A/N: Don't forget to review, peoples!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Serenity's internal alarm clock went off at about 8:10 a.m., leaving her just enough time to get ready for work at 9:00. Stretching, she got to her feet and walked to the bathroom. After turning on the water and waiting for it to get hot, Serenity took a few pain-killers for a neck ache from the couch snoozing. She then removed her clothes and jumped into the shower.
After getting out and wrapping up in a towel, Serenity trudged into her bedroom and yanked her clothes out of her closet. While pulling on her shirt she heard a loud crash in the living room.
*BOOSH*
Serenity peeked out the door and saw nothing more than her cat and an overturned vase of flowers. She groaned.
"PIG! Watch what the hell you're doing!"
Pig merely trilled at her before he began lapping up the spilled water.
Serenity picked up the roses that lay on the ground and was about to shove them back into the vase when she saw the note that was tied to them.
'Happy Valentine's Day, my dearest Blair. Love always, Jason.'
Suddenly Serenity's face is flushed, angry. She tossed the flowers and the card into the garbage before going back into the bathroom.
She stared at the mirror as she brushed her long blond hair, fuming. What the card had said was a flat out lie. Jason wouldn't know love if it was shoved up his ass sideways. Serenity twisted her hair up into a bun and shoved chopsticks through it. Looking back at her reflection, she paused.
Serenity never thought of herself as an attractive person. Jason and everyone always told her that she was beautiful, but she never believed them. Bright green eyes, soft skin, and a curvy body usually was what gained compliments, but whenever Jason was praising her, his eyes were glued to her chest. Serenity clenched her teeth and let out a strained breath.
Serenity never wore makeup. She found it unnatural. But now she found herself trying to apply it over a blackened eye.
She didn't mean to make him mad. They were at his house, fighting about her supposedly 'spending too much time with Sarah' when she wanted to go home; to get away from him. In tears, she turned for the door, but Jason grabbed her arm and yanked her back. Before she knew what was happening, he punched her in the face and threw her to the ground. She lay there, stunned, until he was gone
Serenity shuddered at the memory.
'It was my fault anyways,' she repeatedly thought.
When she was done getting ready, she briefly wiped away a tear as she grabbed her keys and went out the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~
At the pet store she worked at, Serenity found a small amount comfort. Whether it was the animals or the fact that Jason wasn't there, she wasn't about to argue it. Serenity took her place behind the register and prepared herself for the rest of the day.
At about 4:15 in the afternoon, Serenity was anxiously awaiting the end of her shift when Sarah came bouncing through the door.
"Greetings, beast of burden!" Sarah said, hugging Serenity.
Serenity sticks out her pierced tongue at her friend. "Stick it, wench."
Sarah poked Serenity's belly before saying, "You still coming tonight?"
"Well, I planned on it. Why?"
Sarah's face changed from happy to worried. "Well you see-Jason ran into me today at the gas station and asked about you-"
"Ah fuck," Serenity muttered, leaning heavily against the counter. "What did HE have to say?"
"He said that he wanted to say he was sorry for being an asshole last night, and I told him about the party tonight. He said he wants you to have fun." Sarah's face went back to being happy. "He has some of the wierdest mood swings!"
Serenity gave a half-ass smile. "You're telling me....."
Sarah stayed with Serenity for the rest of her shift, and by 5:00 p.m., they headed out the door together.
~*~*~*~*~*~
At home, Serenity dug fiercely in her closet for something to wear. Settling for a black vinyl mini skirt with fishnet tights, knee-high platform boots and a black corset top, she changed and pursued her cat for company.
Pig was nowhere to be found in the small apartment.
'Hmmm,' Serenity thought, opening the front door and looking out. Sure enough, Pig was laying on the doormat. She picked him up and took him inside.
After attending to some small chores, Serenity noticed that it was time to pick up Sarah.
When they arrived at the party, it was a typical frat-kegger. Since Sarah and Serenity were both 21, they weren't too worried about getting in trouble for drinking. Well, Sarah didn't at least; Serenity was the designated driver. While Sarah was downing shots with the boys, Serenity settled for an iced tea.
Several guys tried to hit on her in the course of an hour, and each one she turned down with more annoyance than the last. After a few hours, she decided to wander around in search of people she might know.
No such luck.
Disappointed, Serenity went back to the living room of the frat-house to get her iced tea. When she got there and sat back down in the chair, she picked up her drink off the table. She felt eyes watching her from across the room. Not just watching, but intently STARING.
Serenity glared over at the three guys responsible for the staring and snapped, "What's your damage, fuckers?"
She expected them to go red and get embarrassed. But they just grinned, winked, and kept staring. Serenity gave them the finger and took a drink of her tea. She recoiled.
'Why does this taste to bitter, yet so good?' she thought, chugging the rest of it. Holding her breath, she shook her head to rid herself of the foul aftertaste.
'That was NOT iced tea,' Serenity thought before getting attacked by a wave of nausea.
"Holy shit," she muttered, and tried to stand. She swiftly fell back into her chair. After a second try, she finally stood and found her way to a bathroom.
Serenity splashed her face with cold water, and dried it with a towel.
"I must have grabbed somebody's drink," she said aloud, to nobody in particular.
Serenity began to feel more and more out of it by the minute. She stumbled out of the bathroom, and weaseled her way to Sarah, who was making out with some guy in a corner.
Serenity shook her hard, and Sarah stared up at her.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't feel so good," Serenity mumbled, swaying as she stood. Sarah laughed, her speech slurred.
"You're wasted, dude! But that's okay, because Sean here," she pats her make out buddy, "said I could stay with him for the night. What are you going to do?"
Serenity tried to think. "I guess I'll just sleep in the car until I get better."
"Sounds like a plan," Sarah said, turning back to Sean. Serenity shook her again.
"Dude, I've been drunk before; and I didn't feel like this! What's wrong with me?!" Serenity began to get panicked. Sarah shook her head.
"You just need to go get some rest. You'll be okay."
Serenity nodded, slowly picking her way through the crowd to find her bag and keys.
By the time she got outside, Serenity felt ready to vomit, but couldn't. She stood and found the right key in advance before she began walking. Since she and Sarah arrived later than most of the other guests, the car was parked pretty far away, about two blocks or so. Serenity walked slowly, her vision coming and going.
She paused at the entrance of a dark alley. A small kitten sat and purred, and she approached it.
"Hey honey," she said, kneeling and petting it. The kitten suddenly meowed loudly before running past her. Confused, Serenity straightened out and tried to look around. A sudden feeling of dread gripped her. Serenity's instinct told her to get moving.
But her body wouldn't respond.
And that was when they grabbed her from behind.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Serenity's internal alarm clock went off at about 8:10 a.m., leaving her just enough time to get ready for work at 9:00. Stretching, she got to her feet and walked to the bathroom. After turning on the water and waiting for it to get hot, Serenity took a few pain-killers for a neck ache from the couch snoozing. She then removed her clothes and jumped into the shower.
After getting out and wrapping up in a towel, Serenity trudged into her bedroom and yanked her clothes out of her closet. While pulling on her shirt she heard a loud crash in the living room.
*BOOSH*
Serenity peeked out the door and saw nothing more than her cat and an overturned vase of flowers. She groaned.
"PIG! Watch what the hell you're doing!"
Pig merely trilled at her before he began lapping up the spilled water.
Serenity picked up the roses that lay on the ground and was about to shove them back into the vase when she saw the note that was tied to them.
'Happy Valentine's Day, my dearest Blair. Love always, Jason.'
Suddenly Serenity's face is flushed, angry. She tossed the flowers and the card into the garbage before going back into the bathroom.
She stared at the mirror as she brushed her long blond hair, fuming. What the card had said was a flat out lie. Jason wouldn't know love if it was shoved up his ass sideways. Serenity twisted her hair up into a bun and shoved chopsticks through it. Looking back at her reflection, she paused.
Serenity never thought of herself as an attractive person. Jason and everyone always told her that she was beautiful, but she never believed them. Bright green eyes, soft skin, and a curvy body usually was what gained compliments, but whenever Jason was praising her, his eyes were glued to her chest. Serenity clenched her teeth and let out a strained breath.
Serenity never wore makeup. She found it unnatural. But now she found herself trying to apply it over a blackened eye.
She didn't mean to make him mad. They were at his house, fighting about her supposedly 'spending too much time with Sarah' when she wanted to go home; to get away from him. In tears, she turned for the door, but Jason grabbed her arm and yanked her back. Before she knew what was happening, he punched her in the face and threw her to the ground. She lay there, stunned, until he was gone
Serenity shuddered at the memory.
'It was my fault anyways,' she repeatedly thought.
When she was done getting ready, she briefly wiped away a tear as she grabbed her keys and went out the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~
At the pet store she worked at, Serenity found a small amount comfort. Whether it was the animals or the fact that Jason wasn't there, she wasn't about to argue it. Serenity took her place behind the register and prepared herself for the rest of the day.
At about 4:15 in the afternoon, Serenity was anxiously awaiting the end of her shift when Sarah came bouncing through the door.
"Greetings, beast of burden!" Sarah said, hugging Serenity.
Serenity sticks out her pierced tongue at her friend. "Stick it, wench."
Sarah poked Serenity's belly before saying, "You still coming tonight?"
"Well, I planned on it. Why?"
Sarah's face changed from happy to worried. "Well you see-Jason ran into me today at the gas station and asked about you-"
"Ah fuck," Serenity muttered, leaning heavily against the counter. "What did HE have to say?"
"He said that he wanted to say he was sorry for being an asshole last night, and I told him about the party tonight. He said he wants you to have fun." Sarah's face went back to being happy. "He has some of the wierdest mood swings!"
Serenity gave a half-ass smile. "You're telling me....."
Sarah stayed with Serenity for the rest of her shift, and by 5:00 p.m., they headed out the door together.
~*~*~*~*~*~
At home, Serenity dug fiercely in her closet for something to wear. Settling for a black vinyl mini skirt with fishnet tights, knee-high platform boots and a black corset top, she changed and pursued her cat for company.
Pig was nowhere to be found in the small apartment.
'Hmmm,' Serenity thought, opening the front door and looking out. Sure enough, Pig was laying on the doormat. She picked him up and took him inside.
After attending to some small chores, Serenity noticed that it was time to pick up Sarah.
When they arrived at the party, it was a typical frat-kegger. Since Sarah and Serenity were both 21, they weren't too worried about getting in trouble for drinking. Well, Sarah didn't at least; Serenity was the designated driver. While Sarah was downing shots with the boys, Serenity settled for an iced tea.
Several guys tried to hit on her in the course of an hour, and each one she turned down with more annoyance than the last. After a few hours, she decided to wander around in search of people she might know.
No such luck.
Disappointed, Serenity went back to the living room of the frat-house to get her iced tea. When she got there and sat back down in the chair, she picked up her drink off the table. She felt eyes watching her from across the room. Not just watching, but intently STARING.
Serenity glared over at the three guys responsible for the staring and snapped, "What's your damage, fuckers?"
She expected them to go red and get embarrassed. But they just grinned, winked, and kept staring. Serenity gave them the finger and took a drink of her tea. She recoiled.
'Why does this taste to bitter, yet so good?' she thought, chugging the rest of it. Holding her breath, she shook her head to rid herself of the foul aftertaste.
'That was NOT iced tea,' Serenity thought before getting attacked by a wave of nausea.
"Holy shit," she muttered, and tried to stand. She swiftly fell back into her chair. After a second try, she finally stood and found her way to a bathroom.
Serenity splashed her face with cold water, and dried it with a towel.
"I must have grabbed somebody's drink," she said aloud, to nobody in particular.
Serenity began to feel more and more out of it by the minute. She stumbled out of the bathroom, and weaseled her way to Sarah, who was making out with some guy in a corner.
Serenity shook her hard, and Sarah stared up at her.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't feel so good," Serenity mumbled, swaying as she stood. Sarah laughed, her speech slurred.
"You're wasted, dude! But that's okay, because Sean here," she pats her make out buddy, "said I could stay with him for the night. What are you going to do?"
Serenity tried to think. "I guess I'll just sleep in the car until I get better."
"Sounds like a plan," Sarah said, turning back to Sean. Serenity shook her again.
"Dude, I've been drunk before; and I didn't feel like this! What's wrong with me?!" Serenity began to get panicked. Sarah shook her head.
"You just need to go get some rest. You'll be okay."
Serenity nodded, slowly picking her way through the crowd to find her bag and keys.
By the time she got outside, Serenity felt ready to vomit, but couldn't. She stood and found the right key in advance before she began walking. Since she and Sarah arrived later than most of the other guests, the car was parked pretty far away, about two blocks or so. Serenity walked slowly, her vision coming and going.
She paused at the entrance of a dark alley. A small kitten sat and purred, and she approached it.
"Hey honey," she said, kneeling and petting it. The kitten suddenly meowed loudly before running past her. Confused, Serenity straightened out and tried to look around. A sudden feeling of dread gripped her. Serenity's instinct told her to get moving.
But her body wouldn't respond.
And that was when they grabbed her from behind.