I'm So Sorry

Chapter Thirty-One

Jessie

"Are you sure you're okay to walk home yourself?" Sandra asked me that night. "Why don't you have the car?"

"Mom's car is in the shop. Patrick has her car and Mom has mine. Ben was supposed to get me but his practice is running late, and I wanna go home, I'm tired."

"Why didn't you ask anyone for a ride?"

I laughed. "It's a ten minute walk and plus I don't want anyone to worry about it. I didn't wanna get in the way. I'm fine though, really. Don't worry about it, okay?"

"Call me when you get home then?" Sandra asked.

"Can't, I might pass out from lack of energy!"

"Okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Stay safe, love you girl." Sandra leaned over and hugged me and went back inside as I turned and walked down her driveway. I checked both ways before crossing and making my way down the sidewalk path. The roads were empty and the outdoors were quiet as I walked. I wasn't used to it, but it was only eleven that night. I was enjoying the peace and quiet and I was content. The air was warm. The night was calm. It was perfect.

I had walked to and from Sandra's many times in the past, since we would practice stuff for theater together all the time in high school. This wasn't any different. I kept thinking about how weird it was that we were all going to college soon, just thinking about how we wouldn't see each other anymore. It was scary, yet extremely exciting.

"Scream and I'll stab you right here." A hand wrapped around my mouth and I felt something cold touch my neck. It took me a second to register what was happening. I was being mugged, wasn't I?

"Good girl," he whispered maliciously in my ear, taking the cold metal away from my neck. His hand then grabbed my neck and picked me up, throwing me to the side, towards an alley that I hadn't seen before. The fall hurt my hip and I cried out in pain. "BE QUIET!" He hissed. That was when I saw the knife for the first time in his hand and the mask over his head. My heart then began to beat harder and harder, my mind racing as everything began to click into place as to what was happening. His one hand went back over my mouth and the other was holding the knife at eye level for me to stare at. "When a man tells a woman to shut her fucking mouth, she does it! Do you understand?" I looked into his eyes, the only thing I could see. Cold, heartless eyes that looked at me with a look I did not like. I nodded, in fear of my life, in fear of what would happen with that knife.

"That a girl," he cackled, stroking my hair with the knife. "That's a good girl. God, you're so beautiful, have you looked at yourself in the mirror before?"

I was sick from hearing him talk to me like that; tears were forming around my eyes and a long shiver went up my spine. "Oh shh shh shh," he beckoned. "Be quiet doll. We haven't even started yet." He stood up and I immediately kicked him in the stomach, causing him to hunch over from the pain.

I got up as fast as I could and sprinted down the alleyway, trying to find the end of it.

But it was a dead end. There was nothing left, and I panicked, looking around and around to find another way out. The chain link fence in my way looked to be about 20 feet up, the other side looking like someone's back patio.

That's when the beer bottle collided with my head and I fell back to the ground, glass in my head and hair, scrapping my face and my arms.

"You bitch!" He growled loudly. "Thinking you can run away from me!" He pinned my arms to the ground as he sat on my stomach. I squirmed and squealed but he reached down and bit me in the neck as hard as he could. I cried out in pain, crying as he hurt me. "No one gets away from me! No one! You think you're special? You think because I called you beautiful you can run away from me like that?!"

I cried as he yelled at me, spitting in my face, his eyes getting bigger and more terrifying with each passing second. He then pinned my arms with his knees and pulled out the handcuffs, cuffing my arms together over my head and through the chain link fence so I couldn't move. "You need to learn to listen when men tell you what to do, my love. If not, you could get hurt."

"Please," I finally spoke to him. "I'll give you whatever you want, just don't do this. Please."

He cackled and grabbed at my shirt, ripping it open without a single pause. "Oh no, gorgeous," he said, licking his lips as he looked at my chest. He grabbed at it and I winced with the pain that came from it. "You don't get to be in charge here. That's my job. That's why you're the one tied up."

He then punched me in the face, the spot where the bruise is still today, and smiled. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be. There's plenty more where that came from, beautiful."

He stood up and started to unbuckle his belt. I began to shake my head profusely, more tears falling down my face. This wasn't real, this wasn't happening, none of this was supposed to be happening because this wasn't real life. "I promise. I'll make you feel like no one will ever be able to do for the rest of your life."