So not sure who’s idea was it to get a drink, but this is definitely not what I had in mind. Kathie decided to leave soon after in search of Brent, so I found myself making my way back to the dorm alone. I drove myself home, which at the time seemed like a good idea, since Ethan was also M.I.A. Come to think of it, I didn’t see Derek at all after our dance either.
As I make my way up the path leading to my dorm, I’m feeling totally out of my element. When I left the party I felt fine, but now it seems the drinks from tonight are definitely catching up with me. Hearing the sounds of footsteps, I automatically relax knowing I’m not the only person out here at this ungodly hour. I glance back, but my heart begins to pound harder when I see no one. Was someone there?
I continue looking around and after a minute of seeing nothing, I decide I’m just being paranoid, especially since I’m a little past tipsy. This alcohol is certainly doing a number on me.
The path now seemed too quiet, where was everyone? I started to pick up the pace along the path. Every now and then I would hear a sound or two, but blew it off thinking of squirrels or falling acorns.
When I finally reached the dorm, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. I push through the dorm doors, trying not to call attention to my drunken self, flashing security my school ID. Before closing the door behind me, I take one last look outside to see if I see anyone there. I want to be hopeful, and think maybe it is Ethan, finally coming to check on me, but once again I saw nothing.
I close the door and head for the stairs as a million and one thoughts are running through my head. Where did he disappear off to anyway? I’m so beyond pissed right now, how could he just leave me there? He didn’t even say where he was going, and when I tried calling him, it went straight to voicemail, indicating his phone was off. I remember leaving some voice messages earlier tonight, but for the life of me can’t remember what I said. “Jerk,” I whispered to no one.
Struggling to make it up the stairs, I kept glancing back, expecting Ethan to be there making sure I got home okay. Why would he just leave? Then it hit me, what if he was upset about me dancing with Derek, what if he overheard us somehow? I quickly took out my cell phone again, and yes, I drunk dialed my boyfriend…again. Just like before the call went straight to voicemail.
“Ethan, it’s me. Please, call me back. I don’t know what’s going on, but I need you to call me back. Don’t be mad about Derek, it’s over. I want you. I choose you.”
As I hang up, I’m relieved that I got through that message without sounding like slurring idiot, and then I replay my message in my head. Why did I say it was over, like I was cheating on him or something. I began to panic, I don’t want Ethan to get the wrong idea, and so I quickly redial his number again.
“Ethan, it’s me. Disregard my previous message! It…it was said wrong. Not the part that I want you, because I do, but…but the part of being over, with Derek that is. There was nothing going on. Ugh, just call me back.”
I hang up, ready to throw my phone at the wall. This is why phones should have a breathalyzer attached.
After fumbling for my keys and finally finding the right one, I make my way into my room, and throw myself on the bed face up. The room was starting to spin, and every time I closed my eyes it spun faster. How the hell did I get this drunk?
“Never again!” I said to the empty room. Knowing all to well, this was not the first time I made that promise to myself, and it most likely won’t be the last.
The room was still spinning as I tried to focus on a spot, any spot, and pray the spinning would stop. I notice a blinking light, and chose that as my focal point. After a few seconds of staring at the damn red blinking light on my desk, I realize it belonged to my room phone, signaling I had a voice message.
I quickly sat up, and instantly regretted it as a sharp pain ran through my head, and the room went black for a second. I got up way to fast! As my vision slowly returned, I carefully made my way over to the phone and punched in my access code, hoping it was Ethan with the explanation of a lifetime.
However, the voice on the message was not who I expected, it was Derek.
‘Hey Em, it’s me. I hate that I didn’t get to say bye to you, and I hate that we ended things like that. I know it’s late, but I’m catching a red-eye back home. And just wanted you to know…to know I meant what I said. I deploy Friday, and really need to know that we are okay. Call me alright? I need to hear your voice one more time.’
I could hear him on the receiver for a few more seconds before hanging up, probably deciding if there was anything else he wanted to add, but there was nothing. Looking at the time, it’s 2:30 AM, he is surely on a plane now.
He deploys Friday. I stand there, and I don’t think I ever sobered up that fast in my life, but here I was standing in my room, and all logic comes back. I slowly put the phone down, as I noticed tears were running down my cheek.
What am I going to do? I’ll call him tomorrow, but what do I say? The room started to spin again but not as bad as before. So I did the only thing I could think of, I buried my head in my hands and cried. After a few seconds, I decided to head for the bathroom. I didn’t want Kathie coming back and finding me like this again. She’ll only worry.
Once in the bathroom, I had to do a double take at the person staring back at me. She was a complete and total mess. Mascara was running down her face, her nose was red, eyes were watery, and she looked a shade too pale. I felt disgusted, and needed a shower. Who would of thought, I drank tonight to forget about Ethan and Derek, and all I seem to think about is Ethan and Derek, it’s safe to say my plan had backfired.
Walking back to my room, I notice my door is slightly open. I thought I locked it, which means Kathie should be back.
“Any luck finding Brent?” I asked as I opened the door wider to walk in. But instead I was faced with an empty room. I really need to get a grip on things; I must have left the door open.
After taking a quick glance around the room, to make sure I was alone, I quickly got undressed and wrapped myself in a robe. My heart was pounding, but I think I’m just overwhelmed with everything that happened today. I needed to forget about the party, the dance with Derek, Ethan disappearing, and Derek deploying Friday, so I grabbed my shower basket and pajamas, and headed down the hall for the showers.
I don’t know how long I stood under the showers, and to be honest I didn’t care. The water felt way too good, and I was starting to contemplate ever getting out. The bathroom was quiet, every once in a while I could hear some girls laughing and giggling in the hall, this was clearly a party night for many, as they made their way back to their rooms.
The door to the bathroom opened as someone made their way in; I let out a frustrated sigh, as I knew my quiet time was now over. I reluctantly turned off the water.
Turning around to reach for my towel, I froze as someone switched the lights off. It was pitch black. What the hell?
“Hey, I’m in here!” I yelled. Clearly whoever came in was too drunk to notice someone in the showers. When no one responded, I reached for my towel in the dark and once I found it, quickly wrapped it around my body.
Pulling the curtain, to step out of the shower, my heart practically came out of my chest as I jumped back. Standing there in front of my shower stall was a figure watching me. My eyes were starting to adjust, but it was still to dark to make out who it was. Before I could even scream, he had his hand over my mouth and roughly pushed me against the back wall of the shower stall. I let out a cry when my back made contact with the ceramic tiled wall, but my cry was muffled by his hand as he spun me around.
It was dark and I couldn’t see anything but his gloved hands. I tried pulling away from him, but he was too strong. He had me pinned up against the wall, one hand over my mouth, and the other hand on my stomach holding my back against his chest tightly. I could feel his hot breath on my neck as tears once again started to flow.
“Shh…” he whispered in my ear, slowly moving the hand he was using to hold me in place and giving me a glimpse of the small metal object in his grasp. That’s when I realized he was holding a pocket knife against my stomach.
I froze, and more tears followed, as he slowly passed the knife from one hand to the other putting it near the throat of my neck. I was still facing away from him, as he took his empty hand and slowly tugged on the towel that was wrapped around my naked body. The towel dropped to the floor exposing me completely.
“Please,” I cried and he pressed the knife against my throat as a warning silencing me. He roughly placed his hand back on my stomach and pulled me to him. I could feel his erection against my backside, as he forcefully ran his hand up my stomach up to my right breast and started squeezing. After he was done with my breast, his hand started to travel down in between my legs, as he started kissing my neck.
I couldn’t let him do this. I was so scared and didn’t know what to do. I prayed someone would come in and help me, someone, anyone. Tears were still streaming down my face, when I heard the bathroom door open. I could have easily missed it over my sobbing, but by his tense reaction, I know he heard it too.
Before I could cry out, the knife was pressed against my throat again, and his hand was back over my mouth.
“Why is the light off?” I could hear a girl ask herself as she stumbled over and switched it back on.
I could feel his body go rigid, as he held my head in place so I couldn’t get a look at his face, which was now in the light, but he had me still facing away from him.
I could hear the girl walk over to the sink, which was about 10 feet from me. She mumbled something under her breath about forgetting something, and started walking back out. With the light on, I figured it was now or never. He was distracted, clearly waiting for her to be long gone. I started to struggle under his hold, which resulted with him cutting me with the knife at the base of my neck. I was going to die in this bathroom.
He was trying to get a good hold on me without giving away his identity, this only made him angry. Then with one violent thrust, he roughly pushed me away from him. I hit the tile wall once again, only this time I hit head first. He used those extra seconds to run out of the bathroom door, as I grabbed my now bleeding head and sank to the floor.
I sat there knees up to my chest, on the floor of the shower stall naked, and bleeding slightly from the neck and head. I was numb, and I couldn’t move. I could still feel his hands all over me, and the heat from his breath on my neck.
The door swung open once again, but I couldn’t bring myself to look up. Was he coming back to finish what he started? I started to cry at the thought.
“Oh my God...Are you okay?” I looked up and noticed Ashley or maybe Allie, from down the hall staring at me horrified. She rushed over to my side, grabbing my towel and wrapping it around my naked body.
“Emma, right?” she asked, but all I could do was nod. She placed my arm around her neck to help me stand, readjusting the towel to keep it in place.
“What happened?” She asked, but once again, nothing came out of my mouth.
She supported my weight and helped me out of the bathroom. Once outside, she looked both ways, and I thought she was looking for help, but heard her mumbled, ‘Your room is closer’, as she practically dragged me in the direction of my room.
Once we rounded the corner, I see someone standing at my door lightly knocking, it was Brent. Ashley or Allie called out, “Hey, help me!”
Brent turned to look, and once he recognized me, his eyes widened, and he came running over. Seeing someone look as scarred as I felt, was weirdly comforting. Ashley or Allie probably saved my life and didn’t even know it, but seeing Brent, someone I knew and more or less trusted, was consoling. As Brent neared, my tears started up again.
When he reached me, he quickly picked me up bridal style, and started towards my room. I started to cry harder as he carried me into my room.
“What happened?” he asked Ashley or Allie, the worry in his voice was clear.
“I don’t know; I just found her like this! She hasn’t said anything.”
Brent gently put me down on my bed and put a blanket over the rest of my body, before sitting down next to me. Lightly checking the cut on my head and neck, he whispered, “Emma, I need to know what happened.”
I slowly lifted my head to meet his eyes, and once I did, I started to cry even harder again, “A guy…he…he tried to…I was in the shower…and…and…he…”
The next two things happened so fast. Brent shot off of the bed and out my room door, and Ashley or Allie, was on the phone.
“Security, please. My name is Ashley Thorne, I need to report an attack. Yes. No not me, I’m with her in room 207. Okay, hurry please.”
Ashley hung up and was instantly by my side. “Emma, security is on their way, okay?”
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
Brent came running back into my room, “I checked the bathrooms and halls, and I didn’t see anyone. Emma, do you know who did this?”
I shook my head and looked away, ashamed I didn’t know. I was too much of a coward to steal a glance at the bastard.
He sat down again beside me on the bed, “It’s okay Emma, we’ll get him.” Turning his attention to Ashley, “Did you call the police?”
“I called security, they are calling the authorities. They should be here any minute now.”
I watched Brent pull out his cell phone and send a text or two out. I wanted to ask who he was texting, but I felt too weak, and tired.
Everything was happening so fast, it was hard to breathe. Within minutes, security arrived, and started asking questions, that I didn’t know the answers to. Police arrived shortly after that, and both Ashley and Brent were both being questioned by the police as well. Every few seconds, I caught them staring at me, as if they were waiting for me to cry again, or break down.
Kathie arrived with Kelly behind her minutes after that. Police asked her to stay in the hall, and I could hear her arguing with the police officer about how this is ‘horse shit’.
“I need you to think really hard, Mrs. Swade. Is there anything else you can remember that might help with identifying the perpetrator?” bringing me back to my own questioning. The police officer had asked me the same questions in 5 different ways, but the answer was always the same.
“No, I’m sorry, he…he wouldn’t let me look at him,” and just like the previous 5 times the officer asked me, I started to cry remembering his hot breath on my neck. I felt like I was letting everyone down, including myself.
I cried dropping my head into my hands, as I heard Kathie say, ‘Screw this!’ Within a second she had her arms wrapped around me, “It’s going to be okay,” she whispered into my hair.
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This chapter was hard for me to write, but necessary. I hope it's not too short, but I have one more chapter to write in 'April'!
Please let me know what you think...this is my first story so would love some feedback.
Comment, Vote, and Fan if you like it! Also spread the word! :)
Cheers,
Jas