The Trial of Jessica Wakefield (Sweet Valley University(R))
"Nick," Jessica cried, starting to her  feet. "Thank goodness you're here! You've got  to tell them. This is all a mistake--"The  matron clamped a heavy hand on her slender shoulder  and roughly pushed her back down. "It's okay,  Marty," Nick said. "I'll take it from  here." Jessica felt the matron's tight grip relax  through the thin cotton of her black turtleneck.  "All right, Detective, but watch this one. She's  been babbling all night. Don't turn your back on  her. I think she might be a psycho."Jessica  glared at the beady-eyed matron indignantly. How dare  she! If she'd been babbling, it was because the  police officers had kept her up all night after the  arrest--fingerprinting her, taking that horrible  mug shot, and treating her like she was a piece of  dirt. But before she could respond, Nick grabbed  her arm and roughly pulled her up. "Let's go,  Jessica," he said in a wooden  voice. "Where, Nick?" Jessica cried. "Home?"His  bright, forest-green eyes looked at her with cold  contempt. "Only a judge can let you go home  now. I'm taking you to a holding cell where you'll  wait until your bail hearing in the  morning.""But it is the morning," Jessica exclaimed,  frantically searching the dreary grey walls for a  clue to the time. She knew the police had kept her  up all night. Her aquamarine eyes locked on the  clock through the door of the interrogation room.  "It's almost eight a.m.!""Tomorrow  morning," Nick snapped back.Jessica's mouth dropped  open."I can't spend another night here,  Nick. You've got to help me. Can't you get me out of  here?" She felt hot tears rushing to her  eyes."Sorry, Jessica," Nick said, tersely.  "Unlike you, I don't make deals with  druggies."Jessica gasped, staring at him in horror.  "Nick, what are you saying? I never made any drug  deal." She couldn't believe her ears. Nick was  the guy she loved. The guy she wanted to grow old  with. "Why don't you believe me,  Nick?""Believing in you was the biggest mistake I ever  made, Jessica," Nick sneered, shaking his head.  "I went to make a drug buy last night. To bust the  person who's been pushing poison at SVU. The last  person I expected to find waiting to make the sale  was the woman I thought I loved. But that's over  now. You won't fool me again."Jessica stumbled in a  veil of tears as Nick led her though a maze of  fluorescently lit hallways, and then down a dingy flight  of stairs to the basement level of the police  station. Her ears were ringing from his brutal words  and her heart was frozen in shock. This couldn't be  the guy she loved. In a minute he'd change back  into the Nick she'd known yesterday. He'd take her  in his strong arms and tell her all of this was a  bad dream."Lottie," Nick called, banging  on a thick glass door covered with wire mesh.  "I"ve got a prisoner." The door buzzed  open and Nick pushed her through. The woman named  Lottie handed him a ring of keys. "Cell three is  empty," she growled. Nick pulled her down the  dark, musty hall toward the cell."Nick,  please," Jessica wept, digging in the heels of her  cowboy boots. "I'm scared.""Keep it  down," a harsh voice called from inside a  darkened cell. "People are trying to sleep  here." Nick tugged at her arm. "You asked for this,  Jessica, when you broke the law." He slid the  cell door open."But I didn't mean to,"  Jessica sobbed, clinging to Nick's leather coat.  "Why won't you believe me, Nick? Look at  me...please. Can't you see it in my eyes? I love you and I'm  telling you the truth."He glared at her.  "All I know is you were caught red-handed with  enough cocaine to destroy a lot of lives."