Grayson (6 page)

The next day I was able to squeeze in a few hours of sorting and cleaning. Having the right supplies made things go so much faster. I managed to demolish more stacks of junk and I cleaned and vacuumed some of the smaller furniture. By the end of the day, I had at least three contractor bags filled with debris and tattered books. I’d left the front door open while I worked in an attempt to let in fresh air and dilute the ubiquitous dust that clung to me like a second skin. I worked in a peaceful quiet, determined to set my mind to the job.

I was tempted to try the door at the top of the stairs again, but forced myself to stay away. A few times, that feeling assailed me, the sense that I was being watched. My skin would pop with goose bumps and the hairs on the back of my neck would stand on end. But whenever I looked around, no one was there.

I packed up early. My physics midterm was tomorrow and I couldn't wait for it to be behind me. At least I’d been able to cover the rent with the extra money that Charles had given me. It really helped. That was one less thing to worry about.

Finished for the day, I closed the front door behind me and stood on the lawn. I couldn’t help myself. I stared up at the second floor, goose bumps peppering my skin again as the memory of what I’d witnessed last week filled my head. My cell phone rang, scattering the images, and I answered as I turned and walked toward the gate. It was my dad.

“Hey, your mom wants to know what time you’re getting here on Saturday.”

Saturday was Anna’s birthday and mom was making a special dinner. My little sister was turning seventeen.

“I’ll be there by three.”

“Great. I’ll let her know.”

“See you soon, Dad.”

“Love you.”

“You too.” I signed off and prepared myself for a brisk walk.

My midterm was brutal. It would be a miracle if I passed Physics.
Shit!
I hated that class. I walked out of the classroom in a stupor, went directly to bed, and pulled the covers over my head. I needed to block out the world for a little while. Why the fuck would I need to know the fission rate of Uranium unless I was building a bomb. And the last time I checked, terrorism wasn’t my major. Considering the world we lived in there should be classes on how to resolve conflict, on diplomacy, or how to be tolerant and accepting of others. Instead, I was tortured with useless bullshit. I slept until my phone woke me late that evening.

“Where are you?” Jenny’s voice shocked me from sleep. I could barely hear her above the riotous background noise.

“What?” I asked, slightly dazed.

“We’re celebrating! ” she  yelled. “We’re at Flannigan’s!”

Oh, shit.
I’d completely forgotten. Since I’d missed the last bar hop, I’d promised to meet my friends out tonight.
Ugh.
I’d been courting melancholy all week and was now seriously bummed about my midterm I was sure I’d failed. I really wasn’t in the mood to socialize.

“Um…” I started picking through my brain for an excuse. Sitting up in bed, I checked the clock. It was already ten pm.

“Come on, Angie. You have to come. I have a surprise for you,” she cooed sweetly.

“Surprise?” I frowned.

“Hey, gorgeous! I’m your surprise.”

I smiled with disbelief when Mark’s voice boomed over the phone. He’d left me three messages today. I’d sent him a quick text right before falling asleep.

“Mark, I didn't know you’d be there.”

“I left you a message saying I was coming.”

“I’ve been sleeping.”

“Come on out…or better yet,” his voice dropped an octave. “I’ll come there and join you in bed.”

My hand tightened on the phone and I laughed lightly. “I think Jenny will kill me if I don’t come out. I promised her.”

“See you soon then,” he said with a smile in his voice. After a few of my rapid heartbeats, I relaxed.

An hour and a half later, I was leaning against a bar in a noisy pub, downing my third beer. I let the alcohol reach tentacles of warmth deep inside me and squash my inhibitions. I welcomed the lightness in my spirit and the slow numbing of my brain. Mark had elbowed through a throng of people on the other side of the bar and was ordering refills. He spotted me over the bowed heads and shot me a sexy wink. I smiled back, then looked away when my cell phone went off again, signaling a text.

Remember what I want for my b’day!!!!

I shook my head and laughed at Anna’s text. She was relentless.

Blonde! Gorgeous! Rich! I want introduction!!!!

No!!!!!

Pleeeeease!?!?!?!

No. See you tomorrow!

I tucked the phone back in my purse and downed the last of my beer. Anna was driving me crazy. There was no way I was introducing her to Charles. She was still a virgin. The way she panted over boys, I wondered how long that status would last. Introducing her to Charles would ensure a rapid demise of her innocence. I sighed, knowing my strong-willed, rebellious sister. She’d just started dating this year. Maybe I should be giving her condoms for her birthday instead of the present I’d gotten her.

I turned just as Mark approached. He pushed my butt against the bar and kissed me deeply, groaning into my mouth. Jenny came over with some girlfriends and we all did a round of shots. Despite Mark’s encouragement, I declined a second round. I was already pretty tipsy and didn’t want to be hung over during my visit at my parents’ house tomorrow. Anxious about my exam, I’d barely eaten today. Alcohol and an empty stomach didn’t sit well with me.

As the night wound down, Jenny left with a guy she’d met, telling me she’d see me in the morning. My friends gradually trickled out and Mark took my hand and led me from the bar through the back door. I wondered why we were going through the back, but he’d gone out to the alley several times to grab a smoke and I figured he wanted company this time. He was already pretty drunk and I was glad neither of us were driving.

Outside was cool and the night air felt good against my flushed skin. I could hear the music blaring from inside and it pulsed through my body like a second heartbeat. I bounced my head to the steady rhythm. I was feeling pretty good and relaxed, pleasantly drunk, but not completely trashed. Mark crowded me, backing me up against the brick wall and covering my lips with his. The kiss was sloppy and wet, and after a minute, I needed to take a breath that wasn’t saturated with the smell and taste of cigarettes. I attempted to break the kiss and turn my head, but he cupped my jaw and held my face still.

“Come on, Angie. No games tonight. You’re driving me fucking crazy,” he mumbled into my mouth.

I tried to pull back to tell him that I didn’t play games, but I couldn’t get words around the mouth that was strangling mine. His hand snaked under my shirt and he palmed my breast roughly, squeezing my nipple until I cried out in pain.

“I know you want my cock…” he slurred against my lips.

Rational thought struggled to break through my alcoholic fog, but the cloud was dense and smothering. I frowned, anger filling my head.

“Mark, let me go!”

He pulled back slightly, but still kept my chin captive. His muscular thighs pinned me to the wall and I could feel his erection digging into me.

“You’re a cock tease, aren’t you? You say no, but you really want to get fucked, don’t you? You owe me, remember?”

His other hand was still groping me, now squeezing my other breast painfully. “You walk around with these big fucking tits, teasing the shit out of me. I know what you want, you little cunt.”

My eyes widened with alarm. I shook my head, not believing the crude words coming from his mouth. I knew he was drunk, but he’d never been a pushy guy. I took a deep breath, still trying to clear my head and say the words that would make him stop. His hand pushed under my skirt and he dragged the crotch of my panties aside, trying to sink a finger inside me. I twisted my hips, a sob rolling up from my throat.

“Ma—Mark! Stop this! You’re drunk! You’re hurting me!” My voice cracked with panic.

I could hear his breath raking through his nostrils as he used brutal force to keep me pinned against the wall. He fumbled with his pants, trying to open his zipper while keeping me immobilized. The smell of cigarettes was clawing at my stomach and causing bile to bubble up my throat. I tried to push his body away, sobbing now. I screamed when his fingers dug into my flesh and he pushed roughly inside my sex. He moved the hand that had a vice-like grip on my chin and clapped it brutally over my mouth.

“I’m going to fill this tight, little pussy.”

Black terror gripped me. A maniacal chant filled my head.
He’s going to rape me. He’s going to rape me. He’s going to rape me. Oh, God…

I bit his finger, and swearing crudely, he slammed my head against the brick wall.

Pain exploded in my skull, but I bit his palm again. He slackened his grip on my mouth.

“Mark, no!” My scream was muffled again as I kicked out at him. He turned sideways, avoiding the impact, while still trying to free his dick through his zipper. The action, at least, disengaged his fingers from my body, and I started struggling wildly, water flooding my eyes. Fear lanced through my system, energizing my flailing limbs, but his strength was overwhelming.

Then something happened. Mark’s body was violently jerked away from mine. A bigger man bunched his shirt by the collar, pounding him with a relentless fist, over and over. The image blurred through my tears, but I could hear the crunch of every impact. I slumped over, sobbing deeply from my belly. My hair fell in a heavy curtain around my face. Emotion surged through me like a tidal wave and before I knew what was happening, I was vomiting on the ground. I wretched and wretched until there was nothing left inside me, until I felt like my organs had loosened and shriveled up.

It seemed to go on for an eternity, until small spasms were coursing through me and shaking my body. Hearing absolute quiet behind me, I collapsed against the wall, feeling the cold brick against my back. I pushed my hair from my face and swiped a forearm across my mouth. My chest rose and fell deeply, sucking in great gulps of air.

He was still there. The man. My savior. He was standing incredibly still and watching me. I couldn’t make out his face in the shadows claiming the alley, but I knew immediately who he was. He was Charles’ father.

My gaze flew to Mark, who was laying in a broken heap on the cobbled stone. I looked back to the man who had come to my rescue. My heart lurched in my chest and I shook my head in disbelief.

“Have you been following me?” I frowned. It was the first thought in my head.

He turned toward Mark’s body. “He can’t hurt you anymore. Go back inside.”

“Wait!” I reached out a hand when he made a move to leave, my heart battering my rib cage. “Grayson, wait…
please!
”

He hesitated at the sound of his name.

“I—I want to talk to you.”

“Go back inside,” he said again, then disappeared into the shadows.

Fuck!
I wanted to run after him. I wanted to say thank you. I wanted so many things. Tears wracked my body again and I looked down at Mark’s body and shuddered. I could see the asshole’s chest rising and falling and wanted to spit on him.

A cool breeze raked against my neck and I shuddered violently. I wiped my face with my palms and snaked my arms around my torso, trying to get warm. My head hurt like it was squeezed in a vice. Numbly, I peeled myself away from the wall, walked through the bar, and collected my bag. Outside, I hailed a cab, already sobbing again. I didn’t think I had enough tears for the tremendous emotion exploding inside me.

I don’t know how I got through the next few days. I was drowning in an emotional soup and it was hard keeping my feelings from boiling over. It taxed all my energy to plaster a smile on my face for Anna’s birthday celebration, but I wasn’t going to ruin it for her. She was already disappointed that we weren’t going out to celebrate, but I’d repeatedly explained that we just couldn’t afford to.

Dad got laid off six months ago from a job he’d held for almost twenty years. Shortly after that, my mom needed surgery to remove a tumor from her abdomen. Thank God the tumor had been benign, but the subsequent medical bills ate up whatever they had saved. We were still paying them off, plus the mortgage on the house as well as regular monthly bills. Even with mom’s full time job at Walmart, my dad doing odd jobs, and me working, it was hard making ends meet.

A good portion of my paycheck went to help pay the bills. I didn’t mind. They’d supported me through my undergraduate program without a complaint. They’d made sacrifices so that I could have a good education. At sixteen—now seventeen—it was hard for Anna to understand that we had to be frugal and cut back when her friends were getting new cars and designer handbags for their birthdays. I hoped as she got older, she’d start to see the world more realistically.

I worked at the hospital on Sunday and Monday, and was happy to be doing what I loved. Nursing always gave me tremendous satisfaction. Knowing I could ease someone’s suffering was rewarding in itself.