Beautiful Jo: A Janny Story from Twisted Chapter 10
"Johannah I feel like you're putting your all into this self portrait assignment but I feel like none of these portraits are telling your story" Mr. Kellington said "it's almost like there's something you're not saying"
"Oh….."
"Is there something you're not saying?"
"…..no"
Mr. Kellington took off his glasses and sighed "I've known you since your freshman year Miss Masterson I know you're not much of a talker but you're usually more vocal than this"
It was a Thursday afternoon in early October and I was meeting with Mr. Kellington after class for a portfolio review. I was trying to follow what Mr. Kellington was saying but I was hesitant on commenting on it. I hated lying to Mr. Kellington he was an adult I trusted but I just couldn't find the courage to tell him.
"Johannah I feel whatever's troubling you is distracting you from your work; lately I've noticed you haven't been pushing yourself like you used to" Mr. Kellington went on to say "is it Daniel?"
"Huh?"
Mr. Kellington smiled as I blushed "Mr. Desai he's decided to sit next to you in my class I've noticed he's quite found of you; so I can see that young man being a charmer"
"….it's not him….not really"
"Then what is it?"
"….nothing….I gotta go Mr. Kellington"
"Johannah…"
I ignored Mr. Kellington and quickly ran out the room and into the hall. My heart was racing scared and I could only hope that Mr. Kellington would forget our whole conversation by tomorrow. I had definitely said too much.
I made it over to my locker and I frantically began packing to leave. Nobody was in the hallway except me the only extra curricular activities that were going on was film club and soccer practice.
When I was sure I had everything I began to quickly make my way out of school when somebody grabbed my arm. Suddenly I was being pulled into the janitor's closet and I panicked as a cold snarky voice whispered in my ear
"Hello Jo I've missed you"
Tyler Lewis pressed his body against mine grinding his pelvic against mine until I felt an erection waking in his pants and I tried pushing him off me.
"Where were you running from huh?" Tyler snarled, "you didn't say anything did you?"
"N-n-no" I whined
"You know what happens to Desai if you say anything right?"
"TYLER I DIDN"T SAY ANYTHING-"
"Shh!" Tyler said covering my mouth "we wouldn't anyone to hear us"
There was silence and then I heard Tyler unzip his pants "N-n-no please Tyler I didn't say anything"
"C'mon Jo it shouldn't hurt I popped your cherry months ago remember?"
"Let me go!" I cried as I felt him trying to unzip my pants as well it was dark and I couldn't see him too well
"Hold still!" he hissed roughly shoving my panties aside just enough to force himself inside me
I whimpered and cried and Tyler slapped me across the face and told me harshly to shut up
"Damn you're so fucking tight," he moaned kissing my neck and pinching my breasts.
"I don't like this!" I cried
"You'd like it if I was that damn sociopath"
I felt numb and Tyler continued violating my body this went on for another ten minutes and no matter how loud I screamed nobody seemed to hear me.
"Jo!" my mother exclaimed as I came in the house and ran upstairs "sweetie where have you been?"
"Johannah Marie you come back down here!" my father called after me as well. I shut my bedroom door and hid under my covers. I had been doing this ever since school started coming home literally locking myself in my room and crying myself to sleep and in an hour or two my mother leaving me some dinner by the door which I ate very little of. My body was hurting from Tyler's violation and I was tired and I soon fell asleep. It wasn't long however that I felt my mother gently shake my shoulder.
"Jo sweetie wake up it's seven in the morning you'll be late for school"
"…."
"Jo are you not well?"
I got slowly to see that my mother was right my clock read 7 am.
"….i'm fine…"
"Are you sure?" my mother went on to say, "you've been acting strange lately"
"Anything you want to tell us?" my father asked standing in the doorway
"No"
My father sighed "You want a ride to school kiddo?"
"…okay…"
"You may want to jump in the shower and get some fresh clothes on," my mother said noticing how I was putting my shoes on and grabbing my backpack
"…okay…"
I wasn't in the shower for long and I quickly got dressed to meet my father outside in his truck.
There was awkward silence through out the ride to school. I had always been a daddy's girl and my father and I were always close but I felt like there was a void between us now because I was talking very little to him.
"Jo is there something going on that me and your mother should know about?"
"No" I said a little too quickly
"You sure about that?"
"…i'm fine…."
"You don't seem fine to me" my father said "you've been acting this way for months Jo"
"…I'm just stressed about school…" I partially lied
"What about it is stressful?"
"…not getting into SVA…"
"You will Jo" my father reassured "you're very talented and have so much potential and I'm not just saying that cause I'm your dad"
I nodded but didn't say anything more and my father continued "You scared me for a minute young lady I thought it was more serious like you were even pregnant"
I bit my tongue
"You're not talking to Danny are you?" my father asked, "you know how I feel about him"
"…. I'm not talking to him Dad…." I kind of lied again
"Good" my father said "how's Tyler doing you haven't talked about him since prom; you see him around school?"
"…yeah I see him…."
My father smiled "He's a nice young man you should hang around him more often"
"….I guess so"
"Well here we are you have a good day" my father said kissing my forehead "please eat something during lunch; love you kiddo"
"…love you too Dad"
During study hall I decided to go to the library because I figured that would be the one place Tyler would never step foot in. I had to look up some books for my senior exit project as well as some books to help me with my self-portrait. After I had found those I looked up some books dealing with sexual assault aftermath and behaviors. I feel like I'm losing a battle I can't win and Tyler won twice so far. According to the books I showed all the signs of a typical rape victim.
My body trembled just thinking about what Tyler did to me. I was a virgin and he took something from me that I could never get back. I was saving myself; not necessarily for marriage but for someone special. Someone like…Danny.
"Is this where you spend study hall now?"
I looked up from the book to see Danny sit down across from me and I immediately blushed and I wished I could honestly break that habit.
"…just today…."
"You usually study with Rico though"
"….i know…."
"So what are you reading?"
"…nothing" I said pathetically even though I had all these books around me and Danny grinned
"Nothing sure looks like something"
"….it's for senior exit…."
"You have a topic picked out?"
I nodded and Danny motioned for me to go on but I didn't looking back down instead
"You do know we're required to present our senior exits at an assembly at the end of the school year?"
"…I know…"
"Jo you're going to have to talk eventually" Danny said, "I don't know why you're acting this way you used to tell me everything"
"Danny…it's…complicated"
"The whole school still looks at me like I'm a teenage Charles Manson trust me I know about complicated"
"…. it's different…."
"How different?" Danny asked "something I should know?"
"….i don't want you to get hurt…" I mumbled
"Who's going to hurt me Jo?" Danny said, "nobody's going hurt me"
I had already said too much "…I have to go…"
"Study hall isn't over for another fifteen minutes" Danny said "who's been threatening you?"
"….nobody…."
I trembled as Danny grabbed my arm when I tried to move past him "That's bullshit Jo and I know you're lying to me"
"…Danny…"
"Please tell me Jo," he whispered more calmly now "please tell what's bothering you; you know you can trust me"
"I can't Danny" I said finally "I just can't"
I left quickly and made my way out the library only to find out in the middle of my next class that I forgot my book on sexual assault. I hope to God that Danny left it on the table in the library.