CHAPTER 3

I returned to my towel on the beach. Using the towel I left by the ocean, I dried off as much as possible so I could reapply my sunscreen. Mary Lou was sleeping and I needed someone to help rub lotion onto my back. As I attempted to apply the lotion, Ricky grabbed the bottle to help me. His hands felt soft on my back. "Thank you for your help..." I waited patiently for him to offer me his name.

"Ricky. My name is Ricardo Manoso. Would you and your family like to join us for a barbecue tonight at that blue cottage?" He incorrectly assumed I was with my family. I really couldn't blame him. Mary Lou and I looked more like siblings than me and Valerie.

"I'll have to ask my friend's parents. I'm spending the weekend at their cottage." I pointed to the white cottage behind me.

Mary Lou woke up and asked, "What do you need to ask my parents?" Her voice cracked as she tried to shake off sleep.

"We were invited to a barbecue tonight."

"Oh. Mom and dad would like that. I'll go ask." She ran towards the cottage. A few minutes later, she returned with a happy glow. "Yes. We can go. Mom wants to bring a salad and dessert. Will that be alright?" she asked Ricky.

His mom was obviously listening and nodded. "That would be appreciated," he replied. Such sophisticated talk from such a young boy. I felt tingling at the back of my neck. He touched the back of his neck as though he could feel something.

Before I could stop myself, I asked, "How old are you Ricky?"

His chin dropped to his chest. "Sixteen. I'll be seventeen in August. Most people assume I'm only fourteen because of my height. I'm short for my age. Mom says I will catch up to my cousin soon enough." He seemed almost embarrassed. I thought it was cute. Ricky is very cute and he's my age.

"I'll be seventeen in October. You're Lester's cousin?" I asked already knowing the answer. "You two look nothing alike."

He laughed, "We get that a lot. Lester's mom is my mom's sister. She has lighter skin than Mama, looking more like her Abuela. His dad has blond hair and green eyes. I get my skin tone from my mom and Abuelo. She's part Cuban and African. My Abuela, Mama's family, is Cuban and my Abuelo is African. Mi Abuelo Manoso was Cuban and Abuela Manoso is too. They came here when Papa was a small child."

I caught onto the 'was' in his statement. "I'm sorry for your loss. If you don't mind me asking, how long ago has your Abuelo passed away?"

"Last month. That's why we came here today. He planned this trip for our family a few days before he died." Ricky looked very sad.

Before I could stop my actions, I gave him a hug. Reluctantly, he hugged me back. "I need to help my Abuela. I'll see you later?" A strong tingling sensation thrummed through my body. I thought the sensation with Carl was nice. This was way better and much stronger than anything I felt before.

"Yes. See you later Ricky." I couldn't wait to see this handsome boy again. The Latino family packed up their picnic site and returned to the blue cottage next door.

The barbecue was fun. Ricky's family really know how to party. After dinner, Ricky, Lester, Mary Lou and I walked along the beach. Lester was walking beside Mary Lou ahead of us, trading stories of summers at Point Pleasant. They had a lot of friends in common. I learned Ricky's family was Cuban. He's a second generation Cuban-American.

Ricky and I talked about school courses. Subjects we enjoyed and the ones we hated. Both of us liked English, Math, Chemistry and Physics. He was surprised when I told him I have a 5.0 grade point average and a grade average of 98%. Ricky had a 95% average and a 4.0 GPA. He slipped his hand into mine as we walked back to the cottage. His hand felt comfortable in mine, as though it belonged in mine. I looked at him and he blushed. "You're not like the girls in my high school."

I laughed, "I'm not like the other girls in my high school either. The girls in my high school are more like Barbies and I'm not. I'm Wonder Woman." They were also vapid, narcissistic, backstabbing bitches. Mary Lou and I definitely weren't like the others.

"You're not afraid to get your hair wet. You didn't move down the beach when you saw my family. Most people judge us by our skin colour." I was appalled. Judging someone by their skin colour instead of their actions was a huge injustice to the minorities in our country.

"People should be judged by their actions, not skin tone." He lightly kissed my lips when we arrived at Mary Lou's cottage. My lips tingled and I missed the pressure of his when he broke the kiss.

"I hope we can stay in contact," he said. His voice shook from nervousness as though he was afraid I would reject him.

"Me too. I won't be able to say goodbye to you in the morning, we're leaving at 5 am. Mr Molnar has to be at work by 8 am." I was disappointed, but he looked happy that I wanted to stay in contact.

He removed paper and a pen from his pocket. "Here are my phone numbers. The top one is at my parents' house, the other is my Abuela's number. If you can't reach me at home, try my Abuela's number. I'm moving to Miami sometime during the summer." He sounded a bit sad, almost as though he didn't have any other choice.

On another scrap of paper, I wrote down my number. I leaned into him, kissing his lips. "This isn't goodbye Ricky, it's until we meet again. Stay safe."

"Don't go crazy." We waved one last time before entering our respective cottages. My lips were still tingling from his lips. Something about Ricky called out to me. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Maybe someday I'll know.

The next few weeks were busy. I was too busy to call Ricky. He must be busy too because he hasn't called me either. My next shift at Tasty Pastry was boring. It appears most of Trenton went on vacation.

It was a Friday night near the end of June. The humidity was thick in the air. My coworker left early because it was too slow and I suspected she didn't want to help me clean. I was permitted to close the bakery an hour early, a notice was taped to the door. A few minutes before 9 pm, the door opened. None other than Joseph Morelli hand entered and was standing on the other side of the counter. He bought a cannoli then left. A look in his eyes made goosebumps appear on my skin. It was not a good 'goosebumps' feeling. I locked the door to clean the bakery.

When I completed my closing tasks, I left through the back door, set the alarm and locked the door. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings and didn't notice the dark figure leaning against Mom's car. When I reached for the door, the man punched me in the face. Blood poured from my nose, soaking my uniform shirt. I heard another man say, "Make this quick. I have a flight to catch in a couple of hours."

"Me too so hold her down. I've been dreaming about doing this since the Valentine's Day dance." I recognized Joe's voice. Fear gripped me and I was frozen in place. There was nowhere for me to hide.

"Please. Let me go. Don't do this to me," I pleaded. Joe punched me in the stomach. The other man grabbed my arms and pinned my chest to the ground. Joe pulled off my pants and put his mouth to my crotch. His tongue lapped at my folds as I attempted to scream. This did not feel good at all. It was rough and it really hurt. He stuck two fingers into me and pumped them until my body reflectively orgasmed. Joe smiled as he freed himself. He used my juices to lubricate my anal opening before pushing his erection into me.

"Don't want you to get pregnant Cupcake. I can tell you like this," he said as he pinched my nipples. "You're very wet." His hand moved from my chest to my clit. He worked it as he pumped into me. After a few strokes, I could feel him release into me. My body reflectively orgasmed from him stimulating my clit. He pulled out and said, "It's your turn Dickie." They quickly switched positions. Joe's semen ran down the crack and settled near my vagina.

Dicky flipped me onto my back and used his fingers to spread me open. In one quick thrust he pounded into my vagina, tearing through my hymen. I could feel the ejaculate from Joe running between my cheeks and stick. A few thrusts later, Dickie ejaculated into me. "You were right Joe. Her pussy was very tight and she was still a virgin. I still don't understand why you wanted her." I could feel something sticky on my stomach.

"I knew she would taste sweet and good to eat. Like a cupcake. Time for round two," he said as he licked off his fingers.

A Hispanic man with a teardrop tattoo entered the back parking lot and saw Joe try to mount me as Dickie held me down. He pulled Joe off me and punched him, temporarily knocking him out. Dickie ran away crying when the man threatened to cut him.

"Are you alright? My name is Hector. I'm here to help you. Let me bandage your wounds." He gave me a clean pair of sweatpants and shirt to replace the ones torn from my body. Carefully, he cleaned and bandaged the cut across my ribs. "Have someone take you to the hospital. You need stitches."

"Thank you. I thought they were going to kill me." I couldn't stop shaking from the attack.

"Not on my watch Angel." He helped me into the car. I ignored Hector's advice and drove home. After I took a hot shower, I hid in my room. The borrowed and soiled clothes were stashed in my backpack. Sleep evaded me tonight. Every time I closed my eyes, I relived the rape.

Early the next day, I grabbed my backpack and went to Grandma Mazur's house. I snuck out before Mom could catch me. She opened the door and saw I was battered and bruised. "Baby Granddaughter, what happened?"

I sobbed as I said, "I was raped last night after work. Joseph Morelli and his friend Dickie, no I don't know his last name. They attacked me before I could get into Mom's car. What do I do? My nose feels broken and I've been bleeding."

"Let me see." She took me to the bathroom and asked me to strip.

"Steph, why is this bandage here?"

I looked at my ribs. "I think someone stabbed me."

Grandma hollered, "Henry. Come here quick. We need to take Stephie to the hospital in Newark."

"Why Newark Grandma?" The closest hospital was only a few blocks away.

"The busybody biddies here will flap their lips too much. Best to have you treated far away from the Burg."

In the hospital, the doctor carefully reset my nose after attending to my other injuries. A social worker arrived to take photographs and asked me to recount the events from last night. She was upset I took a shower, potentially washing away evidence. I handed over my backpack containing the clothes I wore home and my soiled uniform. They were still able to gather sperm samples from areas on my body untouched by water. Having a rape kit completed almost felt like I was being violated again. DNA from the borrowed clothes would help if they couldn't retrieve an adequate sample from my body.

The doctor approached my Grandma, "Mrs Mazur, your granddaughter has tearing around her anus and vagina, which I have repaired. The cut on her ribs required twenty stitches. She needs to schedule a follow up appointment in seven to thirteen days for them to be removed. I also recommend therapy to deal with the rape and trauma she suffered. She needs to have an all liquid diet until her anus injury heals."

Grandma nodded. "I'm afraid to send her home. Her mother won't understand."

"Grandma, can I stay with you?" I prayed she would let me stay. Mom was going to lose her mind.

She hugged me tight and said, "Yes. I'll tell your mother you're helping me with yard work."

Grandpa drove me home to grab my belongings. I barely cleared the front door when Mom yelled, "Stephanie Michelle Plum. How could you embarrass your family?"

"What?" I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Your father read a poem in Moe's Sub Shop. It said 'Stephanie is sugary sweet and fun to eat. Like a cupcake.' How could you spread your legs like a common slut?"

Valerie entered the room and added, "Mom, I heard she was giving blow jobs in the parking lot after work. That's why she was always late getting home." I couldn't believe the lies people were spreading about me. It was Valerie who was caught giving blowjobs in parking lots, not me.

"That's not true. I've been closing the bakery after every shift. My coworker always left without helping me clean." I could tell Mom didn't believe me. She would rather believe the lies.

"Why couldn't you be more like Valerie? She doesn't spread her legs for men. Why do I have a slut for a daughter? I never wanted you. I wanted a boy instead." Mom is firmly residing in Denial land. Valerie lost her virginity during her first week of high school.

"Enough Helen!" Grandma yelled. "She's going to live with me for the summer."

"Fine! Stephanie Michelle Plum, if you take one step out of this house, DON'T COME BACK! You will no longer bring shame into this family. I always knew you were trouble." I was crying too hard to hear the rest of her vile words.

I cried as I packed my clothes and other personal belongings. "Bye Daddy." I kissed his cheek before following Grandma to the car, not bothering to say goodbye to Mom or Valerie. My life was turned completely upside down. I was wondering if I could find Hector sometime. He saved my life last night. There was no doubt in my mind I would have died if he didn't swoop in to rescue me. I owe him my life and my gratitude. Hopefully, we can be friends. Offering him my friendship is a small price for me to pay, but all I could offer. I have nothing left to give.