Chapter Five: A Cry For Help
The note says: Adi, So I see you met Craig, Jimmy, and Marco. Look, I was on MSN and I was talking to J.T. and he asked me out! I couldn't wait to tell you! I ran to the window to see if you were still home, but you were talking to Craig, Jimmy, Marco, and Spinner. So I wrote this instead... I'll talk to you later! Love Manny.
"Aww! J.T. asked Manny out!" she sais outloud. She goes upstairs to find her family watching a movie.
"I'm gonna go to the park for a while,"she says grabbing her board.
"Back before dark!" shouts her dad as she walks out the door. She skates down the street. She passes by the playground that her sister plays at and sees some kids standing around with bottles in their hands. She keeps skating as she hears them shouting at her. She gets to the skate park and to find a few familiar faces.
"Hey guys," she says walking up to Jimmy, and Craig, "Where's Marco?"
"He went home," says Jimmy watching Spinner skate. She shrugged and sat down in between Craig and Jimmy.
"So I guess you know Manny?" asks Craig focusing his attention on her.
"Yea, she's my cousin," she mumble back still watching Spinner.
"I guess you just moved here?" asks Jimmy looking away for Spinner.
"Yea," she replys, "from B.C."
"West coast girl?" smirks Craig.
"Obviously," says Jimmy, "look at her tan!" She rolls her eyes as they continue talking. She heads over to where Spinner is and starts skating. After an hour or so the sun starts to set.
"Which way you guys headed?" she asked remembering those people at the playground.
"Towards your house," replys Jimmy, "Why?"
"There were people at the playground like drinking or something when I came here," she says as she picks up her board, "and I'd prefer not to go by there by myself. That's all."
"No," starts Spinner, "it's because you have some hot muscular guys around and you want to spend as much time with them as possible."
" Sure, if that's what you want to think Spin," she says pushing him off his board onto his butt. Craig and Jimmy laugh at Spinner as Adrianna runs and grabs his board. She hops on her board and skates away with it. Then someone jumps in front of her scaring her. She drops Spinner's board and hers starts to roll away. He tightly holds her arms at her side as he breathes heavily on her face. She feel herself go numb. She could'nt move from sudden vulnerability.
JIMMY? WHERE ARE YOU! SPINNER SAVE ME! CRAIG HELP! she thought.
He breathes heavily on her. She can smell alchohol on his breath. Adrianna opens her mouth to scream... but nothing comes out. Another guy comes up trying to get the other guy to let her go. She starts to squirm in his hands. Her mobility has returned. "Jay! Jay! Let her go man!" says the second guy, Jay tightens his grip on her. She hears footsteps coming closer. Suddenly,
" Jimmy! Craig! Spinner! Help!" she screams. The second guy punches the first narrowly missing her. She's caught off balance as Jay drops to the ground. She falls on top of the second guy just as Craig, Jimmy and Spinner come running towards her. It all happened so fast. Their faces are an inch away
"Adi, are you okay?" Craig asks hovering over her and the guy that saved her. Adrianna gets off the guy and sits on the curb pulling her legs to her chest. She looks at the guy that grabbed her, now unconcious on the ground.
"Adi," Jimmy whispers kneeling so the two of them are at eye level,"Are you okay." She nods and whisper back,
"It.. All happened... So fast." Her eyes fill with tears as the other three guys kneel down looking cautiously at her. She looks around at their faces.
"Sean," Spinner says pointing at the guy that saved her.
"Phone,"she whispers. They look at her confused. She points to her cell phone a few feet away on the ground. Sean hands it to her. She hits speed dial.
"Daddy?"she whispers, "Come to the playground, a block from the house." She hangs up and starts to cry.
Her dad comes running to her about five minutes later, by then police have started arriving. Because people across the street called 911 when they heard her scream. A crowd started to grow. She started to tell the police and her dad what happened. The guys stay close by. They've also been questioned. When the police finally finish questioning them and tell them they can leave, but they hang around just to make sure that Adrianna was okay. The police finally let her go and they take Jay away. It's been dark for a while now and it's gotten colder. She hadn't realized it but she had someone's sweater on.
Adrianna walks home with her dad and thefour4 guys. No one said anything. They can tell that she's still shook up about the whole ordeal. They get to her house and her dad heads inside leaving her alone with the guys.
"Thanks," she whispered looking at each of them. Something comes over her and she hugs each of them. She did'nt care that she just met most of them. She was glad they were there for her. Practically a stranger to them all but they helped her. Her dad returns with the car keys in hand. He ushers her insde to her mom and sister. He drives the boys home and she tells her mom and sister what happened. She go to bed early not wanting to have to tell the story again. She goes downstairs and collapses on her bed from exhaustion. She take off the sweater not knowing who's it is and gently tosses it on her dresser. Looking down at her arms she starts to get scared again. There's bruises starting to show on her arms. It still feels like he's gripping her. She can still smell breath scorned with alcohol. She hears someone come down the stairs.
"Adrianna?" it's Arianna, "Adi?"
"Over here," she mumbles. She lays down besides Adrianna in her warm flannel pajamas hugging her. Then Adrianna still in her clothes from the day, cold and scared. The only comforts she has right now is know that her family cares. Her parents sit at the top of the stairs and Arianna in her bed worried about her. Adrianna hugs back Arianna and silently cries to sleep.