Yay, Fanfiction finally's working again! And luckily, as soon as I recovered from a serious case of writers block.
Okay, this chapter might be comfusing. There's one part where each girl is telling her story, and it goes from one girl to another. Each girl does tell the full story, but I just put it like that for effect. I hope that makes sense.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"What happened the other day?" Spinner asked me at lunch the next day. We were sitting alone at the picnic tables outside, but I still made sure that no one was around to hear us.
"When?" I asked.
"Last Friday. When Mikey walked in."
"You left. It's not that big a deal."
"Before that."
"I kissed you," I said plainly. "What's the big deal?"
"I dunno, it just. . . it just didn't seem right."
"You're reading too much into this."
"Am I?"
"Yes."
"You just. . . it was like you were scared."
"Why do you say that?"
"I don't know. You were shaking."
"It's nothing, Spin. Really."
"Just promise me one thing."
"What?"
"That you'll talk to me before anything gets out of hand."
"You know I will."
He nodded and put his hand on top of mine. I responded by lacing my fingers through his. "I trust you."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I paced the hallway nervously, waiting for Officer Collins to come. We had agreed to meet at the rec centre, before the meeting, but he still hadn't shown up. I checked my watch. Three minutes before he was late. Finally, I saw his figure approaching.
"Hi," I said nervously, anxious to get this over with.
"Are you okay?" he asked. I stopped pacing.
"I'm fine."
"You said you had something that would help?"
"I don't know. It might." I opened the door to the room the other girls were waiting in. Slowly, six girls shuffled out.
"I'm not the only one who Dean's hurt."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I was a cheerleader at school," Lori began, telling her story. "The day after I had seen him at school, we met at a party."
"We started talking," Christina said when it was her turn. "He told me how much I had stood out. He was charming. I fell for him. Hard."
Skye told her story next. "He suggested that we went into the study to talk. It was too loud in the party. So we went in, and we were talking when he kissed me. At first it was okay."
Jordan continued. "He asked me if it was okay. I thought I could stop at anytime. So I went along with it."
Jena was the last one to tell her story. "I told him to stop. He wouldn't listen. I said it over and over, but he just kept pushing harder."
I just sat and gaped as each of them told their stories. They were all so similar. I talked to Officer Collins after they had all gone into the meeting.
"Do you think that this will work?"
He took a deep breath. "None of these girls have any proof either. But, I think that this'll go a long way. This is almost over, Paige. We're going to get him."
"Thank you," I said, something I didn't often do so sincerely. "For everything."
He nodded and smiled. I said a quick good-bye and walked out of there, just feeling like things were a little better. Like maybe he's finally be stopped.
I knew it couldn't last.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I hate Mondays," Ashley whispered to me in the middle of one of our math lessons. "You've got pen on your face."
I put a hand up instinctively. "Where?"
"On your jaw." I shot my hand up.
"Can I go to the washroom?" I asked.
"I don't know. Can you?"
I glared at her. Why was a math teacher so worried about grammar?"
"May I go to the washroom?"
"Yes, you may." I got in and washed my face, and was about to leave when I heard something. It was faint, but I could heard a soft sobbing and sniffling. I looked down under the stalls and saw a body with legs curled up. I was going t leave when I saw the bag they had with them. And the personalized keychain on the tag.
Manny.
"Manny?" I asked softly. No answer. "I know you're in there."
"Just go away."
I pushed at the door slowly. It was open. I opened it all the way and sat down facing her.
"I don't want to hear it, okay? Save your I-told-you-so dance for someone else."
"Do you really think that's what I'm going to do?"
She shrugged. Her eyes were swollen and red.
"He did it, didn't he?" I asked.
She laughed. A cynical laugh. "Is that really all you care about? Being right?"
"I care about what's happening to you. I was in the exact same position as you are six months ago. And I don't want you to have to make all the mistakes I made."
"What do you care?" she asked, getting up.
"You and I haven't ever been friends, I know that. And I've been really angry with you the past couple of weeks, but nothing you've ever done would make me think that you deserved this to happen. So I'm going to try to help you as much as possible." I couldn't believe my own words.
"I didn't deserve it?" she asked incredulously. "I came on to him. I ignored what you said. How can you say I didn't deserve it?"
All of a sudden, something hit me. Manny was it. Manny could prove that Dean had raped her. Manny could prove that he was a rapist. Manny could put him away for a long, long time.
"Manny," I began cautiously, trying not to show how much I wanted this to happen. "Have you considered going to the police?"
"Why would I?"
"Because he raped you."
"No he didn't," she said softly.
"Manny, did you say no?"
"But I led him on."
"Did you say no?"
"Yes," she mumbled.
"Do you think that what he did to me was rape?"
"I guess."
"Didn't he do the same thing to you?"
She looked up and caught my eye. "It doesn't matter. He'll just get away with it. He told me that."
"What did he tell you?"
"I asked him about you. He said that you wanted it, and you couldn't prove otherwise. Neither can I."
"Yes, Manny, yes you can."
"He used a condom."
"It doesn't matter. They can still prove that he raped you."
She looked at me with wide eyes. "I couldn't do that."
I hesitated. "Manny, I'm going to ask you the most selfish thing I have ever asked anyone. Please, report this. I didn't soon enough, and because of that, I know five other girls who got raped. And there was another girl before me, who never told the police, and I got raped because of it. There's no one else who can stop him. Please, Manny. Please."
"But what if- what if he gets away with it?"
"He won't."
"But he'll know it's me. He'll come after me."
"Just talk to the police officer. And get checked out by a doctor. I promise, I'll stay with you the whole time."
She closed her eyes, then opened them slowly. "Okay," she said so softly I could barely hear her. "I'll do it."
I looked at her, and suddenly I felt a bond. It was a bond so strong that I had only felt a couple of times before- with the girls from the support group. We were seven girls with one story.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Okay, Manny, we're done here."
She sighed and pulled her legs out of the stirrups that she had been forced into for the exam. The doctor (female, thank God), had been really good, and really supportive.
"I'm going to talk to the officer on your case, but you're free to go."
"Thanks," she said softly, and let go of my hand which she had been holding the whole exam. My bones were crushed, but I ignored it. She sat up on the table, but didn't make any effort to move.
"I can't believe this is really happening."
"I know, hun." I put one hand on her shoulder supportively. "It'll get better. I promise."
"How am I going to tell Emma?"
"You don't have to tell her anything until you're ready." Wow, I was starting to sound cheesy.
"Can you pass me my clothes?"
I picked up her pile of clothes and handed them to her. "Do you want some privacy to change?" I didn't wait for an answer. I was about to open the door when I turned around.
"You're a lot braver than I was," I told her. "I could never have done this. Thank you." Once again, I didn't wait for a response. I went into the hall, shutting the door behind me, and found officer Collins waiting in a nearby chair. I had called him as soon as school was over, and he had told us to come here. He saw me and came over.
"How's she doing?"
I shrugged. "Better than I was, I guess."
"And you?"
"What about me?"
"How are you doing?"
"I just want this whole thing to be over."
"It will be," he promised. "You did good, Paige. This could get him arrested once and for all."
"What did the doctor say?"
"I'm really not supposed to say. Off the record, it was rape."
"This is over," I said softly. "This is really going to be over."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"We were in his car. He was going to drop me off, but we decided to stop in the parking lot of a park near my house."
"What time was this?" Officer Collins asked.
"Around ten,. I guess. My parents thought I was at my best friend's house. We were in the backseat kissing, when he started taking off my shirt. I told him to stop. He said that we'd been going out two weeks, so I owed it to him. I asked him to take me home. But, he just kept kissing me. Harder. And then he got off. I thought that he was going to go. But he just. . . he pulled his," she started stumbling on her words. I put my hand on her back.
"I kept saying no. He didn't listen. When. . . when he. . . finished, he just put his clothes back on and drove me home." She broke down sobbing. I put my arm around her.
Officer Collins took a deep breath once she had stopped crying. "I'll finish typing up your statement, and you'll have to sign it tomorrow. Why don't I drive the two of you home first?"
"I'll just walk," I offered. "I'm only two blocks away."
"It's getting late. Are you sure?"
I nodded. I was feeling claustrophobic in the small room we were in. I just needed to walk. "You have my number right?" I asked Manny.
"Yeah," she replied in a small voice, still on the verge of tears.
"Call me if you need anything, okay?" I turned to Officer Collins. "Thanks."
He nodded. Manny sniffled. I opened the door and let out a sigh of relief. It was almost over.
Okay, this chapter might be comfusing. There's one part where each girl is telling her story, and it goes from one girl to another. Each girl does tell the full story, but I just put it like that for effect. I hope that makes sense.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"What happened the other day?" Spinner asked me at lunch the next day. We were sitting alone at the picnic tables outside, but I still made sure that no one was around to hear us.
"When?" I asked.
"Last Friday. When Mikey walked in."
"You left. It's not that big a deal."
"Before that."
"I kissed you," I said plainly. "What's the big deal?"
"I dunno, it just. . . it just didn't seem right."
"You're reading too much into this."
"Am I?"
"Yes."
"You just. . . it was like you were scared."
"Why do you say that?"
"I don't know. You were shaking."
"It's nothing, Spin. Really."
"Just promise me one thing."
"What?"
"That you'll talk to me before anything gets out of hand."
"You know I will."
He nodded and put his hand on top of mine. I responded by lacing my fingers through his. "I trust you."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I paced the hallway nervously, waiting for Officer Collins to come. We had agreed to meet at the rec centre, before the meeting, but he still hadn't shown up. I checked my watch. Three minutes before he was late. Finally, I saw his figure approaching.
"Hi," I said nervously, anxious to get this over with.
"Are you okay?" he asked. I stopped pacing.
"I'm fine."
"You said you had something that would help?"
"I don't know. It might." I opened the door to the room the other girls were waiting in. Slowly, six girls shuffled out.
"I'm not the only one who Dean's hurt."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I was a cheerleader at school," Lori began, telling her story. "The day after I had seen him at school, we met at a party."
"We started talking," Christina said when it was her turn. "He told me how much I had stood out. He was charming. I fell for him. Hard."
Skye told her story next. "He suggested that we went into the study to talk. It was too loud in the party. So we went in, and we were talking when he kissed me. At first it was okay."
Jordan continued. "He asked me if it was okay. I thought I could stop at anytime. So I went along with it."
Jena was the last one to tell her story. "I told him to stop. He wouldn't listen. I said it over and over, but he just kept pushing harder."
I just sat and gaped as each of them told their stories. They were all so similar. I talked to Officer Collins after they had all gone into the meeting.
"Do you think that this will work?"
He took a deep breath. "None of these girls have any proof either. But, I think that this'll go a long way. This is almost over, Paige. We're going to get him."
"Thank you," I said, something I didn't often do so sincerely. "For everything."
He nodded and smiled. I said a quick good-bye and walked out of there, just feeling like things were a little better. Like maybe he's finally be stopped.
I knew it couldn't last.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I hate Mondays," Ashley whispered to me in the middle of one of our math lessons. "You've got pen on your face."
I put a hand up instinctively. "Where?"
"On your jaw." I shot my hand up.
"Can I go to the washroom?" I asked.
"I don't know. Can you?"
I glared at her. Why was a math teacher so worried about grammar?"
"May I go to the washroom?"
"Yes, you may." I got in and washed my face, and was about to leave when I heard something. It was faint, but I could heard a soft sobbing and sniffling. I looked down under the stalls and saw a body with legs curled up. I was going t leave when I saw the bag they had with them. And the personalized keychain on the tag.
Manny.
"Manny?" I asked softly. No answer. "I know you're in there."
"Just go away."
I pushed at the door slowly. It was open. I opened it all the way and sat down facing her.
"I don't want to hear it, okay? Save your I-told-you-so dance for someone else."
"Do you really think that's what I'm going to do?"
She shrugged. Her eyes were swollen and red.
"He did it, didn't he?" I asked.
She laughed. A cynical laugh. "Is that really all you care about? Being right?"
"I care about what's happening to you. I was in the exact same position as you are six months ago. And I don't want you to have to make all the mistakes I made."
"What do you care?" she asked, getting up.
"You and I haven't ever been friends, I know that. And I've been really angry with you the past couple of weeks, but nothing you've ever done would make me think that you deserved this to happen. So I'm going to try to help you as much as possible." I couldn't believe my own words.
"I didn't deserve it?" she asked incredulously. "I came on to him. I ignored what you said. How can you say I didn't deserve it?"
All of a sudden, something hit me. Manny was it. Manny could prove that Dean had raped her. Manny could prove that he was a rapist. Manny could put him away for a long, long time.
"Manny," I began cautiously, trying not to show how much I wanted this to happen. "Have you considered going to the police?"
"Why would I?"
"Because he raped you."
"No he didn't," she said softly.
"Manny, did you say no?"
"But I led him on."
"Did you say no?"
"Yes," she mumbled.
"Do you think that what he did to me was rape?"
"I guess."
"Didn't he do the same thing to you?"
She looked up and caught my eye. "It doesn't matter. He'll just get away with it. He told me that."
"What did he tell you?"
"I asked him about you. He said that you wanted it, and you couldn't prove otherwise. Neither can I."
"Yes, Manny, yes you can."
"He used a condom."
"It doesn't matter. They can still prove that he raped you."
She looked at me with wide eyes. "I couldn't do that."
I hesitated. "Manny, I'm going to ask you the most selfish thing I have ever asked anyone. Please, report this. I didn't soon enough, and because of that, I know five other girls who got raped. And there was another girl before me, who never told the police, and I got raped because of it. There's no one else who can stop him. Please, Manny. Please."
"But what if- what if he gets away with it?"
"He won't."
"But he'll know it's me. He'll come after me."
"Just talk to the police officer. And get checked out by a doctor. I promise, I'll stay with you the whole time."
She closed her eyes, then opened them slowly. "Okay," she said so softly I could barely hear her. "I'll do it."
I looked at her, and suddenly I felt a bond. It was a bond so strong that I had only felt a couple of times before- with the girls from the support group. We were seven girls with one story.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Okay, Manny, we're done here."
She sighed and pulled her legs out of the stirrups that she had been forced into for the exam. The doctor (female, thank God), had been really good, and really supportive.
"I'm going to talk to the officer on your case, but you're free to go."
"Thanks," she said softly, and let go of my hand which she had been holding the whole exam. My bones were crushed, but I ignored it. She sat up on the table, but didn't make any effort to move.
"I can't believe this is really happening."
"I know, hun." I put one hand on her shoulder supportively. "It'll get better. I promise."
"How am I going to tell Emma?"
"You don't have to tell her anything until you're ready." Wow, I was starting to sound cheesy.
"Can you pass me my clothes?"
I picked up her pile of clothes and handed them to her. "Do you want some privacy to change?" I didn't wait for an answer. I was about to open the door when I turned around.
"You're a lot braver than I was," I told her. "I could never have done this. Thank you." Once again, I didn't wait for a response. I went into the hall, shutting the door behind me, and found officer Collins waiting in a nearby chair. I had called him as soon as school was over, and he had told us to come here. He saw me and came over.
"How's she doing?"
I shrugged. "Better than I was, I guess."
"And you?"
"What about me?"
"How are you doing?"
"I just want this whole thing to be over."
"It will be," he promised. "You did good, Paige. This could get him arrested once and for all."
"What did the doctor say?"
"I'm really not supposed to say. Off the record, it was rape."
"This is over," I said softly. "This is really going to be over."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"We were in his car. He was going to drop me off, but we decided to stop in the parking lot of a park near my house."
"What time was this?" Officer Collins asked.
"Around ten,. I guess. My parents thought I was at my best friend's house. We were in the backseat kissing, when he started taking off my shirt. I told him to stop. He said that we'd been going out two weeks, so I owed it to him. I asked him to take me home. But, he just kept kissing me. Harder. And then he got off. I thought that he was going to go. But he just. . . he pulled his," she started stumbling on her words. I put my hand on her back.
"I kept saying no. He didn't listen. When. . . when he. . . finished, he just put his clothes back on and drove me home." She broke down sobbing. I put my arm around her.
Officer Collins took a deep breath once she had stopped crying. "I'll finish typing up your statement, and you'll have to sign it tomorrow. Why don't I drive the two of you home first?"
"I'll just walk," I offered. "I'm only two blocks away."
"It's getting late. Are you sure?"
I nodded. I was feeling claustrophobic in the small room we were in. I just needed to walk. "You have my number right?" I asked Manny.
"Yeah," she replied in a small voice, still on the verge of tears.
"Call me if you need anything, okay?" I turned to Officer Collins. "Thanks."
He nodded. Manny sniffled. I opened the door and let out a sigh of relief. It was almost over.