Copyright © 2021 James Russell Stoakes
All rights reserved.
http://JamesStoakes.com
The cold air streamed across Mary’s face as she ran from the noise of the dance. It was comforting against her skin as she flew past her car, crossed the avenue, and passed into the woods. She was sure the moon-lit nature trail would help her get a grip on her emotions. She slowed to a walk, but after a few minutes, sobs racked her body again, and she stood still until she got herself under control. Suddenly, she noticed there were footsteps behind her, but before she could turn, an iron-like hand clamped a foul-smelling rag to her face.
“There are some good-looking girls at this school,” Jason thought as he leered from inside his old, beat-up ride. He had been following Sarah all week to figure out when he might be able to catch her alone. “She needs to be taken down a notch or two,” Jason affirmed to himself. He could see a few kids getting ready to go into what he assumed was a formal dance when someone burst from the door.
“What do we have here?” Jason asked himself quietly. He slid down in his seat to be less noticeable as he watched the girl approached the parking lot and pass across into the woods. No one followed or was chasing after her. It wasn’t Sarah, but he smiled and thought, “She’ll do. Opportunity knocks, and I need some release.” He grabbed his “kit” and quietly slid out of the car.
“What’s going on,” Mary thought. Her eyes were closed, and she felt groggy. There was an uncomfortable pressure on top of her and repeating stabbing pain in her groin. She rolled her head to the side a bit and could feel skin against her cheek and hear someone breathing rapidly in her ear. Mary’s eyes popped open as the realization struck her: someone was raping her. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. The attacker’s ear brushed against her lip occasionally as he moved. She opened her mouth and grabbed it the next time it presented itself to her. Mary bit down hard.
Jason howled when the unexpected pain struck him. He pushed up and away quickly, and as he looked down, blood dripped onto the girl’s exposed chest. In a fit of rage, Jason balled his fist and punched the jaw of the girl below him as hard as he could. She was motionless again, so he continued sawing into her and quickly finished.
Standing there, Jason realized the bleeding was worse than he initially thought. He roughly ripped off a piece of the girl’s dress and tried to compress his ear with it.
He lashed out and kicked the motionless girl twice in the ribs. “Fucking bitch!” he said to her accusingly. Standing there still a moment longer, Jason lifted the makeshift pad and rechecked his ear. It continued to bleed profusely. He lifted his booted foot and stomped the lifeless girl’s stomach before departing.
Things had been a little tense between Sarah and Robbie for the first hour of the dance, but he slowly won her over. They danced several sets before sitting down.
Two hours later, Sarah was content to nibble on some cookies and sip her juice while Robbie talked. She was tired, and he was describing his plans for the future.
“When I graduate high school, I plan on going to the Tech and get my associates in business,” he said. “If I feel I need a bachelor’s degree after that, I can always transfer the credits State.”
Sarah nodded politely. In all of Robbie’s plans, he had not mentioned how she fit in the puzzle. She had to admit, though, she hadn’t thought as far ahead as Robbie had.
“What time are you guys planning on leaving?” Dan asked from a nearby table.
Locking eyes with Robbie, Sarah said to him, “I’m ready if you are. I’m worn out.”
Robbie looked over to Dan, “I assume you need a ride?”
“Mary never came back, so yeah, since she drove us here,” he said.
“Let’s get going then,” Robbie said, standing. He extended his hand to Sarah. She took it and stood. He drew her in for a quick kiss, which she accepted.
“Break it up, Mr. Kelly!” one of the chaperones shouted.
Robbie smiled broadly as he and Sarah separated. The three students walked to the coat rack to retrieve their things.
“Good night, Mr. Martin,” Robbie said as he ushered the other two through the door.
“Good night, Rob..,” Mr. Martin began to say. He was interrupted by Sarah.
“Somebody call an ambulance!” Sarah screamed as she sprinted forward. Danny stood frozen as Robbie rushed past him. Behind him, Mr. Martin quickly viewed the scene as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket.
Sarah was cradling Mary’s head in her lap. She had taken her jacket off and was pulling it up over Mary. “She’s so cold!” Sarah yelled, looking up at Robbie.
“Give her your jacket,” Robbie said, removing his own coat and arranging it around Mary’s legs. Dan handed his jacket to Robbie. Sarah and Robbie bundled Mary some more.
Mr. Martin was still on the phone with emergency services when the first police officer arrived. They sped in with lights and sirens blaring.
Until this moment, there had been very few spectators. Under Mr. Martin’s instructions, the teachers had quickly blocked the door, the music had covered Sarah’s initial outburst, so those inside were unaware of what was transpiring outside. Now the windows each had curious faces in them trying to see what was happening.
Mr. Martin stepped forward and spoke with the officers quietly. The ambulance arrived, and the paramedics rushed forward.
“What is the situation?” the driver asked the closest officer while the other opened the back.
The officer leaned in close to the driver. “Possible rape,” he said. “Exposure up to two hours according to the principal.”
The driver got a disgusted look on his face and went to help his partner remove the gurney. They moved to Mary’s side. “Leave her to us,” they told Sarah as one gently urged her to move away.
“Her jaw doesn’t look right,” Sarah said as she moved away.
Mary was unconscious as the two paramedics moved her and the pile of jackets to the gurney. Once strapped in, they relocated her to the ambulance. One of the officers took the jackets that the paramedics handed out and closed the door while they stabilized Mary.
“What’s taking so long?” Sarah asked the officer as she took the proffered jackets.
“They are warming her. It takes time to be sure they do not damage her more during the trip,” he answered. As if they had been listening, the siren started up on the ambulance, and it surged forward.
As soon as the police finished questioning Mr. Martin, Sarah, Robbie, and Dan, Mr. Martin encouraged them to go directly home and not talk with anyone about what had happened. It was a quiet trip. Robbie dropped Dan off at his home without a word spoken between any of them. The ride to Sarah’s was uncomfortable. When they arrived, Robbie went to open Sarah’s door as he always did, but she rushed out and up the walk ahead of him. Robbie followed. He knew that Mister and Misses Mitchel would have questions for them both.