"Come on, Ali. Pick up, let me know that you're okay." 21 year old Ryan Rivera mutters after dialing Alison Castillo's number, worried about his younger friend as he drove around the Red Light District, the two having hung out there sometimes.
Ryan slammed on the brakes of his Trans Am after hearing a girl screaming and got out of the car, bolting down the alleyway and seeing a guy on top of a girl, trying to pin her down and the girl scratching at her attacker. Ryan didn't talk, letting his actions speak for him by tackling the guy to the ground and repeatedly hitting him as the girl managed to pull herself up, her black mini dress ripped open and exposing her red lace push up bra.
"YOU KEEP YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF HER, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Ryan yelled in between repeatedly punching the guy, who was screaming painfully… but Ryan wouldn't stop, he was madder than hell and wanted to make sure the guy couldn't hurt anyone else.
"Ryan! Ryan, stop!" He hears her shout and snaps out of his rage, realising who was being attacked… he stood up and walked over to Ali, crouching down and picking her up, taking her to his car. Ryan placed her in the passenger seat, buckling her up before closing the door and running over to the driver's side, getting in and closing the door before driving off.
Alison Castillo had been having a rough few weeks but everything that had happened today pushed her overboard. She slapped Jake Ballard after he had been bullying her, then ditched the last two classes and called Ryan because she needed someone to talk to… both Ryan and Ali were in the Castillo house talking when Ali's older brother Miguel had shown up… then things got worse, the siblings got into an argument that ended with Miguel, still pissed about his own fight with Jake, calling Ali a promiscuous little tramp and saying that whatever happened to Ali was what she deserved… Ali had ended up at her Uncle Sonny's boat and told Sonny what happened before calling her dad and telling him… it was all calming down until Jake's twin sister Alicia showed up, drunk out of her mind and her and Ali got into a fight.
Ali then remembered that she had her fake ID with her so she fixed up her makeup and decided to head out to the Red Light District, intending on drinking in a bar and cooling off… it had been as she was drinking that the guy approached her… she guessed that he was about 20, maybe a bit younger.
Both talked and he helped the 14 year old calm down a bit as they started drinking together… then Ali accidentally knocked her purse off the bar and turned her attention from her drink and the guy to pick it up… that was the last thing she remembered clearly.
"Ryan… did you kill him?" Ali manages to ask, her face and head sore from repeatedly being punched and bashed against the pavement.
"Don't worry about that right now, Ali. Just try to stay awake, darlin." Ryan says, lightly rubbing Ali's left shoulder as he slammed on the brakes again, this time at North Shore Medical Center.
It was when they were in the E.R and Ali was being checked out by a doctor that Ryan called Sonny.
"Ryan, have you seen Ali?! She took off from here!" Sonny says, frantic and hoping his goddaughter was okay.
"I found her… took her to North Shore Medical because someone was attacking her." Ryan says.
Sonny almost dropped his phone… for a few seconds, he felt like his heart stopped beating. Sonny immediately put the phone back by his right ear.
"I'm on my way, I'm gonna call her parents and brother, stay there with her." Sonny says before he and Ryan hang up. Sonny grabbed the keys to his Ferrari Testarossa, Elvis grunting at him.
"You're worried about Ali too. Don't worry, buddy, I'm gonna go make sure she's okay." Sonny says after crouching down and petting the elderly alligator. Sonny then stood up and rushed out of the St. Vitus Dance to his car, getting in and driving off, dialing Martin's number.
"Sonny?" Martin says after answering his phone.
"Find Gina and Miguel and take them to North Shore Medical, Ali's been attacked!" Sonny says, Martin almost dropping his phone.
Martin immediately hung up and called his Gina, telling his wife what Sonny had told him. At the same time, Sonny had called Rico and Trudy.
"Uncle Sonny?" 14 year old Veronica Tubbs says after answering the phone, Rico and Trudy having walked in. The second they heard their daughter crying, they ran over to her, Trudy hugging Roni as Rico talked to Sonny.
Rico was horrified, angry and worried all at once, Trudy looking at her husband and daughter and knowing immediately that it was Ali who was in trouble.
Meanwhile, Ryan was sitting next to Ali, who had been brought back from the C.T scan room. Aside from a concussion, Ali had five stitches in her forehead and three cracked ribs on top of being drugged… but Ryan had gotten there in time, the assault kit having shown that Ali hadn't been raped, like Ryan initially thought.
Still, Ali was shaken up, not wanting Ryan to leave her side. Ryan reached out, holding Ali's small right hand, her left one with ten stitches in it because she had been trying to protect herself from being stabbed when her attacker pulled a knife.
"It's okay, Ali… you're safe now. He won't hurt you again." Ryan whispers, lightly stroking Ali's long raven curls.
Ali leaned into Ryan when he pulled her into his arms, burying her face into his shoulder and crying.
This was taking a physical and emotional toll on her… little did she or anyone else know, it was only the beginning of hell.
