Hours had passed and Tom was sat on his bed with his head still in his hands. This was all too much to take in. One moment his life was great, almost perfect and the next moment, it had shattered into thousands of pieces. He didn’t know who to trust and what to believe. Lewis had protested his innocence to Amelia’s accusations but Tom had thrown him out of his bedroom. He needed to think and he needed time to get over the shock. He didn’t want to believe that his brother was a monster but why would Amelia lie? He also knew that Amelia had been unstable recently and thought this might be a ploy to get attention, but his brother was heavily into drink and drugs around the time of Amelia’s alleged rape. Tom was confused and he didn’t want to break up his family but he had a gut feeling that his brother was lying.
Tom’s thoughts were disturbed by a knock on his bedroom door. “Bro, can I come in? We need to talk.” Lewis said behind the bedroom door.
“Oh alright, come in then”, Tom sighed.
“Listen mate, I didn’t do anything. I didn’t touch her. You got to believe me when I say that”, Lewis lied.
“I don’t know what to believe. Why would Amelia make this shit up? You were a wreck on drugs when she said you raped her”, Tom said, coldly.
“Oh come on bro you can’t believe this shit. She’s clearly disturbed. Maybe she was raped but I remind her of the guy that did it and she is freaking out. What kind of guy do you think I am?” Lewis argued.
“I don’t see why she would lie. She’s a wreck and she’s only been like this since she met you!” Tom shouted.
“Fuck you Tom. Just fuck you!” Lewis shouted whilst smashing a glass against the wall.
“Why react like this if you didn’t do anything huh?” Tom said aggressively to his brother.
“What an earth is going on in here?” Malcolm demanded, whilst storming into Tom’s bedroom.
The room fell silent. Tom was staring angrily at Lewis and did not take his eyes off him whilst Lewis’ eyes were fixated on Tom’s shaggy, blue carpet.
“Well?” Malcolm asked.
“Ask him Dad. Ask your cunt of a son what he’s done!” Tom hissed. Lewis was now furious with his brother. His eyes filled with malice and he saw the red mist descend. Lewis clenched his fist and punched Tom hard in the face. Tom flinched and was a little dazed. Lewis punched Tom again, hard on the nose and then proceeded to start kicking Tom in the ribs whilst taking a few swings at him. Tom was livid and tried to block Lewis’ punches and kicks and attempted to deliver a few of his own.
“Enough boys. ENOUGH!” Malcolm yelled but his demands fells on deaf ears as his sons continued to fight. Malcolm tried to intervene between the two but the fight had gotten violent very quickly.
“Debbie! Call the police now!” Malcolm barked at his wife.
“Why what’s going on?” Debbie enquired.
“Just fuckin’ call them will you! Our sons are trying to kill each other!” Malcolm shouted. Debbie began scrambling to find a phone to call the police while Malcolm tried to intervene between his sons.
The local police arrived fairly quickly at Tom’s household to break up the fight. “Upstairs”, Debbie said, pointing the police in the right direction. Several police officers ran up the stairs and Malcolm dodged out of their way. When they arrived into Tom’s bedroom Lewis was kicking his brother who was protecting himself on the floor. “Come on lads, break it up”, demanded a very short but stocky police officer. Three officers pulled Lewis away from his brother and pulled him into the room next door, his bedroom. Two officers helped Tom to his feet and sat on his bed with one officer sat next to him and other standing up. “What’s going on son?” the police man who was standing up enquired. “He is a rapist! I know it. He raped my girlfriend some years ago. Then he started punching me and launching at me because he was found out. Arrest him, he’s a rapist!” Tom shouted.
“So after you accused him, he started the fight with you and you retaliated?” asked the policeman sat next to Tom. “Yes, that’s what I said”, Tom said, clearly still angry.
“Rape is a harsh allegation to make, especially against your own brother”, the policeman sat next to him continued.
“He did it. Five years ago. I know it’s hard to prove now. But my girlfriend would never lie about that. Never, never would she lie about that. Around the time she said she was raped my brother used to come home at seven in the morning covered in scratches and cuts. He did a lot of drink and drugs. I know it, lock him up, please lock him up!” Tom said, trying to fight back tears.
In Lewis’ room, the police officers were having difficultly calming Lewis down. “How could he believe that bitch? Stupid dumb fuck!” Lewis ranted, try to barge past one of the police officers stood at the door. “Calm down son or else you will get yourself into more trouble”, warned one of the officers.
“Me in trouble? He fucking accused me of being a rapist! If I called you a rapist you’d want to deck me so don’t give me that bullshit!” Lewis continued to rage, whilst punching a wall.
“Right son if you don’t calm down we will have to take you down the station to calm down”, another police officer warned.
“I aint your fucking son!” the police officers began to start restraining him as Lewis was still being very violent. “Get off me!” he shouted. Eventually, he was restrained by five police officers and was handcuffed.
“Calm down, just calm down. I know you are angry but this isn’t helping anybody and it is not helping you”, a female police officer with long, blonde hair tied in a ponytail began to reason with him. “I didn’t rape her. She’s lying. They’re lying”, Lewis continued.
“This is something that should be discussed when everybody is calm Lewis not while you are angry like this” the female officer continued.
“Am I being arrested?” Lewis asked.
“You are being arrested on suspicion of assault and battery and criminal damage. You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence”, the female officer said. Lewis was now calm and two police officers lead him out of the house and into a cage into the police riot van.
After an hour or so, all the police had left and Tom was left shaking on his bed. “What’s going on hon?” his mother Deb asked.
“I think”, Tom paused, “I think Lewis has raped Amelia.” Malcolm and Debbie turned pale.
“Is that what she’s told you?” Debbie asked.
“Since she met him at my party, she has been extremely weird and has avoided coming here at times when she normally couldn’t wait to come. She’s a mess mum. She has had a complete break down and I think he has been intimidating her. She said it happened at a New Year’s party almost five years ago. Remember mum, he used to come him with cuts and scratches over him. What if that was my girl he raped? What if there were others?” Tom explained.
“Did she tell coppers about it?” Malcolm asked.
“I don’t think so. She was only fifteen I think dad”, Tom said whilst a single tear fell down his cheek.
“I knew we should never ‘ave let him back here Debs. Another life he’s ruined”, Malcolm ranted whilst pacing up and down Tom’s room.
“We don’t know for sure Malc”, Debbie cried.
“I know enough mum. The scars on Amelia’s body tell a story”, Tom said with sorrow in his face.
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