Till It Happens to You

Chapter 1

The phone kept ringing at the other end for the 30th time. She knew she had blown off his phone's battery with every turn of a dial but what did he expect her to do. He didn't pick up on the 7th, 17th and 30th try. Why wasn't he picking up his phone calls? She asked herself then she dialled the number again and again, one last time she said; in case he picks.

But he didn't...A lump of saliva climbs up from her chest into her mouth; it is so bitter and heavy. She threw her phone against the wall so hard, the fragile android screen cracks before landing on the floor scattering its remains everywhere. The girl screams out loud before letting the tears roll on her cheeks.

Why had he done this to her? Less than 24 hours they were together and he is avoiding her, she wondered.

Chioma had so much pain inside; she drilled her nails into her body piercing her skin. Her eyeshadow now smudged and her hair no longer in place but she didn't care the least of her worries, she wanted the pain to go away.

She called out. "Why?" Then she yelled. "Why me"

Silence! The response she gets back. Nobody else in the room but her; the young lady cries so much that she had thick mucus over her mouth from her nose as she spoke.

Chioma goes over to lock her room door; she then turns on her CD player and increases the volume. The last thing she needs is her mother or sibling hearing her cries or seeing her in this present state.

She recently bought Phyno's album "The Playmaker" after the smash hit single "Fada Fada" hit the airwaves. Chioma put the song on replay all week and danced to it for so long she could eventually lip sing along knowing almost every lyric to the song. Now, the same music played on while she weeps.

Finally, her phone rings. The music is so loud she didn't notice the ringing phone. Then the interlude between the playing track and the next track gives Chioma's phone the big break it needs just to be heard.

She hears the ringtone, crawls off her bed and reaches for the phone on the floor. The caller ID read he is calling her back, 2hours after her 35th call!!! She tries picking the call but the damaged phone's screen wasn't sliding or responding to her finger demands to answer the call.

"Aaaarggggh!" She shouts and slams the phone again on the wall. This time, the remnant of phone's screen came off; the back cover went off next and the battery followed.

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Jude is a senior in school and hung out with a group of boys that were hugely admired by the girls in her set. While Chioma had transferred from her previous school to this new school because her parents were completely convinced by friends that students who graduated from this new school came out with better grades for their final year exams in SS3 and had better chances of getting into any higher institution of their choice. Plus, it was cheaper for her to start in SS2 - 3rdterm -as they avoided the extra charge the school enforces on pupils who just join in SS3 for the sole purpose of getting the final year grades.

Chioma is a new student, fair in complexion and very pretty. Those two combinations were just the right characteristics Jude finds attractive as she comes across as naive.

She first meets Jude at the school's cafeteria. He is the life of the party, tall and somewhat handsome. Everyone around him laughed at his jokes and girls were always trying to get his attention one way or the other.

He comes up to her and asks her to join their table. She doesn't refuse. Within a week of starting the new school, she had blended in quite well and earned a good reputation for herself because of Jude which she liked very much.

Jude is in his finals and the preparation for his graduation is in top notch. Therefore, a week to his set's graduation party and months after they met, he asks Chioma out and invites her to be his date for the party. She didn't refuse either.

He is extremely nice to her; a gentleman. Helping her to blend in easily, introducing her to all the cool people in school which rubbed off on her because it made her automatically cool too.

He never bought her anything in particular but he always offered and she always turned his offers down. Chioma didn't want Jude thinking she is completely using him or his money. She also didn't want to lose him quickly because she is getting to really like him a lot.

She told her childhood friend Kunle about Jude and the graduation party. Kunle responds that it is too soon to be going out on late nights with someone she barely knows. She says it is just one party and shouldn't be a big deal. Kunle responds rudely that it doesn't matter so Chioma walks away from the conversation, calling him jealous and tells Kunle she regrets telling him about the whole thing. Kunle watched her leave without uttering another word.

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The night of the graduation party finally comes and Chioma puts a black gown "the little black dress" not too short, not too long but the perfect knee length which is very tempting but chic in her school bag. She tells her mother she is going to choir practice and will probably get home late. Wearing a blue skirt, black tank top and a black wedge to match she leaves the house and her mother doesn't object because Chioma's mother personally signed her daughter to the choir unit in Church as most of her friends had their daughters there.

Chioma leaves home with her bag in hand, she meets Jude at the junction of the venue to the party because he didn't want to pick her up at her house and made excuses of how inappropriate it would look.

She didn't want to annoy him or make him cancel their date so she agrees to meet him at the junction of the event and from there; they would pretend they had come together.

Chioma and Jude enter the bubbling venue as Chioma excuses herself and finds a bathroom to change. She swops her casual church clothes for her sexy party clothes but the shoes remain the same.

The party was fun, organized by his clique and attended by the poplars' in their school. There is so much to drink and in no time Jude is drinking it all. Suddenly, he becomes loud and obnoxious to her. He is rude and annoying; offering her alcohol and touching her inappropriately while they danced.

She had had enough and announced that she is going home. Jude told her not to worry, time shouldn't ruin their fun. Besides, he brought a car so he would drop her off at home with ease. She looks at him with disgust and storms out of the party.

"I can't believe you drove here and you couldn't pick me up from the junction of my house?" She asks as she walks away while he is in the car trying to get her to enter because she is causing a scene and he hates public embarrassments.

He asks her. "Can we talk about this in the car?"

"No, I am taking public transport home." She replies

"Come on Chioma, that's stupid and you know it. It is 11 pm and you don't even know where the next bus-stop is located." She stops walking and thinks about what Jude said. For once that day, he is absolutely right. So she walks over to the passenger's seat in front of the car and straps herself tight remembering he is drunk and this might influence his driving. She is more than ready to end the date.

Unfortunately, he didn't intend to drive her home. Instead, he takes her to a deserted street and rapes her.