Cool Girl

21: Broken

"Hazel! We're leaving!" I hear one of the two girls who are on the relay swim team call out to me.

I stop swimming and bob my head above the water as I call back, "Today was a really good practice. Practice tomorrow after school too."

"Okay." They wave goodbye and I return to swimming to finish my lap.

When I get to the side where I started from, I pull myself onto the edge of the swimming pool and wipe my hands on my towel before checking my phone. There's a message waiting from mom telling me that she and dad are coming home for an early dinner so I should them in two hours.

I decide to swim a few more laps before calling it a day. Finally when I start to feel my arms begin to ache I get out of the pool and head for the women's lockers. I pull out the second backpack I brought from home with me and carry it to the showers.

I shampoo my hair and then change into a clean, dry pair of jeans and a Rushmore Academy t-shirt. I wring out my hair and run a brush through it to take out all the tangles. Then I pack my wet swim suit and toiletries before heading back to the locker room. It's nearly 4:30 p.m. by now so the school's quite except for the sound of water of the swimming pool.

I call the driver who is to pick me up and find out that he's running late so he'll be in the school parking in another fifteen minutes. Instead of using the pool exit, I decide to walk through to the gymnasium and into the school building to fetch a file that I left in my school locker.

I step out of the women's locker room when a figure leaning against the wall makes me jump.

"Adam." I sigh when I realize it's him, "Hey. I didn't see you in school today."

Without an answer he moves swiftly and has me pressed against the wall. He starts to kiss my neck and I push him away but he doesn't budge. He only presses me harder.

"Adam what are you doing?" I ask through gritted teeth still trying to push him away.

He slips a hand under my shirt and I gasp at the unwanted touch.

"Help! Someone help!" I scream but I know that there's no one to hear me. "Adam please stop!"

I'm screaming and crying now as I realize that he has no intentions of stopping. He shoves me onto the floor and I barely manage to keep my head from hitting the marble floor.

"Did you really think that a woman can refuse a man and get away with it? Huh?!" He screams the last part making me cower as he bends down in front of me and tries to pry my hands away from my shirt.

"Please stop!" I clench my eyes shut.

Suddenly Adam's no longer touching me and I'm too scared to open my eyes until I hear a voice that makes me start crying again but this time in relief.

"Come on, Hazel." Ben says as he takes my hand and helps me up.

I open my eyes and stand up on shaky legs, leaning onto Ben for support. Adam is getting up from the floor with blood flowing out of his nose and a bruise on his forehead. Ben must have hit him in the process of pulling him away from me.

Ben grabs my backpacks off the floor for me and hurries me out of the pool before Adam recovers.

"My driver is on his way." I say as Ben unlocks his car.

"I need to get you out of here, now." He says and I gratefully accept his offer of taking me home.

Ben calls my mom for me and asks her to call back the driver since he's dropping me off but thankfully he doesn't say anything else.