, his energy restless and jittery, but he’d never openly offered her anything. She swallowed hard, keeping her voice steady. “No,” she said, glancing down at her hands. “He… he’s never brought any drugs around me. As far as I know, he’s kept that to himself.”

The officer gave a slow nod, but his eyes stayed sharp, as if he sensed more beneath her answer. He leaned forward, his tone pressing but still gentle. “Your stepfather mentioned that some pills were found in your room, Adrienne. He indicated they may have belonged to Mr. Carroll. Could you explain that?”

Adrienne’s face warmed, her thoughts scrambling to find an answer. “I… I didn’t know they were there,” she replied quietly, feeling both shame and confusion knot within her. “I mean, if they were his, he must’ve left them without me noticing. But he’s never offered me any before.”

The officer watched her a moment longer, as if weighing her words, then gave a slight nod and scribbled something in his notebook. After a few more routine questions, he closed his notepad and looked at her, his tone softening. “Thank you for your time, Adrienne. I know this isn’t easy, but the information you’ve provided is very helpful.”

Adrienne managed a faint, “Thank you,” as he gathered his files. Just as he stood to leave, she found herself blurting, “Do you know… how long he’ll be in the detention center?”

The officer paused, glancing back at her. “Typically, cases like this carry a six- to eight-month sentence, though it depends on his behavior. If he cooperates and follows the guidelines, he could be out in six months.”

Adrienne nodded, processing the weight of those words. The officer gave her a small nod in return and left, leaving Adrienne alone with her swirling thoughts.
⋆. 𐙚 ˚
As Adrienne walked through the narrow corridor, she kept her eyes forward, determined to make it to the exit without acknowledging anything—or anyone—behind her. She’d expected a quick, quiet path back to the front desk where her parents waited, but as she passed the glass-paneled wall of the lunch hall, she glimpsed him.

Jim.

Her heart dropped, and an inner voice cursed the timing. Of all the hundreds of prisoners here, it always seemed to be him she ran into. Every single time. It was maddening, as if the universe had a twisted sense of humor. Adrienne pressed her lips together, head held high, muttering to herself, “Just keep walking. Don’t make eye contact. Just walk.”

But then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw him look up, eyes wild, as he spotted her through the glass. He froze mid-sentence, abandoning whatever plea he’d been making to the officer. Suddenly, he was running, shoving past the officer, ignoring the shouts telling him to stop. Jim burst through the open doorway of the lunch hall, calling after her.

“Adrienne! Wait!” His voice echoed, filled with a desperation that only made her feet quicken. “Please, just give me a second! I need to explain—I’m so sorry, I just need you to hear me!”

Adrienne’s jaw clenched tighter, her fists balling up as she kept her pace steady, eyes glued to the front door. Her pulse pounded in her ears, and every word he yelled only made her anger grow hotter, more uncontainable.

“Adrienne, I know I’m the last person you want to talk to,” he continued, his voice straining with each step he took to catch up, “but please, just listen to me. Ten seconds, that’s all I’m asking.”

She felt his presence right behind her, his voice close enough that it might have softened her resolve if she hadn’t already decided—she wasn’t turning around. Not this time. His apologies, his explanations, they’d come too late, and each word now felt like salt on an open wound. He kept calling her name, each syllable echoing in the quiet hall, until finally, he seemed to understand. She wasn’t stopping.

Jim’s steps slowed until, eventually, she heard him stop altogether. Behind her, there was a defeated sigh, heavy and bitter. And with every ounce of her willpower, Adrienne resisted the urge to glance back, to see the regret on his face one last time.

Jim, in a last, raw attempt, called out,
his voice breaking, "Adrienne... I - love
you."

She froze mid-step. His heart raced as
he saw her shoulders stiffen. Finally
she turned to face him, and for a brief
moment, hope flickered in his eyes.
Relief washed over him as he stepped

forward, ready to explain, his words
tumbling out in a rush. "I though...I
thought you were actually gonna walk
away without-'
Her slap landed hard across his face,
cutting his sentence short and
snapping him into stunned silence. The
sharp sting echoed, leaving him
blinking in disbelief.

Before he could react, officers caught
up, grabbing his arms firmly. Adrienne
turned on her heel and continued
toward the exit, her face impassive
each step a loud declaration that she

was done. Still reeling, Jim struggled
against the officers' hold, trying
desperately to free himself, his voice
rising with a new wave of panic
Adrienne!" he shouted, twisting against
the officers' grip. "I'm so sorry! Please,
just listen to me. Adrienne! Please!"
But she didn't turn back. She was
already gone, the sound of her
footsteps fading down the hall as Jim's
pleading cries filled the space.
Helplessly, he watched as the officers
dragged him back toward the cells, the
heavy doors shutting with finality
behind him.