A Necessary Struggle: Fall Semester

Part 42

          Alyssa watched the clock tick at a snail's pace. She was still fuming hours after leaving Jolt. They had some nerves ambushing her with an intervention. It was an intervention that she didn't need. She was fine as she was right now sitting on  Quinn's couch in the solitude of silence. Seldom, she heard footsteps plundering down the hallway quickening the beats of her heart. 

Thankfully, at five in the afternoon, everyone had already made it back to their apartments, changed clothes, and was well on their way to their next destination. Just like Quinn had done roughly twenty minutes ago. He dropped off his things, took a shower, grabbed a bite to eat, checked on her (against her prompting him he didn't have to) and should be walking through the doors of McGregor Community Center to begin his community service right now.

          It was part of the judgment Quinn received for assault, plus two years probation. It would've been more but Harmony's new father pleaded on Quinn's behalf. That was the one thing Alyssa was grateful to Harmony for, saving Quinn's future. A future that wouldn't have been at risk of losing if she just kept her mouth shut. She should have never told him that her rapist was Jacob Richards. He wasn't even on her list of possible confidantes. Quinn just happened to be the only person around when the burden of secrecy became too heavy for her to bear.

         Alyssa knew the person she was going to tell before she let the truth spill to Quinn. It was going to be Safiya, wild choice, yes but the right one. She knew how Harmony and Lela were going to react and those were not reactions she was ready to confront. If she told Harmony, her roommate and friend of three years it would've planted her in the police station filing charges. An arrest warrant would've been sent out. A trial date set and Alyssa would be sitting in the courtroom dictating every gory detail of her rape to her jury of her peers. Alyssa didn't want that to happen hence she crossed Harmony's name off the list. 

               If she told Lela, her best friend and whom she told everything to a confrontation of massive portions would ensue. Knowing Lela, she would have stormed into one of his classes, ousted him in front of all the students, and then bitch slapped him with a closed fist into next week. Also, an outcome Alyssa didn't want to face. However, Safiya, the girl that was Lela's friend would've just listened like she always did whenever they had a problem. Unfortunately, it was Quinn. The boy that didn't pressure her to seek due process or cold cocked her rapist but settled for rage-fueled murder. It was a murder that would have happened if several bystanders didn't hold him back.

          Bam! Bam! Bam! Someone knocked on the door. Alyssa dropped on the floor reaching under the couch. She pulled out Quinn's bat. She deposited it there for safe keeping.

        "Who is it?" Alyssa hesitantly walked to the door.

        "Detective Jensen." A voice shouted on the other side of the door. "Ms. Sasaki, it that you?"

         Alyssa looked through the peephole. That was the ponytailed man she met at the hospital. The lock clicked as she twisted it back to only open the door a crack.

        "What do you want?" She held the bat behind the door just in case.

         Detective Jensen stepped back from the door, "Why aren't you at class?"

         "I don't have class after five." She looked down the hall to see if anyone else was there but it was empty. Her heart raced a little. This man standing in the hallway with his hand resting on the gun on his hip frightened her just a bit. "What do you want?" She spat out.

        "I need you to come down to the station. Give your statement."

       "I already did that." She started to close the door but his oxford-covered foot stopped it. "Move it are I'll break it off!"

      Detective Jensen moved his foot but slapped his hand on the door. Alyssa began pulling in ragged breaths. She didn't want to go to jail but her hand tightened around the bat.

      Detective Jensen's chocolate eyes studied Alyssa making her palms dewy.

      "You did." He spoke softly. "But this time I need you to state the name of your accuser."

       "My accuser!" Alyssa quickly shook her head. "I'm not doing that. No! No!" She pushed the door harder imprinting lines in the black leather of the man's shoes. "Move! Your! Foot!"

       Detective Jensen pulled his foot at the way and Alyssa slammed the door almost hitting him in the face with the brass knocker. She locked both locks and slid to the floor. The room spun like a Ferris wheel as Alyssa let the bat fall out of her hand. She clung her hands to her chest as her heart trembled.

      "I can't do anything if you don't come to the station and make a formal statement accusing Jacob Richards." Detective Richards proclaimed.

       Hearing his name made Alyssa's lungs inhale and exhale faster than the flapping of a hummingbird's wings. She stayed on the floor, crawling back to the couch where her backpack rested next to. She unzipped the small compartment and pulled out an orange bottle. She popped open the top and dumped the last pill in her hand.

       "I'm trying to help you." Detective Jensen dejectedly spoke. "Please...let me help you."

        "There's no...helping me." Alyssa somberly declared loud enough so he could hear. She tossed the pill in her mouth and swallowed it as she lied on the hard floor. "I feel—" Tears poured down the sides of her face as she stared at the oscillating ceiling fan. "I still feel him."

Now that Alyssa's out of Xanax, what do you think she's going to do? Will this cause her to seek help? Or will she try to get more pills?