Emma's Story

by Mitchel Grace

  “She won’t tell anyone.”

  “She will, and let me give this to you straight. If you ever talk to her again or hurt either one of us, we’ll report you, and your life will be over,” Jasper said as he stepped forward and hit him in the stomach.

  “I’m not going to stand here and take this,” Chip said before wheezing and pushing Jasper back.

  “You’ll take whatever I tell you to. Your life is over, if you don’t. As a matter of fact, you’re going to take a lot more than just a punch before the next three days are over. I’m going to make your life a living hell until you get out of here, and if you retaliate in any way, then we’ll go to the police. Now get out of here.”

  “This is my room.”

  “I know, but it’s mine for the next half hour. Go anywhere you want other than to Emma’s. If you go there, you won’t have to worry about the police because I’ll put a bullet in your head.”

  “I didn’t do anything wrong. She had no objections to what happened.”

  “She remembers saying no, and even if she didn’t, people don’t tend to say much when they’re passed out. You’re sick, and I should kill you now, but she’s going to need me. I can’t afford to be locked up. Get out of here before all logic leaves me. Just seeing you makes me want you dead.”

  Chip reluctantly walked out. He hated being told what to do by someone he thought he could take, but what choice did he have? If Emma had really gone to the hospital, he was pretty much at her mercy. As much as he hated it, doing what Jasper said was his best option.

  Once he was out of the room, Jasper found Chip’s cell phone. He went through it and found some interesting texts. There was one to a Sigma bragging about what he did to Emma. He forwarded it from Chip’s phone to his. Then he found a message involving something that could ruin Chip’s chances at being an Olympic athlete. A trainer had texted him about a rub down. It wasn’t all that unusual for athletes to get massages, but the messages that followed made things clear. Apparently, Chip hated being rubbed down with what he called the stuff. His trainer said it was that or shots. Jasper forwarded those messages to his phone, too. Then he turned his attention to Chip’s other possessions.

  He’s not in school anymore. He won’t need this, Jasper thought as he stomped on his laptop, breaking the screen in the process. Afterward, he trashed Chip’s room. It probably wasn’t the most sensible thing to do, but he wanted to kill the guy. This was nothing compared to what he felt like he should be doing. It would have to do, though. When he walked out of that room, he had a clear plan for the future. If Chip left like he said he would, Jasper was going to send a choice few sports writers the texts he had found on Chip’s phone. He didn’t know how many of them would print a story about it, but steroid use was all the rage at the moment, so he figured that a few would. It would stain Chip’s good name, and most importantly, it would keep him from completing a lifelong dream. Hurting people should have consequences, and even if Emma didn’t want to seek vengeance, he was going to make sure a guy like Chip didn’t get to become a famous athlete. If he stayed in town, Jasper would have all the evidence he needed on his phone to prove that Emma had been raped. If Emma ever came around, they might just destroy Chip’s life in every way, even if he did leave town. In Jasper’s mind, that was the next best thing to killing him.

  When Jasper got back to the house, he found that Emma was waiting on him, and she didn’t look happy.

  “What did you do?” she asked.

  “Nothing. I just talked to him. He’ll be going back home soon. I gave him three days to get everything together and get out of Hawaii.”

  “How did you pull that off?”

  “Don’t worry about that. I know it’s soon, and you probably don’t even want to think about this, but do you want to press charges against him? I found some evidence while I was at his . . .”

  “No. I just want this to be over. My parents would kill him if they found out. That doesn’t sound like such a bad thing, but I don’t want anyone I love going to prison over this. Honestly, I don’t want this coming out either. I don’t like being a victim.”

  “Then don’t be. You’re a survivor. There’s a difference.”

  “I wish it were that simple. Tell me how you convinced him to leave.”

  “I punched him as soon as he opened the door. After that, I lied. I told him you went to the hospital, and they found a lot of evidence. I said you didn’t want to press charges, but if he didn’t leave town you would. After that, I punched him in the gut. He wasn’t very happy about that, but he couldn’t fight back. He knew that if he did our deal would be off. He has three days to leave, or we go to the police. At least that’s what he thinks. I made him leave the room, too. I found evidence of what he did to you, and I even found some things that indicate steroid use. I’m using the latter to ruin his life regardless of what he does.”

  “Thank you.”

  “For what? I should’ve done more. I wanted to kill him, and I’m still not sure if I shouldn’t have.”

  “You did what I needed you to. There might only be one good guy on this Earth, but you’re him. I’m going to lie down. The effects of whatever he gave me still haven’t completely worn off. I want to rest.”

  “Okay. I’ll be here when you need me.”

  After Emma walked away, Sadie started asking Jasper questions. She wanted to know exactly what happened at Chip’s dorm. Jasper recapped everything, but then he had a question of his own for her.

  “You knew Chip was bad from the start. How?”

  “It was early in my senior year. He was a freshman in college, and we met through a friend. He took me to a party, and the last thing I remember was taking a drink of something. I already had a couple of beers before then, so I told myself that’s all it was, but deep down I knew what happened. Chip Wake always gets what he wants. I should’ve gone to the police then. Emma wouldn’t be in this situation if I had.”

  “Why didn’t you tell her about him?”

  “I was afraid. No one has ever scared me like him. I confronted him about it a month later, and he was very frank about what would happen to me if I ever tried to tell anyone. After that, I put it at the back of my mind. I didn’t date, the only friend I had was Emma, and I certainly never said more than I had to when Chip was around. You’re actually the first guy friend I’ve made since then. Emma told me you were really great, and I was nervous to meet you at first, but you renewed my trust in guys. I can’t say I’ll be going to any parties in the future, but thanks. Emma’s going to need you over the next few weeks. She’ll be okay, but this isn’t something that’s going to pass overnight.”

  “How do I help her?”

  “That’s hard to answer. You have to walk a fine line. Be her friend, and don’t make a move on her anytime soon. She won’t be ready for anything more than the most innocent of kisses for a long time. She might not be ready for that for a while. At the same time, you don’t need to treat her like she’s broken either. There’s nothing worse than feeling like a victim. Don’t treat her like one. She’s still the same girl you’ve loved all along. She’s just going to be depressed for a while and cautious about certain things for the rest of her life.”

  “Okay, but what can I do right now? I don’t want her to hurt.”

  “You can’t change how she feels. Just do what you’re doing. Be available, and protect Emma from him. I think you’ve already done that, but make sure he never creeps back into her life. It was pretty bad for me when they started dating. Seeing him with my best friend hurt every time I was around. Don’t let her see him anywhere, and that includes as a famous athlete on television. Use those texts you have as soon as he leaves this state. Guys like him don’t deserve fame and fortune.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. Thanks for being here for her while I was gone,” Jasper said.

  After Sadie left, Jasper simply hung around the house. He went into his room and studied for a while, and when he came out, he saw a note tha
t Emma had written to him. It thanked him for everything. He didn’t think much of it at the time. Eventually, he decided he should check up on her. There was a problem when he tried to open the door, however. It was locked. He tried knocking, but there was no answer. Jasper was worried. What if that note had more significance than he knew?

  “Emma, open this door!” he yelled.

  There was no response. With no other choice, he kicked the door in. What he saw nearly floored him. Emma was lying on the bed unconscious.

  “Emma, wake up,” he said and ran to her side.

  She was convulsing. He didn’t know what to do. The woman he loved was dying right in front of him. How could any of this be possible? Just a few days ago, they were happy.

  “Emma, you can’t do this to me. I love you,” he said.

  He grabbed his phone to call 911. Just before he was going to hit call, something stopped him. Emma didn’t want anyone to know about what happened. She wouldn’t have a choice other than to explain this, if he called an ambulance. He made a hasty decision in that moment. Emma wanted this to be her secret, and if he could help it, it was going to stay that way. He would try to help her on his own for two minutes and then call 911.

  Jasper stuck his finger down Emma’s throat, and sure enough, she began to puke everything up. He held her hair and sighed. He was so relieved. Even so, Jasper was still concerned. If Emma would do this, then what did that say about her state of mind? Would she try something like this again?

  “I thought I had lost you. Why would you do something like that?” Jasper asked after her sickness faded.

  “Why did you save me?” she asked, sounding completely drained.

  “I’m always going to. You’re everything to me. Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Because I don’t want to be here anymore. I can’t . . .”

  “I know you just went through something terrible, and that can make a person feel like they’re going crazy. You’re not this selfish, though. Do you have any idea what this would do to your parents and brother? What about me? It would devastate me to lose you.”

  “How do I move on like everything’s going to be fine when something like that happened to me?”

  “Because it will. I’m not saying that things aren’t bad right now, but you had so many good times in your life before Chip came along, and you’ll have many more. I promise. He’s leaving this state in the next three days, and I’m still ruining his life after he does that. I can’t say justice is being served, but I do know this. You’ll never have to deal with him again. As a matter of fact, you’ll never have to deal with any man like him after today.”

  “And how do you know that?”

  “Because I won’t let that happen. I also won’t let you kill yourself over someone who isn’t worth it. What he did can define you, if you let it. You’re better than that, though. This is something you went through, not something that’s going to determine the rest of your life. You’ll still have friends, a great college experience, and even love when you’re ready for it.”

  “I don’t see how any of that’s possible.”

  “Well, it is. Have I ever lied to you?”

  “No, but you don’t know how this feels.”

  “I get that, but I also know you. You’re strong, and you’ll get through this with a little help from the people who love you. Do you want to press charges against him? Would seeing him punished make it easier for you to move on?”

  “No. I don’t want anyone else to know what he did to me. It’s bad enough that you know.”

  “Why? You’re safe with me. I could never look at you any differently.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  “Look, we can talk about this later, but you need to get to the hospital now. We need to have you checked out and see where we can schedule you some counseling sessions. I’m always here for you, but I’m not a professional, and if you’re suicidal, you probably need to talk to someone.”

  “I’m fine now. I’m a little groggy, but I’ll live. I’m not talking to anyone about this either.”

  “Fine, but if you won’t talk to someone, then you’re going to have to deal with me all the time.”

  “What does that even mean?”

  “You just tried to kill yourself. I can’t let that happen. If you won’t seek help, then I’m going to have to be with you just about every moment of your life to make sure you’re okay. That starts now. I’ll sleep on the floor tonight, but you’re not staying alone after you tried to kill yourself.”

  “Why would you sleep on the floor?”

  “Because I’m a guy, and after what happened, I don’t know if . . .”

  “See. You already think of me differently. You automatically thought I would be freaked out if you slept in the same bed as me. I’m messed up, but I’m not completely broken.”

  “I’m sorry. I would just be overly cautious in your situation. Let me start over, though. I’m going to sleep in here with you until I know you’re in the right state of mind. You can go to classes on your own, but I want to spend all of our free time together. You need to remember how great life can be, and I plan to show you exactly that over the next few days. I know you feel bad, but that’s all about to change.”

  “How could I be happy again with everything that’s happened?”

  “Because we’re about to go back to the basics. I’ve always been your best friend, and that’s what I’m going to be again. We’re not going to worry about what happened or romance. We’re just going to have fun. We’ll do anything you want, and if you can’t come up with something to do, I’ll plan it out. We’re just going to be two friends having fun over the next week. You won’t forget what happened, but you’ll see how great things can still be. What do you say? Will you at least try to have a good time with me?”

  “Yeah. I don’t think I have any choice. You don’t seem like you’re going to take no for an answer,” Emma said as he got into bed.

  “Good. I know you’re still groggy, but I want you to stay awake for a while, so I’ll know you’re going to be okay. Let’s watch some shows here in the bed, and then we’ll go to sleep.”

  Emma was more nervous about a guy being close to her than she admitted. Still, Jasper kept his distance from her. It was just like he said. They were going back to the basics. Over the next week, they were going to find that friendship was where they should have started all along.

  Chapter 6

  Damsel In Distress

  Emma woke up the next morning and rolled over to see Jasper lying there. He was still sleeping soundly. She envied him. He looked like he was at complete peace. Inside, she was in turmoil. Emma knew that what happened didn’t define her, but it was something she never expected. She didn’t understand how she could have been so wrong about Chip. It made her question everything about herself. Still, it was no reason to kill herself. Emma knew that now. She had her best friend beside her, a great family who would give her anything, and as far as she could tell, an incredible future in marketing. She was a little embarrassed about how she handled things the night before.

  “Hey, we’re going to be late if you don’t get up,” Emma said and gently shook Jasper.

  “I think we should sleep in today.”

  “What are you talking about? We have school.”

  “I know, but do you have anything that’s important today because I don’t.”

  “Well, no, but . . .”

  “Great. Here’s what I was thinking. We lived across an ocean from each other when we were kids, so we never got to experience much together. How about we have our first skip day of college?”

  “I don’t know . . .”

  “Come on. I think we need to do something fun. Everything’s been entirely too tense lately, and I get it, but it’s not healthy.”

  “Okay, then what do you have planned for today?”

  “Me? This is your territory. I’m still getting acquainted with the area.”

  “If it’s left u
p to me, we’ll probably end up going to school, so you better decide.”

  “That sounds pretty boring. Let me ask you something. Were you always such a nerd in high school?”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Didn’t you ever skip school or do something you weren’t supposed to?”

  “Yeah. Me and my brother used to skip and go to the beach every once in a while. We had this great spot where . . .”

  “Wait a minute. Emma Grey’s version of being bad is going somewhere with her brother. Yeah, something’s not right about that. I’ve got to show you how to have fun,” Jasper joked.

  “Do you really think that’s possible right now? I mean, I just went through a lot of bad stuff, and I’m still embarrassed about last night. It just now hit me that I almost killed myself. I’m not happy, but that would be the most selfish thing I could do.”

  “Hey, today isn’t about yesterday or anything that’s happened before. We’re making a new start. I’m not saying you should ignore what happened, but give yourself a second to breathe. Come with me to the spot you and your brother used to go to. We’ll swim, and maybe you can even show me how to surf. After that, we’ll just let the day take us wherever it wants. What do you say?”

  “Let me get ready. Oh, and thanks, Jasper. I wouldn’t have made it through the past few days without you.”

  “Don’t mention it,” Jasper said as he went off to get ready.

  After they were dressed, Jasper and Emma drove out to the beach. The spot she was talking about required a little walking, however. It was a private place that not many people knew about. As they were approaching it, Emma saw something strange, however. There were two people lying out on the beach. She thought she recognized one of them. The boy looked like her brother, Evan.