The Moon Is Beautiful

Chapter 19

Music blazes in my ears.

I stand at the bar, my eyes on the entrance to see when Eliza walks in. It's been a half an hour since we were supposed to meet at this club, but she still hasn't arrived.

Something couldn't have happened to her, right?

As if she knows that I am thinking of her, my phone starts ringing and her name appears on the screen. I answer the call, trying not to sound annoyed through the phone.

"Where are you?" I snap, my intention to sound calm failing the moment I open my mouth.

"Sorry," I hear her sheepishly apologize. "I can't make it."

Anger seeps in, but I take a deep breath to try and hold it in, in and out, in and out. And then I'm pushing past all the people occupying the dance floor, making my way to the exit. If she's not coming, there is no reason for me to be here.

"Don't leave!" she says, knowing me well enough to know my next move. I roll my eyes at her words. "Look, I'm sorry but I lied. I never was going to meet you at the club."

"What?" I snap as I exit the club.

"It's just...I wanted you to let loose and live a little, but if I'm there, you'll just stick by my side all night instead of letting your wings spread. Look, I know that you don't want to hear this, but I'm doing this for you. I refuse to let my best friend go through her life alone. Just stay there and try to have fun. Dance with a few guys even." she says, her voice becoming pleading at the end.

I can't believe her. She knows that this isn't my thing, and yet she lied to me and tricked me into coming here. I should have known that there was something wrong when she said that we should meet here instead of coming together as we usually do.

"I won't. I'm leaving." I say, hanging up before she can try and convince me otherwise. Stuffing my phone into my pants pocket, I start walking away from the club, but then suddenly, a hand wraps around my wrist and pulls me into the empty alleyway next to the club.

A hand covers my mouth, muffling my screams.

"Shh sweetheart," a voice whispers into my ear. "We wouldn't want me to get rough, now would we?"

The feeling of his breath fanning my neck has me cringing, my screaming ceasing.

"Good girl." he whispers and if he wasn't holding me captive in his arms, I would have slapped him across the face because of his words. Good girl, those words make me cringe. I can't associate those words with anything good.

His hand travels down, down to a place that no one has ever been near. I struggle in his hold, but that only makes his grip on me tighten, to the point that it hurts. At this rate, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be left with a bruised wrist.

"Stop struggling." he snaps, his arms tightening around me even more, and with him distracted, I take a chance and bite into his palm with my teeth. He flinches, unintentionally letting go of me.

"Help!" I scream out, rushing away from him, but before I manage to get far, his hand is in my hair, and he's pulling me back into his arms.

"You really shouldn't have done that." he says, his voice low and deadly. When his hand touches my chest, my eyes close shut in fear.

This is what happens in the movies, just before the girl gets raped.

And then suddenly, I'm let go and I hear something hitting the hard wall, followed by a grunt. My eyes flutter open and I scramble to the opposite wall, falling to my knees. I hear the sound of shuffling and struggling, before finally, there's silence.