Ripple - [COMPLETED] [Undergoing Editing]

Chapter Twelve

Katie woke up that next morning and sat in her bed for too long. She had trouble motivating herself to get up. She couldn't help the way she felt, she was humiliated and felt dirty. She crossed to her closet and changed into jeans and a shirt, throwing a jacket over her shirt. She grabbed her bag and rushed out of the house, not stopping for a second to even see if her mother was home. She couldn't bare the idea of her asking why she'd be wearing a jacket in this weather. She knew it wasn't practical, but it made her feel safer. She drove to school and rushed inside. She had spent too long thinking about yesterday that she almost made herself late.

"Okay class," Mrs. Johnson started. "Today we're going to have a free-write. Please write one page about anything. Put your name up top and turn it in. It may exceed a page," she looked at Katie and smirked before returning to her seat.

Katie chuckled silently and pulled out her notebook and went to work. She decided to write what was on her mind. The attack from Daves and his friends.

Never have I felt so exposed. I felt like I didn't matter and that to them I was nothing more than my body. They stared at me with their large appetites and allowed their hands to graze me where I forbade. My stomach turned sick, and my eyes blinded by tears. I could hear myself choking on my screams while they bonded me to the lockers. They admired my chest, my legs and allowed their hands to trail along my skirt. They admired my features without my consent or permission and allowed themselves access to the parts of me that were sacred. I'm told to be safe, to be modest and not to feed the fire of the hungry lions that prowl around me, but what about them?

She felt herself struggle to lift her pencil and form another word. She wanted to be brave and proclaim how men should stop objectifying and keep their hands to themselves as she had at Linette's house, but she couldn't. A dull ache in the pit of her stomach kept her preoccupied. So, she erased the "but what about them" and continued describing her fear, hoping it would help her cope with the turmoil in her head.

Their eyes focused in on me and I felt my cheeks turn hot. I could sense them undressing me with their eyes and the image in their heads caused my self-consciousness to rise. They held onto me with struggle and I could feel myself begin to accept the fate of this nightmare. My breathing started to become more erratic as he approached, toying with my mind and adding suspense to my already existing misery. Tears escaped their prison and fell for them all to see. My shame weighed on my heart, causing a rush of nausea to my stomach. He smiled and looked down at me as if he'd won a prize. "the crying has just begun," he said. His voice low and eliciting terror in me. I felt a thousand chills shudder down my spine.

The words still echoed in her mind. Her cheeks burned as she thought about it. It was terrifying and humiliating in one mixed emotion. She clung to her stomach remembering the impact. She glanced at the clock and saw her time was running short.

They tossed me on the floor like trash and laughed as they surrounded me. He dropped in front of me and placed both of his hands on my legs. I tensed trying to keep my knees pushed together to hide myself from being exposed from my skirt. He looked down and then back up at me with the eyes of a monster, the eyes of a monster full of lust. I felt my heart race as he started to push my legs apart. I pleaded and it was at that moment the silent prayers I whispered had been answered.

The bell rang. She sighed, hating the fact that she hadn't finished her story. Reluctantly, she wrote her name on the top of the page and turned it in. She threw her bag on and looked around seeing Christian wasn't around. She leaned against the wall and waited as she pulled out her phone.

[Two New Messages]

[1 New Message... Annie]

[1 New Message... Christian]

She looked up from her screen and gazed around, wondering why he hadn't shown. She saw no evidence of Daves or his friends either. She clicked on the message from Annie.

[IN LABOR!! COME NOW!]

Katie felt her heart jump. A huge smile plastered on her face. She turned her head around trying to remember where she was in proximity to the school office. She fumbled with her phone as she started to type a reply to Annie, about how she was heading to the office now, when she heard it. A loud explosive sound echoed the hallways. It took a moment for her to understand what the sound was that assaulted her ears. It wasn't until she heard what sounded like a thousand screams that she put it together.

Gunshots. She wasn't moving. She couldn't understand what to do. It wasn't until a stampede of students came towards her that she realized she needed to run. A scream escaped her when she heard another loud shot. She saw a student fall forward, blood shooting out of them. She felt her body start to process the idea of movement, but suddenly she jerked forward. Her hand instantly went to her chest.

She stopped and stared forward unable to understand what was happening. A second ago there was chaos and now, she couldn't hear anything.

Why is everything quiet?

She looked down and saw a red stain on her shirt. She stared at it.

Oh, I stained my shirt.

She could hear her breathing and something sounded wrong. A strange rasp was present.

Why can't I feel my legs?

She tried to stare down, but her vision no longer seemed to be working.

Why is it so cold?