Authors Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I flove you all and I hope you'll keep reading! And if I get any knew readers, please tell me what you think! It's hard to write when people don't review.
Warning: This chapter contains sexual violence.
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"I don't understand why it's such a big deal, anyways." Peyton said, carefully removing the olive from her martini glass with her teeth. "You're both hot, and strangely single, why shouldn't you get together?"
Rachel rolled her eyes as she opened two beer bottles.
"We – Nathan and I – are not like that. Just because you ran down the aisle at twenty, and now want to live life as an unattached 22 year old vicariously through me, doesn't mean you get to pick who I date." Rachel smirked, turning to place the beers in front of two men in business suits.
"Hey, I'm not trying to pick who you date, but Nathan is cute. If I wasn't married, I might date him. Who would have ever thought he'd be on the market again!" Peyton grinned, wiggling her eyebrows.
Rachel made a mental note to cut Peyton off.
"Peyton, you did date Nathan. And anyways, it's not like I'm not looking for that right person. I know he is too, we just…" Rachel sighed. "He's pretty much my best friend now –,"
Peyton gave her a look.
"- Besides you!" She said quickly.
"I just need him in my life, and this thing, whatever it was that happened, it's coming between us. We never hangout anymore, or talk, and he never picks up when I call. He just texts me later with some excuse."
Peyton nodded, grabbing Rachel's hand from across the bar.
"It'll be okay, Rachel. He'll come around. If I know Nathan – and I do know Nathan – he's just as confused by the whole thing as you are. He just needs space to figure it out." Peyton soothed.
"I hope so." She took a deep breath.
"But you know what, that's enough talk about him. I have you here tonight to keep me company, and as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't get much better than that." She grinned, winking at her friend.
"Hey sexy, can we get a round of shots over here!"
Rachel clenched her teeth to keep herself from rolling her eyes and forced a fake smile.
"Sure, boys. What're you having?" She asked, flirtatiously. If she played her cards right, these frat boys would tip her good.
"Whiskey, baby." One of them slurred bringing his face close to hers as he said it and placing a twenty in her bra. "Keep the change."
Rachel bit her cheek, resisting the urge to sock this guy in the face.
Instead, she smiled at him and removed the twenty from her bra, placing it in her back pocket.
"Coming right up, sweetie." She drawled, grabbing a bottle of Jack Daniels and lining up shot glasses in front of them. In a fluid motion she filled them, barely spilling a drop.
"Enjoy." She smirked, wiping her hands on a towel and making her way back over to Peyton.
"I just love the diversity of your clientele." Peyton said dryly, looking between the bumbling frat boys – who were still high-fiving each other over the 'twenty in the bra' move – and the middle aged guys in business suits who looked dead inside.
"Yeah, what can I say? I'm a lucky girl." Rachel joked, pulling her tips out of her back pocket and counting them.
"Money's good, though." She grinned placing the wad of bills in her purse. "And who knows how much longer that'll be the case, I'm getting old, Peyton. Not going to look like this forever." She said, grimacing.
"Rachel, you're twenty two. I think you'll be okay. But have you even looked into anything else? You did go to school, after all." Peyton reminded.
"A two year community college. That's all I could afford after my beloved parents cut me off." She muttered.
"Well, it's a business degree. It's standard, but it has a lot of options. Look into it, Rachel. For me." Peyton said warmly, placing a twenty in front of Rachel and grabbing her purse. "Luke is swinging by to grab me. He should be here any minute."
Rachel grabbed the money and shook her head. "Hey, no way. Those drinks were on me." She insisted, holding the money out to Peyton.
Peyton shook her head and smiled. "Keep it. Are you going to be okay getting home?" She asked.
Rachel nodded. "My shift is over at eleven. I have my car."
"Okay, drive safe. I'll call you tomorrow or something, it's your day off right?"
"Yeah, give me a call." Rachel said, waving goodbye to her friend as she wiped down the bar.
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Rachel yawned, tugging on her jacket and grabbing her purse. After spending four hours with a bunch of screaming frat boys, she was exhausted and couldn't wait to get home.
"Bye, Bill." She called out on her way out the door. Bill was her boss. He stayed behind after the bartender went home and made sure to clear everyone out.
Stepping outside into the cool night air, Rachel took a deep breath. It was refreshing to breath something other than cigar smoke and alcohol. Leaning up against the wall by the backdoor of the bar, Rachel pulled out her phone and texted Nathan.
'I thought you were gonna stop by tonight?'
Receiving no response after a few minutes she sighed, placing her phone back in her purse she started to make her way to the parking lot a few blocks down.
Oliver's was always so busy that Rachel's boss had asked her to park down the street by the flower shop, leaving the parking lot open to paying customers.
Rachel's phone beeped as she walked and she flipped it open quickly, hoping it was Nathan texting her back.
'Lucas thinks he's getting lucky tonight because I'm drunk. – Peyton'
Rachel started to type a response when Peyton texted her again.
'I told him he was the one who was drunk. LOL. – Peyton'
Rachel laughed.
'You bitch!' She texted back.
'We're waiting until I start ovulating. It's a system. Why am I the only one following the system?! – Peyton'
'Because you're the only one who keeps track of shit like that, you crazy person. Just have sex with him. Besides, the more you do it, the more chance you have of getting pregnant.' She responded.
'God help him, he put on 'Maybe Tomorrow.' This is so pathetic. Now I have to do it. I'll call you tomorrow. – Peyton'
'LOL. Okay, love you.' She wrote back, closing her phone.
She was just about to her car when she heard a noise behind her. Turning around, she squinted into the darkness, but didn't see anything.
Sighing, she started walking again.
After a few seconds, she heard it again. Footsteps.
"Hello?" She called out, turned around again.
"Hey." A man's voice said.
Rachel turned to see a man in a suit approaching her. She recognized him from the bar.
"Oh, hi. I served you tonight right?" She asked, relieved she wasn't being followed by some weirdo.
"Yeah, yeah. Listen, I don't really know my way around here. I was wondering if you could help me find my car?" The man said nervously, shoving his hands into his pockets and smiling at Rachel.
Rachel nodded. She knew what it was like to be new in town.
"Sure, where do you think you parked? Anything look familiar?"
The man scratched the back of his head and looked around. Finally he pointed between two buildings.
"I think I walked through that alley to meet my buddy after work. He's the one who told me about Oliver's; wasn't much for directions though." He said with a nervous laugh.
Rachel gave him a curious look.
"Sorry I, I've had a few, and it's not often you have to suck it up and ask a pretty girl for directions. Men are supposed to be able to find their way. It's some sort of man-code." He explained, rubbing the back of his neck.
Rachel laughed softly.
"It's okay. My car's pretty close by to where I think you're referring to. I'll walk you."
He smiled gratefully at her, and the two made their way towards the alley, Rachel leading the way.
Submerged in the darkness between the buildings Rachel was almost glad she had someone to talk to.
"So I'm sorry, what is it that you- Y'know, I don't think I caught what your name was." She said, turning around to face him, and almost falling over when she smacked straight into his chest. She hadn't realized how close behind her he'd been.
He grabbed her to steady her.
"That's because I didn't give it." He whispered.
Rachel took a step back when the guys hands didn't immediately leave her hips.
"Listen, I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm seeing someone." She lied.
He closed the gap between them.
"No. No, I don't think you are. I heard you talking to your friend. You said you're single." He brought his mouth down close to her ear, licking the side of her face. "I'm single too."
Rachel put her hands on his chest and pushed him away.
"Get off me!" She hissed, wiping at her face in disgust. She started to walk away but felt a strong hand grab her arm, jerking her backwards and slamming her into the side of one of the buildings.
The man grabbed her chin roughly with one hands, and continued to squeeze her wrist with the other, pinning her to the wall.
"You're not going anywhere, tease." He spat, his eyes burning into her.
Rachel struggled against him, kneeing him between his legs. He double over in pain and she tried to get away.
He growled angrily, grabbing her ankle and causing her to fall down hard on the pavement. Crawling over her, he pinned her hands above her head.
"You are one fucked up bitch." He hissed. "You're lucky I like it rough."
He kissed her hard and without feeling, pinning her hands above her head with one hand, he used the other to rip open her jeans.
Rachel screamed, kicking her legs furiously.
"No!" She cried. "Stop it!" Her voice was frantic, panicked.
"Shut up, Rachel." He growled, placing his hand over her mouth.
She bit him.
"Fuck! You bitch." He yelled, rearing back and punching her in the face.
Rachel choked on a sob. She could taste blood in her mouth and feel it trickling down from her nose, which was now gushing.
"I know bitches like you. Yeah, I do. You make a guy think he's so great, you tell him he can have everything and you take it away!" he screamed, ripping off his belt.
"Well, I'm done being treated like a nothing. I'm done getting LEFT. This is going to happen, right now!" He spat, pulling her pants down her legs.
"Please stop… please, no." She sobbed, coughing as some of her own blood went down her throat. Tears were streaming down her face.
The man ignored her, pulling down his pants and spreading her legs.
"Don't scream." He warned, suddenly eerily calm. He jammed his jacket into her mouth, muffling her cries.
Rachel tried to imagine she was anywhere but there. She tried to imagine she was with Nathan. She'd take the awkwardness. She wished she were anywhere but here. She wished she were with anyone, doing anything else. But she wasn't. She was in the middle of an alley, thirty feet from her car, and she was being raped.
When he was done, he calmly zipped up his pants, not even bothering to look at her. His anger was gone; he looked almost robotic, like he had earlier at the bar, dead inside. He bent down and retrieved his jacket from her mouth where it was gagging her.
She coughed, gasping for air, and rolled onto her side, trying to crawl away from him.
He was standing there watching her.
After a moment, he closed the gap between them, standing above her.
She looked up at him, fear in her eyes. Afraid he hadn't had enough.
With one last look, he kicked her in the back of the head, knocking her unconscious.
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'I thought you were gonna stop by tonight? - Rachel'
Nathan sighed, looking at the text message again. He was currently sitting in his car, parked a few spaces down from Rachel. He looked over at her Denali and glanced at his watch.
"What the hell, Rach…" He muttered. She'd sent that text over thirty minutes ago. It was only a ten minute walk from here to Oliver's, and that was if you were going at a snails pace.
He'd decided last minute that he couldn't put off talking to Rachel any longer, and had decided to honor her request to meet up tonight. But as he drove to the bar, he'd realized she was probably already clocked out for the night, and he'd decided to try to catch her at her car.
Glancing at his watch again, Nathan heaved a frustrated sigh and opened his car door. Pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, he placed one between his lips and took out his cell phone.
Lighting his cigarette he took a deep drag and exhaled it into the night. Walking casually around the parking lot, he dialed Rachel's number and pressed the phone to his ear.
After a few rings her answering machine picked up.
'Hey, this is Rachel! Sorry I can't come to the phone right now. Leave a message and I'll call you back if you're worth it!'
"Hey, Rach, it's me. I know you wanted to talk tonight and I'm really sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I know things have been weird, that's my fault. But I do want to talk; I'm waiting by your car. So I don't know what you're doing but get your ass back here. Later."
Nathan closed his phone and took another drag of his cigarette, stopping to lean up against her familiar car.
Nathan was about to give up and go home when he heard the unmistakable beep of Rachel's phone. It was telling her she had a new message.
Nathan froze. It was close. Not in the car, close. But close.
Nathan walked towards where he'd heard the sound. Biting his lip, he called her again.
'Hey, this is Rachel! Sorry I can't come to the phone right now. Leave a message and I'll call you back if you're worth it!'
"Hey, it's me again. You need to call me back, okay?"
Nathan closed his phone, and placed it in his pocket. Dropping his cigarette to the ground, he held his breathe, listening.
He heard it again; it was coming from that alley a few feet away. Nathan's stomach dropped. Why would Rachel's phone be in that alley?
He jogged towards it; maybe she'd just dropped her phone. She'd kill him if he didn't get it for her.
The alleyway was dark, much darker than the street, and Nathan had to strain his eyes to see.
Flicking his lighter he dragged his eyes across pavement, searching for the phone.
"Come on, I know it's in here. She must have dropped it she-,'
Nathan gasped when he saw her. He felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach; he couldn't breathe.
"Rach!" He cried, dropping to his knees by her side.
Her face was covered in blood and bruises were beginning to form along her pale neck and arms.
He quickly felt for a pulse, cradling her head in his hand and placing it on his lap. He gasped in relief when he felt one.
He grappled for his phone he had to call 911.
"911. Please state your emergency."
Nathan struggled to speak.
"M-my friend, she's hurt! I don't know, I don't know what happened. I found her – she's in this alley – she's bleeding and she's unconscious!" Nathan cried, gently stroking Rachel's hair.
'Sir, please describe her injuries. We've tracked your call, an ambulance is on the way."
"I – she-," Nathan stuttered, looking over her body. He felt his heart stop when his eyes moved past her waist. Her pants were down; there was blood between her legs. How had he not noticed that before?
Nathan felt bile rise in his throat and he swallowed hard to keep from vomiting.
"She's been raped." He hissed, tears stinging in his eyes.
Closing his phone, Nathan could hear sirens in the distance. He placed his fist into his mouth and let out a strangled cry, tears escaped quickly from beneath his closed eyelids.
He held her close, rocking them back and forth on the cold pavement.
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