What If #justwriteit #fanfic

Chapter Three: Brooke

Taking from her, I rose it to my lips and tasted the bitter, cheap beer, "Ugh, you guys. How can you even drink this?" I found the closest table and set my cup down, there was no way I was going to waste calories on that crap.

I went back and stood next to Melanie who was eyeballing a guy that was eyeballing her, "That one, right there. He was in my Lit class. Cute, no?"

Rolling my eyes, I snorted, "If that's your type, then go for it. He's definitely checking you out."

She bounced a bit, "He is, isn't he? I wondered if I was imagining it." Giving my arm a squeeze, she left my side and headed toward his.

Jill and Alicia had already deserted me so I was standing very much alone and felt every ounce of it. I didn't feel like making small talk with anyone so I decided to go outside and wait until my friends had enough of the party. Personally, I had enough the moment it was even decided we were headed to it. Obviously they hadn't really heard me tell them I needed to get home early to get a good nights sleep for my new job.

I popped a squat on one of the metal chairs lining the front porch. Thankfully, no one was outside, I had the whole space to myself to dwell on the fact I was rejected by Jesse. Not that it was really rejection but, at the moment, that's how I was internalizing it to be.

My brief moment of solitude was interrupted by a familiar figure stumbling onto the porch. Knox, my ex-really big mistake sauntered toward me, glowering and looking drunk, "Well, well, look who's here." A slow, evil smile spread across his face turning his handsome features into a mask of pure ugliness.

He scared me, and with good reason. The two year relationship was an ugly one filled with emotional scars and mended broken bones. If it hadn't been for Jill, I might have ended up dead. And, I don't think I'm being dramatic. The last time we had been together, he had beaten me up in a drunken rage of jealousy simply because another guy held the door open for me.

My parents, too impressed with Knox's extremely wealthy family, thought I should look the other way and keep trying with him. Shocked that my parents would expect me to be a human punching bag in exchange for a bank account, the precarious family relations I was in became completely estranged. I continued to live in their house simply because I couldn't afford any alternatives while I was a student.

My breath was coming out in pants, "Knox." His name was all I could muster, I was corned and quite terrified he'd start throwing punches.

Sitting on the railing, he faced me, "Looking good, Brooke." His eyes brazenly traveled my seated body.

I tucked a curl behind my ear and stared at my lap, "Thanks."

"Good to see you, babe. I've missed you." His hands were now on my knees, rubbing my thighs.

And, I just sat there, paralyzed. I closed my eyes and begged Jill or Melanie, via mind control, to come outside. I knew it was futile, I wasn't a character in a paranormal movie and my super power wasn't physic powers. It was weakness. I was weak and there was nothing that was going to change that, anytime in the near future. He had beat the strength right out of me.

His hands kept roaming and a silent scream kept building up in my chest. Somehow, I managed to squeak out, "Get your hands off of me." It was so quiet, I wondered if I had even said it out loud.

He just laughed which meant he had heard me, loud and clear, "Aw, c'mon babe, for old times sake."

I wished I had guzzled down that liquid courage because finding it on my own was proving to be difficult. Pushing up from the seat, I rose to my feet. The move must have been some sort of false encouragement because Knox stood, too. He wound his arms around my waist and nuzzled his face into my neck. He wreaked, "Please Knox, just leave me alone." I tried to push him away but he was too big and too strong.

His tongue flicked at the delicate cord along the side of my neck, "You smell so good, babe. So good."

I started to struggle to free myself of his unwanted embrace, "Let. Go. Of. Me." My heart was racing and panic was taking hold. I couldn't let him hurt me, ever again. Where was everyone? Why wasn't anyone coming outside? I needed help.

Not relaxing his hold, he let his hand travel to my breast and he groaned, "God, I've missed you. No one has ever driven me as wild as you do."

I felt like a caged animal trying to claw its way to freedom. My knee bucked and met his dick with such force, he let go and dropped to the ground. This was my cue, I wheeled around and ran back into the house, frantically searching for one of my friends.

Locating Melanie, still talking to Lit guy, I ran toward her, knocking into someones drink which flew into the air and rained down on everyone in the vicinity. "What the fuck, man?" The owner of the drink whined. I couldn't even apologize, I was in fight or flight mode.

Grabbing Melanie by the arm, I started to cry, "Where's Jill? We have to go. I have to go. Now." I was sobbing.

Seeing how freaked out I was, Melanie hugged me, "What happened? What the heck, Brooke? What's wrong?" And, then I heard her gasp and I knew she saw Knox and quickly figured out why I was the way I was. "Come with me, we're finding Jill and getting the hell outta here."

Melanie was dragging me behind her and Knox grabbed my free hand, "Not so fast, you bitch."

Narrowing her eyes into slits, Melanie put herself between me and Knox, "Don't even think about it, you piece of shit. Stay away from Brooke. I'm warning you."

Knox returned her glare with a much more malicious one, "Or what, Melanie? You'll do what?"

She grabbed her phone from her purse and started dialing, "I'm going to call the police, Knox. Attempted assault, intimidation, and I'm sure I can make up a few things. And guess what, based on your record, they'll believe anything I tell them over anything that comes out of your disgusting pie-hole."

He paused, apparently assessing the pro's and con's of taking on Melanie and her threats. If it had been me, he would have just laughed and continued on but my friends, they were like Mama Bears when it came to me, and he knew better than to mess with them. Raising his hand, he backed up and looked at me, "We haven't finished our little conversation, Brooke. You'll be seeing me again, real soon." He wheeled around and walked toward the kitchen, where the drinks were, leaving us to calm down and go find the other two.

After Jill and Alicia were located, we gave them a quick synopsis of what had just happened. Jill grabbed the keys from her purse, "Let's go." Then she turned and hugged me, "I'm so sorry, Brookie. If I had even thought there was a chance Knox was going to be here, I never would have come."

Hugging her back, I nodded into her hair, "I know. It's okay."

Alicia, who never seemed to give a real crap about anyone but herself decided she was going to stay. We didn't try to convince her otherwise, which I was relieved about. I really didn't want to discuss anything in front of her, she'd probably make excuses for Knox or turn the conversation around to her.

Whatever it was she was planning on doing by staying at the party, we left her to do. Jill, promising she wasn't drunk, drove the car toward my house. Melanie filled her in, with more detail, about Knox. I wasn't wanting to talk about what happened on the porch, not yet. I knew I would but I was too shocked to speak coherently and they didn't press the subject with me.

Vibrations from my purse brought me out of my haze. An incoming text that I hoped wasn't from Knox. I, unwisely, hadn't changed my cellphone number which gave him complete access to text-terrorizing me until I did.

Fishing the phone from the depths of my bag, I pulled it out and pushed the button which brought the screen to life. Grimacing and expecting the worst but instead, I was pleasantly surprised. A short little message from an unrecognizable number, "You left without saying goodbye."

I didn't even have to think too hard to know who it was.

It was Jesse. He had found my note on that table.

Suddenly, my night was saved.