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Chapter 9: True Best Friend
The first thing Leo realized as he walked into professor's Monix's English class was that Piper was not there. Shelia sat in her normal seat, but the seat next to her was empty.
Leo slid into the empty seat. "Where's Piper?" he asked.
Shelia looked at him in surprise. "I thought she was with you."
Leo shook his head. "I haven't seen her since she bolted last night."
"She wasn't in her room this morning and she book bag was gone, so I assumed she was with you." The worry in Shelia's voice was also present in her eyes.
Leo shook his head. "I don't like this. She's not one to miss class."
Shelia looked pensively at him. She then shoved her notebook and cassette recorder towards him. "Here. Take notes for me." She slung her backpack on to her shoulders and walked out of the classroom.
Leo looked down at the notebook like she was nuts. Did Shelia really expect him to take notes? He was about to walk out of the classroom too, but Professor Monix walked in the door. Leo was in deep trouble with the professor as it was; he had no plans to make it worse.
He sat through the class, watching the clock as the seconds slowly ticked by.
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Shelia stormed into the dorm room. She threw her book bag down and immediately walked to Piper's bedroom door, which was now closed. "Piper!" she called, banging on the door. There was no reply, but she could hear muffled sobs.
Now thoroughly worried, Shelia bent down to the lock and took a bobby pin out of her hair. It was one of those simply locks, not much of a barrier. She twisted the bobby pin around until she heard the lock pop.
Shelia slowly opened the door. "Piper?" she called softly. She stepped into the room but did not see her anywhere. She stepped farther into the room and saw her huddled in between the wall and nightstand. She was sobbing so hard the sobs racked her body back and forth.
"Piper! Oh my god, what happened?" Shelia said, going to Piper's side. She placed a hand on Piper's shoulder, but Piper wrenched herself out of her grasp.
Shelia looked at her hand in confusion. "Piper, what happened?" She touched Piper's shoulder again, this time assuring Piper she would never hurt her. "Piper, it's just me. You know I would never hurt you."
Before she knew what was happening, Piper threw her arms around Shelia's neck. Piper was soon sobbing into her shoulder. "He did it, Shelia. He wouldn't stop. I begged and begged, but he did."
Shelia stopped hugging Piper and placed her hands on Piper's forearms. She smoothed the hair away from her face. "Who, honey? Who wouldn't stop?" Shelia made Piper sit on the bed and look at her for the first time. When Piper looked at her, Shelia saw the large, purple welt on her neck. "Piper, what happened? Who did this to you?"
Piper shook her head. She didn't want to drag Shelia into this too.
"Piper, tell me."
"He'll kill me."
"No, he won't. I won't let him near you. Neither will Leo. Just tell who did this."
"Kevin."
"Kim's boyfriend?"
Piper nodded her head.
"He beat you?"
Piper shook her head.
"Then who did? Why did you say Kevin?"
"Rape."
Shelia stopped her thinking process. "What?"
"He raped me," she said, quietly, tears spilling over her eyes.
Shelia didn't know what to say. Was there any thing she would say? She took Piper into her arms and held her close. "Oh, my god. Piper, why didn't you tell me last night?"
Piper shrugged her shoulders. "I was scared. I still am."
Shelia hugged her tighter and felt tears streaming down her own face. How could someone do something so vile, so gruesome, to another human being?
"I swear to you, Piper, I'm going to get that bastard."
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Leo left class the second it was over and went directly to Piper's dorm. He knocked on the door. "Piper? It's Leo. Are you there?"
He heard movement behind the door and expected Piper to open the door, but Shelia stepped into the hallway.
"Oh, hi, Leo. Now's not a really good time. Could you stop by later, maybe tomorrow?"
"Can I just talk to Piper for a minute? I'm worried about her."
"She's alive," Shelia said before trying to close the door.
But Leo held the door open with one hand. "What's going on?" He looked into the dorm room and saw Piper lying on the couch. "Piper, are you okay?"
"She's fine," Shelia said, ushering him out of the dorm. "She doesn't feel well. Now how about you stop by later? Okay? Bye." She practically threw him out of the dorm.
Leo stared at the door in confusion. What the hell was all of that about? Shelia practically threw him out of the room. Something wasn't right and he intended to find out what it was.
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Piper was lying on the couch as Shelia made a fuss over her. Shelia had forced her to eat and come out of her room for the first time since the party. Piper ate the soup she made and laid down on the couch.
When she heard a knock at the door, she jumped in surprise. What if it was Kevin? What if he found out she talked and was here to kill her?
"Piper? It's Leo. Are you there?"
Shelia looked at Piper and Piper shook her head. She didn't want to talk to him right now. She didn't know if she would be able to, after what happened.
Shelia answered the door and immediately tried to get Leo to leave. But he wasn't going to have any of it. He pushed his way into the room until he saw Piper safely lying on the couch. After that, Shelia was able to force Leo to leave.
She closed the door and sat with Piper on the couch, her head cradled in Shelia's lap. "Your boyfriend really is pushy."
"I know. It's one of the reasons why I love him so much."
After a few moments of silence, Shelia asked, "Are you sure you don't want to go to the police?"
"I'm sure."
Shelia wasn't happy about her decision, but she dealt with it the best she could. "We're going to get him, Piper. I promise."
"I know. You are such a good friend, Shelia. You're my true best friend. I don't know what I would do with out you."
"I'm here for you now, so don't worry about it. You're not going to go through this alone. I'm here with you all the way."