Free Helios Beginnings (The Helios Chronicles #0.5) by Tawa M. Witko Page B

across the room.
    “I didn’t rape anyone,” Andrew mumbled. “You got the wrong person.”
    “The hell I do,” the man said as he punched Andrew in the eye.
    Reflexively Andrew reacted. In hindsight, he wished he had chosen another path but it was too late. He punched the man hard in the gut, throwing him off balance and then he swung at him. Andrew continued to swing at him several more times until his hands were bloodied and he was being pulled off of him. He felt the cold steel of the handcuffs on his wrists before he realized what was happening. The person who had stopped him was an officer and Andrew was being arrested.
    ~*~
    It had been a week since the party at Palmdale. He had been brought out of his cell and into a waiting room where he immediately dropped his head on the table. It didn’t stay there long as the creak of the door opening echoed in the room, forcing him to sit up and pay attention.
    “Mr. Harrison, my name is Mr. Wright and I'll be your new attorney. Mr. Guzman has transferred the case to me,” A short, slightly overweight man said as he pulled out the chair and sat down unceremoniously.
    Andrew stared up at him. His mind was going a mile a minute, so much so that he couldn’t keep his eyes focused on him. They kept darting to Mr. Wright and then all around the room. Andrew hadn’t been able to sleep as he had been alternating between either sweating profusely to freezing to death. His whole body hurt and he hadn’t been able to keep anything in his stomach. It had come to a point where he felt as if he were throwing up parts of his stomach lining. Last night felt like the walls were closing in on him. He couldn’t stop the wrenching sobs that his body was making. The guards finally took him to the infirmary because he thought, in all seriousness, that he was actually dying. Of course, he wasn’t, he was withdrawing from the heroin. He had overheard the doctor telling the nurse that they thought he was finally peaking. He wasn’t sure what exactly that meant, but he hoped it would signify that he had been through the worst of it already. Just thinking about the heroin made his veins throb and body react. He needed a hit badly. He’d never gone this many days without using and it was taking its toll on him physically as well as mentally. He’d been scratching at his arm non-stop for that past couple of days, so much so that it was bright red and starting to sting.
    “Mr. Harrison,” Mr. Wright said loudly, trying to get his client’s attention.
    Andrew stared at him blankly. Mr. Wright leaned back in his chair and set his pen on top of the notepad on the table. Mr. Wright took a moment to really look at his client. It was clear that he hadn’t showered in almost a week, probably much longer and his hair was a disheveled mess. The black eye he had was starting to clear up but that wasn’t what struck him. It was his eyes themselves. They were void of all light. He gave the impression of a hallow man.
    “What can you tell me about the alleged rape?” Mr. Wright finally asked authoritatively.
    Andrew shrugged and when Mr. Wright’s eyes narrowed at him he started breathing in deeply. Andrew closed his eyes and tried to remember anything. He really didn’t know much about what had happened. He was starting to gather bits and pieces about what transpired, but it was all still hazy and in lieu of his severe withdrawal symptoms, he was having trouble determining what was real and what wasn’t.
    “I can’t defend you if you don’t help me,” Mr. Wright said in a more caring tone. When Andrew opened his eyes to look at him he continued. “Whatever you say to me is bound by attorney client privilege which means I can’t tell anyone what you say, but I need to know what transpired that evening.”
    “I don’t remember,” Andrew said, shaking his head, trying to stop the pounding in his skull. “I... I was at a party. I was high and I don’t know. I fucked some girl.”
    He