The Blink of an Eye

Chapter 37

It was a Sunday night, and I still couldn’t erase the fact that I was about to be raped by a guy on Friday that I thought was really sorry. Elaine. I was also surprised at the fact that Vincent had fought him just for me; I didn’t think he cared for me much since I didn’t really hang around his type of people anymore.

As soon as I busted inside my house when I ran from it all, I placed a fake smile on my face to assure John and my mom that I was fine, but when I got upstairs to my room, I locked it and cried my eyes out. I was upset and astonished that I was that close to having forced physical contact with another body. And I was torn up because of course I’ve almost gone all the way with a guy, but it was because I was getting caught up in it, too. This time, Elaine was the only one getting caught up, and I tried to stop it. If it hadn’t been for my random inner strength, I probably would’ve been screwed.

I sat at my bed while the lights were on, my mom and Haley were already asleep, and they had to leave early in the morning with John to Yakima to look for wedding dresses. I know it was a little too soon, but it’s my mother’s decision, not mine. And of course I protested against going, one: because I had school to go to. And I was in no need of having any more absences. So I guess I would be alone in the house, and she permitted to stay with to see Ms. Morse yesterday.

Which reminds me, since I hadn’t gotten a chance to burn my paper of fears on Friday night because I was too shaken up to do so, I did it yesterday, Saturday, and so far, no luck’s coming in like she had promise. But then again, it’s only been one day, I have to be impatient. After I turned off my lights, I went to bed.

I haven’t heard from Elaine since Friday, and I really hope he doesn’t come to school tomorrow.

I woke up slowly the following morning, taking in the fact that I had to get up. I breathed out a sigh and rubbed my eyes, annoyed. I couldn’t really sleep last night, I kept thinking that Elaine would sneak into my house and hurt me. But maybe I was being too paranoid and dramatic, I was safe. Vincent taught him a lesson to leave me alone, so hopefully he’d learn from that.

After I took a quick shower and got into a black shirt, skinny jeans, and my old pair of gray converse, I put my hair in a sloppy bun and grabbed my things, going downstairs to meet Erica at my driveway. I was too scared to walk to school alone, sensing that I’d run into Elaine, so she understood and decided to take me to school, along with herself.

During the ride, she kept apologizing over and over again how she was sorry of what happened on Friday between Brandon and I, but I told her not to worry about it, and that it wasn’t her fault. But as soon as she bought that up again, I frowned, finding another reason to be upset about wanting to go to school. Brandon. Yeah, the guy I fell head over heels for now resents me, or at least that’s what I think.

When we got to school, she parked in her parking space and I got out. Our first classes were on different sides of the school, so we separated. I wasn’t nervous about walking alone, school is a safe place, and I knew I wouldn’t have gotten harmed. When I went to my locker in the math hallway, I grabbed my things for my first two classes and heard whispers from a few feet away. Two girls quickly turned back to each other once I caught them glaring at me.

I gazed at them for a few seconds and turned back to my locker, continuing to fetch the things I needed for class, I pretended that I completely tuned out from their whispers, but really, I was just listening in on closer.

“Oh my god,” One of the girls started saying again, “I heard that Elaine Waters tried to do stuff with her Friday night. Apparently they were alone in his house and he just wanted her over for his special reasons.” The girl stated.

I wrinkled my eyebrows at this, continuing to listen as I started playing with random books in my locker, reorganizing them on each shelf to make it seem like I was occupied.