She heard his voice, coming towards her in the distance. Suddenly a swing of emotions took over her smile. He had found her, again. She could feel the fear running through her bones, instantly reminding her feet to run. In was nearly midnight. She was visiting with her old friend Joe, just a few minutes ago, and now she was running through the lit up streets of Los Angela's, California – alone. She ran so far, that she forgot where she was until finally she stopped at a quiet park and sat on an old bench. It was dark, and a bit scary, but at least she was away from him; far away from him.
Minutes passed when she realized that she had accidently left her phone at the restaurant. Confused, she finally decided that she would have to walk home. And so she began her long journey back. After a few blocks she stopped for a moment to figure out where she was. Hard hands grabbed her shoulders, pulling her into a back alleyway. Too terrified to scream, she held her breath trying to decipher if what was happening was actually reality. He pushed her to the ground and climbed on top of her, quickly undoing her belt. "Take them off," he said in a familiar voice. It was him, he had found her. She fought and fought as he unwillingly moved his hands around her clothed body, trying to pull off her jeans. She squirmed and screamed, but he wouldn't stop. Finally, he had managed to pull her jeans down to her knees, and he quickly moved his fingers in. Few minutes passed; she was hurting. But he didn't care, for him it wasn't enough. He slipped off his own pants, and forcefully he entered her. Her body jolted from the pain. He held her wrists down, making each thrust deeper, and faster. Tears streamed down her face, and she was left to wonder if she'd ever be okay again.
She tried to stand up after he left, but her trembling legs couldn't find the reason. That was it, he had taken all that was left of her. She fell back to the ground, her sobs echoing in the alleyway behind her. She laid down, cold and shameful – her clothes too far out of reach. She closed her eyes, the sound of the cars was all she could concentrate on. She heard footsteps. "Demi, Demi are you here?" It was Joe, it was him. With the last of her energy she called back, "Joe here, I'm here." He ran up to her. He quickly took off his sweater - wrapped it around her with his arms hugging her body. He sat down beside her, and gently lifted her onto his lap. He rocked her back and forth in his arms, as she cried on his shoulder. "It's okay, I've got you now. I won't ever let him touch you again."
He brought her back to his apartment, not saying a single word in the car. Her parents were away for the week, and he didn't want to leave her alone. She was cold, and tired. He helped her to the couch while he turned on a hot bath for her. After returning from the bathroom, she was crying again. "Joe how could he do this to me again? It's not fair. No one could ever love me now, after all that I've done."He interrupted, "But I love you." He moved his hand under her chin, and leaned in for a kiss. She quickly moved away before their lips touched. "Joe I wanted it to be with someone special, I wanted it to be with you," she sobbed. Speechless, he walked out of the room. How could someone do this to her, he thought. He walked back to the bathroom, her bath was full. A few minutes later, she was relaxing in the bath and he was outside the door – his head in his hands. He needed to help her. She was already sad, and this would make it worse.
After she got herself ready for bed, they climbed under the sheets together. He pulled her in close he knew how fast her mind was racing. After all, this wasn't the first time this had happened. He softly wiped away the tears on her face and kissed her forehead. And in a quiet voice he said, "stay with me."