Girl and a Sinner .5.
A/N: Almost at the end, folks! The love for this series has been insane. Thank you for being patient with me. Also, this is mostly dialogue from the movie so there isn’t much to read.
(Reblog for more content)
You were waiting for Arvin to get back from work one night when Sheriff Thompson approached the two of you.
“Need to have a word with you, Arvin.”
Arvin slid one hand into the pocket of his jean jacket while the other came to rest on your waist. “About what?”
The Sheriff glanced at you hesitantly, but Arvin’s tight grip assured you that he wanted you close by.
“It’s, uh, it’s about Lenora.”
Arvin took a breath and nodded. “What about her?”
“I came by here instead of home so nothing’s put on your grandmother-”
“Put on? What do you mea?”
Arvin’s grip tightened ever so slightly and you moved your hand over his own, squeezing his fingers gently.
“Well…ol’ Dudley in the coroner’s?”
“I ain’t never heard of no Dudley.”
Thompson looked uncomfortable now, fingers tapping against the brim of his hat in his hand. “Well, he’s a drunk. But he ain’t no liar. Did you know Lenora was carrying a baby?”
Your stomach dropped at his words. Lenora? Just the other week Arvin had talked about how there was no boy in Coal Creek that she’d be interested in. Lenora was a good girl, she believed in all the Christian views on marriage and relationships. But if someone convinced her that she was giving herself to god…
Arvin dropped your waist and stepped back a little as he stared at the sheriff. “That’s bullshit.” He growled, jaw clenched. “That son of a bitch is lying.”
“I tell ya, Dudley ain’t a liar. He came to me privately, so as your family knew. I felt he was right.”
Arvin looked away and took your hand, the sheriff’s gaze flitted between you guiltily.
“Now, I might’ve put my foot in something. It wasn’t my intentions.”
“You know that preacher ain’t said no words for her.” Arvin shook his head. “Not for people that kill themselves.”
Arvin gazed out to the pastures as he tried to process the information. It was pretty hard to think that Lenora had given up her innocence and nobody knew.
“Have you tried questioning Teagardin?” You spoke up.
You knew something had seemed off when he’d driven you home that night. A part of you had known what he was like, and yet you’d still left her by herself at the cemetery so you and Arvin could spend time together. How selfish was that?
Sheriff Thompson‘s gaze flitted to you, and he laughed. “What? You think the preacher did it?”
“Uh, yeah.” You shrugged.
No other boy in Coal Creek had been so close to Lenora.
“Why? And don’t say because she spent time with him. The whole town ain’t been knocked up have they?”
Arvin tuned back into the conversation and glared. “Sheriff, he got my Lenora knocked up.”
“And you have proof she wasn’t just foolin’ around? A lot of young girls get bored. They tire of being good Christians and start sinning. I see it every day.”
“Well my Lenora ain’t like that.” Arvin protested.
“Everyone’s like that, kid. It’s her own fault for tempting a preacher, if it even was his.”
“Oh my God! Are you being serious right now?” You cried out.
“Now I don’t see why you’re getting all upset-”
“Listen to yourself! Everyone knows what Lenora was like. Sure, she could be naïve, but she would never give her holy gift away before marriage. And she sure as hell weren’t gonna marry any of the neanderthals in Coal Creek.”
“Well that may be, but I can’t go arresting no preacher.”
“Even if he’s guilty?” You challenged.
“There’s no proof. If he had physically killed her-”
“-Then it would be different. But the only sinner is the girl, and she’s paid enough.”
“That’s bullshit. Why’s it always gotta be the girl’s fault?”
In the car, Arvin placed his hands on the wheel to steady them, his white knuckles gripping onto the rubber for dear life.
“I’m sorry, Arv.” You whispered, not knowing how else you could comfort him.
“Yeah, me too.” He sighed and grabbed a pack of …’s from the dash, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.
“Maybe there’s still something we could do. If we got the town on our side-”
“That’s not gonna work. They love Teagardin.” Arvin sighed and stared ahead, his jaw tight. “Did he lay a hand on you?”
Arvin’s hands were steady holding the cigarette, but hid knee was bouncing sporadically before you placed a hand on it to soothe him.
“No. He came onto me, but I stopped it.”
You’d never seen Arvin this angry, like something dark and dangerous had come over him. Maybe you should have been scared, but this was Arvin. As far as you were concerned, he was harmless. Arvin had always been a little rough around the edges, but he wasn’t a bad person.
“and what would that do, Arv? There will just be another bad man somewhere else in the world, and there will be another girl like Lenora for him to corrupt. We’ll find proof and we’ll avenge her. We couldn’t save Lenora but we can save Pamela and the other girls.”
Arvin slumped back in his seat, taking a few shaky breaths to steel himself before he nodded.
“I think it’s a good time to pray.”
