30. Brielle #2
He pulled me into a deep kiss. When he pulled away, he chuckled against my lips. “We need to leave soon.”
I smiled, then bit my lip. “Okay.” I looked around. “It seems to be dying out anyway. Let me go pee first.”
As I turned, he slapped my ass. “Hurry up, Masterpiece. I have plans for you.”
I smiled at him and then grabbed Amani to go with me. Although I had done my best not to pay any of my old friends any attention, I noticed they hadn’t left yet.
As I was washing my hands and listening to Amani drone on about food and what she wanted for breakfast, the door to the bathroom opened.
“Hey,” Ellory said hesitantly.
“Amani, let's go, please.”
I leaned up against the wall, and the moment Ellory started speaking again, I set off the hand dryer so I couldn’t hear her. I smiled so she knew it was intentional.
She grabbed my wrist to stop it. “Please, Brielle.”
I yanked my hand away. “Please, what, El?”
“Please, just listen.”
Amani flushed and came out of the stall at that moment. “What could you possibly have to say to her?” she asked.
“Can we talk?”
“About?” I asked.
“I miss you.”
“Hah,” Amani yelled. “Well, she misses you like people miss a wart.”
I smiled at her. “That was a good analogy.” I linked my arm in Amani's. “El. I wish you the best, girl. But our friendship and that part of my life is over.”
Ellory’s eyes fell to the ground. “I’m sorry that I didn’t believe you.”
I stepped toward her, letting Amani’s arm go, but she stepped with me. “What?”
“I said I am sorry I didn’t believe you,” she repeated.
I gripped her wrist this time to get her to look at me. “What did he do?”
“I think he raped me too.”
All the anger dissipated from both Amani and me when she fell into my arms.
“Ellory,” Amani shouted when we tried to catch her.
We moved her to the couch in the front of the restroom. I pushed her hair away from her eyes. “Tell me what happened.”
“The other night, he was trying to touch me, and I didn’t want him to because I wasn’t feeling well. He got mad and asked why I hadn’t drank my water like I always do.” she paused, wiping a few tears from her face.
“I am confused,” Amani stated.
“I was confused too at first. I normally drink a glass of water before bed, but because my stomach hurt, I didn’t drink it that night.
” Both Amani and I continued to stare at her, still confused.
“He got really angry and said if I would have just drank it, he could have had fun. That’s when I realized why I was waking up every morning not remembering what happened the night before.
I thought I was just sleeping heavily. Turns out he was drugging me. ”
My hand moved to my mouth. “Oh my god.”
Amani stood. “Ellory, you have to tell someone.”
“When I confronted him and told him that he had raped me, he laughed and called me Brielle. I realized at that moment you were probably telling the truth.”
Tears filled my eyes. “I was.”
“I know that now. I told him what he did was wrong. He told me I was his, so it didn’t matter. I agreed to be his girlfriend, so sex was whenever, however he wanted.”
“That fucking rapist,” Amani roared.
Amani went flying out the bathroom door. I followed, of course. She was too drunk, and this was not going to end well, especially for everyone else right outside that door.
“You fucking loser,” she yelled.
“Amani, don’t,” Ellory pleaded.
Caleb turned and saw the three of us. “Oh, here we go.”
I looked around and saw that Beck, Elijah, Link, and a few others were already on their way toward us.
I pulled her back. “Amani, not here. He isn’t worth it.”
Caleb's stupid face smiled at me. He fucking smiled. “Hey, Bee.”
I turned back to the girls. “Ellory, do you need a place to stay?”
“We have a house. It could have been your house if you didn’t—”
I don’t know what came over me, but I swung. “Shut your fucking mouth.” Caleb fell to the ground, holding his face.
“Oww, fuck Bee. Why did you—”
I pointed at him. “Don’t fucking call me that.” I went in for another punch, but I was yanked back by Nick. Elijah walked right past me, leaning down and gripping Caleb's shirt.
“You have five fucking seconds to leave. Unlike Brielle, I have nothing to lose.”
“Nick, let me go,” I yelled as I tried to squirm out of his grasp.
Elijah looked back at Nick, holding me. “Get the girls to the car. I will handle this.”
The owner came walking over. “The next person to throw a punch is getting arrested. Everyone get your shit and get out. I don’t want that shit in here.”
I looked at Aubrey and Callie, who were hugging each other, clearly upset. I mouthed, “I’m so sorry.”
Nick pulled me away while Beck grabbed Amani. Once we got outside, Nick let me go. “You should have let me hit him again.”
I started to walk back in, but Aubrey stopped me. “Are you okay?”
I looked up at her with tears clouding my vision, panic taking over. I clutched my chest and fell to the ground on my knees. “He did it to Ellory too.”
Aubrey sat on the ground and pulled me into her lap. Once I calmed down, Amani and Callie came and sat next to us. Through my sobbing, I started mumbling. “I am so sorry, Callie. Aubs, I am so sorry. I never wanted—”
“This wasn’t your fault, Bean,” Callie assured me.
“I punched him,” I proclaimed.
Callie gripped one of my arms lightly. “I bet it felt fucking amazing, too.”
I laughed through the tears. “Yeah, it did. But I never should have put my hands on him.”
A few moments later, Elijah came walking out with Ellory. I stood when I saw his bloody lip.
“Oh my God, baby. I am so sorry.”
He hugged me tight. “You didn’t do this, baby.”
I looked up at him, running my finger over his swollen lip. “What happened?”
“That loser tried to hit me. He caught my lip, but his friends were smart enough to pull him away.”
I looked over at Ellory, who was a few feet away, hugging Amani. “I called my mom. I am going to the cops. He is going to pay for this.”
I walked over and pulled her into a hug. “We have a lot to talk about, but I promise you, you’ll make it through this. We are stronger than he’ll ever be.”
“I am so sorry, Brielle,” she whispered. “He is going to pay for what he did to you.”
“Don’t worry about me right now. I am just glad you are safe.”
“Your man over there, made sure I was.” I looked over at Elijah, then back to her, and she continued, “When Caleb's friends were pulling him away, he tried to reach for me, and your guy stepped between us. I want to thank him if that’s okay.”
I nodded, and she stepped away. She walked over and hugged him wordlessly. He looked at me over her head. I mouthed, ‘’Thank you,’’ and he mouthed, ‘‘Anything for you, my girl’’.
Once Ellory’s mom picked her up, the rest of us went to our prospective homes.
Beck and Amani got a hotel room for the night so Elijah and I could be alone.
I drove Elijah to my apartment since he drank, and I didn’t say a word the entire ride.
He just held my hand and let me just process everything that happened.
We walked into the apartment, and Eli went straight to the kitchen. I leaned my back against the front door. “Need anything? Want water?” he asked.
I looked at him wordlessly, until he looked back at me. My eyes burned with tears.
“Brielle?”
“I love you, Eli.”