I ran through the garage and into the windy night. The crisp air was blowing through Caleb's sweatshirt, the chill air hitting my bare breasts. I didn't care. I was too confused by what I had seen. That's not what I expected to ever experience, let alone on my first time.
As I kept running through the dark streets of midnight, I realized I had nowhere to go. My house was on the other side of town, about a 6 or 7 mile run, at least. I ran away from Caleb, who surely wasn't going to give me a ride now, and neither of his parents were home. My phone was dead, so I wasn't able to call Ava or my parents. I was fucked, and not the way I thought I was going to be earlier in the night. I stopped under a tree on the side of the road, lost, feeling like I had been a part of some elaborate prank.
As I sat on the side of the road, crying and thinking of a plan, countless cars drive by, presumably thinking I'm homeless or some doped-up druggie. Finally, I see a lone pair of headlights pull over toward me. I didn't recognize the car, but I certainly recognized the driver.
It was Liam.
I quickly wiped the tears and running makeup off my face while he pulled over and got out of the car. He rushes over to my hunched, nearly naked body and wraps his arms around me.
"What the hell are you doing out here so late?" I ask, attempting to choke back tears as they rush down my face.
"I should ask you the same question," Liam replied as he helped me up and walked me to the passenger side of the car. He opened the door for me and sat me down. The Ed Sheeran song on the radio made me feel better; it brought me back to when Liam sang this at the talent show last year. It brought me back to a simpler time, when we would study physics together at his house, eating whatever baked goods his mother was in the mood for that day.
After he closes the door he hustles to the driver's side of the car and we head toward his house. "I had clean up duty at Daniela's," he explains. "I was on my way home and I saw you and... what happened?"
I didn't know how to explain, mostly because I myself didn't know what had just happened. I didn't know if I could tell Liam the truth. He was one of my few friends, but I cared about Caleb too much to tell him about the epic transformation he made.
"Me and Caleb... we got into a big argument," I said, hoping he wouldn't recognize that it was a lie.
"You know, Evelyn, Caleb's nothing but a man-whore. I've been trying to warn you. Did he pressure you? If you're not ready than..."
I had to cut him off. He was right, not about Caleb, but that he warned me about him. He seemed to dislike him a lot, almost as if he was jealous of Caleb. I didn't blame him; if I was a boy I probably would be too. "No, Liam. Nothing like that. In fact, I think I was the one who was expecting too much."
"Well, you certainly weren't asking for too much. You deserve the world, E."
After he said this he grabbed my hand and pressed it against his lips. I didn't know how to respond. No one called me E but Caleb and occasionally Ava. And he certainly had no right to kiss my hand. I was receiving mixed messages. I liked Liam a lot, but I wasn't looking for anything more than a friendship. That's what Caleb was for, I guess. I wasn't sure how we stood after what had happened 30 minutes ago.
An awkward silence filled Liam's car as we pulled into the driveway. We slowly entered his house, as his parents and little brother were all asleep. The setup of the house was coming back to me, from his parents' and brother's rooms upstairs to the large living room and bedroom he used in the basement. The house, as usual, smelled like a bakery. He quietly grabbed a few homemade chocolate chip cookies his mother had made and led me into the living room in the basement. As I sat down next to him on the couch, he grabbed the remote for the TV, quietly slurring, "Wanna watch a movie or something?" I could smell the alcohol on his breath, the cookies unsuccessfully trying to mask the smell of the tequila his breath carried.
I didn't have much time to think about this, however, as before I knew it Liam had his arms wrapped around me, seemingly trying to suck on my face. I tried to push him back, but he pressed harder. He began to remove his shirt, and after he had ripped Caleb's sweatshirt off of me, I shoved him back. As he sat wide-eyed at my exposed tits, I slapped him across the face before covering myself.
I had to get out of here, but was not sure how. Liam was not the man I thought he was. Whether the alcohol was causing this or not, Caleb was certainly right about him. He only wanted sex, and was willing to rape me against my will to get what he wanted.
As I darted toward the stairs, I feel his large hand grab my ankle. He drags me back to where I started, his hand suggestively creeping up my pant leg, his long, skinny fingers playing an imaginative piano up and down my calf. I start crying again as I ferociously kick in Liam's direction, trying to get him to stop.
"You deserve better, E," he slurs at me. "Come to a real man. I have everything you could ever expect." Now he's throwing my own words back at me.
He wraps his arms around me from behind, and I wiggle free after much struggle. This angers him even more, and he slaps across the face, where the dodgeball had struck earlier. My face goes numb, and I momentarily black out.
I awake a few seconds later with Liam now mounted on me, attempting to undo my pants. I try to scream, but he quickly covers my mouth.
"You wouldn't wanna do that," he says menacingly. "You don't wanna wake the family."
I'm stuck. I don't have the strength to fight against him. I had a feeling I was losing my virginity tonight, but this was not how I pictured it. Liam removed his shirt and pressed his body against my own as he began to unbutton my jeans. I shouldn't have betrayed Caleb like I did. He had accepted my problems; why couldn't I do the same for him? He had done nothing wrong. I was the one who had fucked up by running away. I guess this was my punishment. I close my eyes, almost accepting whatever he plans to do to my body.
