The Boy Next Door (Rewriting-read description)

Chapter 8

      I wake up in a dark room. I go to sit up and then my head starts pounding like crazy. "Oh my Gosh, ow!" I shout. Something moves in the corner. I look over, "who's there?"

      "Oh, Ronni, your awake, thank God."

      "Matt? What happened?"

      He hesitates before starting. "You know how you were with Austin?" I nod. "Well when he got you that water, he spiked your drink and then he tried, to um, take advantage of you."

      "Wow, I'm an idiot." I run my hands through my hair.

      "No, your not. It was your first party and I should have warned you about not taking drinks from other people. Especially not Austin. Oh, here take this, it's just Advil to help with the headache."

      "Oh, thanks." He hands me a glass of water to help swallow the pill. "Wait, what about Austin."

      "Its just the kind of guy he is. You're not the first person he's done this too. The only difference is that nobody heard them."

      "But he seemed nice..."

      "That's his ploy."

      I shake my head wondering how a person could be so awful. More so, how a person gets away with something like this. I really should have listened to dad and all his warnings about never drinking, or taking drinks from people. I feel so stupid. How could I have put myself in that situation. I mean, yes, nothing happened, but it could have.

      I feel the tears come and the next thing I know I'm sobbing uncontrollably. And it's not because of the recent events, its because I haven't thought about dad since the funeral and now I realize that I haven't actually cried about it until now. Matt comes over, "Hey," he kneels by the bed so were somewhere near eye level, "why are you crying?"

      "Oh, well, I just thought of my something my dad used to say to me all the time. He would always tell me that if i was ever in trouble or did something stupid that I could call him and he that wouldn't be mad at me, but happy that I was responsible enough to call."

      Matt then says, "Do you want me to call your dad and have him come pick you up?" I slowly look up at him, "My dad's dead..." Matt gives me that infamous look. The look of pity. "Stop it."

      "Stop what?"

      "Looking at me like that." It's getting harder to breathe again. "Okay this why I kept a journal and I don't tell a lot of people this because I don't want them to look at me like that. I'm just a girl whose had a pretty rough past couple of months. People will stop after a while, but it just reminds me of what I have had to go through and every time I get that look it's like I'm taking a step back and it feels like nobody is letting me move on." I've started crying again by this point, "It's like I'm trapped in a state of sadness and I don't know how I'll ever be happy again."

      I fall to my knees and start crying again. Then Matt does the most unexpected thing. He hugs me. He whispers in my ear, "Hey, its going to be okay." And I start crying even harder because I haven't heard that since the funeral, but for some reason, I believe him. Matt hugs me tighter, as if that will stop the tears. We stay there for a little while, on the ground, Matt holding me. When I stop crying Matt lets go. "Where I am anyways?"

      "Oh, we're at Max's house because his parents are out of town and mine would freak if I brought an unconscious Ronni into the house."

      I let out a little laugh through my tears. "It's not funny!" Matt laughs and I can't help but laugh a little too. "Okay its a little funny." I nod my head in agreement.