I wake up hot, the morning sun beading down on me. Where am I? The last thing I remember...Oh my god, I think I am going to be sick. Memories of last night come flooding back, and I gag on the bile rising up my throat. Mr Marone raped me, and that bitch Lyndsay filmed it. I can't help it, I double over and vomit the meagre contents of my stomach. When the heaving stops I finally, I take stock of my surroundings; I am on top of food scraps and trash. Standing up, I realise why. I have been dumped into an industrial dumpster like garbage. The thought has tears streaming down my face. How much more shit could life throw at me, I wondered, hadn't I endured enough in my short life? Wiping the tears angrily from my face, I swung my leg over the side of the dumpster and forced myself over the side. Unfortunately, my balance was still off from whatever Mr Marone had spiked my drink with and instead of landing on my feet as I intended, I instead landed hard on my hip. My left wrist took the brunt of the fall, bending back awkwardly. "Fuck", I scream in pain, rolling over to cradle it with my good hand.
Gingerly sitting up, because my head pounded like a bitch, I realise I am at the back of the school. Looking around, I spot my purse lying several feet away. Thankfully everything is still inside, so I grab my phone. I don't hesitate when I dial Dane. He answers on the second ring. "Hey baby, what's up?" he asks with a smile in his voice. I choke up hearing it, and suddenly my tongue feels too thick to speak. I knew I didn't fit in here, that one day one of these stuck-up assholes was going to put me in what they thought was my place. Lyndsay had certainly done that. I could feel myself slipping back into my old self, the depressed and hurt one that wanted nothing to do with anyone because they continued to prove time and time again just how much they could, and would, hurt me.
"Dane", I sob, unable to get anything else out. "Baby, what's wrong? Are you ok? If those fuckers have hurt you, I will gut them," he seethes down the phone line. "I need you", I whisper. I can't deal with the hurt anymore, and as much as I have pushed Dane, I know he will always be my rock. "I'm leaving now, babe", he replies, the sound of his motorbike starting and tyres screeching before he hangs up. That was just like him, no questions asked. And as much as I wanted him to move on, I would always do whatever he needed without question also.
I take my broken heels off and throw them in the trash. Looking down, I realise that my dress is in no better shape, but it will have to do. I'd rather wear a torn gown than walk home dishevelled with only my underwear and bra on. I didn't have to see my hair and makeup to know how I looked. Looking at my phone, I wondered if I should call Ryder or one of the other guys but noted that even though I had been missing overnight from the prom, none of them had attempted to call me. The only missed call was from Matt.
Weird, but I was too lost in my own head to care right now. All I wanted to do was get home and then call the police to report the rape. I wasn't stupid. I knew not to wash any evidence away before they arrived. No matter how disgusting I felt, I would nail that bastard. Walking wasn't easy, my entire body and backside hurt, and I had what I assumed was blood and cum crusted to my inner thighs. The horrible revelation had me stopping and gagging again. The thought of that creep touching me, violating my body was disgusting. It made me feel as if I was thirteen again with zero control over who and how my body was used. I felt like dying.
When I finally made it up the driveway of my father's mansion and into the house, I noted with relief that no one was home. I didn't want anyone to see me in this state. Walking into my room, I locked the door behind me, wanting nothing more than privacy and the feeling of being safe while I sorted myself out. Before I did anything, I noticed that my laptop was open and sitting on my bed. A YouTube channel paused on the screen. My heart sunk. It was paused on a picture of me. Facedown on one of the metal desks in the science lab with Mr Marone, his face conveniently cropped so that only his lower half was in view. With shaking fingers, I forced myself to press play and watched in horror as fake moans filled the room, overlapped with the doctored video of my rape. I couldn't hold back the tears any longer. My body shook with every heave of my chest. As I was closing the laptop, a text popped up on messenger.
Ryder: I hope you enjoyed yourself as much as I enjoyed uploading the video for the entire school to watch. Whore.
Lawson: Hey kitten
West: WTF Lawson, we don't "Hey kitten" anymore, remember *angry face emoji
Lawson: Sorry, forgot about that *crying emoji *broken heart emoji
Ryder: Luckily for us, Lyndsay really did have our backs. Slut
Watching the speech bubbles at the bottom of the chat, I quickly left the group. Pain radiated through my chest. I should have trusted my gut feelings last night. My carriage had turned into a fucking pumpkin before midnight, and there was nothing I could do about it. It was my word against Lyndsay's, and now that I knew the reason why Ryder and the guys hadn't tried to contact me last night or even look for me was evidence enough that they believed what they saw.
With tears and snot streaming down my face, I ripped the rest of the dress from my body. Walking like a zombie into the bathroom, I cringed when I saw my reflection in the mirror. My hair was not only a mess but also had a huge chunk missing from the front. The cut was straight, so there was no doubt in my mind that Lyndsay had taken scissors to it. Not only was I sporting a new haircut but there were purple bruises covering my stomach, suspiciously boot-shaped, along with ugly purple finger marks that were visible at the sides of my throat from where Mr Marone had roughly restrained me while he defiled me.
Not wanting to look at myself another second, I moved away from the mirror and turned the tap on to fill the bathtub with scalding hot water. I undid my bra first, working myself up to take my underwear off. Taking a deep breath I gingerly peeled the crusty underwear from my body, instantly horrified by the sheer amount of blood that had dried inside them.
I may not be able to make a police report any longer, but for some reason, I wanted to keep the underwear as evidence just in case I ever needed them, so I carefully folded them and placed them on top of the sink. I would get a plastic clip lock bag for them later. Slowly lowering myself into the piping hot bath, I wince as soon as the water hits my ass. It hurts so much I can't help but cry out in pain. Gritting my teeth, I sink all the way into the water, submerging my entire body.
When the water goes cold, I pull the plug and let the filthy water drain out and walk unsteadily over to the shower. Turning that onto scalding hot, I grab the loofah and lather it up with body wash. I spend the next twenty minutes furiously scrubbing every inch of my body until it is red raw and hurts to touch. I still feel dirty though, but I know it is in my head. Turning the water off, I step into the steamy bathroom and wrap myself in a huge, fluffy towel. I am so mentally and physically drained that I don't even bother getting dressed. Instead, I crawl into bed and cry myself to sleep.
Sometime later, I am woken by the sounds of shouting outside my bedroom door. I glance outside my window and realise that it is now dark. I had slept the entire day. The screaming match grew louder, followed by the sounds of a fistfight. Jumping out of bed, I walk as fast as my injuries allow to my door and yank it open. "Get the fuck out of my way, you preppy cunt or I will stab you again", Dane roars, a knife glinting in his hand and a look of murder in his eyes. My brain catches up to the sight before me. Dane and Ryder are in the hallway fighting.
"I won't ask you again fuckwit, where the fuck is, Lacey", Dane bellows with rage, getting right up in Ryders's face. "You are not welcome here, trash", Ryder seethes, punching Dane square in the jaw as hard as he can. Within seconds Dane's knife is against Ryder's throat, a thin line of blood spilling from the pressure he is applying. "Dane", I whisper, catching his attention. He forcefully shoves Ryder to the ground and steps over him. "Baby, are you ok," he asks, his eyes scanning my face as he takes in my appearance. I run to him and burrow my face into the crook of his neck, sobbing hard once more. "You two deserve each other", Ryder spits as he storms away from us. His harsh words cut me like a knife to the heart, and I couldn't bear it anymore.
I collapse onto the floor in a broken heap. Dane gently scoops me up and carries me into my room, setting me on my bed. He crouches down in front of me, one finger on my chin to raise my eyes to his. "Who do I have to kill, baby?" he asks, his voice thick with emotion. "Please talk to me, Lacey". His tender words have me crying even harder. The horror of the last twenty-four hours caught up with me, sending me spiralling into the dark depths of my mind once again. Dane sits patiently, stroking my hair, while he waits for my tears to stop flowing. When I am composed enough, I lay back on the bed. Dane follows suit and wraps his huge body around mine. He doesn't prod me for answers; he just continues to running his large hand through the strands of my hair soothingly. "I was raped last night at the prom," I say in a small voice, hating having to relive the nightmare—Dane tenses behind me, his hand now a fist in my hair.
"I am going to kill that pompous bastard", Dane replies, rising from the bed swiftly with his knife at the ready. I roll over and grab his wrist, yanking him back down. "It wasn't Ryder", I reply hoarsely. "Baby, I am losing my mind seeing you in so much pain. Knowing that someone" he doesn't finish his sentence. He just shakes his head in anger. "Tell me everything", he continues, his face entirely shut down of any emotion.
So I tell him everything I remember from the night before. When I am finished, his face is twisted in anger, the muscles in his jaw ticking. "That fucker is going to wish he wasn't born by the time I am finished with him. And if you think the pretty boy is safe, you have another thing coming, I will gut him while he sleeps", Dane growls. And I don't think for a minute that he wouldn't. But as angry and heartbroken as I am right now with Ryder and the guys, I beg Dane to leave them alone. For the time being. If I could just talk with them and make them see the truth of what Lyndsay and Mr Marone did to me, I know that they would be on my side, and I would have a stronger case against the evil duo who plotted and acted out their vile plan against me. I understood now just how desperate Lyndsay was and how low she would stoop to secure the man she wanted solely for her own fucked up financial gain and status in life. It took me a while, but I was eventually able to calm Dane down enough and fell into a dreamless sleep in his arms.