Fan Fiction ❯ Just As Innocent ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

I didn't realize the full impact of that night until much later after it happened. I was really out of it when I first came to. Everything around me was dark and blurry, and my eyes didn't really want to focus. So the first things I noticed were about the room were my two best friend's voices hovering above me, whispering, 

"She's waking up! She's awake!" I tried to sit myself up, but my whole body ached like someone had beat every muscle down to nothing. Go figure. At that point, I finally focused my vision enough to look at my surroundings. A painting of a red tulip mounted on a white plaster wall stared back at me and the light from the ceiling lamp blared down at me. I saw was wearing one of those light blue hospital gowns. I later found out that my regular clothes were ripped too bad to try and mend. Then I saw my friends Sonya and Amber trying to coax me back to lying on the hospital bed. 

"You should rest, Vicky," Sonya told me. "You went through a lot." 

"Do you remember what happened?" Amber asked. I rubbed my head. 

"I think so," I admitted slowly. It was one of those strange moments when you wake up from a long sleep and you can't quite tell if what's just happened is a dream or not. The most recent memories you have are so unreal, so terrifying, you can't possibly believe them to be the truth. And like a little kid, you cling to the person closest to you waiting for them to comfort you and tell you that it's all over. That you were just dreaming. That it didn't really happen. 

"I started walking back from the library..." I began. "It wasn't long after you two left. I thought about calling home first, but..." My voice began to trail off. Up until now, I really was ready to pass the whole thing as some sort of awful nightmare. It had to be. Surely that not happened to me. 

"It was kind of dark," I continued. "I decided to take the regular shortcut. I was anxious to get home. I couldn't shake this feeling that someone was following... then I felt..." I paused mid-sentence, bringing my hands up to my mouth. "I felt myself being pulled backward by this man, a lot bigger and stronger than me. The first thing I tried to do was scream, but..." My words stopped there. I couldn't get them to go any further. I thought I was okay to go on talking, but for some reason my voice kept cracking, my hands and face were wet, and the taste of salt lingered in my mouth. I was crying. Hard. 

"No! No!" I pelted out like the intensity of my voice would wake me out of this nightmare. "Please God, no!" 

Sonya reached out and put a compassionate hand on my shoulder. Looking back on it, I know she meant well. But I wasn't thinking too clearly that night. 

"Don't touch me!" I screamed, punching her arm away from me. Sonya held her wrist where I had hit it and massaged the muscle lightly. I guess I smacked her pretty hard. "I'm sorry," I said, turning my head away. "Could you two... just leave me alone for a while?" 

Sonya looked cautiously at Amber as if to ask if it was okay. She must have thought I was going to hurt myself or something if I was left alone. I can't say I blamed her. But Amber nodded authoritatively and led Sonya out of the room, lightly shutting the door behind her. I listened silently as the handle clicked shut, my head still bent to the corner of the bed. Truth be told, I probably would have tried to injure, or even kill myself, if I had had the tools or strength to do it then. But I had nothing. And that which I had held dear to me was gone now. All I could do was lie on that hospital bed, staring at the off-white ceiling, trying to deal with the concept that I'd just been raped.