by Charity Rose
After we get home, I change and decide to go for a walk to clear my head, all I can think about is Keith. The late spring sun is starting to go down, and the clouds are rising. Dark purples and blue that bruise the sky and threaten to bring down the rain. I don’t pay attention to where I’m going, and pretty soon, I’m walking past the house where it all began, where it all truly began, with the senior party. Ashton's house looks different in the daylight with cute little flowers growing in pots along the porch. I stand there a moment, just looking at it when I see a curtain brush aside, and I realise I’ve been caught staring at their home. I turn away and quickly walk back down the way I’d come.
A slight shiver runs through me, like that last time. When I felt like someone was watching me.
I pick up the pace.
I hear footsteps behind me.
I burst into a run, but strong arms take hold of me, covering my mouth. “What is it with women and taking my son away from me,” my eyes go wide. I recognise that voice. Keith’s father squeezed his body against mine as he presses his arms painfully across my chest, and his hand digs into my face, covering my mouth.
“I was lucky he left the last bitch, but you are a stubborn one,” He’s holding on to me so tight I can barely breathe. “My son may have done the deed last time thanks to me, but this time I’ll have to take this business into my own hands,” he says. I try to scream, but nothing comes out. I watch as the road gets further away from me as I’m dragged off the sidewalk and into the bushes. Further away. Soon the road isn’t even visible. I can see the roof of Ashton's house for a minute and then that’s gone as well. I try to wrestle free, kicking, but he turns around so that my heels are digging into the ground, leaving two trails in the dirt and leaves. The sun has already dipped below the horizon, cast pale light and shadows across the trees. We finally stop, and he throws me to the ground and pushes himself on top of me. “He needs to learn that women are no good pieces of shit to play around with.”
I claw at his arms, but he manages to hold me steady. He pulls down on the zipper of my jeans. I try to scream, I can’t. My voice is worn thin from all the screaming I was trying to do against his hand. I should have waited. I should have held it in. His hands brush my thighs as he pulls my jeans lower; I kick at him. Raising a knee into his gut, but he only grunts. I take the opportunity to scream my lungs out.
“Vee!” I hear the sound of a desperate Keith searching until he shoves through the bushes. He grabs onto his father’s shirt collar and removes him off of me. “Run Vee,” he says to me and for the first time. I do as I’m told. I put my pants back up and shakily zip them back up. My eyes are fogged, but Keith’s kneeling over his father packing punch after punch.
A knock on the door wakes me up; I’d fallen asleep on the sofa for a few minutes. I scratch my eyes and walk to the door, without a word, Keith swings through the door. “Are you okay?” he scans my body.
“I’m okay,” I tell him. How can I say those words just now, when I was almost sexually assaulted? Keith takes a seat on the edge of the sofa.
“What happened?” I asked kneeling in front of him.
“My mom told my dad to leave. He left and apparently came after you.” He says bluntly as ever. “I’m glad I came looking for you.” I should tell him; about how I felt that someone was watching me the day I was walking to the senior party. About how his father was there at my father’s gala, I do exactly that.
Afterwards, Keith is out of it. He wants to go after him again. “What did you do to him, to your father?”
“I beat him, and I called the police. They should be here any minute, and they’ll want to speak with you,” I nod. Keith gets off the sofa, “I should have killed him.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. You did the right thing.”
“He almost raped you Vidya,” he shouts. “And by what you just told me, he’s been watching you for months, since we practically met.” He closes his eyes and takes a few breaths. “Vee I can’t do this, not to you. You’re going to hate me, but it’s for the best.” I already know what he’s about to say. So, I stop him by pressing my lips against his.
He gently pushes me away from him, “No,” he shakes his head. “I love you, Vee. As long as my father is still out there, he will come back. This is now mine and my mother’s battle to fight,” I’m the one responsible for bringing his mother into the situation. “I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier. In a way, it’s a relief having my mother know the truth. She can finally start to move on. She can finally begin to understand what it’s been like for me. How much more has been going on than she thought,”
He kisses me briefly on the cheek. “I love you, once this is all over, I’ll come back to you,” he says. “But right now, I can’t have you in danger. You mean too much to me.” He heads for the door and all the tears I didn’t know I was holding back fall against my cheeks.
“Keith,” I cry. He turns to look at me one last time, and his cheeks are as soaked as mine. “I love you, I’ll come back for you,” he nods and walks out the door.
Normally I’d be running after him, telling him that he cannot leave me, that I refuse to be separated from him. But right now, all the past events are too fresh in my mind that they're clouding things right now. It’s all too much. And that was the last day I saw Keith Masters.
After the police had taken their statements, I had to break down and tell my parents the truth. All of it. Everything that had ever happened from the very beginning. It felt like a long, drawn-out horror story, but as the words came tumbling out I, like Keith, felt a sense of relief that it was finally out in the open. My parents were angry, and I was grounded for hiding everything, but I felt happy. Like I was in control again. Keith and his mom packed up and moved. I don’t know where they moved to. But months later, I saw on the news that James Masters had been found and arrested. He was wanted on eight counts of rape and two counts of attempted rape as well as several charges of assault. I hoped that Keith and his family would finally get justice and some real peace.
Chapter 26
“Brad, I already told you I can’t. I’m spending the summer vacation with my family.”
He pouts, “Is there room for one more?”
“No,” I say shoving a grape into his mouth. My cousin, Kathy, laughs at us.
“Damn, I sure am going to miss you two,” she says.
It’s almost our high school graduation, and Kathy is moving to Canada for college. Bradley, my kind of boyfriend now, will be off to London on summer study. And I got into SEUS, so soon I’ll be packing my bags for Norway. We’re all going our separate ways, but we promised each other to stay in touch and Brad, and I are going to give the long-distance relationship a go.
“I’m going to miss you guys too, come here,” I reel them both in for a hug.
I’m standing at the front of the podium, pretending to be giving a graduation speech while my mom takes a photo of me with my diploma.
“Kathy, July,” my mom calls out to my friends. “Come get in the picture with Vee.” We all smile for a couple more pictures. Then I tell my mom that she’s got enough pictures already. I wish my friends a happy summer and that hopefully, we’ll go out one last time before Kathy moves away.
July, and Kathy and I became close friends over the past eleven months, making the past seem like a nightmare. Bradley has grown a lot since last year. He never wanted to be apart of all that crazy, and after we spoke for a long time, we worked things out. Over time we came to understand each other a bit more, we started dating officially just this past month. Even though July and Kathy go to different schools, we’ve managed to stay close, hanging out on the weekends and over the breaks. July was also the one who told me the news about Kassidy being pregnant, it was little surprise when it came out to be Michaels, but by then she had finally wizened up to what he was all about and accepted that he would never love her. I heard that she was going to graduate and go into social work, inspired by the events of her past and h
er new baby boy. She lives with her grandmother now since her parents refused to let her keep the baby.
If you had told me I was moving to another country last year, or that I wouldn’t be with Keith, I would have laughed in your face. But so much can happen in a year. So much did happen. Thinking of Keith makes my chest tighten. I still miss him. But I hope he is well.
“Let’s go,” my dad says. “We are going to celebrate this momentous occasion. My only daughter just graduated high school, and she’s going to one of the best colleges on Earth. So, where do you want to eat?” he asks me. “Be honest wherever you want to go, we’ll take you. Today is your day.”
I already know where I’d like to go and when I tell my dad he smiles and nods.
“Hold on Vidya,” says my mom. “I wanted to have a quick word with one of your professors.” She tells me, and I nod and go outside to wait up for them. I walk around stopping by a garden I didn’t know the building had. I pull out my phone to read all my graduation texts. My aunt and cousins sent me a message; I even got a message from my dad’s boss. Now that’s crazy.
I make my way through the garden taking the time to actually look at the flowers. There are a few people in here taking photos, but it’s not crowded. I should take a few pictures here as well. I hold my phone up and prep for a cute selfie when Kathy comes running up to me.
“Vee. You going to the after-party?” she asks.
“I’m not sure—”
“Please, it could be our last time together. Please come, even if it’s for an hour or two.”
I give in, “Okay, I’ll be there. But save me a seat.” I warn her.
“Deal,” I’ll see you there. She gives me a quick hug before she walks off.
What is keeping my parents so long? After walking around a few minutes, I decided I’d be better off waiting in the car.
Once at the car, I take an interest in the vehicle that is parked next to us. It’s a red Volkswagen, and it reminds me of when Keith used to drive one like that to school. I glance at the dent on the roof, the backs of the mirrors are scratched up. Wait, what? I’d know that red Volkswagen anywhere. My heart stops beating as I see someone leaning against the side of it. It’s a young man. He lifts his head and meets my eyes, a smile spreads across his face. Those blue eyes sparkling like the sky behind him. I slap a hand over my mouth and cry.
Chapter 27
I’ll come back for you, those were his last words.
The words play over and over through my head. I had called him continuously, and it always went straight to voicemail; I’d text him and never receive a reply. I even went to his house one day knowing that they wouldn’t be there but hoping he somehow would be. A few months later, when school started back up, I had finally tried to forget about him. I hung out most of that summer with July and Kat, and Bradley.
I was starting to believe that I really wouldn’t see him again but, here he is. I stand there, stunned, my eyes wide. My hair, braided down to the small of my back, waves back and forth in the gentle but warm breeze. I release my face, dropping my hands and looping my fingers around each other. I still can’t believe its Keith.
Keith doesn’t come any closer, and neither do I make an effort to get near him. Keith has changed, his hair’s shorter, and he somehow got taller, he clearly hasn’t shaved in a few days because the stubble on his face is dark.
“You have quite the nerve to show up here, out of the blue,” I say. It was cheesy as hell, but I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
He looks nervous, out of his element, “I-I—” he stutters, raises a fist and coughs into it, “I thought it was time I saw you.”
“You thought it was time to see me?” I ask sarcastically. “Where were you all this time?” He doesn’t meet my gaze, “You were gone for a year, Keith, an entire year. I heard nothing from you. Where the hell were you? I waited until I got tired of waiting. I loved you, Keith,” Before I could say more, Keith is already right in front of me, crashing his lips onto mine. A warm, comforting feeling takes over my body, and I welcome it with open arms. I should be angry, I should be furious,
“I hate you,” I say against his lips.
“Too bad,” he says with a smile, “Because I still love you,” and that’s it. I’m gone. My eyes flutter shut as we kiss and I find myself pressing against him, “Did you hear me,” he says. “I love you, Vidya. There wasn’t a single day that passed by where I never thought of you. You were always there. I wanted to call you so many times, but I knew if I did so, I’d just end up hurting you more. The police said I couldn’t do anything. Not until everything was said and done, and my dad was put behind bars for good. I had to delay my entry into SUES because of it,” He places his hands on my shoulder and tilts my head back so I could look into his eyes.
It’s been so long since I gazed into those big mesmerising eyes of his, so long since I’d felt his arms encircle my waist, his hands on my hips. “I told you I’d come back for you, and here I am. If you’ll give me a chance,” he now takes my hands in his. He explains to me how, after the police came, they were placed in protective custody. They suspected his father had always been watching us, watching Keith more precisely and that they couldn’t be sure that he wouldn’t come back and harm them. Keith was a key witness, and they couldn’t risk his father getting to him. They were given new identities and a new home. He wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone about his life before, and he wasn’t allowed to contact his friends.
“I forgive you, Keith. I love you,” this seems to catch him off guard, “I never stopped.”
“In all honesty,” he says. “I was expecting you to slap me and say you hated me again,” he laughs.
I bring my hand to his face and smack his cheek. Now he looks surprised. “I hate you,” I whisper in his ear, “There, is that what you wanted to hear?” I say with a grin.
“Yes, but damn you hit hard,” he says, playfully rubbing his cheek. I barely tapped him.
“You deserved it anyway,” I say, walking away from him.
“Wait!” he catches my hand. “Where are you going?” he asks.
“To eat out with my parents and—” Bradley. I forgot about Brad; did he see anything? As if answering my question, I see him walking towards us with my parents but the look of his face, on all their faces, is one of utter dismay. He turns away from my parents and moves at a quick pace. “Brad wait,” I run after him. “Bradley can you please just let me explain—”
He turns around, and I nearly bump into him, “You still love, him, don’t you?” he asks. His eyes look into mine, and I know I can’t lie to him, so I nod, and say
“Yes,”
“I knew it,” he confirms.
“I do.” I avert my gaze to the ground. I know that if I keep looking at him, I’m going to start crying.
Brad doesn’t seem mad, just hurt. The way I once felt. I hear him sigh as he rests a hand on my shoulder. He shakes his head, “Then go be with him. Be happy.” His response confuses me at first, “I knew we’d never actually be a thing again. Just let him know that if he hurts you again, I will come after him,” he threatens and balls a fist before breaking into a smile.
I give him a quick embrace, “Thank you,” I say and runoff; my parents are already inside the car, but I have no doubt that they’ve witnessed all that has happened. I get into the car, no one says a word.
During the car ride, I receive a text from a number I don’t know, it’s Keith. How did he get my number, I look up to see my mom smiling at me in the mirror? She knew?
Keith: Was that Bradley?
Vee: Yes. My almost-boyfriend…no Agent Keith anymore?
Keith: New phone, never bothered. So, You were with someone?
Vee: Is that so hard to believe?
Keith: No, it’s just unexpected considering, you know, its Brad.
Vee: Yeah, well you showing up today was surprising as well
Keith: I know, so what did he say?
Vee: He said to go
be with you. To be happy.
Keith: Wow, not all guys would react in such a way
Vee: Yeah, I know. He always was a sweet guy
Keith: Got any plans after dinner?
Vee: I’m actually going to the after party
Vee: Parents are dropping me off after dinner
Keith: Oh?
Vee: Do you want to go with me?
Keith: Yes!
Vee: Okay,, I’ll send you the address.
Keith: Fine with me
Vee: See you there
Keith: See you there beautiful
“I did not do that,” My dad is trying to defend himself while mom and I make fun of him,
“Yes, you did!” my mom and I both say.
“It’s because you were so sleepy and tired that you don’t even remember,” I say. My dad laughs and continues, “I think I would have remembered saying I was going to watch that movie.”
“See mom,” I say. “We should have recorded him in his sleep.”
“Why would I even say that!” he exclaims.
“I don’t know dad; it was your dream. Not mine.” We pause our conversation as our waiter sets our food on the table. Once he’s, gone, I say, “You said it so now you have to watch it. I’ve got it on Blu-ray, so those sex scenes are going to look awesome on the big screen,” I tease. Last year I would never have talked about sex in front of my dad, but since last summer we’ve been sharing a lot more with each other, and he’s actually become less of a prude. He’s trying hard not to be such a hard ass, and he’s working hard to actually talk out his feelings about things with me. He is actually trying to understand me. It’s been great for all our relationships actually. He and my mom have become closer and dad takes more time off work than he did before. Right now, they are teasing each other playfully and, even though they think I can’t see it, I can tell they are holding hands beneath the table.