Unintended Consequences

Chapter 8

"Uhhh yeah..." Emmett said awkwardly. "Tyler this is Charlotte, my partner for the race. Charlotte this is Tyler, the tight end on our team."

"Hello, it's nice to meet you," I said softly as I clung to the back of Emmett's shirt. The boys talked for a short time before we moved forward to greet more of the team. I noticed that every time one of the players said hi to me, they took an awkwardly long amount of time to look me over. Emmett seemed to notice too because his arm tightened around me and when I looked up at him his lips were pulled into a tight line.

It's okay...
Just breath...
Everything will be fine...
Just relax.

I said this mantra over and over again as my anxiety rose up in my throat like bile. The sooner this race was over the better because all I wanted to do was grab Madeline and hightail it out of here.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" A low voice growled from behind us. Spinning around I came face to—well chest—with Archer. Looking up at him I saw that his face was twisted up in annoyance as he stared down at me. "Rookie why the fuck did you bring her here?"

"Didn't you hear Tyler at the end of the Pep Rally?" Emmett asked as he pulled me back a bit from Archer's glowering presence. Archer noticed that too because he narrowed his eyes at Emmett. "The final challenge of the race was for all of us rookies to bring our girls back here."

A loud voice interrupted us before we could say any more to each other. "ALL TROJANS! Meet on the back deck for deliberation! Before the true winner of the Rookie Race is crowned!" Tyler yelled from the top of the staircase. Emmett and Archer both stiffened and then looked over at me as though they were unsure how to proceed. I stared back equally stressed as I really didn't want them to leave me alone.

"Okay look Charlotte," Archer said as he steered me towards a chair that was pushed against the wall, "you are going to sit right here and not move got it? The second we are done, I'll come right back and take you home okay?" Anxiety gripped my chest at the thought of being left alone. So instead of speaking, I just nodded as I looked over at Emmett and tried to give him a casual smile. When I turned back to Archer he was staring right into my eyes. He grimaced slightly and then shocked me by placing his hand on my thigh and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Okay, we'll be right back."

I watched the boys walk down a hallway that led to the back yard and then took stock of my surroundings. All the football players had left so there were only the frat boys that I assumed lived here and the other girls wearing jerseys. Shouting from the kitchen told me that there were more in there. I wanted to go searching for Madeline, but my anxiety had me rooted to the spot.

***

"Hey there georgousssss," a guy said as he dropped down in the seat next to me. "You look thirsty. Here." A red solo cup was shoved into my face. The man sitting next to me was dressed in tight dark jeans and a beer-stained t-shirt. He had long, greasy, black hair that fell past his ears. His eyes were red and bloodshot and his face had a thin sheen of sweat on it. Leaning forward he dropped his hand on my thigh and squeezed. Unlike when Archer had just done that, this did not feel like it was meant to make me feel comfortable.

"Oh, Uhm... no thank you, I'm fine," I squeaked out.

"C'mon drink up, you look like you need to have some fun," he said again as he shoved the cup in my hand. I was so overwhelmed with what I should do that I took the cup to appease him—but I didn't take a drink. Looking around for an escape route I couldn't see anything. No one else seemed to realize or care that I was uncomfortable.

The man's hand kept running up and down my thigh as he watched me, and I could feel my senses shutting down. Oh no... The anxiety attack that was creeping up on me was not going to be small or manageable. I needed to find a way to get away from this guy.

"Actually," I said with my strongest voice, "I was just going to find my friend, so if you'll excuse me-" I tried to stand up but his large hand stopped me. Looking me straight in the eyes, he smiled.

"Let's go gorgeous. I just want to make sure everyone's having fun. Take a drink and I'll go find your friend for you." My chest tightened as he grabbed my hand and brought the cup up to my lips forcibly. Fear gripped me as I tried to keep a clear mind, but my vision was already blurred from unshed tears and my body acted on its own accord. Liquid sloshed against my lips and I took a drink before yanking my head back with a cough. He seemed satisfied that I had finally had some of the alcohol so he got up and with a wink he sauntered away from me.

Once he was gone, my body relaxed back into the chair. I spent a few minutes taking deep breaths and trying to quietly ground myself as some of the anxiety seeped away. Knowing I needed to find Madeline soon, I tried to stand up but my head spun and I fell back down.

What the heck..? I tried to look around but I couldn't clearly focus on anything—it was as though my head was under water. My body was so heavy that it seemed impossible to stand up.

Panic set in as I realized this was not the effects of one sip of alcohol. I needed help and I needed it now.

Putting all of my strength and determination bethind me, I managed to push myself up until I was standing. My eyes locked on the hallway that I had seen the boys walk down and I stumbled towards it. The hallway was dark but I could see a door on the other end with a light shining through.

Every step I made towards the door took every ounce of my energy. I could barely keep my eyes open but I knew I had to keep pushing forward. I sent out a silent prayer that I was headed in the right direction for help and reached for the doorknob.

My body slammed into the door as I tried to turn the knob. My coordination was completely off and my hand could barely keep the grip.

I finally felt the knob turn and click. With a grateful sigh I went to push the door open but before I could a hand snapped tightly on my wrist and then everything went black.

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Okay! Of all the chapters I have asked for feedback on this is by far the one I want most. Was the trigger warnings enough? Too much of a spoiler? Is there anything I could have done better?

This is a scenario that actually happened to a friend of mine and I thought it was important to show. We all hear 100 over that we shouldn't take drinks at a party and we all swear we never would. But it's very different when you are in an intimidating situation.

—E.I.M