Page 50 of XO

“Too bad if he does. I told you, I’m done with that. What’s your message say?”

“Ms. Zagwich wants to see me after school.”

“I’ll wait for you by the car.” Jacob leans forward and kisses me tenderly before hooking his bag over one shoulder and leaving class. Despite his resolution, there’s no disguising the sinking feeling in my gut.

~

The house lights are on in the theater when I walk on stage to meet Ms. Zagwich. Except, despite her message saying to go to the theater straight after class, she isn’t here. Taking a seat on the stage where I normally rehearse, I pull the script from my bag and rehearse the same lines I’ve read two million times. I’m confident with them, but as I recite the words under my breath, I pay particular attention to the directions. I know Ms. Zagwich is under pressure we get this right, and although Jacob and I have spent many nights rehearsing, there’s a lot riding on us getting it perfect. While we aren’t aiming for Hollywood, our futures rely on this one good performance.

I check the time on my cell phone. Fifteen minutes has passed and still no Ms. Zagwich. Perhaps she’s held up in a meeting or simply forgotten. Choosing to send her an email when I get home, I zip up my bag and go to stand. In that moment, I’m thrown into a panic, the house lights turning off plunging the whole theater into darkness.

“Shit!” I murmur, feeling for my cell which I just slid into my bag and is now probably lost in its abyss.

I’m blinded and stunned when the stage spotlight is turned on, the bright glow mimicking what it would be like if a UFO spaceship was beaming me up. I squint against the light and shield my eyes.

“Ms. Zagwich,” I call and receive no answer. “Hello? Who turned on the light?”

There’s still no answer, but I know for a fact, the spotlight can only be turned on by a heavy handled lever on the right stage wing.

“Jacob? Who’s there?”

I can’t see it, I can’t hear it, but I can feel it. Someone’s watching me from the safety of the shadows. The feeling where my personal space is being invaded. I turn quickly, stepping just outside the light to scan my immediate surroundings. My skin prickles, the small hairs on the back of my neck bristling with the unwanted attention. Someone is definitely here, and it isn’t my drama teacher.

I turn back into the spotlight, frightened by the sight of Kevin rushing through it, his face morphing into that of the devil. I go to scream, but he tackles me to the floor, throwing us out of the spotlight and into the partial darkness. As he straddles my waist, his hand covers my mouth, muffling any cries for help.

How can I be in this position again?

How can I have let the asshole think he can keep getting the better of me?

I’m rendered motionless, Kevin’s knees painfully pinning my arms at my sides, trapping me beneath him.

“And here we are again,” he snarls as if reading my thoughts. “Funny how you always end up beneath me.” I can smell alcohol on his breath which sends a new tremor of fear through my helpless body. “I’ve got so many things I want to do to you, Rosie. Things that will teach you a lesson.” His free hand rips at my shirt sending buttons pinging across the stage. Pulling the fabric aside, Kevin slides his greedy hand under my bra, painfully grappling my breasts.

I swear and curse at him, but the words are lost.

“I see what’s happening, Rosie. You’re so caught up in the attention Jacob’s giving you because you’re not used to the idea of someone wanting to fuck you.” His hand moves between my legs. I squeeze my thighs closed, but when he repositions himself, he’s easily able to wedge his hand in between, lifting my skirt high enough to touch what is most definitely not his to touch. “But you’re out of his league, Rosie. You’re a pretty girl with a great set of tits and a fine ass, but you’ve got nothing on Chelsea. Guys like Jacob belong with girls like Chelsea. Not with the likes of you.”

“Fuck you!” I muffle.

Releasing his hand from my mouth, but still close for him to slap right back on, he challenges me. “What was that?”

“I said, fuck you!”

“You tried fucking me, remember?”Son of a bitch.“But you didn’t take the humiliation well.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I don’t bother hiding my repulsion.

Kevin lowers his face until it’s only an inch from mine. “You are my problem, Rosie. The way you manipulate Jacob is a problem. The way you just waltz on in and interfere with friendship, that’s a big problem for me. The way you think you’re better than everyone else is a real big fucking problem. So, it all comes back toyou.”

“Say what you want, Kevin, but I’m not going to be bullied by you.”

He laughs and it’s jarring. “Bullied?” Kevin moves my panties to the side, threatening to penetrate me with a finger. “I’ve got better things to do than bully piss-weak little girls like you. I will say this though, if you continue to see Jacob, I won’t stop targeting you until you’re humiliated out of this town. Your name will be smeared along every building right next to the word ‘slut.’ You’ll be virtually unemployable because, like it or not, trouble will always find you. I… will always find you.”

“No one will believe you.”

“No one will even know it’s me.”

While I should have been worried about the implications of defying Kevin, I’m simply over being treated as less than scum by those who have nothing to contribute to society other than their ridiculously inflated egos. “Go ahead, lead your crusade. Do your worst.”

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