by RJ Hunter
As the dance progressed, Sally for some unknown reason began to feel very light-headed, and unusually for her, quite uninhibited. Her thoughts became bizarre and she started to giggle. She tried to recall how much she had drank, but it certainly wasn't very much. After a short while she began to feel herself getting aroused. Then, in total contradiction to her earlier decision, she moved in closer to Frank, and tightened her grip around him. She sensed a warm, glowing feeling down in the pit of her stomach and let her mind wander, visualising in her mind's eye, what sex would be like with him. Perhaps, she should sleep with Frank after all. Lizzie and Ken do it all the time, and probably so do many of the students on campus. Everyone, except her. No wonder Frank has been getting frustrated.
Sally let his hand settle discretely on her breast, and allowed her fantasy to continue unabated as they carried on dancing. However, no matter how much she tried to concentrate on Frank, it was William that kept appearing in her thoughts. It was he who was making love to her, and causing her to melt like this. Her thoughts were confusing her and she began to feel unsteady on her legs. Sally could never bear to be out of control, but now she could do nothing about it. Perhaps, it was the dope, Frank had secretly sprinkled over her meal earlier on, that was affecting her.
A sudden jolt by another merry couple quickly brought Sally back to reality. She heard Frank mouthing his usual vile expletives, and watched embarrassed as he began to square up drunkenly to the man. She turned and began to flee from the ugly altercation. But then, standing directly in front of her was William. Her eyes widened, and she heard herself gasp, as she found herself looking into his hazel eyes once again. He smiled at her, before he and his partner, Jenny, danced off, back into the crowd. Sally remembered his perfect smile, the same one that had captured her heart in the library, a few days earlier.
Frank returned, and tried to pick up where he had left off. But Sally pushed his hands away, and craned her neck to look around. But William had been swallowed up by the hordes, and was nowhere to be seen. He looked even better than Sally had imagined. He wore his dinner jacket unbuttoned, and his bow tie, loose around his neck, with a magnificent air of abandonment. His long, unruly hair adding a further wild, unconventional facet to his rebellious demeanour.
Frank belched loudly and glared at her. His eyes were now quite glazed and his pupils dilated. He staggered backwards, reaching into his inside pocket.
"Sally, I wanted to give you this. I got it for your birthday." Frank then opened the oblong box and took out, the single pearl, gold necklace.
Sally was stunned, it must have cost a fortune. Perhaps, he really did care for her after all. She beamed with pleasure, but immediately felt it wouldn't be right to accept such a gift, especially after the erotic thoughts she's just been having about William, not to mention her decision to finish with Frank.
However, it was too late. Frank was already putting the necklace on Sally. A cheering crowd had already formed around them, and she had to keep very still, as he fumbled with the clasp. Then, with no warning, Frank suddenly lurched forward, almost knocking her off her feet.
Sally looked on in disbelief, hearing screams and the sound of glass breaking, as Frank crashed heavily through a couple of tables, before landing face down on the floor. There was an eerie silence, as he slowly lifted his dazed head. There were bits of fruit cocktail stuck in his hair, and his jacket was soaked with spilt alcohol. Sally followed his gaze, as he looked around to see who had been brave, or silly enough to shove him in the back so hard. She then noticed the look of astonishment on his face, as Frank recognised his attacker.
"Don't you dare ignore me, you bastard!" Screamed Pauline, the timid girl, who had been staring at Frank earlier. Then, rounding on Sally, she hissed, "So I'm not good enough - now you've got your little blonde whore with you!"
Shocked, Sally put her hands to her face, half expecting to be attacked by Pauline. But, before the other woman could make a move, William appeared at Sally's side. Moving quickly, and using his body as a shield, he put his arms about her and successfully managed to get her to safety. As they stood out of harm's way, William sensed he was standing on something. He moved his foot, and looked down to see the necklace lying in a pool of beer. He bent down and scooped it up with the intention of returning it to its owner, once all the commotion had died down.
The crowd were now enthralled at the grotesque, public display being acted out before them, and began to step aside, creating a make-shift arena for this impromptu parody of a Greek tragedy.
Pauline moved closer, with a crazed look in her eyes. The glass beneath her feet crunched as she inched closer to Frank. Sensing a further attack, he rose to his feet quickly and calmly began to step back, towards the exit.
"Pauline, Pauline, please listen to me," he implored. "I think you've had too much to drink. Now just stop all this and go back to your room."
Pauline just stared at him, never letting her eyes leave his, "You gave me that necklace, Frank. I thought I had lost it. I looked everywhere. They wouldn't let me back in the hotel to find it - but you had it all the time."
"I can explain, Pauline. You were being sick and I didn't want you to damage it, so I took it off." He sensed she was weakening and stopped retreating. He then heard Meredith's voice, and put his hand up to stop the Dean coming closer.
"I don't believe you, Frank. You just left me there. I could have died."
"Nonsense, come on, be quiet, and I'll take you back. You really should stick to your limits, Pauline."
With surprising speed, Pauline moved to attack Frank again, but as she did so, the chiffon scarf she was wearing came undone, revealing a disturbing array of bite marks to her neck and cleavage.
"No, I will not be quiet. You took me to that hotel, you got me drunk, gave me drugs and raped me. Then you left me for dead. I will not be quiet, and I will not be ignored by you, like I was just another piece of meat!"
Frank went pale and found himself back on the retreat once more. He stepped back until he was brought to an abrupt halt as he reached the counter of the bar. Then, to his relief, Meredith stepped in between them.
"Gant, is this true, what this young lady is saying?" Demanded the Dean, looking from Frank, back to Pauline.
"No, she's lying. I was with Sally last night. It was her birthday." Frank looked around for Sally, and noticed William Peddlescoombe had his arm around her shoulder. "Sally, tell him I was with you last night."
Sally met Frank's pleading, desperate eyes. She then looked to Pauline, who she thought was quite mad and extremely dangerous. She hesitated, not quite knowing who she should be defending. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She felt sick, as she looked at the bites around Pauline's neck, they weren't just love bites, blood had been drawn. The grim reality of what Frank had in store for her began to manifest itself in her mind. She was wobbly on her legs and wanted to sit down, but a strong arm was supporting her and keeping her safe. She sensed William take her hand, and grip it tightly. She gazed up at him, and immediately felt stronger, with him next to her, willing her to make the right decision.
Sally looked the Dean of Students straight in the eye, took a deep breath, and before she could think too much about it, she answered the question.
"No, Mr. Meredith, Frank was not with me last night. I was with Lizzie in Gloucester."
Frank screamed abuse and threats at Sally, but as he did, he took his eyes off Pauline, for a moment too long. She reached across the bar for an empty pint glass, then lifting it above her head, she suddenly brought it crashing down onto the brass rail surrounding the bar. Frank watched in horror, but seemed transfixed, as she clutched the base of the glass and plunged the jagged end deep into the side of his face.
He screamed with pain and sank to his knees, holding the wound, as blood spurted through his fingers.
Pauline put the glass down and began to sob hysterically, as Meredith and a few others rushed to restrain her. Frank then rose to his fee
t unsteadily, and staggered towards the main doors, staining the dance floor red, as he made his exit.
It was a blessing in disguise for the three local men waiting outside. They never thought Frank would be out this early, and already injured. Job half done they laughed. They watched, as Frank pushed the handkerchief hard to the side of his face, to stem the heavy bleeding. They found it easy to follow him, and stalked their prey like animals going in for the kill.
Back inside the hall, Pauline had calmed sufficiently for Meredith to release her. He beckoned to the others to stand back and give her some space.
"Are you okay, young lady, it's, Pauline isn't it?" He inquired, but there was no reply. Meredith called for a chair, and asked Pauline, who was shaking uncontrollably, to sit. She obeyed his command, but wouldn't acknowledge him, and just stared down at her firmly gripped hands.
"It's been one hell of a nasty business, all this, Pauline." Continued, Meredith. "If, what you said was true, then I'll have to call the police. Do you understand?"
Pauline nodded, but still wouldn't look up.
Meredith called for another chair, and sat down beside her.
"It appears there's been an awful crime committed against you, and we must have this Frank chap arrested. He certainly wont be studying at this university again. I'll see to that personally. Do you hear me, Pauline?"
Again Pauline nodded, but said nothing.
"I can't condone you cutting him like that, do you understand. You could have killed him, or blinded him for life. What you did was wrong. I know under the circumstances you acted on impulse, but you could face charges too."
Pauline refused the water offered her and wouldn't even speak to Jenny or Maureen, who both stood nearby, looking terrified. It was as if Pauline had reverted back to her traumatised, child-like state once more.
Meredith, sighed, and realising he wasn't getting very far, called Jane over.
"See if you can get hold of a doctor, or the campus nurse. Perhaps, it might be best under the circumstances." Meredith shook his head in despair, "It's the last thing we need at Christmas."
Pauline then looked up, her face was drawn and ashen.
"I don't need a doctor, or a nurse," she said firmly. "Please don't call the police, Mr. Meredith, as I wont press any charges - not against Frank. He's my boyfriend, and you don't call the police for people you love."
The Dean's mouth dropped in amazement, as he watched Pauline calmly stand up, and walk out. He looked at the guests still remaining. They all stood silent, around the perimeter of the hall, as if expecting a grand finale, or an encore, but all they got was a drunk from outside stagger into the hall to proclaim, "It's snowing!"
With that, the students began to cheer loudly, as if the whole matter had been forgotten.
Meredith organised a caretaker to clean up the blood, before taking to the stage. Using the microphone, he apologised for the disruption and told the guests to carry on regardless. More cheers went up, and the Dean signalled to the band to start up again, before making his excuses, and going off to find his secretary.
"Jane, I want letters of expulsion sent out with immediate effect to both, Pauline Chater and Frank Gant. I will not tolerate this sort of behaviour going on at the university."
"Yes, Mr. Meredith. What about the police and the nurse?"
"Both Pauline and Gant have left the building. A great deal of alcohol has been consumed tonight, Jane. I think it best we leave matters until the morning. We don't know for sure, if Pauline was telling the truth. As for Gant, he got what he deserved. We'll expel them from the university, and let the police deal with it from there on."
One solitary guest however, had no desire to dance and cheer. In fact, Karen had literally only come over to deliver her message to Lizzie. She knew there was a good chance she would see Frank in the hall. It was something that she couldn't bear to think of. How would she react if he approached her? He may want to violate her again? Would she have the courage to challenge him, or would she simply break down and allow him to do as he wished.
At the time of her ordeal, there had been nobody to turn to, nobody would listen, or take her word against that of the captain of the rugby team. She could never bring shame on her family, after all, nice girls didn't get raped. It had happened a year ago, and right up until now, Karen had blamed herself for what Frank did to her. She was the one who accepted the drinks and got drunk, and she was the one who took the drugs he offered. It was asking for trouble. Karen had cursed herself for being so naive. Now she realised that locking herself away in her room day-after-day wasn't the way forward - she mustn't let the anger and self-hatred eat away at her anymore. Now, having witnessed the incident with Pauline, Karen knew she wasn't alone. She knew Frank had done the same to another, if not more. Although, what she had heard sickened her down to her soul, it also gave her something else - the courage to do something about it. Karen kept her head low, and watched as Mr. Meredith left. If he wasn't going to call in the police about Frank, then she would do it herself. She swallowed hard, went over to the telephone booth and lifted the receiver.
Sally looked down and realised she was still holding William's hand. She thought about letting go, but instead, found herself gripping him even tighter. He turned to her looking concerned.
"Are you alright, Sally? Things were getting a bit scary out there."
"Yes, I'm fine," she replied, her voice slightly quaking. "I was just very frightened. I'm glad it's all over now. Thank-you for helping me, William. I thought Pauline was going to kill me."
William let go of her hand, thinking he may be taking too much of a liberty.
"She would never have done that, not with me there. Besides, I think it was Frank, she had the problem with."
"Yes, you're right. She must be very disturbed. I can't believe Frank could have done such an awful thing."
"I can, Sally, he's pure evil."
She again heard the definite trace of an accent.
"Perhaps, I'll see you next term, William?"
He smiled, and feeling awkward, began to move away. However, he found he couldn't take his eyes off her, and Sally wasn't making his departure any easier by staring up at him with those longing, deep-blue eyes.
The Blue Jets began to play, 'Sealed With A Kiss', and William instinctively stepped forward.
"Would you have this dance with me, Miss Carlington?"
Returning his smile, she took his hand and led him out to the dance floor.
"I would love to dance with you, Mr. Peddlescoombe!"
They had several dances together that evening, both of them just content to hold each other tightly, while the moment lasted. Sally, not only felt safe with William, she felt she belonged with him. The natural chemistry between them had been immediate. It had ignited a passion, that day in the library, when they had first met.
It was Lizzie, who finally brought the lovesick couple back down to earth.
"Sally, I'm going back to Lloyd-Evans now, my father wants me to call him."
"Wait, Lizzie, I'll come back with you."
Lizzie quickly gave Sally's new partner the once-over, and nodded her approval.
"So you must be the one my friend can't stop thinking about!" Then, turning to a blushing Sally, she added, "No, I think you had better stay here with him!"
Later on, William volunteered to walk Sally back to Lloyd-Evans Hall, but as they stepped out on to a perfect, layer of newly fallen snow, Sally felt an enormous feeling of relief. The earlier incident had been extremely disturbing to her, but now she felt not only remorse, but also gratitude to Pauline for effectively saving her from a fate too horrendous to contemplate. It also automatically ended her relationship with Frank, without Sally even having to say a word.
"Look, William, isn't it so lovely, can we walk in the snow for a while?"
They followed the tracks towards the main gates, and walking with arms linked, headed out in the direction of the town. Falcondale now resembled a scene from a
Christmas card, with the town's colourful Christmas tree lit up near the war memorial, and the pretty display of fairy lights stretching along both sides of the street. Most of the houses had smoking chimneys, with the glow of crackling fires, illuminating cosy front room windows.
"Is that a scotch accent you have, William?" Asked Sally, inquisitively.
"Err, no, in fact it's half Welsh and half Canadian! Was that another blonde moment?" He laughed, "You should have said, Scottish!"
"Sorry, silly me!"
"Please don't apologise, Sally, I love your naivety!"
They took it in turns to ask each other about their lives and backgrounds. Sally found William to be the perfect companion, although he did seem to know everything under the sun. But unlike Frank, he wasn't obsessed with himself. He wanted to know all about her, and what she liked, what she believed in and what she thought about. To William, Sally's feelings and opinions were important and worth discussing. Sally had never come across this with a boy before, and she found it refreshing.
As they slowly made their way along the deserted high street, William explained how his parents lived in Ontario, but still retained his mother's house in town.
"David, my younger brother and I live there while we're at university. My mother, being Welsh loves Wales and visits regularly. She could never give up her home here."
The blizzard showed no signs of abating, and realising Sally was shivering, and only wearing a black evening dress under her coat, William decided to take her back to Lloyd-Evans Hall.
He ventured out towards the road, with Sally close behind, knowing from his childhood days, that the kerb was very steep in places. Everything around them was now covered in a thick layer of snow. As William inched forward cautiously, he found it difficult to sense where the pavement ended and the road began. However, he didn't have long to find out. For with his next step, his foot plunged down into the deep gutter, he lost his balance and fell heavily on to his backside, with arms flailing madly.