Four

Dinner was exquisite, roast beef with mashed potatoes coated in beef gravy and complemented by a side of fresh peas. It was much better than my mother’s cooking, it wasn’t burnt and dry or cold and mushy.

“Thank you, for inviting me over tonight.”

            “No, thank you for coming over to celebrate with Ami; you two have been the best of friends since God knows how long,” Mr. Dixon said.

            “Second grade, Dad, we’ve been best friends since the second grade,” Ami said between chews.

            “Has it really been that long, Ami?” her mother ask.

            “Yes mom, it has.”

            “It feels like just yesterday you two were innocent little girls playing with dolls,”

            Innocent. INNOCENT. Innocent! I dropped my fork onto the plate and it made a loud clanking noise and startled the Dixon’s.

            “Daniella, is everything all right?” Mrs. Dixon asked.

I gathered myself the best I could, “Yeah, I’m fine,” I picked up my fork and continued to eat the rest of the dinner on my plate. I wasn’t the girl who I used to be, and I don’t mean itg as I don’t play with Barbie™ dolls any more, but rather the fact that I my virginity was gone making me no longer innocent or pure like I was before. Once Ami and I were finished, she excused herself, as did I.

            We made our way upstairs and to her room. Ami just stared at me, “What happened down there, Daniella?” I had to hide the fact anything even happened downstairs, I couldn’t let her know some things still caused me to be distressed.

            “What are you talking about?”

            “You seemed as though you were upset or in a trance,” her eyes were wide with concern, I had to tell her; I couldn’t lie to my best friend.

            “Well, it’s what your mother said about being innocent. She’s right I’m not,” I sighed, “John took that away from me.”

            “Oh, Danni, I thought you were over this? You were doing so much better.”

            “So did I.”

            “Oh, Hun, what are we going to do?” She grabbed both of my hands and started to rock them. I said nothing just looked down at the floor, “I’m here for you girl, no matter what, I promise.”

            “Thanks, Ami; you’re the best friend I could ask for!”

            She smiled at me her blue eyes became less wide and my stress eased away. She released my hand, “so, what do you want to do?”

 “I’m tired; it’s been a long day. I best be heading home,” I said.

            “Let me give you a ride.”

            “No, there is no need.” She had already done so much for me in the past year. I didn’t want to ask anymore of her; besides I needed to clear my mind.

            “Daniella, really, take the ride.”

            “I’m ok, it’s gorgeous out tonight, and I really want to walk.” Ami nods her reassuring nod as she always does and I grab my purse and head downstairs.

            “Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Dixon,” I shouted as I walked into the warm spring night. I headed down the brick paved walkway, made my way to the pavement, and started home. The night was beautiful and very peaceful. The daytime critters were all bundled up in their nests or dens and the nighttime ones were waking up to wander the town. I had about a half a mile walk home. I was just going to absorb the surroundings and just take in the nightlife and scenery as I traveled.

            I heard crackling of leaves in the bushes beside me; it startled me enough to cause me to pounce into the air. I figured it was an animal, maybe a raccoon, or a possum. I continued to walk, this time a bit brisker. Then I heard another crackle from beside me and one from across the street. They sounded like footsteps, and I felt like I was being followed or stalked. I tried not to think anything of it and continued on my way home. There was no need to fret over the night critters.

The noise of rustling of bushes and cracking branches sounded around me. It seemed almost like footsteps, heavy footsteps. When I started to think about it seemed like it was a person.

I stopped and looked around, “Hello?”

Nothing, it had to be an animal. I continued to walk home a little faster this time, I was afraid to meet that animal face to face; they aren’t so cute at night time when you’re alone.

Out of the bush came Kevin, one of the kids that John was hanging out with at the commencement ceremony earlier.

            “Hey, look at who I found,” he shouted.

            “Kevin?” I was confused as to why he was there. He didn’t live on this side of Allegan.

            “We’ve been we’ve for you, dear,” he said to me.

 I tried to shake it off and keep walking not noticing the fact he had said “we,”

That’s when Nick popped out, “Yeah, babe,” his words were clearly slurred.

            “Are you drunk?”

            “What’s it matter to you?” he snickered. He was.

            I was scared and spun around to head back to Ami’s house, considering the fact there was a roadblock in the direction of mine. Three or so steps away and out he walked. I don’t know how someone of that height could have hid in a bush like that.

            “Hey, Baby Doll.” there was a drunken smirk fastened to his face.

            I turned around to head in the other direction but there stood Nick, “Where do you think you’re going, Princess?” The front back and left of me were surrounded. Left, No! Right! Yes, run right. I slowly started to sneak away in the only open direction when Mike popped out.

            “I don’t think so, Sweet Cheeks.” He grabbed me by the wrist. It reminded me of how my mother used to hold my hand when we were out in public when I was younger. I struggled to get free, but his hands were too big and his grip too tight.

            John walked over to me and whispered in my ear, “You remember what happened last time you didn’t obey, Baby Doll?”

            I was speechless and had nowhere to run; I was bordered on all sides. It was nine o’clock at night in a small suburban part of the town, the chance that someone was going to drive by was slim to nothing. I was shaking, but not crying. How was I going to get out of this situation? The three remaining beasts walked closer to me and proceeded to each take hold of me. One had my mouth covered so my screams were muffled. The others had my arms so I couldn’t hit or punch, and my legs bound so I couldn’t kick. This was the end. This was going to be how I died.
            They dragged me into a Ford truck. It was either black or blue, I couldn’t quite tell in the dark. John got in to the driver’s seat, Nick in the passenger’s and then Kevin and Mike holding me in the backseat holding me. We drove around, past my street and I saw my house. The outside deck light was on. We were heading towards the Kalamazo River; I had been there so many times. We drove down a street that I recognized to be Wayne Street, and then parked behind some dense, overgrown bushes by the mouth of the river. The two savages were still holding me in place while John and Nick hopped out of the car. It would be better if they just killed me and left me for the foxes, coyotes, or whatever animals were out there. It would be better than whatever John was about to do, or have them possibly do to me.

“Bring her out,” one of them said, the voice was muffled and undistinguishable. The two monsters who were in the back holding me hauled me out of the truck, but they were surprisingly gentle to my body.

            “Put her in the bed of the truck,” John said. Oh, God, please help me! The sick freaks listened to him and placed me in the back of the hard, rigid, truck.

            “Keep her still, don’t let her move. I got something for her,” he said as he stretched his knee up and mounted himself onto the truck followed by Nick. I started to kick, but Nick dove forward grabbed both of my legs and firmly held them down. I tried to move them, but I couldn’t, his grip was too tight. I attempted to make some noise but either Kevin or Mike’s hand was covering my mouth preventing me from getting any more than a slight murmur out. It was as though they planned this all out, down to the last details, or maybe they had done this before?

            “Baby Doll, you know you have to cooperate, right?

            “You best listen to him, Sweet Cheeks, you don’t want to get him upset,” Nick exclaimed.

            “You never called me after all the fun we had,” he smirked, “Now, we make up for all the lost time.”

            I tried to squirm and break free of the grip that was holding me in place, but I couldn’t. There’s nothing I could do, this was planned to well and they knew what they were doing, so it seemed. It was not worth the fight anymore. John came close to me and placed his mouth next to my ear, his breath was warm and rancid, smelling of rum.

            “You make me so hot,” John whispered in my ear, “I want you, I need you, right now!” I closed my eyes as tight as I could. I didn’t want to see anything that was about to happen, but I knew I would feel it. I could hear someone crawl around and I could smell alcohol on the breath of whoever was holding my arms down and covering my mouth.

            “I want my second chance,” he laughed. “You’re going to like it too.” The familiar cold hands began to touch my face, and then neck, only to move down lower to my hips where my shirt laid. Slowly he began to slide my shirt up revealing my stomach and bra. The two holding my arms down finished taking it off. I let out a small whimper as I twitched, and squirmed.

            “Stay still, Baby Doll, you know it’s better when you stay still.” That was not true; nothing was going to make this better. I felt the cold hands move down to my hips, then over my stomach to the button of my capris. He unbuttoned and slipped them down, along with my panties and threw them aside. I heard the “vrrrp” sound of a zipper and felt body heat getting closer to me. The two criminals were still holding me down, but now my legs were being spread apart. Then something, better yet, someone started sticking himself inside me.

            “You like that Baby Doll? I know you like that,” he laughed, “oh, baby, you are so wet.”

            “Get with it, dude,” one of the voices said.

            My legs began to be spread wider and I closed my eyes even tighter, so tight I was seeing little white spots. Then, there was a familiar, but not missed feeling. John had put himself fully inside of me, again. I felt my body stretch and give in. He started to move in and out of me, the thrusting and grunting was the same as before only rougher. I wanted to cry; he was tearing my insides to shreds. He pounded and pounded until he panted so hard that he turned red and couldn’t breathe. Then he slowly pulled himself out of me, “Who wants second dibs?” I heard him ask.

            NO! NO! NO! I wanted to go home, or even to Ami’s. That wasn’t going to happen though, Kevin let go of my right arm, only to have the cold, now sweaty hands of John take his place. I opened my eyes, and saw Kevin unzipping his pants. This image burnt itself into my memories.

            “Hold her down good,” he said, “I’m going to give her the time of her life.”

            I looked around to see them all smile and bob their heads. Kevin slowly got on top of me with one knee on each side of my hips. He grabbed my right breast, and gently squeezed it before beginning to rub my n*****s in a circular motion then licking them. I could smell the alcohol on his breath. Part of me felt guilty. Guilty for the fact that it was feeling good; still I never wanted it.
            “You’re such a sexy girl, Daniella; I have been waiting for this day for ages,” Kevin whispers. He moves down and takes himself, slides into me, and starts to thrust. He was going at a much slower speed than John did, but it still hurt. He begins to moan and grunt and then started to go a little deeper into me, moving a little faster. All the pigs were holding me down in place as he started to thrust faster and harder.

            “Oh baby, I am going to come,”

Kevin pulled himself out of me and a warm film coated my breasts. I began I whine. I wanted this to end, but it didn’t look like it was going to. Nick and Mike wanted their chance. It was as if I was an object with no feelings. They switched up who was holding me down and luckily, I got the chance to scream out as loud as I could.

            An open hand from John started flying towards me. The familiar feeling of his icy hand hitting me made me caused my face to sting and for me to struggle and attempt to get free.

            “We have gone over this before, Baby Doll. If you don’t shout then you don’t get hurt, remember?”

            I said nothing, just looked at him with my eyes being glazed with tears and my body concaving in pain.

            “You do remember, don’t you?”

            Of course, I remembered, but I was scared. I didn’t know what to do so I shook my head and tried my best to keep quiet. I didn’t want to be slapped again; my face already stung from the previous smack I had received.

            Mike wanted his turn next. He let go of my arm and had Kevin take his place holding me down. He began to pull his pants down and take himself out right in my face. He took it in his hand and lightly tapped my cheek.

            “I want you to be a good girl and take all of this.” I closed my eyes and didn’t make a sound or move. He put his hands on my head, “open your mouth!” he demanded me. I didn’t listen, I just laid there, lips tightly pressed together.

            “I said open your mouth, b***h!” I started to shake profusely as if I was shivering. I would have much rather died then go through it any longer. Within seconds, I heardwhat sounded like a truck pull into a driveway close by. My mouth is uncovered. It’s now or never. I filled up my lungs with all the air I could and screamed. This time I did not care what was about to come out of it. I just wanted to get out of this alive. John’s hand was coming back at me; he was about to hit me again.

            “Hello?” a man’s voice said from the other side of the bush. John stopped his hand in midair, and covered my mouth, but I tried to scream out again and managed to get out a muffled “help me!” Please come over here, oh for the love of God, please!

            “Who’s there, are you ok?” the man’s voice asked.

            I managed to get out another “help me!”

I looked up and at the end of the truck, there stood a man who looked to be in his late forty’s, it was hard to tell in the dark. He knew what these pigs were doing to me. He sprinted over and pulled them off me, “Get the f**k off her,” he shouted at them.

            Mike was down at my feet and tried to make a run for it.

            “You stop right there!” the man demanded. This man was going to be my savior; he was going to save me from this hell.

            Mike stopped like a car at a red light, scared beyond words.

            “It’s not what it looks like, it’s really not!” Kevin said.

            The man whips out his cellphone and proceeds to dial 9-1-1.

            “Police? Yes, right at the end of Wayne Street, by the river,” he said.

            I could see the boys looking at each other, scared and motionless. We weren’t that far from the police station, only five blocks or so. There was no way for them to get into the truck and drive off without being caught, or better yet, this man racing after them.

Within five minutes, I could hear the sound of the sirens coming closer and closer, then, eventually I was able to see the colored lights reflect into the dark sky. It was the end. I was going to be saved. I heard a few cars screech into the parking lot and a door slam, followed by another. The lights were still flashing in the sky enough for me to see. Two officers came around the bush with their hands on their guns, not knowing what to expect. I just laid there on the bed of the truck exposed and not knowing where my clothes were or what I should do.

            “What is going on here? What are you doing to this young woman?” One of the officers asked.

            “These boys were all over this young lady,” the man said, “She was screaming and crying for help.”

            One of the officers came over to question me. I told them who I was, what had happened, and that it I was in fact raped. The second officer was ordered to arrest the four of them.

 “The four of you are under arrest for the rape of Daniella Lawson.”

            One of the animals was about to shout out, “You have the right to remain silent,” the officer arresting them said.

            Another officer that I had not previously seen headed over to me and introduced himself as Officer Daniels. He asked me if I was injured, I didn’t think I was but he insisted on calling for an ambulance. He picked up his walkie-talkie and ordered for EMT’s. It wasn’t long before I heard a siren and saw more lights flashing in the sky. Officer Daniels directed to one of the EMT’s to come over to me. The other EMT got the gurney from the back of the ambulance and wheeled it over to me. I couldn’t move, I was shaking and crying too much. The EMT had to lift me off the bed of the truck and get me on the gurney. They placed a sheet over me and buckled me down. Then a different officer started to question the suspects and collected both my clothes and the pigs.

            I was placed into the back of the ambulance and asked for a detailed medical history. I couldn’t give it. I was too scared and I wanted to cry. I wanted Ami.

            “I want my best friend!” is all I could say between sobs.

            The EMT told me that he couldn’t get her right now, but that he was not going to let anything happen to me. I knew I could trust him. I was finally safe.