Chapter 18
Gabrielle
Jeff and I swayed together on the crowded dance floor.
He held me tightly against him, his hand firmly around my waist. I tried to reposition my hips when I realized he held my right thigh snuggled between his legs, pressing me against his crotch.
At that same moment, he released me and twirled me around before bringing me back close to him again, but not quite so snuggly this time.
I frowned when I realized what song we’d been dancing to, Everybody Hurts by R.E.M.
I chuckled to myself, wondering what possessed the DJ to choose that song for a wedding reception, when Jeff whispered in my ear, “What kind of wedding song is this? It’s the most depressing song I’ve ever heard.
” He stopped leading me and grabbed my hand. “C’mon. Let’s get away from here.”
I laughed. “Wait, Jeff. I can’t just leave.” I looked back at my shoes. “I need my shoes.” But my protests were futile as he continued pulling me along until we were out of the yard and several feet into the forest. “Ouch!” I stepped on something hard and Jeff stopped tugging me.
“Are you okay?” He laughed. “Where are your shoes?”
“Back at the edge of the dance floor. I tried to tell you.”
“Ah. Sorry. I didn’t hear you. Let me see.” He picked up my leg and looked at the bottom of my foot. “I don’t see any blood.” Then he rubbed my foot. A couple seconds later, his hand inched up my ankle and then up the calf of my leg.
“Stop.” I shoved his hand away and placed my foot on the ground. “I need to get back.” I took a step back toward the reception, the hem of my dress dragging in the dirt. It would surely be ruined.
“Wait.” He grabbed my arm, gently pulling me back toward him, coaxing me to stay.
“Please. It’s just that there’re so many people there.
I just want to spend a little one-on-one time with you and talk.
I’d like to get to know you a little, especially if you’re going to join the soccer team.
I want to learn what type of skills you have, how long you’ve played, whom you played for, you know.
So when I pass you the ball, I’ll feel more confident that you can score.
Back there at the reception, it’s so loud you can barely hear yourself think, let alone talk. ”
I studied him for a second. He seemed genuinely interested in my soccer skills, and I loved talking about soccer.
I had played varsity all four years in high school.
And he was nice. The few moments we’d talked by the trees had been pleasant enough.
What harm would it do to stay for a few minutes out here in the quiet? “Okay,” I lamented.
His grey eyes roamed my face, my hair, and briefly, my chest before they settled back on my face; leaving me a bit unnerved. He smiled as his finger swept a stray curl off my cheek. “What… do you want to know? I already told you that I played in high school.”
“That’s right, you did.” He leaned in and kissed me.
I shoved him back. “I thought you wanted to talk.”
Taking both my shoulders in his hands, he pulled me close to him. “I do,” he said, pressing his lips against mine again. I struggled to push him away, but he wouldn’t let go. “Stop!” I managed in between his forced kisses and shoved at his chest again.
“You can’t seriously be turning me down. Not the way you were dancing with me. I know you want it.”
“What?” I took a step back. “No. You’re wrong, you’re the one who pulled me against you.
” I stepped back and my heel caught something sharp.
I gritted my teeth and turned to run, only to come face to face with a huge oak tree blocking my way.
I spun around and he caught my arm, shoving my back against the trunk of the tree.
He pressed his lips to mine again. I struggled for him to stop as his hand went down through the top of my dress and onto my breast, ripping my dress in the process.
“Sorry,” he mumbled against my mouth, but I knew he didn’t mean it.
He didn’t stop, and the top of my gown hung loose as his hand squeezed my bare breast. I shoved at him, but he wouldn’t budge.
He was twice my size and so much stronger.
This was not the Jeff I had met a week ago.
That Jeff was polite, funny, and handsome.
“Stop! Please stop!” He ignored my pleas. I tried lifting my leg to knee him in the groin, but the way his body was wedged between my legs and pressed so hard against me, I couldn’t move. He fisted my hair and forced my head back with a yank, causing my head to bang against the trunk of the tree.
“Stop!” I shouted again, and he immediately removed his hand from my breast, but instead of stopping, he shoved it over my mouth.
“Be quiet, or you’ll be sorry,” he whispered through gritted teeth. Stunned by what was happening, it took me several seconds to comprehend that he was about to take whatever he wanted, whether I agreed or not.
“Please don’t do this,” I sobbed.
“I said, be quiet!” His hand landed hard across my jaw, and I think I might have lost consciousness for a second or two, because—oh God—somehow he’d gotten his hands under the long skirt of my gown and was tugging at my panties, ripping them from my body as if they were nothing more than a thin piece of tissue paper.
I tasted blood, and the realization of what was happening made me go limp.
Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew it was safer to just give in, but something in the forefront of my brain said I needed to fight.
So I did. Limp no longer, I started flailing my arms, hitting and scratching his face, shouting, “Stop!” This only made him angry, and my poor cheek became the recipient of that rage.
I tried to scream again as he shoved me against the tree, his hand covering my mouth, making my scream sound more like a squeal of delight if anyone were to hear us.
He struck me again, this time with his fist. At that point, I was too beaten to fight, the last blow to my face rendering me helpless to the point of submission.
“Shut the fuck up and stay still or I will hurt you.”
My mind shut down almost on cue. The area around me became dark. I was no longer in the woods behind Brodie’s house.
A dim light from the corner of the room cast a soft glow on the pale green walls.
The bed was in the middle of the room, a large, high bed, much higher than my own.
Much higher than any ten-year-old girl would have.
It wasn’t made, the dark green comforter in a heap on the floor.
I bet his mom would be upset about that when she got home if he didn’t make it.
I didn’t think he cared. Light from the moon filtered in through the open window, but no breeze blew in from the hot, humid summer night.
“Not a word,” he said in a hushed voice, his finger to his lips.
“Not a word, my Gabby girl. You don’t want me to hurt you, do you?
” I shook my head. I didn’t like Thomas anymore.
He made me do things he called fun, but they weren’t fun.
Not to me. “C’mon, we have to hurry. We don’t have much time.
Your mom will be here to pick you up soon.
If we don’t hurry, we’ll miss all our fun together.
” I didn’t like having “fun” with Thomas.
But he made me. He said he’d hurt my dog if I told anyone.
I knew he would, too. I’d seen him hurt other animals.
He’d strangled the neighbor’s cat a month ago just because she’d scratched him when he’d tried to pet her. I cried and he told me to shut up.
My eyes popped open at the sound of a zipper, bringing me back to the present and what was happening at that very moment. Vomit rose up the back of my throat and I threw up all over the sleeve of Jeff’s blue shirt.
“Fuck!” he shouted at me and slapped me again.
He spun me around and I felt the motions of him positioning himself behind me, tears stung my eyes and I struggled to get free but he had me pinned so tightly I wasn’t able to move.
I caught one of his fingers in between my teeth and bit down hard.
“Fuck you, you bitch!” he cursed and stepped back, releasing me for a few seconds to shake his hand.
I must have broken the skin in the bite.
I quickly righted myself and turned around.
No one was going to use me like this again.
When he approached me, I lifted my leg up as hard as I could.
I couldn’t have planned it better as my knee caught him right in the groin.
He buckled over but managed to grab my arm as I began to run away from him.
He punched the back of my head, sending me to the ground.
He fisted my hair and pulled me around. I stretched out my arm over the leaves and dirt, searching for something, anything I could grasp that was heavy enough to hit him with.
My fingers scraped against a rock and I stretched my arm as far as it could go, fisting my hand around the hard, rough surface.
It was small enough to fit into my hand, big enough to do some serious damage.
I struck him on the side of the head. He fell against me and groaned.
I hadn’t hit him hard enough to make him pass out, but it was enough for me to be able to shove him off and scramble to my feet.
I took off running, only to trip on something.
I fell face down in the dirt. Dry leaves cracked under his heavy steps as he approached.
I was weak against his brute strength, and there was nothing I could do.
Oh God, this can’t be happening. Please, Lord, please, I prayed, squeezing my eyes shut.
I prayed for escape, I prayed for some way, something, someone to help me.
He grabbed me by the arm, yanking me over to him.
His hand quickly muffled the scream that wanted to escape from my lips.
“I told you to shut the fuck up. I guess I was wrong about you. It looks like I’m gonna have to hurt you, after all.”
The last thing I saw was his fist heading toward my face.