Raped (Editing)

Chapter 5

 It was several days later as Katrina sat on the living room couch with Tess, attempting to study for a geometry test she had coming at the end of the week. It didn't help that Dominic was in this class and chose to sit right behind her. If the circumstances had been different she'd most likely have no problem giving in to his advances, but now she couldn't see anything coming out of this whole thing. Before her future always seemed bright and full; now it was a struggle for her to simply drag herself out of bed every morning.

She sighed and closed her text book with a sharp snap. She wasn't up for studying anymore. "I'm going to take a shower." She told Tess as she stood. Ever since the rape she showered twice as much as she used to; a habit that her family hadn't failed to notice.

As she made her way towards the stairs the phone rang in the kitchen. "I got it." She called as she was the closest. "Hello?" she answered the phone.

Silence.

"Hello?" she stated again, becoming aggravated. This wasn't the first time a crank call had come in over the past week. No name or number ever displayed on the Caller I.D. The calls only came when she was either near the phone or home alone. She listened intently and she could have sworn she heard breathing. She looked at the receiver as if it could tell her who was on the other end, although she had a pretty good idea, before hanging up. This was not something she wanted to deal with.

Finally in the shower she scrubbed as furiously as she had that first night. Katrina felt drained, like she'd lived a thousand life times and felt the wear and tear of them all. She forced her weary body out of the bathroom and into her room to change. Once comfortably in her pajamas, she turned off the lights and slid under her warm covers, asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

It felt like she'd only been asleep for a few minutes, but as she turned over she saw the bright red numbers on her digital clock. 3:13 it read. She tried to remember what pulled her out of her slumber as she propped herself up on her elbows and looked around her room. That's when she heard it; like nails on a chalk board. She eyes jumped to the window and she screamed as Randall's face stared back at her.

Kat didn't stop screaming as she jumped out of bed, tripping over the covers as her feet became tangled and dashed out of her room. She bumped into her door frame as she ran, almost to the stairs before she heard her father calling behind her.

She was in hysterics, hyperventilating and crying with snot dripping from her nose. Justin Sr. wrapped her in his arms and held her tight as her mother ran to them. "What's going on?"

"I don't know." Her father skillfully passed her to her mother before he went to inspect her room.

"Honey, did you have a nightmare again?" Joyce asked as she stroked her daughters' hair.

Katrina shook her head still not composed enough to answer verbally. Justin Sr. did a quick sweep of her room before he returned in the hallway. "There's nothing there. It was just a bad dream." He tried to assure her.

"It wasn't. Daddy, please! You have to cut it down!" She exclaimed pulling back from their grasps. She raced down the stairs at break-neck speeds rushing through the garage door. She promptly pulled her father's chainsaw off the wall where it hung on a rack. Her father came up behind her followed by her mother and now her sister who was still wiping sleep out of her eye.

"Cut what down? What are you doing with that?"

"The tree! You have to cut it down!" Katrina cried as she tried to squeeze past them to exit the garage. Justin Sr. carefully grabbed the chainsaw from his daughters' fragile and trembling hands.

"You can't go out there cutting down a tree at 3:30 in the morning!" He chastised her.

"You don't understand! You have to. Please, Daddy?!" She begged feeling as if she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown as her heart thundered in her chest, the sound almost eclipsing everything else.

"Okay." He hugged her close after returning the chain saw to its resting place. "I'll call tomorrow and have the landscaper come and saw the tree down. First thing in the morning, I promise. But you have to calm down and go back to sleep."

"Can I sleep with Tess?" Kat asked as they led the way back into the house. Tess gave her a sleepy smile and nodded. She gently took her older sisters' trembling hand and led her upstairs to her room where she tucked her in bed and joined her. As Tess turned over to get comfortable she felt Kat's arm slide over her, holding her tight. "I love you." Kat told her before she was able to drift back into a fitful slumber.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Steam blanketed the mirror of Dominic's bathroom. He stepped out of the shower onto the warm marble tiles, sliding the crystal door closed behind him. He had yet to reach for a towel as the water glided down his muscular body like a lover tracing lazy lines after amazing Sunday morning sex. His abs shifted like the gears of a well oiled machine when he leaned forward a bit, lifted his sculpted arm and wiped the fog from his mirror so that he could brush his teeth.

He unconsciously flipped his wet hair as he placed toothpaste on his toothbrush, sending cooled droplets flying through the air, some landing on his broad shoulders. He ran the toothbrush over his teeth in rapid sequence. A tap sounded on the door connecting to his bedroom as he leaned over further to rinse his mouth out. He finally grabbed a towel and held it at his waist as he exited the bathroom turning off the light on his way out.

"Dude, this is not PlayGirl. Cover that shit up." Joslynn rolled her eyes as she sat on his bed, propped up against his head board filing her nails.

Dominic grinned. "You're in my room. I could drop this towel and walk around ass naked if I like."

"You wouldn't!" She narrowed her eyes at him, pausing from her nail filing.

He let the edge of the towel slip just below his hip, showing the definition on his upper thigh and lower abdomen. "Sike." He laughed at the distraught expression on his sisters' face. "What's up?"

"Nothing. I was just checking on you after your little honey hung you out to dry today." Joslynn scooted down on the bed until she was lying flat as Dominic scrounged through his drawers for a pair of boxers to put on.

"Yeah, she didn't come to school today and she's not my honey." It was Dominic's turn to roll his eyes as he went to place the towel back into the bathroom.

"Yet!" she called after him.

"Ever, if she keeps giving me the cold shoulder." He joined her on the bed, knocking her sneaker clad feet off as he sat.

"Hey!" Joslynn protested. "So don't give her a chance. Just ask her out."

"I can't do that. I already told you about the guy in the Aqua Center. I think that's her ex or something. She probably just got out of an abusive relationship. I doubt she's ready to move on yet."

"Fine. She's not ready to be in another relationship. You could at least place yourself first in the line up for when she is ready." Joslynn rolled over on her stomach, keeping her feet vertical.

"What are you talking about?"

"Be her friend dumb ass. She probably needs a nice strong shoulder to lean on right about now. Yours could be it. That's if you have it in you." Joslynn encouraged.

Dominic leaned forward in thought. He looked at his sister. "I think I do."

"Good." She jumped up.

"Where are you going?"

"To take my own shower and take my ass to sleep. I did my sisterly twin duty by talking your hard head into doing what your heart is begging you to. I'm tired of watching you down there with Dad and the rest of the team all sad and lost in thought."

"I'm not sad. I barely even know anything about this girl."

"And since when has that ever stopped a man from falling in love?" Joslynn asked over her shoulder as she closed the door behind her. Dominic found himself staring at the closed door long after her departure, completely dumbfounded.