Ryan waited for me, sprawled out in one of the booths and playing Angry Birds on his phone. I finished up quickly, giving a final glance around the diner to make sure everything was in place. Satisfied, we went to leave. Ryan waited for me outside the door while I armed the alarm system. I pulled the door shut, making sure that it was locked. I turned to face Ryan to tell him goodnight, when two figures jumped out and grabbed him. They started laying punches into him while I screamed. A large hand clasped over my mouth, cutting off my screaming. Frantically, I brought my hands to my mouth, trying to pull away the huge hand. It was useless; the person was much stronger than I was.
"Got you, bitch," he hissed, his words full of hatred. It was Andrew. Of course it was Andrew.
"Stop it," I tried to say, but his hand silenced my words. I looked at Ryan with wide eyes. He was curled up on the ground, trying to cover his head with his hands as Andrew's two friends laid kick after kick into his ribs and stomach. There was no way I could turn my body to free myself. Andrew's grip was too strong. Hot tears poured down my cheeks and onto Andrew's hand, and I heard him chuckle.
"Alright boys, that's enough," Andrew ordered. Both guys immediately stepped back from Ryan. I couldn't tell if he was okay or not. I tried to go to him but Andrew yanked me back.
"You and me? We're gonna go for a little drive," Andrew said, his lips too close to my ear. I shivered in disgust, desperately trying to think my way out of this situation. He started dragging me toward a truck that I hadn't noticed parked in the diner parking lot before. I tried to dig my heels into the asphalt, but it was useless. Andrew had to change his grasp on me to grab his keys from his pocket. I took that opportunity to shove at him as hard as I possibly could. Miraculously, I was able to loosen his hold on me and knee him hard. Unfortunately, Andrew was taller than me, and my knee collided with his thigh, not the tender spot I'd been aiming for. Still, it threw him off and he released me ever so slightly.
I didn't bother wasting my breath, but I took off running as fast as I possibly could. I couldn't go back for Ryan. I wasn't strong enough to take on three males, and they seemed to lose interest in Ryan as they started chasing after me.
Adrenalin pumped through my body, giving me more speed than I ever thought I possessed. I ran to the street, hoping that people would notice the guys chasing me and think it was odd enough to stop and offer help. Cars drove by, but nobody stopped. I didn't have time or breath to waste swearing, so I continued running. I raced down Iain's street, hearing footsteps in close pursuit behind me. Iain's place was still a couple houses down, and I knew I wasn't going to make it. A hand reached out from behind me and grabbed the hood of my jacket, yanking me back with force. I screamed as loud as I possibly could before Andrew's hand clasped over my mouth. This time, I bit down hard. Swearing, his hand dropped from my mouth. I heard the revving of an engine, and realized with a panic that not all three guys had chased me. One of them had gone for the truck.
"What's going on out here?" Iain's voice was like a Godsend. Andrew instantly released my jacket and ran for the truck, too much of a coward, his friend following quickly behind them. By the time Iain reached my side, the truck had sped off down the street.
"Ryan!" I said in a panic as Iain reached for my hand. I couldn't look at him yet. "They jumped Ryan outside the diner and beat him up pretty bad, I need to—"
"Let's get in my car, Harlow," Iain said, his voice full of calm and authority. I nodded, allowing him to lead me to his car. He started it and quickly pulled out of his driveway, speeding to the diner. I jumped out of the car before we even came to a full stop.
I ran over to Ryan's crumbled body, falling to my knees beside him. I tried to wake him. He groaned, and I let out a sigh of relief.
"We need to get him to a hospital," I told Iain, feeling his presence behind me.
"We'll call an ambulance, Harlow," Iain replied. "I don't know where he's been injured. I don't want to move him."
"That makes sense," I said, grabbing my cell phone from my jacket pocket. I dialled 911 and told them I needed an ambulance. While we waited for them, I looked at Iain with newfound worry.
"You shouldn't be here," I whispered. "What if…" I trailed off, looking at Ryan quickly. He didn't appear to be awake, but I didn't know for sure if he could hear me or not.
Iain frowned, seeing the direction my thoughts had gone in. He nodded. "You're right…" he hesitated. I knew he wanted to stay.
"Just go," I told him. "They won't be long, I'll…text you."
"Keep your phone in your hand, if they come back…call me. I'll be nearby," Iain said, looking at me intently. I nodded. He leaned forward, brushing a strand of my messy hair out of my eyes. He looked as if he wanted to kiss me, but was startled by Ryan's soft groaning. He glanced down, thought the better of it and stood up, giving me a wistful look that communicated how badly he wanted to stay. I watched him drive away, then focused my attention back on Ryan. His face was bruised and bloody, swollen in so many places. My heart hurt for him, and rage was boiling in the pit of my stomach.
We didn't have to wait long for an ambulance to come. Soon Ryan was being loaded up and I was accompanying him to the hospital since I'd been with him when he got jumped. Two policemen found me in the waiting room while a doctor and nurse assessed Ryan's damage.
"Were you with him when the incident happened?" the first one, a middle-aged, seasoned cop asked, approaching me with a look of authority. His partner was a little younger, his chest puffed out proudly as he studied me with hard green eyes.
"Yes, I was," I said, standing up and brushing back a strand of my hair. "He was jumped by three guys."
"Did you happen to get a good look at them?" the first cop asked, exchanging an almost bored look with his partner.
"Yeah, I did," I replied, my own eyes hardening slightly. "One of them was Andrew Cooper. I'm sure you know who that is?"
The older cop didn't look surprised, but the younger guy's eyes sparked with recognition and interest.
"Who were the other guys?" the older cop asked, staring me down. I described them the best way I could, all while making occasional eye contact with the younger cop. He seemed more interested in what I had to say, while the older one seemed to be simply taking my statement out of routine. I glanced at the older cop. He had jotted down most of my statement on the incident, but didn't appear to write down Andrew Cooper's name or the detailed physical description of his accomplices.
"Aren't you going to write down Andrew Cooper's name?" I demanded, frowning deeply. The older cop moved the incident report from my view, and gave me a steady gaze.
"I have, ma'am. Thank you for time. That'll be all," he said, giving me a challenging look. When I said nothing, he turned on his heel and left the waiting room, casting one glance at his partner with a raised brow.
"Just a sec, Jim," the younger cop said. He waited until his partner, Jim, had shrugged and left our sight.
"Give me a call if any more…incidents…arise," the younger cop said, holding out his card with his name and number on it. I read it over, then looked up to give my thanks, but he'd already joined his partner Jim in leaving. I was alone in the waiting room.
Chapter Seven
I didn't get home until 3 a.m. and accidentally slept in. I woke up panicked, my heart racing from last night's near miss. I had waited an additional two hours in the hospital waiting room, until a nice, elderly nurse came in to tell me that Ryan was awake and well. He had bruised ribs and a fractured cheekbone, but aside from that, he was alright.
I hadn't gone in to personally check on him. His parents had been at his bed side almost immediately after they'd been called by the hospital, and it felt…wrong…to intrude on that, when Ryan and I weren't really friends, when it was almost my fault that he'd been jumped.
If I didn't hurry, I was going to be late for work…although work was the last place I wanted to be. I forced myself to shove the blankets off my body and get out of bed when all I wanted to do
was hide there all day. I couldn't do that, not if I had any hopes of talking to Jenna about last night. I was supposed to hang out with her at her house, before I went over to Iain's. Talking to Jenna was essential. I couldn't shake the feeling that she'd change her mind if she heard what happened to Ryan, and to me. I hurried to the bathroom, trying to brush my hair and do my makeup in record time. Mom knocked tentatively on my bedroom door, offering a ride to work. I took her up on it, knowing that I would be late if I tried to walk.
I made it through my shift. I had to work with Trixie, another middle-aged woman that I didn't particular get along with. She harassed me the entire shift, demanding details on what happened to Ryan the night before. I told her the basics, that we'd gotten jumped by Andrew and his friends. She didn't seem to believe me at all.
"That sweet boy? Really? Are you sure it wasn't someone that just looked like him?" she asked, demanding more and more information.
"I really don't want to talk about it anymore, okay, Trixie?" I said, glaring at her. She touched her dyed red hair, offended.
"Well, all right then," she sniffed, walking away from me. She left me alone for the rest of my shift.
When I was getting ready to leave, the manager, Bruce, pulled me aside to tell me that he was having cameras installed out back for more security. It made me feel a little better, hearing that he was proactive.
Jenna was waiting for me in the parking lot. She waved at me, smiling until she saw the expression on my face.
"What is it?" she asked, looking at me warily as I climbed into the passenger side of her car.
"I ran into Andrew last night," I started, trying to keep my hands from shaking.
"Ran into him?" Jenna looked fearful and concerned. She didn't make any move to drive out of the diner parking lot. I didn't blame her.
"He showed up at my work with a couple of his friends. They jumped my co-worker, beat him up, and tried to drag me to Andrew's truck. I got away and ran until I saw someone…they took off."
"Oh my God," Jenna looked ill. She opened her door and lurched out of the car, toward the snowy ditch, and began to vomit. I winced. I kept forgetting she was pregnant, although I honestly hadn't thought my bit of news would upset her like that. I took a steadying breath—listening to someone throw up was never a pleasant experience.
"Are you okay?" I asked, when Jenna had finally stopped vomiting and returned to the car.
"I'm fine," she said, turning to face me. "Okay…so I'm not fine, not at all."
"Neither am I," I confessed. "Honestly? I'm a little scared. I feel like I'm being hunted."
Jenna nodded, understanding. She looked scared too.
"Has he...has he tried to contact you or anything?" I asked after a moment of silence. Jenna shook her head no. "Well, that's good...at least."
"What do I do?" she whispered. I wasn't sure if she was asking me, or asking herself.
"I think that you do need to press charges…about what he did," I told her gently. She bit down hard on her lower lip.
"I…I can't. If I do that, I have to tell my parents…and I'm just not ready yet…" she trailed off, looking ashamed. She wouldn't meet my eyes, and I knew it was because she thought I was angry at her for not coming forward, because of what I was experiencing. The truth was, a part of me was angry. I didn't want to look over my shoulder for the rest of my days. I didn't want to dread leaving work. I didn't want to feel scared and anxious…but I could see the toll that everything had taken on Jenna. I sighed heavily.
"It's alright, Jenna, I just thought you should know…and maybe think about pressing charges. I don't think Andrew's going to go away, or stop what he's doing. There will be more girls, too." I didn't voice my fear...that I would end up one of them. Andrew's interest in me was alarming.
"His dad is the Chief of Police," Jenna reminded me, although her argument was weakening, and she knew it. Regardless of who is father was, Andrew shouldn't be getting away with the kind of things he was doing.
"So what?" I rolled my eyes. "If you come forward, I'll testify with what I saw. I'll also testify with the two occasions that Andrew's tried to hurt me."
"Two?" Jenna interrupted, surprised.
"Yeah…he chased me when I was walking home from work just after the party. But it was daylight, and I…ran into someone," I said. "Anyway. His dad is going to see the evidence piled against Junior and not be able to do a thing."
"He can still make my life hell, and this baby's," Jenna whispered, eyes on her steering wheel.
"That won't happen," I replied. "I've done some research. No matter what happens, leave him off the birth certificate. He will have no rights to anything, considering how the baby was conceived."
"I don't know, okay!" Jenna looked utterly and completely torn.
"I'm not saying any of this to upset you," I told her. "I hope you know that."
Jenna sighed, looking away. "I know that. It's just…"
"Hard," I finished. "I know that. But trust me…that doesn't go away if you try to forget it. Trust me."
"How would you know?" Jenna asked accusingly.
It was my turn to look away. "Because it's happened to me. An entire basketball team drugged and raped me. I didn't press charges, and they're still walking free like it hadn't happened."
Jenna opened and closed her mouth, speechless. "Sorry…" she said finally. "I hadn't realized…"
"It's okay," I quickly said. "That's not the point. The point is I wish I had pressed charges, because guys like that don't deserve to walk free."
Jenna sighed again, wrapping her arms around her body. "I'd…I have to think about it."
"That's all I'm asking…"
* * * *
The reminder of the weekend was both uneventful and intense. Jenna and I hung out at her house until 8 p.m., watching movies and talking about anything but what we'd discussed when I first got into her car. I texted Iain when I was ready to leave, and he met me a few blocks away from Jenna's house so that I wouldn't have to walk. We watched scary movies, just as we had planned…only I couldn't focus.
I was so tired from the attack on Friday and the heavy conversation with Jenna. Plus, all the anxiety and emotion I was carting around, and I couldn't stop thinking about Lauren. The anniversary of her death had crept up, and I felt exactly how I expected to feel.
Iain tried to get me to talk to him about it, but aside from giving him short answers…I couldn't really spill it all. He understood, not demanding more than I could give.
My exhaustion finally caught up with me, and I slept in, missing my entire first period and half of second period. I rushed to catch the tail end of my second period class. I nearly ran into someone in the hallway, and would have fallen back if two hands hadn't steadied me. I looked up into Jake's face, feeling relieved. For a split second, I had almost feared that it was going to be Andrew or one of his friends. My nerves were still frayed.
"Hey," he said softly.
"Hi," I backed away slightly, looking at him curiously. He dropped his hands to his sides.
"Are you okay?" he demanded. He frowned, studying me carefully, as if checking for any bruises.
"I'm fine…why?"
"Ryan," Jake said in a clipped tone, his eyes narrowing slightly. "He's Troy's cousin. I heard what happened. Grapevine is saying that you're saying Andrew did it."
"Andrew and his friends, yes," I replied. "How is Ryan?"
"He's okay…he'll live," Jake told me. He glanced around, making sure that nobody was within earshot of us.
"What is it, Jake? Why are you being so sketchy?" I demanded, feeling nervousness bubbling up.
"Andrew," Jake said, glancing around again.
"What about Andrew?" I was beginning to lose my patience.
"There was this one girl a few years back who tried to press charges," Jake answered, giving me a funny look. "She got run out of town."
I frowned. "Jenna hasn't pressed charges yet."
"I'm just saying…be careful," J
ake said seriously. "The both of you. I want that shit to stop as much as you do, but…be careful. There's an old quote, don't cross the Coopers."
"Is the entire town afraid of the Coopers?" I griped. "They're just people."
"You think Andrew is bad?" Jake's tone was sharp. "His old man is five times worse. And he's Chief of Police."
"What does that even mean?" I asked, raising my arms in annoyance. I felt confident that surely any jury or judge would see past this trivial nonsense and toss Andrew were he belonged—on the registered sex offender list—and Andrew's dad, Carl, away in jail for abusing his position of power and apparently covering up all these incidents.
"I hope you don't find out." Jake's voice was serious. I opened my mouth to reply, but we were interrupted.
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