Stolen

Chapter Four: Touch

Touch: Verb- to bring a bodily part into contact with especially so as to perceive through the tactile sense: handle or feel gently usually with the intent to understand or appreciate

The first time someone touched me I was five.

He came into my room late at night, I didn't realize it then but he was drunk. He slammed open my bedroom door with a loud bang and fell against the door frame, screaming at me to get out of bed.

I was terrified, I didn't know this man, who was he and why was he telling me what to do.

"Get. Out. Of. Bed!" he screamed at me again, lifting himself up off of the floor, he fell back down on his knees and screamed at me again. I stayed where I was..

The man grabbed onto my pink dresser and pushed himself up and on two very shaky legs walked over to my bed, flopping down like I fish out of water. I shrieked and scooted my body as far away from the bad smelling man as I possibly could without falling out of the bed.

The man lifted his head and smiled at me, grabbing my wrist, "Come 'ere sweetie, I won't hurt you." He slurred and I shook my head clutching my teddy bear to my chest and holding my head high.

His sick smile turned into a frown when I didn't move, "are you afraid?" he asked quietly, a smirk spreading across his thin lips, his green eyes glimmering with happiness.

I clutched my teddy bear tighter to my chest looking at my bedroom door, hadn't my parents heard the loud bang and this man's screams?

I gasped when the man's clammy fingers closed around my right wrist, pulling so hard my elbow popped loud and sharp pain shot through my body and I instantly started crying.

"Shut up!" the man screamed, grabbing my teddy bear and throwing it across the room.

"No" I shouted and tried to break free so I could go after my best friend, but the man grabbed me by the shoulders and threw me back down on the bed, and getting on top of me, his legs on either side of my body.

I struggled as hard as I could, punching him in his stomach and scratching his face a couple of times, but it never worked. I tried blocking his abnormally large hands when they tried to find the buttons on my pink and purple flowered pajamas but he would just slap my hands always with a great force that would leave bruises in the morning. I tried screaming for my mom and dad, but every time I would open my mouth his palm would cover my throat, clenching hard, so hard that I couldn't breathe.

My struggles were futile; he overcame me in the end, slipping off my blue panties running his finger over my most sensitive areas.

My screams were nothing to him; it seemed to egg him on, give him pleasure and after what seemed like hours of struggling and screams I finally realized no one was going to come stop this man from hurting me, so I just stopped.

I body went limp, I closed my eyes, stopping the tears from falling down my cheeks and when it was over the man put the pajamas back on and tucked me into bed, grabbing my teddy bear from the corner of my room, tucking him in beside me and kissed me forehead.

He was just closing the door when he said to me "Don't tell your parents. I'll kill them."

I cried myself to sleep that night.

Later I would find out that the guy who hurt me was my babysitter from next door. He was nineteen at the time and when I was ten he was put away for life because he had raped and killed three girls.

They were all under the age of seven.

My alarm clock went off at 6:30; I groaned and hit the top of the plastic box as hard as I could before rolling over in bed. I really hated mornings. I hated how bright the sun was, and how the birds always seemed to never stop chirping and how everyone was always so damn cheerful.

But I got out of bed anyways and went to my closet; I was pulling jeans off of the rack when a sharp pain shot through my left wrist. Looking down I saw the three long marks, I hadn't bandaged it up last night because I'd been so tired from trying to finish all of my homework before my father got home. But he'd never come home last night.

It was Friday and I hadn't seen him all week, I didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing, but I felt happier nonetheless.

I pulled on my jeans and a tee-shirt after my shower, not bothering to even put make up on, just throwing my hair up in a ponytail and brushing my teeth before going downstairs to eat breakfast.

The phone rang as I was deciding between Cheerios and Frosted Flakes, I let it go to voicemail, I didn't like to talk to people in the mornings, and I didn't like noise in the morning.

There was a long beep and then "you're probably still asleep, that's why I didn't call your cell phone, but I just called to tell you that I won't be home until late Sunday night, probably after you've gone to bed. Sorry I haven't called, but you know how work is. We need to talk when I get home Gabriella. Bye." Then a click.

I almost dropped the bowl I was holding. He was coming home soon, what was I going to do? I started to panic, my breathe caught in my throat and I couldn't breathe. My peaceful solitary was going to be invaded and I was terrified. I stumbled over to the counter and shakily placing the bowl on top with a clang.

I couldn't breathe, he was coming home and I would have to face him.

I couldn't breathe, and I wanted to die, maybe I could come home tonight and try again while everyone is at the party.

Yeah I could do that, I never got to the drug store Tuesday because Sharpay had wanted to go shopping and then Troy needed help with his chemistry homework Wednesday and Chad came over after school Thursday. I hadn't had time to do it yet.

But tonight was the perfect time, East high would win the basketball game, it was a given, then everyone with the slightest sense would show up at some party afterwards.

I could go with Sharpay, Ryan and Taylor, congratulate Chad, Troy, Jason, and Zeke on a job well done wait until Taylor and Chad take refuge in a bedroom and Sharpay and Zeke have left for her house. I'll wait until Troy finds a random girl to hook up with and I'll wait until Jason is drunk off his ass, which in all honesty won't take but two hours.

It could work; I wouldn't have to see him.

It will work. It had to work.

The wildcats had won; 114 to 32.

It was a sad game really, I almost fell asleep on Taylor and we had come to the conclusion that the only reason the other team had gotten 32 points was because Coach Bolton felt sorry for them.

But a lame ass game was still a reason to celebrate to the teenagers of East High.

We ended up at Carl Backhand's house, the party already in full swing at ten o'clock, and it would still be going until the early morning hours, probably until everyone either left or fell asleep in random places around his house.

But I wasn't planning on staying for long; I had something to do that was so much more important than a stupid high school party.

That's why hours later; I was surprised that I hadn't left yet. I was walking around the house, watching as random strangers made out furiously and danced in the massive living room. There was a game of beer pong going on in the kitchen; Jason and Ryan were winning. Sharpay and Zeke were probably having a quickie in the pool shed and Chad was standing on a table in the living room raping the lyrics to an Eminem song even though a Boosie song played in the background. I hadn't seen Troy since we arrived at the party, and I could only imagine which girl he'd picked up with time; in the back of my mind I wondered rather it was a new girl or someone he'd already been with, and then pushed the aching feeling in my stomach away when I saw Taylor leaning against the door frame of the kitchen clutching a beer bottle in her hand and wiping her other hand across her face every so often.

"Taylor?" I put my hand on her shoulder and she jumped.

"Hey…" she droned, wiping her face again, "What's up?"

I looked at her, her shoulders were slumped and her eyes were glassy, like she'd been crying. And that scared me; Taylor never cries. "Are you okay?"

She looked at me, "no" she simply said and took another swig of her beer, "go find Troy, I want to leave." She threw her beer bottle on the ground and stormed out the kitchen heading for the front door.

I watched her retreating back, worried. Something was obviously wrong and if I had to guess it would probably have something to do with the dumbass currently singing a Miley Cyrus song and taking off his clothes.

I asked around for fifteen minutes trying to find Troy and someone finally told me they had seen him go upstairs a few minutes ago.

I checked door to door, constantly barging in on heated make out sessions and on one rare occasion a rather loud quickie, but I closed the door before they could figure out someone had witnessed their exploits.

Just as I was about to give up and just leave and tell Taylor I couldn't find him he walked out of the last door in the hallway, running a hand over his face and jamming his cell phone into his pocket. He leaned against the wall and groaned, throwing his head back and running his hands through his hair.

I felt like I was intruding on a private moment and felt bad, but before I could turn around and leave he spoke; "Brie, what are you doing?"

"Um… Taylor wants to leave, she asked me to find you…" I trailed off, he was looking at me so seriously it made me uncomfortable, his blue eyes burning holes into mine.

"Why doesn't she just leave with Chad?"

"I think they had a fight."

He smiled and pushed off the wall coming over to me and wrapping his arms around my shoulders and pulling me into his hard chest. My mind was telling me to pull away and leave but for once I listened to my heart and wrapped my arms around his waist burying my face his shirt and soaking in his scent, telling myself to remember this moment as much as I could.

I felt special, even though I knew he had probably just left a sleeping girl in the room he's come out of, but I relished in this moment, I felt safe and happy, two things I hadn't felt in a long time.

And then there was the fact that Troy doesn't hug people. And that made me feel even more special.

But too seen he pulled away and looked down at me, smiling.

"What was that for?"I questioned.

His smiled faltered for a second and if I hadn't been looking I probably would haven't noticed but just as fast he smirked, "What? I can't hug my best friend for no reason"

I looked down; if I was going by my heart I would have said 'Troy you can hug me anytime you want'. But I don't trust my heart, I trust my head so I said; "no."

His eyes darkened for a second and he smiled again, but I could tell it was fake.

For some reason I felt bad. I didn't do anything wrong, I just told him the truth. If he couldn't handle the truth, then why did he ask a question like that?

Troy sighed and slung his arm around my shoulders before leading me down the stairs, "Let's go find Taylor and take her home. We can do damage control in the morning."

I wanted to groan, I'd made it through another night. Why couldn't life just take me? Why did I have to do all the work just to be disappointed in the end?

So it's three in the morning, but I wanted to get this written and updated.

I worked hard on this, it didn't really come out the way I wanted, but I guess you get what you get.

This is kind of the start of Gabriella's struggles, I'm going to be getting into her past some, and it's going to get dark and it might offend some but it's a crucial part in the story. But of course I'll try to balance it out with some fluff between Gabriella and Troy.

What do you guys think her dad is like? And how do you think her mother died? I'm really curious as to what you guys think.

It makes me really happy that you all are reading, but you know what makes me even more happy? Reviews. (: