Sunsets on the East Side

Chapter 28

[Tara]

This was the fastest I have ever ran. Ever. I didn't even know where I was anymore or where I was headed. I just wanted to get as far away as possible. Running seemed to be the only thing that would move my mind away from Quinn and Ponyboy. I couldn't torture myself with that pain. I'm fifteen years old. Too young for love, but dumb enough to fall insanely hard anyway.

I soon ran completely out of breath. My feet could no longer carry me across vast distances. I sat down in the long dead grass and took a moment to look around. The grass was full of a variety of wildflowers and the sky was full of pink clouds with a mixture of grey. It was gonna rain soon. I lied back in the grass and let the wind take me away. It was cold outside, the air was very crisp. And all I was wearing was Sodas long flannel with shorts shorter than they should be in an area like this. The pink clouds disappeared soon after they came, leaving me surrounded by the dark quiet night.

"I should get going" I said loudly, as if I were waiting for a reply. I was alone. Completely and utterly alone. I pulled the sleeves of the red flannel over my hands to keep warm and walked towards the empty road. All that was ahead was a spooky, turning road that stretched further than I could see. It was nothing special, but possibly my only chance at getting to a town. I needed somewhere to stay the night. There were no people or street lights. It was all dark. Everything was cold.

I had been walking for at least two hours before coming across an old trailer pulled over at the side of the empty road. It looked abandoned, almost scary. The brown paint was peeling off the sides, revealing the rusty interior. The back window was broken and one of the tires was slashed. A bit strange, but it was better than staying outside at night.

"Anyone home?" I shouted while banging on the door. My voice was quite raspy from crying and screaming. It was an awful feeling. My throat was closing off and it was very difficult to speak at all. And my head hurt from all my running and thinking. I wasn't fully recovered from being jumped.

"Hello?" I shouted again, losing the last bit of my voice. I could talk but only quietly, and it was hard to make out what I was trying to say because of the raspy ring that followed. No one was there so I let myself right in the unlocked door. The place sure looked abandoned. The inside wreaked of rotten food and the white sheets on the bed were stained and tearing. The blinds were fastened shut and only one light worked. It flickered every few seconds. It still beat spending my time in the cold night outside.

I curled up in the stained sheets and pulled an itchy red quilt over my tiny body. The mattress squeaked every time I moved. I thought I would instantly fall asleep, but I was wide awake. My mind was more active than ever.

"You don't love Ponyboy. You can't love Ponyboy" I whispered softly to myself over and over again. But convincing myself wasn't working so well so I let the silence engulf me once again. It stayed this way for awhile.

But then the door screeched open and footsteps moved into the trailer. The flickering light was still on, but it was dim. I pinned myself against the panel of the bed praying that the person wouldn't see me.

"Who's here?" A deep voice asked. I was frozen. What was I to do but try to hide myself?

"Come out come out where ever you are!" The voice cackled again. The dim light revealed his shadow on the wall to the right of me. He was tall and muscular. Much bigger than Sodapop and Pony. Maybe a bit bigger than Darry even. I wasn't escaping this situation.

I shifted my weight to my left side, hoping to keep myself more hidden. But instead the mattress creaked loudly. The man walked towards me, his shoes clicking on the floor. He saw me. Game over. He took a seat on the worn out bed, making it sink beneath us. I saw his face now. He was old, maybe around 54. But he was well built, his muscles popping from his white tee. The scent of alcohol intoxicated me. The strange man put his hand on my feet. I tried to pull them away but he held them there.

"Please let me go. Please. I'll leave." My voice was shaking wildly along with the rest of my body. I didn't know what to do. He had me pinned to the bed.

"You're not going anywhere sweetie" His words shook me. Scared me. His hands traveled from my feet to my thighs.

Sloppily he planted a kiss right on my lips, leaving me shocked and breathless. I instantly slapped him hard across the face and scrambled to the other side of the bed. The man held his cheek and gasped.

"Bad little girls get punishment" He yelled loudly and grabbed my wrist harshly. His nails dug into me and I knew I was bleeding. I was stiff as a board, afraid to even breathe. He kissed me once again and I struggled to push him off. He held me down forcefully as I tried to scream. But his large, alcohol scented hand covered my lips. My screams would not be heard.

He stripped me naked and I knew exactly what he was doing. I had never done this before. This was scary, too real. I did not know this man. He used my red flannel to tie my hands behind my back.

The bed shook violently as I screamed out for help.

The flickering light went out.