I'm eating dinner alone in the dining hall. Kay and J.J. are still really my only friends here. I think I still view a lot of people who go here with disdain, and it’s probably not entirely fair. Although the whole Ella situation didn’t exactly help me with my negative feelings about people in this shitty town.
J.J. and Kay are at a late practice. I waited things out as long as I could, hoping they'd get done in time to eat with me, but the dining hall was about to close, so I decided to eat before it did.
There’s not really anyone else here, so it's not quite as embarrassing that I’m eating alone.
Just as I'm thinking I should probably make some friends who aren't on the women's basketball team so I don’t end up in situations like this one, I hear a voice.
“Hey, you want company?”
I look up from my tray and see a guy holding his own tray. He’s got dark hair and bright green eyes. He's also well dressed, wearing slacks and a cardigan over a button down. He looks older too, probably an upperclassman.
I smile, “Sure.”
He smiles back and sits down a couple spots away from me. I appreciate that he doesn't just try to sit right next to me.
“Great. I’m Devin.”
“Emily.”
He nods, “Nice to meet you. You’re a freshman, I take it?”
I laugh, “Is it that obvious?”
“Well, not too obvious, except that I would have remembered a girl as cute as you, so I thought you must be new.”
I feel my face flush. It's kind of a lame line for sure, but I’d be lying if I said it isn’t nice to hear.
“Thanks.”
We talk as we finish our dinner. He is very polite and nice to talk to. We talk about the university and our classes for a while.
Near the end of our meal he asks, “Hey, what's your favorite movie?”
I think for a moment, “That's a tough one… The Princess Bride , maybe? It's definitely the movie I have watched the most.”
He smiles, “Seriously? That's mine too.” He puts on a Spanish accent, “My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father – prepare to die.’”
I laugh, “That's pretty good. I can tell you have seen it a lot. Maybe even more than me.”
We head back to the dorms together and the whole time I’m thinking about asking for his phone number. But I realize that he'll think it means something romantic, so I don't. I really just want a friend. So I don't say anything.
I eventually decide I should ask him his last name and add him on social media. That's less romantic sounding.
Just as I’m about to, he says, “Hey, what do you say we hang out in my room? I have some beer, and we can just relax and watch The Princess Bride. ”
“Oh…um, thank you. But I'm not comfortable with that. We just met.”
He smiles, “But we can get to know each other better if we hang out, right?”
“Uh…sure, but I'd like to do that somewhere other than your dorm room.”
He scoffs, “I don't understand why you're being like this. You were flirting with me non-stop a minute ago. And now you're rejecting me?”
“I…didn't mean to flirt or lead you on. I'm sorry, I-”
“Come on. Just one drink. Please?”
I start to get very flustered. I don’t want to be in a room alone with this guy I just met, and I definitely don’t want to drink. Not with him or any one else. Ever.
This combination of things makes my temper boil over, “I don't want to. I shouldn’t have to say it more than once. Just leave me alone .”
I try to increase the distance between us, but then he grabs my wrist from behind and yanks me off of the sidewalk. He pushes me against the wall of the science building, and I feel my bare skin scrape against the bricks. My heart is pounding in my chest. I’m suddenly very afraid of this guy who I wanted to be friends with 5 minutes ago.
We’re out here alone. It's dark. There are bushes on either side of us. He has me cornered and won't let go of me. He’s already proven he is much bigger and stronger than me.
“Come on , Emily. You liked talking to me at dinner didn't you?” He slides his fingers under the strap of my dress, “And you’re wearing this slutty little dress with so much cleavage. I see the kind of girl you are. So stop being such a tease, and just go with it. You'll have a good time, I promise.”
I try to be assertive but my voice comes out weak and afraid. I slap his hand away, “D-don't touch me! I d-don't want to go with you.”
I try to pull my wrist free, but I can't. His grip on my wrist tightens. It feels like a metal band is wrapped around it. Tears start welling up inside of me as I realize the situation is quickly becoming hopeless for me. “P-please…You're really hurting me. Please let go.”
He smiles, which makes my skin crawl, “I will, if you promise to come up to my room with me.”
I do my best to get my fear-infused brain to focus on a plan.
I think I’ll have to tell him I’ll go and then make a break for it when he lets go of me. I don't love my chances, though. He’s almost certainly faster than me. But I don't think there's another option.
Just as I’m about to put my plan into motion, I hear a familiar voice, “Hey, what's going on over there?”
I’m very relieved to see a familiar large figure approaching us with an athletic bag over her shoulder. In the dark, I can just make out her concerned facial expression.
Without looking at the owner of the voice, he confidently says, “We’re just talking, right Emily?”
I put all of my energy into my voice and yell, “No! He’s hurting me, Kay! And he won't let me g-”
He puts his hand over my mouth and scowls at me. His grips my wrist gets even more tightly, causing me to grunt in pain. It feels like if he squeezes any harder, my bones might break.
“Em!?”
I heard the sound of Kay's bag hitting the sidewalk. In a flash, she’s right behind him. I recognize the menacing look on her face, and her tense posture. This isn’t Kay right now. This is Xena.
I never thought I'd be glad to see Xena off of the basketball court.
In a frightening voice I’ve never heard before she says, “I’m going to count to three.”
He chuckles, “Listen, bitch…mind your own-” He stops mid-sentence as he turns toward Kay and sees her. Even without seeing his face, I can see the surprise in his body language as he has to crane his neck up to see Kara’s face. He finally lets go of my wrist, which aches badly where he was holding me.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
“Want to say that again, to my face? Or is it too far up for you?”
“Bitch wasn't right. No way you're a girl.”
Kara gives a menacing laugh and brandishes her fist, “Whatever you need to tell yourself, little man. Are you going to make me start counting? Or are you going to get away from her?” She cracks her knuckles, “It’s up to you, really. I know I’ll be happy, whatever you decide.”
He scoffs and starts to make his retreat, but not before turning around, looking at me and saying, “Why get with a girl who looks like a guy, when you could just have the real thing?”
Then he leaves.
I exhale and fall to my knees on the grass as soon as he is out of sight. It almost felt like I was holding my breath that entire time. Maybe I was.
I try to move my wrist and wince in pain.
Kay gets on her knees in front of me and puts her hand on my shoulder and bends over to study my face closely, “You, okay, Em?”
I find myself unable to respond to her question. I’m much better than I was before she came, but I’m also not okay. My wrist really hurts. And I think I have a scrape on my neck from the bricks.
But it’s not just the physical pain. That was by far the scariest thing that has ever happened to me. And I was completely powerless.
Kay looks really concerned and hugs me which I am thankful for. It makes me feel very safe to have my head on her chest. That's what I need right now. More than anything.
Only now do I realize that I'm crying.
…
It’s all a blur, but I know Kay somehow got me up to my room. She got in my bed with me and held me while I cried for a very long time. Now that I am out of tears and thinking more clearly, I'm worried about her too.
“A-about what he said…about you looking like a guy.”
She laughs, “I get that all the time. Especially from little guys who feel emasculated. I don't care. And it really doesn’t matter right now.”
She thinks a guy who is 5 foot 9 is little. A guy who easily overpowered me.
I roll over to face her, “You do care though. You're really self-conscious about your body. I’m sure it upset you.”
She frowns, “Yeah. It hurt a little. Even coming from a jerk like that. But it's nothing, okay? You were attacked . We need to call the campus police and report this. I know that sucks, but we need to get this guy. The sooner the better.”
I sort of want to bring up the fact that he assumed we were a lesbian couple too, but this is certainly not the time for that conversation.
“Thank you so much, Kay. Thank you doesn't even cover it. I don't know what he would have done…I think you…literally saved me from…something much worse.”
A shadow pases over her face,“I am very glad we had a late practice tonight and I was there.”
“Me too. I need to be more careful.” I start to sniffle again, “Before he did that…we had dinner together in the dining hall. I thought he was nice . I was going to see if he wanted to be friends. I-I’m an idiot .”
“You are not . You can't know everything about a person just from meeting them. But…it is true campus can be dangerous at night.”
I nod, “You hear people say that. But I didn't put much stock in it. I won’t make that mistake again.”
I nod and clasp my hands together, feeling resolved to get this guy off of campus “O-okay. Let's call the campus police.”
…
We just got done with the police report. Two officers came to my room and were very nice, given the situation. One of them was a woman, which made me feel much more comfortable.
It was hard, and I teared up a little. But I was surprisingly steady when recounting everything. Having Kay holding my hand (both literally and figuratively) certainly helped. I didn't know his last name, but because he was one of the last students to eat in the dining hall tonight, all they have to do is look to see who scanned their student ID tonight named Devin. And even if he lied about his name, I told them he was the last person to eat in the dining hall tonight, so they probably have everything they need. They said they thought they would find him tonight since he lives on campus, which is a relief.
My aching wrist already has an ugly hand shaped bruise and there's a scrape on my neck where my bare skin hit the brick wall when he pushed me. The officers took pictures of them, and had us show them where he attacked me and they took pictures there too. Both things made me feel weird, but I get why they did it.
They didn't think my wrist was something to go to the hospital for, but I'm supposed to go to the student health center first thing tomorrow to make sure it's okay. It does really hurt any time I move it.
Now that I'm done with talking to the police and back in my room, my steadiness is wavering. Especially because Kay is about to leave.
I hesitate for a second.
If she likes me, this isn't a very fair thing to ask of her. But…I think I have to.
“Why don't you come and stay in my room tonight?”
I laugh, relieved, “I was just about to ask if I could.”
She smiles, “You'll feel safer there, right?”
I nod, “I know he doesn't know where I live and my door locks, but-”
Kay holds out her hand and I give her mine. She pulls me up to my feet effortlessly, “Hey, you don’t have to explain. Get your pajamas and we'll go have a little slumber party.” She grins, “Like old times.”
…
Kay and I are in her room and sharing the bed. It's a small dorm room bed, so we're shoulder to shoulder. The contact is very comforting.
When I was getting ready for bed and had that to focus on, I was doing okay. But now that we're in bed and everything's quiet, I can't help but ruminate and get upset.
And it isn't even about what happened tonight. Not exactly, anyway.
I start to cry and I squeeze out the words, “I'm sorry.”
She puts her arms around me and pulls me close, “Hey…that's okay, Em. You never have to apologize for being upset, especially on a night like tonight. Cry all you need to.” I hug her and rest my head on her shoulder as I continue to cry.
She’s been holding me while I cry all night. Just like I promised I would do for her when we were kids. But I broke my promise. She probably cried so many times without me there.
I force words out while my lip trembles, “Y-you're just…the b-best friend anyone could ask for. I knew that when we were little. I know it even m-more now. I missed out over the last 9 years. I don't deserve it, after ditching you. I don't d-deserve you…” I trail off and start to sob.
She hugs me tight in her strong arms and strokes my hair. She's starting to sniffle too. “Em, it's okay. Please don't cry about that, okay? That really doesn’t matter, especially right now. All that matters to me…is we're back together now.”
I nod to her, “You're right. I'm really happy you're here. And…not just tonight, when you saved me. In general.”
I would be at home if you weren't here. But that's way too embarrassing to say out loud.
“I’m happy too. I’ve never had another friend I felt as close with.”
“Yeah, me neither.”
She gives me a little squeeze and a smile, “Good. Well, we should probably get some sleep. Goodnight, Em.”
She lets me go and rolls over. I feel a sense of disappointment when she does. Which is embarrassing. But I had a hard night. I shouldn’t feel too bad for wanting someone to hold me right now. But I'm also definitely too embarrassed to tell her that.
Still, even if she isn’t holding me, I feel very safe and warm around Kay. Not just tonight, but always. And just…everything is better when she's around. I’m very lucky to have her as my best friend.
----------------------------------------
When I wake up the next morning, I'm embarrassed to find that I wrapped my good arm around Kay in the night. Well, ‘wrapped around’ isn't exactly accurate, my arms aren't long enough for that. But I clearly tried my hardest.
This happened once before, too. I guess I'm a sleep snuggler. She doesn't seem to mind.
The next thing I notice is that my wrist still really hurts. I release her from my grip and quietly get out of bed. My wrist has a purple ring around it, and moving it at all really hurts. Even more today. I'm not sure how I didn't wake myself up in the night.
I find my phone, and see that I have a voice mail from the campus police.
I look over at Kay, and just as I'm considering waking her up, she sleepily opens her eyes and stretches. As usual, I'm sort of captivated by the way her muscles move when she does. Especially since I catch a glimpse of her bare midriff. I've never seen a woman with abs like that.
But it doesn't distract me quite as much as it usually does. Not with an important message waiting for me on my phone.
She sees me and looks concerned, “Morning. Everything okay?”
I guess I look scared. Makes sense, because I am.
“Um…yeah, but I was about to listen to a message from the police.”
Kay nods, sits up and pats on the bed next to her. I happily sit next to her. She puts an arm over my shoulder and we listen to the voicemail together. It’s the female officer from last night.
“Miss Jimenez, we just wanted to update you on your case. We found the man who attacked you. He quickly confessed to everything and he's in custody. He'll go in front of a district judge today and at some point there will be a Title IX hearing. Because he confessed, you shouldn't have to be involved any further. He's officially banned from the university, so even if he makes bail you won't be seeing him again. If you do, immediately call the police. Call us if you have any questions.”
The message ends and Kay and I smile at each other and share a celebratory hug.
“I'm glad they got that jerk.”
“Me too. I don't know what I would have done if they said they couldn't find him. Probably never leave your side.”
She laughs, “Well, I would happily be your bodyguard.”
“Yes, Xena was a very good one last night.”
She breaks the hug and laughs, “She did come out, didn't she? I don't think I've ever been that angry off of a basketball court. Or, maybe ever. For a moment, I saw red. I wanted to rip him off of you, throw him on the ground, and show him just how much of a beating a girl can give him.”
Part of me wishes I could have seen that…
I pat her on the shoulder, “It was a very good time for Xena, but I'm glad you kept her in check a little. If he was beaten to a bloody pulp, you probably would have gotten in trouble too.”
She sighs and says, “Probably. Anyway, I guess you won't have to sleep here again.”
I frown and look down at my hurt wrist, not loving the idea of being alone in my dorm room tonight.
Just as I'm about to say something about that, Kay adds, “I mean…unless you still don't feel safe, of course. I wasn't saying that you aren't allowed to. Obviously you can stay with me whenever you want.”
I definitely still don't feel as safe as usual. I know this one guy is gone, but it's hard not to be afraid something similar could happen. And getting to stay with Kay is a pretty nice silver-lining.
I smile, “Well…maybe a few more nights, then.”