Mesmerized

Eight
     
     
     
    Monday morning came much too quickly for Lily. She dreaded going back to classes. As she walked into her first class with Hannah, she heard the whispers. “Did you hear about Ben? He’s in the hospital.” A tall thin girl with mocha skin said in a hushed tone. 
    “No, what happened?” One of Samantha's sidekicks asked eagerly. 
    “Police are still investigating, but they said he was found unconscious on school grounds and might never wake up.”
    “No way! Samantha might know more details, we should ask her.”
    “Good idea.”
    Lily leaned over to Hannah. “Why would Samantha know?”
    “Her dad is the chief of police.”
    Lily shrunk into her chair. Of course he was. That’s just what she needed. 
    The day dragged on. Lily was grateful for lunchtime. Her stomach flip-flopped when she felt Jake’s warm hand entwine in hers as they walked through the door. Everyone turned to stare; at least it would give them something else to gossip about. She looked up and gave him a grateful smile. Even with what was going on with Ben, she was still having images of wrapping her body around Jake like a coiled snake. She was appalled by her thoughts, but she seemed to have no control over them. 
    When Lily walked up to the table, Hannah raised her eyebrow. Lily shrugged and smiled. 
    "I see a lot changed while I was gone," Hannah said.
    Jake and Lily looked at each other with goofy grins on their faces. 
    Hannah leaned in and whispered. "Lily, someone has started a horrible rumor about you."
    "What else is new? My life is nothing but a big rumor."
    "They are saying that you put Ben in the hospital."
    "What?" Lily's heart dropped. She was trying not to let the panic show on her face.
    "Who said that?" Jake asked.
    "I guess Samantha, so of course no one really believes it. She said she overheard her father talking something about a surveillance tape."
    Jake squeezed her leg under the table, but it did little to calm her down. 
    "How could I have put Ben in the hospital? That's ridiculous." Lily was surprised how easily the lie rolled off her tongue. 
    "That's what I've been telling everyone." Hannah took a sip of her chocolate milk and shook her head. "I really don't know why people are so mean to you. I guess they’re just jealous."
    The last class of the day was Spanish and Lily's heart dropped when she heard a knock at the door and looked up to see a police officer. A hush fell over the class. He walked over to the teacher and leaned down to whisper something in her ear. 
    "Oh dear." The teacher looked up and met Lily's eyes. "Lily, I'm sorry but you need to go with the officer to answer some questions." 
    "Why?"
    "Just come with me. We can deal with this at the station."
    Lily grabbed her books and walked out hoping she didn't look as nervous as she felt. She wanted to bolt, but she knew the officer would catch her with no problem. "I don't understand. Should I call my parents?"
    "You can use the phone when we get to the station. It's probably a misunderstanding." 
    "Can I at least put my books back in my room?"
    He looked at her briefly. "I don't see why that would be a problem."
    Once in her room, Lily threw the books on the bed. She turned back to the officer. “Can I use the bathroom real quick?”
    “Yes.”
    Lily walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She grabbed her phone out of her pocket and sent her mother a text. The police are here and bringing me in for questioning.
    Lily, use your powers.
    How? You want me to seduce a cop???
    No! Look him in the eye and tell him what you want him to believe.
    I'll try. I have to go he's waiting.
    Lily opened the bathroom door and stared out at the cop, trying to come up with something to say. Her mother was much better at this. She walked out of the bathroom and swallowed hard. She twirled her hair and looked up into his eyes. "Officer, can you help me for a moment?”
    "Uh sure, what can I do?" He looked around nervously. 
    Lily walked closer to the officer. She had no idea what she was doing, but figured at this point it was worth trying. She had seen her mother manipulate men countless times. 
    She locked her eyes with his and willed him to believe what she said. "I don't want to go down to the station. Go back and tell your boss you could not find me. You can leave now." 
    The officer turned and left. Lily couldn’t believe it worked! She had to get out of there before someone else came back. She grabbed her