The Bet

Two Male High School Students Make A Bet And It Gets Taken Too Far And A Female Student Is Raped

It is November 20, 1995 and Manda and her brother, Jace are out of school for Thanksgiving vacation-Manda is seventeen and Jace is fourteen years old. Manda is by herself because Jace is with his friends and the parents are getting last minute supplies for Thanksgiving. Manda is looking out of the kitichen window and thinking to herself that Jace should be home so she goes outside and shouts for him to come home-he is next door so he should be able to hear her.

He hears her and comes home but he is not alone. His friends(Steve, Rob, Chuck, and Jerome) come, too. Manda isn't expecting Jace to bring anyone with him much less them so she is a little surprised to find them with Jace. Manda is folding towels when Jace and his merry band of misfits finally stop by. Manda is a little disappointed that Jace's merry band of misfits are there and she shows it. "You are a b***h," says Chuck. "Thank you for reminding me," is Manda's reply.

Everyone but Manda laughs at Chuck's remark. "You need a man in your life, how about me?" asks Jerome. Manda is thinking of Justin when Jerome makes this comment but she doesn't say anything. "Can I help you fold those towels?" asks Jerome but Manda graciously declines his offer to help her fold towels so Jerome starts to get frisky instead. He puts his hands all over her and continues to do so even after Manda runs outside to get away from his advances.

He stops and leaves when Manda starts struggling. When Jace and his merry band of misfits leave, Manda runs back into the house. She locks all of the doors and closes all of the curtains-she thinks about what just happened an what could have happened if she had been by herself. She hears their laughter in the back of her mind and it just makes her that much more upset. Manda and Jace's parents arrive home but she doesn't say anything to them about it.

She just doesn't want them to worry needlessly which is what they would do. Later, she gets ready for bed and once everyone is asleep, Jerome breaks into the house. As Manda is sleeping, Jerome makes his way down the hall to her bedroom. He opens the door and sees a sleeping Manda who is oblivious as to what is about to happen to her-he puts his hand over her mouth and she wakes up with a start. Before he replaces his hand with duct tape, he locks her door she she can't escape.

He would like to spend more time with his prey but she knows he has to make it quick; otherwise, he will be discovered by her parents so he runs his hands underneath her gown. This time she can't struggle since she's being restrained-she bristles at his touch but he doesn't notice since he's too busy satisfying his voracious needs. He makes her wait a little while for what he's about to do to her next but he can't make her wait too long.

He gets to work by ripping off her panties and putting himself inside of her-she cries out in pain but on the inside. He can't see it because it's too dark but the expression on her face is one of confusion, fear, and pain. Before he leaves, he says to her, "I can have you anytime I want to and there isn't a damn thing that you can do about it-you are not safe as long as I know where you live." He leaves and she thinks about what he just said.

It frightens her to think that he could come back and rape her again-he wanted to get inside of her head and now he's done it. Because of his chilling words, she tosses and turns the rest of the night so she goes into the livingroom. Her father asks her why she's sitting on the couch this early in the morning but she doesn't have the heart to tell him that she was just raped and that she couldn't scream for his help because her mouth had been bound with duct tape.

Her mother wakes up and Manda starts crying-Mom and Dad look at each other in confusion then they ask, "What's wrong and why are you crying?" Manda says that she was just raped. They ask, "Who was it and when did it happen?" Manda says that it happened a few hours ago while they were asleep and that it was Jerome that raped her. They stare at each other in disbelief and say, "It happened here and under our very own roof." "Yes, I did," Manda says. They ask, "Why didn't you scream?" There was no way that I could scream with the duct tape across my mouth," replies Manda.

They are silent for a few minutes until Manda asks, "What, you don't believe what I'm saying, do you?" Her mother says, "It's just that we can't believe anyone would be stupid enough to break in with us at home and without us hearing anything, that's all-of course, we believe that you were raped and we never doubted it for a minute, you have to believe us." At this point in time, Manda's brother, Jace, is in the house and he asks whats going on.

Their parents explain that Manda was just raped by Jerome. Jace expresses his disbelief by asking, "Are you sure that it was Jerome that raped you, Manda?" "Yes, I am positive that it was Jerome that raped me; DNA does not lie, Jace, and you know it," retorts Manda. "DNA just proves that sex took place, consenual or otherwise," replies Jace. "Why are so quick to believe that Jerome didn't do it anyway," asks Manda in anger.

A few more words are exchanged and it gets so heated that the parents have to break up this little exchange between brother and sister. Before they part ways, Manda says to her brother, "We can be brother and sister but we can't be friends anymore." That's where it ends for us, that's jus great, you get raped or so you say and you throw a temper tantrum when I show the slightest bit of doubt," replies Jace.

"Well, how in the hell do you think I should react when I get raped and you show the slightest bit of doubt," replies Manda. She continues with, "When something bad happens to me, I expect you to back me up because you are my brother and I expect loyalty from my brother instead of you acting like a turncoat and a traitor." "It wasn't suppose to be this way!," exclaims Jace in desperation. With a confused look on their faces, the parents ask, "What wasn't suppose to be this way, Jace?," "The bet!," Jace exclaims again. They ask in confusion, "What bet, Jace?," "You can tell us."

"Yeah, you can tell us, Jace," replies Manda in a sarcastic tone. "Don't be so sarcastic to your brother, Manda," reprimands the parents and now you can start explaining all about the bet, also you can start at the beginning while you are at it," continues the parents. Jace starts at the beginning by saying, "It was suppose to be just an innocent little bet between Steve and Jerome to see who could flirt with Manda first but I guess it got taken too far" "and let me guess, it was Jerome who took it too far, am I right?," asks Manda.

"Yes, you are right, it was Jerome who took it too far," replies Jace. The parents ask in confusion, "How do you know that it was Jerome who took it too far, Jace?," "He told me at the last minute because he wanted my help to get inside the house but I told him that I wouldn't help him," replies Jace. "You mean to tell me that you knew that I was going to be raped and you didn't bother to tell me, some brother you are," exclaims Manda in anger. The parents ask, "Wny didn't you tell us about this before, Jace?,"

"I just thought that Jerome wouldn't do it if I didn't help him," explains Jace. "That's still no excuse for not telling us in the first place, Jace, we raised you to be better than that and we raised you not to keep secrets from us either," reply the parents in anger. "Did you do anything to stop or hinder it besides not help Jerome?," Manda asks. "No, I didn't because I am not responsible for anyone else's actions," replies Jace.

Manda corrects her brother by saying, "Yes, you are responsible for everyone else's actions if those actions lead to a criminal act and you had an obligation to to tell someone, Jace." "I didn't tell anyone because I thought that Jerome wouldn't go through with it if I didn't help hime get into the house, I didn't know that he would go through with it anyway even if our parents were home," exclaims Jace in desperation.

"No, you didn't tell anyone because you didn't want to be seen as an acessory to your own sister's rape and what if I had been murdered?," exclaims Manda. "The point is that you weren't murdered, Manda," Jace points out " "but I could have been," Manda reminds him again. "I thought you two were going to separate corners," the parents ask. Manda and Jace look at each other and say, "Okay, we'll go to our separate corners and cool off but we are going to deal with this."

At this time, Jerome is telling everyone about the rape but he isn't exactly telling the truth though because his version of the events is different from Manda's and she isn't too happy when she hears what has been said about her so she confronts him at school once Thanksgiving vacation is over. It gets so out of control that the principial has to call them into his office to get to the bottom of it but he deals with them separately and he asks them both the same questions.

This is when Manda reveals that she was raped by Jerome at home. "Are you sure that it wasn't consenual?," the principial asks treading lightly. "What in the hell kind of question is that to ask a rape victim after hearing bad things said about her?," asks Manda in an angry and defensive tone. "It's just like a man to say something like that," she adds. "For that remark, I won't suspend or expel you but I will tell you that it would be in your best interest to be homeschooled," says the principial.

"No, you want me gone so you can do damage control," retorts Manda. "It's not like that, we don't want you gone so we can damage control-it's just that we can't deal with Jerome separately with you here and in his face," replies the principal sympathically. "I think I can accept that as long as that's all is it because if it is any differently than what I think it is, I won't be very happy with the results," says Manda. She gets all of her textbooks and assignments and goes home.

Once she is gone, the principial is on the phone with every school board official trying to sweep it under the rug and Manda's brother happens to hear some of the conversation and he immediately tells his sister what he overhears once whe gets home. "That son of a b***h principial, I should have known he would do something like this, I never should have trusted him in the first place," exclaims Manda in an angry tone.

"It completely boggles my mind that he would even say that he would try to convince me not to file charges," continues Manda. "It boggles my mind, too, but what can we do about it?," asks Jace. "There is plenty that we can do about it," replies Manda. "Like what exactly, exactly what could two lowly students do to change the mind of a principial? and he is the one who's in charge not us," asks Jace in a confused tone.

"Well, we could go to the newspaper office and say that a female high school student was raped by a male high school student in her home and the principial won't suspend or expel the male student but the female student is given the option to be homeschooled," replies Manda. "Are you sure that this will work?" "We could get in some major trouble for doing this," asks Jace. "Yes, it will work, Jace, because it has to for my sake." she says.

"The beauty of it is that no one has to know that we were the masterminds behind it," she continues. "No, you are the mastermind behind it and I am just the accomplice," Jace points out. "Aren't you worried that someone could change your mind about going to the press with this story?," Jace asks with extreme concern. "No, I am not worried that someone could change my mind," answers Manda.

"Why should I be worried anyway, is there something that you are not telling me, Jace, because if there is then I need to know about it?" asks Manda. "No, there isn't anything that you need to know about and I would tell you if there was," answers Jace. "Are you sure about that, Jace, because it seems to me that all you have been doing lately is keeping secrets from me so why should I start trusting you now?" asks Manda in a sarcastic tone.

"I told you what the principial said, didn't I?" pleads Jace. "Yes, you did do that for me and I will give you credit for that; however, with that being said, you still have a long way to go before you earn my trust again so please don't blow it this time because I won't be as forgiving as I was the last time," replies Manda. "I promise I won't keep anymore secrets from you and you have to believe that I have learned my lesson," says Jace.

"Well, for your sake, I hope that you have learned your lesson because I certainly wouldn't want to be in your shoes the next time you keep a secret from me," replies Manda. "Now that we have that out of the way, how do you suppose that we go about letting the Newsstar know that there's a really hot story they should know about, we certainly can't tell them without giving our identities away," asks Jace.

"We call the editor on a prepaid cell phone so that it's untraceable and the principial will never know that we were the ones that called the Newsstar to let them know that there is a hot story that needs to be in the paper as soon as possible," explains Manda. "Won't the principial figure it out at some point?" asks Jace. "He could but I am hoping that by the time he does, it will be too late and the story will already be in the paper," says Manda confidently.

The editor asks what the story is about and she tells him that a male high school student raped a female high school student in her own home but instead of suspending or expelling the male student, the principial offered to let the female student be homeschooled. The editor says that he will look into it but he can't promise that anything will come of it. Manda says that she understands and hangs up the phone but before she has to answer some more questions.

Jace asks his sister how the conversation with the editor went and she says that the editor couldn't promis her anything but that he would check out the story anyway just out of sheer curiosity. "At least that's something," Jace says. "That's more help than you got from that lousy, no good, only in it for the money principial of ours," Jace adds in a sarcastic tone. "Yeah but it's still not enough," Manda replies in a very solemn and depressed tone.

"You are not giving up on me yet, are you?" Jace asks while trying to lift up his sister's spirits. "I just feels like it's not even worth the fight if we get defeated even before we get out of the gate," Manda says in a defeated tone. Manda breaks down and starts crying on her brother's shoulder so he gives her a box of kleenex. "I am sorry that I doubted you before, I just didn't want to believe that Jerome would still try to break in after I told him not to do it," says Jace reassuringly.

"Did you actually tell him not to do it?" Manda asks her brother in a surprised tone. "Yes, I most certainly did tell him that it wasn't his best ideal that he's ever had and when he asked me to help him gain access to the house, I had to tell him no that I wouldn't help him," explains Jace. "What exactly did Jerome say when you told him that you wouldn't help him gain access to the house?" Manda asks her brother in an inquisitive tone.

"Jerome said that he would gain access to the house with or without my help," replies Jace. "I guess it's some small consolation although I still think that you could have done more to stop him," says Manda in a solemn tone. "What more could I have done to stop him?" asks Jace. "Well for starters, you could have shot him," says Manda in a sarcastic tone. "You just can't shoot someone because they are thinking about breaking into someone else's residence," says Jace.

"Oh, yes you can especially if the breaking and entering results in a rape," replies Manda in a defensive tone. "You still could have shot him anyway," she adds. While they are having yet another disagreement over what should or shouldn't have been done, some of Jerome's friends walk up to Manda and Jace and start making crude and vulgar comments aimed at Manda. Jace get defensive and Manda tells him the she can handle it.

"It's your fight and if you think that you can handle it then go right ahead and handle it yourself but I am still here if you need to fight your battles for you," says Jace. "Trust me, I don't need anyone to fight my battles for me," replies Manda in a defensive tone. "You don't have to get defensive with me, they are the ones that you need to get defensive with," says Jace pointing at Jerome's friends. Justin makes the crudest comment that he can think of aiming it at Manda and she decks him.

Jace starts laughing and snickering and Manda has a smug look on her face. With a threatening look on his face, Justin screams, "You assaulted me you b***h." "I don't call it assault, I call it getting even instead," retorts Manda. "What did I ever do to you anyway?" exclaims Justin. "You exist and you are breathing the same air that I am breathing," retorts Manda in a sarcastic tone. "I have every right to be on this earth just like you do," says Justin in a defensive tone.

"No, you dont't because you don't contribute anything to society except for being a delinquent and white trash, hanging out with a rapist isn't exactly going to help you look any better either," replies Manda in a sarcastic tone. "You think you are better than me because you have a little more than I do but you are still wite trash just like me so I guess you are not any better than me after all," says Justin in a condescending tone.

"Well, at least I am not a delinquent," retorts Manda. "Just give it some time, I promise you that you will be a delinquent before you know it," says Justin in a sarcastic tone. "In fact, since you assaulted me, you are well on your way to being a delinquent already, my dear Manda," adds Justin with more sarcasm. "Why would anyone in their right mind believe a scumbag like you over a rape victim?" asks Manda.

"Trust me, they will believe me when I tell them that you are not a rape victim after all and that you were begging for it instead," says Justin in a condescending tone. This time when Manda decks Justin, she nearly takes his head clean off his neck. "You do that to me one more time, you b***h, you will have more happen to you than just being raped," says Justin in a threatening and ominious tone. "Are you threatening my sister, you son of a b***h?" says Jace angrily.

"You can call it a threat all you want to but I consider it to be a warning instead," says Justin. Justin walks away and Jace turns to his sister and asks, "Are you worried that Justin will file assault charges against you?" "Yes, I am worried that Justin will file assault charges against me but I don't think that he will do it," Manda replies in a reassuring tone. "Do you know something that I don't know?" Jace asks his sister with his interest slightly peaked.

"Yes, I do know something that you don't know but since you have way too much of a big mouth, little brother of mine, I will wait as long as I want to to tell you and because you still talk to Justin from time to time,"replies Manda with a coy smile. "I am only in Justin's presence because I have to be, after all, we do go to the same school together and we are in some of the same classes together so it is kind of hard to avoid him," explains Jace.

"Well, try harder, I don't like you hanging out with the wrong crowd, they may not have to worry about getting good grades because they are not going to do anything with their lives but you are going to do something with yours," Manda warns Jace. Once Manda and Jace are home, Manda walks down the hall to her bedroom and opens the door, memories of her horrible ordeal come flooding back to her and she breaks down and starts crying while Jerome is watching her from the outside.

He watches her day and night like she is his prey and he calls day and night and leaves obscene, threatening messages on the answering machine. She is scared but she doesn't want to tell her parents because she is afraid that they might make it worse so Manda suffers in silence instead. She comtemplates confronting Jerome herself but that might make it worse, also, so she doesn't do anything about it at least for the time being so she hopes that he will forget all about her.

It never happens and the stalking continues. Jerome even has the nerve to walk up to her out in public when she is with her parents and brother, a confrontation ensues and a security guard has to break it up. Manda tells her parents and her brother that Jerome is stalking her and they threaten to file stalking charges against him. She tries to convince them not to file charges saying that it will only make it worse but she can't get them to change their minds.

This time Justin and Jerome threaten her family, too, but Manda's father isn't scared of them and calls them all sorts of names that would make a sailor blush and they leave for the time being but they are not through with Manda just yet. "Is this what you have been dealing with?" Manda's father asks in a concerned tone. "Yes, this is exactly what I have been dealing with and I thought that I could handle it on my own but I guess not," replies Manda in a defeated tone.

"The next time that you need help just tell me and I will handle it, okay," says Manda's father to his daughter. "This is my battle and I don't need anyone else to fight my battles for me," says Manda in a defensive tone repeating what she had just told her brother a few days ago. "I know that you are scared of them and you think that I might make things worse by confronting them but sometimes you just have to call a bully out." Manda's father explains.

"Trust me, once you call them out and put them on notice, they will think twice about crossing the street without looking over their shoulders first," he further explains. A few days later, Manda's leaves the house but before he goes to work, he goes to the school to confront Justin and Jerome and he finds them at school beating on Jace. The principial asks Manda's father what he is doing there and he explains that he is there to confront Justin and Jerome.

"This is getting extremely out of hand," exclaims the principial in a frazzled tone. "Well, what in the hell are you going to do about it?" asks Manda's father in a defensive and accusatory tone. "You just sit in your office with your thumb up your a*s all day long," he adds. "My daughter was raped and you have yet to expel the son of b***h who rape her," continues Manda's father in anger. The principial explains that they have to follow procedure before Jerome can be expelled from school.

"Procedure my a*s, you just don't want to lose your star basketball and baseball player," says Manda's father in an accusatory tone. The principial says that Manda's father was way out of line and Manda's father gets so fed up that he files a complaint with the school board. He files criminal charges against Justin and Jerome for stalking and rape. The case goes before the grand jury and it is determined that there is enough evidence to warrant a trial.

Justin and Jerome are arrested for stalking and rape and they are put on trial. They try to discredit Manda by bringing up her sexual history or lack there of and her assaults against Justin but it doesn't do much good to prevent the jury from handing down a guilty verdict for both defendents so they go to prison for a very long time, they are expelled from school, Manda graduates from high school, and she gets the justice that she so richly deserves but it will never be enough.

Author's Note

ignore grammar problems, what do you think of the dialogue?

Reviews

[T]

This is a powerful story, but it needs to be developed much more. The story is dry and reads as if you're eager to be finished writing it. I suggest you add descriptions- what do the characters look like? What are their surrounding like? Think of the five senses andtry to incooporate them... Insert more feeling. Also, you make a lot of statements that would be better with elaboration: "The principial explains that they have to follow procedure before Jerome can be expelled from school." You should show this happening with dialogue and character interaction.
This story is worthwhile and the plot is solid, it could be excellent with a little work.

[Shadows of Sight]

The bad guys lose in the end! yay! What a nice short story! It flowed well and got me captivated right away! You were able to bring your characters personalities throught quickly yet smoothly, so i was able to understand the mentalities that each player had going on!
Great Write!