Evan Driscoll was somewhat excited. He didn't really care for school dances but his girlfriend, Stella was forcing him to go. If he didn't love her so much, he would've argued but, why rob her of that? In a few weeks they would graduate (Stella as valedictorian), move away from their hometown, get married, have kids, and grow old together. At least that's what Evan had in mind.
Before Stella had saved him, Evan had been a troubled kid. Arrested multiple times, fighting in and out of school, drugs, and alcohol. He was a regular hoodlum, as Stella liked to say. Evan could never find a reason for the rage that was always boiling under the surface. It could've been the fact that he had no real relationship with his parents and was raised by his grandmother. She loved him and he loved her, but he always found a way to get into 'predicaments'. Either way, Evan didn't like to ponder it too much, he had learned he couldn't blame his problems on his parents. Not with such a loving and understanding grandmother.
Evan had met Stella while doing community service at school, part of his punishment for his burglary charge. Some friends had convinced him to be their lookout but, when the owner of the house woke up to a gang of kids in his home, the cops got involved. They'd been sent to the county jail, however, Evan was offered a deal; testify against the group for a lesser sentence or go down with the rest of them. Due to his prior record and under the pleas of his grandmother, he'd agreed. He had just come inside the school from picking up trash outside, for a break, and there she was. Texting for a ride home after volleyball practice. She was beautiful, and Evan wondered how he'd never noticed her in school.
On a bold whim Evan asked, "Hey sweetness, do you like bad boys?"
She's looked up, causing his heart to skip a few beats, and dismissively said no.
"But I'm a juvenile delinquent; I'm the baddest there is," he'd said no with a wink and a smile.
Stella giggled and that was all the opening he'd needed. They talked until Evan's supervisor had yelled at him to get back to work. They exchanged numbers and became inseparable.
But tonight was going to be special. Evan had saved a large portion of his paychecks from his lousy McDonalds job to rent a limo, bought a tux, and large bouquet for Stella.
"Evan? Your limo's here!" His grandmother yelled upstairs
He ran down, hugged her goodbye, and left.
~Hours Later~
"Oh my god, that was great!" Exclaimed Stella.
Evan smiled. They'd danced, drank punch, and socialized (mostly with Stella's friends). As they headed out the doors, Evan spotted a large group in the parking lot by his limo. They approached they circled group, Evan saw the driver, badly beaten and bleeding.
"What the hell is going on!?" yelled Stella.
As one of the group turned around, Evan's adrenaline spiked. It was Chase, the main person who'd convinced him to be lookout for their burglary.
"Evan," Chase said with a grin, "we were just killing time until you showed."
"What do you want?" Said Evan.
"I just got out a few weeks ago, thought I'd come visit."
"Why?"
"Because I don't appreciate a goddamn snitch putting me in jail for a year!"
Evan looked at Stella and told her to run. As soon as she made a move, Devin, one of the group, grabbed her. Evan snapped and unleashed on him. He got a few swings in before he was grabbed by more of the group. Travis, Sean, Lucas, and Ryan all had a hold of him. The group smiled at one another.
"Over there, bring them over there," Chase ordered, pointing to the woods behind the school. Evan was helpless as Stella and he were dragged into the woods. When she tried to scream, Chase punched her in the jaw. All Evan could do was seethe.
As they reached a small clearing, Chase took a deep breath.
"Let's have some fun," he said.
It happened so fast. Before he knew it, Evan was taking punch after punch, kick after kick. They beat him until he laid in the dirt, unable to move from the pain. Stella, who'd screamed the whole time only to be hit after each outburst, was crying silently. Chase caught Evan looking at her.
"Maybe she should get to have some fun too! How about that Evan?"
The group began to tear her dress off of her. As Sean began to defile Stella, Evan dragged himself up from the ground.
Chase grabbed him before he could even take a step. Taking a knife from his pocket he said, "No Evan, you only get to watch."
Evan felt the knife tear into his ribcage. Gasping in pain, he fell back to the dirt. Chase pulled him partly up by his hair and stabbed him, again and again. Evan tried to find Stella's face in the looming darkness of the woods but things were beginning to get blurry. He was losing a lot of blood and he knew it.
"Stella... Stella," he tried to scream, but his voice was barely a whisper.
"What's the matter, Evan? Is this not fun to you?" Chase spat.
Once again pulling him up by his hair, Chase put the knife in Evan's mouth. Evan's eyes pleaded with Chase, but the knife exploded in a flash of pain out the side of his face. Then, on the other side of his face. Chase dropped him and Evan lay, barely able to whimper. Stella cried out for him and he looked around, finally finding her face.
Stella's pained, beaten, and horrified expression was the last thing Evan saw as he slipped into oblivion. That, and a lone crow perched in a tree just above her.