He began to walk them backward toward what felt like a bed. Grace’s hazy head wasn’t really picking up on much other than the feelings Greg was creating. When they crashed down on the mattress, he climbed up, covering her with his body. When she attempted to push him off, he began shushing her by pressing a finger to her lips.
“Relax baby, I’m gonna make you feel better in a few minutes,” he cooed into her ear.
Panic began to set in when she tried to move again, and he wouldn’t let her up. She felt him trail his hand up her leg, past the bottom of her skirt, and roughly squeeze her thigh. Grace whimpered lightly into his mouth as he ground his hips into hers.
“Greg,” she broke the kisses that he was now forcing on her. “Please…stop!!!” she begged, but he continued to hold her in place.
“I know you want this, Grace. Look at the way your dressed,” he sneered as he lifted himself up on his knees.
He straddled her, putting his weight on her hips as he continued to pin her arms down. Grace pinched her eyes shut as she begged again for him to let her up.
“Please, I’ve never…please,” she gasped through tears that were now trickling down her temples.
She heard the whine of his zipper and felt him shift as he pushed his pants and boxers down, freeing himself. A predatory gleam flashed in his eyes as he rolled a condom on with practiced ease. Panic gripped her heart. Figuring that this was her chance while his hands were occupied, Grace tried to shove him away. Her strength was nothing compared to Greg’s, though. When she rolled to the side to try to escape, he gripped her shoulders and pushed her back flat on the bed, quickly covering her body with his before she could attempt to get away again. His mouth came crashing down on hers as he forced his tongue into it. Grace whimpered again, jerking her head side to side. He ran his hand up her left thigh again and when he reached her lace panties, he gave them a forceful yank. Grace felt the delicate fabric give way under the force. He tossed them to the side as his knees began to force her legs apart.
“Greg, please don’t do this,” she pleaded one last time. “This isn’t you. You’re not that guy.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” he growled as he mercilessly thrust himself inside her.
Grace screamed out in pain at his forcefulness. Being a virgin, she’d known that her first time would hurt. But this...this was beyond any type of pain she could have imagined. It seemed to consume her entire being with searing agony.
An animal instinct seemed to overtake him, and she squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to stop fighting him. This seemed to cause him to lose some momentum when she wasn’t fighting back.
Within moments, he released a groan and began to shudder, and suddenly, the door flew open. The same guy that had hit on Grace earlier that night was standing wide-eyed in the doorway.
“Sorry man,” he muttered at the same time Greg barked, “Get the hell out of here Riley!”
Both relief and embarrassment washed over her. Someone had seen them! Maybe he would tell what he saw, and someone would come up there and help her.
Before she could think on it too much longer, however, Greg released her from his hold. He crawled off the bed and sauntered over to the attached bath. After discarding the condom, he pulled his pants back up, and walked over to the door.
“You can stay in here as long as you want,” he tossed over his shoulder. When he reached the door, he added, “Riley won’t bother you…he’s a pledge. I’m in charge around here.”
He closed the door just as Grace moved to roll to her side. A gut wrenching sob rolled out of her body as what he said began to sink in. He was in charge around here? Nobody was going to save her. He'd had his way, and now he was going back to the party as if nothing happened.
ooooooooo
Grace wasn’t sure how long she stayed up in that room. After Greg had left, she had searched for her coat among the pile that was on one of the chairs. She needed it to cover herself. Greg had ripped her panties, and she was not going to walk out of there in a short skirt with no underwear. After all, according to Greg she was dressed in a manner that said she wanted this. She sobbed as she tied the belt around her waist holding the coat closed.
When she opened the door to the room to head downstairs, the party was still in full swing. She glanced around wanting to make her exit without being noticed. She thought she was just about there. When she got out on the porch of the house and began running down the stairs, she suddenly heard a voice from behind her.
Grace jerked around to see a guy standing off to the side.
“Do you need a ride home?” he asked as he began to approach her.
She backed up, wanting to keep the distance between them.
Shaking her head from side to side Grace sobbed, “NO!”
“Hey, are you ok?” he mumbled as he tried to get closer to her.
She wiped at her eyes and turned away from him, “I’m fine. Leave me alone.”
The alcohol that was still in her body began to wreak havoc on her, and Grace swayed slightly on her feet. Before she knew it, she dropped to her knees and began emptying her stomach in the grass of the front yard.
“Hey, you’re not ok,” the guy whispered as he knelt down beside her.
When he put his arm around her shoulder to try to comfort her, Grace shoved him away, gasping, “Don’t touch me!”
He put his hands up in a defensive pose and stood offering his hand to help her up. When he pulled her up, Grace swayed again right before her world went black.
Chapter 4
As her eyes began to flutter open, Grace could hear soft murmuring all around her.
“Is she ok?” someone whispered.
“Yeah, I think she’s just drunk,” another answered.
“Back off guys. I’ve got this,” a soft male voice commanded.
Within minutes, the quiet was enveloping her again. She groaned and forced her eyes to stay open as she glanced around. Where was she? After a few minutes, the night began to come back to Grace full force. The party, she was at the party. Greg…she cringed as she thought about what had transpired only minutes ago.
When she glanced to the left, Grace saw the same guy from the porch kneeling beside her. He had an expression on his face that she couldn’t really read. Was it concern? Fear? Knowledge of what had happened to her?
“Easy,” he whispered in a soft commanding voice as she started to sit up. “Drink this,” he handed her a bottle of water. “You passed out. I think you may need to lie down somewhere.”
“I need to get home,” Grace began to panic.
“I can take you,” he sighed as he reached out to help her up to a standing position.
“No!” she yelled as she recoiled away from him.
He gave her a wounded look, “Its ok, it’s my job tonight.”
When he didn’t elaborate, Grace gave him a quizzical look.
“I’m the DD for the party. It’s my job to drive people home when they drink too much,” he shrugged his shoulders like this was common knowledge.
After the night she’d had, Grace was wary of accepting any help from anyone. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy, but so had Greg. Just the thought of what this guy might do when he got her alone, made Grace cringe and pull away.
“No, I’m fine,” she huffed and began to head back in the direction of the dorms.
“Wait!” he jogged after her. “It’s not safe for you to be wandering around campus at night.”
“I’m fine!” she snapped. “Please leave me alone.”
He held his hands up as he backed away from her, and headed back to his spot on the porch.
ooooooooo
When she got back to the room, Grace locked the door, and then began tearing her clothes from her body. She felt dirty and used. All she could think about was getting every smell, touch, and taste from the night off of her. She grabbed her robe off the back of the door, and made her way to the bathrooms.
Once she climbed
into the shower, Grace turned the water on as hot as she could stand it, and began scrubbing her skin to the point of pain. A small amount of blood washed down the drain, evidence of her obvious innocence, and the magnitude of the night finally hit her. She began to shake with sobs as she leaned her back against the wall of the shower, and slid down until she felt her bottom hit the floor. She wasn’t sure how long she stayed that way, but it was long enough for her hands to prune.
Finally deciding that she was as clean as she could get, Grace reached up to turn the water off. After wrapping her robe around her shaking body, she made her way back to her room. Hannah had gone home for the weekend, so Grace knew she’d be alone. She felt pulled in opposite directions; she did not want anyone to know what had happened to her, but she didn’t want to be alone, either.
Once she had slipped on some over-sized sweats, Grace climbed into bed hoping sleep would soon consume her. Over and over in her mind, she kept repeating, I’ll be fine...I’m not going to let this affect me...I’ll be fine...
If she only knew how wrong she was…this night was going to replay over and over in her mind for a very long time…
ooooooooo
She spent the next day lying in bed. Eating was not an option. The alcohol from the previous night was fighting with her stomach. The words Greg had uttered replayed through her mind over and over. Look at the way you’re dressed, Grace. You wanted this…you’ve been rubbing up and down on me all night…you’re such a tease. I’m gonna make you feel real good, baby. She shuddered at the thought of his calling her ‘baby’. This was my fault, she thought. I led him on. If I hadn’t dressed like that, or danced like that, or flirted…this wouldn’t have happened to me. As she continued to berate herself, the tears consumed her endlessly.
As the hours turned into days, days to weeks, and weeks to months…Grace sank further and further into a deep depression. She stopped going to soccer practice, stepped down as team captain allowing Hannah to take over, and managed to lose her scholarship. Hannah had been so wrapped up in Matt that she had failed to notice Grace’s downward spiral.
Until two years later…
ooooooooo
Fall, Two Year Later…
“Grace, what’s going on?” Hannah eased herself down on her roommate’s bed.
“Nothing,” Grace mumbled as she continued to pack her backpack. She needed to go to the library and try to study if she had any chance of passing her classes this semester.
“Are you sure?” she begged. “I know something’s going on with you.”
“I’m fine, Hannah,” Grace huffed as she glanced at her.
“What’s going on with you and Greg?” she asked tentatively. “You were so hot over him, and then you just stopped. You keep telling me you don’t want to talk about it, but I think you need to.”
Grace cringed at her assessment, “I said I don’t want to talk about it, and I meant that.”
A lone tear began to trickle down Grace’s face as she made her way to the bedroom door. She released a breath that she wasn’t even aware she was holding as she grabbed the knob. Before she could get the door open, Hannah launched herself at it.
“I know something’s wrong…please…talk to me,” Hannah begged.
“I can’t,” Grace began to sob. “It’s all my fault!”
“What’s your fault? What happened to you Grace?” she touched Grace’s shoulder and tried to turn her so she was facing her. “We tell each other everything…I told you about Matt…and Megan. Please…tell me what’s going on with you.”
As if the dam finally opened, Grace crumpled to the floor and began telling her all the details of the night that haunted her. How she thought Greg was a good guy… How she got drunk… How it was all her fault…
“It’s not your fault, Grace. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Hannah clutched Grace in a tight hug. “Please tell me you reported him,” she looked at her with hopeful eyes.
When Grace shook her head in a negative fashion, Hannah recoiled as if Grace had burned her.
“You have to report him, Grace!” Hannah demanded as she helped Grace over to the bed. “What if he’s done this before?”
“I can’t…it was my fault,” Grace sobbed again. “If I hadn’t worn that outfit…or gotten drunk, none of this would have happened,” she buried her head in her hands. “I have to go,” she pulled herself to a standing position and wiped at her eyes. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. You can’t tell anyone!” Grace turned and glared at Hannah. “I don’t want anyone to know.”
“But…” Hannah began.
“No! Promise me!” Grace pinned her with a stare.
“I won’t…I promise,” Hannah whispered as she stood and began to walk toward Grace.
Grace shook her head and turned for the door, “No one Hannah, no one can know.”
Without saying anything else or waiting for a response, Grace fled their apartment for the solace of the library.
Chapter 5
With winter break fast approaching, students at NYU were getting ready for finals and preparing for their Christmas holiday. In the fall, Hannah, and Grace had moved into an Upper East Side apartment, and Grace seemed to be settling into a routine. Hannah had gotten back together with her boyfriend, Matt, leaving Grace a lot of time to herself. She’d been spending most of her time in “the stacks” at the library. She was hoping to get a degree in biology, and had found that the Law Library was the best place to study.
She’d carry her stack of books across campus, and sit at her usual table on a daily basis. Even though the books that she needed weren’t located there, the Law Library was probably the quietest and emptiest on campus. Most law students didn’t study during school hours. The library would begin to fill in the evenings after classes had let out for the day. By that time, Grace had usually gone back to the apartment, immersing herself in solitude.
As much as Hannah had tried, Grace would not budge on her feelings about reporting Greg. She didn’t want to relive or remember anything about that night. She only hoped that time would heal her wounds.
Time…it felt like a lifetime ago and yesterday all at the same time.
ooooooooo
As Grace moved to stand in front of her usual table, her phone vibrated in her pocket.
BostonCutie: Guess what? I’ll tell you…Matt proposed.
SoccorStar: Really, so happy for you…
BostonCutie: Not sure when we’ll be home…don’t worry if I’m late. J
Grace sighed as she set her phone down on the table beside her backpack. She was happy that Hannah was finally happy. After the last year of sadness that Hannah had been dealt, she deserved happiness. She sighed to herself as she slumped down in a chair. It was going to be along night. She had a big final coming up in her Chemistry class, and she had no idea how she was ever going to pass it.
Deep in thought as she reread a paragraph for the fifth time, trying understand it, she failed to notice someone approaching her. As he moved to sit across from her, her head snapped up.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he cocked his head to the side and flashed a bright smile. “You looked lonely sitting over here all by yourself.”
“I’m busy,” Grace muttered as she continued to scan the paragraph again.
“Well, nice to meet you busy,” he chuckled. “I’m Justin,” he held his hand out for Grace to shake.
Grace shook her head and rolled her eyes as she purposely ignored the hand outstretched in front of her.
“Well alrighty then,” Justin sat down in the chair across from her.
As the afternoon turned to evening, the two continued to work in companionable silence. Grace, always hyperaware of her surroundings, kept glancing up to see if Justin was watching her. Most of the time, he was buried in his books. However, a few times they made eye contact.
“What?” he questioned when he caught her staring once again.
“Nothing,” she huffed.
“Am I b
othering you?” he prodded.
“No,” she snapped as she thumbed through the pages of her book.
“What kinda case are you working on?” he continued to watch her.
“Case?” she wrinkled her forehead and rubbed her temples as understanding began to surface. “It’s Chemistry,” she groaned “and I hate it.”
“What on earth are you doing in here studying Chemistry?” he smirked. “Wouldn’t your sorority house be better for that?”
Grace’s face morphed to anger within seconds, “I’m not in a sorority, and I’m here because it’s usually quiet. Now if you’ll excuse me, I really need to get this done.”
“Yeah, sorry,” he sighed as he leaned back in his chair. “Maybe I can help you.”
“No thanks, I need to get going anyway,” Grace slammed the book closed and stood abruptly.
“Wait,” he stood along with her. “What’s your name?”
“None of your business,” Grace turned, slung her backpack up on her shoulder, and scampered out of the library before Justin could get a word in.
Completely taken aback by her behavior, Justin glanced around to see if anyone was watching. He had hoped that maybe someone knew who she was. When he glanced back at the table, his mouth turned up in a sly grin. She had left her Chemistry book behind. He slid it across the table noticing the title for the course written on it. The book was for a senior level class. He nodded his head as he thought about the blonde that had left it behind. She didn’t come across as being a senior. Most seniors were pretty confident and sure of themselves. She seemed meek, and almost scared to be around him. Deciding to hang on to the book in case he saw her again, he picked it up and turned to place it in his bag that was sitting next to him on the floor.
ooooooooo
As he leaned forward, a paper fell out between the pages of the book. Justin leaned down to grab it, and opened it up. There across the top in the most beautiful handwriting he’d even seen, was the answer to his question…Grace Matthews. Knowing that she was a student at NYU helped. With a name, he could look her up in the student directory and find out exactly where she lived.
Fallen From Grace Page 3