"That pervert! He's out of his mind, he's absolutely insane!!" Jo shrieked.
"Oh god, I thought this was over!" Paige sat on the floor, her head in her hands. "Now it's getting worse..."
"Jo, are you sure you don't want to call your brother now?" Ashley asked, still looking at the photos.
"Now? Of course I want to call...I just hope the phones aren't dead..."
Paige looked up, her eyes wild with fright "Don't say that, Jo! Remember the lights!"
"I didn't do that, Paige! That was a...uh...well it wasn't ME!"
The phone suddenly rang sending all three girl five feet in the air. Jo walked towards the hall phone. Paige was up in an instant and tried to pull Jo back by her shoulders. "Don't answer! That's Dean, it's got to be!"
"How can it be?! He doesn't have my number! He doesn't know me!"
"Well not knowing you didn't stop in from having your picture did it?!"
"Paige let go!"
"Don't answer it!"
The phone only rang three times, and had only two to go before the answering machine would pick up. Jo managed to break free, she had to answer. She made it before the last ring and picked up the receiver.
"H-hello?"
"Hey Jo!" a voice called cheerfully. It was a voice that Jo hadn't heard for weeks.
"Alex?"
"Who else would call in the middle of the night?" Alex laughed. Jo did to.
"...And long distance to Canada.....I should have known." Jo sighed in relief. Alex laughed again. She had been one of Jo's best friends in California. Jo hadn't talked to her since they moved. It seemed like forever.
"We're having a storm over here so we're kinda...jumpy....." Thunder cracked again.
"Whoa! Heard that one! You all alone over there?" Alex was in her p.j.s and lying on her belly on her bed, reading. Her long dark hair pulled back in ponytail. Without Jo things hadn't been quite the same. She found herself bored more often. She knew her mom would kill her if she caught her making long distant calls, but she couldn't wait to talk to Jo again.
"No.....thank goodness." Said Jo "Have a few friends from school. Dad is at work and my brother is out somewhere."
"Oh, well, put me on speaker phone and let me talk to them!"
"Sure let me switch phones first hold on....."Jo put her hand over the receiver "Paige, pick up the living room phone on the coffee table....."
"Sure..." Paige went to the table and picked up the phone and slowly head it to her ear. She still was scared. "Can you here me?" she asked.
"Ahoy, me hearty!" Alex said.
"Ok Jo, u can hang it up." Paige said.
Jo hung up hall phone. She quickly put the other on speaker phone. "There!"
"Hey, so how goes it at Degrassi High, mates?" Alex spoke in her best pirate accent. She loved Pirates of the Caribbean. Jo laughed.
"Ashley, Paige, this is Alex. A friend from back home. Alex, meet Ashley and Paige."
Ashley and Paige said "Hi". This girl seemed a little strange to them.
"Ahoy!" Alex greeted them again. The girls laughed.
"You have no idea, Alex, how happy we are to hear from you..."
"...Instead of somebody else..." Paige interrupted.
"Oh?" Alex questioned. "Somebody botherin' you?"
"Yeah, a psychopathic rapist!" Ashley said.
"He's running around someplace trying to freak us out!" said Paige.
"Well, give me my sword, I'll cut down the scurvy-ridden land lubber!" Alex made an "Arrg!" making the other girls laugh again. But they were still jittery.
Jo sighed. "I know you would if you had the chance."
"But seriously, what's going on?" Alex's tone had become more serious.
"Uh....." Ashley didn't know what to say next. She didn't blame Alex for not believing this was really happening to them. She probably wouldn't have believed it herself.
".....yeah, that's it....." Paige said.
"Mm-hmm...turning out to be the worst night of our lives..." Jo's voice suddenly sounded very tired. Sometimes she wished Alex would believe more of what she told her, without thinking before that she was kidding.
"Wait...Jo, you guys are serious about this?"
"Yes Alex, I'm afraid so..."
"Alright. Don't panic. The thing to do is laugh a lot. And I mean a LOT! He is just trying to scare you. You can't let him know that you are afraid!"
"Alright....."
"Wait.....You don't think he's actually watching?!" Paige quickly got up to look out the window. Alex continued "C'mon, trust me on this! Just last week, some geek from math was trying to scare me into going out with him! But I just laughed when he threatened me! And he gave up!"
She doesn't understand does she? Paige thought. "Alex," she said "I'm not sure you get it..." she didn't see any other way but to tell this girl "This guy...he's not just some geek...this guy...he raped me."
Alex was silent for a few minutes. She never would have thought that it was this serious. It had only been this serious once, just once. She never thought she would face it again. After Jo she never thought...
"Did you call the police?" she asked, more serious then ever.
"Yes, and pressed charges."
"Convict him?"
"He was supposed to be doing time." Said Ash.
"And I hadn't seen or heard anything of him all summer.....this happened last year you see.....and then all of a sudden he showed up at our school basket ball game."
"Damn.....ok, make sure all of your doors are locked.....I would suggest going to a room in the middle of the house with no windows, if at all possible." Alex said.
"Well there is the laundry room. It's a tight sqeeze though."
"Safer than the front room."
"I just can't believe this." Ashley laid her head back onto the couch. This was becoming far too much for her.
"Believe it, lassie. This is as real as it gets." There was a lot of authority in Alex's voice. Jo hadn't heard her speak quite like this. She seemed a lot wiser. True Alex was always there for Jo, but she didn't think that one frightful event had changed her much. Perhaps Jo was wrong.
"Alex, what has happened to you? You seem different." She asked.
Alex sighed. "It's what life does.....and being the leader of a 'gang', so to speak....."
"Gang?!.....Alex is there something you need to tell me?"
"Eh...long story.....short version is, because of my peacemaking ways, people began to follow me. Pretty soon, were the big power on campus.....non-violent, i assure you, but a few of the members are rough.....I had to learn to take charge and so, this is how i ended up. But don't you worry about that. Right now, you guy's gotta get to a safe place."
Jo suddenly heard a clinking sound, then the door knob turning. Fear griped her again. "Oh.....my....."
"What is it? What's going on?" Alex called. Not able to see what was happening.
All three frightened girls looked toward the door as it swung open. As the lighting flashed they looked up to see a tall dark figure in the door. They all screamed in terror. Alex was still trying to find out what was happening "Hello?! Jo!!! Are you there?! What's happening?! JO!!!" Alex was now becoming frightened that her friend would be hurt. And this time she wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
The figure of the man stepped inside, the girls were still screaming.
"Whoa! Whoa! Girls cool it! It's me!" The figure spoke. Jo stopped, then she knew it was her brother Brent. She ran up and embraced him. Not prepared for the wait of his sister flying at him, Brent stumbled a bit. "Hey it's alright..." he said soothingly, holding her.
"Jo! Where are you?!" Alex didn't here Brent's voice. "Jo! Ashley?!"
"Its ok" said Ashley "We're fine."
"Brent just got home." Jo said. "And scared us!" "Whew! Brent? That's a relief" Alex collapsed on her bed.
"Sorry girls, didn't mean to scare ya."
"It's...ok..." Paige said, trying to calm herself down. Brent kept one arm around Jo and stepped inside. "Aw...the powers out? I thought you guys were sleeping. Who are you on the phone with?"
"Me!" Alex said.
"Alex?"
"Yup! 'Tis I, the fearless Cap'n Alex, scurge of the Royal Navy!" Alex laughed.
"Still into the Pirate thing Alex?" Brent started bring the shopping bags into the entry way.
"Oh, you know I am! And proud of it!"
"I got the sodas Jo. And some chips and dip." Brent stopped and looked at the phone "Oh and Jo, if that's a long distance call I would hate to be you when the phone bill comes. Dad won't be happy.
"Meyah!" Alex stuck her tongue at her phone, the gesture meant for Brent.
"If I know Alex then she's sticking her tongue out at you Brent....." Jo grinned.
Alex let out a mock gasp "How did you guess?!"
"Oh that was easy!"
"Humph! WELL" Alex pretended to sound insulted but then laughed again. " So you guys are ok?"
"Yeah we're ok now"
"Better" Paige said feeling much safer now that Brent was there.
"Yeah, fine." Said Ashley.
"Well...if that flea-bitten landlubber comes 'round a' gin, throw me a sword and ol' Cap'n Alex'll take care of 'im! Arrg!"
Jo didn't tell Brent about what happened. She didn't feel that the time was right. She was afraid he would do something rash. But she was worried. Would Dean try to get to Paige? Or Ashley or HER? There didn't seem to be enough evidence to go to the police. Even though Dean being out of prison should be enough. I wish Alex was here. Jo thought. All three girls fell asleep. Jo was the last to.
**Dream/ Jo's thoughts**
Pain...my back hurts, my arms hurt, my head hurts, everything hurts. It won't go away. The pain won't go away. He won't go away. None of them will leave me alone. They keep coming. They all push me down, and they hurt me. I feel broken glass underneath me. I'm being torn apart. They won't stop! Stop! Stop! STOP!!!
**end**
"Stop! Please stop!" Jo sobbed. "Stop it!"
"Jo! Jo wake up!"
Jo continued to cry and she opened her eyes to see her father kneeling beside her sleeping bag. He immediately took her in his arms as she kept crying. Paige felt tears filling her eyes as she watched Jo's Father rock her back and forth in his arms like a tiny baby. She felt scared but that wasn't her only emotion. Paige felt a stab of jealousy. She wanted to be the one to hold Jo, to comfort her, to tell her everything was alright. She knew she couldn't though. Jo needed her father. This feeling of not being wanted hit Paige hard. She didn't even realize that it was over another girl.
"Oh god, I thought this was over!" Paige sat on the floor, her head in her hands. "Now it's getting worse..."
"Jo, are you sure you don't want to call your brother now?" Ashley asked, still looking at the photos.
"Now? Of course I want to call...I just hope the phones aren't dead..."
Paige looked up, her eyes wild with fright "Don't say that, Jo! Remember the lights!"
"I didn't do that, Paige! That was a...uh...well it wasn't ME!"
The phone suddenly rang sending all three girl five feet in the air. Jo walked towards the hall phone. Paige was up in an instant and tried to pull Jo back by her shoulders. "Don't answer! That's Dean, it's got to be!"
"How can it be?! He doesn't have my number! He doesn't know me!"
"Well not knowing you didn't stop in from having your picture did it?!"
"Paige let go!"
"Don't answer it!"
The phone only rang three times, and had only two to go before the answering machine would pick up. Jo managed to break free, she had to answer. She made it before the last ring and picked up the receiver.
"H-hello?"
"Hey Jo!" a voice called cheerfully. It was a voice that Jo hadn't heard for weeks.
"Alex?"
"Who else would call in the middle of the night?" Alex laughed. Jo did to.
"...And long distance to Canada.....I should have known." Jo sighed in relief. Alex laughed again. She had been one of Jo's best friends in California. Jo hadn't talked to her since they moved. It seemed like forever.
"We're having a storm over here so we're kinda...jumpy....." Thunder cracked again.
"Whoa! Heard that one! You all alone over there?" Alex was in her p.j.s and lying on her belly on her bed, reading. Her long dark hair pulled back in ponytail. Without Jo things hadn't been quite the same. She found herself bored more often. She knew her mom would kill her if she caught her making long distant calls, but she couldn't wait to talk to Jo again.
"No.....thank goodness." Said Jo "Have a few friends from school. Dad is at work and my brother is out somewhere."
"Oh, well, put me on speaker phone and let me talk to them!"
"Sure let me switch phones first hold on....."Jo put her hand over the receiver "Paige, pick up the living room phone on the coffee table....."
"Sure..." Paige went to the table and picked up the phone and slowly head it to her ear. She still was scared. "Can you here me?" she asked.
"Ahoy, me hearty!" Alex said.
"Ok Jo, u can hang it up." Paige said.
Jo hung up hall phone. She quickly put the other on speaker phone. "There!"
"Hey, so how goes it at Degrassi High, mates?" Alex spoke in her best pirate accent. She loved Pirates of the Caribbean. Jo laughed.
"Ashley, Paige, this is Alex. A friend from back home. Alex, meet Ashley and Paige."
Ashley and Paige said "Hi". This girl seemed a little strange to them.
"Ahoy!" Alex greeted them again. The girls laughed.
"You have no idea, Alex, how happy we are to hear from you..."
"...Instead of somebody else..." Paige interrupted.
"Oh?" Alex questioned. "Somebody botherin' you?"
"Yeah, a psychopathic rapist!" Ashley said.
"He's running around someplace trying to freak us out!" said Paige.
"Well, give me my sword, I'll cut down the scurvy-ridden land lubber!" Alex made an "Arrg!" making the other girls laugh again. But they were still jittery.
Jo sighed. "I know you would if you had the chance."
"But seriously, what's going on?" Alex's tone had become more serious.
"Uh....." Ashley didn't know what to say next. She didn't blame Alex for not believing this was really happening to them. She probably wouldn't have believed it herself.
".....yeah, that's it....." Paige said.
"Mm-hmm...turning out to be the worst night of our lives..." Jo's voice suddenly sounded very tired. Sometimes she wished Alex would believe more of what she told her, without thinking before that she was kidding.
"Wait...Jo, you guys are serious about this?"
"Yes Alex, I'm afraid so..."
"Alright. Don't panic. The thing to do is laugh a lot. And I mean a LOT! He is just trying to scare you. You can't let him know that you are afraid!"
"Alright....."
"Wait.....You don't think he's actually watching?!" Paige quickly got up to look out the window. Alex continued "C'mon, trust me on this! Just last week, some geek from math was trying to scare me into going out with him! But I just laughed when he threatened me! And he gave up!"
She doesn't understand does she? Paige thought. "Alex," she said "I'm not sure you get it..." she didn't see any other way but to tell this girl "This guy...he's not just some geek...this guy...he raped me."
Alex was silent for a few minutes. She never would have thought that it was this serious. It had only been this serious once, just once. She never thought she would face it again. After Jo she never thought...
"Did you call the police?" she asked, more serious then ever.
"Yes, and pressed charges."
"Convict him?"
"He was supposed to be doing time." Said Ash.
"And I hadn't seen or heard anything of him all summer.....this happened last year you see.....and then all of a sudden he showed up at our school basket ball game."
"Damn.....ok, make sure all of your doors are locked.....I would suggest going to a room in the middle of the house with no windows, if at all possible." Alex said.
"Well there is the laundry room. It's a tight sqeeze though."
"Safer than the front room."
"I just can't believe this." Ashley laid her head back onto the couch. This was becoming far too much for her.
"Believe it, lassie. This is as real as it gets." There was a lot of authority in Alex's voice. Jo hadn't heard her speak quite like this. She seemed a lot wiser. True Alex was always there for Jo, but she didn't think that one frightful event had changed her much. Perhaps Jo was wrong.
"Alex, what has happened to you? You seem different." She asked.
Alex sighed. "It's what life does.....and being the leader of a 'gang', so to speak....."
"Gang?!.....Alex is there something you need to tell me?"
"Eh...long story.....short version is, because of my peacemaking ways, people began to follow me. Pretty soon, were the big power on campus.....non-violent, i assure you, but a few of the members are rough.....I had to learn to take charge and so, this is how i ended up. But don't you worry about that. Right now, you guy's gotta get to a safe place."
Jo suddenly heard a clinking sound, then the door knob turning. Fear griped her again. "Oh.....my....."
"What is it? What's going on?" Alex called. Not able to see what was happening.
All three frightened girls looked toward the door as it swung open. As the lighting flashed they looked up to see a tall dark figure in the door. They all screamed in terror. Alex was still trying to find out what was happening "Hello?! Jo!!! Are you there?! What's happening?! JO!!!" Alex was now becoming frightened that her friend would be hurt. And this time she wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
The figure of the man stepped inside, the girls were still screaming.
"Whoa! Whoa! Girls cool it! It's me!" The figure spoke. Jo stopped, then she knew it was her brother Brent. She ran up and embraced him. Not prepared for the wait of his sister flying at him, Brent stumbled a bit. "Hey it's alright..." he said soothingly, holding her.
"Jo! Where are you?!" Alex didn't here Brent's voice. "Jo! Ashley?!"
"Its ok" said Ashley "We're fine."
"Brent just got home." Jo said. "And scared us!" "Whew! Brent? That's a relief" Alex collapsed on her bed.
"Sorry girls, didn't mean to scare ya."
"It's...ok..." Paige said, trying to calm herself down. Brent kept one arm around Jo and stepped inside. "Aw...the powers out? I thought you guys were sleeping. Who are you on the phone with?"
"Me!" Alex said.
"Alex?"
"Yup! 'Tis I, the fearless Cap'n Alex, scurge of the Royal Navy!" Alex laughed.
"Still into the Pirate thing Alex?" Brent started bring the shopping bags into the entry way.
"Oh, you know I am! And proud of it!"
"I got the sodas Jo. And some chips and dip." Brent stopped and looked at the phone "Oh and Jo, if that's a long distance call I would hate to be you when the phone bill comes. Dad won't be happy.
"Meyah!" Alex stuck her tongue at her phone, the gesture meant for Brent.
"If I know Alex then she's sticking her tongue out at you Brent....." Jo grinned.
Alex let out a mock gasp "How did you guess?!"
"Oh that was easy!"
"Humph! WELL" Alex pretended to sound insulted but then laughed again. " So you guys are ok?"
"Yeah we're ok now"
"Better" Paige said feeling much safer now that Brent was there.
"Yeah, fine." Said Ashley.
"Well...if that flea-bitten landlubber comes 'round a' gin, throw me a sword and ol' Cap'n Alex'll take care of 'im! Arrg!"
Jo didn't tell Brent about what happened. She didn't feel that the time was right. She was afraid he would do something rash. But she was worried. Would Dean try to get to Paige? Or Ashley or HER? There didn't seem to be enough evidence to go to the police. Even though Dean being out of prison should be enough. I wish Alex was here. Jo thought. All three girls fell asleep. Jo was the last to.
**Dream/ Jo's thoughts**
Pain...my back hurts, my arms hurt, my head hurts, everything hurts. It won't go away. The pain won't go away. He won't go away. None of them will leave me alone. They keep coming. They all push me down, and they hurt me. I feel broken glass underneath me. I'm being torn apart. They won't stop! Stop! Stop! STOP!!!
**end**
"Stop! Please stop!" Jo sobbed. "Stop it!"
"Jo! Jo wake up!"
Jo continued to cry and she opened her eyes to see her father kneeling beside her sleeping bag. He immediately took her in his arms as she kept crying. Paige felt tears filling her eyes as she watched Jo's Father rock her back and forth in his arms like a tiny baby. She felt scared but that wasn't her only emotion. Paige felt a stab of jealousy. She wanted to be the one to hold Jo, to comfort her, to tell her everything was alright. She knew she couldn't though. Jo needed her father. This feeling of not being wanted hit Paige hard. She didn't even realize that it was over another girl.