Chapter 15: Trouble

A flash of the past may cost Abigail her life.

Abigail.

I whip the door open,

 

force my way through small crowds
with elbows and shoulders. A few

hey’s and hello’s fly my way but I
ignore them with a disgusted

snarl. None of them seem genuine,
nothing seems genuine anymore.

Everyone is so full of s**t and sympathy
that it makes me sick. I find my way

into the kitchen and join a small group
of girls and a few guys doing shots near

the bar. I step up and smile, the guys
smiling back and the girls adding an excited

woo! A few shot glasses get shoved in
my direction and I down them like a

champ. More encouraging chants and
shouts drive me to drink and drink until

I’m gripping the arm of the guy beside
me for support. He doesn’t seem to

mind, but he blocks my arm when I
raise it to take the next shot. He laughs,

"I think that’s enough." I frown and
pull my eye brows together, pouting.

I sway to far left and he helps straighten
 me out. "One more and you’ll hit the floor."

"Like a chaaaamp!" I holler, he chuckles again,
guiding me away from the alcohol cluttered

counter. "No, like someone with alcohol
poisoning. " I huff trying to push back towards

the kitchen, but his arms block the way, it seems
like I’ve just run a marathon and he barely

had to lift a finger. "Let me throuuuuugh!"
"Hey, you used me as a leaning post, it is

now my responsibility to make sure you
don’t fall over." I stop and put a hand on

my hip, the alcohol buzzes through my
brain and my blood feels hot and bubbly.

The alcohol is unsettling as I feel my stomach churn.
My eyes bulge and I turn on my heel,
stumbling my way back outside.

 

 

 

The boy follows,

 

 I drop to my knees
 onto the cold grass
 and my gut begins to
heave. I vomit a few
 times and then nearly

 fall in it, my hero
directs me to a safe

landing zone and
 begins to wipe my
face. "Thanks, but
who put you on
drunk bitty

watching duty." He
smiles, tossing

 the napkin off to
 the side. "No one,
I just want to
help a pretty girl."

I push his hand
out of the way and

into his lap.
"You aren’t getting
laid pretty boy." I
squint at him, (at
least I think I do),

 and stagger back
 onto my unsteady feet.

"It’s got nothing to do
with that I swear."
He stands up beside
 me. "Pinkie swear?"
 I hold my hand out

in his direction. "Use
your middle finger, it’s the

 only finger that swears."
I giggle and our fingers
intertwine. "Well then,
shall we?" He swings
his arms towards

 the door. I nod and
 take his hand. "I’m Tyler,

 by the way, and you are?"
 I drop his hand and
stumble off to the
 side. Gonna be sick
again. I hear Tyler

 swear under his breath
as the sound of sirens

echoes through the air
"S**t, yo! I’m sorry,
whatever your name is,
we gotta go!" There are
other shouts of protest

and fear from inside the
house as my stomach

threatens to heave again.
I hear the crowd of people
 flood from the house and
 into the yard, they flee in
different directions. I straighten

out my body and look around.
Of course, Tyler is gone.

 I sigh and fix the purse
on my side, walking in
the direction I assume to
be home.

 

 


I begin to panic

 

It seems to be just dark surrounding me,
leading me to believe I am definitely walking

 

in the wrong direction. I desperately wish
Tyler hadn’t left me as I realize that I am

 

now in the rougher part of town. Sketchy
and dangerous, especially for a 17 year old girl

 

alone late at night. I dig through my purse
for my phone only to remember I left it at

 

home for precaution. Things always get
stolen at parties and I originally had plans

 

to go home with Jamie, who had her phone.
Great. I search for any fluorescent open signs

 

or a payphone but neither come to my attention.
I hear masculine voices shouting and yelling

 

in the distance. I immediately divert my course
and turn on a corner down a different street.

 

It is eerie and one hundred times creepier
than the pitch black atmosphere I had been

 

traveling in before. The road is dimly lit by
old street lamps, creating small areas of

 

light and others dark. I see a group of
figures cross the street and into a path of

 

light and then back into the dark again. I
assume it is the same group as before and

 

they had just cut through onto this street. I
turn on my heel and begin to walk as quickly

 

as my drunk legs will allow me, in the other
direction. Then I hear what I feared most, the

 

voice of a hooded stranger, calling out to me.
"Hey baby, what’re you doing out here in the

 

dark alone? Hmm honey?"
A thick Hispanic accent fills the silence.

 

I ignore the line and continue to walk, breathing
heavily. "Don’t ignore me miss, I just want to

 

talk. I bet you’re beautiful." The voice seems
to drift closer until I hear footsteps approaching

 

from in front of me as well as behind. The group from
earlier seems to be moving towards the group behind

 

me, planning on cornering the helpless girl. The thought sends
shivers down my spine and I turn down a different street. My legs

 

 

have the right idea, they begin to move faster, my feet
slamming down onto the pavement, carrying me quickly

 

and further. "Yo, she’s down there! She’s running!"
I wish I could take back any thoughts of ever

 

getting drunk, the booze impairs my vision even
more than the darkness. I seem to be running in a

 

zig zag pattern. I roll too far left and onto my ankle,
crying out in pain. I fall to the sidewalk in a heap.

 

In complete darkness I begin to drag myself backwards
until I feel the wall of a nearby building.

 

I hear the voices of the men yelling and shouting,
drawing closer. Lights from cell phones and pocket

 

flashlights begin to sweep the length of the street. I
see that I am in between two towering buildings,

 

creating a small alley. I am sitting at the opening
and so I begin to draw father back. I hear

 

someone hop a fence behind me at the opposite
end of the alley and a light shines brightly in my

 

face, blinding me. I lift my arm to shield my eyes
and the light is removed just in time for me to

 

see the wooden bat swing.